The number one playboy on the Peninsula!

Chapter 392, "Past Lives," features a puppy being cyberbullied.
In April, the night breeze in Seoul is warm.

"..."

After Gong Cheng's black G63 drove away, Liu Zhimin, slender and wearing a Chanel-style jacket, stood under the streetlight in front of the residential area.

Carrying her handbag, she walked towards the dormitory building, her mind filled with the scenes from the car.

……

He really respects me; he didn't treat me like a sycophant or anything like that...

"Click..."

Lost in thought, Liu Zhimin opened the dormitory door. Seeing her friends watching a movie in the living room, she gracefully brushed a stray hair behind her ear and said, "I'm back~"

The smugness in her eyes couldn't be hidden.

"Weren't you celebrating your friend's birthday?" Kim Minjung turned to look at her. "Why are you back so early?"

"I thought you weren't coming back..."

As she spoke, she blankly picked up her drink and took a sip.

"Oh~ Minjung, does unnie seem like the kind of person who stays out all night?" Yoo Jimin felt that these words were very slanderous. If Oppa knew, wouldn't she become a very promiscuous girl in his eyes?
She threw down her handbag, took off her high heels that were rubbing her feet, and as soon as she put down the black high heels, she stared at the sole of the high heels with a sudden thought. Since they were so rubbing, she should have put that kind of stuff from her oppa in there. Wouldn't that have made them much smoother?

Ning Yizhuo glanced at her dazed expression, his eyes filled with surprise: "What's wrong?"

"Ahem..." Liu Zhimin quickly wiped away her watery eyes, coughed to clear her throat to hide her lapse in composure, but a smug smile played on her lips as she looked at her friends in front of her and boasted, "Minjung, who told you I went to celebrate my friend's birthday?"

Kim Minjung rolled her eyes at her: "You said that yourself before you left."

"It is indeed my birthday... but it's my birthday~" Liu Zhimin plopped down on the sofa, gestured for Ueno Eri to move aside, then chuckled and crossed her legs, showing off her battle-damaged gray stockings.

Uchinaga Eri pouted: "Your birthday was a week ago, wasn't it?"

Kim Minjung glanced at the snagged stockings on Yoo Jimin's legs and a bad feeling immediately rose in his heart. He stared straight at her.

Liu Zhimin caught a glimpse of her expression, shook her head, and patted her thigh: "It's to meet Oppa~ He insisted on giving me a belated birthday party~ I couldn't refuse even if I wanted to..."

As she spoke, she deliberately raised her wrist to show off the Bulgari bracelet: "Oh~ Minjun, I'd like to ask about this bracelet?"

"Of course, it was a gift from Oppa too~"

Liu Zhimin asked and answered himself, showing off to his friends who were dumbfounded.

"Who wants to ask?" Kim Minjung's face darkened, and he remained silent.

Ning Yizhu blinked and glanced at Liu Zhimin's battle-damaged stockings—loading cargo!
She guessed that meeting Oppa was probably real, but the idea that Oppa insisted on celebrating her birthday was probably just something she flattered... However, in front of her friends, she definitely had to elevate her status a bit, hehe.

It's just like someone who humbly compromises in private, trying to regain their dignity in a different environment.

I understand... I understand, haha.

Kim Minjung's lips trembled: "Unnie, have you not been taking good care of your figure lately? Have you gained weight? Your stockings are all stretched to the point of bursting..."

She probed indirectly.

"...Are you kidding yourself, Minjun?" Liu Zhimin knew what her friend meant. She tilted her head and looked at her, her eyes full of provocation. Then she glanced at Minjun's mushroom haircut and washboard-like figure, and chuckled.
Kim Minjung was furious and embarrassed, and his defenses were somewhat broken. Was this blatant seduction?

Seduce Oppa...

Seeing her expression, Liu Zhimin grinned and reached out, cheekily tapping Jin Minzheng's cheek with her finger to encourage a smile: "Smile, Mo Minzheng~"

"Why are you so unhappy? Unhappy and clueless are the traits of Jang Won-young and Kang Hye-won!"

Uchiga Eri chuckled upon hearing her words. All along, she had thought that Yoo Jimin's verbal skills were proactive, but she hadn't expected them to be passive, ingrained in her very bones and blood.

"Unnie, you're getting too excited too soon." Kim Minjung glanced at the gray stockings on her thighs with a stubborn look, getting angrier the more she thought about it. Like a puppy with its fur standing on end, she bared her white teeth, grabbed Yoo Jimin's right hand, and bit it.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Seeing this, Liu Zhimin quickly spread her right hand and covered Jin Minzheng's mouth. Then... she saw a gentle touch on the palm of the mangosteen's hand. Besides her friend's bared teeth, it seemed that the tip of his tongue had accidentally touched her palm.

"Why does your hand smell weird?" Kim Minjung pulled her hand away, raised his face, and asked with a frown.

It's an indescribable smell, not pleasant, a familiar smell, but I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong with it.

Liu Zhimin was taken aback upon hearing this, and withdrew her hand to look at her palm.

She was in the train carriage with Oppa at the time, and...

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but glare angrily at Kim Minjung—you little glutton…

"Humph!"

Liu Zhimin stood up, not wanting to talk to her friend, and angrily walked back to her bedroom.

I need to go to Zhang Yuanying's marketing video again.
……

On the top floor of the TWICE dormitory apartment in Gangdong-gu, in a duplex that had been vacant for a long time, the sound of a door lock clicking could be heard.

As soon as Gong Cheng pushed open the door, he saw Ming Jingnan sitting cross-legged on the living room carpet. She wore a black silk nightgown with the straps loosely draped over her arms, revealing her fair shoulders and skin with a faint pink hue. Her black hair was simply tied up in a bun, with a few strands falling from the edge of the bun, clinging to her cheeks and neck. It was a little messy, but it made her look even softer. At first glance, she exuded the aura of a married woman...

The half-human-sized Doraemon doll was held in Mina's arms. Her hands gently encircled the doll's waist, and her cheek would occasionally unconsciously rub against the doll's ears. Her eyes were fixed on the zombie movie on the TV screen.

So cute...

Gong Cheng felt a surge of tenderness in his heart when he saw his beloved wife at home... He changed into slippers and picked up the slippers that Mina had left on the shoe rack: "Aigoo, it's been a long time since I've been here."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and touched the surface of the coffee table, which was spotless.

Since the TWICE funeral, Haki Makoto hasn't returned to this dorm room. Counting the days, it's been almost two months... However, the spotless cleanliness of the room isn't the housework done by his beloved wife, Mina, but rather by our little weirdo.

...Looking at it from all angles, it seems that our Dahyun is destined to worry about others.

Mina glanced at the penguin slippers he was carrying, pouted, and stretched out her legs on the carpet, her fair arches pointing into the air, her toes twitching playfully.

Gong Cheng skillfully hung the slippers on her toes, then casually took off his charcoal gray knitted cardigan and sat down: "Why can't you ever get rid of this habit of not wearing shoes?"

"Then why don't you change your bad habits?" Mina smiled and rolled her eyes at him.

Gong Cheng paused, his arm still holding the teapot to pour water. He looked at the little penguin incredulously, his eyes filled with grievance: "It's always you who calls me, okay?"

Lord Gong is innocent...

He is a very insurance-conscious person, and even when he has sex with women, he tailors his approach to each individual.

That Durex advertising slogan used in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Guangdong was spot on.
What do you mean?
It means: "When you come out to show off, the most important thing is..."

Mina, shamelessly denying it, pointed to the dormitory room at her feet, a shallow dimple appearing on her cheek as she smiled: "This is what happens when you're in the dark~ Makoto-chan~"

"Sana, Momo, Chaeyoung, and Nayeon would never have imagined that I would meet you here~"

Meeting here is unexpected and very convenient for the members. They can go downstairs to their dorms tomorrow morning and rejoin the team.

"..."

As she spoke, Mina observed Miyako's reaction as he picked up the warm water and sipped his lips, and she was extremely satisfied.

Recently, Cheng-chan has been making a real effort to quit drinking.

Gong Cheng listened to Mina's seemingly logical explanation and chuckled, "As if? We're just having a normal relationship, what's there to be ashamed of?"

Unbeknownst to many, Hajicheng gradually shifted its strategy from initially deceiving each other to now.

But at this moment, his wandering gaze couldn't help but recall Liu Zhimin's mangosteen hands... very small hands, soft and delicate.

"That's true, Makoto... but Sana and the others will eventually find it hard to accept." Mina lowered her delicate eyes and sighed silently... But there are always people who refuse to accept reality, aren't there? Like Sana, Nayeon, and Momo~
As for the shameless Son Chae-young, she subconsciously tried not to think about her.

Putting aside Makoto's identity as her mother, Mina actually felt some sympathy for them from the bottom of her heart, otherwise she wouldn't have been so afraid and ended up with the same fate as them.

She lifted her eyelids, blinked, and saw Cheng-chan neatly take off her T-shirt. Her low-fat figure had well-defined lines, and the necklace she had given Gong Cheng a couple of days ago was still hanging on her collarbone. She looked incredibly sexy.

Gong Cheng, shirtless, casually tossed his T-shirt onto the sofa beside him: "I didn't want things to come to this, but we all have to face reality."

Mina clicked her tongue, savoring his words. Subconsciously, she put herself in the shoes of those "losers." She looked at Makoto with a wistful gaze and said, "Makoto-chan, you really are as cold-blooded as Sana said..."

"That's what she said?" Gong Cheng raised an eyebrow.

What's the plot? She's badmouthing her ex-boyfriend after they broke up, right...?

But he quickly turned to Mina and said, "Ani~ Isn't this all for you? Right now, I love Mina-chan the most~"

“…” Mina glanced at him and grinned.

It really is.

From this perspective, it seems that Makoto is indeed being influenced by himself and is slowly changing for the better.

Mina threw away her Doraemon doll, slowly stood up on the soft carpet, and walked over to Makoto with a smile. She slowly bent down, like a kitten seeking warmth, and gently snuggled into his arms, wrapping her arms around his waist and placing her legs lightly beside his, ready to watch a movie together.

Gong Cheng hugged her, looked down at her, and gave her a big kiss. The little penguin's wife outfit was just to his liking. It was like a tired husband returning home to find a gentle and considerate Yamato Nadeshiko-style wife waiting for him.

Life is wonderful.

When Mina's gaze fell on the cardigan next to her, she picked it up and sniffed it.

Her expression immediately changed. A rich, top-note red rose perfume scent spread through her nasal cavity after she took a sniff. It was a very strong, tasteless perfume, quite vulgar, as if the person didn't know how to choose perfume.

"..." Mina threw down her coat, didn't say a word, and instead looked up at Miyako with a pitiful and aggrieved expression.

Deep down, he was trying hard to suppress his anger.

What kind of person is Cheng-chan? Haha.

She understood perfectly well, and that's precisely why she didn't make a scene.

Minami kept admonishing herself in her heart, repeatedly chanting:

I'm someone who always strives for inner peace, not fixated on winning or losing, not dwelling on troubles, not creating enemies that keep me up at night, and not letting go of the boy I love most. This is my attitude towards society, and I know it's my happiness. However, whether it's Lim Nayeon, Minatozaki Sana, Hirai Momo, Son Chaeyoung, or this girl who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, if it really came down to a fight, I wouldn't lose to anyone.

calm! calm!
"...Today I practiced a duet dance with Yeji and Yuna..." Gong Cheng gave a sloppy account of what happened at the IZTY practice room.

Mina shook her head: "Yeji and Yuna wouldn't use such a strong perfume, it's not their style."

Girls are very sensitive to things like perfume scents, especially when it comes to catching someone cheating. She continued to block Gong Cheng's path: "Members, no one would use this kind of perfume... It smells like cheap stuff."

Minami subtly made a disparaging remark.

"I haven't finished speaking yet. I had dinner with a friend, a trainee, tonight." Gong Cheng chuckled, raising his hand to pinch Mina's fair cheek. Coupled with her aggrieved look, it seemed he had pinched her until she cried.
"Besides, don't talk about cheapness or low price; it's too materialistic."

He said it with a grin.

But Mina raised her hand and pinched Miyako's nipples, retorting, "Trainee? Is that charity?"

"You even went and gave alms to the trainees?"

Such a strong scent coverage would be impossible to leave without close contact.

"Give alms?"

Gong Cheng found these words very offensive. He didn't feel superior to anyone, and they were also extremely jarring to the Dragon of the Great Tengu Execution Department... Besides, nothing had happened between him and Liu Zhimin. Could handjobs be considered sexual intercourse?
It was really... filthy.

“…” Mina watched Miyako’s furrowed brows and knew what was going on.

Cheng-chan, I really didn't mess around.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have shown this attitude, but to be on the safe side, the best way to inspect the goods is to collect public grain.

Mina's soft little hand began to wander over Gong Cheng's abs, her eyes still cold and arrogant. She met his eyes with resentment: "Then why don't you give me some charity?"

"Charity..." Gong Cheng hated this word, and his handsome face showed slight displeasure: "Mina-chan, what do you take my feelings for you for?"

Seeing his demeanor, Mina shrank back in fright.

It seems that he felt his words were indeed excessively harsh...

But in the blink of an eye, Gong Cheng looked down at her with a serious expression and pointed to the kitchen behind her: "You've really gone too far, Mina-chan! Now I order you to put on an apron, no outer clothes, no underwear, go to the kitchen and pretend to cook, and then pretend to cut your hand and call me over, otherwise... you know best what I can do!"

His voice was low and husky, with a dangerous magnetism, as he raised his hand and gently pinched Mina's chin, his palm rubbing against her jawline.

“???” Mina found it increasingly inappropriate, her cheeks flushed instantly, and the skin on her neck felt burning hot.

"Changing state!!!"

Mina's face was flushed, as if she had applied blush, but she still slowly stood up from his arms and quickly took off her black nightgown.

Fair calves as they emerge from the waistband of panties.

Having just lifted her eyelids, Cheng-chan seemed unsatisfied and hummed, "Hurry up!"

"Nei ne..."

Mina bit her lip in embarrassment as she replied, then quickly ran across the living room to the kitchen, where she found a pink apron and put it on.

……

"Jisoo-ah~ Saranghae~"

Psychology suggests that when you are cheating, you will involuntarily think of the person you are betraying in the middle of the night, so you will frantically express your love to fill the guilt in your heart.

But Gong Cheng is not like that. He just gets too involved when he's dating each woman. When he's with a girl, he should be completely devoted. That's basic respect. Now that it's over, he's being very saintly. He kisses the limp Mina in his arms, seemingly too lazy to even lift a finger.

When asked to take a shower, she seemed to have no energy or motivation and fell into a deep sleep.

Gong Cheng, suffering from insomnia, naturally took the opportunity to express his love to Kim Ji-soo, Zhao Mei-yeon, and Son Chae-young.

Love needs to be expressed, it needs to be spoken aloud.
"Mwah~ Miyeon~"

"Chaeyoung, the nights I miss you..."

"Hyun, I'm short on cash lately. Do you have time to offer me a decent job that pays by the hour?"

……

Over the next few days, Makoto Miyamoto stayed in Seoul until April 25, when he returned to Tokyo. He first visited Eiko Eri's hospital and then went back to Hyogo.

"..."

After finishing his video call with Minami, Miyako went up to the third floor of the seaside villa. This time, back in Hyogo, he moved some of his composition equipment here, and his life was leisurely and uneventful.

As dusk fell, the orange-red sunset painted the coastline of the Seto Inland Sea.

Gong Cheng lay on a deck chair on the villa's balcony, gazing blankly at the sea. Students on bicycles hurried past on the road, and tourists and passersby would occasionally stop to take a look at this grand building by the sea.

"Beep beep~" Hearing the message notification on his phone, Gong Cheng opened Kakao and glanced at the message from Executive Department Dragon: "Oppa, um... um, if you need anything like last time, you can call me~"

"What kind?" Master Gong was a bit forgetful and couldn't quite remember what he'd just said, so he replied, "What kind?"

【Ōtengu】: "That's all... (shy)"

Gong Cheng naturally knew what Liu Zhimin was talking about, but how could one grow if they didn't boldly speak out about things they found difficult to say? It was definitely not about obedience tests, adjustments, or the development of potential labels...

He chuckled and continued teasingly, "What do you mean by 'like that'?"

"Oppa doesn't hold grudges..."

【Ootengu】: "It's... your hand, you forgot about Mo Oppa? (urgent)"

"hand?"

"Zhimin's hands are indeed very small and dexterous, but what exactly are you talking about..." Gong Cheng took a sip of cola.

"Oppa doesn't remember."

【Ootengu】: "Ruru ruru ruru~ (shy)"

Gong Cheng: "Ji Min, have you turned this into a profession? Or is this the only thing you do when you're with Oppa?"

After saying that, he sent another emoji (overwhelmed with a sense of justice): "We should work hard to debut!"

……

In SM's practice room, Yoo Jimin sat cross-legged in the corner, giggling to herself. She looked intently at the message Gong Cheng had sent: "Jimin, are you treating this kind of thing as a profession? Or is this the only thing you do with Oppa?"

Oppa really likes me~ Does he not want me to become that kind of bad girl?
How could I possibly be that kind of person!

I'll just give you lulu lulu.

Seeing how her oppa encouraged her to work hard to debut, Yoo Jimin felt quite at ease chatting with him, and sometimes even seemed to be in control. She tentatively asked, "Oppa, if I debut, will you like me even more?"

[The most incredibly handsome oppa in the universe]: "Maybe~"

Oppa's Aries trait of being quiet is really obvious~ Liu Jimin thought to herself, giggling: "I will work hard to debut and stand in front of you, Oppa!"

[The most incredibly handsome oppa in the universe]: "(Video sharing)"

...Liu Zhimin curiously stretched out her hand, and oh my god!
It's been two and a half years, and this is the first time Oppa has proactively shared a video with me. Is he slowly acknowledging me?

But when the video started playing, Liu Zhimin suddenly froze in place, dumbfounded. A familiar figure appeared in the video, with a slender and superior figure, walking with an affected and pretentious posture, arms crossed, and long legs swaying her hips. Her face under her black hair had a professional smile on it, but her eyes had a faint sense of detachment. She was dealing with fans and the media on the way to the airport.

The familiar girl in the video was none other than her nemesis, Zhang Yuanying.

Liu Zhimin almost fainted, but after exiting the video, she saw a message from Gong Cheng: "Zhimin, Oppa hopes that after you debut, you can be like Yuan Ying, with a cold look in your eyes, looking at men like you're looking at dogs, understand?"

……

Then I see you... hehe... Gong Cheng didn't say the second half of the sentence, but instead closed his phone.

The emptying period has ended.

He got up, picked up his Coke cup, and walked towards the composition room.

I just finished composing an electronic music piece these past two days, and now I seem to have some ideas and inspiration, so I need to continue writing lyrics.

With the end of the month approaching, his contract with JYP expires on June 1st.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Tarot will return to the music scene this summer.

The treatment is mainly psychological, and it's not something that can be done overnight. Gong Cheng has been thinking about it a lot lately. Since work allows him to focus, he might as well focus on it when the time is right.

"My past life can no longer contain me."

Love that is lost and then regained is always the sweetest.

The arrangement of "Past Lives" is shrouded in a slightly cool, tipsy atmosphere, with dreamy synthesizer vocals that are quite melancholic.

In a year when melodic rap swept the globe, emo seemed to resonate with Generation Z...

Sometimes, those who live a life of hedonism eventually come to their senses.

"I'm not hallucinating~ Don't wake me~"

……

In the following days, aside from traveling to and from Tokyo for treatment, Gong Cheng stayed home and rarely went out.

But for some reason, staying in Japan made him feel more depressed. During this time, Park Chanyeol, Oh Sehun, and Sanpao came to visit.

The three went sea fishing in the Seto Inland Sea, and their friends learned that "Big Cannon" was suffering from mental illness.

On the yacht, Wu Shixun, wearing brightly colored swim trunks and sunglasses, said, "Damn... how did you end up like this? But you were bound to end up like this sooner or later. Dating eight women at the same time, you must be exhausted, right?"

At first, his tone was quite concerned, but towards the end it turned somewhat disdainful.

Gong Cheng felt extremely uncomfortable listening to this. He put down his fishing rod, glanced at the several hired crew members floating on the sea below the yacht, mainly responsible for the safety of the three brothers, raised his foot, and kicked Wu Shixun off the deck of the yacht: "Aigoo, just trying to make conversation!"

Park Chanyeol laughed uncontrollably. He had his own way of comforting people. He picked up his glass, took a sip of wine, and, basking in the sunlight, he laughed and put his arm around Gong Cheng's shoulder: "If you can't make it, let's go back to Seoul. I'll find you some trainees."

It sounds like human speech.

But Gong Cheng glanced at Park Chanyeol's expression. How come this guy still can't shake this habit of finding fault with trainees after all these years? "Thanks, hyung, but I'm not interested."

After saying that, he stood on the deck and with a 'whoosh,' his straight figure leaped into the sea like a fish arrow.

……

The next day, Gong Cheng glanced at the date on his phone: April 30th. Early in the morning, he, Wu Sehun, and Park Chanyeol headed to Kobe Airport in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture.

However, his destination was different from that of the Second and Third Artillery Corps.

The two returned to Seoul and landed at Incheon International Airport, while Gong Cheng flew to Tokyo to receive his final treatment of the month.

"..."

In the evening, when Miyako returned to Hyogo, he took a shower at the villa.

In the vast villa and courtyard, feeling rather lonely, he turned on the television in the living room, not to watch it, but just to listen to the sound.

Gong Cheng casually picked a TV stand, wiping his wet hair with a towel while glancing at the news on the television in front of him.

On television, there were reports everywhere that Emperor Akihito of Japan had abdicated, officially ending the Heisei era and ushering in the Reiwa era... He had heard about this from Mina's brother a few days ago, and the brother was very saddened by the news.

Gong Cheng didn't seem to care much about this. He glanced at it twice and then turned on his computer without interest, preparing to play a couple of rounds of League of Legends with Kim Ji-soo, who had just finished get off work in Seoul.

"You are my nurse, Ashe."

"Love".

……

May 1st, Seoul, sunny.

However, the first thing many citizens saw when they opened their eyes was the headline that was trending at number one on local social media...

"TWICE, 'Emperor'...?" (TWICE's Sana expressed gratitude to the "Emperor," ignoring the sentiments on the Korean Peninsula?)
"JYP, vs" (JYP's double standards? Dahyun's post deleted vs Sana's post retained)

"Sana Minatozaki's Instagram post sparks outrage; local netizens tell her to get out of K-pop."

More and more citizens, after clicking on trending topics related to #Twice#, #MinatozakiSana#, and #Sana#, were instantly stirred up by the media and joined the ranks of those condemning the issue with righteous indignation.

"..."

The first thing Park Jin-young did upon entering the company was to keep a close eye on online public opinion trends and directions. He immediately summoned Minatozaki Sana to his office.

Seeing Sana Minatozaki's pale face and trembling body, Park Jin-young knew that the child had seen the online abuse.

However... it's hard to avoid seeing many things. In a country with a small land area and a population of only 5000 million, many citizens took strong action when they saw the trending topic and came to the JYP building, raising protest flags.

"PDnim, I really didn't mean anything by it. I just posted something with a lot of emotion." Sana Minatozaki stammered nervously, her unfocused pupils filled with fear after seeing the protest banners on her way to work this morning.

"I really didn't expect...this to happen..."

Her voice grew softer and softer, the last few words almost inaudible, and her eyes slowly reddened.

Park Jin-young sighed heavily, sat on the sofa, and wanted to reprimand someone, but couldn't bring himself to say it. He had read Sana Minato's post on Instagram. To be honest, she didn't mention the word "Emperor" at all, but the media had swayed her.

……

"As someone born in the Heisei era, I feel a little regretful that the Heisei era is coming to an end. Thank you for your hard work, Heisei! Let's enjoy the last day of Heisei as we move towards the new era of Reiwa!"

In Hyogo Prefecture, Makoto Miya sat in a restaurant, looking at the post that Sana Minatozaki had posted on Instagram the day before. It was a short, reflective piece written in her native language, with the words "Thank you Heisei" at the end.

In her words, it was merely a lament over the end of an era of growth and an expectation for the future; the text made no mention of the "Emperor" and expressed no political stance whatsoever. However, after this text entered the peninsula, it was maliciously distorted by some media outlets. Some local trending topics even changed the headline to "Sana is very sorry about the 'Emperor's' abdication, thank you for your hard work," deliberately amplifying the sensitive word "Emperor" on the peninsula.

And the emotions of netizens were instantly ignited like sparks...

I also checked the trending topics "JYP, vs" (JYP double standards? Dahyun's post deleted vs Sana's post retained).

Gong Cheng had some recollection of this matter. Last year, Kim Da-hyun's post about wearing a "comfort women support T-shirt" was urgently deleted by her company JYP to avoid controversy. At the time, this incident also became a target of attacks from the Japanese right wing. Politicians used the fact that Da-hyun had worn a comfort women T-shirt as a reason to call for a ban on TWICE appearing on Japanese television programs, including the Kohaku Uta Gassen.

However, TWICE still managed to perform at the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle) at the end of last year.

However, according to Gong Cheng, the T-shirt that Da Hyun wore at the time was made for a charity event to help comfort women victims, and all the proceeds from the sale of the T-shirt would be donated to comfort women victims.

However, to avoid controversy among Japanese fans, JYP deleted the post immediately.

However, Sana's Japanese post was retained by the company, leading some netizens to believe that the company was "treating members from Japan and Peninsula differently."

Some even cited Liberation Day as an example: local members, out of consideration for their Japanese teammates, never posted on that anniversary, creating a stark contrast with Sana's "ignoring local sentiments." The lack of Korean language annotations further fueled accusations of "disrespect for Korea"...

"..."

Gong Cheng glanced speechlessly at the "righteously indignant" comments in the comment section, exited the trending search page, and picked up a napkin to wipe the corner of his mouth.

……

"..."

The air in JYP's president's office was so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

Park Jin-young sat behind his desk, racking his brains trying to figure out how to quell the situation.

#SanaMinatozakiGetOutOfTWICE#
The red "explosive" characters like "#JYP protects Japanese artists" are like red-hot branding irons, each one stirring up public opinion.

He rubbed his throbbing temples, about to say something, when his gaze fell on Sana Minatozaki on the sofa, and he swallowed his words.

Sana Minatozaki huddled in the corner of the sofa, still wearing a white hoodie with the hood pulled down low, obscuring most of her face. Only her hand, clutching her phone, was visible, her fingertips an unnatural bluish-white. The screen was lit, displaying the comments section of a local forum.

Every time she scrolled past a comment like "Japanese pirates, go back to Japan" or "They're just using the peninsula and then turning their backs on us," her shoulders would involuntarily tremble, as if she were being slapped in the heart by an invisible hand.

Her eyes were red, and tears were streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably. But Sana Minatozaki dared not cry out loud. She could only bite her lower lip tightly and swallow her sobs back down her throat. But the grievances in her chest were like a surging tide, and every breath was painful.

She hadn't really taken in much of Park Jin-young's comforting words, "Don't look anymore," as the malicious words were still lingering in her mind...

"...Try to spend as much time as possible with the members lately, and don't think about these things." Park Jin-young comforted Minatozaki Sana, trying to convey that he understood her and meant her no harm, and to prevent her from getting emotionally conflicted.

Sana Minatozaki's eyes were swollen, with bloodshot whites, and she spoke with a heavy nasal tone, "PDnim... I really didn't mean it, I didn't mean what the media said..."

As soon as she finished speaking, she couldn't hold back any longer, and tears streamed down her face even more. She clutched the hem of her hoodie tightly with both hands, not daring to think about what the scene would be like when she faced the fans at the group activity tomorrow.

"Drip drop~"

Just as Park Jin-young was about to say something more, the phone on his desk rang. He glanced at the caller's contact name and saw it was that guy—the devilish junior.

He glanced at Minatozaki Sana, who was still sobbing with her head buried in her knees. Her back was still trembling slightly, and even the ringing of the phone didn't make her look up... Park Jin-young took a deep breath and instantly understood his junior's purpose.

He pressed the answer button, trying to keep his tone calm: "You saw the trending topics?"

"Otherwise what?" Gong Cheng asked in an unfriendly tone, "Have you figured out how to deal with this, brother?"

Park Jin-young didn't reply immediately, but glanced at Minatozaki Sana on the sofa again... She seemed to hear a familiar voice on the receiver, and quickly looked up, her red and swollen eyes filled with confusion and fear. It was Xiaobaicai's voice.

For a moment, she felt very embarrassed.

Why is it that Gong Cheng always manages to catch me in my most vulnerable moments?

Seemingly not receiving a reply from Park Jin-young, Gong Cheng cursed under his breath on the phone, then asked incredulously, "Brother, you're not thinking of keeping a low profile, remaining silent, and passively resisting public opinion, are you?"

……

In Hyogo Prefecture, driving along the coast in a Mercedes, Miyako spoke in a speechless tone. Without even thinking, he could guess the company's next public relations strategy.

First, they calmed Sana-chan down internally, then remained silent like a turtle hiding in the sand, passively resisting the online bullying, trying to observe the trend of public opinion and then judge whether their response would provoke greater controversy and conflict.

Or they could simply not respond, allowing Sana to continue with the group's activities, reducing the frequency of her facing media inquiries, and attempting to downplay the public controversy by calling it "normal work"...

"Was the shareholders' meeting a waste of time, Brother Mo? The PR department can't come up with a solution?"

Gong Cheng questioned, suddenly feeling that the JYP shares in his hands were like a pile of stinking dog shit, sticky and unusable: "You can't even issue a statement with a 24-hour clarification response?"

……

After glancing tearfully at Park Jin-young, who was frozen in place, in her office, Minatozaki Sana held her breath, barely daring to breathe, only letting soft sobs linger in her throat... On the other end of the line, Miyako's tone was irritable, anxious, and filled with barely concealed anger, clearly indicating that he was upset about her situation.

Sana Minatozaki, whose head was covered by the hoodie hood, suddenly froze. It felt like an electric current had surged through her heart. All her restraint collapsed instantly, and she could no longer control her tears. She raised her hand to cover her mouth and cried bitterly.

"Why...why are you still paying attention to me..." she choked, her voice filled with a sense of grievance and dependence that she herself was unaware of. Tears streamed down her face, and her shoulders heaved violently.

The malice of cyberbullying, the fear of the future, the regret after the breakup, and the thrill of being cared for at this moment—all these emotions were intertwined, causing her to completely shed all pretenses. Like a lost child, she found a reason to cry in the angry tone coming from the other end of the phone.

Little bok choy, boohoo...

“Senior brother, your approach of being opportunistic and keeping silent won’t work. Do you remember how our alma mater defended me?” Gong Cheng softened his tone as he discussed solutions with Park Jin-young: “Within 24 hours, the company will issue a statement that addresses the core issue of Sana-chan’s misinterpretation of the post, as well as the two major points of contention regarding double standards.”

"..."

"If the company's management endorses it, it can boost JYP's public image. They can also use past incidents and pictures of Sana-chan respecting local culture to counter public opinion. Even if there aren't any, they can get a few of their artists to coordinate their stories, understand?"

Gong Cheng returned to his villa in Hyogo and, while talking, booked a flight back to Seoul.

Now that things have come to this point, it's impossible to silence public opinion. We must contact the media to "correct the reports," cut off the chain of rumors, reduce the impact of this incident on Minatozaki Sana, and narrow the scope of the issue. As for handling things in the same way as Park Jin-young has in the past, it will only make things worse.

He needs to go back and comfort Sana-chan, that's the real reason...

(End of this chapter)