Chapter 685: We Are Friends, Arent We? (2)
Around this time before the regression, Sae-Ri's friends Shin Hyo-Joo and Shin Hyo-Ri were already part of Oasis Entertainment. And in June of that same year, they even debuted as members of a girl group called Mirage.
The two became a hot topic right from their debut thanks to their actor-like looks and the novelty of being fraternal twins. But because their vocals and dance skills didn't match their visuals, they only enjoyed a short-lived burst of popularity before disappearing from the spotlight.
However, a year later, both of them found huge success as actresses and became top stars. That was because they had innate talent for acting. But that was when their tragedy began.
Oasis Entertainment, being gang-affiliated, used their popularity to squeeze every last bit of money out of them by overloading them with schedules. As a result, the two were forced to do overlapping shoots for different dramas and appear in every single commercial, which led to the public turning on them and accusing them of being greedy.
Then three years later, unable to take it anymore, the two sisters appeared on a live episode of KBC's Good Morning, Hooray! and exposed Oasis Entertainment. They revealed that they were constantly monitored by thug-like talent agents, that the company took all of their earnings, and that they had no say in choosing roles or commercial deals.
Right then, the MC of Good Morning, Hooray! Ahn Sung-Gyu immediately reported it to the police, and the sisters were able to receive protection from the authorities and media. As a result, the president and talent agents of Oasis Entertainment were all arrested, and the incident caused a huge stir across Korea.
Afterward, Shin Hyo-Joo and Shin Hyo-Ri, deeply disillusioned with the industry, left showbiz forever.
And now, those very girls were here to audition for Project I.O.A. That could mean only one thing—Oasis Entertainment was trying to use Project I.O.A to promote the soon-to-debut Shin Hyo-Joo and Shin Hyo-Ri.
If they passed the first round and moved into the dorms, even if they were eliminated later, just appearing on the show would be free publicity for their debut. And since no final contract would be signed, suing would be difficult even if it turned into a double-contract issue later.
'But the moment I arrived, all of those plans probably crumbled.'
Although I hadn't seen their second-round video interviews, there was no way I wouldn't have recognized Shin Hyo-Joo and Shin Hyo-Ri at the venue. And the moment I recognized them, I would have informed Ji Yung-Sik and had them removed.
If so, Oasis Entertainment would've retaliated. Sae-Ri would have been caught in the middle and the audition would've descended into chaos. That must be the reason the Everyday alert popped up today.