Chapter 89

Chapter 89

Raise Three Idols Well And They’ll Launch a Confession Attack.

Episode 89: Turning the Tables.

I glanced around.

Since the waiting room was hidden away in a corner, there was no one around.

The restroom and exits were far away, so there wasn’t much foot traffic, and it was also far from where supplies were stored, so no one would likely come here.

That’s probably why this girl, Oh Yoori, chose to speak here.

Convinced that no one was eavesdropping, I asked again.

“What do you mean by a threat?”

Oh Yoori, dressed in a flying squirrel animal onesie, carefully removed the hood with the eyes, nose, and ears of the squirrel on it and twirled one end of her pink pigtails with her hand as she spoke.

“…I know your secret, Team Leader Seon.”

It was true that I had more than one or two secrets.

And none of them would be good if they were exposed.

Suspecting that the upcoming conversation might not be ordinary, I quietly turned on the pen-shaped recorder I had prepared and asked.

“What secret do you know?”

“That you made a deal with PD Kim Seon-ye.”

…Is that so?

It would be foolish if I get flustered here and ask her, ‘How did you know?’

I had never left any clear evidence when handling that matter.

And Kim Seon-ye wouldn’t have leaked our deal.

So, for now, I had to consider the possibility that she was just fishing.

…Of course, if she really knew about the deal, things could get quite complicated.

Conscious of the recording device, I spoke as cautiously as possible.

“That’s a rather shocking thing to say. It’s a bit unpleasant as well. Your words could be taken as an insult to both PD Kim and me.”

I shouldn’t deny it outright.

It was important to first express that I was offended by the implication.

Only after establishing that could I move on to an explanation.

“Still, if I’ve given you any reason to doubt me, let me clarify that it’s not true. The idea of a deal between a manager from a startup company and a powerful PD like Kim Seon-ye, who’s a main figure at the broadcasting station, doesn’t make sense. Besides, she’s too busy to even meet with me.”

Whether I’ve regressed or if our company is full of top-tier talent, that’s information that hasn’t been revealed externally.

Right now, I’m just seen as a manager from a startup company.

Most people would agree that someone like that isn’t in a position to make deals with a main PD.

“By now, I don’t know what rumor you’re referring to, but I think you’ll understand that it’s not a reasonable possibility.”

“No. You’re the only one who could have made a deal with her.”

Oh Yoori, looking anxious, fiddled with the part of her outfit that mimicked a flying squirrel’s membrane.

“…To be precise, I’m talking about someone who didn’t make a deal in advance but made one later.”

That was a very significant statement.

I was half sure now.

This girl knows something.

However, I didn’t reveal my thoughts and asked.

“You keep mentioning a deal. What exactly do you mean by that?”

She looked at me with wide eyes, like a little flying squirrel, but her gaze was filled with determination as she spoke.

“This show is rigged.”

“…Who told you that?”

“I didn’t hear it from anyone. It’s my own judgment.”

“Then, can you explain how you came to that conclusion?”

Oh Yoori licked her lips slightly before speaking.

“The debut group selection system for Girl 100 is based on paid message voting.”

“That’s right. The catchphrase is that you create the debut group with your own hands.”

“I think this voting is rigged.”

“…”

I didn’t respond.

Regardless of whether I agree with her opinion or not, considering the recording, I shouldn’t reveal my personal thoughts here.

As I silently stared at her, Oh Yoori seemed to take it as a cue to continue explaining.

“So far, there have been five rounds of voting, right?”

“That’s correct. Since the show has aired five times, there have been five rounds of voting. There have also been significant rank changes. But why are you bringing this up?”

“The voting numbers are strange.”

Oh Yoori glanced around, then spotted a whiteboard in the waiting room and quickly began writing numbers and charts on it with a marker.

The content was familiar.

“Is this by any chance the voting results up to the fifth round? How did you…?”

“I memorized them.”

Wow, a talent like hers should be competing in Olympiads, not becoming an idol.

But couldn’t she just show it on her phone?

“Even though I memorized it, there shouldn’t be any errors. You can check if you want.”

I took out my smartphone, checked the chart, and said.

“The numbers do match exactly. That’s impressive. But couldn’t you just show it on your smartphone?”

“It was confiscated.”

Oh, right.

Now that I think about it, Girl 100 prohibited the use of communication devices and electronic equipment to prevent leaks by the trainees.

The security was strict, and the penalties were severe, so it made sense that she didn’t have her smartphone.

…So she can’t record either?

I discreetly checked the pen-shaped recorder.

It was functioning perfectly.

Whether she had any idea what I was up to behind the scenes or not, Oh Yoori continued, circling certain parts of the records from the fifth round.

“Let me explain why these numbers are strange. There have been five rounds of voting for a total of 100 trainees so far, and there have been 17 instances of the exact same voting difference. You can’t just dismiss that as a coincidence.”

“At that level, can’t it just be considered a coincidence?”

“No, it can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because when you divide those votes, the percentage comes out to exactly two decimal places, 0.05%, as a constant. All 12 of the cases I circled.”

I pointed to Kaori, who was ranked 12th among the circled names in the fifth round.

“Then what about this one? The vote difference for this kid doesn’t match the constant you mentioned.”

“That’s because they added the leftover numbers to make it an integer when the percentage was multiplied. That figure would be about 0.002%.”

Indeed, her explanation made sense.

If we assume they gave the leftover votes to Kaori, it fits perfectly.

And as it turned out, this was actually revealed to be true later in court.

Since I didn’t refute her, Oh Yoori continued writing equations on the whiteboard and said,

“In my opinion, there are trainees whose ranks are determined by a fixed integer, and if you multiply the votes they received by a specific constant, the final vote count matches. It’s still too early to say for sure, but I think it will form an arithmetic sequence. If the voting continues until the 12th and final round, it will become clear.”

“…”

“I don’t know if this percentage or the unique voting constant is just the result of rounding or if something went wrong during data processing. But there’s one thing I can say for sure.”

Oh Yoori underlined the inferred constant with a marker and looked at me as she spoke.

“This means there was artificial intervention in the voting.”

“…Wow.”

I was genuinely impressed.

The formula she just showed me was exactly the same as the one netizens used to raise suspicions about the voting results later on.

At the time, those suspicions were dismissed as just another baseless internet post, but they eventually led to a massive storm that shook MNet and the entire entertainment industry, like the legendary flap of a butterfly’s wings.

But there was a big difference between those netizens and this girl.

The netizens raised their suspicions after seeing the results of the 12th round of voting, but this girl, Oh Yoori, managed to fill in the gaps and reach the same conclusion after only seeing the results up to the fifth round, with the help of some insider information.

This was not the judgment or reasoning you’d expect from a middle schooler.

“And among those 12 people, Gyeoul unnie is included. What’s strange is that she wasn’t included in the first round of pre-recording votes, but she suddenly appears in the second round as part of the constant. This suggests that there was an additional deal made after recording started, unlike the 11 others who were agreed upon in advance.”

“…”

She took out a red board marker, underlined all of Han Gyeoul’s vote counts, and then shook the tail of her flying squirrel onesie as she spoke.

“This is why I believe Team Leader Seon made a deal with PD Kim Seon-ye. And if you don’t comply with my threat, I plan to make this public.”

This girl is incredible. Truly incredible.

Her judgment, her ability to act on her reasoning, and her boldness in threatening me—all of it was impressive.

But there was one thing she overlooked.

“Go ahead. Make it public.”

That’s not evidence, Yoori.

“…What?”

“If you don’t make it public, I will. As soon as I leave this room.”

She couldn’t hide her surprise and asked.

“Wouldn’t that make things difficult for you, Team Leader Seon?”

“No. The one who will be in trouble is you, Oh Yoori. Not me.”

The formula Oh Yoori showed me could spark serious suspicion, but it wasn’t definitive evidence.

The evidence would only be revealed later when the prosecution raids and conducts arrests and searches.

So even if she went public now, it wouldn’t work as a threat.

On the contrary, it would just prompt them to modify the voting process and eliminate the evidence.

So I could walk out with confidence without any problem.

Even if she revealed it, it wouldn’t harm me.

But it would hurt Oh Yoori.

Because I’d make sure it does.

“I’m extremely offended by the suspicion you raised, Oh Yoori. You’re talking as if Girl 100, this sacred competition, is just a rigged scam. I’m not going to brush off what you said as mere rumor. This could have a serious negative impact on the show’s future.”

I took out the pen-shaped recorder from my suit pocket and waved it as I spoke.

“And, coincidentally, this entire conversation has been recorded. I plan to hand this recording over to PD Kim Seon-ye. It’s too dangerous for me to just ignore it. It could even harm Gyeoul.”

Yoori, you should only draw your sword when you’re sure of a kill.

I’m not sure how this will turn out, but Yoori, you won’t be the only one responsible for this. Your company, Flower Entertainment, will be involved too… You’re going to be busy, aren’t you?“

Or you could end up dead in the process.

Oh Yoori, who had been looking at me with wide, bright eyes, seemed to realize something and said.

“I’m screwed, aren’t I?”

That was a very objective self-assessment.

Just then, as if to commemorate my sharp judgment, a message window popped up.

[Quest Complete! ‘Genius Puppy Boksili’ has been given as a reward!]

…But seriously, why Boksili?