Peninsula: The Great Producer

Saturday, April 4.

Early in the morning, Kim Young-tae, who had been working on the news all night, took the two reports to the entertainment editor.

The editor-in-chief is sitting in front of his computer, looking at the real-time trending news rankings for this morning.

The top story remains the T-ara discord rumors exposed yesterday by X Entertainment News.

The number of netizens who left comments on the trending post has exceeded 50,000, and new comments are still being added.

The incident not only sparked heated discussions in Country H, but also in many other countries and regions overseas.

Even trending topics in H country have attracted many comments from overseas netizens.

T-ara's fans have been explaining and presenting various pieces of evidence in trending posts to prove that there was no discord between their idols.

Various photos and videos of people attending and participating in various concerts.

Photos of her participating in variety shows, photos of her seeing off or picking up passengers at the airport, etc.

They even posted group photos of T-ara members together on Instagram as evidence.

Even so, many people expressed disbelief, wondering if someone was manipulating things behind the scenes. Some photos that had never appeared online before appeared, even those that showed signs of being photoshopped.

Many netizens claiming to be classmates of a certain member or people who know a certain member continue to post unverified negative information online.

The editor-in-chief frowned as he read it.

He wasn't a T-ara fan; he was simply surprised that this news report, which was clearly meant to stir up trouble, managed to stay on the trending topics list for two days.

Just as Kim Young-tae brought the report over, the editor-in-chief was muttering, "When did news become so simple?"

Kim Young-tae stood in front of the desk, wanting to peek and see what the editor-in-chief was looking at.

"Editor-in-Chief"

After calling out, the editor-in-chief looked up and saw Kim Young-tae, then sighed and shook his head, saying, "You've been following T-ara for several months, how come X News beat you to it?"

Kim Young-tae explained, "Editor-in-chief, X Entertainment News Agency's report is completely unsubstantiated. Industry insiders would just scoff at it as fake news."

“I’m telling you, reporter Kim Young-tae, we are entertainment reporters, and the most important thing is traffic. Regardless of whether the news published by X Entertainment News Agency is true or not, at least they control the traffic, which is an undeniable fact.”

"Editor-in-chief, if all you care about is traffic and not the content of the news, then anyone can be an entertainment reporter. You can publish any speculative news, manipulate public opinion, make a quick buck, and leave. What's so difficult about that?"

The editor-in-chief did not reprimand or refute Kim Young-tae.

He's right; entertainment reporters must also adhere to the ethical standards of journalists.

The main reason why Dispatch (D社) has become a leading entertainment news agency in just a few years is that all the entertainment news it publishes is based on solid evidence and there are no false reports.

Therefore, whenever a news report is released by Dispatch, everyone who reads the news will believe its authenticity.

After building up its reputation, Dispatch naturally became a leading media outlet in the entertainment sector.

Kim Young-tae placed the report on his desk, and the editor-in-chief asked, "A report about T-ara?"

"One is a report about T-ara, and the other is an interview with Ki Yo-gu, the representative of MAX Production Company."

The editor-in-chief picked up a news report, which was exactly the T-ara news report he had guessed.

The headline read, "Rumors of discord within T-ara? What's the truth?"

The title alone is very appealing.

After quickly scanning the content, including some photos that Kim Young-tae had attached to the news as evidence, the editor muttered, "So the reason you haven't published any news reports about T-ara is because there isn't a situation of '80' and isolated members within T-ara, right?"

"This report is the complete opposite of the news report released by X Entertainment News yesterday. If it is published today, it should generate new buzz and gain support from those who support T-ara."

Is everything you wrote true?

Kim Young-tae nodded emphatically and said, "Yes, absolutely true."

The editor-in-chief looked up at Kim Young-tae again and said, "Did someone from MBK Entertainment contact you privately?"

Kim Young-tae slowly shook his head.

The editor-in-chief muttered, "That's true. MBK Entertainment hasn't made any response since the incident yesterday. Judging from the timing of the news, I thought the mastermind behind this was someone from MBK Entertainment."

"It seems that our reporter Jin can't stand people lying in the industry, so she's standing up for justice."

As they spoke, the editor-in-chief put down the news report about T-ara, picked up the second report, and asked again, "And this one?"

Kim Young-tae was speechless.

It seems the editor-in-chief completely ignored what I just said.

However, he was no longer a child, and he would not throw a tantrum at work. He said calmly, "Editor-in-chief, the second report is an interview with Qi Yaojiu, the representative of MAX Production Company."

"Who?"

“Qi Yaojiu, representative of MAX Production Company.”

"Are you talking about the genius producer Qi Yaojiu?"

Kim Young-tae pursed his lips. Why is it that whenever Qi Yaojiu is mentioned, most people always say that he is a genius producer?

After getting to know Qi Yaojiu, Kim Young-tae couldn't sense that he was a genius at all. Instead, he felt that Qi Yaojiu was like an old fox who had been in the workplace for decades.

The only thing that Kim Young-tae admires about Ki Yo-gu is that Ki Yo-gu will take the initiative to stand up when a major event occurs, provided that the protagonist of the major event is at least a close friend of Ki Yo-gu.

People who would stand up for their friends are rare in today's society, especially when the outcome might affect their reputation, honor, or future.

But Qi Yaojiu still stood up and, in his own way, spoke out in support of his friend.

The editor-in-chief was surprised.

Even with the exclusive interview report, it's hard to believe that this is the same interview with Qi Yaojiu, who entered K Broadcasting Station in 08 and immediately soared to new heights, demonstrating his abilities in variety show production, drama production, and even film production.

For more than four years since entering the industry, Qi Yaojiu's legendary ratings have continued, and this genius producer, whom countless news media, including broadcasting news departments, have wanted to interview, has always remained behind the scenes.

What happened? Why did you suddenly agree to an exclusive interview?

If you're going to give an exclusive interview, shouldn't it be an interview with K Broadcasting Corporation's news department or "Entertainment Weekly"? Why is it an interview with Dispatch?

"Reporter Jin"

"Editor-in-Chief"

"Is this really an interview with Qi Yaojiu, the producer?"

Kim Young-tae nodded emphatically and said, "Yes, it's producer Ki Yo-gu's. I went to MAX Production Company yesterday."

"you?"

"Yes"

"You know Qi Yaojiu?"

"Editor-in-chief, I used to work for Qi Yaojiu."

The editor-in-chief seemed to recall that Kim Young-tae had been following Ki Yo-gu for a while, but in the end he didn't get any footage. Frustrated, Kim Young-tae often complained to his colleagues that Ki Yo-gu was just as uninteresting as Kim Jong-kook.

Contrary to his expectations of being surrounded by women after achieving fame at a young age, his life was a simple routine: broadcasting station, company, and home.

I remember Kim Young-tae chose to follow T-ara after giving up on following Ki Yo-gu, so why is he doing this now...?

Kim Young-tae knew that the editor-in-chief had many questions, but he felt that there was no point in bringing them up.

His acquaintance with Qi Yaojiu was never a pleasant one; there was a car accident, he had to pay compensation, and he was even humiliated by Qi Yaojiu. He didn't want to bring up the past again.

The editor-in-chief carefully read Qi Yaojiu's interview report. Clearly, he noticed the content related to T-ara. For the third time, the editor-in-chief looked up at Kim Young-tae standing at the desk and asked, "So, that new T-ara member who was reportedly ostracized by 80 others was only able to join the 'My Love from the Star' cast because of a recommendation from T-ara member Park Ji-yeon?"

Kim Young-tae answered affirmatively, "Yes, Ki Yo-gu said it himself, and the recording can corroborate it."

"So, what's going on between Ki Yo-gu and Park Ji-yeon from T-ara?"

Kim Young-tae shrugged and said, "I thought there was something, but there's nothing. T-ara's Park Ji-yeon had already participated in the filming of Kiyo-jiu's variety show 'Bouncing Earth Game Hall' before she officially debuted with the group."

The editor-in-chief remembered and said, "Ah, that's right. When that show came out, it also caused a lot of discussion. I remember that Kara's Goo Hara, singer IU, and f(x)'s Sulli were also there, right?"

"Yes"

"Therefore, the four of them have a very close relationship with Qi Yaojiu in private."

"Yes"

"Isn't there anyone among the four who has a special relationship with Qi Yaojiu?"

Kim Young-tae understood what the editor-in-chief was implying and sighed, "I originally thought there must be someone, which is why I followed Ki Yo-gu, but I didn't get any pictures. There have been rumors recently about IU and Ki Yo-gu, but still no one has been able to get any pictures."

"Yesterday, before the interview, I probed Qi Yaojiu, and he denied it. But I always felt that his tone and expression were different when he denied it this time compared to last year."

"is it?"

"I will keep an eye on IU and Qi Yao Jiu after these two reports are published."

After putting down the interview report, the editor-in-chief nodded and said, "Hmm, well done. What about the rest?"

Originally just a casual question, Kim Young-tae cleared his throat and slowly said, "Also, I've already reached an agreement with Ki Yo-gu. From now on, I will be responsible for exclusive coverage of MAX Production Company's new variety shows, dramas, and movies."

Kim Young-tae spoke while observing the editor-in-chief's expression.

The editor-in-chief is getting a promotion, and countless people are eyeing his position.

One of them was Choi Min-jin, the reporter from Entertainment Group 2 who mocked him yesterday.

In the span of about a year, Choi Minjin's achievements were significantly better than Kim Young-tae's, and the position of editor-in-chief seemed to be getting further and further away from Kim Young-tae.

Now is arguably Kim Young-tae's only chance to win back his position. The interview with Ki Yo-gu and all the exclusive news from Future MAX Production Company are his bargaining chips to secure the editor-in-chief position.

really.

The editor-in-chief's expression changed noticeably after hearing what Kim Young-tae said.

The voice rose a few decibels as it confirmed, "You mean exclusive news about all future works by MAX Productions?"

"Yes, Qi Yaojiu and I have made an agreement."

"Sure?"

"Confirmed, Qi Yaojiu is a man of his word."

“Very good, very good. All the news reports of MAX Production Company used to be controlled by the Broadcasting Station News Department. If Dispatch can maintain this line, Reporter Kim, you have done a good job maintaining your relationship with Ki Yo-gu. I have high hopes for you.”

It wasn't explicitly stated that the editor-in-chief position belonged to Kim Young-tae, but the statement that they were optimistic about Kim Young-tae was equivalent to them being optimistic about him taking over the editor-in-chief position.

Kim Young-tae tried hard to control his expression.

It's still necessary to show some loyalty, so he sincerely said, "It is my honor to have the recognition and trust of the editor-in-chief. I will always follow in the editor-in-chief's footsteps and do what an entertainment reporter should do."

The flattery was just right.

The editor-in-chief indicated to Kim Young-tae that he could prepare two news reports for today, and finally added that it would be best if he could report more exclusive news about the nine members of Qi Yao.

Not enough chips?
Kim Young-tae returned to his desk with the news report in his hand.

It was still early, and his plan was to publish a news report about T-ara at 10 a.m., and then publish an interview with Qi Yaojiu around 3 p.m.

The audio recordings also corroborate that they will definitely be used, but the written content is not enough to ignite the focus, especially the interview content about the new T-ara members, which is also key evidence to prove that there is no discord within T-ara.

Upper Cave, Dormitory.

The T-ara members didn't get much rest last night.

I used to always look forward to having more time to rest, but now that I actually have more time, I feel uneasy.

living room.

After washing up, the members gathered together, all looking listless, heads drooping, legs wrapped around each other.

Park Hyo-min muttered, "Today was supposed to be for recording the Japanese album."

"Yes, yesterday my manager said the activities will continue."

"But why didn't our manager come today?"

The members exchanged glances, and Lee Qri slowly said, "That's right, why didn't our manager oppa come? Did the company clarify something?"

Jeon Boram took out her phone and started searching.

Park So-yeon, sitting close to Jeon Bo-ram, stared intently at her phone screen.

Searching for T-ara still brings up yesterday's news reports.

Seeing that the trending topic was still at number one, Jeon Boram was a little hesitant to click on it.

Park Jiyeon grabbed Jeon Boram's hand and shook her head, indicating that she shouldn't click to see.

Ham Eun-jung sighed and said, "We probably won't go out today."

Park Jiyeon said, "Thinking about those things is useless. Unnies, we should think about what to eat for lunch today since we have time."

After a moment of silence, Park Hyomin spoke up: "Jiyeon is right. We can't let external factors affect us. We must stay in good shape and prepare to continue our work, so we must eat well, drink well, and rest well. Let's have something good for lunch today. How about Korean beef?"

"At midday? Barbecue?"

"I think it's fine. The most comfortable thing to do during a break is to have barbecue at noon, have a small drink, and take a nap in the afternoon."

"The weather today is actually more suitable for a picnic. How about we go to the Han River?"

"If we went to the Han River at this time, we'd probably be drowned in saliva."

"Not Han River water?"

As they chatted, the atmosphere became less dull.

"kakao"

Park Ji-yeon's phone rang.

Holding it in my hand, I see the latest news from the Earth Chat Room.

Upon opening the app, three messages appeared in a row, sent by Lee Ji-eun, Goo Hara, and Choi Sulli.

Lee Ji-eun: "Ji-yeon, Dispatch has released a press release to clarify."

Goo Hara: "I saw it too, Jiyeon, you should go check on it right away."

Sulli: "Unnie, it's really released. It was released by Dispatch. It's more detailed than yesterday's news, and there's even evidence."

Park Jiyeon quickly launched Kakao, logged into the website, and without needing to search for T-ara keywords, the news report published by Dispatch 3 minutes earlier had already appeared on the Naver homepage.

"Onie~"

Everyone looked at Park Jiyeon, who held up her phone and shouted, "Dispatch has released a news report with the headline 'T-ara in discord? What's the truth?' Dispatch has issued a clarification." (End of Chapter)