Chapter Fifty: Preparedness

usic show battle isn't like MAMA, where a big idol group might have three songs and over ten minutes of stage time. There are so many performers participating in the music show battle that, besides s...This morning, as soon as he submitted his application, the news went viral within an hour, topping the rankings of major news outlets, especially on entertainment platforms. It quickly climbed to the top few trending searches, pushing down search terms like "#yuan's live-shots".

Although BTS is nowhere near as popular in Korea as EXO, and has yet to achieve a #1 win on music shows, they have gained considerable popularity after several successful comebacks, especially their recent mini-album. The title track "Man" has received a very good response, making them one of the more popular boy groups today.

They've been doing well in Xia Guo this period, gaining some popularity overseas. This has reflected back to their home country on the peninsula, causing many people there to pay attention to them.

If a member left the group for some reason, it wouldn't probably cause this much discussion, because it's actually quite common for idol groups on the peninsula. But to decisively sever ties with the company through such legal means is really eye-opening and has sparked endless interest from passersby.

Especially those reasons publicized in the news, Wu Sike applied to settle, such as what "unfair treatment," "physical burden," "long-term isolation and bullying," etc., are particularly eye-catching words that make people have all kinds of fantasies.

Plus the issue of Wu Saik's nationality, although he is actually Canadian, because of his fluent Xia language and the company's ambiguity due to the Xia country market, in the impression of many people who are not very familiar with him, he has always been seen as a person from Xia country.

And the most famous celebrity lawsuit against a company before that was still SJ's Han Geng, but even though Han Geng mainly talked about unfair treatment and being exploited by the company, he didn't mention the issue of "bullying" much.

This time, Wu Sek specifically emphasized this point.

While 'bullying' is simply a taboo subject for people living on the Peninsula.

The news immediately caught the attention of countless people. Because BTS is currently still active in Xia Guo and not on the peninsula, reporters could only flock to BIGHIT company headquarters for interviews. This small economic company has never received this much attention since its establishment.

And online, discussions about this matter immediately filled the internet.

"Oh my god, this is happening again! The entertainment industry is so dramatic!"

"Does bullying actually happen If so, I support Kris breaking the contract. After all, this kind of thing is unbearable for anyone."

"Damn it %ap;ap;ap;ap;*Wu Sike, are you worthy of the feelings of the other members Are you worthy of the support of all us A.R.M.Ys Spreading rumors like this isn't afraid of everyone getting killed by karma Damn it..."

"Seeing this news really saddens me. In my memory, Kris is a person who seems cold on the surface but is actually very warm-hearted. But you just said that to the members of BTS who have walked with you all this way It was so hard when you debuted last year At the fan meeting, there were only a few dozen people participating. Seven members have come a long way, how difficult it has been! You've finally made some progress, and now you just leave like that Do you know what kind of blow this will bring to the group"

"kkkkk I'm dying laughing, BTS go die already, I get so annoyed just seeing them, my long-held curse finally came true hahaha, kris is my angel!"

"kkkkk…"

"Highly recommend fite! Their recently returned 2nd album's title track, "stroo," is a total banger! It expresses a fairytale-like romantic love and recreates the intense romance of Romeo and Juliet. They've already gotten two #1 spots last week, even beating out EXO! Trust my sisters, getting into fite now is definitely worth it!"

"The upstairs brain-dead fans, I wish your group would also have someone like Wu Seke."

In the midst of heated discussions, BIGHIT also responded immediately, announcing that they would not terminate the contract and fully denied all of Wu Seock's alleged 'reasons for leaving'. They also emphasized that BTS has never had any exploitation or bullying, claiming that everything was fabricated by Wu Seock to gain sympathy.

In the hours following the response, more insider leaks appeared online. Some BIGHIT insiders, as well as longtime fans or sasaengs of BTS, came forward to post what they knew, piecing together the situation for the watching masses and anxious ARMY.

For a while, you were coming and going back and forth, causing quite a stir.

“Wu Shike disappeared yesterday after the BTS dinner following their schedule in Shanghai. He made an excuse to buy something and hasn't been seen since. Big Hit company and his manager have tried calling him repeatedly but couldn't reach him. He has also cut off all contact with all other members, not responding to any text messages.”

"He ran away directly during the meal. Today, the lawyer directly filed a lawsuit, and all the documents have been collected... Wu Saike clearly planned this long ago."

Kim Jun-Myeon sat on the sofa, looking at his phone and reading aloud a piece of gossip he had just seen. He said in surprise and certainty,

And the news said that BTS is about to hold a fan meeting, tickets were sold out two days ago and the list of songs to be performed has also been released. At this time, he suddenly disappeared and sued the company, wouldn't that mean all the dance choreography and formations for their group would have to be rehearsed That's a huge workload...

Today is June 5th. At this moment, all twelve members of EXO are in the backstage waiting room of 《！》. Today is not only the performance of team K, but also the first time since XO's comeback that all twelve members will be performing together on a music program.

Except for Baekhyun and Tao who went out to buy things, everyone else was in the room at this time. Including the assistant, dy, and manager, the not-so-small resting room was packed.

Today's hottest news is this thing, and because EXO and Wu Yifan have a deep relationship, even to the present day, several members still maintain contact with him, so since noon, EXO members have been following this matter, eating melons and discussing it.

A book friend I've known for ten years recommended this app to me, Yeguo! It's really great. I use it to listen to audiobooks while driving or before bed to pass the time. You can download it here.

“Of course, such a big thing couldn't have been thought up on a whim. He must have planned it long ago. I guess he definitely contacted domestic agencies in Xia Guo before running away. Perhaps all this was planned by the agency he is about to sign with…”

Park Chan-wook, after hearing this, naturally said a couple of words, as if he remembered something and smacked his lips: "I really didn't expect it. He pulled off such a sudden stunt…"

He has always been good at making friends in the industry, so he has always kept in touch with Wu. Besides, their relationship was quite good when Wu worked at s company before. At the beginning of the year, they even went to cb together twice.

At the time, nothing seemed unusual at all. Park Chan-lye truly didn't expect things to turn out like this.

"Cànliè, you and Wu Saik seem to be pretty close. You guys even messaged each other the other day, didn't you Can you tell that he's getting ready to leave"

"How could I possibly tell Even his teammates who are with him day in and day out didn't notice." Park Chan-yeol frowned, explaining: "Besides, we only keep in touch occasionally. Actually, I haven't seen him in a while."

"What about Han Did he say anything to you before Aren't you guys always in contact" Kim Jun-myeon looked at Han again.

"Huh" Hna was taken aback by the words, then shook her head with a smile. "No, you wouldn't just tell people things like that casually."

Kim Jun-myeon nodded without asking further questions. He had just casually asked that.

“Come and get what you want.” Just then, the door to the lounge was pushed open. Tao and Baekhyun, who had gone out to buy things, returned, each carrying a bag filled with drinks. After entering, they placed the bags on the table and shouted greetings.

"Thanks." After getting his hair styled, Ji Jingyuan walked over and received a lemonade from Bian Berxian. After saying thanks, he plugged in the straw and took a sip, then returned to his seat and continued browsing the news on his phone.

"You guys look at this, it seems to be an old fan of BTS who leaked..."

He also smacked his lips: "Well, well, this was planned for a long time indeed."

"So, what country is he from exactly I thought he wasn't Canadian Why did he go to China" Dohyun looked at Han with a puzzled expression.

He's from Canada, but…" Han wanted to explain, but after opening his mouth he didn't know what to say. He sighed: "I can't explain it either."

He shook his head and continued to stare at his phone, endlessly scrolling through news and reports about the matter. Since the news broke this morning, he had been closely following its developments, picking up his phone whenever he had a free moment to keep up with the constant updates.

"As I expected..." Ji Jingyuan saw the news on his phone and murmured.

He's not looking at news from the Peninsula now, but has instead switched to Xiaoguo Domestic Weibo to see what kind of reaction the netizens and fans there are having.

He found that when the original bulletproof fans were panicked and confused, around 3 p.m., many self-media marketing accounts suddenly started posting in defense of Wu, saying how badly he was treated on the peninsula, how unfairly he was treated by the company, and how he was bullied by his teammates, etc. Articles with similar content began to flood the screen to highlight the legitimacy of his running away and suing the company.

And already, well-known artists have spoken out in support of Wu, expressing their approval and welcoming him.

Moreover, considering the popularity and fame of ATEEZ in South Korea, one member running away shouldn't cause such a big reaction.

If it's an EXO member who leaves, then this level of heat is normal after all, since the popularity and fame of the two groups are not at the same level.

This abnormal level of heat clearly indicates that someone or some company is secretly promoting it.

However, this is only the first day and the news has just come out. The real situation and the outcome of the matter still depend on the subsequent developments between Big Hit company and Wu. We have to see if there will be any more explosive revelations in the next few days.

Actually, it's not really related to them (EXO). Just watching the drama unfold from the sidelines is enough.

After chatting for a while, they were called away by staff to rehearse.

Since their return on May 15th, apart from the eback stage on the first day, over twenty days into this comeback period, EXO is participating in the music show performance for the second time.

After entering June, the time for idol group comebacks becomes incredibly hot. This period sees a flurry of artists, big and small, announcing their returns every week. This week alone, we have Big Bang's Taeyang, rapper Sane who collaborated with him, Orange Caramel's Raa, as well as several artists who haven't been heard of before even by fans of Ji Chang Wook.

Over the next few weeks, there will be even more excitement as Imperial Sons, GOT7, AOA, BEAST, and Boyfriend have all announced their comebacks in June.

And then there's sistar, f(x)….

My head is about to burst.

Although EXO's second mini album comeback was delayed twice, the timeframe is still pretty good. Aside from APK and FITE who could give them a slight challenge, there aren't really any other strong competitors, making it a low-pressure comeback with little competition.

Actually, considering EXO's current popularity, when they make a comeback, whether the competitive pressure is high or low, or who their rivals are, doesn't really matter anymore. On the contrary, unless it's an artist of the level of a sound source big fog, other artists will definitely try to avoid them.

Ji Jingyuan followed the members to the backstage entrance to prepare for a rehearsal. At this time, there were two or three groups of artists watching by the stage. He glanced upwards and saw that it was Park Ji-yeon from the girl group T-ara who was rehearsing on stage now.

The song is "Every Second Counts".

On April 30, Park Ji-yeon announced her solo comeback with her first album, "neverever." However, she encountered an incident that caused a near month-long delay. The album was officially released on May 20th, and she is still promoting it today.

Pool Kyung-won knows this so well because a few days ago, Park Ji-yeon and the song "One Second One Second" made the news, and he saw it, so he went to search for it. It is said that the dance was too sexy and stimulating and had to be modified. The one being performed now is the modified version.

Only... Chi Jingyuan watched for a long time and felt that the current choreography was still quite fiery.

Although "One More Second" didn't take home any awards, its sales and streams are doing well, and it has generated a lot of buzz online, attracting many male fans. Given T-ara's current situation, Park Jiyeon's solo comeback results are already quite good this time around.

And Chi Jingyuan watched for a while and felt that the song and the stage were both pretty good.

Speaking of which, he remembered that Park Ji-yeon wasn't much older than him, she was born in 1993, right They were only a year apart. He didn't expect her to pull off the sexy style so well, both the choreography and styling suited her perfectly. Her various expressions and movements were really alluring. Ji-gyung noticed that during rehearsals, many staff members and male idols around were paying attention to the stage.

I don't know what kind of dance style this is that Jennie dances.

Chi Jingyuan for some reason suddenly thought of the older sister he had just met yesterday.

But looking at Park Ji-yeon's two long, white legs on stage, and then thinking of Jennie's height and figure proportions...

Let's just forget it.

Next, XO, ready!

The stage manager shouted, and the members of EXO lined up and walked out from backstage.

"Anihasaiyo..."

"Annyeonghaseyo..."

And after the rehearsal ended, Park Ji-yeon bowed to the surrounding staff and walked down. After greeting them face-to-face, she brushed past them.

Park Chan-wook, Kim Jong-in, and a few others looked back.

After that, there were no problems during rehearsals and recording. EXO also defeated FITE with all twelve members at the end of the broadcast of "!C" and won the trophy for this episode.

However, this is also the last week EXO participated in music show promotions for their second mini album comeback. After this week, they will continue with their concert and overseas schedule.

This comeback started from May 15th to now, which is only twenty days, or about three weeks. They also had more than a week of time for their concert without performing on stage, so the comeback promotion period was indeed a little short.

But the heat of this comeback is still very high. The title song "overdose" goes without saying, and "ineedu" is also a song that many people like, with a popularity that doesn't fall behind the title song.

And the pre-release song "dope" because of the excellent v filming, it had already received a lot of praise. With this time pool kyeong-won's straight-shoot becoming popular even more quickly, it has been widely noticed and loved.sual impact.Below the poster is also printed with EXO's new logo for this comeback, as well as the comeback date of 3.1.Before, during the Seoul Music Awards, Ji-sung's acceptance speech already hinte...