People kept congratulating us in every waiting room we went to greet.

Singers and cast members no longer treated Neptune as old rookies, and entertainment reporters asked us questions regarding the Sugar Cats like hyenas targeting their prey.

If I let the girls answer every question, then their names would be plastered on the entertainment columns in a few hours with the added bonus of provocative headlines to increase their site traffic.

“Since the girls are too nervous today from being one of the first place candidates, I don’t think they will be able to hold any interviews. Let us do it next time.”

When I said this while guiding the girls back, a reporter now asked me for comments. It seemed I also looked like a celebrity to reporters who were thirsty for anything newsworthy.

We were on our way back to the waiting room after getting away from the reporters.

“Uh, Neptune! And their manager. Do you have a bit of time?”

A producer with a headset on his head waded through the crowd and approached us.

“The two first place candidates will be having a back-and-forth in the MC seats. I think we’ll have to rehearse it because it’s live and not a recording.”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

Though I wasn’t fine seeing the faces of the Sugar Cats.

“Sugar-BYG team has more members so we’ll go to their waiting room.”

The producer smiled gently while guiding us there.

When we opened the door with ‘Sugar Cats’ and ‘BYG’ written on it together, we entered a waiting room that was twice the size of our own waiting room.

We also saw the Sugar Cats members, who sitting in front of the dressing tables and looking at their phones.

“Uh, where are the BYG members?”

When the producer asked while looking around, the chief of the Sugar Cats scratched the back of his head.

“Sorry, producer. They said that they were going to have an interview with a reporter for a bit…”

“I told you that I’ll be bringing Neptune and to wait… Where did they go?”

When the Sugar Cats’ chief and the producer went out to look for them, only the Sugar Cats and us remaining in this large room. Out of habit, I checked for any cameras. Fortunately, there were none.

Since we weren’t in a relationship where we would greet each other when nobody was around, I sat on the empty sofa with the girls. As though she had some sort of terminal illness if she didn’t lash out at Neptune, no, Im Seoyoung, Han Saetbyeol snorted as she said,

“Seoyoung, I can’t tell if you have good or bad luck, right?”

“Me? I think this is the luckiest I’ve been in the 22 years I’ve lived, why?”

Im Seoyoung shrugged her shoulders.

What was interesting was that her atmosphere was quite different in front of the Sugar Cats. If she was like a fragile bowl in front of us, she was currently a strong stone pot.

Han Saetbyeol blinked as she continued,

“No, what I mean is, you were really lucky to reach first place on the music charts, but you just had to have us as your competitor so you won’t get first place on the music broadcast. So I can’t tell whether you have good or bad-“

“Even if your tongue is short, you need to speak properly.”

Leisurely leaning against the sofa, LJ joined in.

“Did I not tell you last time? Our competitor is BYG. Even on your door, BYG’s name was above yours.”

“That’s because they are our seniors! But why do you constantly cut into our conversation?”

“Oh, that was conversing? I thought you were just speaking nonsense.”

After saying that, LJ glanced between Im Seoyoung and me before adding,

“There are no people or cameras here.”

“Yeah, I know.”

I nodded my head while opening a chocolate Lee Songha handed me.

If a uselessly famous manager said something, it could become an issue, but I wasn’t worried about words exchanged between girl group members leaking out.

LJ looked at each of the Sugar Cats members and said,

“Let me use this opportunity to ask you something. Why do you hate her so much? I’ve been with her for more than three years, but she’s not the type to receive such resentment?”

Hearing her words, even Im Seoyoung looked like she was slightly interested.

Breaking the silence, a member of the Sugar Cats with a provocative expression said,

“The way she acts is a bit, you know. So full of herself, doesn’t pay attention to the mood. While we were nervous because our debut kept falling through, she alone was easygoing, as though she was confident in debuting at any time because she was different from us.”

Her words weren’t simply thorny, her tongue was like a sword. I was about to stop this conversation because I didn’t think this would end in a simple exchange of words, but Im Seoyoung shook her head. Then she asked the Sugar Cats members,

“When was I like that? Since everyone was so anxious, I thought that I at least shou-“

“That’s being full of yourself. You’ve always looked down at us because you were the center and better at singing and dancing than us. Ah, but now that I think about it, you’re sort of in the same situation now? They say what comes around, goes around.”

The Sugar Cats member glanced at the girls as she said,

“There, the visual center is someone else, they have a lead vocalist who can write and compose her own songs, and a, well, slightly talented rapper. They are all members that are talented enough to succeed on their own, but, since you’re in the middle, besides dancing, you don’t have any-“

“There’s nothing more to hear from them, Seoyoung. It’ll only tire our ears.”

I clicked my tongue and got up since Im Seoyoung’s face became stiff. The Sugar Cats members, who had been chatting, flinched in surprise and shrunk away with expressions asking what I was going to do. While I had thought that they were hateful all this time, I really wanted to pour filthy water on them.

“Why are you all so interested in others?”

“… We were only saying that because we were worried for Seoyoung.”

“You don’t have to. We are already looking after her here.”

Lee Taehee, who had been silent, said while frowning.

Then she clicked her tongue and patted Im Seoyoung’s shoulder.

“You must have had it tough while you were on that team.”

I sincerely agreed with her. If I were amidst those girls, my heart might have become rotten and collapsed. It was so fortunate that Im Seoyoung didn’t debut with them and became a member of Neptune.

Next to me, Lee Songha also added,

“If it were me, I might have thrown something at them.”

With their eyes narrowed, the Sugar Cats members were about to speak noisily again when LJ kicked the table leg and said,

“You talk a lot about how you were jealous.”

“What? No, that’s not it. She-!”

After shooting a glance at Im Seoyoung, Han Saetbyeol looked back at LJ and shot back,

“But people might think you’re very close with Im Seoyoung, huh? Don’t you understand what we’re saying? You also don’t like her much.”

“Me?”

LJ, who had been composed, widened her eyes at her words.

“Yeah, it’s noticeable, you know? I can tell you don’t like her at a glance.”

“I’m hearing all sorts of nonsense today. Why don’t you just screw on a new pair of eyes?”

“You-!”

Just then, it seemed the BYG members arrived as a loud, muffled commotion could be heard from outside the door. Before people could enter the waiting room, Han Saetbyeol changed into a smiling expression and said,

“Either way, since we are going to be first today, why don’t you target IBC’s music broadcast that doesn’t have text voting? Oh, right. Don’t they hold a vote beforehand? If you want to place first, it’ll be better if you wait until we end our performances on music broadcasts.”

Ear-shattering screams erupted from the audience.

Neptune, the Sugar Cats, and BYG members were standing between the two MCs in the MC seating area to the left of the stage as they greeted the audience and said their predetermined speech. Damn, I couldn’t even hear the girls’ voices because the BYG fans’ screams were too loud.

I approached the Neptune fans gathered at the edge of the fan seating area below the stage. While, in terms of scale, they were smaller than other boy group fans, they were still fans who had come all this way to support Neptune.

“Manager! Did you vote?”

The fans who discovered me murmured in surprise. I nodded at the words of the few whom I was quite familiar with.

“Of course, I did. How about you guys?”

“We already did it before. Since it’s their first time being a first place candidate, we are doing all that we can!”

“We are encouraging others to vote on fan sites and the review sections on music chart sites! Just! Why! Don’t male fans understand the importance of text voting?! Whether they become first or not hands on that!”

The woman who I had seen so often that I even remembered the nickname she used, ‘Songha-Eating’, shouted while stomping her feet. Anyways, I gave her a thumbs-up for doing well.

My phone, which was in my pocket, rang. When I took it out, I was constantly getting text messages. They were messages from company employees, including Kim Hyunjo and the PR Team, saying that they all voted. Even though they said they didn’t get their hopes up, it seemed they were all watching the live broadcast.

After a short remark from the MC seating area, Neptune’s performance began.

Because of the incident before, everyone’s mood was serious, but it seemed they poured all their energy into their performance. They were especially passionate today. It wasn’t just the fans in Neptune’s fan seating area, other spectators cheered while waving their cheering items.

By the time they came down from the stage, the girls all looked slightly refreshed.

After peacefully waiting in our waiting for about twenty minutes, we returned to the stage while awaiting the first place announcement.

The Sugar Cats and BYG were already on stage next to the MCs. Other solo artists and idol groups that performed today gathered behind them.

Before they got up on stage, Lee Songha said in a quiet voice,

“I wish we were first today.”

“I know, right?”

Lee Taehee nodded her head. In a quiet voice, so others couldn’t hear, I said that, since the Sugar Cats would probably be sick in bed if we became first, we should give them our kind regards through a video call.

Lastly, LJ, who said that she didn’t hold any expectations, said passingly,

“If we’re first, then I’m going to tap dance with the trophy in my hand in front of those jerks.”

The girls went up on stage.

I stood amongst other related people and staff members and looked at the stage being shined on by the lights. A jib camera that was set up very high circled above the girls’ heads. A closeup of the girls appeared on the LED screen behind the stage.

It seemed they were low on time as the MC began reading his cue card without delay.

{Only the announcement for the first place on the live broadcast Kpop concert chart remains! Neptune and the Sugar Cats, please present the points to determine which team will return with the glory of being first place!}

The LED screen displaying the various singers changed into a computer graphic tallying up the points.

It displayed rows for digital sales, album, broadcast, and live broadcast text voting points as well as the totals, displayed largely on the bottom row. Amidst the echoing cheers in the open hall, the row of points appeared one after another.

I had planned to quickly add it up in my head, but I couldn’t. The four-digit numbers scattered and wandered in my mind. In the end, I gave up and stared at the computer graphic.

A few suffocating seconds later, the moment the final totals were displayed, the girls turned to look at me with widened eyes.