A New Career Singer Who Can Read The Future [EN]: Chapter 77

At Huent, the PR team was in a meeting, called due to the stock manipulation allegations reported by Daily Top Star.

“So, they’re accusing us of stock manipulation, but the basis is unclear. They claim it doesn’t match the Hanoll Chart index, and the purchase receipts can’t be verified… That’s their argument. How do we resolve this? We can’t exactly get the purchase receipts from the fans,” the PR team leader sighed deeply.

According to Daily Top Star, Huent falsely inflated the pre-order volume to make Do Hyun the number one male solo artist and bought half of the albums themselves.

They even included a fabricated quote from a supposed Huent insider.

It was practically a libelous article.

The PR team tried to contact the reporter who published the piece, but the reporter didn’t answer.

“We can’t defend ourselves if the reporter won’t even answer. What are we supposed to do when they just publish lies without any evidence? These days, reporters have no ethics,” the CEO said, annoyed. He should have anticipated this from the malicious questions Daily Top Star asked during the showcase.

“Reporters keep calling. What official statement should we release?”

“Of course, we should state that we only tallied the sales from stores affiliated with Hanoll Chart, and if they doubt the chart’s accuracy, they should contact Hanoll Chart directly.”

“Ugh… There are so many haters attacking Do Hyun, seeing this as their opportunity. It feels like there are more malicious commenters than ever these days.”

“The more popular you become, the more people will hate you.”

The CEO muttered. It was a sad truth. The more successful Do Hyun became, the more malicious comments he attracted, filled with ridiculous accusations.

“Has Do Hyun seen the article?”

“Doha probably showed it to him. Tell Doha to tell Do Hyun not to post anything on social media until this is resolved. If he does post, it should be about his daily life and completely unrelated to this incident, with comment restrictions enabled.”

The PR team leader objected, “I think… if we restrict comments, reporters will write even more speculative pieces about why we restricted them, CEO.”

“Ugh… How did we get entangled with such a sleazy reporter and end up in this mess? A media outlet like that should go bankrupt.”

“Do Hyun is also trending at number one in real-time search rankings right now.”

“We need to address that. Our company is good at issuing official statements quickly. We need to do that. Right? The PR team should start responding to reporters now… I need to call some bureau chiefs. Seriously, people in our country can’t stand seeing others succeed.”

“Yes. Oh, and CEO,” the PR team leader added. The CEO took the cigarette out of his mouth and waited for the PR team leader to continue.

“Why?”

“Ideally… shouldn’t we also release a notice of legal action? We have a legal team for a reason.”

“Okay. Do that too. From now on, the PR team will handle the reporters, and I’ll deal with the bureau chiefs. I’ll cover up to at least the deputy bureau chief level, so keep that in mind. Coordinate with the legal team and release the notice of legal action today.”

“Yes!”

* * *

Doha looked at Do Hyun, who was slumped over, clearly exhausted. Doha had been Do Hyun’s manager since Do Hyun won ‘Neocheotga’ [a singing competition], but this was the first time he’d seen him so dejected.

“Hyung [older brother/term of endearment], cheer up.”

“I can’t cheer up…”

“Is it because of that trash reporter? I shouldn’t have shown you the article…”

Doha regretted showing it to him. Although, even if he hadn’t, Do Hyun would have found out anyway, given that he was trending at number one in real-time search rankings.

“I hate getting involved with reporters for this reason. Once they have malicious intentions, they keep acting maliciously. And Hanoll Chart is the most credible chart in Korea. They’re doubting and undermining its credibility. It’s not that I’m great… it’s just that they’re saying ridiculous things. I can’t even respond.”

Do Hyun sighed deeply.

Doha patted Do Hyun’s shoulder.

“I guess so. Plus, the PR team told me to ban you from social media for the time being. Hyung, it looks like you’ll have to…”

“This week is the last week of promotions, and I wanted to treat the fans better, but what is this? The fans will be worried too. I don’t think they’ll be happy to receive the gifts I prepared… If I were a fan, I’d be so upset that I couldn’t do anything.”

“Hyung, the legal team and the PR team are meeting to address this, so cheer up.”

“Hoo, I’m just worried about the fans.”

Doha had always seen Do Hyun draw strength from his fans, so he understood his feelings.

But at this moment, he also wanted Do Hyun to consider his own well-being.

“Hyung, fan love is important, but you need to stay strong right now so that the fans can stay strong too. If you show a dejected 모습 [appearance/demeanor] here, the fans will get discouraged instead. Fans look to their favorite singer for strength and move forward.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I know you’re right… but it’s frustrating.”

“Hyung, how about we grab a beer?”

“Okay. Let’s have a beer.”

* * *

While Doha and Do Hyun were drinking beer to relieve their stress, the fans’ social media accounts were in an uproar.

They were sending all sorts of receipt 인증 [proof/verification] to the reporter’s email address listed in the exclusive article. From 공동 구매 인증 [group purchase verification] to individuals buying hundreds of copies.

However, the reporter who wrote the article was smiling as he looked at his inbox.

“See, that’s what happens when a celebrity tries to fight back. This one article will do the trick.”

Beep—

The phone rang. The words [Huent PR Team Leader] were flashing on the screen, but the reporter ignored it. The bureau chief had instructed him to publish the article, trusting his judgment.

[Is Huent’s stock manipulation real?]

[What’s going on with the Huent case?]

[Who did you get the tip from?]

[Can I talk to you about Huent?]

Other reporters who frequented the music industry also contacted him, but he didn’t even glance at his phone and just smiled.

“I don’t have any reason to tell you anything. No, I didn’t publish something that wasn’t true… Huent will be the only one struggling to prove it. They can’t get purchase receipts from each fan, so what can they do?”

That’s right. Now, Huent, accused of stock manipulation through the report, had to provide proof of receipt purchases. Otherwise, the reputation of the large entertainment company Huent would be ruined. And Do Hyun would fall into disgrace.

The reporter, who had calculated all of that, casually asked the bureau chief, “Bureau Chief, they’re not making any moves. Should I release an additional report?”

“Don’t release an additional report. Wait for now. They’re preparing their official statement. Got it?”

“Yes. I understand.”

“We need to teach them to be afraid of the media. The timing was perfect, right at the end of their promotions. Good job. This article already has 400,000 views. You’ve done enough with this.”

The reporter smiled at the bureau chief’s words.

“Of course. I’ve done enough. I’m excited to see what happens next.”

* * *

The online community was buzzing with Do Hyun’s stock manipulation controversy.

Meanwhile, Huent released an official statement saying that they were not involved in stock manipulation, that the allegations were false, and that they had only reported the numbers tallied by Hanoll Chart.

Of course, articles questioning this statement were released one after another. In particular, Daily Top Star, which had published the exclusive article, immediately released a rebuttal. Huent was once again in a dilemma. They could sue for defamation due to the spread of false information.

However, suing a media outlet could alienate other media outlets, so they had to be cautious. Suing a media outlet had to be the last resort.

“Haa… Daily Top Star is really out of control.”

“Do Hyun’s fans are currently doing a relay of 공개 [public] purchase receipts on social media… Should we ask a few media outlets to release articles using this?”

“We should. If we quote that in our press release, we’ll look ridiculous. Seriously. That’s why I hate reporters. They release articles the way they want, and they’re irresponsible. Like 거지 [beggars] who chase views and then disappear.”

The PR team leader felt a headache coming on and rubbed his temples. He was individually contacting friendly media outlets and asking them for favors, but he couldn’t be sure if positive articles would be published. Since Na Do Hyun’s stock manipulation was number one in real-time search rankings, there were also 양아치 [gangster-like/unscrupulous] media outlets trying to exploit the situation with 어뷰징 [abusive/clickbait] articles.

“How is Do Hyun doing now?”

“Ah, I contacted Doha, and he said that Do Hyun is exhausted and unable to do anything. Tomorrow is the start of the last week of performances… What if even the gifts he prepared for the fans are misrepresented?”

“If they release distorted articles about that, that’s truly 양아치 [unscrupulous]. If it’s Daily Top Star, they might release an article titled ‘Stock Manipulation Allegations’ Na Do Hyun, ‘Covering Up’ Stock Manipulation Allegations with 역조공 [giving back to fans]. Sigh… Seriously, there are more than one or two people in this industry who have no common sense.”

The PR team kept refreshing the portal site. They called media outlets that wrote articles that were even slightly closer to the truth and asked them for favorable coverage, and they contacted media outlets that maintained a vague neutrality, emphasizing the facts and aligning their message with the official statement.

Then the CEO appeared, reeking of cigarette smoke.

“CEO, did you make the calls?”

“I called the bureau chiefs. They said they would publish articles with perspectives that countered Daily Top Star’s… but I don’t know. I still feel 답답 [frustrated/suffocated].”

“We’ve done as much as we can for now. Public opinion will probably calm down a bit by tomorrow. I also asked a few media outlets to write articles about the 역조공 [fan appreciation gifts]. I also captured videos to be included in the 자체 콘텐츠 [own content/behind-the-scenes footage] and sent them by email in advance.”

“Did you talk to the legal team?”

“Of course. The legal team is currently drafting a press release, so it will probably be resolved by tomorrow morning at the latest. Now all that’s left is for the reporter to be sued for defamation.”

The PR team leader said in an exhausted voice. The Huent CEO sighed in relief and replied.

“Okay. I’m glad if it’s been 정리 [settled/organized] to some extent. How’s Do Hyun?”

“He’s drinking with Doha. It’s better to relieve stress that way.”

“That’s a relief. Just in case, tell Doha to take his phone away. It would be a disaster if Do Hyun drank and posted something inappropriate on social media.”

“Yes! I’ll tell him.”

And a couple of hours later.

The press release arrived from the legal team. The PR team quickly distributed it to the media.

It was a fight against those who spread lies. It was unknown who would win.