Peninsula: The Great Producer

The agent arrived at the practice room.

Their expressions weren't very clear, which made the members of T-ARA feel a sense of emptiness.

Park Jiyeon was replying to messages. Goo Hara, Choi Sulli, and Lee Ji-eun had also seen the news report and were showing their concern for Park Jiyeon in the Kakao chat room they created.

Park Hyomin whispered a reminder: "Manager oppa is here."

Park Jiyeon quickly typed a text message, sent it, and then put her phone away.

What they need to know now is how the company will react: will they immediately prepare clarification materials and have them record a video with Liu Huaying, or will they temporarily suspend their subsequent activities to handle the situation quietly?

In fact, what the members were worried about was that the matter would be left unresolved, and that it would be best to clarify it as soon as the news broke. Only by letting those who were paying attention to the incident know the truth could their future not be affected.

We've come a long way, and through everyone's hard work, we've built up a certain level of popularity. No one would intentionally sabotage this.

Park Hyo-min, the second leader of the group, was on tenterhooks. She felt powerless and hated herself for not knowing how to step forward.

He watched helplessly as his manager slowly shook his head and said, "The representative didn't say anything, the event will continue."

"End?"

"Okay, that's it."

"Clarification, Oppa! Doesn't the company want to clarify this misunderstanding? What will the fans think? What will other people think?"

Li Juli was a little excited; she, who usually didn't like to stand out, couldn't help herself today.

Park Soyeon tugged at Lee Qri. She wasn't as agitated, but she was still confused. She asked her manager, "Did the CEO really not say anything? Or should I go see the CEO?"

The agent continued to shake his head, saying, "Going to see the CEO won't do any good. You might even get scolded by him. Don't go."

Ham Eun-jung widened her eyes and said with a wronged expression, "So, are we just going to let this misunderstanding continue?"

Jeon Boram chimed in, "It's not that we're afraid of being scolded, it's that if we don't explain, many people will think we really bullied her."

Park Hyomin also spoke up, saying, "We should at least explain this to our fans. They've supported us all this time, and we can't let others gossip about them."

The agent was silent.

The other members instinctively looked at Park Jiyeon.

Since Ryu Hwayoung joined the group, she has gotten along best with Park Jiyeon.

Is it correct that this false report includes Park Ji-yeon among those who bullied and isolated Yoo Hwayoung?

Given Park Jiyeon's temperament, she should be the most excited person at this moment.

It was Park Jiyeon who kept reminding the members in the dorm to be careful about how they interacted with Yoo Hwayoung. She always said that Ki Yoo-gu's reminders were never wrong, and the members listened to her advice, so they didn't do anything to Yoo Hwayoung.

Even in small things like having a meal together in the dormitory to watch the premiere of a TV series, no one deliberately avoided Liu Huaying.

When "My Love from the Star" premiered, they specifically sent a message to invite Yoo Hwayoung.

The evidence is that the message Park Jiyeon sent to Yoo Hwayoung was definitely not deleted.

Ham Eun-jung immediately brought this up when she thought of it.

Park Hyomin held Park Jiyeon's hand and said, "That's right. Every time we have any private group activities, Jiyeon sends her a message. These messages are the evidence. Jiyeon and I will go to the second floor to see the representative and ask the PR team to help clarify the misunderstanding."

The manager called out to Park Hyomin, who was about to leave the practice room: "Hyomin, don't go."

Meanwhile, the manager looked at Park Ji-yeon, who hadn't followed Park Hyo-min, with some confusion.

Park Jiyeon slowly said, "Manager Oppa is right. It's no use going to the CEO. The company's refusal to clarify must mean they have other plans. The activities will continue. I guess the CEO wants us to do more things based on this buzz."

The members didn't understand at all.

Park So-yeon said speechlessly, "Is this what you call generating buzz? Is this how all companies operate?"

The group looked at Park So-yeon.

She was a trainee at SM Entertainment, but withdrew from the pre-debut group for personal reasons before her debut.

If she hadn't left, Park Soyeon might have already debuted as a member of Girls' Generation.

Today, Girls' Generation has broken numerous records, carving out a path to their dominance in an era dominated by boy groups.

But Girls' Generation has also experienced dark times before.

At that time, SM Entertainment did nothing, as if nothing had happened.

Is MBK Entertainment trying to imitate SM Entertainment's approach?
These are not the same thing at all.

The former was ultimately caused by fans, while the latter stemmed from disagreements with the group members.

The manager was aware of this, but there was nothing he could do. He had already told CEO Kim Kwang-soo what Park So-yeon and the others had said in the office.

The result was a reprimand, with the agent told to either do it or pack their things and get out.

The manager only put up with it for T-ara's sake.

He didn't want to leave feeling unfairly to have a new manager who only obeyed Kim Kwang-soo and ignored the T-ara members.

Especially at times like these, he wants to stay by T-ara's side. This is out of loyalty, and also out of the affection he has shown for T-ara over the years, from watching them debut until now.

Park Jiyeon spoke again, "Unnies, please don't make things difficult for our manager oppa. For the time being, let's not look at any of the news online and just do what we're supposed to do."

"Are you still preparing a Japanese language album?"

"Are we still preparing for our first concert in Bangkok?"

Park Jiyeon said firmly, "Ready."

The same applies to agents.

Park Hyomin looked at the members and echoed, "Ready!"

After she finished speaking, she glanced at Park Jiyeon one more time.

For some reason, Park Hyomin felt that the calm and collected Park Jiyeon in front of her must have some kind of confidence in handling this incident.

That must be it, which is why Park Jiyeon is so calm.

Is it related to Qi Yao Jiu?

After all, Qi Yaojiu is neither a high-ranking member of MBK, nor a journalist, nor a powerful tycoon. What help could he possibly offer?

Zhongwu Road.

MAX Production Company.

Representative's Office.

Sipping green tea, Kim Young-tae leisurely surveyed the office environment.

Qi Yaojiu sat in the main seat of the sofa with Jin Yongtai.

Setting down his teacup, Kim Young-tae said slowly, "I'm only just noticing how simply PD Ki's office is decorated."

Qi Yaojiu smiled and said, "It's just a workplace, the simpler the better."

Kim Young-tae scoffed, “It’s different. Many company representatives decorate their offices very luxuriously, and they must have floor-to-ceiling windows. Only by standing on high ground and overlooking the entire Seoul can they feel a sense of success.”

Ki Yo-gu shrugged: "I'm not a successful person either." Kim Young-tae shook his head and said: "Producer Ki is being modest, but at this critical juncture, the news of T-ara's discord is too coincidental."

"As far as I know, T-ara is preparing to enter the island market and is also preparing for their first concert in Bangkok. With their popularity, their future development and achievements will definitely be higher and higher."

"It's possible that MBK Entertainment is pulling some kind of stunt. I just don't understand what the benefit of doing this is. Are they trying to create their own buzz? Hmm, that's really strange."

I will not comment on Qi Yao Jiu.

After all, he wasn't a representative of an entertainment company, and he was neither familiar with nor interested in these tactics.

Seeing that Qi Yaojiu didn't react, Jin Yongtai turned to the side, took out a voice recorder from his bag, and said, "Let's begin."

"Start with what?"

"An exclusive interview."

"Shouldn't Reporter Kim go back and organize the news material about T-ara and publish a report before our exclusive interview?"

Wagging his index finger, Kim Young-tae said in a serious tone, "That's not how it works. What if I release a news article to clarify the misunderstanding about T-ara, and then PD Ki pretends he doesn't know anything?"

Qi Yaojiu said very seriously, "Am I that kind of person?"

Kim Young-tae also answered seriously: "Producer Ki may not be that kind of person, but I have to prevent such a thing from happening. Being betrayed is not a good thing."

Setting down his crossed legs, Qi Yaojiu smiled and said, "Come on."

Kim Young-tae didn't waste any time and immediately got into the interview.

Kim Young-tae was at least somewhat conscientious; after the traditional interview opening remarks, he asked a lot of questions about T-ara.

This includes details about the casting process for "My Love from the Star," such as how Hwayoung, a newcomer who had just joined the T-ara group, got into the production team.

Qi Yaojiu gave a very formal answer to the question.

The answer was exactly what Kim Young-tae had expected: Yoo Hwa-young was able to join the cast entirely because of Park Ji-yeon's recommendation.

Ki Yoo-gu made no attempt to hide his personal relationship with Park Ji-yeon, and also stated that the reason he provided the role to Yoo Hwayoung was because of Park Ji-yeon. If it weren't for Park Ji-yeon's recommendation, Yoo Hwayoung wouldn't have gotten the role even if she had auditioned.

In the extended topics, Ki Yoo-gu didn't shy away from anything, and also took the opportunity to thank Park Ji-yeon's mother for always taking care of him by sending him side dishes.

The sun sets behind the mountains.

Before leaving, Kim Young-tae took a few photos of Ki Yo-gu sitting on the sofa. After leaving, accompanied by Ki Yo-gu, he took some more photos of the interior of MAX Production Company.

Kim Young-tae was personally delivered by Ki Yo-gu, and he looked forward to seeing the news he wanted to see tomorrow morning.

Back in the main office, Lee Eun-young immediately greeted Ki Yo-gu and said, "PDnim, have you seen the news reports about T-ara? I'm worried that Ji-yeon and the others might run into trouble."

Kim Ji-hwan chimed in, saying, "MBK Entertainment hasn't released any clarification reports yet. Right now, the internet is full of people hurling insults, and there are also a lot of busybodies digging into the past experiences of the T-ara members."

Standing in front of her desk, Zhao Enhui said, "Some netizens are even spreading rumors that she represents Nim and Jiyeon."

Kim Hyun-ah asked, "PDnim, should we do something, like call the police and make those who spread rumors apologize and clarify?"

Qi Yaojiu glanced at everyone and said slowly, "Calling the police is useless. Some people are just born to hide behind their computers and hurt others with their keyboards."

"I've seen the news reports about T-ara, and the content is outrageous. So the reporter who just left will write a report on the truth, so you don't need to worry. I didn't expect that you and Jiyeon are so close."

“PDnim, we’ve been treating Jiyeon like a little sister for so many years. We know what kind of person Jiyeon is. She’s very lively and can be a little temperamental in front of us, but she’s not the kind of person who bullies others.”

"Okay, things will be better tomorrow. Get back to work."

"PDnim"

Qi Yaojiu looked at Zhao Enhui.

Zhao Enhui explained, "I meant to say that I'm looking for you with writer Kim Eun-sook."

Qi Yaojiu nodded and then walked towards Kim Eun-sook's office.

The sun sets behind the mountains.

The T-ara members spent a boring day in the company's practice room.

They said they would continue to prepare for what needed to be prepared, but everyone was listless. The most crucial thing was that Liu Huaying, one of the people involved, had not come to the company.

Back to the dormitory in Sangam-dong.

The U-ara members gathered in the living room.

Park So-yeon took a few big gulps of beer, while the other members held cans of beer with bitter expressions on their faces.

On the contrary, Park Jiyeon, who was drinking juice, analyzed: "Unnies, don't be so pessimistic. Maybe that person is leaving the group because he hasn't come to the company today."

"Leaving the group? Her? If that's really the case, then I'll pray to Buddha."

"We all know how she got in. Would someone like her voluntarily leave the group? Unless leaving the group would be better for her career development."

"She's playing the victim, being bullied and isolated by us. If she debuts solo now, many people will definitely sympathize with and support her. Think about it, besides participating in activities with us, she also acted in a drama, 'My Love from the Star,' which Jiyeon recommended. This drama earned her many fans."

Park Hyomin took a sip of beer and looked at Park Jiyeon, saying, "I told you from the beginning that I shouldn't have recommended her. Oppa used her because of you, Jiyeon, and that person was just taking advantage of that. Now that they've used you, they're slandering you behind your back. It's really..."

Park Jiyeon gently touched Park Hyomin's arm and said, "Unnie, what are you angry about? Don't worry, everything will be alright."

Jeon Boram moved closer to Park Jiyeon and asked cautiously, "Jiyeon, tell us the truth, do you know something, like someone might help resolve this?"

"Who?"

"You do not know?"

"I don't know. All I know is that we didn't do it, and the truth will be known to everyone sooner or later."

"This this……"

Park Jiyeon looked at the members with a puzzled expression and said, "Unnies, you don't think Kiyogu oppa can do anything, do you? He's not a high-ranking executive in the company, nor is he a reporter. Even if he speaks up for us, he might get dragged into the criticism. At times like this, it's best for people who are involved not to do anything."

"what?"

“Really, that’s what I said to Jiyeon, Hara unnie, and Sulli. They all wanted to post on their personal social media accounts to support us today, but I stopped them.”

"This……"

Park Soyeon waved her hand and said, "Alright, let's finish our beer and get some rest. Jiyeon did the right thing. Our maknae has really grown up."

Park Hyomin echoed, "That's right, Jiyeon did the right thing. I also stopped Sunny and the others from posting messages of support. We can't involve our friends at this time."

The night is getting darker.

Back in their rooms, the members lay in bed unable to fall asleep.

My mind is filled with random thoughts.

Including Park Jiyeon, who remained very calm throughout the day.

Lying on her side against the wall, Park Jiyeon kept her eyes open, her mind filled with thoughts of what to do next.

She didn't want this matter to involve the people around her, but deep down, she also hoped that the people around her would do more harm than good, especially Qi Yaojiu.

Only Qi Yaojiu remains. He's the only one among his close friends who has social standing. If he were to do something... (End of Chapter)