Not too long ago, BLACKPINK’s Rosé posted a polaroid shot with Bruno Mars, claiming that she taught him how to play a Korean drinking game. When Bruno’s comment casually revealed that the Whistle singer tried to kiss him during that, the internet laughed reflexively. Hardly anyone could have imagined that a world-stirring collaboration was done cooking and ready to be served in a few days’ time.
APT. is a track that hits you like an unanticipated wave if you’ve been catching up with Rosé’s solo career so far, even more so if you are a fan of BLACKPINK’s music. From the catchy lyrics to the AC/DC-esque music video, the song packs a punch that you wouldn’t generally expect from the artist who gave us On The Ground. APT.’s main allure, however, lies in the concept, which is inspired by the artist’s favourite drinking game.
The specifics
“APT” is a shortened form of the word “apartment” or the romanised “apateu” in Korean. The Korean intro of the song can be translated to: “Chaeyoung’s favourite random game. Game start!” The jingle signals the beginning of the model game, as well deciding who’s the key player. Rosé’s Korean name is Chaeyoung, hence the playful addition.
If you’re wondering how the drinking game is played, the artist herself explained it in a small video. First, you invite a group of friends and assemble some drinks. Although the game works with alcoholic drinks, you can have a small segment of merriment even with non-alcoholic drinks.
How to play
Sit in a circle and decide your key player. As you belt out the jingle, make sure you and your friends are snapping or rolling your fists along. At the end of the jingle, all players must chant “apateu apateu” at least once while swaying their hands horizontally and rapidly. Once the chant ceases to an abrupt halt, the players must quickly stack their hands atop one another in a random, tower-like formation. All the hands represent a floor each.
Now that you have your “apartment”, the key player must promptly call out a random number. This number may preferably be larger than the number of playing hands or just large enough to not be able to predict the result of the round. The hands descending to the bottom must rise to the top of the stack while listing each number down.
When you lose
The player whose hand slaps the top of the stack at the call of the final number loses the game and, as punishment, must drink. This short, rapid-fire game can serve as a fun treat for exhausted friends who want to keep their spirits up. Now, you can even jam out to Rosé and Bruno Mars’ cleverly cute track as you compete with your buddies.
