Chapter 103
The third ranking announcement ceremony, where Karis von Walden gave his comments in Estonian,.
From that moment on, an unusual movement began to occur in the overseas fandom that had been popular from the beginning.
Among them, the one that particularly caught the eye was Karis' past.
In Korea, it is common to dig up the past history of idols who are about to debut.
Asking around for graduation photos or searching through old SNS.
Here, idols with bad rumors are immediately buried or criticized by public opinion, and idols who have made extreme mistakes in the past may even be forced to leave the group.
However, this is only a very small minority, and the percentage of people who are obsessed with childhood photos is much higher.
Karis von Walden was, of course, an Estonian citizen; he graduated from a school in Estonia.
However, domestic fans had no way of finding out which school Karis graduated from.
Basic information about Karis was only available on the personal profile posted on the
There was another obstacle for domestic fans.
Estonia's unfamiliar education system.
Unlike in Korea, where elementary, middle, and high schools are not divided into separate schools, they are grouped into basic schools and comprehensive schools.
Even if they want to find Karis' school, they don't know its name, and if they want to research it, they have to search through an unfamiliar system.
Because of these aspects, Karis' past was still kept secret, but hardcore K-pop fans in Estonia were the first to move to gather information about Karis' past.
But they too faced unexpected results.
No matter how hard they searched, they couldn't find a single person who had graduated from the same school as Karis von Walden.
―There's really no one who went to the same school as Karis? What the hell is going on :(
└The last name is so unique that if we were in the same grade, I would definitely remember it.
└Can you tell me the neighborhood where Karis lived? It's a bit difficult to find all the gymnasiums.
[김나지움
One of the educational institutions in Europe, including Germany, it is an educational institution equivalent to the 6th grade of elementary school in Korea and the first year of university.]
└If I knew the neighborhood, it would have been easy from the beginning. Unfortunately, I don't even know where he lived.
└How about looking up the profile in the idol program?
└I already looked it up, but it only says 'Estonia'. There are no detailed details.
└Oh, my.
―If we don't know where he lives or where he goes to school, we'll have to look it up by name. Since Karis' last name is quite unique, wouldn't that provide some information?
└I clearly heard that it was the surname of an old Swedish noble family.
└Since the percentage of people using that last name is low even in our country, why don't we start searching from here?
└I think it's a good idea! I'll ask my friends around me.
└I never thought I would be searching for someone's name so passionately :^)
└I'll let you know as soon as there's a new update! Good luck to you all.
When information about the school Karis attended or the area where he lived went nowhere, fans began a new investigation based on his name.
The surname von Walden is a rare one even within Estonia, and it will catch your eye right away.
After investing so much time and effort into searching, one person uploaded a story that sounded plausible.
―My father was working at a university in Tallinn, and one of the professors had the last name von Walden. So I asked him if he knew Karis von Walden. He said that Karis was his son!
└If this is true, then Karis was born into a professor's family?
└Wow, if his father is a professor, Karis must be really smart.
└Can you ask the professor which school he graduated from?
└But I feel like you should be cautious about asking for personal information without any reason....
└I agree with this comment too. It could be a good example.
└Just knowing that Karis is from a professor's family is enough! Oh, but it's a shame that I couldn't find any school graduation photos :(
The story that Karis' father is a professor caught the attention of many K-pop fans.
When you hear about the profession of a professor, it is natural to think that their children are also smart.
This news, which was trending overseas in real time, reached domestic fans.
As this is valuable information that came out at a time when the final live broadcast was approaching, many people searched for foreign language community posts.
Everyone left questions, even using a translator, in an attempt to learn a little bit about the past of Karis, which was practically non-existent.
―Is there any other story about Karis?? Please, please ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
└We tried to find more information about him, but unfortunately, nothing else came out. All we know is that the von Waldens are an old Swedish noble family and that a professor with the von Waldens surname said that Karis was his son.
└You didn't even get any school or graduation photos?? Sorry for asking so many questionsㅠㅠㅠㅠ
└I also really wanted to find school and graduation photos, but unfortunately I couldn't find any.
└Thank you!!
The information obtained in this way was spread again through domestic SNS platforms.
Although Karis' school and photos were never found, the mere fact that he was from a professor's family was enough to spark domestic fans' imaginations.
―So, then that means Su Ging comes from a very smart family...? I have a feeling that he would have studied well at school, lived quietly, and then learned Korean by reading web novels and webtoons at home and living a life of fandom.
└So he is good at Korean because he studied hard... I thought our Suma was strong, but it turns out he's brainy
└Wow but really, if his dad were a professor, he would have made him study hard.... In the meantime, he studied Korean and even practiced being an idol, so Su Ging is so special ( *˘╰╯˘*)
―When I see that even local people search like that and can't find much information, I can imagine how lonely he must have been practicing alone. It really brought tears to my eyes... It must have been hard to teach himself Korean, but to think that he even taught himself singing and dancing is something. He really is a total talent with a lot of spite.
└Now is the time to really take away the passport.
└Hyung-nim, should I naturalize this guy?
-I looked it up, and it looks like this is the university he goes to (photo)
This is the only university that has von Walden on its faculty.... I almost lost it because I kept searching (;￣Д￣）This university is famous for being picky and excellent even in Estoniaㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ A father who teaches children in a place like this must have paid attention to his child's education.... I heard that Suja nim trained as an idol while studying. I think I'm going to cry, friends
└I know because I have many friends around me who are professors. They really live their lives hearing nothing but their parents telling them to study. I can imagine how fiercely Suja nim must have lived.
└When you look at it like this, you can quickly understand why it's called Suma Mental Stone Block.
└For him, going to Korea wasn't a challenge; it was just a set procedure.... A chance to show what he'd been practicing? Together
└Looking at local posts, it seems like Estonian people have little interest in K-pop. How hard must it have been?
└Since it has come to this, he will definitely debut in first place.
―I shudder when I think back on how he worked so hard and then suddenly got ripped off;; I should sue all the people who said things like, "What kind of kid is this shameless/rude?" and "Foreign workers don't know their place."
└ Seriously, if I catch those crazy bitches, I'm going to beat them up. I'm still upset that the fever started late because of them. Instead of 3rd place, we could've been in 1st place a long time ago.
└With those visuals, hard work + max level of friendliness + even a perfect past = must be ranked 1st
-But is it realistically possible to get 1st place?? Wasn't it 3rd place right now?
└(Photo) Based on the 3rd round of instant voting, 2nd place JYC has a difference of 20,000 votes, and 1st place SHB has a difference of 70,000 votes. If this is the case, it can be turned around in the finals. Seriously.
└Wow, what is this? There's almost no difference compared to what I thought??? If it weren't for fever time, I don't know what would have happened? KRS barely received fever time, and JYC and SHB received the full amount, so that's how it is
└That's why we have to vote no matter whatㅠㅠ I really don't know what will happen right now!!
And this phenomenon has also served as an example for overseas fans.
The final live broadcast is where Karis' debut is at stake.
Here, the possibility of a debut and ranking change depending on how many votes are cast in real time.
Even in the current situation, the difference from the first place is small.
Graduating from
―We have to cheer for Karis on 4/30 Korean time. We have to vote in real time Korean time. We have to let Karis know that we are cheering for him from behind ;)
└Isn't voting happening now?
└Originally, it was going to be held online. But the final round is going to be broadcast live, so we have to vote then. The broadcast time is 4 PM, so everyone, memorize it!
└I should set an alarm and tell my friends about it. Thanks for letting me know!! XD
―Right now in Korea, everyone is saying that Karis should debut at number 1. Koreans also acknowledge that Karis deserves to be number 1. Let's do our best to help them out as well :)
└I looked at all the other kids, and it's not because they're Korean, there's really no one more handsome than Karis. But how come Karis isn't number 1??
└First of all, he's a foreigner.... Don't people vote based on other abilities besides looks? But that doesn't mean Karis's abilities are lacking.
└I read a bit about Karis' past story in the community before, and I was impressed by his tenacity and will. I definitely want to support him♥
└When Karis debuts, will they come to our country to perform? I really hope so XD
└If he debuts in first place, there's nothing he can't do!
This public opinion continued even while the trainees were fiercely preparing for the stage inside the dormitory.
How will the story end?
What splendid stages will welcome the national managers?
And who will be the 7 new idols?
The long-awaited April 30th has arrived.
* * *
As it was the final stage, the stylist team also gathered their souls and dressed up the trainees.
In addition, as with all survival programs, there will also be a theme song stage.
So the costume shop was also very busy, and more than anything, because it was a live shoot, the camera staff were constantly checking their equipment.
"Rehearsal will start soon, so everyone, please wait! "
The Jamsil Indoor Stadium, which will be used as the final stage for
I also remember being overwhelmed when I first set foot here.
Just now, I could hear exclamations all around me.
"Wow, it gets crazier up here."
"It's so wide! "
"You're saying that the national managers will fill all of this space? "
"That's ridiculous...."
We have performed in front of three-digit audiences so far.
The most national managers I've ever seen were 500 people.
We had only seen those numbers throughout the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd competitions, but then suddenly we were going to perform in front of an audience of over 5,000 people.
The number of spectators has increased more than tenfold, making it hard to believe.
"First turn is this; the second turn is that. Then the team will come this way, and the team will move to the other side over there."
"Yes!"
Because the stage was so large, the locations and routes where the performances took place were all different.
After opening the show on the central stage, we have to hurry up and get our hair, makeup, and coordination done again to prepare for the main stage while the recorded broadcast of our practice session is broadcast on the screen.
This is a situation where if you lose your senses, even for a moment, you're in big trouble.
While moving to the first rehearsal, Chae Eun-gyu gave some words of encouragement to his team members.
"The stage suddenly got so big that it's a little nerve-racking, right?"
"Yes!"
"It might be a little hard to understand if I say this now, but I think it would be better to enjoy this tension. You might be nervous while preparing like this, but once filming starts and you see the audience seats filled, your mindset will definitely change. Keep your body tense so you don't make mistakes, but enjoy breathing together with so many fans. That's what I mean."
We nodded solemnly.
Chae Eun-gyu smiled faintly and stretched out his hand.
"Okay, let's all cheer together and start rehearsal. One, two, three! "
"Aja, Aja!"
"Fighting!"
Everyone completed the rehearsal schedule with high spirits.
'They all have good eyes.'
I finished the stage by performing my parts in the center position without any mistakes. However, there was something more important to me than thoroughly preparing the stage.
The last hidden card will determine the final live broadcast rankings.
It's time to use the two lucky draw coins that I have been holding on to stubbornly without using until now.
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