T-ara started off with 6 members
They were successful very early on with their hit single Bo Peep Bo Peep being released a few months after debut. It was a HUGE hit
The next year, a new maknae was added to the group. Her name was Hwayoung and she became the main rapper. Objectively, she wasn't needed, since T-ara had good rappers already in the group but Hwayoung was still really talented.
This shouldn't have been a problem. But it was.
The main issue with T-ara was the fact that their CEO was crazy and abusive to the girls. He yelled at them, he overworked them severely and forced certain members to starve themselves before comebacks. He also forced members to work through their injuries and used toxic mediaplay both for and against his own artists. There are also allegations of managers been abusive but I'm not to sure on that.
Hwayoung only trained for a few months before she was added to T-ara and it took a while for her to find a place within the group
The CEO didn't want the members to feel confident or comfortable with the success that they rightfully earned.he constantly wanting them to feel unsafe in their own positions within the group. Hwayoung wasn't added to the group because they felt she was necessary, she was added to make the members feel insecure because the CEO very publicly threatened to fire and replace any member that was less than perfect. He threatened to keep adding members to group, which he did.
Still, despite his attempts at breeding hostility and competition, T-ara accepted Hwayoung and she became part of the family
T-ara continued their success with Wae Ironi, Roly Poly, Cry Cry etc.
Because of their hits, their visuals and certain members breaking out as actresses, they were GOD tier. Up their with 2ne1 and SNSD.
Then 2012 came. The CEO announced two new members would be joining the group: Areum and Dani. Areum joined in the summer and Dani, much younger and not knowing Korean, wound up never joining the group.
2012 was supposed to be a really busy year, they were planning their Japanese debut, and several Korean comebacks.
Now an 8 piece (The original 6, Hwayoung and aruem) T-ara made their much anticipated Day by Day comeback and Japanese debut. Both were extremely successful, as was expected.
Then their Japanese debut concert happened. That's where everything started to go wrong.
Hwayoung had injured her ankle. The initial doctor deemed it fine but Hwayoung and her parents insisted on seeing a different doctor and got a cast on it. (There are allegations that she exaggerated her injury for attention and there are allegations that it wasn't properly diagnosed the first time around. No way of knowing for sure)
What Hwayoung should have done was go to rehearsal and either ask to skip out on the concert or find out a way to still contribute. She did neither of those things. She flat out skipped. The remaining members went from an expected 2 hour rehearsal to an 8 hour rehearsal trying to accommodate for Hwayoung, who was no where to be found.
Keep in mind that everyone in this situation is tired and extremely stressed out.
Hwayoung arrives right before the cobcert and is ordered by the CEO to not go on stage. She winds up only performing one song in a chair.
After the concert is over, 4 members take to Twitter and post vague tweets shading Hwayoung about her determination because they were pissed. Hwayoung and her sister both confirm it's about them and return shade.
T-ara winds being accused of bullying. Everyone denies it but the situation is exacerbated by several things.
1. Bad management: the CEO releases several statements contradicting himself and straight up lying. No one takes him seriously.
2. The members that shades Hwayoung. Several of them had been going through scandals or were being falsely accused for things from their past because of the tweets.
3. "Evidence" of bullying. Internet users took clips and images and manipulated it go make it seem like the members had a history of bullying Hwayoung. These were all false and taken out of context but people refused to believe it at the time.
The members clarified several times that there was no bullying involved, just tension but no one believes them.
To make matters worse in yet another poor management decision, the CEO and staff vote to kick Hwayoung out of the group despite literally no one in the group wanting that.
In less than a week, T-ara goes from being one of kpop's most beloved ggs to the Nation's Bitches.
They get death threats and suicide petitions, brands drop them left and right and they didn't get any music show wins for five years. If not for their international popularity, they would have disbanded.
5 years later, Hwayoung (now an actress) does an interview with her sister. Ex staff members didn't like what she said about feeling alone in T-ara and being to call her out for spoiled behavior within the group. It's essentially a lot of He Said, she Said (besides texts that hwayoungs sister sends threaten to maul one of the members but again, that's another story.)
The main point is that T-ara is finally exonerated as bullie in the eyes of the public
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