How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 230 Turning Against Each Other in the Face of Battle
On the 7.16th.

The company of T-ara, a popular girl group in South Korea, announced the addition of a new member, Yoo Hwayoung, sparking heated discussions and strong opposition from fans.

Less than three hours after the news broke, Korean entertainment media Dispatch and Japanese media Moonshun simultaneously reported on the MS platform that 'T-ara's new member Yoo Hwayoung is dating a mysterious tycoon'.

Dispatch then reported that the mysterious tycoon was a foreigner, which immediately sparked heated discussions again. Because of the recent tragic events in the Korean entertainment industry, Korean netizens were very sensitive to the combination of "celebrity X foreign tycoon".

Just as fans were not accepting Hwayoung joining T-ara, a large number of rumors surfaced, claiming that Hwayoung had joined the girl group through sexual favors and that this would jeopardize the entire idol industry.

These rumors and topics not only affected T-ara fans, but also triggered a sensitive nerve in the entire idol industry, with many people voiced their support and questioning T-ara's company, CCM, to give a convincing explanation, or else they would boycott T-ara altogether.

Korean idol culture is very popular, but where there is yin, there is yang. Behind the popularity is an extreme desire for control, which gives rise to an "anti culture". In this idol group, almost 80% of them have the "anti gene" and the unique phenomenon of opposing artists, often targeting artists with mediocre abilities, inappropriate words and deeds, or those involved in plagiarism.

Their actions included impersonating fans to create conflict, attacking artists' official websites, spreading rumors, and creating fabricated images to defame their image. Some radical members even sent dangerous items such as drinks containing detergent and razor blades, and established the "Anti Cafe" website to carry out collective attacks.

Some of these people hate because of love, while others hate purely out of hatred. But in essence, they all have an emotional need to vent due to family education and social competition pressures, and their ability to spread and incite is extremely strong.

Therefore, the entire entertainment industry avoids anti-fan groups like the plague. Once involved, the only way to indirectly increase the intimacy between fans and artists is to launch a powerful and correct counterattack, organizing artists' fans to confront them.

Because in the process of helping celebrities refute rumors, fans will feel a sense of pride that "we are comrades-in-arms", and then transfer this pride to their love for the celebrities. The fan economy calls this "fan abuse".

Basically, any group that wants to become a big hit must go through several "fan-torturing" incidents to develop cohesion and fighting spirit.

After all, the highest expression of love is caring for someone.

The incident suddenly became a huge uproar, which shocked both CCM and Liu Huaying's side. The company naturally knew that the arrival of a new member would cause controversy, but they did not expect it to be associated with a national scandal.

Moreover, Dispatch is a new media outlet established only in recent months. It was the main whistleblower in the 'tragic incident', the 'Zhang Ziyan incident', and the recent 'Baekdu Mountain incident'. This media outlet has a mysterious identity, and it mainly whistleblows major news stories.

Online reports even circulated that Dispatch's report was a "royal summons," claiming that it would become a symbol of the "fourth estate" in Goryeo and promote justice and fairness throughout the Goryeo entertainment industry and society.

Liu Huaying's family had already arranged for major mainstream media outlets to speak well of her, but they never expected to be targeted by Dispatch.

As for that Bunshun, it recently joined a notorious gossip organization in Korea, but since it's a Japanese media outlet, Korea can't do anything about it.

CCM President Kim Kwang-joo convened an emergency meeting to find out what was going on between Yoo Hwa-young and the mysterious tycoon. He finally learned that Yoo Hwa-young had indeed gone on a blind date with a young Chinese tycoon the day before, introduced by one of her father's colleagues.

The man is young but has a powerful background. He owns an entertainment company in China that produces literature and film adaptations. He wanted to discuss Liu Huaying's future film and television work in China, saying he could arrange a role for her in Jackie Chan's movies.

Kim Kwang-joo breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this. Fortunately, it wasn't really anything ridiculous. In the end, the public relations department came up with a solution on the spot, packaging the matter as Yoo Hwa-young representing the company to audition, rather than a date.

It also serves as a publicity stunt to generate buzz about Liu Huaying possibly starring in a Jackie Chan film, further fueling the hype.

However, Hwayoung, being a bit of a princess, insisted that she couldn't be the only one to stand up and had to bring the other T-ara members along, saying that they were all going to audition at the same time and that she was just the one who was maliciously photographed and reported on.

After all, a 1v1 audition isn't very convincing, but a 1vN audition would probably shut up the fans.

Kim Kwang-joo thought about it for a moment and decided that it was indeed a good solution, so he notified the other members of T-ara.

They were against Liu Huaying joining the group in the first place, and now that she has caused trouble, they are being dragged into it as a scapegoat. Naturally, the other members disagreed, but Kim Kwang-joo ignored them and directly had the company issue a statement.

However, just as the denial was released, the T-ara members simultaneously announced their legal action and lawsuit on the MS social media platform.

The lawsuit alleges that the company disregarded the employees' wishes, fabricated facts to divert attention from others, and engaged in power bullying and other threatening tactics.

The announcement once again propelled the topic to new heights, prompting the Ewha Girls, who had been discussing issues like So-won and Jang Ja-yeon, to launch another powerful attack, raising three questions for T-ara's CCM.

1. Is there really any control over the use of female celebrities' reputations as a publicity stunt?

Second: Did the company actually use its authority to force female artists to comply with its arrangements?

Third: Did they really fabricate facts to deceive the public and fans?

The outpouring of support quickly garnered tens of thousands of likes and comments.

The last time the Ewha women raised three questions was at the Wadtai Square.

Jin Guangzhu was terrified upon hearing this. He was just the owner of a small entertainment company. What did he have to do to deserve this?

Fans were like a powder keg ignited, surrounding the CCM company building that very night, holding banners and demanding an explanation from the company.

Kim Kwang-joo looked down at the fans holding up glow sticks and playing T-ara's hit songs, shouting encouragement. He felt anxious and somewhat dazed.

Anyone who didn't know better would think T-ara had become the number one girl group in Korea, but what shocked him the most was that T-ara had actually betrayed them!
They actually dared to hire lawyers and sue without saying a word, openly breaking ties with the company?
Are these women crazy? Do they really think they can cause a huge uproar just because they're in the right?!
Or is someone else stirring things up behind the scenes?
Countless thoughts flashed through Kim Kwang-joo's mind, because this matter had clearly gone beyond the influence of a 'girl group' itself, and even now the managers couldn't contact the T-ara members, who had seemingly disappeared.

Even the next day, CCM Company was still surrounded by fans and Ewha Womans early in the morning. At the same time, they received a formal lawyer's letter. The T-ara members requested to terminate their contracts, citing "the company's misconduct affecting the team's development".

Kim Kwang-joo was so angry he laughed after reading it. In Goryeo, only companies use this reason to terminate contracts and blacklist artists. When did they turn against the Heavenly Gang?
Why!
How dare you people like this! Do you even have the money to pay millions of dollars in breach of contract penalties?!
Do you think you're Han Geng or JYJ?

Enraged, Kim Kwang-joo immediately notified the legal department to file a countersuit against the T-ara members for causing significant damage to the company, demanding 200 billion won (over ten million US dollars) in compensation.

He has realized that someone must be instigating T-ara, and he wants to find out who it is!

The news of the exorbitant penalty for breach of contract has once again shocked the entire internet.

Last year, the contract termination controversy between Han Geng, JYJ, and SM Entertainment involved the artists suing the company with "slave contracts," and SM Entertainment then countersued the artists, demanding 22 billion won in compensation from each of them. By this calculation, each member of T-ara's "value" even exceeds that of these top boy groups.

Although the verdict has not yet been reached, most people in the industry know that SM is likely to lose the case. After all, even industry peers would curse SM's revenue distribution as "really shady."

Therefore, at the beginning of this year, most companies that followed SM Entertainment's exploitation of artists basically modified their contract ratios. To ensure that they could appeal later, although T-ara's contract was a 2:8 split, considering that the members had only debuted for a year and were still in their rookie period, this ratio was reasonable. That's why Kim Kwang-joo dared to demand such an exorbitant breach of contract penalty, because he believed he could win the case, and his goal was to force out the people behind T-ara. He didn't believe that anyone would really pay such a high price for T-ara.

With the announcement of the exorbitant breach of contract fee, T-ara quickly became the highest-paid artists in the history of the entire idol industry. Although they did not surpass Girls' Generation and Wonder Girls in terms of data, they did not expect to reach the top in this way.

However, the online sentiment remains overwhelmingly negative towards CCM, with many insisting that they are no different from Zhang Ziyan's company back then. They argue that if they dare to intimidate artists with exorbitant breach of contract fees today, they will dare to force artists into prostitution tomorrow.

Fans even launched a fundraising campaign to help the artist terminate his contract.

Not to be outdone, T-ara's team also took action. The members first posted a handwritten letter on their respective social media accounts, thanking the company and the CEO for their care and training over the years, acknowledging the company's role, but also subtly expressing their disapproval of some of the company's domineering decisions.

We can compromise, but we cannot be manipulated; we can be tolerant, but we cannot be swallowed up.

Our personalities and dreams are not parts that can be adjusted at will, and our lives are not a script written by someone else.

The ending also references the story of Socrates refusing to escape from prison, emphasizing that he was willing to abide by all legal judgments, not to gain sympathy or charity by playing the victim, but to pay the price for 'freedom and ideals'.

Koreans are very receptive to handwritten letters. Coupled with the author's humble yet assertive attitude, well-reasoned arguments, and commitment to honoring the agreement, the letter instantly won over most people.

Even SM Entertainment's chairman, Lee Soo-man, publicly shared the post, calling them "the most principled and principled group in the idol industry."

The purpose was probably to mock Han Geng and JYJ.

While gaining countless fans, netizens intensified their attacks on CCM and Hwayoung. Instead of waiting for T-ara's peace talks with their backers, Kim Kwang-joo and CCM were faced with a fair and square showdown, leaving them bewildered.

What does this mean?
Are you really going to sue to terminate the contract? Are you really going to have to pay compensation to terminate it? Are you really that rich?

Liu Huaying has already faced such a huge amount of negative public opinion before even officially debuting. This is clearly not what she wanted to achieve by joining T-ara. Moreover, after seeing Kim Kwang-joo's trashy PR tactics over the past two days, she has lost all hope for the company.

In order to protect her reputation and good name, Liu Huaying, after discussing with her family, decided to learn from T-ara's open and honest approach, first clearing herself of these negative opinions and clarifying the rumors.

Then Hwayoung reposted T-ara's post and said that she originally had no intention of joining T-ara and just wanted to be an actress peacefully. It was CCM company that insisted on arranging this for her. She said that the person she met was not a mysterious rich businessman but a friend from a production company. Her family is well-off and she would not do anything for money or resources. Finally, she expressed her support and love for the T-ara members and her willingness to stand on the same side.

By turning against their own side at the last minute and shifting all blame to CCM's reckless actions, they have once again demonstrated their domineering and autocratic control over their artists.

This attack not only stunned CCM and Jin Guangzhu, but also confused netizens and fans. What was this all about?
Are they considered friendly forces?
However, due to Liu Huaying's self-disclosure, Dispatch directly exposed her family situation, indirectly confirming that she was a resource-backed celebrity who was parachuted in, which instead brought the relationship between the two parties into a sensitive situation of 'power exchange'.

Because the entertainment industry is essentially a fairytale of an "upward path" woven for ordinary people, especially the idol industry. If you come from a wealthy and powerful family, it's a black mark on your reputation. Only those who come from poor backgrounds, are tenacious, and succeed through their own hard work will be accepted by the public.

Although Liu Huaying has clarified that she did not engage in "sexual intercourse," the fact that she now has a powerful father has ruined her public image.

"Is this woman brain-dead? Why doesn't she confess? Is she trying to self-destruct?" Zhou Cong complained after watching the latest bizarre incident.

He was the 'mysterious tycoon' who triggered the whole incident. He originally planned to step in at a crucial moment to push things along, but unexpectedly, Liu Huaying directly exposed herself.

"That saves us some trouble," Wang Yao chuckled after reading it.

This time, Zhou Cong doesn't need to be exposed; this 'wealthy businessman's nighttime rendezvous' tactic can be used again next time.

"Brother, will T-ara be able to terminate their contracts smoothly?" Zhou Cong asked curiously.

“Once the lawsuit is over and the penalty for breach of contract is paid, we can naturally save money. Han Geng and his team dragged it out for a year because they couldn’t reach an agreement on the lawsuit and the under-the-table agreement.” Wang Yao shook his head.

“But nearly 20 million US dollars is too much. T-ara could never earn that much money in their entire lives. This Kim Kwang-joo is really asking for the moon.” Zhou Cong frowned.

"What? Are you going to pay for them out of your own pocket?" Wang Yao glanced at him.

"I'm a fan too, after all. Besides, we've made almost a few million by selling their photocards," Zhou Cong said with a sheepish smile.

"I've told you a million times, money is for women to see, not for women to spend. Don't you ever learn?" Wang Yao glared at him.

Last time, Zhou Cong was soft-hearted and dated a small-time model. In the end, he spent almost a million yuan in two months and was dumped.

This first love caused him severe psychological trauma. He had just calmed down and returned to his life as a homebody, immersing himself in novel writing and company management. Now, seeing his idol suffering, he's ready to spend money again.

“If it weren’t for us fans, how could they possibly afford the breach of contract penalty? Oh, so we’ll help them pay it, right?” Zhou Cong came to his senses.

“It’s an advance payment. I signed a loan agreement with them. We’ll see how much compensation is ultimately awarded,” Wang Yao shook his head.

"What if they can't pay it back? That's no small amount," Zhou Cong said worriedly.

I wonder who they're worried about.

“If you can’t pay it back, just work. With your fans being so supportive, you should be able to make it back by holding a few more concerts.” Wang Yao rolled his eyes at him.

The T-ara dispute is probably settled here. Next, it's just a matter of going through the legal process and going to court. After terminating the contract, they'll sign with KT Entertainment and start working to pay off their debts.

He also sent T-ara to China to visit and intern at Mixue's headquarters. During this time, they can learn how to make milk tea/coffee and understand Mixue's management system. Once the lawsuit is over, KT Cafe should be able to open soon.

KT Cafe is ostensibly invested in by KT Entertainment as part of an "artist + side business + mobile social" model. The six members of T-ara hold a 5% stake, KT Entertainment invests US$100 million for a 25% stake, and Wang Yao's overseas BVI company, Weigu, invests US$300 million for a 70% stake.

With an initial investment of $500 million, the company plans to establish three flagship stores in Seoul's core business districts, with the Mixue team assisting in their setup and operation. The initial goal is to open up local franchising opportunities throughout East Asia and surrounding regions where T-ara's influence can reach.

After securing Series A funding, Mixue will quietly enter these markets through a backdoor listing using a cross-shareholding and supply chain model, thus avoiding the difficulties faced by Chinese-owned enterprises in their initial expansion abroad.

However, thanks to this wave of 'sky-high contract terminations', T-ara's fan base has grown significantly, almost catching up with the most influential top boy group, BB. So whether it's a collaboration with a coffee shop or their next comeback, they can make a fortune.

(End of this chapter)