407: Chapter 462 Phantom Thief Zhimin (28)

Night gradually fell over the whole of Seoul.

Outside the practice room window, the last lingering glow of the sunset was fading, and the city lights were flickering on one by one, decorating this city that never sleeps with brilliant splendor.

But the clamor inside the practice room showed no intention of stopping.

"Let me post! Let me post one!"

Kim Minjeong held up her phone, hanging off NingNing as she tried to snatch the "guardian of princess wonyoung" account from her hands.

NingNing held the phone high, dodging while laughing, "No way, you already posted just now! It's my turn!"

"But what you wrote has no bite at all!"

Kim Minjeong let go and stood with her hands on her hips, looking dissatisfied.

"What do you mean, 'Karina looks like she didn't wash her hair today'? Is that even an anti's comment? That's practically acting cute!"

NingNing retorted indignantly, "How is it not? Isn't that what antis do? Nitpicking!"

"You're not nitpicking, you're—you're—"

Kim Minjeong thought for a long time before finally coming up with a term:

"You're polishing the egg!"

NingNing blanked for a moment, then burst out laughing.

Uchinaga Eri silently raised her hand from the side. "That... the one I just posted, did you guys see it?"

Kim Minjeong and NingNing looked at her simultaneously.

Uchinaga Eri lowered her head, a bit embarrassed. "I wrote... 'Karina's nose looks a bit crooked'..."

The practice room went silent for a second.

Then Kim Minjeong let out a wail:

"Eri Unnie! What you wrote has no bite at all! You're dragging down the anti status of 'guardian of princess wonyoung'!"

Uchinaga Eri blinked, looking innocent. "But her nose really isn't crooked... I really can't find anything to hate on..."

Karina, who was sitting nearby, couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this.

That smile was full of smug satisfaction, as if saying, "You finally realize how good I am."

"Oppa! Can I photoshop it? I'll put a braised pig's head on Ji-min Unnie's head!" Kim Minjeong had no time to listen to their argument; a brilliant idea had popped into her head, and she jumped up from the floor in excitement. Jiang Zhiyu leaned against the wall, holding that cup of herbal tea he had refilled at some point. He raised an eyebrow upon hearing this and calmly spat out a few words, "Use AI, it's faster that way."

Kim Minjeong cheered and was about to pounce on Jiang Zhiyu's laptop—

When the practice room door was pushed open.

"What are you guys doing?"

A deep voice came from the doorway.

Everyone's movements froze instantly.

The four girls turned their heads in unison toward the door.

The Manager stood at the door, holding several bags of takeout. His mouth opened, then closed, opened again, and closed again, looking exactly like a fish washed ashore. His gaze swept from the phone in Kim Minjeong's hand to NingNing's "I want to play too" expression, then to Uchinaga Eri's innocent eyes, and finally settled on Jiang Zhiyu's smiling face. Only one thought remained in his mind: Where am I? Who am I? What am I seeing?

He heard it.

He had heard those words just now.

"Let me post one!"

"Eri Unnie, what you wrote has no bite at all!"

"Put a braised pig's head on Ji-min Unnie's head!"

"Use AI, it's faster that way."

The Manager's face was as green as a watermelon rind in early autumn.

He looked at the group before him—the four members of aespa and the President of TG Entertainment—huddled together, discussing how to use AI to photoshop a pig's head onto their own leader.

The corner of his mouth twitched, and then twitched again.

"You guys..."

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found himself unable to speak.

Kim Minjeong looked at him, blinked, and gave a well-behaved smile.

"Oppa, we didn't do anything."

Manager: "..."

Do you think I'm deaf?

Karina covered her face.

NingNing lowered her head.

Uchinaga Eri silently took a step back.

Only Jiang Zhiyu remained standing there with a smile.

"Pre... President Jiang..." His voice was trembling, "What are you..."

Jiang Zhiyu turned his head to look at him, his smile as bright as the spring sun. "It's nothing, just playing a game with the girls."

The Manager's mouth twitched violently.

A game? Using an anti's account to insult your own artist is a game? Photoshopping a pig's head onto Karina is a game? Using AI to generate malicious images is a game?

He took a deep breath, and then another, before looking at the four girls. Kim Minjeong was looking at him with an "I'm begging you, just let me post one" expression. NingNing was nodding in agreement beside her. Uchinaga Eri kept her head down, pretending she hadn't participated in anything. Karina sat in the corner, hugging her knees, with a complicated expression—helplessness, amusement, and a hint of indefinable indulgence. The Manager closed his eyes and prayed silently: This must be a dream, wake up, wake up.

But when he opened his eyes, nothing had changed.

"You've come at the perfect time," he said, his tone as relaxed as if chatting about the weather. "Just put the takeout over there."

The Manager took a deep breath, then another.

He placed the takeout on the table and then turned to walk out.

The sound of the door closing echoed in the practice room.

Kim Minjeong looked at the closed door and whispered:

"Is Oppa angry?"

Jiang Zhiyu picked up a takeout container, opened it, and took a sniff.

"No, he just needs a little time to digest it."

Karina looked at him with a complicated gaze.

"Oppa, aren't you afraid he'll tell the company?"

Jiang Zhiyu looked up at her.

"Tell the company what?"

He blinked, looking perfectly innocent.

"Tell the company we're playing a game?"

Karina opened her mouth, then closed it again.

She found herself unable to argue.

Because—

They really were just playing a game.

It's just that the content of this game was a bit... absurd.

——

In the meeting room of SM Entertainment, the atmosphere was as heavy as the sky before a storm.

At one end of the long table sat several SM executives—some responsible for artist management, some for public relations, some for legal affairs, and some specifically for monitoring online public opinion. Every face was written with gravity, even carrying an air of interrogation. At the other end of the long table, Jiang Zhiyu sat there, as relaxed as if he were in his own living room. He was even holding a cup of tea—brewed from who knows where—with steam still rising from the rim.

Chief Kim, sitting at the head of the table, was the first to speak, his voice low and stern. "President Jiang, regarding those two accounts—the big fan and the anti of Karina—we have ample reason to believe that they were operated from within SM Entertainment." He paused, his gaze sharp as a knife. "Furthermore, the rumors and malicious comments posted by the anti account about Karina have caused substantial damage to her reputation. As Karina's management company, we must—give you a chance to explain."

Jiang Zhiyu put down his teacup, looked up, and met Chief Kim's gaze. His expression was very calm, even carrying a hint of innocence. "Chief Kim, I'm a fan of Karina." His tone was matter-of-fact. "It's not too much to have a fan account, is it?" The corner of Chief Kim's mouth twitched. Jiang Zhiyu continued, his tone even more sincere: "That 'guardian of princess wonyoung' called our Ji-min 'Pig 51,' so of course I had to retort. As a fan, defending your idol is only natural, right?"

The meeting room fell silent for a moment.

The expressions of the executives became subtle. Some had twitching lips, some had furrowed brows, and some looked down, pretending to read documents—but the corners of their mouths, which they couldn't press down, betrayed them. Pig 51? You have the nerve to say that? Didn't you freaking come up with that? Only an idiot would believe you!

Chief Kim took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice steady. "President Jiang, as far as we know, that derogatory nickname 'Pig 51' was originally invented by the 'guardian of princess wonyoung' account." Jiang Zhiyu blinked, looking bewildered. "Is that so? I don't remember."

Chief Kim gritted his teeth. This bastard.

Jiang Zhiyu picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said slowly, "Of course, I am also a fan of Jang Wonyoung. When Ji-min's fans try to snatch the top five girls title from us, I strike back; that's not too much, is it?" He put down the teacup and spread his hands. "Which law states that one can't be a fan of two idols?" The meeting room fell silent again. The executives' expressions became even more complex. Some were secretly gritting their teeth, some were red with anger, and some were gripping their pens so hard they creaked. This jerk—he was clearly making excuses, but every word sounded so reasonable.

Chief Kim took a deep breath, and then another. "President Jiang, do you realize that these two accounts have triggered a massive fan war? The fans of Karina and Jang Wonyoung are now fighting tooth and nail, and the entire k-entertainment world has been dragged in. This has caused damage to the image of both artists—"

"Caused what?" Jiang Zhiyu interrupted him, his tone still calm. "Caused heat? Caused discussion? Caused buzz?"

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze becoming sharp. "You all have been at SM for so many years; you should know better than I do—in the entertainment industry, having no buzz is the greatest failure. Karina is now being discussed all over the internet, being compared to Jang Wonyoung, and being fought over by fans—isn't this exactly the effect you wanted?"

He turned his head to look at the Head of the Online Public Opinion Monitoring Department, who had been silent in the corner. "Department Head Li, by how much has Karina's search volume increased in the past week?"

Department Head Li blanked for a moment, then opened the tablet in his hand and glanced at the data. "...It has increased by three hundred percent."

"And Jang Wonyoung?"

"Two hundred and eighty percent."

"What about aespa's group search volume?"

"Two hundred and fifty percent."

"And IVE's?"

"Two hundred percent."

Jiang Zhiyu smiled. That smile was as confident as a general with victory in his grasp. "Chief Kim, you see, the data doesn't lie."

Chief Kim's brow furrowed even tighter. "President Jiang, an increase in search volume doesn't mean—"

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

"Does it not represent anything? Does it not represent popularity? Does it not represent buzz? Does it not represent commercial value?" Jiang Zhiyu interrupted him, his tone calm yet every word incisive. "Chief Kim, you have been in this industry for so many years; you should know better than I do—in the entertainment industry, having no buzz is the most terrifying thing. Being scolded means someone is paying attention. Being praised also means someone is paying attention. Being completely ignored is the true death."

Chief Kim opened his mouth, but couldn't find words to refute. Because what he said was the truth. In this industry, the most feared thing is not being scolded, but being forgotten.

"Damn it—"

"Is this your goal? Using two accounts to create a fan war on a national level, binding the names of Karina and Jang Wonyoung together, making the discussion of 'Pig 51' a national topic, forcing everyone to notice these two people, and then—using the short drama, the movie, the comeback single, to harvest all the heat."

Jiang Zhiyu looked at him and smiled. That smile was as bright as the spring sun, yet it made everyone present feel a chill down their backs. He stood up, walked to the whiteboard in the conference room, picked up a marker, and drew a line on it. "This is aespa's current popularity." He drew a circle at the top of the line. "This is the popularity of Girls Generation during their peak." He then drew a higher point next to it.

He turned around and looked at everyone present. "Chief Kim, how much do you think aespa is still missing to reach Girls Generation?"

Chief Kim was silent for a few seconds. "...Still quite a lot."

Jiang Zhiyu nodded. "Yes, still quite a lot. But what if I said, I have a way for them to reach the height of Girls Generation's peak within three months?" The conference room went quiet for a moment. Everyone's eyes were focused on him.

Jiang Zhiyu walked back to his seat, sat down again, and picked up his teacup. "The release of the short drama will coincide with aespa's comeback single." His voice was unhurried, as if stating an established fact, "The trending searches will be dominated. Do you all not have this ability and confidence?"

Chief Kim looked at him, his eyes complex. He suddenly realized that from the beginning, this young man was not making trouble, not fooling around, but playing a very big game. Those two accounts, that fan war, those seemingly absurd operations—all were part of this game. And he, and even everyone else, were just pieces on the chessboard.

The conference room was quiet for a few seconds. The PR department head was the first to come back to his senses and cleared his throat: "Of course we do."

Chief Kim was silent for a long time, then sighed softly. "President Jiang, what... exactly is your goal?"

Jiang Zhiyu put down the teacup and looked at him.

"To make aespa the best girl group of this era."

—

The conference room door was pushed open, and Jiang Zhiyu walked out.

In the corridor, the four girls were being watched by the Manager, not daring to make any "small moves." Kim Minjeong was still clutching her phone, but could only stand obediently, not even daring to light up the screen. NingNing and Uchinaga Eri stood side by side, eyes fixed on their noses, hearts fixed on their hearts. Karina leaned against the wall with her hands in her pockets, looking the most composed, but the slightly upturned corners of her mouth betrayed her.

Seeing Jiang Zhiyu come out, the four girls' eyes lit up simultaneously. Kim Minjeong rushed over first and asked in a low voice: "Oppa! How did it go? Did they give you a hard time?"

Jiang Zhiyu ruffled her hair. "No. They were very cooperative."

Kim Minjeong breathed a sigh of relief, but soon became nervous again. "Then... do they know it was us who posted it?"

Jiang Zhiyu glanced at her, a meaningful smile curling the corners of his lips. "What do you think?"

Kim Minjeong's face stiffened. NingNing and Uchinaga Eri's faces also stiffened. Only Karina sighed softly, with an expression of "I knew this would happen."

Jiang Zhiyu looked at their "it's over, it's over, we're going to be frozen" look and couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry, it's fine. I've handled everything."

Kim Minjeong was half-believing: "Really?"

"Really."

Kim Minjeong still didn't quite believe it, but Jiang Zhiyu had already changed the subject. He looked at the four girls, his eyes becoming serious. "However, there is one thing I need to tell you." All four became nervous at the same time.

Jiang Zhiyu said: "If today's matter were exposed—that those two accounts were operated by you, that you participated in those fan wars, that those photoshopped images were made by you—do you know what would happen?"

The four looked at each other.

Jiang Zhiyu continued, his voice unhurried: "Not just in the Korean entertainment industry, but in China, Japan, and even Southeast Asia, it would trigger a media storm. It would be—Autumn 2021, the aespa public opinion bomb season. Karina is a super narcissist, the other three can't stand their leader, teamed up to create anti-fan accounts to besiege the leader, and borrowed Jang Wonyoung's name—"

He suddenly raised his head and looked at the ceiling, as if talking to the air: "Wonyoung, I'm sorry, Oppa didn't mean it, love you~" He reached out and made a big heart shape above his head, his movements exaggerated as if he were filming a variety show.

The four girls looked at him, stunned for a second. Then Kim Minjeong "puffed" and laughed out loud. NingNing covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking. Uchinaga Eri laughed until she bent over. Karina couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head.

The Manager stood by, watching Jiang Zhiyu's "can act anytime, anywhere" demeanor, his mouth twitching. As expected of a variety show PD, this acting, this reaction, this improvisation—it's amazing.

Jiang Zhiyu put away the exaggerated pose and looked at them again, smiling. "Congratulations, without a doubt, you are now on par with Girls Generation." He paused, his tone becoming more solemn, "No—even a cut above Girls Generation. Girls Generation are the Empresses, you are—"

His gaze swept over the four faces, and he said word by word: "Trans-era Supernova Empresses."

The corridor was quiet for a moment.

Kim Minjeong's eyes were as bright as if lit by lamps, her whole person glowing.

NingNing couldn't help but laugh, the curve of her mouth impossible to suppress.

Uchinaga Eri raised her head, light in her eyes.

Karina looked at Jiang Zhiyu, her eyes full of amusement at "what exactly are you thinking," but in that amusement, there was a hint of indescribable tenderness.

The Manager's expression changed from complex to broken.

"What do you mean 'Trans-era Supernova'!"

His voice changed pitch.

"President Jiang, this is—"

Jiang Zhiyu raised an eyebrow, interrupting him.

"Ah, do you all not like this title?"

He tilted his head and thought about it.

"Then I'll change it."

He cleared his throat and started again:

"The Most Shocking Girl Group in K-Pop—"

He paused, a wicked smile curling his lips.

"Chaotic Empress Clan aespa."

Kim Minjeong's eyes brightened even more.

"Evil girls who play with people's hearts—"

Jiang Zhiyu continued, his tone becoming more and more exaggerated.

"How about it?"

The corridor was quiet for a second.

Then—

"It feels super cool!"

Kim Minjeong was the first to jump up, holding her hands over her heart, her face full of "I love this title so much."

Her eyes curved into crescent moons, her whole person glowing.

"Chaotic Empress Clan aespa! Evil girls who play with people's hearts!"

She repeated these words, getting more excited the more she read them.

"It sounds like a big villain! The super cool kind!"

NingNing looked at her and couldn't help but laugh.

"Unnie, do you like being a villain that much?"

Kim Minjeong nodded as if it were obvious: "Being a villain is super cool, okay!"

Uchinaga Eri pursed her lips, but the amusement in her eyes couldn't be hidden.

Karina looked at Kim Minjeong's excited appearance, then at Jiang Zhiyu's face, which was full of "satisfaction"—she shook her head and smiled.

"You guys..."

The Manager stood by, watching this group of people, his expression completely broken.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found he couldn't say anything.

Because he suddenly realized—no matter what he said, this group wouldn't listen.

Jiang Zhiyu looked at the expressions of the four members of aespa and nodded with satisfaction.

He reached out and ruffled Kim Minjeong's hair.

"Alright, the game is over."

He glanced at the sky outside the window, which had completely darkened.

"Time to go back."

Kim Minjeong looked at him reluctantly: "Oppa, let's play again next time!"

Jiang Zhiyu smiled: "Okay, next time."

Karina looked at him, opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, just nodded.

"Oppa, be careful on the way."

Jiang Zhiyu waved at them and turned to walk toward the other end of the corridor.

After a few steps, he turned back and looked at them again.

"By the way,"

He said.

"That 'Chaotic Empress Clan' title—"

He paused, a smile curling his lips.

"I'm serious."

Then he turned and disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Kim Minjeong stood in place, watching his back, her eyes sparkling.

"Oppa is so cool..."

NingNing nodded: "Indeed."

Uchinaga Eri rarely spoke up: "Very cool."

Karina didn't speak.

She just looked in that direction, looked at the place where he had disappeared, with a smile on her lips.

The Manager looked at the expressions of the four of them and sighed.

"Let's go, time to go back."

The four followed him toward the parking lot.

In the corridor, Kim Minjeong's excited voice echoed:

"Chaotic Empress Clan aespa! I like this!"

NingNing said with a smile: "Then when you introduce yourself in the future, just introduce yourself like that."

"Okay!"

"Unnie, are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious!"