Chapter 338: 4C = 4 Black
DM Entertainment, Chairman's Office.
Jiang Shu stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, calmly watching the reporters being stopped by security personnel below.
With his hands clasped behind his back, his right index finger tapped the air rhythmically, as if he was waiting for something.
Knock, knock, knock.
At this moment, a knock suddenly sounded.
"Please come in."
Choi Ji-yeon pushed the door open.
Looking at Jiang Shu's back by the floor-to-ceiling window, Choi Ji-yeon bowed respectfully, then said, "Chairman, it has begun."
...
As is well known, the best way to disband a group, especially a popular one, is to destroy it.
In the Korean entertainment industry, there are two taboos: one is bullying, and the other is challenging the hierarchy. Since DM Entertainment's Chairman Jiang Shu is Chinese, his popularity among Chinese fans can be said to be the highest in K-pop. Therefore, one more rule can be added: racism.
IZONE is powerful, and one issue might not be enough to kill them. In that case, let's bring IZONE up with all three issues at once.
However, the actual operation involved four issues.
#IZONE Sakura made inappropriate remarks#
#IZONE Zhang Yuanying said seniors are not important, only popularity matters#
#IZONE Kim Minju acted like a diva on set#
#IZONE Ahn Yujin bullied#
Overnight, countless related pieces of information were prominently displayed on the hot searches of major forums, and each hot search was supported by corresponding "evidence," making everything seem as if it had actually happened.
Soon, countless people who woke up from their sleep saw this overwhelming content, and as marketing accounts continuously reported, news about IZONE's four Cs spread at an alarming rate.
To increase the buzz, Jiang Shu even provided Su Xueyun with some "evidence" to make these news stories more credible.
After all, with IZONE's popularity and public appeal, it's not enough to convince people with just words or an article.
But even with this "evidence," it was still difficult to form a complete chain of evidence, let alone definitively confirm or hammer down the facts.
...
"All relevant evidence has been released. Currently, media coverage has reached 70%. Director Su has also received news that Yang Hyun-suk is preparing to make a statement after we issue our public relations response."
Jiang Shu's fingers stopped.
"Then respond."
"Yes."
...
One hour after the IZONE Four C incident broke out, DM Entertainment responded.
DM Entertainment:
Regarding the online comments about our company's group IZONE, our company takes this matter seriously and immediately contacted the artists to understand the relevant events.
Regarding Sakura's racist remarks, this is false information. The rumor claimed... but in reality...
Regarding Zhang Yuanying's disrespectful comments towards seniors, this is false information. The rumor claimed... but in reality...
Regarding Kim Minju's diva behavior on set, this is false information. The rumor claimed... but in reality...
Regarding Ahn Yujin's bullying, this is false information. The rumor claimed... but in reality...
We have retained evidence and will use legal means to protect our rights when necessary.
DM Entertainment's response was met with immediate support from fans and quickly spread with their help.
As the saying goes, it's easy to spread rumors, but hard to refute them.
However, facing a fanbase of IZONE's size, the scale of the refutation even caught up with the speed of the rumor-spreading in a very short time.
This was not a good sign, as neither DM nor the opposing party wanted such a situation to occur.
But soon, there was a new twist.
...
"Chairman Yang Hyun-suk posted an update on his official account ten minutes after our clarification announcement was released."
"There was no caption, only an image of someone looking at the night with open eyes and saying it was daytime, which marketing accounts and media interpreted as 'lying through one's teeth,' implying that our response was false," Choi Ji-yeon said, holding an iPad and reporting the content to Jiang Shu again.
Jiang Shu turned around upon hearing this, a smile on his face indicating that everything was under control.
"It's finally on track."
Everything done before was to lure Yang Hyun-suk into publicly taking a side. Even if it was an implicit stance now, it was enough.
After all, it was unrealistic to expect him to openly take a side when he knew it was a rumor.
"Very good, then next, it's time for..."
Jiang Shu hadn't finished speaking when an urgent knock on the door interrupted him.
He frowned slightly and looked towards the door.
"Come in."
Qin Zhen quickly pushed the door open and entered, her expression grave. She quickly walked to Jiang Shu and stood still.
"Chairman, an unforeseen variable has appeared!"
...
As Yang Hyun-suk's image implying DM Entertainment was "lying through their teeth" was released, countless people took it as Yang Hyun-suk taking a stand.
Just as Su Xueyun and others had anticipated during their discussion, passersby who had been somewhat skeptical about whether these were rumors immediately felt that the information was much more credible after seeing an industry insider like Yang Hyun-suk take a side.
However, fans were not so easily swayed. The conflict between YG and DM was open; Jiang Shu had explicitly argued with Yang Hyun-suk, almost to the point of a complete fallout. In this situation, Yang Hyun-suk had every motive to cause trouble.
But to the fans' argument, IZONE's anti-fans also had something to say: your DM even took in members from a disbanded YG girl group, and they still have collaborations with YG. Where are there eternal enemies between companies?
It's nothing more than a struggle for profit.
Alas!
Anti-fans' understanding of these matters was not much less than that of loyal fans, and such remarks indeed gained considerable support.
With Yang Hyun-suk taking a stand, IZONE was immediately pushed into the eye of the storm. Many entertainment companies also slyly arranged for their middle and high-level executives to accept interviews, and when asked about the matter, they more or less gave hints that the matter was true.
Only a few companies closely related to DM Entertainment did not publicly support or make a statement, and DM Entertainment's PR department, usually known for its "fast," "accurate," and "efficient" public relations, was now silent. Compared to its usual quick responses, this appearance seemed like an admission of guilt.
Adding to this were rumors that all IZONE activities had been suspended, which seemed to further confirm the truthfulness of the rumors. For a time, public criticism was unleashed, and even though IZONE's fans tried desperately to explain, they were outmaneuvered. Faced with overwhelming curses and accusations, the fans' explanations were very pale and could not effectively alleviate the situation.
But the fans also had no choice; there was not much they could do. In a struggle of this magnitude, the fans' explanations were ultimately too weak.
Just as the momentum against IZONE was intensifying at this critical juncture, a sudden piece of news completely ignited the powder keg.
If the rumors about IZONE's Four C were continuously accumulating gunpowder, then this news was a rocket, directly detonating all the "gunpowder" that had already spread throughout the K-pop world, causing a full-scale explosion.
