Chapter 510: Side Story 1. Idol Maker 99 (3)

Side Story 1. Idol Maker 99 (3)

PR Team Leader Jung Gi-hong reported to the Vice President.

"They say the GJ Group side has withdrawn Yoo Jin-wook's defense team."

"Who is Yoo Jin-wook?"

"He's Chairman Yoo Byung-moon's youngest son. You know, the one who turned himself in after making advances on the Legal Team 1 leader."

"Ah! That guy?"

"Yes. He was sentenced to 3 years in prison in the first trial and is currently in the appeal process. They announced that they would not provide any defense support and would let him be punished according to the law."

"If a person commits a crime, they should be punished."

"That's right."

Taek-gyu, who nodded as if it were obvious, blinked his eyes and asked.

"But what does that have to do with this?"

Team Leader Jung Gi-hong tilted his head.

"Well. I'm not sure either..."

"So what about the raw data?"

"They say it's hard to find and disorganized, so it's difficult to disclose. Also, they say there might have been some errors in the process of tallying the votes, but it didn't affect the rankings."

Hearing that, Taek-gyu got angry.

"These guys are hopeless. Contact the media right away."

"Understood, Vice President."

After Team Leader Jung Gi-hong left, Taek-gyu called someone.

"Hello. How have you been?"

[Yes. What is it?]

"I'm going to file a complaint."

At those words, the person on the other end sighed inwardly.

[What is the charge?]

"Hmm, probably fraud."

[Fraud?]

"Yes. Those bastards ate my 100-won text vote fee for free. If this isn't fraud, what is?"

[100 won? The damage amount is 100 won?]

"No. Would I do this for 100 won?"

[Then?]

"I sent votes with multiple phones every broadcast, so it would be about 2,500 won in total. I think these malicious bastards should be arrested and fed prison food."

At those words, he suppressed the urge to shout and said.

[If you want to file a complaint, you can do so at the civil affairs office. If you tell me directly like this, it could be misunderstood as a request for investigation.]

"Asking secretly behind the scenes is a request. This is a public matter. It will be on the headlines of the evening news today, and it will be known to foreign media as well. CNN, BBC, NHK, CCTV, etc. Articles will explode, and spotlights will pour in from everywhere."

At those words, his ears suddenly perked up.

[What case is it?]

"Do you know Idol Maker 99?"

[...?]

***

[(Breaking News) OTK Company Raises Suspicion of Vote Manipulation in Idol Maker 99!]

[GJ Media's Flagship Variety Show, Manipulation Allegations Emerge]

[Is Vote Manipulation True?]

[What is OTK Company's Intention?]

[GJ Media Side: Vote Manipulation is Impossible]

[Entertainment Industry Insiders Concern Over Negative Impact on Hallyu Wave Due to Groundless Allegations]

As soon as the article went out, chaos erupted everywhere.

Idol Maker 99 is GJ Media's flagship program, exported to about 20 countries including Korea, and idols who debuted through it are active on the world stage.

But OTK Company raised suspicions that the ranking selection of this program was manipulated!

Han Jun-young, the general PD of the Idol Maker series, strongly denied it.

"We checked the data internally, and there are no problems. There may be slight errors in the process of tallying and disclosing votes in real-time, but not enough to affect the rankings. Our official position is that manipulation is absolutely impossible."

Public opinion boiled over.

Rigging the rankings? Are you kidding me?

- What? This was rigged?

- No, but something was a bit strange. There was a lot of talk in the last season too.

- If it's true, isn't it a fraud against the nation?

- They brought trainees and scammed them with employment.

- This is ridiculous.

- But why is OTK Company taking issue with this?

- They say the Vice President ordered it.

- Why the Vice President? Did the trainee he voted for fail?

- Oh! Could it be true?

- LOL, does that make sense? They probably just had some trouble with GJ Media.

- Vote manipulation is impossible. If they wanted to pick a specific trainee, they could just give them an easy contest song, edit them well, and increase their screen exposure. But rigging the votes of a program watched by the whole nation? That's just nonsense.

- IK11 oppas just came back with a new song, how can you do this? Starting today, I'm boycotting OTK Company!!

- Boycotting isn't enough. Let's show them the power of fans!

***

"OTK Company apologize!"

"Apologize! Apologize!"

"Punish Kang Jin-hoo!"

"Punish! Punish!"

I sighed as I watched the protesters gathered in front of the company.

That spot is truly a prime location for protests. The number of protesters who have passed through that spot so far is countless.

But to think even idol fans would come now.

Through Idol Maker 99, 11 members debuted every season.

Among them, several have grown into Hallyu stars.

Moreover, the boy idol group IK11, who debuted through the previous season, recently returned with a new song and is active with huge popularity, taking first place on music shows of three broadcasting companies a few days ago.

Therefore, the backlash from fans was bound to be significant.

A boycott of OTK Company also began. Naturally, there was no significant impact. Maybe a few less pizzas sold?

Because Taek-gyu stepped in, it became an issue that attracted attention beyond Korea to the whole world. If it turns out not to be true, it won't end with just a few words of apology.

Shouldn't I step up and apologize to the nation?

"Are you sure about this?"

"Hmph! If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have made a bet."

I get nervous for no reason when he is this confident.

***

GJ Media was turned upside down.

If it were a suspicion raised elsewhere, they might have been able to cover it up appropriately. But the opponent happened to be OTK Company.

Not only the prosecution and police but also members of the National Assembly moved.

The Korea Communications Commission announced that it would conduct a parliamentary inspection regarding this incident.

Chairman Yoo Byung-moon shouted.

"We even pulled out Jin-wook's defense team! So why are they doing this?"

Chief Lee Young-chae said cautiously.

"It seems they intend to reorganize the entertainment industry on this occasion to expand their OTT service."

"They're attacking GJ Media because of that?"

"There is no other reason. Advertisements are pulling out one after another, and protests are pouring in from everywhere."

Chairman Yoo Byung-moon looked like he was about to cry.

"Why are they doing this to us? What did we do so wrong..."

GJ Media denied it, but the situation changed when OTK Company released data analyzing the voting results and the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office launched a full-scale investigation.

As if not to give them time to destroy evidence or coordinate their stories, the prosecution immediately summoned relevant people and seized and searched the GJ Media office and the company storing text voting data.

Whether the suspicion is true or not is a simple problem that can be solved by disclosing the raw data. There is only one reason they cannot disclose it.

Because there was actually manipulation.

As this fact became known, GJ Media's stock price plummeted to the lower limit. Entertainment stocks confirmed to be related also plunged together.

[Manipulation estimated to have occurred extensively across all programs, not just this season]

[Probability of such voting results occurring is lower than winning the lottery 10 times in a row]

[Revealed that PD tallied results alone in a secret room]

[Did PD Han Jun-young receive money and entertainment hospitality from agencies?]

[Raw data must be disclosed to resolve suspicions]

[IK11 members unable to hide their bewilderment]

[IK11 Fan Club releases statement of continued support!]

The internet went crazy again.

- Wow! They rigged this?

- I knew it!

- OTK Company Vice President~ Just light~ King God Emperor~

- These trashy bastards.

- Where did all the guys who said it wasn't rigged go?

- F***, they said it was an idol picked by the people? Was it all fixed? These sons of bitches! They took 100 won per text vote and rigged it? Give me back my 100 won!!!

- LOL, it was really employment fraud.

- Wow! Really. Thinking about the trainees who sweated and shed tears performing missions without knowing the debut group was fixed makes me angry.

- Is the agency also an ability? Are they saying if it's unfair, join a good agency?

- Breach of trust, entertainment, hospitality, employment fraud, voting fraud, obstruction of business~ They should all be put in jail!

- On this occasion, we should also investigate if Heo Chang-min was elected president through vote manipulation.

- Who is this crazy guy?

- LOL, seeing him angry, he must have voted for Heo Chang-min.

- Why is this idiot posting political comments on an entertainment article?

Not only domestic media but also foreign media covered the Idol Maker 99 vote manipulation as major news.

As the situation grew out of control, Chairman Yoo Byung-moon bowed his head before the people.

"We sincerely apologize for the hurt caused to the trainees who poured their passion for the dream of debut. We also apologize to the fans and viewers who participated in text voting with their precious time and money. This incident is our fault without any excuse, and as Chairman, I feel responsible. We will donate all profits gained through the program and future profits to be used for the sustainable growth of the Korean music industry and K-Pop."

***

GJ Media admitted to the manipulation and apologized, but stated that they would not disclose the raw data. The reason was that it would harm both the trainees who had already debuted and those who had been eliminated.

However, due to the prosecution's investigation, public opinion and pressure, and the coercion of the OTK Company Vice President, GJ Media eventually disclosed the raw data of the text and online voting results.

The rankings re-announced in that way were surprising.

As expected, rankings were switched across all seasons, and passers and failures were swapped. IK11, who debuted through the last season, also shocked fans as it was revealed that as many as 4 members had passed unfairly.

Idols who were originally eliminated but had their status switched to passers and debuted suspended their activities all at once and went into self-reflection.

Ellie looked at me and asked.

"What happens now?"

"The popularity and fandom gained through debut won't disappear, so they'll probably quietly resume activities when the incident is forgotten. Saying, 'We brought new music for the fans who waited.'"

"Not for themselves?"

"Well, it's similar to politicians saying they're returning to politics for the people."

It doesn't matter what happened in the past seasons. Taek-gyu's interest is only in this season.

We opened the internet and checked together.

There was no significant change in the top rankings. Just a difference in the number of votes, and 3rd and 4th place swapped.

The manipulation was concentrated in the lower ranks, as expected.

Three out of six people from 6th to 11th place changed, and two had different rankings. There was only one person whose ranking was the same, Seo-na who took 7th place.

The places of the three people eliminated by manipulation were taken by trainees from agencies known to have provided entertainment and hospitality.

And the moment we checked the ranking of Rina, who could be said to be the start of all this, we were at a loss for words.

A moment later, Ellie said, flustered.

"If it's 13th, it's the same as before. Doesn't that mean she can't get into the debut group?"

"Y-yeah."

Rina's ranking, which we naturally thought was manipulated, actually had no change!

Taek-gyu had a look of horror on his face.

"Uh! What is this? This can't be!"

I shouted at Taek-gyu.

"What do you mean it can't be!? What sin did GJ Media commit?? Apologize to GJ Media, who got their soul shaken out, right now!"

"N-no, anyway, they did rig it, so they're not innocent!"

That is true.

But if Rina had been in the debut group, this wouldn't have happened.

Taek-gyu looked out at the garden and muttered.

"Although Rina's debut failed, I succeeded in setting social justice right. Everything went according to plan."

What the hell was your plan?

Three months later.

The prosecution announced the results of the investigation.

PD Han Jun-young, CP Lee Beom-yong, and Assistant PD Eom Jun-yong were arrested, and entertainment officials known to have provided hospitality and entertainment reporters including those from Chosun Ilbo were indicted without detention one after another.

Seoul District Prosecutor Ahn Seong-nam explained the investigation results and said.

"Our prosecution will continue to investigate and thoroughly punish illegal acts such as hospitality, entertainment, and corruption that disturb fair market order."

Taek-gyu muttered while watching the scene.

"That ajusshi owes me a meal. Including this one, he has to buy me two."

"But why is the District Prosecutor personally announcing the investigation results?"

"Because he's an attention seeker."

Rina, who did not make it into the debut group, left her agency and signed with Edm Entertainment. They say they plan to debut her as a 4-member girl group with other members in the future.

Is everything wrapped up well with this?

Just as I was thinking that, Taek-gyu suddenly brought up something out of the blue.

"Doesn't Mango Chart seem a bit strange?"

"Huh?"

"Pure Girls' new song can't get past 10th place, but strange songs suddenly shot up to the top."

"So?"

"I think there's manipulation in the music rankings."

"What are you talking about? How do you manipulate music rankings?"

"They put hundreds of smartphones in a place like a factory and run macro programs to raise the rankings."

"Does that make sense?"

"I'm telling you it's real. Even Lee Sedol loses to AlphaGo, so how can humans beat machines? I can't believe these guys are disturbing the fair market order like this. We have to investigate this. I'll contact Mango right away and tell them to open up their data."

Stop it now.