65: Chapter 66 Media Pre-heating

Rehearsal ended.

The six of them sat slumped on the stage.

Jeon Bo-ram wiped away her sweat.

"Mr. Qian, are we still practicing tomorrow?"

"Yes."

Qian Xu smiled.

"But tomorrow morning, I have other things to attend to."

Ham Eun-jung sat up.

"What is it?"

"Media warm-up."

Qian Xu looked at them.

"The comeback show needs to be promoted in advance."

"I've invited a few independent media outlets."

"They will come tomorrow to film behind-the-scenes footage."

Park So-yeon was stunned for a moment.

"Independent media?"

"Yes."

Qian Xu nodded.

"There are a few entertainment bloggers on Naver with a significant number of followers."

"I've bought their promotional slots."

"They will come tomorrow to film your rehearsal and post it online to generate hype."

Park Ji-yeon's eyes lit up.

"Really? Then we need to put on makeup tomorrow!"

"Yes."

Qian Xu smiled.

"Miss Qri, you are in charge of styling tomorrow."

"Okay."

Lee Qri nodded.

"I guarantee I'll make them look beautiful."

The next morning, Hongdae, STAGE 28.

Mr. Qian arrived early.

Kim Min-jun was standing at the entrance.

"Mr. Qian, the independent media people have arrived."

"There are three bloggers, with a combined follower count of 5 million."

"Good."

Qian Xu nodded.

"Have them get ready."

At ten o'clock sharp, the six of them arrived.

Lee Qri styled them.

They wore matching white T-shirts and jeans, but their hairstyles were distinct.

Park So-yeon had gentle wavy curls, Ham Eun-jung had a high ponytail, Jeon Bo-ram had a bun, Park Hyomin had a low ponytail, and Park Ji-yeon had twin tails.

Lee Qri herself also had an intricate braided hairstyle.

"Looks good!"

Qian Xu nodded.

"Let's begin."

The three bloggers walked in.

They were all young people in their twenties, carrying cameras and phones.

"Mr. Qian, hello!"

The man walking in front was wearing a baseball cap.

"I am a Naver entertainment blogger, Kim Woo-jin, with 1.8 million followers."

"Hello."

Qian Xu shook his hand.

"Thank you for your hard work today."

"It's no trouble at all!"

Kim Woo-jin smiled.

"T-ARA's comeback! This is big news! We are honored to be the first to report it!"

The filming began.

The six of them stood on stage.

The lights turned on, and the sound system was adjusted.

Kim Woo-jin raised his camera.

"Okay, everyone, be natural! Just like you do in your usual rehearsals!"

Ham Eun-jung nodded.

"Okay, everyone, get ready. The first part of 'a little happiness'."

The prelude began to play.

The six of them started to sing.

This time, there were no voice cracks.

Park So-yeon's voice was very steady, and she hit the high notes perfectly.

Kim Woo-jin's eyes lit up.

"Good! That's great!"

The filming lasted for two hours.

The three bloggers shot a large amount of footage: rehearsal clips, interview segments, individual close-ups, and group photos.

"Qian Xu, we have enough material."

Kim Woo-jin put away his camera.

"We'll post it tonight."

"I've already thought of the title: 'Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes of T-ARA's Comeback Debut'. It's guaranteed to trend!"

"Good."

Qian Xu smiled.

"Thank you for your hard work. Representative Kim will handle the payment."

"Thank you, Qian Xu!"

Kim Woo-jin smiled.

"We're leaving now! See you tonight!"

In the afternoon, Mr. Qian returned to the company.

He opened his computer and waited for the trending topics.

His phone vibrated.

It was a message from Jeon Bo-ram.

"Qian Xu, are you free tonight? I'd like to treat you to dinner."

Qian Xu smiled.

"Not tonight. I need to keep an eye on the trending topics. Let's do tomorrow."

Jeon Bo-ram sent a pouting emoji.

"Okay... Then it must be tomorrow!"

"Okay."

At eight o'clock in the evening, Kim Woo-jin's account updated.

It was a three-minute video.

The title: 'Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes of T-ARA's Comeback Debut! The Chinese Song Stuns Everyone!'

In the video, the six of them stood on stage, singing the Chinese version of 'a little happiness'.

Park So-yeon's high notes were clear and moving.

Ham Eun-jung's rap was incredibly cool.

Jeon Bo-ram's aegyo voice was bursting with cuteness.

The comment section exploded.

"Oh my god! T-ARA is back!"

"They sang the Chinese song so well!"

"Park So-yeon's voice is still so amazing!"

"Jeon Bo-ram is so cute!"

"When is the comeback show? I want to go!"

At 8:10, the view count crossed 100,000.

At 8:30, it crossed 500,000.

At 9:00, it crossed 1 million.

Qian Xu stared at the screen.

On the Naver trending list, 'T-ARA Comeback' shot up from the 50th spot.

40th, 30th, 20th, 15th.

At 9:30, it reached 10th place.

'T-ARA Comeback Debut' was followed by a 'Hot' tag.

Mr. Qian smiled.

His phone vibrated.

It was a call from Ham Eun-jung.

"Qian Xu! We're 10th on the trending list!"

"I saw it."

Qian Xu smiled.

"This is just the beginning. It will be even higher tomorrow."

"That's great!"

Ham Eun-jung's voice was excited.

"We're really back!"

"Yes."

Mr. Qian nodded.

"You are back."

He hung up the phone.

It vibrated again.

It was Park So-yeon.

"Mr. Qian, thank you."

"I saw the trending list."

"You're welcome."

Qian Xu smiled.

"This is what you deserve. Continue rehearsing tomorrow."

"Okay!"

Park So-yeon smiled.

"I will work hard."

He hung up.

Qian Xu leaned back in his chair.

10th on the trending list. It was just the beginning.

Tomorrow, it would be even higher.

He opened the system.

[Cultural Export Event: T-ARA Comeback Pre-heating]

[Influence: +0.2%]

[South Korea's Favorability Toward China: 28.0%]

He smiled.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated.

It was a call from Kim Min-jun.

"Mr. Qian, something has happened."

"What is it?"

"Someone has posted a smear piece on Naver."

Qian Xu frowned.

"What does it say?"

"It claims that T-ARA is controlled by Chinese capital."

Kim Min-jun's voice was low.

"It says they are 'puppets of Chinese capital' and that the comeback is 'cultural invasion'."

Qian Xu stood up and walked to the window, looking at the night view of Seoul.

"Who posted it?"

"We found out," Kim Min-jun said.

"It's a few burner accounts, but there's someone behind them. It should be the old forces, people from the three major broadcasting stations."

Qian Xu was silent for a few seconds.

"Don't panic. Let them post it."

"Huh?"

Kim Min-jun was stunned.

"Let them post it?"

"Yes."

Qian Xu smiled.

"The more smear pieces, the higher the heat. The more they smear us, the more popular we become."

Kim Min-jun was silent for a few seconds.

"Qian Xu, you are right."

"Then just let them post?"

"Yes."

Qian Xu nodded.

"But you need to do one thing."

"What is it?"

"Collect all the smear pieces. Screenshots, links, publication times. Save them all. They will be useful later."

"Okay," Kim Min-jun replied.

"I'll arrange it right away."

He hung up.

Qian Xu looked out the window at the neon lights flickering in the Seoul night.

He smiled.

The old forces thought that posting smear pieces could kill T-ARA, but they didn't know that smear pieces were the best free promotion.

He opened Naver and found the smear piece.

Title: 'T-ARA Comeback? Or Puppets of Chinese Capital?'

The article read: "T-ARA has been acquired by Chinese capital. Singing Chinese songs. Touring in China. Is this still K-pop? This is C-pop invasion!"

The comment section was already arguing.

Some supported them: "T-ARA has the right to choose! What's wrong with singing Chinese songs? As long as the fans like it!"

Others opposed: "K-pop is K-pop! What does singing Chinese songs count for? They are puppets controlled by capital!"

Qian Xu smiled.

The fiercer the argument, the higher the heat.

He exited Naver and sent a message to Kim Min-jun.

"Buy a trending spot tomorrow. Push the heat of the smear pieces up."

Kim Min-jun replied quickly.

"Okay."

The next morning, on the Naver trending list, 'T-ARA Comeback' dropped from 10th to 15th, but 'T-ARA Chinese Capital' shot up to 8th.

Qian Xu looked at the screen and smiled.

Smear pieces were indeed the best free promotion.

He picked up his phone and sent a message to Ham Eun-jung.

"Rehearsal as usual today. Don't be affected by the smear pieces."

Ham Eun-jung replied quickly.

"Okay. We won't be defeated."

"Yes."

Qian Xu smiled.

"You are T-ARA. No one can defeat you."