Chapter 167: The Battle of the Two Shins, Youzhen Wins!
Episodes 5, 6, 7, and 8 of “Produce48” were all released within half a month.
The landscape of the popularity rankings also underwent earth-shattering changes, and in this short half-month, the trainees on the debut roster of the Three Greats groups firmly occupied the top twenty-five positions.
The reason it wasn't precisely twenty-two was that there were indeed a few very popular trainees among the remaining ones; it would have been too easy to expose themselves by forcefully suppressing them. Leaving them as they were wouldn't cause any harm, so there was no need to forcefully suppress them.
All eight episodes aired within a surprisingly short month, but the popularity was astonishingly high.
Under the program team's manipulation, after removing Liu Yuan’s ranking, Ahn Yujin successfully moved into the top three. Moreover, to earn another center position, after the eighth episode concluded, Jiang Shu had the program team announce a new rule: Liu Yuan would not participate in the debut spot popularity vote.
The public had no objections to this; these three sisters were originally there to lead the team, and their debut spots had been set from the moment the show began.
Doing this would free up one of the top three spots occupied by Zhang Yuanying.
Sakura inherently had a center position, but she couldn't be moved. Her popularity was too high; she came from a survival show herself and understood how to attract viewers and fans. Her actual popularity had never dropped out of the top two. If you ranked her fourth, what would be the difference from telling the audience directly that you were rigging the results?
So Sakura remained first, but she couldn't be first on the final group night for a simple reason.
This is Korea, and Sakura is Japanese.
The first place could only be Ahn Yujin or… Kim Minju, who was also in the top three.
Even without the boost from the Tzuyu-line idols started by Chou Tzuyu, with the help of DM Entertainment, Kim Minju created the Minju-line idols. The original founder's ability to attract fans was naturally stronger than her followers. Through the gradual accumulation over eight episodes, Kim Minju finally surged into the top three in the last two episodes, ultimately stabilizing at second place.
With the airing of the eight episodes, the final group formation night will be live-streamed across all platforms on June 6th.
Originally, all the national producers were waiting for the “Produce48” group formation night, but who would have thought that ITZY would suddenly emerge and capture so much attention?
On the afternoon of May 30th, at KBS Television, in ITZY's waiting room backstage at Music Bank.
Jiang Shu was lounging lazily on the sofa, chatting idly with Shin Youzhen.
The album distribution event in the morning had completely exhausted Jiang Shu.
With the pre-release buzz of their debut album, ITZY’s mini-album “IT'z ICY” showed even greater popularity and potential than their debut album when its digital release dropped at 9 AM. Furthermore, the album distribution event, limited to only one hundred spots, attracted nearly a thousand fans, with even more gathering outside DM Entertainment.
“Our President is having a lesson with Youzhen Ouni, and I’m secretly listening in,” Shin Yuna said with a smile, pushing her head into the camera and filming Jiang Shu and Shin Youzhen as they spoke.
“What kind of secret listening is this?” Jiang Shu asked with a chuckle, looking at Shin Yuna.
“Oh no, I’ve been discovered!” Shin Yuna said, feigning surprise.
“Go, go, go, get out of here,” Jiang Shu waved his hand, looking at Shin Yuna exasperatedly.
Shin Yuna pouted, making a crying face at the camera.
“The President is bullying me!”
“So what if I bully you? No one dares to stand up for you,” Jiang Shu’s playful voice came through.
“Darn it!” Shin Yuna clenched her small fist, then pulled Choi Ji-soo, who was watching nearby, over.
With Choi Ji-soo’s bewildered expression, she shoved the camera into her hands.
“I quit!”
After saying that, she huffed and ran to sit beside Lee Chaeryeong. Choi Ji-soo instinctively aimed the camera at her, then watched as Lee Chaeryeong shot up from her chair as if she’d encountered a plague, pulling away from Shin Yuna.
“Ouni!!!” Shin Yuna called out in dissatisfaction.
Lee Chaeryeong acted as if she hadn’t heard, bowing to Jiang Shu.
“President, you know me, I’m not close with Yuna!”
“Me neither,” Shin Youzhen, who was beside Jiang Shu, added.
“Me too,” Choi Ji-soo said with a smile.
“Me too!” Hwang Yeji, who was doing her makeup, also joined in the fun with a smile through the mirror.
“This company is unbearable,” Shin Yuna looked at the camera in Choi Ji-soo’s hand, “Is there any company that will take me in?”
“Come here,” Jiang Shu beckoned to her.
Shin Yuna stopped being clever and quickly came before Jiang Shu.
Jiang Shu touched Shin Youzhen with the back of his hand. Shin Youzhen's stage outfit exposed a lot of skin, so it wasn't appropriate to touch her directly; the back of his hand was just right.
The incident with Liu Zhimin had taught him a lesson.
“Youzhen, your sister wants to change companies, what will you do?”
Shin Youzhen was startled, then saw the smile in Jiang Shu’s eyes. After a brief thought, she stood up and, under Shin Yuna’s confused gaze, raised her hand.
She bent her middle finger, pressed it against her thumb, aimed it at Shin Yuna’s head, and flicked hard.
Thwack!
A muffled thud echoed in the practice room, and everyone’s eyes widened instantly.
Jiang Shu also looked at Shin Youzhen in surprise; this child was truly honest. That sound made it seem like she hadn’t held back at all.
“Ow!” Shin Yuna clutched her forehead, squatting down in pain.
“President, how was it?” Shin Youzhen turned around with satisfaction, seeking praise from Jiang Shu.
Jiang Shu blinked, then gave a thumbs-up.
Shin Youzhen didn't seem very lively, but she had just given him such a big surprise out of nowhere.
“Ouni, that was too much!” Shin Yuna, still squatting and clutching her forehead, looked up at Shin Youzhen with teary eyes, accusing her.
Before Shin Youzhen could speak, Jiang Shu interjected.
“I told her to do it. Am I too much?”
“How could the President be too much? It’s all Ouni’s fault for coaxing the President into doing it!” Shin Yuna stood up, a smile on her face.
Shin Youzhen looked at her close sister, momentarily speechless.
Why hadn't she noticed how… uh… thick-skinned she was before?
“Yuna, you’ll do very well in any industry,” Jiang Shu said with a smile.
Buzz.
His phone vibrated, and Jiang Shu took it out.
Upon receiving Jiang Shu’s evaluation, Shin Yuna chuckled, seemingly very pleased with the compliment.
“Alright, playtime’s over. Get ready, you’re going on stage soon,” Jiang Shu put away his phone and stood up. “Youzhen, Yeji, both of you come out with me.”
“Yes.”
Hwang Yeji, who had just finished her makeup, and Shin Youzhen, who was beside her, immediately responded and left the practice room with Jiang Shu.
Seeing Jiang Shu leave, Choi Ji-soo aimed the camera at Shin Yuna and Lee Chaeryeong.