#Ador

[sakura1uvr]

Well.. it was a party alright

Smut

Synopsis: after calling your best friend to pick you up from a party you discover the feelings she has for you

A/N: I don't know how to write gay sex so pls forgive me for being very bad at it ☹☹☹

Pairing: Minji (Newjeans) x f!Y/N

Warning: friends with benefits, sex for the first time, kissing

Requested: by fav moot @snepy

MEN DNI

It was a cold night. You were at a random party, bored out of your damn mind. Your friends went off with some randoms and you were left alone. There were a couple of guys that asked you to dance but you weren't interested since well you already had been crushing on someone for a while. As you drink a cup of mixed alcohol you grab your phone and decide to text your best friend, Minji to pick you up.

After sending the text, you glance around the room, your mind wandering to thoughts of Minji. You’ve always loved how effortlessly charming she was, her laughter lighting up any space. She could easily make friends with anyone, but tonight she chose you. You sip your drink, trying to stave off the chill that has settled in from the cold, yet warm surroundings.

A few minutes later you get a text from Minji telling you that she arrived. You throw the plastic red cup in the trash, grab your things and head out.

You get to the car and open the door. You slide inside. "What a shitty day.. Can you drop me off home Minji?"

Minji just laughs and starts the car again. "Of course princess."

Minji had a habit of calling you weird couply pet names but this time it felt different. Heat rushed to your face when she called you that. It was weird.

After a good while you finally stop at your house. "Thanks Min."

But before you could get up Minji grabs your arm. You sit back down and look at her.

"Min what's wrong?" Right when you ask that she grabs your face and kisses you. It was normal for you guys to kiss randomly but this felt different. It felt like more intense and more desireble.

Your heart raced as the warmth of her lips pressed against yours. The world outside faded into a blurred backdrop, the muffled sounds of the cars driving by turned into complete silence. You could feel how soft her plump lips were, how inviting it felt to kiss them. Like it was her way of letting you that you can do whatever you desired to her.

The kiss deepened, each movement of the kiss just made the time go by slower and slower. Your fingers instinctively tangled in her hair, pulling her closer, wishing the warmth of her body could chase away every chill. For so long, you had hidden your feelings, convincing yourself it was just a fleeting crush, but in that moment, all those thoughts shattered like glass.

You truly had a crush on Minji for a while and it was pretty obvious to both you and her.

“Min,” you breathed against her lips, the air thick with an undeniable tension. "What are you doing?" You say inbetween kisses as Minji unbuttoned your shirt. You haven't done things like these let alone with your best friend. "I am tired of just kissing and then ending it off there.." Her voice was low, velvety, and the admission made your heart leap like a trapped bird desperate for freedom.

You could taste the sweet mixture of her fruity lip gloss and the alcohol on your tongues as you explored eachother's mouths, longing to feel more.

She takes off your clothes so now you were only in your underwear. Minji started kissing down from your jaw to your neck.

With her fingers still wrapped around your arm, Minji leaned in again, her perfectly manicured nails digging into your skin just enough to send another surge of pleasure coursing through you. “Is this okay?” she asked, her voice a whisper, heavy with anticipation.

“Yes,” you breathed, the simple word laden with the weight of desire that had been simmering beneath the surface for far too long.

She placed her hands on your hips, helping you grind across her leg. "Fuck you're so wet.. Not bad for your first time huh.?"

She moves one of her hands from your hip and unclasps your bra and takes it off, kissing around your chest and leaving bite marks so anyone who wanted to get a taste of you would know who you belong to. Her and only her.

"Min.. please i can't take it anymore.." Minji chuckles at your comment and pulls away. "What do you need baby?"

You sigh as she says that. "I need you... inside me Minji." "Fuck.. say my name again baby.." Minji sweared. Your breathless voice could make her cum alone. "Minji.."

It didn't take Minji a second to take off your damp panties and start massaging your puffy clit with her fingers. You start to shiver when you realize how cold it was.

Closing your eyes shut, you nuzzle into Minji's neck. Trying your best to hold back your own moans. This felt new, you haven't felt pleasure like this in your life let alone with the person you were inlove with.

Minji pushes two fingers inside you, your eyes widen at the new feeling. She still continues to stroke your clit as she pumps her fingers deep inside your pussy, hitting all the best spots.

"Min.. this feels so.. good." You look at Minji and kiss her again, wrapping your hands around her neck as she starts going even faster.

"Awww sweetheart..are you overwhelmed? Am i making you feel good?"

You nod. Trying your best to not pass out right then and there.

The sound of your wet pussy could be heard outside the car much less your muffled moans and slight screams against Minji's swollen lips. Minji was really enjoying herself.

You feel a slight knot tighten in your stomach. "Minji," You moan out her name against her soft lips. "I.. feel weird.." you say inbetween kisses.

"Don't worry baby, it will all make sense soon." She feels your pussy tighten around her fingers. Indicating that you were getting closer to your high.

Scuffing against her fingers as she pumped them inside you, you feel like you are about to leak.

"Minji... i'm super close.." Minji shushed you as she started to fasten her pace into your soft pussy.

And right at that moment you felt everything start crashing down. You finally reached the high both of you were longing for. Your legs shaking, you ride out your high on Minji's fingers. As you finish Minji pulls out her fingers. Cleaning them up with an extra towel she owned.

"Aww sweetie.." You wrapped you hands around her, cuddling her. "Come on now honey.. let's get dressed." Minji picked up your clothes that were scattered across the car and helps you put them on. She grabs your things and you guys go to your house.

She lays you down on your bed, resting with you. Minji covers you both with a blanket as you guys cuddle together. You soon fall asleep and Minji notices that. She kisses you good night and goes to sleep with you.

[v-a-l-e-n-t-i-n-y]

korean national assembly deciding what issues in the kpop industry to pay attention to

[loonarkives]

this makes me so fucking mad. you think YOU know what's best for them better than them??? the victims themselves?????? are you fucking kidding me?? "they don't know what's going on" and you do right???? what the hell. if they said that they felt safer and more comfortable under Min Heejin's management there must be a reason. sure, she is a weirdo freak and whatever but the girls are not crazy nor dumb, and they support her. hybe treats them like shit. this kind of comments make me SICK. have some respect.

[zoniteillusion-pyritedreams]

This is part two then there will be one more part where I kind of break down a little bit on the groups that is mentioned specifically. That I'm taking a break. When I tell you that having to do these two readings because I do feel like more clarity might be needed for some people who would feel a bit skeptical about it or who are just curious on the spiritual side of things. I mean like these readings made me feel nauseous I literally threw up twice and got light-headed and dizzy while doing it that's how heavy the energies are and also just how sluggish it felt. Literally sitting there doing these readings felt like I was in a fucking sewer system and there is nothing but Grime and sludge around me and it was suffocating. Again energies are different for different people and why you like a company or group is different for everyone.

For me personally it's never about the company's per se it's about the groups it's about the vibes. But when you heavily feel the company pushing for certain things or the disconnect between the group and the company it does make it harder to ignore those things. It also always makes me worried for the groups and that could also just be from me having been a fan of groups like Miss A where favoritism is quite literally the reason why the group failed and ended up disbanding. Because of the favoritism that jyp and the corporation had for Suzy it quite literally led to the downfall of a group that had so much potential and energy wise they were set to be able to be up there with like SNSD or Wonder Girls but instead they fell short. Anyway let's just get into this second part.

THE DARK GLINT BEHIND THE SPOTLIGHT: HYBE, FAVORITISM & FANDOM FRACTURES (PART II)

So after tapping into the deeper layers of HYBE and its many branches, asking for insight from Nyx and Pluto the deities of shadows, secrets, death, and divine justice—a very clear but heavy message came through:

"It is significant.”

This situation isn’t random. It’s karmic, systemic, and deeply entwined with ego, obsession, power, and what happens when you play favorites under a spotlight that burns everyone in the end.

This isn’t just about business it’s about how certain obsessions and favoritism from the top (yes, Scooter Braun and Bang PD specifically) are becoming toxic vines. They might’ve once been the reason some groups bloomed but now they’re strangling them.

THE OBSESSION THAT KILLS

The energy of obsession, control, and glamor masking chaos came through strong. One goddess, Chang’e (Obsession), stood front and center here showing that some groups are being smothered by the attention they’re getting from higher-ups. It’s not the healthy kind of support. It’s possessive, infatuated, and image-obsessed. Think “GOLDEN CHILD” syndrome: always in the limelight, but everyone else starts to resent it… and eventually, the spotlight begins to feel like a curse.

Add Marie Masquerade (Glamor, Intrigue, Drama) and you’ve got the recipe for public perception getting very warped. What fans once saw as “organic popularity” is now being questioned are these groups thriving because they’re truly unique and talented, or are they being unnaturally pushed forward?

Likely groups affected:

NewJeans (ADOR) – not the focus of this reading, but still the unspoken storm. The energy suggests their presence alone is part of the fracture but also the eye of the hurricane.

LE SSERAFIM (Source Music): There’s an air of seduction, desperation, and control around them. With Inanna reversed, it’s not just public scrutiny—it’s internal strain. The group’s relationship with its label feels unbalanced, image-focused, and controlling. Fandom fractures and “bias wars” may worsen.

TXT (BigHit): Spiritually and energetically tired. Shallow Grave + “You Miss Someone” hints at a longing for how things used to be. Old fans are nostalgic; new ones feel disconnected. Scooter or Bang’s attention may come across more like puppeteering than promotion.

ILLIT (BELIFT): Being shaped too quickly, too cleanly. Dress of Alchemy (Release Your Power) is telling—these girls are being groomed for success, but their personal voices are being dulled. “The clear solution” is here: they need more autonomy or risk burnout + fan disillusionment.

FRACTURED FANDOMS & WEIRD POWER DYNAMICS

There’s a deep rift forming. FAVORITISM BREEDS RESENTMENT, and it’s not just between companies it’s within fandoms.

You know that weird feeling when a group is doing well, but the fanbase seems… tired? Bitter? At odds with each other? That’s happening across the board.

Strangely Lonely (Holding on Way Too Tight) represents fandoms who are clinging hard to their faves but feeling unfulfilled. Some stans are checking out, some are turning on each other, and others are becoming gatekeepers or conspiracists. This is especially strong in:

SEVENTEEN (Pledis): Even with constant wins, there’s a subtle fracture. Tiamat (Control) shows management has a tight grip on them, and it’s leading to fan burnout. Some fans feel the group is being overworked or used as a shield for HYBE’s reputation.

ENHYPEN (BELIFT): A big warning here. They’re caught in the crossfire between favoritism and neglect. The Spiral Dancer reversed means they’re being put through loops without true direction. “Cautious choice” and “Conflict” cards came up. Fandoms are seeing signs of bias certain members pushed more than others, discontent rising.

KATSEYE (HYBE America): Trying to break through with fresh energy, but false promises and manipulation are surrounding them. Public perception might sour if fans feel they’re being pushed as "International pawns” vs. true artistry.

FAKE PROMISES & HIDDEN AGENDAS

The cards suggest that Bang PD and Scooter aren’t just favoring certain groups—they’re actively interfering in ways that hurt the ecosystem. The Horse King reversed (abuse of power/control), Skadi reversed (refusing to take accountability), and The Word Lord (Dishonesty) all highlight how bad management and PR choices are leading to public distrust.

What looks like promotion is starting to feel like propaganda. Fans are catching on.

Groups with “golden” treatment are being scrutinized harder. Those without it are falling into shadows or being pitted against one another. It’s not organic growth anymore it’s a rigged game.

A SYSTEM ON THE BRINK

Cards like The Phoenix and Witch at the End of the World suggest a reckoning is coming. There will be a shift—maybe even a collapse or public backlash. Something needs to end before anything can begin again.

Yet, there’s hope.

Angel of Alchemy (Miracle) and The Lotus Throne hint that some groups will rise despite the chaos especially those with strong, loyal core fanbases and internal integrity.

WHAT THIS MEANS

HYBE’s structure is rotting at the top due to ego, obsession, and favoritism.

Certain groups (like TXT, LE SSERAFIM, ENHYPEN, SEVENTEEN, ILLIT) are being hurt most either by overexposure, neglect, or being pushed too fast.

Fandoms are breaking. Internal conflict, member favoritism, and stan wars are blocking growth.

Public perception is shifting. More people are side-eyeing "success" and asking who’s really pulling the strings.

Unless something ENDS whether it’s Scooter’s involvement, Bang’s micromanagement, or public deception this won’t heal.

But the divine see everything. And the reckoning is already in motion.

This isn’t just about music. This is about energy, justice, artist and hard working people. This is about what happens when power goes unchecked in an empire built on passion, artistry, and people.

[gem-de-lune]

Update on NJZ Tings

4/3/25

Hey all, I actually waited to do this until their court date. I tried keeping it brief, but bc i did a speech to txt this time, it is quite wordy lmao.

Hybe Energy leading up to Proceedings:

5 of Coins, 3 of Swords, 8 of Wands

So for HYBE and their energy leading up to the court case, I've pulled the five of coins, the three of swords and the eight of wands. Now, what I'm seeing here and honestly, every single time that I pull for HYBE especially in this situation, it's always giving no empathy or understanding, no matter what it's always a lack of water energy. And if you look back at my original new jeans, reading a lot of it has to do with HYBE thinking, oh well, we will do everything the right way to the book- Will do everything the way it's supposed to be done and just being very- I don't know like cookie cutter like this is how it's supposed to be done. This is how it's always been that kind of vibe. However, it's never ever felt like there was any genuine care. These 3 cards popped out pretty much to altogether when I was shuffling and notice how there's no cups!! When we're talking about tarot, the coins represent Earth (money, tangible items, vanity, physical things) Swords represent Air (ideas, plans.... Mental stimulation, thoughts, words....) Wands represent Fire (action, passion, the act of doing something to seek a certain outcome OR doing nothing at all all for your own satisfaction) And cups represent Water (emotions, emotional intelligence, love, or lack thereof).

Whenever I've pulled cups for HYBE, it has always been in regards to themselves characterized. As in how thry see themselves or wish to be seen. I've never pulled cups for HYBE when it comes to how they are dealing with something, how they are feeling about something, how they intend on fixing a situation, etc. There's never a cup involved when it comes to HYBE and what they are doing for others. And of course, this is a company, it's not just a person, an individual, so there's that to keep in mind too. But even so, as a company, you can still have some kind of empathy or understanding, and it just doesn't feel like that is here at all, it's not empathy. It's about me, me, it's about, in this case, "us us us". So when I'm looking at the 5 of coins followed that by the 3 of swords, followed by the 8 of wands, I'm thinking not that, "Oh Hybe is feeling left out in the dark. HYBE is feeling sad." They could be feeling that way too, but what I'm seeing is this is an intentional plan. This isn't how they're feeling. This is how they intend on making people feel with the 8 of wands being rapid-fire action. They are rapidly strategically trying to create a certain narrative of the 5 of coins, and the 3 of swords. They're actively trying to victimize someone or something, and actively trying to make sure somebody is left out in the cold for their own benefit. This is strategic cold blooded manipulation on a large widespread scale.

Side note: while I was shuffling for HYBE, I didn't keep it at the time because I didn't think it was for my pull that I was doing, but the devil card did pop out and I think that I should have kept that because honestly, it really fit the vibe of hybe in this pull.

Representative energy: Knight of Coins

Now, for the base energy, instead of the double card, I actually ended up pulling the knight of coins card, and in this case, scenario, this still honestly fits. You know the knight of coins is to me a lot about patience and waiting for the right timing? And in this case, scenario, it just feel so calculating. And if you were to think that HYBE might be innocent in all this this- for me, really puts the cherry on top of the sundae, and I say that because if you look at these cards, all together.... You see the five of coins the three of swords, the eight of wands and the knight of coins again, what do we see? a lack of the water element. We see a lack of emotional intelligence. We see a lot of calculative steps and strategies. We see the knight waiting and watching. It's just super creepy in this context, with all the rest of these cards, and the energy is extremely off. I don't necessarily think that HYBE is straight evil, I don't necessarily think that they are the devil, or that they are trying to actually harm people just bc. I think that they have a goal in mind, and they are willing to cut into people in order to achieve that goal- BUT they are NOT willing to sacrifice face, and so that's what they're doing, they're sitting serving face to look like they're professional, while doing all the shit in the background.

NJZ Energy leading up to Proceedings:

7 of Swords, Page of Coins

Moving on to the energy of NJZ I pulled these seven of swords in the page of cups like I said, notice how there's cups all of a sudden. It's like a fresh wash of energy, like it's really weird. Their energy going into this is, I mean, they're terrified to be honest. And you kind of see that with the the 7 of swords is not well, I wouldn't say terrified. But it's just a kind of cornered vibe. Even though the 7 of swords is gonna usually depict some sort of deceit, and you may think that, oh, they're the ones doing the deceit. This is more like feeling cornered on both ends is how it feels like there's someone behind that whispering in their ears, telling them to do this and that, but they're not showing their face only NJZ has to show their face and they have to show their face in front of all these people who are throwing daggers who are judging them. And they're trying to escape this kind of feeling.

When I was reading this pull, the shadow against the rock gave the most fear out of everything. It's as if they're scared of their own shadow, we're scared of the shadow and what the shadow keeps telling them what the shadow keeps guiding them to do. And they almost feel like "am I doing the wrong thing?".

With the page of the cups here, there is some light and innocence to them which HYBE doesn't have. There's a certain type of- well I mean, whenever I see this page of cups specifically, and it's red string of fate, really, they're just following their intuitions here and they're just doing what they believe what they feel is right at the end of the day. That is the energy that they're walking into this proceeding with. That whatever happens, it is for the greater good, and it's all going to be okay in the end.

Representative Energy: 6 of Cups

For their general energy overall, I pulled the 6 of cups, which is very on brand honestly, um, honestly, they just want to get back to the good times the good feelings, the good place. So this card is really full of sadness in this regard, just a sadness and a hopefulness that they have in there main energy.

Outcome of court:

Ace of Coins, 5 of Wands, 4 of Swords

For the outcome that I did in regards to the court proceedings, I pulled the Ace of coins, the 5 of wands and the 4 of swords. Now I don't know if I'm going to post the pictures of the cards in the way that I'm reading them right now. But essentially, the way that I have it set up is I had pulled the main energies of hybe and new jeans on either side of the outcome pull, in order to kind of link them to these outcome cards with that, the thing I like to do a lot nowadays is, I'll pull 3 cards for my outcome. If it's 2 entities that we're trying to discuss and either card on the right or left is going to depict the outcome for that entity that is on the right or left. The third one in the middle of the outcomes is going to be how that energy meets.

So the way that i'm looking at it right now is we have the new jeans card, the six of cups on the far left, then we have the ace of coins, the five of wands and the four of swords, and then on the far right we have HYBE and their knight of coins card.

So this would mean that the new jeans, six of cups card is connected to the ace of coins outcome and the HYBE knight of coins card is connected to the four of swords outcome. Then the way that these two meet is at the five of wands outcome in the middle.

I honestly don't want to talk too much in depth about what may transpire, because it may change some things. But honestly, this is gonna be really messy and nasty. It's gonna be a head on collision. I want to say that in the end, the truth is going to prevail, and it is looking like regardless of What may seem like the final outcome at first, there are going to be long-standing repercussions for HYBE. In this case, even if new jeans do not necessarily have a sweeping victory of sorts, they are going to be the ones who are giving the opportunity to proceed with new opportunities and a fresh start. Meanwhile, HYBE is going to be dealing with the consequences of their actions they're going to have to take a step back while new jeans takes a step forward, and this is why they're gonna be clashing so ferociously.

This concludes my NJZ update- hopefully we know more soon.

[goldenhickeyss]

Mad 😤

"NewJeans (...) were promoted as 'the next BTS' and 'surpassing BTS' at Min Hee Jin's request"

THE FUCK

What frustrates me the most is that these girls have been everywhere for months, getting nonstop promotions and campaigns, while the boys have had really short promotions.

And even though BH and Ador are different companies, with separate budgets, they are both owned by Hybe, which was built with the effort and talent of BTS

I have no idea how Bongo gave this to the bich. I hate how he keeps undermining BTS, the very group that brings in the most money and influence to his company.

And he does it over and over—whether it’s hyping up the power of collabs, posting shady articles on his platform, or giving credit for big hits to everyone except the tannies..

I really hope Hybe learns some lesson from all of this.

[woorldismine]

　❁ 　˚ 　　dando la vuelta, manija me doy　

[eunandonly]

the hate on illit is seriously getting out of hand. and it’s not just illit- le sserafim, newjeans and multiple other hybe groups are getting hate for something they didn’t do. but my main focus rn is illit and newjeans and i’m so tired of the amount of hate posts i see on illit. i’ve got to say that these illit antis and haters on twitter and other sns accounts post more about hating illit than about their ults. i don’t know who their bias is, i don’t even know what group they stan because their account is soley based on hating illit. atp it’s almost like they’re obsessed with them.

this whole problem wasn’t any idol/group’s fault- it was the company. belift labs, ador, bighit, hybe is the one to blame for all the shit that’s happening; the internal documents of hybe shittalking other groups, their plans to sabotage newjeans, the plagiarism accusations are all because of the company. hybe copied other groups. hybe made the internal documents and shittalked about 8384948392 groups in the industry. hybe is the one trying to sabotage newjeans. not illit. not le sserafim. not newjeans.

every single member of all the groups under hybe, from txt to illit are all just innocent victims and bystanders of hybe’s malicious plans. they’re all just young boys and girls chasing their dream of becoming an idol.

anyone who is hating on illit for whatever shit hybe has done and still hating on them for their magnetic encore from months ago need to shut up. there shouldn’t be ANY hate on any kpop groups and idols in general unless they did something genuinely bad. bunnies hating on illit need to back down- it’s not the girls’ fault for plagiarising whatever.

this brings me to another thing i want to say: don’t blame the idols for their hateful fandoms. don’t hate on newjeans because bunnies are hating on illit and le sserafim. that’s the fandom being toxic. don’t blame bts for the bullshit armies post everyday on twitter. that’s the fandom, not the members. touching down on the topic of fandoms, i really do think one of the biggest reasons illit is getting hated is because of their fans who bash on other groups, especially newjeans. these toxic “glits” than proceed to blame everyone but themselves when they are also a bad influence on illit.

but anyways, illit just deserves a huge apology from other fandoms, their own fandom and their shitty company and so does every other hybe group taking the brunt of whatever stupid pick me shit their company did.

please refrain from hating on groups and making malicious posts. stop sending hate asks to illit stans on tumblr. i understand that this toxic side of kpop will always be present. but a lot of us are just here for fun. i thought we stanned these groups to show support and giggle, not send death threats and massive hate posts. get a life, touch some grass. remember that the artists are innocent.

[dragon-of-europe]

#4 🇬🇧 Lando Norris (McLaren Formula 1 Team) (McLaren MCL38), 2024 Singapore Grand Prix

[mysmorgasbordoffantabulosa]

HYBE - 2025 Predictions

RE: Ador/Min Heejin/NewJeans...

HYBE will sue several websites/news sites for defamation over the whole NewJeans saga

Evidence and undeniable proof will surface that shows MHJ did illegal stuff whilst as CEO of Ador, and it may also implicate some of the NewJeans members and their families.

HYBE will win it's lawsuits against Min Heejin and New Jeans

and then will sue NewJeans for Breach of Contract, which they will win

NewJeans will disband and be heavily liable for their breach of contract (probably around $500 million dollars), except…

Min Heejin will then try to settle with HYBE and I could see them asking a for a tough non-compete element to the settlement

I think one of the members (probably the one who has - or their parents - been leaking stuff to Dispatch), will stay signed to HYBE but be inactive and possibly work on being an influencer and release the occasional song/mini-album... or just work through their rest of their contract

Ador will be rebranded to include a new moniker (though somehow keeping the name Ador inlcuded.

Adoor will then debut a boygroup, or...

If some of the NewJeans members stay a new mixed group (I know longshot but if any company can successfully debut a co-ed group HYBE can)

RE: the rest of HYBE...

I expect a big crossover event to occur with all the labels at some point, incl. BTS, possibly a concert or game changers type show.

Expect Katseye to be heavily pushed next year, as well as Illit and Le Sserafim

Groups I expect to tour next year... Le Sserafim, Enhypen, with Katseye doing a limited tour in the US and Asia.

I think GFriend will re-sign with Source, though they won't be full-time (it'll be like Blackpink they will have an occasional album and tour)

TXT's hiatus will be until spring-ish, with a comeback in Apr/May.

The boy groups that get pushed more will be BoyNextDoor in the first half, whilst with a shrinking SEVENTEEN, TWS will become more prominent in late 2025

SEVENTEEN will work more on subunit releases next year

I could see HYBE America debut a solo artist in the latter part of 2025.

I think HYBE will produce two massive viral song hits, the first being from Le Sserafim whilst the other will come from BTS.

HYBE will expand their Disney+ deal to include other groups.

WEVERSE...

I think they'll make lives, whilst still open to view to everyone, only fans with paid memberships subs will be able to comment... and be liable for prosecution if they make malicious comments because they will have to provide payment details.

I think membership subscriptions will become more valuable and include previously VOD content (Bon Voyage/In the Soop etc).

[thehaniverse]

HYBE vs Min Hee Jin - The Full Timeline

[Last updates: June 1st 2024]

Hi guys, Han here, and LORD, this has been one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, but I hope this is helpful to all those who are trying to follow this mess in its entirety.

Important notes:

I've included the pre-audit timeline to help you understand the history and context of everything that's happened

I will be updating periodically with new information

I will try to keep entries to the point, and highlight the main points given by each side without adding too much of my own opinion - so make your own conclusions!

Credits to TMIKpop on Twitter for most of the translated news articles as I'm far too lazy, busy (and dyslexic) to read all those Korean articles myself.

I tried to include sources as much as possible in the more recent news, but honestly, I'm going to be a little lazy with this as I don't have enough free time to go back and find sources for things that happened way in the past or are already well-known up to this point. Feel free to send me sources in my ask box though!

Green text indicates the latest updates for those following!

Also for reference, here are the key involved characters (and name abbreviations that will be used throughout this post.)

Bang PD (Bang Shihyuk, HYBE Chairman & BigHit CEO)

PJW (Park Jiwon, HYBE CEO, ex-CEO of NEXON Games)

MHJ (Min Hee Jin, ADOR CEO, ex-SM employee)

VP L (Lee Sangwoo, VP of ADOR, ex-financial division at HYBE)

VP S (Shin ??, VP of ADOR)

NJs (NewJeans), LS (Le Sserafim), IL (ILLIT), GFRIEND & BTS

BHM (BigHit Music), SouMu (Source Music), BELIFT & ADOR

Items with * are accusations by either ADOR or HYBE, but that haven't been 100% verified as true or false. Things that have been verified won't have any *.

Similarly, (RUMORS) that seem to have some basis in reality based on existing evidence but have not been explicitly stated by either side are also included. Also disclaimer: I am not pro-HYBE nor pro-MHJ, I have my personal opinion but I've tried to keep this as impartial and unbiased as possible. I've just presented the news that has been released, if it tills one way, that's just how it is.

Without further ado(r LOL), let's begin!

2019~2021

MHJ joins BigHit Ent as Chief Branding Officer for all labels - this is in preparation for Bighit Ent becoming HYBE.

*Between then and 2021, MHJ suggests making a girl group to Bang PD, and they agree to make the group under SouMu rather than BHM. However, MHJ is never officially employed at SouMu.

*Bang PD promises that MHJ's group will be HYBE's first girl group.

All NJs members join SouMu (Minji joined in 2017 / Hani 2019 / Haerin & Danielle 2020 / Hyein 2021)

*NJs' debut is pushed back initially because of COVID, then again due to contract issues, resulting in LS being ready to debut first and PJW telling MHJ that NJs will no longer be the first gg from HYBE. MHJ claims the reason for NJs' debut delay is because they didn't like her creative vision though.

2021

Q1 (Exact Timing Unknown)

Bang PD starts developing LS with SouMu as he wants to create a group featuring known members, Chaewon and Sakura from Iz*one.

*NJs' debut is pushed back initially because of COVID, then again due to contract issues, resulting in LS being ready to debut first

PJW tells MHJ that NJs will no longer be the first gg from HYBE.

*MHJ is upset that another gg is being developed under Source and claims that it's because Bang PD didn't like the direction she was taking NJs and abandoned her to work on LS instead.

MHJ later agrees to the new debut schedule, with LS debuting just 2 months before NJs, and decides that is enough time for her to promote NJs.

Feb/Mar

HYBE is officially established as a company with Bang PD as CEO.

May

PJW is announced as the new CEO of HYBE.

Bang PD continues as CEO of only BGM but only the chairman of HYBE. This means he has no say in the daily operations of HYBE, but can make big decisions that go to the Board of Directors (BOD). Note: Each label under HYBE has its own individual CEO.

GFRIEND is officially disbanded without any notice from SouMu.

*MHJ is accused (by HYBE staff) of taking almost all of the SouMu staff to ADOR resulting in SouMu not having enough staff to manage GFRIEND and LS. SouMu also had a lot of debt from the training of NJs that they would no longer see a return on as the profits would go to ADOR so they needed to take dramatic measures. (RUMOR) SouMu had already sunk a lot of money into LS (and NJs) and expected LS to be more popular as they were debuting under HYBE, so they decided to terminate GFRIEND at the end of their contracts without warning.

November

ADOR is officially established so that MHJ can have full control over her group's image and development, rather than answering to SouMu CEO and Bang PD.

HYBE gives 16.1B won investment for the establishment of ADOR

Bang PD gives MHJ 2B won to buy 2.8B won worth of ADOR stocks (amounting to 20%, 2% of which she later shared out to her two VPS.) He also gave her 2.9B of HYBE stocks as part of her official recruitment package as CEO of ADOR at only 23% of the actual share value (aka she got a 77% discount). However, MHJ sold 1,000 shares in mid-Nov and another 1000 shares on 8 Dec 2022, earning 760M, and walked away with an additional 120M in cash just 15 days after her investment. // Source: Silsa Journal

2022

May

LS debuts from SouMu

*HYBE claims they shortened their promotional period in order to give MHJ enough time to promote NJs ahead of their debut, but MHJ shows Kakao messages of PJW specifying that NJs should not be promoted ahead of LS' debut so they can benefit from the speculation of them being MHJ's group.

LS' debut is overshadowed by the Garam scandal.

(RUMOR) While Garam was later found to be innocent and misrepresented in the media (ie she was protecting a friend from a bully, not actively bullying someone), many believe MHJ was the one who leaked the information to the press to jeopardize LS' debut. This comes from the statements from HYBE that they have evidence of her collecting and leaking artists' private information.

July

NJs debuts with ZERO pre-debut promotion, instead dropping an incredible amount of content for the debut promotions. Note: While MHJ claims HYBE tried to stop her promoting at all before their debut, she has not provided any evidence. It is the responsibility of each individual label to plan and execute their artist's promotions.

End of Year

Thanks to NJs' successful debut, ADOR has paid off a majority of their debt to HYBE, and now only owes 4B won.

2023

Dec // Source: Donga Ilbo

Bang PD lends MHJ money to buy cheap stock options (intentionally discounted by HYBE for her to buy) and MHJ uses the loan to buy a 20% stake in ADOR. This means she gets paid her shares on top of her 1M USD annual salary as CEO. Note: I couldn't confirm this, but it's believed she is the only CEO of any HYBE label that has stocks in her company. BHM is private so there are no stocks and it is owned completely by Bang PD, while the other labels' stocks are owned 100% by HYBE.

MHJ buys the shares on the following conditions: + If she decides to quit, HYBE is obliged to buy the stocks back and pay MHJ 13 times [ADOR's profit from the last 2 years x her % of shares] + She can quit from Nov 2024 and has a non-compete clause for 2 years where she must maintain a 4.5% stake in ADOR. Note: This means as a stakeholder she can not establish her own company or work for a company that will directly compete with ADOR for those 2 years, as she can not do work that can potentially devalue her shares. This is standard in many industries.

MHJ later shares 2% of her shares to executives of ADOR: VP S and VP L. Note: It is unclear if she sold them or gifted them.

Q4 (Exact Timing Unknown)

VP L leaves their position in HYBE's financial team and starts to work at ADOR under MHJ.

*HYBE accuses VP L of downloading a bunch of HYBE's private financial data that he should no longer have access to, and giving it to MHJ to later use to try and blackmail HYBE into selling their ADOR stocks with the investors she is colluding with. This would mean the majority of ADOR stocks would be controlled by people who support MHJ's decisions.

2024

Feb // Source: Donga Ilbo

MHJ tries to negotiate the terms of her contract with HYBE. She requests the following: + The 13x valuation of her shares be increased to 30x. Taking their value from approximately 100B won to 270B won. (This would be 5.5x the amount of profit she actually made with ADOR in 2023.) + The complete removal of the non-compete clause, allowing her to cash out all of her stocks and start/work for a competitor company immediately after leaving the company.

Additionally, she asks for the ability to make decisions regarding outside investors by herself as the CEO without HYBE's input.

HYBE rejects all of her requests because they would be complete financial losses and risks to HYBE. Negotiations stop as neither side will budge.

It is also around this time that HYBE gets the tips that MHJ is planning a management takeover with outside investors.

Mar

HYBE received a tip that MHJ is planning to try and make ADOR independent by gathering investors who support MHJ to buy up the majority of ADOR shares.

[23rd~29th] MHJ and VP L share messages about selling ADOR after 'emptying it like a shell', how to make ADOR independent, and how they should blackmail HYBE and ruin HYBE's reputation. *HYBE believes the 'empty shell' comment means terminating NJs' contracts with the majority shareholder power from the investors MHJ was meeting. Note: MHJ has confirmed the existence of these messages but insists they were just jokes between disgruntled employees. HYBE retorts that these plans are too specific and detailed, and they found additional evidence to prove they were more than just empty words.

[25th] ILLIT debuts with 'Magnetic'

April

[3rd] MHJ submits an internal complaint to HYBE and BELIFT that IL's concept is copyright infringement of NJs and that HYBE has the obligation to protect them. She requests they respond by April 23rd or 24th (not clear.)

MHJ also complains to the parents of NJs that HYBE is trying to sideline NJs with IL.

[22nd] HYBE and BELIFT submit a 6-page response to MHJ. Note: She later claims that she didn't receive any response, but HYBE provides proof that she received it, so she changed that they replied last minute so she couldn't prepare for the audit, but the response doesn't mention the audit because they are separate issues. However, MHJ believes the audit is all because of the IL situation.

HYBE carries out and publically announces the ADOR audit. This results in an 8% drop in HYBE stocks. (Whistleblower will be revealed later!) *They claim to find evidence of her plans, the illegally obtained company and artist information, and more.

[23rd] MHJ holds a 2.5 hour press conference in retaliation. *She doubles down that she believes this is all because of the complaint she filed and that HYBE (and particularly Bang PD) has hated her and NJs from the beginning. Conference Transcript Here:

[24th] This was also the deadline for which all company devices needed to be returned for the audit but MHJ refused to return her work laptop (and still hasn't as far as I know.) *MHJ claims the timing of the audit was intentional to jeopardize NJs' comeback, however, HYBE provided copied devices to all the employees. She has since not given any justification for not returning her laptop and NJs comeback is continuing as scheduled.

[26th] While HYBE initially stated they wouldn't respond on the day of the conference, they later released a full statement addressing the key points of MHJ's argument. HYBE's full response in English:

NJs's fans (Bunnies) sent trucks to HYBE requesting that MHJ stop using NJs and their parents to protect herself and that NJs stay within HYBE.

NJ's parents refuse to accept calls from HYBE but express their support through newspaper interviews.

Both NJs and BTS RM announce their comebacks set for May 24th. (HYBE's stocks recover thanks to this.) MHJ paints this as HYBE trying to crush NJs with their biggest group because NJs surpassed BTS - HYBE retorts that BHM picked the date first and advised her to change the date, but she insisted on having NJs' comeback on the same day.

[30th] HYBE calls an extraordinary general meeting with the BODs, but the ADOR executives and MHJ do not attend, meaning they have to file a legal suit requiring the MHJ, VP S and VP L to attend the ADOR BODs extraordinary general meeting on May 31st instead.

Other things of note that happened between the 22nd to 30th:

News reports broke that a petition for re-investigation regarding a 2017 allegation against BTS for Sagaeji was passed to the KFTC & Ministry of Culture, Sports & Tourism. Days later the organizations responded by clearing the charges and asking that all musicians be as honest and forthcoming as BTS. It was later discovered at the hearing that MHJ was behind this situation, and ordered her VPs to create a buzz around the issue to distract attention from her. // Sources: Link / Yonhap News

Similarly, following the accusation from HYBE that MHJ was talking to her 'shaman friend', a rumor broke that BTS were members of a cult that the chairman of their university (Cyber Global University) is rumored to be part of. The Chairman denied being part of a cult, and HYBE/BHM released statements denying the allegations too.

(RUMOR) "K-ARMYs" sent trucks and funeral wreaths to HYBE dissing the company and pleading allegiance only to BTS until May 7th. The following day, these were replaced by trucks from "Bunnies" showing support for MHJ - contradicting the prior trucks sent criticising her. The suspicious timing, the unusually fast fundraising, the contradictory message, the hiring of bodyguards to protect the wreaths, and other strange coincidences cast doubt on if any of these trucks are actually from fans. Many believe MHJ is funding these herself to paint the image that fans are on her side, or at least hate HYBE, justifying her own discontent with HYBE.

May // Source: Biz Chosun

[7th] MHJ files an injunction to Seoul District Court to block HYBE from using their 80% share of ADOR to vote her out (fire her.)

[10th] ADOR BOD agreed to HYBE's request to hold the extraordinary general meeting to discuss the dismissal of MHj (and the two VPs.)

*The same day, prior to the BOD announcement, MHJ's side said a styling team leader was subject to improper coercion during the audit. // Source: Lee Daily HYBE later retaliated explaining how the audit was conducted and that when the staff wanted to stop, they respected her wishes. Furthermore, HYBE said they found evidence of embezzlement and improper payment receipts for ADOR staff. // Source: Newsen ADOR denied that the payment methods were normal and legal, but definitely they are not. // Source: Newsis However, the staff did come forward to say she felt pressured and blackmailed with the embezzlement claims if she didn't comply with the audit. // Source: Ilgan Sports

[12th] An email from "NJs Parents" to HYBE is released to a newspaper, the contents of the email describing how Bang PD did not greet the girls in the elevator, and how they are their parents were upset by it. HYBE retorted that this was not true, and that the email was fabricated by VP L and MHJ and they had proof of this. // Source: YTN A parent of NJs later gave an interview with Ilgan Sports revealing the email was in fact written by MHJ, based on conversations she had with the parents. She also claimed PJW had said the girls would take a break for 1.5 years in order to find a Grammy worthy producer for NJs and that the parents were worried about their careers. // Source: Ilgan Sports HYBE denies any such statement and that they plan to continue NJs schedules as planned. //Source: Seoul Newspaper

[13th] YTN reports HYBE has selected a new CEO for ADOR to replace MHJ once she's voted out, and that they will reveal all of the results of the audit at the court hearing.

Controversy about NJs new song 'Bubble Gum' being plagiarised from a 1982 song called 'Easier Said Than Done' by British Rock Band ShakaTak. // Source: Biz Chosun

[14th] HYBE filed a complaint with the FSS due to insider trading carried out thanks to a tip from MHJ's side about the upcoming public scandal. Note: It's complicated and is about additional people not mentioned until now, so I will link the thread explaining it. It is relevant however, as it backs HYBE's claim that MHJ had planned to ruin their company image as part of her management takeover plan even before the audit. LINK

[17th] The hearing for MHJ's injunction takes place. Each side has 30 minutes to present their arguments and evidence. The below tweets summarize the main points.

HYBE's Side:

ADOR's Side:

Although MHJ requested her Kakao messages not to be shared publically (despite her already showing some), a reporter did recreate the messages. (He copied them word for word but recreated the image so it doesn't break the rules.) The messages show her hatred for women in general, particularly a female employee who was reported assaulted by one of the VPs. Messages Translation: LINK Message Source: LINK LINK

[17th] NJs members and their parents all submitted petitions to oppose the dismissal of MHJ and request that MHJ and NJs continue to stay under HYBE - these petitions were submitted before the hearing where MHJ's disparaging comments against NJs were revealed. // Source: Hankook Ilbo

A petition signed by 10,000 NJs' fans, and various petitions from ADOR staff members was also submitted to the court in favor of MHJ.

Various staff from HYBE (Pdogg (BTS producer), CEO Han Seongsoo (Pledis founder and producer of Seventeen), CEO So Seongjin (Source Music), Son Seongduk (BigHit performance director), Kim Seonghyun (BTS and Le Sserafim’s creative director), and Slow Rabbit (TXT producer)) filed petitions in favor of HYBE showing strong loyalty from various labels and artists. //Source: News 1

[17th] HYBE's Q1 results were released and showcased how NJs/ADOR is not as valuable an asset as MHJ is painting them out to be. This goes against MHJ's argument that HYBE is trying to crush her because NJs are getting 'too big'. LINK

[17th] The whistleblower who tipped HYBE off to make them do the audit is revealed. Long story short it was one of the associates of the investors MHJ had been trying to get to buy shares of ADOR who reached out to HYBE. MHJ has claimed during her conference she never met any investors and that HYBE should prove who they are. Now that they've been named, she's still deflecting because it was VP L who met with the investors rather than MHJ herself. // Source: LINK / Biz Chosun

[17th - yeah, a lot happened this day] MHJ accuses HYBE of trying to make her commit 'Albun Pushing', as well as complaining about the distribution deal with UMG - HYBE retaliates denying the allegations and provides evidence of MHJ doing the exact thing she accused them of, and also explains how the UMG benefits all artists and has already benefit NJs. // Source: LINK Note: This is NOT Sajaegi, but it is still a tactic to inflate sales. The difference is Sajaegi is the company buying the albums themselves, whereas this album pushing is forcing distributors to preorder more stock and then hold events (like fansigns) to help them sell out after.

[22nd] BELIFT also filed an official defamation suit against MHJ. // Source: Hangkook Finance // Note: In Korea, you can sued for defamation even if what you said is proven true if it is deemed not beneficial to the general public and detrimental to the person/entity who was defamed. If found guilty, this would be grounds for MHJ's injunction to be canceled.

[24th] This day is the deadline by which both sides can submit additional evidence before the courts make their decision on whether to pass MHJ's injunction (stopping HYBE from voting her out) or not. // Source: YNA

[24th~19th] Various text messages, supposedly from HYBE's legal argument are leaked to the public. They contain damning messages that show that MHJ was planning (in detail) the takeover of ADOR/NJs prior to the debut of ILLIT. As the messages are 'leaked' it is hard to prove their validity, but MHJ later states (on the 30th] that the messages were taken out of context (not that they were lies/edited.) // Source: KBS

KakaoTalk Message Translations are available here: PannKpop

[25th] PJW met with 3/5 NJs' mothers and guaranteed that they would be able to carry out their Tokyo Dome performance plans regardless of MHJ's status after the injunction - despite MHJ refusing to share the files/information related to the concert plans. // Source: Ilgan Sports

[30th] The court rules in favor of Min Hee Jin. They admit that while she did plan a management takeover and take action that could be harmful/disadvantageous to HYBE, she did not do anything that would be detrimental to ADOR which is her prime responsibility, and that the loss of MHJ to ADOR could be harmful. // Source: Hankook Ilbo

This injunction temporarily stops HYBE from firing MHJ unless they can prove she is bad for ADOR or that she has committed some sort of criminal offense against HYBE. // Source: Kyunghyang Newspaper

HYBE says they will respect the court's decision and act accordingly (likely file an appeal.) MHJ announces she will do a press conference the following day. She also claims that the dismissal of her two VPs will be against the court's decision, but technically they aren't covered by the injunction. // Source: Seoul Newspaper

[31st] The ADOR extraordinary general meeting takes place.

HYBE fires the two VPs who worked under MHJ and replace them with with three Hybe officers. Kim Joo-young, Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), Lee Jae-sang, Chief Strategy Office (CSO), and Lee Kyung-joon, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) were appointed at the EGM. //Note: The CHRO is a woman, which is interesting due to MHJ's disparaging comments about working with women according to the messages allegedly leaked by HYBE. // Source: Yeonhap News

This new BoD line-up for ADOR means MHJ is outnumbered 3:1 in any decision and is seen as a way for HYBE to keep her in check.

Note: I haven't included notes from MHJ's conference yet as I haven't watched it for myself yet! I also don't know what parts will be relevant to the main timeline later, so I will update again a bit later.

This is all the information so far, I've skipped some of the common knowledge things like the details of the IL plagiarism or cult accusations because I think they just muddle the whole timeline and are very inconsequential.

I will continue to update this page as things continue to happen. And I want to show out TMIKPOP from Twitter one more time as I wouldn't have been able to put this together without their tweets.

[arachnion]

[psychicreadsgirl]

Can you please do Min Heejin personality

She's very stubborn and is very determined. She is a perfectionist and is very picky. She can change her mind a lot and easily "inspired" by things, so if you're on her team, you need to be expected to be adaptable and be ok with constantly revising/changing your work. She's not the easiest boss to work for; she expects her employees to put in as much time and effort as possible.

She can come off as being self-centered or egocentric. She's not very open minded in terms of accepting ideas that aren't in line with her vision.

She can be pretty sharp tongued and critical when it comes to work. She doesn't exactly sugar coat things for work. Sometimes she can also be rather passive aggressive. She has micro-managing tendencies, partly because she doesn't trust others fully. She can quite cautious around employees who are potentially smarter/better than her. She will put up "safeguards" to ensure that they do not surpass her. She prefers having a team that's "weaker" than her but obedient.

She will do "check ins" with employees too like random visits at sites or randomly coming by their office etc. She will often use like dropping by to give food or ordering food as a way to check on her employees' work progress. Some people might be ok with that. Some people might find that that's too much.

She cares the most about her career and doesn't care as much about love/family. Love to her is more like "inspo" for her work. It's something like dessert, nice to have but not necessary.

Heejin is smart and knows what to say to the audience/appeal to them. She didn't climb up the corporate ladder without some brains + EQ. She is manipulative and sly. Behind a smiley face is a force to be reckoned with. She won't sit back and just be attacked. She will put forward an attack too.

[imnotokki]

yeah don't you know how sweet it taste 🍬

[beautifulpersonpeach]

I was a bit surprised to see that mhj specifically said that newjeans had approved the statement saying that belift had copied newjeans' concept with illit. I'm not the type of person that thinks that you're a bitch for asserting position or your value, so this isn't where I'm coming from, but, especially in an industry where it's so rare to see groups say anything negative about other groups, particular junior groups I would think, it was quite the strong, swift position to take. Do you foresee newjeans continuing to engage publicly with this scandal, and how would you think taking an active part in this would affect their brand?

*

Ask 2:

bp in your opinion is there any chance that in this Hybe/MHJ situation there's a buried kind of double-blind motivation?

Like the kind i've seen attributed to E|on Musk, where he creates a big scandal to provide cover when he's doing something much shadier (and then maybe it gets out of hand, like the TwiX thing lol)

You've said you're pretty familar with the corporate side machinations - could Hybe be purposefully airing all this, sure to stick it to MHJ, but also to temporarily drive down stock prices for idk easy shares-repurchasing? Or even allowing a mess they can blame for having to report lower numbers to shareholders for whatever reason: boycott actually impacting profit, hedging against lower-than-predicted bts returning numbers, etc.

Or is this too convoluted of conspiracy thinking and BPD/HYBE/MHJ, and by extension from your recent posts basically 'corporate kpop' entire, are really just that transparent and petty?

*

Ask 3:

Might be a stupid question because I honestly don't have any clue about corporate businesses and how they work. But in the light of this scandal and how BigHit/Hybe developed over the last years: would you say this is what you get when you become too greedy instead of concentrating on what you were good at?

*

Ask 4:

in your opinion, is mhj truly an indispensable part of newjeans creative output? Also, do you see any way that hybe would let newjeans leave with its name and discography if they try to break their contract to go with mhj like some people are saying?

*

Ask 5:

I’m seeing a lot of discussion about whether newjeans will try to leave with mhj and break their contract with hybe, but I don’t see this as a realistic scenario, and I especially don’t see hybe letting them leave with their name and discography. You mentioned that there are a limited set of options now, but is this even one of them? In my mind, newjeans as a concept either stays at hybe, with or without mhj in whatever capacity, or can’t really exist legally

*

Ask 6:

Also this has given everyone (kpop stans, ARMYs, journalists) the go ahead to drag Newjeans in order to "defend" Illit, BTS, Riize, etc by throwing (again) dozens of plagiarism accusations and trying to discredit everything the group has done and achieved. And it was started by Hybe themselves... I have no words, bpp

***

I think these six asks capture most of the talking points in the asks I've received since yesterday, so I'll use these to answer your questions.

The sheer amount of spin happening in the media right now is ridiculous lmaoo. With the mention of BTS in the "escape files", ARMYs have predictably moved from shady bystanders to actively joining in the negative spin, spreading rumor articles and many are now attacking the girls themselves. But honestly, this is nothing less than what I expected. NewJeans is the most popular group in Korea, the 2nd most valuable IP only behind BTS, and Min Heejin is the brains behind the operation - an achievement she's insisted on taking full credit for since inception. Leaving the only option for whoever is masterminding this from within and outside HYBE, to destroy her reputation as an executive completely to diminish her value to outside investors, and weaken the fan support for NewJeans given how closely they are already associated with MHJ. And that's what is happening. It impacts every group at HYBE and nearly obliterates the viability of NewJeans.

For HYBE, it's a tolerable loss given there's only one year left before BTS returns and closes that earnings gap in mere months. Whoever took this action sees it simply as resulting in a numerical loss that can be soon corrected, but personally, I disagree, for the same reasons I objected to HYBE's acquisition of SM even though on paper it made numerical sense.

Anon in ask 1: I can understand your surprise but sad as it is to say, I expected that response from MHJ. She's a creative, not a PR exec or an MBA-credentialled suit. I'm not sure how familiar you are with ADOR's press releases in general, but anybody who reads them can tell there's almost no corporate doublespeak, no vague allusions, nothing that shows it's written by a typical media-trained PR person. Which is why most people, including you, take that statement to mean NewJeans agrees with MHJ that Illit copied them (it's a possibility), when in reality the language shows it could refer to them agreeing with MHJ's assertion that HYBE hasn't duly responded to her requests about inter-label discrimination, or other related matters. That's the kind of detail a trained PR person would be sure to include, to minimize the fallout to NJ, but just as with the press release on Cookie, the one on Minji's rival sasaeng, the response to Hyein's veneer rumours, and practically every press release ADOR has put out, the language is unsophisticated.

"Do you foresee newjeans continuing to engage publicly with this scandal, and how would you think taking an active part in this would affect their brand?"

NewJeans has so far not engaged publicly with this scandal. MHJ has mentioned them to signal any separation between them will likely be contested. It's leverage. If they do take an active part in this scandal, it will completely destroy their brand. Like, it's already on life support. Anything more and we might as well say their last rites.

*

Anon in ask 2: I'd say that's not a conspiracy exactly but it is kinda pushing it. Anytime there's a stock dip it's a buying opportunity, and HYBE is always guaranteed to be a Buy so long as BTS is slated to return within 12 months of the stock event. But we simply don't have any clear indications that's the case now given the timing doesn't quite line up. If anything, that is more like the 4th order side-effect.

And yeah, people on the corporate side, not just in k-pop, are many times just that petty. But it's also true this case has been sensationalized in particular ways to appeal to k-pop stans specifically.

*

Anons in ask 4 & 5: The options available are:

MHJ leaves HYBE and NewJeans stays in HYBE

MHJ leaves HYBE and NewJeans leaves with her

MHJ stays in HYBE but is demoted from her exec role and NewJeans stays in HYBE

MHJ stays in HYBE and keeps her exec role and NewJeans stays in HYBE

None of these options are good, but the worst of these evils is option 2. If the members attempt to leave with her, there's no pretty way to say this, but they'll be done. I'm not even going to waste time writing all the ways HYBE and k-pop stans as a whole will rip them to shreds, all I'll say is that whoever is attached to these girls should consider taking a 6 months sabbatical away from k-pop entirely once that news breaks. The law is not on their side and public opinion, especially after all the 'leaks' and spin from HYBE in the last 72 hours, certainly isn't on their side either. It would be career suicide.

"in your opinion, is mhj truly an indispensable part of newjeans creative output?"

Personally, I think yes. Every label at HYBE had similar initial monetary investment as NewJeans and ADOR had, and other groups from the Big 3 have had even bigger investments and resources at their disposal. There isn't a single group, both within HYBE and outside HYBE, that has yielded the same results as NewJeans in the same period of time. Illit comes close, but even with their achievements they haven't reached the same (positive) notoriety as NewJeans did at debut. All HYBE groups have access to HYBE's youtube channel, connections and resources, and yet the achievements of BOYNEXTDOOR, LE SSERAFIM, ENHYPEN, and even ILLIT, are nowhere near comparable to that of NewJeans. And I agree with MHJ that she's the primary reason why. Having access to resources is only one part of the equation. How you allocate those resources and what you do with it is far more important, and this is where MHJ and ADOR excels relative to other sub-labels.

NewJeans without MHJ will not be nearly as threatening to everyone else in k-pop, and I suspect this is one reason there have been calls for her to be removed from managing the group since their debut.

*

Anons in ask 3 & 6: Yeah there's a fair bit of greed on show here. Generally, for a lot of people in this industry, greed is good... unless the greedy person is a woman. Because the only thing more central to nasty corporate tussles like this, more than greed, is ego.

I'm not trying to play the gender card, but sometimes I do wonder why there are no articles like this about people like Jaden Jeong and Simon Jakob given the reputation those men have in corporate circles, where top officials (in this case, within HYBE) are saying they cannot possibly work with MHJ because she is "overly and excessively opinionated". I'm highlighting this article because despite the initial paragraphs of spin, that bit is the only thing consistent with MHJ's claim that this attack from HYBE started because she'd filed a whistleblowing report on toxic inter-label competition and followed up an email that said quote:

"..is this deliberate obtuseness and unapologetic behaviour consistent with HYBE's founding philosophy of rebelling against unfair practices in the entertainment industry?"

I mean... in corporate Korea, I can see how they were sick of her shit and it was only a matter of time before she got the boot.

The insidious thing about spin is that it mixes the truth with lies, making it easy for people to accept it wholly. It's entirely possible that MHJ wants more compensation, more autonomy and independence, feels that Belift and other companies borrowed her ideas without full credit, and that she was unsupported by HYBE HQ. It's entirely possible that she took actions such as monitoring fan feedback of the group(s) she suspects and filing a whistleblowing report to build a case - according to both MHJ and others at HYBE, these are complaints she's apparently had since last year, but none of those things would justify HYBE's response nor is it enough to turn people against her.

What I find particularly interesting about this case, is that everything that decisively incriminates her of the more sensational and sinister allegations, comes from the person of VP L or CEO A - a person who only joined ADOR in January 2024, shortly after which HYBE received their first tip-off that MHJ was planning to escape. It's VP L who titles documents with the equivalent of "TOP SECRET DO NOT TOUCH" on company computers... the same guy that's supposedly a double agent working in favour of MHJ and ADOR but is situated within ADOR, not HYBE, where simple logic shows he'd be most useful. Unless he's situated right where he's supposed to be.

Anyway...

HYBE has requested for a shareholder meeting on April 30th where they'll likely table the motion for MHJ to resign regardless of what's found in the audit. Far as I know, she's completed the audit questionnaire but not surrendered her laptop as HYBE has requested. Given the play is for HYBE to kick her out while continuing to manage NJ, I can see how she'd rather die than surrender her laptop and hand over her ideas (and potentially incriminating info) to HYBE on a silver platter for them to use in her wake.

Every way this shakes out is bad news for HYBE groups IMO. So long as NewJeans keeps quiet and sides with HYBE, they'll be somewhat okay. But regardless of the fallout from HYBE cannibalizing itself, all HYBE groups have no choice but to take it on the chin and bide their time until BTS comes back to capture the attention back to them.

I hope I answered all your questions. IMO there's really no point talking more about this until there's a firm conclusion.