Chapter 154
Back on stage.
Besides me, there were two other contestants standing.
Judging by their expressions, no one seemed particularly hopeful.
To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much either.
My victory depended on how reckless PD Kim was.
This was bittersweet.
I first checked the judges’ reactions.
If they were under PD Kim’s pressure, my chances would be zero.
However, their expressions were strange.
It seemed like something had happened backstage.
The fact that it had been over five hours since the stage ended and they were only now announcing the voting results was telling.
There must have been some… disputes behind the scenes.
“Now, we will first announce the audience scores.”
Han Jae-i, with an innocent look, began the proceedings.
But it was hard to tell if that sly fox was really unaware of everything.
“The audience score is a total of 500 points. 500 audience members have directly voted. Each person gave 1 point to the contestants. So, let’s see who the winner of the first competition of <Dear My Diva> is, chosen by the public. Dan Ha, please.”
“Yes, it was a really fierce competition. Now, let’s reveal the audience scores first.”
Dan Ha pointed to the electronic display board with a cue card.
Our three names appeared on the screen, and three rapidly spinning numbers appeared below them.
With a sound of something spinning quickly, the numbers turned rapidly.
And then at some point,
Yoonia Dahin Yoon Cheong
52 224 214
The numbers stopped.
Hmm.
This was slightly out of the expected range.
It seemed Moment’s side had made some concessions to me or PD Kim had done some adjustments.
However, this was too harsh on the other contestant.
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
Yoonia’s stage performance was quite good.
It wasn’t a performance that deserved just 55 votes.
If it weren’t for Moment’s interference, she would have honestly received higher scores.
This is why I can’t get along with people who manipulate results.
“Now, we will announce the judges’ votes. But before that, there’s something to mention.”
Han Jae-i said with a troubled expression.
…What?
“First, they wanted to convey that it was difficult to choose just one performance as they were all so outstanding. Isn’t that right?”
In response to Han Jae-i’s question, one of the judges grabbed the microphone.
“Yes, I haven’t judged many contests, but this was the hardest decision of my life.”
Despite saying that, he looked quite dissatisfied.
“So, we will not announce which judge voted for which contestant. To ensure a fairer vote, the judges’ votes were conducted in secret. We ask for your understanding, viewers.”
“…!”
A secret vote like this…!
In a situation where manipulation was rampant, it was no help at all.
This was a disaster.
Judging by PD Kim’s odd expression, this seemed like a brilliant move from their side.
It seemed they decided to go all out.
“Now, it’s a tense moment. Each judge’s vote is worth 100 points. The winner will be decided by the judges’ votes. This is a really nerve-wracking moment, right, Dan Ha?”
“That’s right. I’m sure the viewers are just as curious as we are. Let’s not delay any longer and reveal it now.”
“Sounds good!”
I’ve never been less excited about a voting result.
It must be hard to squeeze out comments.
Anyway,
I looked back.
The numbers on the display board spun again…
Yoonia Dahin Yoon Cheong
100 100 200
An odd result appeared.
***
“Are they crazy?”
Crack.
The remote control hit the TV and fell.
This was because Hong, the fan, couldn’t contain her anger and threw the remote.
Recently, Hong’s ultimate bias changed from Yoon Cheong to Yeon Juhong due to an unexpected event.
However, this didn’t mean her affection for Yoon Cheong had faded.
Today, she was diligently watching the final episode of <Dear My Diva>.
Live, no less.
Hong was very satisfied after watching Yoon Cheong’s final stage.
‘This is it, Yoon Cheong is winning, no doubt about it.’
Really, now.
Was it okay for a competition to be this devoid of tension~?
Even putting aside her bias, it was truly a perfect stage.
Hong happily checked the community reactions.
What is Yoon Cheong, really..?
A top-tier idol singer suddenly appears in the middle of a competition between idol main vocals; isn’t there a problem with this?
Yoonia, Dahin: Wow, she’s amazing, she’s so good at singing.
Yoon Cheong: ???????? (can’t even respond)
I am a citizen of a country that has Yoon Cheong.
Which crazy idol thought of singing a lullabyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
Yes, that’s our app.
Of course, those were all fan reactions.
Even the general public reactions were overwhelmingly positive.
What kind of good deeds did Colors do in their past lives to gather such talented members..? I’m a fan of another group but I was captivated and watched it all.
(capture photo)
Even Dahin and Yoonia couldn’t close their mouths throughout the stageㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└Of course, even my jaw dropped.
She was really good. My dad, a huge fan of DashDash, clapped enthusiastically.
If you look closely, Yoon Cheong’s taste seems a bit like our parents’ generation. Who would believe this is the taste of a 21-year-old?
└But that’s what makes it even better.
Yoon Cheong seems to have a good personality. Considering she managed to get a guitarist of her uncle’s generation to perform with herㅋㅋㅋ
└Her nickname is ‘Human Catnip.’
└└Oh really? She’s quite a unique person…
Of course, not all reactions were positive.
Where there are fans, there are also detractors.
I don’t get what’s so great about her just putting on airs.. I get that she’s good at singing but..
She always sings such dull songs..
Shouldn’t an idol do some refreshing stages as well? She always sings gloomy songs..
There were reactions like these as well.
But they were very few, and the majority believed in Yoon Cheong’s victory without a doubt.
With such overwhelmingly positive reactions.
With such overwhelmingly dominant responses.
“How can a tie be possible, you crazy people…?”
Dahin and Yoon Cheong ended up as joint winners.
Fine.
It’s not that Dahin did poorly.
Even Hong thought Dahin did very well.
But Yoon Cheong was the one who surpassed her.
Yoonia Dahin Yoon Cheong
100 100 200
At first, Hong was bewildered by the strange judges’ scores.
Isn’t it a total of 400 points?
Where did the remaining 100 points go?
But then,
[Jae-i: Many viewers must be puzzled right now. First, the head judge will explain this part.]
[Jung-yoon: Yes, I will explain.]
Up to this point, she thought there might have been an error.
However.
[Jung-yoon: The remaining 100 points were withheld because we couldn’t decide on a winner.]
‘?!’
Hong’s prediction missed the mark spectacularly.
[Jung-yoon: Therefore, we have decided to split these 100 points between the two contestants, resulting in a tie.]
Yoonia Dahin Yoon Cheong
52 224 214
Yoonia Dahin Yoon Cheong
100 100 200
+0 +95 +5
The display board changed instantly.
[Final Scores]
Yoonia Dahin Yoon Cheong
152 419 419
“Are they seriously insane?”
Hong, the fan, couldn’t hide her astonishment, staring at the screen with her mouth open.
[Yoon Cheong: First of all, thank you. Thank you for giving me such a valuable win. Just being able to stand on such a meaningful stage is something I’m grateful for. I’m so happy to have won with Dahin, whom I like. And Yoonia, senior. It was truly an honor to stand on the same stage with you. Thank you.]
Meanwhile, Yoon Cheong was calmly giving her thanks, as if she had anticipated it.
That made Hong even more furious.
She wasn’t the only one engulfed in anger.
However,
[Dahin: I…]
A twist was happening.
[Dahin: I know that I didn’t give a performance worthy of winning. Knowing my shortcomings, I don’t believe I deserve the win. I will take this as a sign to improve myself further.]
Despite trembling, Dahin said everything she wanted to.
***
It wasn’t just Hong who thought <Dear My Diva> was insane.
The internet reactions were going wild in real-time.
I don’t particularly like Yoon Cheong, but this has crossed the lineㅋㅋㅋ
SWC is really over the hill.
I got a bad feeling as soon as I saw there was no text voting.
If you’re going to do it like this, don’t do a competition showㅋㅋ
Just quit it, quit it
All the posts were criticizing SWC’s fairness.
It wasn’t because they particularly liked or supported Yoon Cheong.
It was a matter of fairness.
That’s why it became an even bigger issue.
If they had given Yoon Cheong the solo win, everyone might have accepted it.
After all, Dahin didn’t give a poor performance.
However, since PD Kim had made some agreement with Moment, he had to give the win to Dahin as well, even if it was a shared victory.
This was the result.
Thankfully, there weren’t as many arrows aimed at Dahin as expected.
Dahin is just pitiful.
She herself said she didn’t deserve the win.. It just seems like SWC messed up to appease Moment.
Moment is owned by TMM.
They’re just catering to the big company.
And everyone knows the SWC president is TMM’s son-in-lawㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㅇㅇ… I thought so too.
Dahin herself is just pitiful but I can’t forgive Moment and SWC.
★
Real-time Trending Search Terms
#Moment_Apologize
#DearMyDiva_YoonCheong_SoloWin
However,
There was still one place that hadn’t come to its senses.
Moment.
Dahin
The company likes it?
Yes..
And they were pleased.
Dahin
I thought they would scold me…
But they praised me instead…
They said since the company will take all the criticism,
I can focus on earning more money…
They don’t care about a little criticism…
They’re really insane.
Dahin
Honestly…
If I hadn’t said what I did…
I’d be taking all the blame for the company…
I’ve made up my mind
I listened to Dahin’s story with a heavy heart.
I understood how she felt.
Dahin
I will definitely find evidence of chart manipulation
and escape this company..!!!
Yes.
It’s better to steel your resolve while you still can.
Dahin
Yes
“If there’s anything I can help with, I’ll help with anything.
Don’t be too discouraged.”
“Yes!! Thank you so much, senior..”
“No need to thank me.
Dahin,
You don’t have to thank me for anything.
I didn’t do anything.
It’s all your doing.
So please, don’t be too disheartened and overcome this well.”
I closed my phone and came out to the living room.
The members flinched and looked at me.
“…Mixed rice in a large bowl?”
“Ch-Cheongcheong. You didn’t sleep?!”
These people, really.
“Guys. Our showcase is tomorrow. Our music video will be released tomorrow. It’s 2 AM right now, how can you eat that much gochujang? Your faces will be swollen.”
“Heung.”
“Seriously. It’s not surprising from Juhong, but even Baek-young unnie, Geum, and Bora are eating this?”
The four of them looked at me with gochujang all over their mouths.
…I had nothing to say.
“Well… Juhong made it, and it looked so delicious…. haha.”
Even trusted Seo Baek-young has betrayed me.
“I’m not saying not to eat, I’m saying don’t eat it at dawn.”
I fumed alone for a bit, then stopped.
Forget it….
I’m the only one who nags all the time.
“Enough. Hurry up and eat, then put on your face masks and go to sleep. We have a showcase tomorrow.”
“Yes!”
“Drink some tea to reduce swelling in the morning, and do some massages. Okay?”
“Yes!”
*sigh*
This is my life.
As I turned to go to bed,
“Cheong Cheong.”
Kim Geum called me.
“What?”
“Congratulations on winning. I said it during the recording and earlier, but I wanted to say it once more. I saw the reactions online, and everyone is recognizing our Cheong Cheong’s true worth.”
“That’s right. I’m diligently increasing the view count on OTube right now.”
“…Congratulations.”
“Our Cheongie. You really worked hard. Let’s focus on our activities together from now on.”
Goodness.
Do they think this will soften my heart?
“Make sure you wipe the gochujang off your mouths. Turn on the heater before you sleep.”
“Yes!”
…Maybe my heart softened a little.