Peninsula Platinum Era

Chapter 259 Turnaround
"Unnie, unnie, where have you been? We're waiting for you to go out for barbecue and drinks together."

Yinhe grabbed her older sister's arm, excitedly shouting that she wanted to relax, but she didn't notice her sister's somewhat downcast mood and didn't get the response she wanted.

"Barbecue? That's not a bad idea. Let's go now."

It took him a while to come to his senses. Looking at the members who were still completely unaware, he thought that if he could maintain the team, it seemed that making mistakes wouldn't be a big problem.
"It's clearly a good thing, so why do you look so listless? It's been quite a while since we went out to eat together, and we might have even fewer chances in the future."

Eunha, who is usually quite talkative, spoke without any reservations, even suggesting that it would be great if a company could be found to take over all the sisters, and then they could change the group name and still be idols.

However, without the GFRIEND trademark and its consistent musical works, it remains to be seen how many people will actually buy into it, since nostalgia is the most unreliable thing.

As the new generation of idols gradually emerges, there is not much room left for them, and they don't have much room to be picky.

"I don't know which meal will be the farewell dinner. Let's get together as much as possible. Anyway, Seoul isn't that big, and we're not going to never see each other again."

Yerin also felt that the chances of renewing the contract were slim, but every cloud has a silver lining. Over the years, they have all saved a lot of money, and compared to others, their careers have been very successful.

"Don't be like this. Just wait patiently. Things should turn around soon. We still have a chance."

Remembering Chen Shijun's words, the captain felt that he should give the members some positive signals. If they could get a contract extension, then they wouldn't have to risk entering the transfer market.

"Unnie is still saying nice things to coax us. We're not children anymore, and we're not unprepared."

With his hands on Captain Shaoqing's shoulders, he pushed the long-legged woman forward. Everyone knew that at this point, no news meant no news at all.

"If we can renew the contract and keep our group together, I would be happy to have Director Chen as my boyfriend, driving luxury cars and living in big villas."

Yinhe saw Chen Shijun's car drive away and made some risqué jokes with her girlfriends. Girls are just like boys; their discussions always revolve around the opposite sex.

"My goodness! We haven't even started eating or drinking yet!"

"Look how happy you are! There's no such thing as a free lunch. You really dare to dream."

"Wouldn't we benefit from this too? But it's no use. You should drink more later, go back and get a good night's sleep. It might come true in your dreams."

Despite being repeatedly belittled, Eunha wasn't ashamed or angry; instead, she laughed along. It was a very comfortable group, which is quite rare in the South Korean entertainment industry.

At least Chen Shijun heard Meiyan nagging him, saying that so-and-so in the group had another fight, and they were swearing at each other, and that they might actually fight one day.

Miyeon sometimes argues with the other members because of friction, but this girl has a gentle personality and can never win an argument.

"I'm sorry I'm late. There was a small unexpected situation today."

Looking at Meiyan, who was wearing an apron and cooking in the kitchen, she really did have the air of a virtuous wife and loving mother. She was probably simmering some kind of soup, because Chen Shijun smelled a very comforting aroma.

"Kenchana, I just got back not long ago, oppa, you should wait for dinner."

Meiyan had a fine layer of sweat on her forehead. When she saw Chen Shijun come over and affectionately rub against her, her eyes were full of happiness, making the man feel as if he had returned home.

"Just order some takeout. You're already pretty tired. Things aren't like they used to be. You're a famous celebrity, not an ordinary trainee."

Miyeon's personal resources have been pretty good lately. She seems to have just finished recording a new single, and Chen Shijun heard her sing it on the phone; I think it's called "You Are My Breath." She'll definitely be active in the second half of the year. CUBE Entertainment has not only found her some variety shows, but they're also contacting CJ's streaming platform Tving, planning to have her star in a drama series.

"It's alright. Work has been going relatively smoothly lately, but there probably won't be any concentrated comebacks this year."

Because of the uproar surrounding Seo Soo-jin's bullying incident, everyone was inevitably affected, and the company's response was to have them take turns performing solo.

As the team leader, Tian Xiaojuan undoubtedly took on more responsibility. According to Meiyan, she is preparing to release a solo album, which is entirely composed by herself.

"Is this matter unsolvable? I don't know why we're still trying to protect it. At this point, we should act decisively instead of waiting for things to escalate further."

Because the evidence of the bullying incident is relatively clear, it is difficult for CUBE to get rid of these suspicions, and Miyeon also said that the girl is a bit difficult to mess with.

Given this, cutting this member off as soon as possible would undoubtedly be the best course of action. However, it seems that the company behind Cube Entertainment feels that assembling a complete lineup is not easy and that they cannot afford to lose any of them.

However, as the incident escalated, public and fan backlash became very strong, directly threatening the team's reputation and business activities.

In this situation, the company took legal action against the whistleblower, which put the company in a more passive position in terms of public opinion.

Even the member himself only expressed that he had not been dealt with by the school's bullying committee, and dared not go all out to clear himself of all the controversies.

"We can't interfere with the company's decisions; we can only do our own job well."

As Meiyan spoke, she lifted the scalded lid, letting the rich aroma fill the room. She tasted it with a spoon and nodded in satisfaction.

"Why am I so unlucky! I finally made my debut, and then this happened."

As a group that debuted three years ago, they have steadily climbed the ladder of success and now enjoy considerable fame in the industry. However, they have suddenly found themselves in a state of limbo.

"Let's wait a while. You know, sometimes a company's response is just slow, but when it comes to a life-or-death situation, it's easy to make a choice."

Chen Shijun had previously analyzed the incident with others, suggesting that Fangkuai might be trying to use litigation to delay the process and then reach a settlement with the victim to some extent, thus saving the member as much as possible.

At the very least, they want to wait until the final verdict is delivered before seeing whether the system of 5 or 6 people will be reinstated; until then, they will remain inactive.

But whatever the outcome, the rift has already formed, and the public can no longer return to the level of trust they once had.

"Let's not talk about these things anymore. As long as I still have a job, this period of time is fine. I'll just take it easy and reflect on this."

Meiyan scooped a little with the spoon in her hand and gave it to Chen Shijun to taste. Then she reached out and pushed the man out of the kitchen. Sometimes after get off work, she didn't want to talk about work-related matters, let alone things that were bothering her.

"You've managed this apartment quite well! You seem quite capable, not at all like an only child."

Watching a puppy eating its food in the kennel, I felt that everything here was always in good order, which I found quite interesting.

This guy naturally became the older sister figure in the group, taking care of the other members, but in front of me, he always acted like a virtuous wife.

(End of this chapter)