Chapter 1026: We Call the Rain (10)

After the commotion in the studio finally died down, the audience was still buzzing with excitement.

"Wow. That's seriously insane."

"So what he's saying is he wants Ri Hyuk to come back fully prepared?"

"That's unbelievable..."

If anyone else had said it, the backlash would have been enormous.

To say something like that to Ri Hyuk, whose vocal ability was currently receiving endless praise while generating unprecedented buzz?

The Souffles would be carrying Molotov cocktails while the general public supplied the gasoline and bottles from behind.

But...

Cha Woohyun gets a pass.

His skill was simply that overwhelming.

A singer with at least ten more years of experience than Ri Hyuk and someone widely regarded as one of the absolute best in the industry.

"Now I get it. There's a reason top-class people are top class. If it were me, I'd have been too nervous and just taken the King of Singers title immediately."

"Seriously."

He was a vocal monster whose way of thinking differed completely from ordinary people.

Most people would have grabbed the throne the moment they had the chance.

There was no guarantee they'd even make it back to the King of Singers match next week.

But Cha Woohyun's statement carried a different assumption.

It assumed he would absolutely be standing here again next week.

"Haa..."

Just as everyone was still trapped in the afterglow of Orpheus's declaration—

[What an unexpected turn of events!]

["We'll face each other in the next round." The God of Song, Orpheus, leaves behind perhaps the greatest teaser in Mission Singer history.]

[What exactly will happen in the next competition...?]

As the commentators built anticipation for the upcoming match, smiles spread across the audience.

Looks like I won't get to see it after all.

Am I lucky or unlucky...? Well, at least I got to see WooBizz up close.

While they were busy rationalizing their disappointment, the commentators continued.

[Since there is no challenger today, we will first hold farewell performances from the eliminated contestants before the King's stage.]

Normally there would have been a revival round if someone had challenged the King of Singers.

Instead, the previously eliminated contestants took the stage one by one, revealing their identities through emotional farewell performances.

[Please give lots of love to the musical Blue Note#, where I'm playing the lead role. This has been Jang Jaerim.]

The long-running contestant Premium Supporting Actor Jangjorim revealed himself to be a musical actor and waved goodbye.

The audience waved back to the contestants they had grown attached to.

Still, they're leaving at the perfect time.

Mission Singer aired in two separate broadcast blocks.

If word spread that legendary singers had appeared in the first half, ratings for the second half would explode.

The future viewers watching from home would undoubtedly spend the entire week anticipating performances from Cha Woohyun and Ri Hyuk—

Only to be disappointed.

Hehehe!

Fufufufu!

The thought of future viewers collectively going, "Wait, what?!" instantly lifted the audience's spirits.

After the eliminated contestants finished their farewells—

[Then it's time for our final performance of the night. The King's stage~]

Purple lighting spread through the dry ice.

A soft voice, reminiscent of lilac blossoms, drifted through the hall.

If I write a letter tonight

Will it reach you?

If I stay awake through the night

Will it carry my heart?

It was "Handwritten Letter," a track from Seo Jeonghwa's third album Pencil, released in 1994.

A song once famous among university students as a love ballad.

Reborn in a modern style through Wooju's hands.

Colored with the warm tones of Ri Hyuk's voice.

Haa...

This is good...

But what if he had gone into today's competition exactly as he was?

Against an ordinary King of Singers opponent, one punch from Ri Hyuk's vocals would have been enough for a knockout.

The monsters who appeared today were an entirely different story.

—

"I'll finish this in a single blow— huh?"

"Hoho. Young man... that was merely my afterimage."

"Gah!"

—

The audience could practically imagine veteran singers wrapped in dark auras, chuckling ominously.

Ri Hyuk, completely unprepared for such opponents, would collapse while clutching a microphone, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Good luck, Ri Hyuk.

Smiling to themselves, the audience watched the Sunflower Mask onstage.

As always, Ri Hyuk sang with everything he had.

To you whom I miss tonight

I write

Upon a single star, my love

And all my sincerity—

The audience nodded along to the beautiful melody.

At the same time, they couldn't stop wondering.

Just what kind of Ri Hyuk would appear after coming back fully prepared?

The King of Singers waiting room.

After filming ended, Biju and I sat waiting with a cake.

[Congratulations! Four Consecutive King of Singers Wins!]

Watching candle wax drip down the side, I muttered nervously.

"Why is he taking so long?"

"Seriously..."

If Junghyun had been here, he would've perked up his ears and gone, "Oh, Ri Hyuk's coming~"

Unfortunately, we possessed the hearing abilities of ordinary humans.

All we could do was wait.

Then—

Click.

The door opened.

The King of Singers entered wearing the Sunflower Mask.

Everyone shouted together.

"King Wooju!"

"Congratulations on your fourth consecutive victory!"

"Wooooooaaah!"

Confetti flew through the air as staff members shouted congratulations.

Then—

"Ghh..."

"Hm?"

Just as I tilted my head—

Ri Hyuk removed his mask and looked at us with a sweat-soaked face.

"Ghhh..."

"...?"

"Ghuuuugh..."

And then he dropped to his knees.

"Ri Hyuk!"

"Ri Hyuk, what's wrong?"

He perfectly recreated the legendary OTL pose that had once gone viral online.

Thinking he might be dehydrated, I quickly grabbed a bottle of water.

But all I heard was a miserable mumble.

"I'm doomed... I'm doomed... I'm completely doomed..."

Biju and I practically sprawled onto the floor to look up at his face.

Beneath damp dark-blue hair hanging over his forehead—

A crying cat stared back at us.

"Ri Hyuk. What's wrong?"

"I'm doomed. Sob..."

Changing positions, Ri Hyuk leaned against the couch and covered his face.

"Ah... what am I supposed to do next week?"

"What do you mean?"

I genuinely didn't understand.

"Isn't this a good thing? Senior Cha Woohyun gave you time. You can prepare more and—"

"Don't you realize that's even crueler? He's basically saying, 'Come back properly prepared next week. Then I'll crush you anyway.'"

Still.

Wasn't more preparation time a good thing?

A fight that would've ended eight-to-two might become seven-to-three.

Maybe even six-to-four at best.

At least, that was how I saw it.

But—

"Sniff..."

Apparently that wasn't what he was crying about.

He'd been trying not to show it, but today's lineup of legendary senior singers had clearly shaken his confidence.

"Don't cry."

"I'm not crying..."

"Then why's your nose already red?"

"I said I'm not crying."

Biju and I shoved a cake knife into his hand and cut the cake.

Then Biju offered him a slice.

"Ah~ Let's eat something sweet, Ri Hyuk."

"I'm not a baby..."

"Ah~"

Munch.

Our main vocalist, whose nose and ears had both turned bright red, slowly chewed the cake.

Then—

Twitch.

His cheek twitched.

There it is!

Sugar really works!

Seeing him sneak glances at his favorite Earl Grey cake, we immediately began feeding him more.

Patting his back, I spoke confidently.

"It's okay. Really. I'll help you properly this time. I'll get it to six-to-four."

"Ri Hyuk, did you hear that? Wooju hyung says he'll somehow make your vocal battle against Senior Cha Woohyun six-to-four~ Isn't that amazing~"

"Peekaboo~!"

"That's right~"

Nod nod.

After comforting our exhausted main vocalist, who had been under pressure all day—

"Wooju."

Manager Wonseok spoke.

"I can hear people outside the door."

"Ah."

Listening closely, it sounded like today's eliminated contestants had come to meet Ri Hyuk and the rest of us.

I looked at Ri Hyuk, whose slightly red nose still made it obvious he'd been crying.

"We'll go out first. Come out when you're ready."

"Okay."

Watching Biju gently wipe cake crumbs from the corner of Ri Hyuk's mouth, I headed outside.

"Hello~!"

"Waaaaaaah!"

Starting with Jang Jaerim, whom we were meeting without makeup for the first time, we took photos and exchanged greetings with the eliminated contestants.

Some invited us to watch their musicals.

Others said they hoped we'd meet again somewhere down the road.

While we chatted—

The door opened.

Ri Hyuk emerged wearing his mask.

"Wooooooaaah!"

"The King! The King!"

Apparently everyone had grown fairly close over the course of filming.

Ri Hyuk chatted comfortably with the other contestants.

It felt like watching friends hanging out together.

I was smiling at the wholesome scene when—

"Wooju!"

"Huh?"

"Wooju is the savior of our program!"

Mission Singer's chief producer, PD Park Yeonhee, grabbed my hand and shook it repeatedly.

It was the first time in my life I'd received something close to a ninety-degree bow from a television producer.

I stood there completely bewildered.

"This is a gift from our company president."

"Oh my."

"I heard you like Korean beef..."

She handed me a premium Korean beef gift set bearing the name of TBC's president.

After I thanked her and promised to enjoy it, PD Park told me to contact her anytime I needed anything.

Only after expressing enough gratitude to make me uncomfortable did she finally return to her staff.

"Hyung."

Tap tap.

Biju nudged me.

"Look over there."

"Hm?"

"Ri Hyuk."

Following his gaze, I saw Ri Hyuk surrounded by Cha Woohyun and the three masked ballad singers.

Pat. Pat.

The veteran singers kept stroking his head as if he were the most adorable thing in the world.

They're petting him like a cat...

They really like Ri Hyuk.

Despite having little direct interaction with him before today, they looked at him like a beloved junior colleague.

Even through their masks, affection practically dripped from their eyes.

Just as I was laughing at the sight—

"Darling~"

A voice suddenly slid into existence behind me.

Biju and I jumped.

Turning around, we found ourselves face-to-face with the Black Rose Mask.

A singer wearing a black dress and veil.

"Oh! Hello, Senior."

It was Baek Siyeon.

She had narrowly lost to Cha Woohyun today and was widely regarded as one of the strongest rock vocalists in the industry.

We had only heard her sing until now.

This was our first meeting.

Yet...

"...?"

The senior singer was looking at me with surprising familiarity.

To ordinary listeners, great singers all sounded equally impressive.

But beneath the surface lay complex theory and technique.

To singers with trained ears, things sounded very different.

—

"Mm! That kid definitely studied practical music."

"Started with classical vocal training and crossed over, maybe?"

—

Every singer had their own style.

Yet there were certain vocalists broadly recognized as the orthodox standard.

The kind of singers who belonged in music textbooks.

The ideal voices admired by all singers.

Representatives included Cha Woohyun, The Moon, Yeon, and others like them.

The problem was—

—

"Tsk! How did our lineage become so thin?"

—

There weren't many singers performing that way anymore.

The techniques still appeared among idol vocalists who graduated from music programs.

But few truly satisfied the standards of the older generation.

Then one day, a figure emerged from NewBlack who could be considered the supreme master of vocal arts.

—

"What?!"

—

The veteran singers were stunned.

From an idol born in 1997—someone at least ten or twenty years younger than themselves—they sensed something familiar.

An almost obsessive fixation on pitch.

Properly studied vocal technique.

Natural talent.

Within his singing, they could hear traces of countless predecessors.

Study.

Absorption.

Reinterpretation.

—

"No doubt! This child belongs to the Orthodox Path!"

"Hoho. Is light finally returning to an industry overrun by heretics...?"

—

And that was why—

[Our Ri Hyuk... no, King Wooju...]

[Would you like some candy? It's good for your throat.]

[You were surprised because of me today, weren't you, Ri Hyuk? I just wanted to share a great stage with you next week.]

The veteran singers surrounding Ri Hyuk looked at him with limitless affection.

Our successor!

How can even his mask be this adorable?

He was a precious treasure they had to protect.

At the same time, they shot wary glances toward Black Rose as she attempted to approach.

Go away, you wicked creature!

No. I refuse.

The ballad singers had no intention of letting Ri Hyuk be corrupted by bad influences.

Part of it was simply because they worked in different genres.

More importantly, Baek Siyeon's vocal philosophy stood at the complete opposite end of the spectrum.

Back in her younger days, while blazing her own path, she once gave an infamous interview.

—

"I think rock is singing however the hell you feel like singing."

—

The statement caused such controversy that newspapers ran headlines like:

"Rookie Singer Sparks Controversy: 'Rock Is Singing However the Hell You Want'"

She had exaggerated, of course.

But Baek Siyeon genuinely represented vocal freedom.

Why does a song need to be performed exactly the same way every time?

Studio recordings were different.

But live performances?

Shouldn't you simply sing according to how you felt that day?

A rainy monsoon version of Rose of Love and a bright summer-sun version of Rose of Love were practically different songs.

Those fundamentalists...

Clicking her tongue, wondering when those boys would ever grow up, Baek Siyeon gracefully turned away.

Truthfully, her interest wasn't Ri Hyuk.

It was Wooju.

Wooju!

If she'd been allowed to vote during the previous round, she would've voted for Wooju rather than Ri Hyuk.

Wooju sang with the spirit of a singer-songwriter.

Ignoring little rules.

Performing freely.

That's exactly my type.

Something about him felt strangely familiar.

[Hi~]

Warm affection filled her gaze as she looked at the younger singers.

What's going on?

Why is she acting like this?

The recipients of this overwhelming senior affection remained completely confused.

Naturally, we decided to accept the seniors' kindness gratefully.

"Thank you very much."

If respected seniors wanted to show goodwill, the proper response was appreciation.

And besides—

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.

When seniors give you goodwill, you turn it into content.

"Senior... if it's okay, would you maybe like to do a WAVE Challenge with us?"

[A challenge?]

"Ah, it's something popular in America right now..."

In simple terms, I was asking whether they would help film a promotional video.

Baek Siyeon readily agreed.

The other senior singers, apparently deciding it looked fun, immediately joined in.

[Me too!]

[I want to do it too!]

The video itself was simple.

Each person sang one line of WAVE before passing it along.

Biju and I started the song.

Then one by one, legendary vocalists continued the relay.

"Wooooooow..."

Staff members gathered almost instantly to watch.

WAVE performed by Ri Hyuk and four elite vocalists was nothing short of heaven.

One take.

Done.

"Wow..."

"Wooow..."

Biju and I rubbed the goosebumps on our arms.

The performance had been that incredible.

Looking at the pleased senior singers, I grinned.

"When this gets uploaded in two weeks, the comments are going to be full of people saying, 'Release this version separately,' and 'This is better than the original.'"

The seniors laughed happily.

After thanking them again and bowing deeply—

PD Park Yeonhee appeared holding a lottery box.

"We're drawing the next competition theme! Everyone, please gather!"

As the singers hurried over, Biju and I watched the newly recorded video one more time.

A useful promotional opportunity secured.

And now—

"I guess it's time to help Ri Hyuk prepare."

"If there's anything I can do, I want to help too."

I nodded while watching Ri Hyuk participate in the drawing.

—

"I'll challenge the King only after he's fully prepared."

—

Thanks to Cha Woohyun, our main vocalist had been given an opportunity.

Not because we expected him to win.

Only because we wanted to narrow the gap as much as possible.

"Do we actually have a chance?"

"Not much."

Cha Woohyun truly was the strongest vocalist around.

But Ri Hyuk's singing wasn't our only weapon.

We possessed plenty of intangible assets capable of competing with him.

Massive resources.

The TF Team.

The best personnel in the industry.

"Fufufufufu..."

Looking at the back of Cha Woohyun's half-mask, I smiled.

"I'll cling to your pant leg and drag things out as shamelessly as possible, Senior. Fufufufu..."

"You mean you're going to do your best... right, hyung?"

"Fufufufufu!"

Grand plans began forming inside my head.

The following morning.

Employees gathered in Lemon Entertainment's main conference room.

Murmur. Murmur.

"Wooju asked everyone to gather. Anybody know what's going on?"

"No idea..."

The request had come early that morning.

Could everyone please assemble in the main conference room?

Employees exchanged curious looks.

Everyone's here.

The TF Team.

The producing team.

Core personnel connected to NewBlack.

Virtually everyone important.

Manager Yoon Seokhwan.

Assistant Manager Hong Seoyoung.

Manager Na Sangyoon.

Lemon Entertainment's finest had assembled, eyes shining with anticipation.

What could it be?

What reason could possibly have led Lemon Entertainment's King Gwanjong to summon his loyal subjects?

At last, the king himself entered.

"Hello!"

"Hi~"

"We're here too~!"

Junghyun and Jiho walked in smiling brightly.

Biju followed.

Only Ri Hyuk looked oddly embarrassed.

After taking the seat at the head of the table, Wooju got straight to the point.

"Thank you all for coming despite your busy schedules. This is about Mission Singer."

"Wait. Is this a spoiler?!"

"Yes."

"Ahhhhh..."

Soon the employees heard the full story of what had happened the previous night.

"Wow..."

"He's facing Cha Woohyun next week..."

Wooju nodded.

Then he picked up a pointer.

A photo appeared on the screen.

[CHA WOOHYUN]

Folding his hands together, Wooju spoke.

"That's right, everyone. Two weeks from now, Ri Hyuk and Senior Cha Woohyun will face each other in the King of Singers match."

He pointed at the screen.

"Starting today, this man is our target."

"...!"

"...!!"

Cha Woohyun's photograph sat on the screen like an FBI wanted poster.

Wooju continued.

"A lion can fight a rabbit fairly. But if a rabbit wants to defeat a lion, it needs a rocket launcher."

"Hooo..."

"That's actually true."

Immediately, Lemon Entertainment's finest personnel began combing through ten years' worth of Cha Woohyun data.

Identical smiles spread across the faces of singers and staff alike.

"Kyaaaaahaha!"

"Hahahahaha!"

...It was a scene Cha Woohyun, who merely wanted to have a fair competition, could never have imagined.