Chapter 247 — Fandoms War

Finally, Friday arrived.

The day of the live broadcast.

The cruise ship was packed to the brim with people, a sea of excitement buzzing through every deck.

Millions more were tuning in from home on their TVs, phones, and livestreams across the world.

You could see people milling around the docks, snapping photos the moment the ship opened to the public.

A few overly curious fans even tried sneaking into restricted areas, hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the contestants, only to be swiftly escorted out by security.

Honestly, their reactions were kind of justified.

After days of teasing and speculation, curiosity had finally reached its breaking point.

Everyone was desperate to know who the mysterious “New Japanese Challenger” chosen by the producers really was.

Over the past week, countless theories had flooded the internet.

There weren’t many newcomers in Japan’s music scene who could generate this much noise, except for one name that kept coming up again and again:

Kessoku Band.

And all it took was one blurry photo.

A single shot of Kessoku Band members at the airport had sent the internet into meltdown, throwing both Kessoku Band and Suki’s fandoms into chaos.

But since neither the band nor Kei himself had released an official statement, fans were left stewing in anticipation—refreshing their feeds every few seconds, searching for any hint of confirmation.

Comment sections everywhere were overflowing with wild theories and nervous excitement:

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“Ahhhh! Suki-san! Please tell me that was YOU on Sing!Asia!! 😭😭”

“No way, right!? There’s no way suki-san actually joined the show… right!?”

“WAIT—so that pictures it's not fake!!”

“Nooo! I thought It was fake!! I SWEAR to God i'll kill my friend!!”

“Why would Kessoku Band enter a competition show though!?”

“If it’s true, Kessoku Band just went INTERNATIONAL, baby!!! 🇯🇵🔥”

“NIJIKA AND KEI FOREVER!!! 💕”

“I’m calling it—it’s 100% them. The shadow in the teaser? That’s TOTALLY Suki’s silhouette.”

“OI, YOU KID—ANSWER YOUR PHONE!!!”

“Bro… what is the person above me even talking about?”

“Ignore it some people are just crazy :v”

“I don’t care where is it—I just want to hear that song again!!”

“My hands are literally shaking waiting for the broadcast!! ”

“If it’s really Kei… I’M GOING TO SCREAM.”

“Ryou supremacy incoming!!! LET’S GOOOOO!!! ”

“I skipped work for this. It better be worth it”

“Plot twist—it’s actually Bocchi going solo”

“Don’t you’re going to give her a heart attack wwwww.”

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Some, of course, were loyal fans of Haneul Lee and anyone familiar with her fandom knew their passion wasn’t something to underestimate.
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“Whoever dares to challenge our queen better be ready to LOSE big time!”

“THE SQUAD IS ASSEMBLING!! ”

“I’ve been waiting for your performance again, Haneul!!”

“Already got my votes lined up!! 💙💙💙”

“Wait… wasn’t Haneul an actor? Why is she on a singing show?”

“Blasphemy!! How DARE you question her—burn this guy!! 🔥🔥🔥”

“BURN! BURN!! FOR THE QUEEN!!!”

 “Oi, watch your mouth—Suki’s gonna crush the stage!”

“Crush!? Against Haneul? Don’t make me laugh!”

“Keep talking! You’ll be streaming their song on repeat after tonight!”

“Hah! The only thing we’ll be repeating is Haneul’s victory encore!!”

“Say that again after hearing Kei’s songs!”

“You mean that guy who hides behind his bandmates? LMAO.”

“YOU SON OF A B@TCH! TAKE THAT BACK!!! ”

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Within just a few hours, the social media of Sing!Asia had erupted into a full-blown battlefield.

Kessoku Band fans and Haneul Lee supporters clashed across every language, some in Japanese, others in Korean, and even a mix of English and Chinese each fanning the flames even higher.

Both sides fiercely defended their favorites with fiery memes, all-caps arguments, and some fan art of Kessoku Band simp spreading faster than moderators could keep up.