Twenty thousand. Exactly twenty thousand votes determined the results of the show. June turned to the side as he heard the members of CHAOS cheer.
They had wide smiles on their faces, satisfied with the results of the show. He quickly turned away since he felt his heart ache. Truly, one of the worst feelings in the world was seeing your opponents cheer after their victory.
The chaotics in the audience cheered while the astras slumped in disappointment. Jia felt her ears ring before she collapsed on Bora. Bora's eyes widened as she felt Jia's weight on her shoulder. "What the heck?
Did she just pass out?" - Aww, EVE. You did great. - My predictions were right. CHAOS did such a great job! - It was a damn close fight, though.
There's actually a rookie group that could hold a candle against CHAOS? That's so impressive. - That's so true! Chaotics should be scared of astras from now on.
They have so much potential to grow and become the largest fandom in K-pop. - We're already growing so fast. I can't believe EVE is second in a show like this. - As much as I am disappointed with the results, it's also very impressive that they got this far. June glanced at his teammates and saw their dejected expressions.
Jaeyong looked the most composed, trying to channel his 'leader energy.' However, June could see the sadness behind his eyes. He sighed and patted the members by his side on the back. Then he looked everyone in the eyes with a reassuring smile.
We tried our best. "However!" Wonbin exclaimed, halting the hollers of celebration and disappointment in the audience. CHAOS, too, halted as the host loudly said the word. The judges turned to each other, wondering what was going on. "The scores on the screen right now only consist of the votes from the general public," Haemin said.
Sharp intakes of breath resounded in the studio when they realized that the fight still wasn't over. The members of EVE turned to each other, their eyes filling with brightness and hope. Meanwhile, CHAOS went back to their composed selves, but there was a sense of disappointment in their eyes. - What the heck?
That's so unfair to CHAOS! - CHAOS looked like idiots rejoicing when the winner hasn't been revealed yet. - The only idiot in here is you. - Now, I don't know how this will turn out. "One by one, we will be revealing who the judges have voted for," Wonbin said. The intense music came back, and the people were once again placed in a traumatic headspace. - If I go crazy, I'm going to be suing SBC. - I thought Azure was evil, but SBC takes the plate. - Are you sure about that? I think Azure is still the most evil. - Yeah, I guess.
I still remember how they screwed up GIRLS' EVOLUTION and BOYMYSTIC. Bora tried shaking Jia awake, but the girl was still unresponsive. She placed her hand over Jia's nostrils and sighed in relief when she felt air coming out of the two holes. "Should we go?" Soomin worriedly asked. "Or should we call the paramedics?" Nari frantically looked around.
Wei, on the other hand, fanned Jia with her hands. However, it really wasn't much of a help. "Nah," Bora said, supporting Jia's weight. "She's still alive." "She's passed out!" Wei exclaimed. "But the announcement still isn't over," Bora said. "If Jia was awake, she'd want us to stay here," she determinedly added. The three friends turned to each other with hesitant gazes, and then they collectively nodded.
As much as Bora sounded crazy, they couldn't refute her statement. Jia would be disappointed if they didn't finish watching the show. The audience now turned to the back, biting their lips in nervousness.
Uno glanced at June and silently rooted for him. As much as he thought of him as a rival, Uno also wanted to see June win. In that sense, that would mean that his rival was a very worthy person. "Lendy had voted for EVE," Wonbin started off.
A loud ding was heard behind them, so they turned to the LED screen once again. There, they saw EVE's points increase by ten thousand votes. June pursed his lips.
Only ten thousand more. Next, the screen below Bookwan lit up, showing the group they voted for. The crowd gasped when the words EVE showed up.
It was their second vote of the night, which only increased their chances of winning even more. Jisung turned to June, silently asking the question—'can we do this?' June pursed his lips and turned his attention back to the judges. Only time will tell.
Wonold was up next, and June couldn't help but sigh in disappointment when CHAOS' team name was shown on the screen. The members of CHAOS silently rejoiced as the gap widened once more. They could already taste victory by how close it was.
Jaeyong looked away since he couldn't take the tension. The thumping bass of the instrumental didn't help one bit, and he almost wished that they would reveal the total scores altogether and not one by one. However, they continued with this method.
J-Mope was up next, and fortunately, his screen once again showed EVE. If this trend continued, then they may be able to snatch the crown. Hoonie was the next one up, making June more hopeful.
He had nothing but praise for the group, so it would be strange if he didn't vote for them. However, as his screen lit up, the word 'CHAOS' were seen. Sighs of disappointment and screams of victory resonated in the studio.
The chaotics in the audience prayed to every being out there while astras started bargaining their love lives to the unseen supernatural creatures of the world just to have EVE win. CHAOS had two votes, while EVE had three. The gap was merely ten thousand, so Liza's vote would determine tonight's winner.
CHAOS still had the biggest chance to win because of their lead, but June prayed that they would somehow turn it around. However, June felt pretty conflicted since Liza was up next. She had said good things to both groups, so it was harder to gauge her vote.
When her screen lit up and showed who she voted for, all hell broke loose. "How could this be?" Bora whispered, looking at the large LED screen in wonder. It was a tie.
