Seeing Charles approach, Kaija’s gaze shifted from the crowd to him. His face was cold and unreadable as ever, silver eyes fixed sowhere on the floor without sparing her a glance.
A quiet sigh slipped out of her. Now that she’d learned the stipend that ca with her contract was actually a special treatnt only she received, her mind was filled with questions for him. Perhaps she should wait until he cooled down a bit before asking about it.
Her focus shifted back to the audience as she put on that faint, graceful smile again, like her chest wasn’t aching with guilt and gratitude both.
At the gold mic stand in the middle of the stage, Charles delivered one last speech, first thanking everyone attending the festival this year, then the judges, then the competitors.
When he finally lifted the flap, everyone was already on their feet, holding their breath. So shouted Liisi’s na, while others called out for Kaija instead. Drum rolls started playing in the background, the air growing heavier and more suspenseful with every second.
"Ladies and gentlen, your winner of this year’s festival is..." Charles spoke calmly into the mic, his hand slipping into the envelope and pulling out the tiny paper slip. As his gaze lowered to the unfolded slip, his eyes narrowed slightly, his fingers smoothing the paper as if he wasn’t sure he’d seen the na correctly.
That microscopic crack in his composure didn’t escape Karl, now standing at the judges’ table with a hand over his mouth, and that was enough to make him tense.
"Tch, just read it already, old man," he muttered. He’d sung his heart out for thirty minutes straight for this mont. He didn’t want to hear the na he didn’t want to hear being called out on that stage.
On stage, his birdie looked as calm and cool as ever, her eyes drifting across the crowd as she waved awkwardly at them now and then, as if she didn’t care at all whether her na was on that paper, which only infuriated him more.
But on the other side, Liisi was clenching both hands together, eyes squeezed shut. Her lips was moving continously, like she was praying to the heavens.
At last, it seed the heavens had heard her.
Charles’s voice ca through the mic, cold and flat, without a hint of congratulations:
"The winner of KE Annual Festival this year is Liisi Grant."
At once, Liisi scread, bursting with joy where she stood. Sparklers fired on both sides of the stage as she hopped up and down on her heels, clapping gleefully as tears stread down her face in disbelief.
"Thank you! Everyone! Thank you!" she cried repeatedly, overwheld by her own excitent.
But below the stage, aside from the judges who were now clapping for the winner they’d voted for, most of the audience had fallen into stunned silence.
No cheers. No applause. Just faces turning to one another in confusion, whispers of unfiltered disappointnt rippling across the hall.
Very quickly, the air inside the vast space turned painfully awkward.
Perhaps the winner onstage, drowning in her own joy, was the only one oblivious to it. But nearly everyone in the audience could tell this was the cringiest winner announcent in the history of KE Annual Festival.
Slowly, hands began coming together for the winner no one had expected, and the concert hall was once again filled with applause. But the sound was shallow and short-lived, as if it ca more from politeness than genuine approval of the final result.
Charles stepped away from the spotlight and gestured for Liisi to co forward for her speech. When he turned around, Kaija had already left the stage.
As angry as he was at her, in that mont, his mind was torn between staying where he was to fulfill his role as the label’s CEO, or getting off the stage and hurrying after her.
He’d written her na on his vote, and he had been very confident the rest of the judging panel shared the sa opinion, as they usually did.
What could have gone through those n’s and won’s minds? Had his own judgnt slipped, or theirs?
He quietly made a note to have a proper talk with each of them after tonight to understand what made them choose Liisi when Kaija was clearly the more deserving winner.
In the end, his ever-steely, logical mind won the internal debate. He planted his feet firmly where he stood, smoothed his expression back into calmness, and shifted his focus to Liisi’s victory speech.
He’d already stord off the stage once earlier. Unless he wanted to spell it out loud to his older brother who was still watching his every move now, that the trainee who’d just lost was his only weakness in the entire company, he had better stay and finish the play.
Liisi went on and on with her speech. From the long table, she caught Max Kosonen’s eyes pointing her way. His sharp silver gaze was fixed on her, as though he were listening to her every word, his lips curved into a mysterious smirk.
Her cheeks burned involuntarily. Never in her life had she received a look that intense from such a handso, powerful man.
Her voice began trembling, one hand covering her cheek shyly as her gaze unconsciously drifted toward the other end of the table. Then all the fluster and heat drained from her at once, her expression falling blank.
Karl Hanski had already left without her noticing.
Backstage, the ash-blonde superstar was rushing through the maze of corridors searching for the girl with the familiar honey-blonde hair.
How could she disappear so quickly with legs that short?! He had run backstage the mont he heard Liisi’s na being called.
"Kaija? Kaija!" he shouted as he ran, no longer caring who heard him.
After a turn, he finally spotted her standing in a corner with Antony, so lanky guy with green hair, and an angry-looking girl with bright orange hair.
Hearing Karl’s voice, Kaija turned around.
"Karl? Co on over!" she called, waving at him. Her face was light with a soft smile on her lips, no trace of disappointnt or sadness anywhere.
Frowning, Karl stord toward her.
"You still have the mood to be smiling?" Karl demanded, anger and frustration heavy in his voice. "You were robbed! The winner should have been you! I don’t understand what just happened out there at all. We need to file an appeal!"
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