4) Taxi

There is a very common belief that when Hwayoung appeared on Taxi, she talked about being bullied by T-ara and said that she had terrible time as a member. She did not. She said absolutely nothing about bullying and only a few words about her time in the group. This is the section of the interview that was given such a bad reception, copied from the English subtitles,
http://www.kcon.tv/media/SJ0BmT0_Ol

but unfortunately the video is not available because www.kcon.tv no longer exists.  

I heard Hwayoung was more determined to become a singer. 

That's true. It was disappointing, but if you think about it things can happen among girls. Members were immature back then. I'm including myself; I was a minor then. 

You were young 

I poured everything into singing, so I didn't get to experience the socialization process. I regret that. 

You gave up your dream. Didn't it hurt? 

You know, it really hurts.  

Did you cry by yourself? 

Many times. 

In front of your sister? 

No, alone in my room. 

Aww...poor Hwayoung... 

There was a time when I lost a lot of weight. Unni told me to stop losing weight. I weighed 40kg back then. There was nothing I could do. 

But you're an extrovert by nature...But it's your dream... Your sister sacrificed herself for that dream. How did you feel watching her, Hyoyoung? 

Yeah, during that incident she'd turn on TV and just stare at other singers 

(At this point we see that Hwayoung has turned her head and is looking through the window.) That's when my heart ached. (Now we see that Hwayoung's eyes are filling with tears.) 

Compare Hwayoung on Taxi with Eunjung on The Beatle2 Code and T-ara in their apology letter reproduced in Section 3.

Eunjung: “It was our fault because we were careless and immature.”  
T-ara Apologize – YouTube 
Hwayoung: “Things can happen among girls. Members were immature then. I'm including myself.” 

That is all Hwayoung said on Taxi about the problems that occurred within T-ara. Why should T-ara fans be angry when what she said matches what Eunjung had said previously? They should not, but the Hwayoung haters were incandescent with rage. Some people have interpreted this as an attempt to blame T-ara for the problems, because she says “members” first, but that is ridiculous because she was one of the members and she adds “I'm including myself” immediately to emphasize that. The truth is that it's an attempt to take the pressure off T-ara. If Hwayoung could dismiss the whole thing as something that happened because of immaturity and poor communication, then there was no reason for anyone to continue campaigning against T-ara. The interpretation of the ex-staffer who leaked Hyoyoung story was that when Hwayoung said “things can happen among girls” she was referring to the threat, but that is very unlikely. Hwayoung was talking about the problems between herself and the other T-ara members. The Hyoyoung story was not known to the public and none of the people involved wanted it to come out, so why would Hwayoung talk about that? Hwayoung haters also object to her crying in the interview, which did not happen until her sister was talking about how she felt watching Hwayoung going through such a hard time, and even object to her saying that she cried after she was fired. I don't know how many of them think she meant that she cried while she was a member of T-ara, but anyone who thinks that has not watched the video of the interview carefully. The crying is what I would expect from anyone in her position. She had been kicked out of T-ara after working very hard and giving great performances. She was shocked, she was depressed, she was grieving, and that was because she wanted to stay in T-ara. She should have the sympathy of the fans, but they reacted with fury and vile abuse. Hwayoung has shown concern and sympathy for T-ara throughout the years, but her haters don't seem to have genuinely considered her feelings at all. 

Earlier in the interview there is something interesting. For a while I thought this might be something that had stimulated some anger, but it seems to have gone unnoticed. When the twins are asked about the differences between them, Hyoyoung says that Hwayoung doesn't hold grudges. T-ara fans might have thought the intention was to suggest that a grudge would be justified and to portray T-ara as villains, while presenting Hwayoung as a kind and forgiving person, when she really wants to gain sympathy and publicity for herself while taking revenge on T-ara. And there you have it; Hwayoung, in a few words spoken by someone else, simultaneously “playing the victim” and “taking the high road”, as the angry ex-staffer put it, but that would be the wrong way to take it. If Hyoyoung's mention of Hwayoung not holding grudges was an intentional, planned reference to T-ara, then surely it was aimed not at them, but at their haters. If Hwayoung has no grudge against T-ara, then there is really no reason for anyone else to hate them. There is another possible meaning though, which I think is far more convincing. Hyoyoung is talking about Hwayoung not holding a grudge against her. It was Hyoyoung's shocking texts to Areum, probably written while drunk, that scuppered Hwayoung's reconciliation with Ta-ara. The next day Hyoyoung would have thought, “Oh no, what have I done? Hwayoung will never forgive me.” It must have been difficult for Hwayoung, knowing that her sister destroyed any chance she still had of remaining in the group, but she was able to forgive her. Now it all makes sense; Hyoyoung holding Hwayoung's hand so tight, Hwayoung saying "I want to reveal some truths," Hyoyoung saying, "Until here is good. Say more, it'll be a disaster." Angry T-ara fans will not believe that "Hwasnake" is someone who can forgive others for any wrongs they have done her, because, in their view, they are the good people and Hwayoung is a snake. That means that Hyoyoung has to be lying, and Hwayoung really does hold grudges, so the reason for saying that has to be to make people think that she has a reason to have a grudge, and that T-ara bullied her. The reality, though, is that it is not a lie, but absolutely, undeniably true. That's why Hwayoung has remained so close to Hyoyoung, and why she has always supported T-ara despite being angry at first. It is ironic that the story which turned the scandal around and made Hwayoung so hated is one which actually proves her to be a far more loving and forgiving person than all those who call her a snake or a bitch, and hold her responsible for all T-ara's troubles. They now loudly proclaim their triumph, but fail to realize that it shows them for the vicious bullies they really are, and that it proves nothing either way about the other T-ara members. I have no doubt about T-ara; there was never any serious case against them.