Chapter 67
[Ryu Ho-beom: Please just pick Do-hee]
Here we go again.
[I: Can you stop?]
[Ryu Ho-beom: Just pick her already]
He’s an older friend who, despite being old enough, spends every day promoting Do-hee.
” Sigh… ”
[I: What will you do for me if I pick her?]
[Ryu Ho-beom: I’ll buy you food, just look at her, it’s real]
[I: Hmm… okay]
‘ Well, food is a pretty good deal. Plus, it’s Saturday tomorrow. ‘
11 PM.
After getting ready, he lay on his bed and turned on Netflix.
And he started watching Idol 3.
‘ I remember watching a bit of Season 1. ‘
At the time, he really liked idols.
Not anymore, of course.
As he watched Idol 3 without much interest, Do-hee, the idol his friend was crazy about, appeared.
” Oh… ”
‘ She really is… quite pretty. ‘
Even though he had become a bit jaded, her looks made him gasp.
‘ But why is she so great? ‘
He still couldn’t understand it.
Meanwhile, on the screen, Do-hee was joking around.
[If I do this, will it show up in one cut?]
.
.
.
[At least I’m taller than the older girls?]
Without realizing it, the corners of his mouth lifted.
Her cheerful cuteness made viewers smile.
” Heh, she is cute. ”
He never would have imagined he’d be sharing Do-hee videos with his friend in the future.
*
‘ So she did the Ion Sweat commercial. ‘
It had been a long time since he watched TV, so he didn’t even know such commercials existed.
[The stage is starting]
‘ Oh… it started. I wonder if they can sing well. ‘
As the performance began, the trainees on screen moved in perfect synchronization while singing.
[Wow…]
[They’re good~]
[Sounds nice!]
[Their group is just great.]
As the judges said, it was a feast for the eyes.
Especially Kim Seo-yoon.
He found himself captivated by the trainee named Kim Seo-yoon on stage.
Her looks were outstanding, and her singing was incredible.
‘ But as for Do-hee’s singing… um… I still don’t know. ‘
[These two are definitely good…]
[But I want to hear her sing just once.]
The judges seemed to have the same thought as him.
[Do-hee trainee, can you sing for us?]
[Yes!]
After answering affirmatively, Do-hee began to sing.
[things that I … ]
.
.
[…make it clearer]
Her voice wasn’t unpleasant to listen to, but when the pitch rose even slightly during the song, it turned jagged, which wasn’t exactly great.
If it weren’t for her clean and accurate pitch and timing, he would’ve definitely found her voice unappealing.
“Um… looks like she’ll go solo to Tier 2.”
But contrary to his prediction, Do-hee Lee received Tier 1.
“This is Tier 1?”
In a moment of immersion, he unconsciously let the words slip out.
[Do-hee Lee trainee, are you aware your tone is lacking?]
Yet, seeing the judges pinpoint Do-hee’s tonal issues, perhaps he wasn’t entirely off the mark.
“Yeah, this makes sense. Although I can’t wrap my head around how she got Tier 1.”
Of course, the judges must have had solid reasons for their evaluations, so he decided to accept that other strengths outweighed the weaknesses.
However, he doubted they would have picked Do-hee if it weren’t for Ryu Ho-beom’s request.
“A singer should be good at music.”
True to his friend’s values, he prioritized skill.
“Well, that should be it, right? Time to vote and hit the sack.”
Just as he was about to click the UI to vote, a loud thud echoed, and bold red text appeared on the screen.
[New extraordinary details delivered to the judges!]
“What the?”
The judges, holding the paper, looked utterly flabbergasted, unable to take their eyes off it.
[What is it?]
[Huh?]
[What’s this?]
[Producer, is this for real?]
[Judges confirming with the production staff!]
[Huh… I’m at a loss for words. What the (beep—)]
[Wow… I’m literally speechless here…]
On-screen, Ko Yoon-jeong, the trainer, grabbed the microphone and spoke to Do-hee.
[Do-hee trainee, there are quite a few things in the extraordinary details section, huh?]
[Model for Ion Sweet ads, music video protagonist… and… wow…]
SDVIMVFoanVzY1YwSVhjamMzUkt1Zk9sYWw5NGNjMUFPdFdRemh4SUxKeS9Bd3pseDBVMit6eHcrMmdwQXg3TA
[What left the judges dumbfounded!?]
“What the heck is going on?”
However, the show did not immediately reveal the answer to his curiosity. The screen repeated the scene they had just seen.
“Oh, it looks like someone’s trying to be an Mwave.”
Only after watching the same scene for about 30 seconds did the judge finally speak up.
[And… wow…]
[What left the judges dumbfounded!?]
[…9-time grand prize winner at the Korean Students Music Association Piano Contest and 10-time grand prize winner at major piano competitions? I can’t handle this. Haha.]
“Huh…? What is that supposed to mean?”
The screen started showcasing various competitions.
[The Korean Students Music Association Contest, held only once a year!]
[Clearly the most prestigious first-place contest in Korea!]
[Moreover, a major competition held by various media outlets!]
“What on earth is this about?”
He was utterly taken aback.
I lost.
For 30 seconds, while Mwave repeated the same scene, he was lost in his own thoughts.
‘I figured she must be some famous celebrity’s daughter.’
I really couldn’t imagine anything beyond that.
On the screen, I couldn’t close my mouth as I stared at Do-hee’s cheerful face and the subtitles listing her awards.
<9-time Grand Prize at the Korea Student Music Association Piano Competition>
<10-time Grand Prize at various major piano competitions>
It was as if trainer Ko Yoon-jeong was voicing my chaotic feelings.
[Why on earth is Do-hee Lee trying to become an idol?]
*
[Why on earth is Do-hee Lee trying to become an idol?]
As Yoon-jeong’s voice echoed from the screen, the moment my face appeared along with the awards, I could no longer just sit on the sofa.
“Uaaaaah!”
“Is she crazy or something?”
I’m bursting with excitement.
I can’t hold back my energy.
I snatched the pillow that Seo-yoon Unni was hugging and hit her with it.
“Kyah! I’m going crazy!”
“Ah, is Do-hee really insane?”
She hit me first, and now she’s complaining.
“This is me! This is who I am!”
“Ah, Do-hee, stop it?”
“Do-hee, let’s just stop~”
“I want to have a pillow fight too!”
“Guys… Dust is flying…”
Na-eun Unni, who has allergies, complained about the dust, but I didn’t stop.
“Ah, Do-hee, you’re dead.”
My antics continued until Seo-yoon Unni grabbed my pillow and hit me back.
*
[What do you all think about this?]
(Photo)
I liked Do-hee, but it seems the production staff are pushing it…
– I think so too, yeah
– There are exaggerated parts, so it feels weird
└ Oh, was it exaggerated?
└ I believe there is some exaggeration
[Honestly, it doesn’t make sense]
(Do-hee Lee’s profile)
She’s 15 years old, LOL
It’s weird enough she participated in a competition held once a year 9 times, but she got the Grand Prize 9 times???
I have a friend who went to Hanlim Art High School, and she said it clearly sounds like a lie, LOL
Her real skills probably wouldn’t stand up, so it’s just viral nonsense
Feels like pure backlash
I definitely won’t vote for Do-hee, haha
Seriously breaking the immersion, haha…
– I mean, doesn’t lying like this seem odd? I really can’t understand why they always say such nonsense
└ True, true, true
– Why the hell is she lying…
– What about Do-hee’s real skills????
└ LOL, she was critiqued for her vocal color, yet got tier 1? Looks like favoritism to anyone, doesn’t it???
└ Someone wake up the fans, haha
– I just don’t want to watch because of the visual fans; honestly, I wasn’t too thrilled…
– This is honestly breaking the heart…
[Honestly, Do-hee was terrible.]
You all will relate to this!
Do-hee Lee is acting like a fox, haha!
Seems like she was born to be a fox!
I mean, her eye smile is pretty and cute, but doesn’t it look super obvious when she squints her eyes and smiles on purpose?
Clearly, she’s being cunning!
What a forced laugh, seriously.
It’s pretty obvious.
And surprisingly, she’s pretending to be quirky and playful, lol.
The moment she appeared in episode 1, I felt it.
This girl is intentionally acting clumsy and free-spirited, haha.
Honestly, I admit she’s pretty.
But knowing that and exaggerating her actions is just too obvious… it’s kinda a turn-off.
– Ugh, I can’t believe she wants to make herself look quirky, lol.
– Hahahaha, but honestly, I kinda relate… am I the only one? Hahahaha!
– She’s really doing that… ㅇ0ㅇ
– What the heck, you guys are ridiculous, get a grip.
– Hahaha, I know it’s obvious, but pretending to not notice while internally judging, right? Haha.
.
.
.
[What did I just see?]
So, does that mean our girl Do-hee is hiding her strength?
– I don’t know. Isn’t this just manipulation? Since they can’t manipulate vote counts, they’re doing it this way.
└ Why would Do-hee need to manipulate anything?
– Then it’s definitely manipulation, lol. You really believe this?
– I believe our sweet Do-hee would never do this. Do-hee doesn’t lie!
[Honestly, my brain just feels overloaded.]
So my conclusion is, honestly, it’s just a lie, mm-hmm.
It’s said she ranked first from age 6 to 15, but does that even make sense?
I checked, and the overall ranking includes students from all grades.
So she defeated a sixth-grader at age 8?
If you’re gonna manipulate, at least do it convincingly, lol.
– I know, right? If you’re gonna manipulate, do it properly! Haha.
– Lol, now they’re pulling every trick to attract attention.
– You can’t hide your true nature, haha.
[Honestly, I’m saying this now, but if it weren’t for Do-hee’s fans, I’d totally upvote this, haha.]
At least I would, haha.
– Upvote!
– I can relate!
– Haha, indeed, it’s like praising someone while dragging down other trainees all day.
└ I agree, haha, it was so painful to watch.
– Feels so refreshing to let that out, haha.
– It hasn’t even been proven to be manipulation, why are you already jumping to conclusions?
└ Your ability to believe that is impressive, lol.
└ Average Do-hee fan right here.
– All the fans of trainees with poor skills and looks gathered here.
└ Haha, look who’s next in visual ranking, Do-hee.
└ Haven’t you seen her piano awards? And her skills are tier one!
└ Haha, do you really believe that? Is it just for show?
– I believe in our sweet Do-hee…
Everyone was skeptical about Do-hee’s award history.
And in the gaps created, other trainees’ supporting fandoms were flooding the threads trashing Do-hee.
Since a majority of the current fanbase had once supported Do-hee, there was bound to be resistance.
*
[But isn’t this the same as what a former classmate shared before?]
(Link)
Go check out Twitter.