boyutpedia Chapter 1494 Strike While the Iron Is Hot
Chapter 1494 Strike While the Iron Is Hot
Chapter 1494 Strike While the Iron Is Hot
Chi Jingyuan was genuinely moved.
During this period, he devoted himself to his comeback activities, rushing to schedules every day, practicing on stage, recording variety shows, and filming. Even though he was exhausted, he rediscovered the passion he had when he first debuted and was on the rise, and was already prepared to compete head-on with Wanna One.
But I really didn't expect that even though I was fully prepared, my opponent would stab me in the back, and this long-planned contest was over before it even really began.
This... really caught me off guard.
Although the result was good—the competitor committed suicide—EXO was naturally the biggest winner.
But... I still can't help feeling a little unsatisfied.
He's been really serious about his activities lately, and he seems to have rediscovered the drive he had when he was younger and more inexperienced.
Hey~
Chi Jingyuan shook his head. Life is unpredictable.
However, apart from EXO benefiting, Bae Joo-hyun's popularity has been overshadowed, so she can rest for a while.
Speaking of Bae Joo-hyun, she's been in the news a bit lately. At a fan meeting for "Bad Boy" a few days ago, when asked what book she's been reading, she replied that she's reading "Kim Ji-young, Born 82".
This statement stirred up a hornet's nest, and she was quickly besieged and attacked by some male fans, who even burned her photos in anger.
It's not for any other reason than that this novel is a bit sensitive.
The novel follows the protagonist, Kim Ji-young, through her illness and interweaves her memories. It tells the story of how, in the patriarchal society of the time, women like Kim Ji-young suffered many unfair treatments, from being neglected by her father and pressured to work and get married, to being blamed by her mother-in-law for giving up her job and becoming a full-time housewife.
The novel sparked various controversies in the Korean Peninsula society as soon as it was published.
The book has been recommended by people from all walks of life in South Korea, led by the presidential secretary Moon Jae-in. However, most South Korean men have extremely negative opinions about the book, believing that it is just empty talk and unjustly accuses men.
After this incident, Bae Joo-hyun was heavily criticized a few days ago.
When Chi Jingyuan found out, he comforted him for a few days. At that moment, he truly felt that the popularity and support of idols are really quite fragile. They might be abandoned by fans or even turned against them because of a small thing, because they swore, or because they read a certain book.
Fortunately, the Wanna One scandal broke out in time, diverting everyone's attention, and Bae Joo-hyun was finally able to catch her breath.
"...What exactly happened with WannaOne?"
Chen's voice from the side interrupted Ji Kyung-won's thoughts. EXO was in the dressing room preparing for a fan meeting, and the members were sitting together, discussing Wanna One, the star of the music scene these past two days.
"Is it true or false that you didn't notice the recording?"
"They said they forgot to turn off the recording equipment, but what a coincidence! I feel like I've been set up."
"Who knows? Maybe they're just stupid. That Ha Sung-woon is a real idiot. I laughed when I listened to that recording."
Park Chanyeol chuckled, then, recalling the contents of the recording, couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Wu Sehun, Kim Minseok, and others nearby laughed when they heard this.
Having been in the industry for so many years, they know that most idols are two different people in front of the camera and in private. In front of the camera, they are humble, polite, positive and sunny, but in private, they will complain, swear, and feel exhausted. They themselves are no exception.
I've seen stupid things, but I've never seen anything this stupid. What does it mean to 'finish saying all the dirty stuff before filming starts'?
"So they committed suicide?"
Byun Baekhyun blinked, seemingly similar to Ji Kyungwon, also feeling somewhat surprised and unsatisfied.
"Judging from the online reviews and the drop in their music charts and data, there's probably no hope for their comeback this time."
Kim Junmyeon looked at his phone and said, "What happens next depends on the company's public relations team, whether they apologize, and whether the fans accept it."
Upon hearing this, the group nodded in understanding.
"Speaking of which..."
Park Chanyeol suddenly remembered something, turned to look at Kim Jongin beside him, and asked with a hint of mockery in his eyes: "Who exactly was Ong Seongwu cursing so harshly during that live stream? It wasn't you, Kai, was it?"
"That's possible."
Wu Shixun immediately chimed in, "I feel it's because you caused trouble for someone a few days ago."
"what?"
Upon hearing this, Kai scratched his head, unsure whether to laugh or hold it in: "Uh, who knows?"
"Hahaha~"
Park Chanyeol laughed even harder, and the other members joined in the teasing: "So, does that mean you've done something good?"
Jingyuan sat to the side, listening to the members' casual conversation, and couldn't help but shake his head.
He didn't want to comment too much on the feud between Kim Jong-in and Ong Seong-wu, but this incident gave him some wake-up calls and made him think about some things.
He suddenly realized that having an idol's perfect persona is sometimes not a good thing.
Everyone says things like "shiba" in private, and it's a trivial matter. But when it's said by an idol or in front of the camera, it gets magnified and causes irreparable damage.
Although Wanna One's true image collapse was due to the later recording, Ong Seong-wu's earlier swearing incident was undoubtedly the trigger.
Without Ong Seong-wu's previous swearing incident, this matter wouldn't have blown up so much.
This really gave him a wake-up call. Chi Jingyuan even considered whether he should create a small scandal to gradually lower and break down the fans' positive perception of him without affecting his overall image.
Over the years, his personal image has been perfect among male idols. Apart from a minor scandal last year, there has been no solid evidence of any scandals over the years.
To be honest, Ji Kyung-won himself is not someone who likes to cause trouble.
But who can guarantee they'll never make a mistake? Especially something as trivial as casually swearing.
While listening to the members chatting, Ji Kyung-won remembered something, picked up his phone, and sent a text message to Bae Joo-hyun.
How is Irene's appetite today?
Bae Joo-hyun couldn't eat for the past two days because of that incident.
"MO, I don't care at all~"
Bae Joo-hyun replied quickly, indicating that she was relatively free at the moment and also knew what Ji Kyung-won was talking about.
"Who was that secretly sniffling and sobbing by themselves, and throwing a tantrum for no reason? They scared all the other members so much that they didn't dare to speak."
Jingyuan couldn't help but laugh, his fingers rapidly tapping the screen as he bluntly exposed her.
"Hey, who told you that?"
Bae Joo-hyun immediately bristled upon hearing this: "Is it Seung-wan? Or Seul-gi? It can't be Ye-rin, can it? Ugh, I feel like I can't trust anyone anymore."
"Look at you, you've failed as captain. I've turned all the team members into spies."
"That's because you know how to win people's hearts!"
"Those who follow the Way receive much help, while those who stray from the Way receive little help!"
"What? What?"
"You've never heard the phrase 'you love reading so much' before?"
"Out of Gulei?"
Seeing Bae Joo-hyun's angry reply, Ji Kyung-won's smile deepened. From her tone, it was clear that the previous incident was over.
Chi Jingyuan remembered something he had heard yesterday: "By the way, I heard Chenghuan say that you guys are going to perform in the north in a while?"
"Yeah, you found out too?"
Bae Joo-hyun's reply was tinged with helplessness, and she immediately began to complain: "Actually, we really didn't want to go, but the company specifically asked us to go, and we heard it was a task assigned by the government."
"They made it so serious, and they even inspected the stage and the dance. It was such a hassle."
"Just a few days ago, someone came to inspect our dance and even wanted to revise it."
In "Bad Boy," Seulgi makes a shooting gesture, and her company staff said it should be changed because they felt the gesture had a bad connotation among the leaders sitting below them, and they were afraid it might offend them…
"Hahaha,"
Chi Jingyuan couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Then it's only right to make some changes, otherwise I'm really afraid you won't be able to come back after you go."
The two chatted casually for a while until Bae Joo-hyun said she had to go practice, which marked the end of their conversation.
Before saying goodbye, Chi Jingyuan winked and deliberately asked, "By the way, was your book good? Did you really think it was good, or did you just flip through the title page and say it casually?"
The text message was sent, and the phone rang the next second. As expected, when I opened it, it was the young woman's furious, angry shouting:
"Go to hell!"
…………
Amidst the escalating controversy, on Sunday, EXO participated in the recording of SBS's "Inkigayo".
As expected, and quite naturally, I ran into Wanna One backstage again.
Two of the most popular boy bands of the moment unexpectedly met again in the backstage corridor.
only……
Chi Jingyuan looked at the group of male idols in front of him, who were dressed impeccably but whose spirits were noticeably different...
Unlike their previous meeting where they were reserved yet ambitious, this time Wanna One exuded a dejected air.
The two groups met in the corridor. The members of Wanna One stopped first, bowed deeply, and said in a low and weak voice, "Seniors, anihaseyo."
The bow was wider than last time, but the voice was not as loud as before.
Chi Jingyuan's gaze swept over them, and suddenly he raised an eyebrow.
He noticed a faint bruise on Ong Seong-wu's brow bone. Although it was covered by heavy makeup, it was still visible upon close inspection.
Not only Ong Seong-wu, but Ha Sung-woon also had bruises on his face, and they were more severe than Ong Seong-wu's, with a faint red swelling on his jawline.
Others might not be able to tell, but experts like Chi Jingyuan could tell at a glance that they all bore the marks of having been taught a lesson.
It's highly likely that it was done by company executives or the manager... This is all too common in the music industry.
Besides, Yoon Ji-sung and the others also became noticeably quieter, their eyes dimmed, and they no longer had the same "wanting to pull down their seniors and take their place" spirit they had a few days ago. They all looked very dejected.
However, Kang Daniel seemed to have other ideas. During their brief eye contact, Ji Kyung-won sensed that he was still quite unwilling to give up and that his ambition still existed.
The contrast is quite striking, even though it was only two or three days in between.
Chi Jingyuan sighed inwardly.
But there's really nothing to blame them for; the real rope was the one they put around their own necks.
"You've worked hard, keep up the good work."
Kim Junmyeon was the first to respond, with a gentle smile on his face, and said a few words in a friendly tone.
There was not a trace of mockery; on the contrary, it showed the tolerance of a senior.
Even Kim Jongin, who had previously been hostile towards Ong Seong-wu, didn't show any displeasure this time. He simply nodded slightly, without deliberately targeting him or saying anything offensive.
...After the opponent could no longer threaten him and was unlucky enough, he seemed to suddenly become magnanimous.
…………
Wanna One was plagued by scandals, which greatly affected her image and popularity, while EXO, as a positive competitor, immediately became a positive role model, creating a stark contrast.
"EXO is still the most reliable. They truly deserve to be top-tier seniors."
"Does a group that forgets its original intentions after only half a year of popularity deserve to be compared with EXO?"
Let's see if we can survive until the group disbands.
"Fun fact: EXO debuted in 12 and has been around for six years without any major negative news like this... not counting Running Man."
Compared to Wanna One, who debuted less than a year ago, EXO, who debuted six years ago, have become exemplary idol seniors.
But to be honest, Ji Kyung-won felt that EXO wasn't actually that much better.
In private, they all swear, smoke, and complain, and some even have very wild ways of doing things.
But no matter what they do in private, EXO always behaves perfectly on the surface. No matter what, they always present themselves as qualified idols in front of the camera.
Besides being rational enough, SM's management and constant guidance also played a significant role.
Two days after the Wanna One scandal broke, YMC was also alarmed by the online backlash and the loss of popularity, and finally decided to issue an emergency apology.
The official statement was sincere, expressing the members' disappointment and reflection on their "bad side" during the live stream, and promising to be more careful in their words and actions in any future situation.
While apologizing, YMC Entertainment also pointed out that there were instances of "words that did not appear in the actual video being amplified and spread" online, expressing regret over the spread of false information.
However, this apology and clarification did not win the understanding and forgiveness of netizens; instead, it sparked even more dissatisfaction.
"If you've already insulted someone, so be it. What's there to clarify? Do you think everyone's deaf?"
"I simply can't like an idol who brags about pooping anymore."
“I overheard several people swearing at each other in private, but when I saw them on camera, they pretended to be polite and cute, saying ‘pick me.’ It made me feel like my world was shattered, and I could no longer find the feelings of affection I had back then.”
The apology and clarification only garnered ridicule and declarations of unfollowing.
But YMC also knew in his heart that the so-called clarification was not for everyone to see.
Rather, these apologies and clarifications are for the core fans who still believe in their idols no matter what, and they help stabilize the idols' popularity.
Indeed, after the announcement, many Wanna One fans said they would no longer pursue the matter. Some said that everyone makes mistakes, while others thought it must be a conspiracy theory, and that EXO and SM might be behind it.
These events even upset a wave of fans, making them even more loyal and fanatical.
However, the fact that Wanna One's popularity has declined, a large number of fans have been lost, and their image has been completely damaged is irreversible.
More importantly, SM Entertainment has never been a friendly entity.
As the largest and most valuable company in the Korean music industry in recent years, SM Entertainment never misses an opportunity to suppress its competitors. When a competitor is practically courting disaster, how could SM not lend a hand?
Even though YMC has apologized and Wanna One wants to keep a low profile, negative news about them is still everywhere online.
Many media outlets and websites are still frantically reprinting and digging up all sorts of so-called "dirt," whether it's true or false, they're all making it sound very convincing, criticizing Wanna One as utterly worthless.
When Ji Kyung-won was reading the news, he felt that at least half of the negative press releases were bought by SM Entertainment to ensure that this arrogant group that wanted to challenge SM Entertainment would never be able to recover.
While Wanna One was embroiled in scandals and their comeback results plummeted, EXO naturally wouldn't let this golden opportunity slip by. They continued to capitalize on their momentum, holding a series of events, music shows, and fan meetings to maximize their exposure.
Meanwhile, the various variety shows that were recorded earlier have begun to be broadcast one after another.
On the 15th, "Running Man" aired, sparking a new wave of discussion.
On the 18th, "Weekly Idol" aired, and the members' hilarious interactions and tacit cooperation garnered countless positive reviews.
On the 21st, "Knowing Bros" was officially broadcast.