Chapter 31 Chapter 31
In the early morning of the third day, the photos finally leaked. Not the ones that the PR department had successfully blocked, but the very first one—the blurred, mosaic-ed image that had been posted.
Someone fixed the image quality and cleared the mosaic. This time, the photo was directly posted on the Bestiz forum. The poster was still a fake account.
The ID is a string of garbled numbers. At the top of the post, a screenshot of the original explosive post was quoted, followed by a restored image and a straightforward caption: "To those still deceiving themselves, now the faces are aligned, right?"
The accumulated popularity of the original post exploded at this moment. Although the image quality was still not perfect, it was clear enough and recognizable enough. In less than ten minutes, the comment section was flooded with hundreds of messages.
"Holy crap, it's GD?!!!!!!!" "The profile, nose, jawline, jacket, they're exactly the same (with comparison pictures attached)." "I'm really impressed. These days, dating is like a spy war.
I spent ages browsing the show's official website, thinking there would be no follow-up. "There's been no interaction on the show, and I was wondering what was going on. It turns out they were trying to avoid suspicion..."
"When did you start dating? Were they already together on that variety show?" "What variety show? Besides 'Project A', have you appeared together on other shows?" "'Ten Thousand Yuan of Happiness',
I thought it was quite good when I saw it." "Shit... Oppa, don't fall in love!!!" "Heartbroken, goodbye, our dragon." Soon,
One netizen sorted out Kwon Ji-yong's public schedule for the past three months and compared it with the details in the photo: "This is a fan photo from February. He often wore this jacket during that period." (Photo attached) "It should be Project
A》before filming began, the woman probably couldn't go out during the filming of the show. "So the time may be between February and March." "Shown near the company in the early morning,
Could it be the day fans captured him returning home overnight after meeting her at the airport? (Video link attached) "So he had announcements almost every day for the first quarter. Does that leave him with time for a relationship?" "It's a crazy schedule. He loves it."
"..." Comparing pictures, timelines, and schedules. Even without a precise timeline, clues were still pieced together bit by bit. Half an hour later, Naver's trending search list updated: #GDLoveExposure
#Bigbang Love Talk #YG Trainee GD #Who is Trainee Lia #Project A Love Scandal... Topics quickly entered the top ten, forming an overwhelming wave of public opinion.
This time, YG's response was much quicker. At dawn, the PR department urgently initiated the meeting process. Entering this conference room for the third time, Lia felt a sense of absurd familiarity.
The familiar tabletop, the familiar glass wall, the familiar clock, and the pale light—the only thing that had changed was the woman sitting there. If she had been panicked the previous two times, now she was just exhausted.
Like an actor who is reluctant to leave the stage, he continues to fulfill his obligation to "cooperate" before the scenery collapses. This time, the technical department also attended the meeting.
"...The poster this time is definitely not the account we locked down yesterday," the technical lead said. "The photo in the latest post was a screenshot of the original post, then enhanced using third-party software."
"It's currently impossible to trace the source of the post?" The head of the public relations department frowned.
"Yes. This post wasn't published on the program's official website, so the user information available is very limited. We've requested access to the Bestiz backend for user login records, but haven't received a response yet. Judging from the ID, it seems more like a disposable account used temporarily for advertising."
"Yes, it's probably not the person who posted the previous thread," the PR representative added. "We sent a warning letter to the original poster last night. His social media accounts are currently under real-time monitoring, and there will be no further action for the time being."
"In other words—" the minister gently placed the pen back on the table, his tone steady. "This time we're dealing with someone who has no interest in communication and only wants exposure." Everyone was speechless for a moment. Lia quietly scanned the people around the conference table.
Fatigue and numbness, occasionally tinged with indifference, were written across the faces of the people. No one truly cared where events were headed. Everyone simply hoped this endless farce would soon come to an end.
"Alright." The director paused. "Then we'll follow the established PR plan." "The unified statement will be about senior-junior relations, the location will be downstairs at the company, and the emphasis will be on professional interaction. Artists will not respond, trainees will not speak out, and all statements will be released by the company."
"Remove all trending search terms related to the artist." Lia raised her eyes and looked at the calm, almost icy face. For the first time, she realized that the word "response" in their mouths never meant "explanation" but "dealing with it."
What if she'd fought for it? Would the outcome have been different? The minister, perceptive enough to notice her gaze, glanced over. "Any ideas, Lia?" Lia was a little surprised. Three days had passed, and the other party had actually remembered her name.
But in the response plan, she was still just a "trainee." Lia took a deep breath, trying to make her voice sound steady and clear: "I want to provide some timeline evidence." Everyone was stunned.
The minister looked at her and nodded slightly, motioning her to continue. Her voice was not loud, but her pace was steady:
"On the day I was secretly photographed, I was working in the recording studio until very late. Teddy's studio computer can access the operation records of the project files. I started working around 10 pm and didn't finish until around 1 am."
"After that, I went downstairs with Senior Zhilong to buy food." "In our MSN group chat, there are still photos sent by Kush. There are photos of us working at the operating table, and then there are photos of us eating together afterwards."
She looked at the man and said, "These records prove that my senior and I weren't on a date that night, nor did we engage in any inappropriate behavior. It was simply normal business dealings." Calm and coherent, she finished her statement and quietly waited for his response.
"You've done a good job." The minister nodded, "but we won't adopt it." She was stunned for a moment.
"It's not that I don't believe you." He looked at her, his tone emotionless, "But you have to understand that we're not dealing with a factual issue; we're controlling a communication event." "The response itself is a secondary communication."
"We must prioritize the overall public relations risk. You're not a public figure yet, but for an artist of GD's stature, once they're involved in relationship-related issues, they'll be repeatedly interpreted and amplified."
"A company response will only fuel new discussions. It will do more harm than good to him, the team, and all endorsements and brand partnerships." He paused, his gaze returning to Lia.
"I know you may feel it's unfair. But for you, this is also a form of protection." "We can't let you become a 'person who needs to be explained.' The more explanations there are, the more attention there is, and that's the most dangerous situation for you."
The minister, with a rare display of patience, offered a few more words of explanation. Lia's knuckles tightened unconsciously. She understood the logic. If she were in his shoes, she would probably make the same choice.
But understanding doesn't mean unconditional acceptance. She lowered her gaze and said nothing. The meeting continued. She listened quietly as they laid out their next plan with precise and calm words.
It was like being inside a high-speed machine, its gears meshing so precisely that even if it ran over a person, there wouldn't be a single hitch. ... After an unknown amount of time, the conference room door suddenly opened.
A figure wearing a black hoodie walked in. The discussion stopped abruptly, and everyone's eyes turned to the door. "Zhilong?" Baoheng was surprised. "Didn't they say you didn't have to come back early?"
"Yeah, I'm a little worried," he replied calmly, his eyes fixed on Lia. She didn't react for a moment. He looked tired, with a light blue stubble on his chin.
Like an audience member who had accidentally walked into a farce, covered in inappropriate dust, he tried to pull her out of the collapsed scenery.
"I've seen the photos," he nodded to the man sitting at the head of the table. "It was me who suggested going out, but I wasn't careful enough and didn't realize I was being followed. I'm sorry for causing trouble for everyone."
He walked over, pulled up a chair and sat down. "If someone needs to be held accountable, I can come forward and make a statement." The conference room was strangely quiet, and someone took a deep breath. Lia suddenly felt her eyes sore.
The grievances she had suppressed for so long suddenly found an outlet and surged up. She lowered her head and tried to control her emotions.
"Right now, you are the most important." The minister spoke in a normal tone, "The most important thing right now is to protect your image." "Protect my image?" He tilted his head slightly, his tone without any emotion, as if he was confirming.
"Yes. We have prepared a countermeasure. The company will issue a press release, which will only state that it is a senior-junior relationship, and will not explain the rest." "So, she doesn't even have a chance to clarify?" He looked at the minister, his tone carrying a rare sharpness.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment. "We understand your position," the minister replied, "but from the company's perspective, this is the least costly approach."
"She's not an entertainer right now. The more official explanations she makes, the more likely she'll be thrust into the spotlight." "Be rational, you should understand." "..."
Quan Zhilong didn't say anything else, just leaned back in his chair, his eyes drooping, as if he accepted the outcome of this discussion. Lia looked at him and suddenly felt relieved.
Even before he arrived, she couldn't help but feel bad for herself—she had no right to speak for herself, and she didn't know how to deal with the public opinion. But when he came, not only did he not shy away from the situation, but he took the blame in front of everyone and even tried to speak up for her.
This wasn't without cost to him. He was the one most likely to be magnified. She suddenly hoped the man at the top was telling the truth. If this would have the least impact on him, if he didn't have to be affected, then that would be... wonderful.
Noticing her gaze, he tilted his head and gave her an apologetic smile. "It's okay." She nodded softly, silently responding. ... The meeting continued.
Media releases, program editing, and public opinion responses were all released one by one: "The company has confirmed that the two people did go out to buy food that night. They were trainees performing tasks assigned by the company and did not engage in any inappropriate behavior during the period."
"Subsequent programs will not arrange individual shots of trainees to weaken their presence." "The platform's hot search entries are being applied for deletion, and unofficial terms will be downgraded as much as possible." "..." When the meeting ended, Quan Zhilong walked to Lia's side.
He no longer had the air of helplessness he had in the meeting earlier. Instead, he looked more relaxed, as if he had made up his mind. "I'm sorry," he said. She shook her head. He paused, then reached out and gently patted her head, as he always did.
"Don't worry, it will pass." Lia nodded. She had so much to say, but in the end, nothing came out. In the corner of the conference room, some staff members exchanged glances.
Baoheng stood waiting at the door, clutching the draft notice she'd just received. Having been in this job for so long, she'd long since grown accustomed to the "forced" nature of being an artist. But these two children before her were the ones she'd watched grow up.
She still couldn't let it go when they gave up their dignity for the so-called "minimum loss".
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