[Huh?]
Those who caught the news about Song Camp’s judging corruption a beat late were utterly baffled.
[Something exploded with the Song Camp judges???? Bribery???]
[What the hell happened while I was gaming??]
It was the hottest program sweeping across Korea, and with the 3rd round just around the corner, the public had been highly excited.
While everyone was fiercely debating who would win the grand prize, the sudden scandal flipped that passion from the contestants straight toward the judges.
[What the hell, everyone’s furious on the board right now.]
The original post that raised the suspicions had long since disappeared. No one seemed to have taken a screenshot; only derivative posts were spreading like wildfire.
[?????? It looks real, people are digging up old programs and it lines up.]
[No, if my mom finds out, she’ll clutch her neck... She bought meals for her friends just to collect votes for Jo Youngbi.]
[Didn’t we all pay to text-vote in rounds 1 and 2?? Is this for real? Are they saying the results were rigged by the judges’ scores? Is there proof? Can we report this to the Broadcasting Commission???]
The outrage expanded, soon reaching the broadcasting station itself—but QBS remained silent, refusing to release any official statement.
[Lol they’re probably busy hunting down whoever leaked it—looks totally like an internal whistleblower.]
[Yeah I saw it live, no way it was an outsider. Way too detailed. Looks like someone inside finally snapped ‘cause of how screwed up things are.]
[Real, totally believable lol.]
[Ahaha, saw old QBS employee reviews saying the company only knows how to cover shit up when things blow up lmao.]
└ [LMAOOOOO holy sh*t]
└└ [Gotta make a pilgrimage to that comment section now.]
Just as the controversy was spreading like waves, a pre-scheduled Song Camp advertisement appeared on social media as part of its marketing campaign.
[Song Camp Final Round!
Who will be the grand winner chosen by the people?!
Predict the #1 composer and win prizes!!]
The timing couldn’t have been worse.
[LMAO these bastards really think the public’s a herd of pigs.]
The words “the people” and “chosen” hit exactly the wrong nerve.
[Song Camp, you... wanna go?]
[The people (LOL) choose (or think they do) the grand (rigged) winner?!
└ Find out about the corruption on Song Camp!!
└└ LOL holy f*** that rhyme, that’s hip-hop!!!
└└ Even in pain, Koreans find humor—god it’s hilarious lololololol.]
Before long, not only Song Camp but every past QBS survival show was being dug up and ridiculed.
[Didn’t “Find the King of Songs” also have a judge controversy? LMAO.]
[Oh that’s nothing. Even at the QBS Awards there was drama. This isn’t new—it just finally blew up.]
The viewers’ message board filled up with demands to reveal the judges’ identities or kick them off the show.
But the blade that had been aimed squarely at the “judges” suddenly twisted direction—
[Having judges’ scores count for 40% makes no sense in the first place.]
—toward the evaluation ratio that determined the results.
[They said the people vote—then how come the judges get to decide 40%? How do we even know they’re qualified? What credentials are we trusting here??]
[Technically they’re still “citizens of Korea,” but come on—
└ They never released the list. For all we know, they could be foreigners. Or part of the production team. Lol.]
[How can judges’ scores take up nearly half the total at an award show? What the f***.]
[If they took money, they should at least get the damn result right.]
As public anger kept spreading, even Noeul’s fans grew uneasy. They shared their feelings through private SNS accounts.
[I’ve been burned by award shows before, so I’m not even surprised anymore...
Guess I was award-lighted, huh.]
[First time seeing this much firepower;; So moved by this joint protest with non-fans.]
[?? But... they were trashing the judges a minute ago, now they’re mad about the scoring ratio?
└ Exactly lol the switch-up was wild
└ You never know with Korean internet, man.]
On the surface, Song Camp seemed in crisis—but for The Dawn, who kept losing because of “judges’ scores,” it was a golden opportunity. The fandom decided to make full use of it.
[If we fuel this outrage, it could really help.]
[Yeah.
I’m currently crash-learning every online slang pattern I can.
Gonna blend in as a normie.]
Song Camp... do the judges’ scores even make sense? ^^;;
└ [Too weak.]
└└ [Show us how it’s done.]
└└ [Alright, here goes.]
I’m a bright, dream-filled middle schooler who laughs at falling leaves.
└└ [LMAOOOOOOO f*** I’m crying TT__TT]
└└ [About the judges’ scores—shouldn’t professionals handle it? Honestly, do average citizens even know what mixing is? Do they know the difference from mastering? Even as someone young and uneducated in composition, I still think experts are necessary.]
└ [Stopppp f*** T_T I can’t breathe LOL]
└└ [+)) Reading the comments really shows today’s level. I support the Song Camp production team! Don’t get swayed by nonsense. Fighting! ^^]
└└ [Goddamn, the trolling power is immaculate.]
Since QBS said nothing, every article just repeated the same line: “A station representative has stated they are currently verifying the facts.”
Then, the following afternoon, Song Camp’s official site released a statement.
【Official Statement from QBS Song Camp Production Team】
There was no direct mention of the corruption.
It merely said they were “actively reviewing changes to the internal evaluation system in consideration of public opinion.”
[?]
[QBS reacted faster than I thought.]
Though no concrete details were given, most people had expected the issue to be quietly buried as the 3rd round pushed ahead. So when the station actually announced it would accept feedback, everyone was stunned.
[Wait??? They’re removing the judges???]
[QBS must be betting everything on Song Camp... I thought they’d stay silent till the Broadcasting Commission dropped the hammer, but they folded first.]
[Maybe they really were clean—now they’re sharpening their knives out of frustration from getting beat up everywhere.]
[Lol whatever, I didn’t like the judges anyway. This is better.]
.
.
.
The endless downpour finally cleared, and bright sunlight streamed between the clouds, announcing summer’s full arrival.
A bakery café owner was busy organizing his shop early in the morning.
The place had a quiet reputation as a hidden gem, tucked away in a residential area off the main road—meaning, early hours saw almost no customers.
After checking the expiration dates on the dairy, he stacked bags of coffee beans behind the counter, ground a handful, and brewed himself a cup. Breathing in the rich aroma, he took a sip and pulled out his phone from his apron pocket.
Opening YouTube out of habit, he scrolled through one Song Camp short after another—until he noticed the ongoing judge scandal.
“What a rotten world.”
Clicking his tongue, he suddenly received a text from his landlord.
[H E L L]
[Holy sht]
[Yo Song Camp’s final results are gonna be 100% public voting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]
[I’ve been waiting for this day, f** yes]
[LET’S GOOOO]
[I’ve been waiting for Kang Ichae to see the sun]
[Hey, tenant, go apply!!]
Her excitement practically radiated from the messages. Deep wrinkles formed between his brows.
“Didn’t she say it’d be impossible to get tickets? Sounds like it’s gonna be a bloodbath...”
The final Song Camp performance was set to take place at a resort out in the countryside, redesigned into an outdoor festival stage.
Despite the distance, fans had been eagerly waiting for the ticket site to open—everyone knew it would sell out instantly. The owner had long given up hope of attending in person.
Still, he couldn’t just ignore her messages.
“If only my landlord weren’t also my mother’s daughter.”
He sighed, knowing full well he’d get nagged to death later if he didn’t at least try—when his first customer walked in.
“Welcome!”
The man wore light blue ripped jeans from thigh to calf, a faded black T-shirt with bold English lettering, and a deep navy cap pulled low over sunglasses. A crumpled vinyl duffel bag hung from his shoulder.
‘Looks like a celebrity... who is he?’
Though most of his face was hidden, his fair skin, the red hair peeking from under the cap, and his small, strikingly proportioned face gave off an unmistakable aura.
‘...That presence. Definitely a singer. Maybe even an idol?’
Pretending not to stare, the owner busied himself rearranging already-perfect trays of cookies, sneaking glances.
“Excuse me, what’s good here?”
A low, slightly hoarse voice—heavy with exhaustion.
He quickly adjusted his expression and answered brightly.
“Tiramisu and banana pound cake are our bestsellers!”
“Are both sweet?”
“Ah... yes. If you prefer something less sweet, I recommend the Earl Grey cake—it’s more balanced.”
“That’s fine. They’re not for me, I’m giving them to my friends.”
The man smiled faintly and started sweeping entire rows of bread onto a tray—two, three of each, stacking them up without hesitation. The owner couldn’t help but grin proudly.
‘Exactly, good taste. Oh, that one too—nice choice. Knows his stuff.’
When the man approached the counter, he set down the tray only to go back for more.
A perfect first customer of the day. Delighted, the owner told him to take his time and turned to his laptop, linked to the café’s Bluetooth speaker, opening Mango Daily’s Top Chart playlist.
Ever since the second Song Camp round, Baek Jijun’s “Moonlight” and Kang Ichae’s “Three Os” had been trading first place daily. Today, “Three Os” was in the lead and started playing first.
Humming along to his landlord-sister’s favorite song, he caught the man staring at him.
“Oh, uh, great song, right? It’s from Song Camp...”
Feeling oddly flustered, he smiled awkwardly, trying to sound casual.
As ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) the man handed over his card for payment, he asked,
“Do you watch Song Camp, too?”
“Of course! Who doesn’t these days? My sister and even my parents love it.”
“Yeah, I watch it too.”
When he smiled, the whole space seemed to light up.
Such a generous spender and radiant presence—naturally, the owner wanted to keep the conversation going. He brought up the latest topic he’d seen on YouTube.
“Oh! Did you hear? They’re getting rid of the judges on Song Camp! It’s gone viral.”
“...Ah.”
“I complained about the scoring too, but I didn’t think they’d actually remove them.”
“...Yeah, I didn’t know either.”
The man tilted his head slowly, expression unreadable behind his sunglasses.
“Didn’t see that coming.”
While he packed the breads into paper bags, the man suddenly asked,
“...Who did you vote for?”
The owner froze mid-motion with five cookies in hand, then chuckled and answered warmly as he tucked them in.
“Funny story. I’ve been voting since the first episode, and I realized I’ve voted for the same group every time.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah—The Dawn! You know, that idol group that’s blowing up lately? I didn’t plan it, but now my friends joke that I’m like a built-in detector. Guess I’ll probably end up voting for them again this time. Alright, here you go—”
“Wow. Works for me if you do.”
“Huh?”
As he handed over the two large paper bags, careful not to crush the contents, the man overlapped his hand over the bag handles like a handshake and laughed softly.
“I really wanna win first place.”
Then, removing his sunglasses with the other hand—
Underneath were tired eyes shadowed with dark circles, but his smile was sharp and mischievous.
“Gotta make a good impression.”
‘Kang...’
“Thanks for the food,” he added, putting his shades back on and walking out with a light step.
“Ah!!!!”
Only then did the owner snap out of it—he’d forgotten one crucial thing.
‘A photo!!!!!’
He, the reluctant proxy fan forced to attend in his sister’s stead, now had nothing to prove it.
He couldn’t even pull the CCTV footage—that’d feel like violating a customer’s privacy. So all he could do was groan and scratch his head.
And while the café owner tormented himself over it for days—
【100% The People’s Choice!
Song Camp’s Final Blind Voting Begins Soon!】
The long-awaited blind voting for the final third round of Song Camp had officially begun.
