15: Chapter 15 Shocking News

Park So-yeon's words, along with the business card in her palm slightly dampened by tears, and the a cappella recording on her phone that the President called a "Black Swan," were all engraved in her heart.

After returning to the Villa, she locked herself in her room, playing that recording repeatedly, listening to that unfamiliar, affirmed, and powerful voice, and for the first time, she carefully examined the girl named "Park So-yeon" in the mirror.

No longer an S.M. Entertainment discard, no longer an MBK Entertainment trainee, she was Park So-yeon, the lead vocalist of Sky Entertainment, the leader of T-ara.

The Park So-yeon who appeared in the practice room the next day had something different in her eyes. She was still serious, still responsible, and urged her younger sisters to train without mercy, but the lingering gloom and tension between her brows seemed to have dissipated.

During the vocal practice in the afternoon, when singing that high-pitched segment again, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and stopped thinking about whether it would "sound like a duck calling," focusing only on the emotions of the song, releasing that suppressed power and emotion without reservation.

The high note pierced the air of the practice room, clear, stable, carrying a kind of explosive power and infectiousness that she had let go, and the tail note even carried a trace of broken beauty that she herself had not noticed.

Teacher Kim Seyoung was stunned, then her eyes lit up, and she clapped vigorously: "Good! That's the feeling! Park So-yeon, you've finally let go!"

Beside her, Ham Eunjung, Park Hyomin, and Jeon Boram also looked over in surprise, then revealed happy smiles. Although Park Ji-yeon was sitting on the side with her foot still bandaged, she also clapped vigorously.

Standing in the corner, Song Tianhao curled the corners of his mouth almost imperceptibly, and in the record on his tablet, he put a checkmark behind the name "Park So-yeon."

Once the knot in her heart was untied, the changes it brought were a chain reaction. Park So-yeon's vocal expressiveness improved by more than one level, and the vocal harmonies of the entire team became more harmonious and powerful.

Park Hyomin, inspired by the "Leopard" theory, found that her stage presence became increasingly distinctive, with that subtle temperament between purity and sexiness handled just right.

Ham Eunjung remained the anchor of the team's dance, but there was less hostility against the world between her brows, and more calmness. Jeon Boram became more and more confident in the lead vocalist position, and her unique timbre became an indispensable color for the team.

Lee Qri was actively cooperating with rehabilitation at the hospital, in good spirits, and even started participating in some simple vocal exercises that did not require her legs. Park Ji-yeon's ankle was also recovering well, and she was expected to catch up before the debut.

The recording work for "Bo Peep Bo Peep" was successfully completed, and the producer was full of praise for the final effect, bluntly stating that the completion of this song and the members' expressiveness exceeded his expectations. Next was the main event: the filming of the MV.

Song Tianhao spent a lot of money to hire a cutting-edge director known in the industry for beautiful images and bold creativity, rented expensive shooting venues, and prepared clothing and styling to the highest specifications. Everything was ready, just waiting for the shooting day to arrive.

However, on the afternoon before the MV shoot, the storm arrived without warning.

The first person to notice something wrong was Park Hyomin, who was used to browsing her phone during breaks.

Her smiling face suddenly froze, her eyes widened, her fingers slid rapidly across the phone screen, and her face turned pale bit by bit.

She looked up abruptly at Park So-yeon, who was discussing dance details with Ham Eunjung, her lips trembling, but she could not speak.

"Unnie... Unnie!" Jeon Boram next to her also saw the news pushed to her phone and called out in panic.

Soon, everyone in the practice room took out their phones. No need to search specifically, the headlines of the entertainment sections of all major portal websites were occupied by the same sensational title:

[Shocking! The first step of the new Film Emperor Song Tianhao's "entertainment empire": Acquiring T-ara through unspoken rules?]

[From basement to luxury Villa, the "secret transaction" of six female trainees exposed!]

[Former MBK Entertainment employee reveals with real name: The so-called acquisition is actually kept women, and the relationship between Song Tianhao and T-ara members is chaotic!]

The accompanying pictures were a few candid shots, not high in pixels, but enough to see the characters clearly.

There was a photo of Song Tianhao helping Park So-yeon, who was weak and leaning on his shoulder, get into the car at the hospital; there was a surveillance screenshot of Song Tianhao entering Lee Qri's hospital room alone late at night and staying for a long time, with the time deliberately cropped.

There was a photo of Song Tianhao and Ham Eunjung alone in the gym late at night, both wearing sports vests and sweating profusely, the angle looking quite ambiguous.

There was even the moment Song Tianhao handed a business card to Park So-yeon at the entrance of the Villa, which was interpreted as some kind of "token of love" or "hush money." The time span of the photos was not small, clearly a long-term tracking with premeditation.

The text content was even more slanderous, citing the "former core employee of MBK Entertainment" to claim that Song Tianhao was not a legitimate investor at all, but had taken a fancy to the beauty of the six T-ara members, "bought" them from the bankrupt MBK Entertainment at a very low price, and was actually keeping them privately.

The so-called "Sky Entertainment" was a shell company, the so-called "luxury dormitory" was a golden house to hide his mistresses, and the so-called "training" was just a cover.

The exposé also "painfully" hinted that these six girls would do anything to debut, had long since surrendered themselves to Song Tianhao, the internal relationship of the team was chaotic, and the new song about to be released was just a tool for money laundering and packaging.

Under the article, the comments had already exploded. Some were shocked, some were disdainful, some were gloating, some were shouting "the entertainment industry is really dirty," and of course, a few questioned the authenticity of the photos and the motive of the exposé, but they were quickly drowned in the surging malicious speculation and insults.

The practice room was deathly silent. Only the light from the phone screens reflected on the six young and pale faces.

Ham Eunjung's fingers holding the phone trembled slightly, her chest heaving violently; Park Hyomin bit her lip, her eyes full of anger and fear; Jeon Boram's tears were already welling up in her eyes; Park Ji-yeon stared blankly at the screen, seemingly not fully understanding what had happened.

Park So-yeon's face was the ugliest. She looked at the photo of herself leaning on Song Tianhao's shoulder, looking incredibly dependent, remembering that it was on the way to the hospital when she was in a high fever and unconscious. At that time, she only felt that it was a piece of driftwood she grabbed in despair, but at this moment, it had become the most poisonous knife stabbing at her and the President.

However, unexpectedly, the first reaction of the six people was surprisingly consistent.

It was not angry rebuttal, not aggrieved crying, not even defending themselves.

Park So-yeon was the first to look up at the other sisters, her voice trembling slightly because of shock and anger, but what she said was: "President... has the President seen this? Will he..."

Ham Eunjung clenched her fists tightly and gritted her teeth: "This is slander! Naked slander! They want to destroy the President! Destroy T-ara!"

Park Hyomin's voice carried a crying tone: "What should we do? What about the President? His reputation... he is a Film Emperor..."

Jeon Boram sobbed in a low voice: "It's all my fault... If I hadn't been sick that day, the President wouldn't have sent me to the hospital, and wouldn't have been photographed..."

Park Ji-yeon's eyes were red, and she shouted with a crying voice: "No! The President is a good person! He helped us so much! They are talking nonsense!"

Lee Qri's call also came at this time, her voice anxious and weak, obviously having seen the news, and her first sentence was: "Children, are you okay? How is the President doing? What is going on?"

The girls spoke all at once, worried, angry, and fearful, but the spearhead, without exception, first pointed to the concern for Song Tianhao. The stigma and attacks they were suffering seemed to have been placed behind.

This almost instinctive, overwhelming trust and concern made Song Tianhao, who had just walked into the practice room and was prepared to comfort them, pause for a moment.

He actually received Manager Jang's emergency notification earlier than them. The moment he saw the news, a cold anger did rush to his head.

Not because of the baseless accusations themselves, but because of this despicable method...

The shooting angles and timing of these photos were clearly not a coincidence.

Someone was targeting him, targeting T-ara, and the methods were vicious, pointing directly at the vital point, wanting to nail them to the pillar of shame completely when he and T-ara had just started.

But at this moment, hearing the girls' first reaction was to worry about him, and seeing the real panic and maintenance for him on their pale faces, that anger strangely settled down, turning into a colder determination that he must protect them and must fight back.

He pushed the door open and walked in.

Seeing him, the girls fell silent instantly, six pairs of eyes looking at him in unison, filled with worry, anxiety, grievances, and a trace of fear of being abandoned.

With such a thing happening, would the President still want them? Would he cut ties with them for self-preservation?

Song Tianhao had no expression on his face, not even much anger could be seen.

He walked to the head seat of the small conference table in the center of the practice room and sat down, and said to Jang Se-hoon who followed him in: "Manager Jang, please make a pot of tea. Make it strong."

Manager Jang was stunned for a moment, but immediately complied, took out the simple tea set and tea leaves he carried with him, and started boiling water.

The curling steam and faint scent of tea seemed somewhat out of place in this heavy, oppressive atmosphere, yet they strangely brought a sense of calm.

Song Tianhao's gaze slowly swept across the girls standing in a row with varied expressions. He opened his mouth, and his first sentence was: "Do you trust me?"

No explanation, no reassurance, no promises, just a simple question.

The girls barely hesitated.

Park So-yeon was the first to straighten her back, answering clearly: "I trust you!"

"I trust you!" Ham Eunjung followed immediately after, her eyes firm.

"I trust you!" Park Hyomin nodded vigorously.

"I trust you, President!" Jeon Boram shouted, her voice choked with tears.

"I trust you!" Park Ji-yeon said loudly.

Lee Qri, on the other end of the phone, heard them too and raised her voice: "President, I trust you!"

Six voices, some clear, some choked with emotion, converged into a single expression of unreserved trust.

Song Tianhao looked at them, the lines on his face softening by the slightest degree. He nodded, saying neither "thank you" nor any grand, empty words. He simply waited for Jang Se-hoon to finish brewing the tea, poured the emerald tea liquid into seven teacups, and gestured to the girls: "Sit down and drink your tea."

The girls were a bit dazed, but they sat down as told and picked up the small, scalding teacups. The tea was very bitter, but after it went down their throats, there was a lingering sweetness.

Just then, Song Tianhao's phone rang; it was an unknown number. He glanced at it, pressed the speakerphone button, and placed it on the table.

A man's oily, threatening voice came through: "President Song, you've seen the news, right? Quite influential, isn't it? Let's not beat around the bush. Tell me, do you want to pay to make this go away, or would you rather wait for your reputation to be ruined, along with your six 'little darlings' who will go down with you? As for the price, it's negotiable, as long as..."

It was the call from the whistleblower reporter, clearly there to extort hush money.

The girls held their breath, watching Song Tianhao nervously.

Song Tianhao picked up his teacup, blew on the steam unhurriedly, took a sip, and then spoke calmly into the phone: "Reporter Lee, is it? Your call comes at just the right time."

He gestured to the company's legal counsel, who was already prepared and wearing headphones nearby. The legal counsel immediately took over, his voice calm and professional: "Reporter Lee Jae-hoon, hello. I am the representative lawyer for Sky Entertainment and Song Tianhao.

You are suspected of fabricating and spreading false facts, damaging my client's reputation, infringing on the artists' privacy, and suspected of extortion. This call has been recorded, and the relevant online evidence has been secured.

We have officially filed a criminal complaint with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and reserve the right to pursue civil damages. See you in court."

There was an instant of dead silence on the other end of the line, with only the sound of heavy, disbelieving breathing audible. A few seconds later, the call was abruptly hung up.

The meeting room was silent, save for the faint sound of tea being poured into a cup.

Song Tianhao set down his teacup and looked at the girls, whose expressions had shifted from nervousness to astonishment, and then to relief. He said calmly: "Did you see that? When dealing with a mad dog, there's no need to reason with it. Just beat it to death with a stick—that's the cleanest way."

He paused and continued: "The legal team has already intervened. We are not only suing that reporter for defamation but also pursuing the person who took the photos for invasion of privacy, as well as that so-called 'former employee' of MBK Entertainment for corporate espionage and damage to commercial reputation. If we're going to sue, we do it big. We'll sue them until they're bankrupt and have no foothold left in the industry."

His tone was flat, yet it carried a cold, ruthless edge. The girls felt their hearts tremble, yet they also felt immensely relieved.

"As for the MV shoot," Song Tianhao changed the subject, and amidst the girls' anxious gazes, he announced, "the original plan is canceled."

The girls' hearts sank.

"It's changed to tomorrow morning, at Seoul Plaza, for an open-air shoot." Song Tianhao's next sentence left them all stunned.

Seoul Plaza? An open-air shoot? That's a public place full of people! To go there and shoot an MV right after such a sky-shattering scandal broke?

Isn't this just walking right into a trap, waiting to be gawked at and pointed at?

"P-President..." Park So-yeon couldn't help but speak up.

"Don't they want us to hide, to be afraid, and to fall into chaos ourselves?" Song Tianhao stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the darkening sky outside. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly back to them: "I, however, am going to take you to the brightest place possible."

He turned around, his gaze like a torch, sweeping over every young face: "Now, answer my second question."

"Are you afraid?"

Are you afraid of those rumors? Are you afraid of those judging gazes? Are you afraid of standing at the center of the storm, accepting everyone's scrutiny and judgment?

The girls looked at each other. In each other's eyes, they saw, after the initial panic, a rekindled, even more intense flame.

The President had not given up on them; instead, he was going to fight back in the most intense and direct way possible. He believed in them, so what reason did they have to back down?

"We aren't!" Ham Eunjung was the first to stand up, her eyes sharp.

"We aren't!" Park So-yeon followed immediately after, her back straight.

"We aren't!" "We aren't!" "We aren't!!"

The girls' voices grew louder one after another, filled with the courage of burning their bridges behind them.

Song Tianhao nodded, a faint, almost sharp smile finally appearing on his face. "Very good."

"Then, continue practicing the dance." He walked back to his seat and picked up his teacup again. "Practice until it's perfect. Tomorrow, I want everyone to see not a trashy group that rose through under-the-table deals, but a true T-ara capable of using their stage presence and strength to trample all these filthy words under their feet."

The meeting ended, and the girls, fueled by unprecedented determination and excitement, threw themselves back into practice. The music was louder than ever, and their dance steps were more powerful than ever. In their eyes, beyond focus, there was a fierce determination born from being provoked—a vow to prove something.

Late at night, most of the lights in the Villa were extinguished, leaving only the dance studio and Song Tianhao's temporary office illuminated.

Park So-yeon knocked lightly on the office door.

"Come in."

She pushed the door open and saw Song Tianhao sitting behind the desk, the light from the computer screen reflecting on his expressionless profile. He seemed to be looking up some information.

"President," Park So-yeon walked over and spoke with some hesitation, "actually... we could issue a statement, we could clarify. We could say that I was sick that day and you were taking me to the hospital, that Qri unnie was having surgery, that the gym visit was just normal training... we could..."

"Park So-yeon." Song Tianhao interrupted her, moving his gaze from the computer screen to her face. His eyes were calm, even a bit tired, but deep down, there was an unquestionable strength. "You only need to do one thing."

He raised his hand and pointed toward the brightly lit dance studio outside the window, where the faint sounds of music and dancing could still be heard.

"Practice the dance until it's perfect."

He withdrew his gaze, looked back at her, and said word for word: "Leave the rest to me."

Park So-yeon looked at him, at the calm certainty in his eyes that seemed capable of bearing everything, and all her words were stuck in her throat. She nodded vigorously, bowed deeply, and turned to leave the office.

The door closed gently.

Song Tianhao leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples. On the computer screen was a preliminary report he had just received from a private investigation agency, along with several screenshots of bank transaction records.

The report showed that the person who took the stolen photos had financial dealings with a distant cousin of the former president of MBK Entertainment, Kim Kwang-soo.

And the bank records showed that just one day before the scandal broke, Kim Kwang-soo's personal account received a sum of money, neither large nor small, from a shell company. The registrant of that shell company had intricate ties to the editor-in-chief of the entertainment tabloid that first published the scandal.

Song Tianhao looked at the name "Kim Kwang-soo" on the screen, along with the complex arrows of fund flows, and a cold curve slowly formed at the corner of his mouth.

He picked up his phone and dialed a number.

"It's me. Two things. One, send me the summary of the recent financial movements and debt situation of MBK and Kim Kwang-soo that I asked you to investigate. Two, contact the media outlets we're familiar with—not the entertainment section, but the finance and society sections.

Yes, give them a heads-up about how a certain former president of a near-bankrupt small company has been using improper means to transfer assets, maliciously slandering competitors, and attempting to disrupt market order... Hm, I'll send you some of the evidence.

The headline? You're the professionals, make it as explosive as possible. Remember, it needs to 'coincidentally' be released tomorrow morning, at the same time as the T-ara MV shoot at Seoul Plaza."

After hanging up the phone, Song Tianhao looked at the photo of Kim Kwang-soo with his hypocritical smile on the computer screen, his eyes sharp as a knife.

He muttered to himself, his voice echoing coldly in the quiet office:

"Playing dirty?"

"I'll play along."