Chapter 1043: I knew it (12)

Tomorrow was an important day.

Seo Ri Hyuk vs. Cha Woohyun.

The movie studio's provocation had temporarily pushed film-related matters to the top of my priority list, but one of the schedules I had been paying the closest attention to lately was Ri Hyuk's competition.

So I stopped by the practice room where Ri Hyuk was training.

"...?"

Ri Hyuk was sitting alone in a corner chair like a sulking cat, glaring at me.

I asked,

"What is it, Mr. Seo Ri Hyuk? What's with that expression full of dissatisfaction?"

"I'm not dissatisfied."

That was one hundred percent the expression of someone saying, I hate you.

I dragged over a chair and sat down across from him.

"Why are you sitting all the way over there?"

"I'm currently cooling down my resentment."

"Did Jiho do something wrong?"

"No."

It probably wasn't Junghyun or Biju.

Which meant the culprit was...

"Me."

"..."

"So what exactly did I do wrong this time? Tell me, Mr. Ri Hyuk. I'll listen with an open mind."

"Hoo."

Ri Hyuk began speaking calmly.

"First, you came onto Mission Singer saying you were helping promote your member and almost got me eliminated."

"Uh."

"Then you went around promoting things everywhere and summoned Senior Cha Woohyun."

"Well, that..."

"And now you've suddenly dropped a legendary performance and now I seriously...!"

The last one technically wasn't my fault, but I decided to sympathize with his frustration anyway.

By pure coincidence, every time he approached an important competition, five thousand thumbtacks seemed to rain down directly onto his path.

All I could do was apologize while he grabbed me and shook me around, demanding to know why I insisted on making his life harder.

"Sorry..."

"Hoo."

"Are you feeling pressured?"

"Do you really have to ask?"

Ri Hyuk shot me a glare.

"Now people are going to compare my stage to yours. Hyung... If I perform better than you, that's just breaking even."

I smiled reassuringly.

"It's fine, Ri Hyuk. Nobody's going to compare us."

"Why not?"

"They only compare performances when they're happening at the same time. If our stages were airing around the same period, maybe. But when is your competition episode actually being broadcast?"

"In two weeks."

"Exactly. By then, the biggest topic will be your showdown with Senior Cha Woohyun. Nobody's going to compare you with me. If anything, they'll compare you with him."

Ri Hyuk quietly closed his mouth.

Looking at him, I suddenly realized something.

"You forgot your episode airs two weeks later, didn't you?"

"..."

Ri Hyuk slowly turned his head away.

His ears had turned red.

"I didn't."

"I think you did."

"I didn't."

"You know, moments like this remind me that you're absolutely one of us..."

"I said I didn't!"

I dodged several punches from the enraged red-eared turtle and stood up.

"Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"I prepared the perfect arrangement for you."

I grinned.

"Want to hear it?"

Tap tap tap tap.

"..."

"..."

Tap tap tap tap tap.

"...Um."

Ri Hyuk looked at me.

"When you said you were arranging the song, did you actually mean you made someone else do it?"

"Of course I handled the overall direction. I just left the finer details to other people."

Even while I spoke, the shadows in front of us continued trembling.

Tap tap tap tap tap.

Composers from the producing team lay collapsed on sofas under blankets.

Employees sat before monitors, their hands trembling while they worked.

"Is everyone okay?"

"Do... we... look okay...?"

"No."

I handed a cup of water to Team Leader Na Sangyoon, who looked seconds away from coughing up blood.

"Why do you all look so exhausted?"

"Too much work hit us all at once..."

Na Sangyoon sighed.

"We were already finishing up the final stages of Overcook, and then the Like The Sun audio project suddenly landed on us. Plus Ri Hyuk's arrangement."

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing..."

The producing team had simply been buried under a mountain of work.

I made a mental note to buy them dinner later.

Then Na Sangyoon asked,

"So what brings you here?"

"We came to check Ri Hyuk's arrangement."

"Oh. Hyungseop's working on that."

The youngest member of the producing team.

A genius arranger who honestly had even more natural talent than I did.

The very person who had joined the company thanks to his legendary Nine National Singing Contest remix.

We walked farther into the studio.

Soon, I found him dozing off in front of a laptop.

Tap tap.

I lightly patted his shoulder.

"Mmm...?"

The moment our eyes met—

"Hiiik!"

Hyungseop recoiled.

My heart was wounded.

"Hyungseop. Why are you startled when you see your friend? We're friends."

"..."

Na Sangyoon muttered from nearby.

"Has the definition of friendship changed recently?"

"Maybe it's the kind of friendship where someone gives you five hundred won and orders you to buy two sausage buns."

The moment I slowly turned my head, everyone immediately pretended to focus on their screens.

Meanwhile, Hyungseop removed his glasses and rubbed his face.

"You came because of the arrangement."

"Finished already?"

"Yeah."

After Ri Hyuk's showdown with Cha Woohyun had been confirmed, I immediately held several long meetings with both Ri Hyuk and the arranging specialists here to determine our direction.

As Hyungseop typed on the keyboard, he explained,

"It took a long time to finish. Finding the sound that best matched Ri Hyuk's voice was the hard part."

He hit Enter.

Ri Hyuk's unaccompanied vocals filled the room.

The other composers gradually gathered around.

"That part was rough."

"His voice is so clear that almost everything sounds good with it. Finding the best option took forever."

Hyungseop clicked the mouse.

The accompaniment entered.

Everyone let out admiring sounds.

Ri Hyuk's clear, transparent voice merged with the arrangement, creating the sensation of racing freely through open space.

It suited the song's title perfectly.

Halley.

The song Ri Hyuk had chosen for this round.

Named after Halley's Comet.

A song about the comet that visits Earth every seventy-six years as it travels through the solar system.

Originally performed by the famous indie singer Minji Discordance.

Ri Hyuk had said it was one of his personal favorites.

It had never been a chart hit, but I had always liked its distinctive country sound enough to add it to my own playlist.

"You said we needed a stage that contrasted with Cha Woohyun."

Hyungseop spoke.

"Something that highlights the energy of a younger singer against a veteran artist."

He pointed toward the monitor.

"I increased the tempo slightly and strengthened the guitar sound."

The acoustic guitar rhythm tickled the ears.

Ri Hyuk nodded.

Then Hyungseop looked at me.

"So? What do you think?"

"I think it's good."

"Hoooo..."

The arranger visibly relaxed.

Ri Hyuk and I listened again.

The other composers gathered nearby, munching bananas.

"The arrangement turned out great. Hyungseop and Wooju worked hard."

"Wooju worked hard. I mostly handled the details."

"No, Hyungseop did almost everything."

While the arranger and I politely tried to credit each other—

Ri Hyuk quietly listened to the song before asking,

"But recently this person performed Like The Sun."

"Yeah."

"Do you think this can have a comparable impact...?"

"..."

The composers slowly placed their hands on Ri Hyuk's shoulders.

"Ri Hyuk."

"...?"

"Good luck."

"..."

Everyone burst out laughing as Ri Hyuk closed his eyes.

Saltman spoke.

"No stage can beat a performance with that kind of story behind it."

Then he smiled.

"But considering you're facing Cha Woohyun..."

I asked,

"You think we have a chance now?"

"I'd say the odds definitely improved."

Everyone nodded.

When we first started preparing, Ri Hyuk's chances felt like four percent.

Now they felt more like seventeen.

If luck was on our side, maybe—just maybe—he could beat Cha Woohyun.

Ri Hyuk stood and bowed deeply.

"Thank you, everyone. I know you've all been busy."

"No need to thank us."

A warm scene.

Then Ri Hyuk promised,

"As a token of appreciation, this Hyung will reduce the number of times he visits the studio."

"Ri Hyuk...!"

For some reason, the atmosphere suddenly felt strange.

Anyway, once the arrangement was finalized—

I continued dragging Ri Hyuk around to increase his chances of victory.

We attended the final presentation prepared by the task force team that had thoroughly analyzed Cha Woohyun.

"This is the analysis report."

"We've predicted the songs Cha Woohyun is most likely to choose. Based on those possibilities, the image Ri Hyuk should present is..."

If there were actual numbers involved, it probably looked something like this.

[Win Rate: 17% → 23%]

Then we sought advice from Senior Yoon Chanhyuk of our company, a singer famous for being one of Cha Woohyun's rivals.

"We need your advice."

"This won't be cheap. I'm an expensive man."

"What would you like?"

"Not a spaceship version. Give me the UFO version of the autograph. My wife is your fan."

We successfully bribed him with NewBlack signatures.

The ballad singer scratched his head while wearing sweatpants.

"Hmm."

Because of his approachable personality, people often underestimated him.

But Yoon Chanhyuk was one of the strongest ballad singers in the industry.

Against Cha Woohyun, he'd win roughly four times out of ten.

His specialty was flashy vocals.

"That guy sings in a more restrained style. He's weaker against singers who perform flamboyantly."

"Right."

"But Ri Hyuk's strength is his clear vocal tone, so that's not where his advantage lies. Besides, his vocal style is actually pretty similar to Woohyun Hyung's."

"Exactly. That's why we've prepared a strategy."

We explained our plan to emphasize Ri Hyuk's individuality through song selection and contrast.

Yoon Chanhyuk immediately grasped the idea.

"So you're trying to make him feel like Cha Woohyun's successor. Position him as a promising next-generation talent."

"Yes."

"Smart. That's the right choice for someone at his stage of his career."

Drawing upon the experience of a former vocal survival show champion, he offered numerous pieces of advice.

[Win Rate: 23% → 26%]

Then something unexpected happened.

"..."

"What's wrong, Ri Hyuk?"

"Senior Cha Woohyun sent me another message."

"...?"

Ri Hyuk showed us his phone.

[Cha Woohyun has sent you a link.]

When I opened it—

How to Make Tea That's Good for Your Throat.

There were countless other links.

How to Care for Your Voice Before an Important Performance.

Vocal Cord Maintenance Tips.

And more.

"What is all this?"

"Senior Cha Woohyun has been sending me messages every day for the last two weeks. Voice care tips. MyTube videos about vocal maintenance. Stuff like that."

"..."

"I think he wants me to come in at my absolute best."

[Win Rate: 26% → 28%]

We were doing everything possible to improve Ri Hyuk's chances.

Using company resources to analyze our opponent's strengths and weaknesses.

Working with the most talented producing team in the entertainment industry.

Seeking advice from respected senior artists.

Winning wasn't the sole objective.

But if you could win, why not try?

Some might ask why we were putting this much effort into a competition.

But this was an important opportunity.

Fifth-year idols.

Five years into an idol career.

A point where an idol gradually became a veteran.

In a normal company, it might only be assistant-manager level experience.

In the idol industry, it was already senior territory.

Simply surviving that long was rare.

Because youth was such an important factor, younger idols would eventually rise to take the spotlight.

That meant image management became increasingly important.

As idols gained experience, youthful freshness and traditional idol appeal naturally shifted toward newer generations.

Even I received comments claiming I was already too old despite barely being at the age of a normal young professional.

A few more years would only make that worse.

Unless you debuted in middle school like TeenSpirit, most idol groups gradually entered a more difficult phase after their fifth year.

Which was why artists usually began adding a new image around this point.

This is our artist.

Songwriting.

Composing.

Demonstrating exceptional skill.

The senior artists who lasted twenty years all built that kind of reputation.

It was our turn to start doing the same.

That was how we'd continue lasting.

Souffle already knew that side of us.

But the general public didn't.

They had a vague idea.

They just lacked a moment that would permanently imprint that image in their minds.

Which was why Ri Hyuk's battle with Cha Woohyun represented the perfect opportunity.

Especially now that Like The Sun had exploded.

"If Ri Hyuk can show he's no pushover against Senior Cha Woohyun, even better."

We'd done everything possible.

The rest depended entirely on Ri Hyuk.

The members and I stared at our main vocalist with sparkling eyes.

"Ri Hyuk! You can do it!"

"Hyung, just blow three buttons off your shirt. One button at the first high note, another at the second, then boom boom boom at the third!"

"Murmur murmur. Seo Ri Hyuk is amazing. Murmur murmur."

Ri Hyuk's response to our encouragement was simple.

"Could you please stop putting pressure on me...?"

"Tsk tsk."

"You're the reason I'm under pressure! Not Senior Cha Woohyun—you!"

"Tsk tsk~"

Watching our mentally fragile little main vocalist suffer, all I could do was click my tongue.

Then Jiho asked,

"Should we come cheer you on?"

"..."

Ri Hyuk froze.

A cat whose ears had suddenly perked up.

He clearly wanted to ask us to come.

But couldn't quite bring himself to say it.

While he hesitated—

Biju suddenly made a suggestion.

"What if we help him in person?"

"...?"

Biju's eyes sparkled.

The next day.

TBC Broadcasting Station.

Murmur murmur.

Sensitive hearing picked up the noise coming from outside.

"Aaaaaah—"

A singer warmed up his voice, freely moving from G5 in full voice all the way down to the lower register.

Perhaps because of his neatly trimmed beard, the tall one-hundred-ninety-centimeter singer possessed an especially fierce aura.

Cha Woohyun stretched his muscles and checked his condition.

Perfect.

A body trained solely for singing.

Cycling to improve cardiovascular endurance.

Abdominal exercises to strengthen the diaphragm.

Weight training to expand the rib cage.

Everything existed for one purpose.

Singing.

"Hoooo..."

As Cha Woohyun practiced the Lamaze breathing technique Wooju had once taught him—

Murmur murmur.

The noise outside caught his attention.

He opened his eyes.

"It sounds noisy out there."

His manager answered.

"Everyone's making a huge fuss about security today."

"...?"

"Hyung, do you even watch the news?"

"No."

The king of the music industry answered indifferently.

The manager sighed.

"You caused a huge commotion yesterday. You publicly declared you'd face Ri Hyuk again whenever he was ready. Everyone's dying to see this Mission Singer match now."

"Hmm."

"You know that expression you make? It's weirdly similar to Junghyun's. Even the 'hmm' sounds the same."

"..."

A muscle twitched near Cha Woohyun's eye.

Apparently that comparison crossed a line.

"I mean... not exactly the same. Just kind of..."

The manager awkwardly backtracked.

Then—

Knock knock.

The door opened slightly.

"Lord Orpheus, God of Song! It's time for the VCR shoot!"

"Understood."

Cha Woohyun quietly put on his harp-shaped mask.

As the stylist draped a cape over his shoulders, he took a slow breath.

[Fwooooo...]

For some reason, he sounded suspiciously similar to Darth Vader.

Then he began walking.

His steps were light.

I'm going to see Ri Hyuk.

Just imagining what kind of song Ri Hyuk had spent two weeks preparing made his heart race.

Soon the Four Heavenly Kings gathered together.

All wearing masks.

A staff member explained today's concept.

"You'll be challenging King of Singers Sun Wooju."

[Understood.]

[Okay~]

They followed the staff through the hallway.

Security personnel blocked off every nearby corridor.

At the far end stood Seo Ri Hyuk, wearing a sunflower mask.

"All right! Rolling VCR! Walk toward King of Singers Sun Wooju and deliver your lines!"

The Four Heavenly Kings advanced.

The Moon, famous for moonlight-like vocals, walked elegantly.

Baek Siyeon, wearing a Black Rose mask, approached with graceful menace.

Yeon, hidden behind a lotus mask, moved quietly.

Cha Woohyun strode proudly at the center.

Then—

[I've been waiting for you, Four Heavenly Kings.]

King of Singers Sun Wooju giggled and spread his arms wide.

Ri Hyuk's acting is ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) pretty good.

Sometimes he really does feel like Wooju.

The sunflower mask spoke.

[You've come to defeat me, haven't you?]

[Indeed.]

[Hehehe. I thought so. But defeating me today will not be easy.]

The masked king raised a hand.

[Because I am not alone.]

Everyone blinked.

Huh?

His left hand had multiplied.

No.

Three?

No.

Four!

Every gesture left afterimages.

Like a thousand-armed Bodhisattva, the sunflower mask waved his arms dramatically.

Then—

[Haaap!]

Four figures suddenly appeared behind him.

[Gasp!]

Baek Siyeon's Black Rose mask actually gasped.

The masked quartet landed behind the king.

[Hoho.]

A swan-masked figure spun elegantly like a ballet dancer.

[Do you know what persimmons and bears have in common? They both contain the letters B and R. Quite bearrable, isn't it?]

A bear mask delivered complete nonsense in a deep voice.

[Give me one liver and I won't eat you~]

A fox mask enthusiastically role-played a nine-tailed fox.

And finally—

Wait!

That's...!

The familiar crane mask.

Korean Hip-Hop Number One.

Seo Ri Hyuk.

While the Four Heavenly Kings wondered what kind of bizarre setting this was supposed to be, the crane mask turned toward the sunflower king.

[Hyungnim! What should we do? Shall we defeat those people for you?]

[No.]

The sunflower king extended a hand toward his underlings.

[Simply being here is enough to help me. Hohohoho.]

[...?]

He placed his hand on them.

The moment he did—

They began collapsing one after another.

[Aaaah! My power is being drained!]

[I trusted you, Hyung...]

[I knew this would happen! You can't even dress yourself! You don't play games! All you do is nag!]

The crane mask, already lying on the floor, began attacking the fox mask's stomach with his toes.

Meanwhile, King Sun Wooju bounced enthusiastically in place.

Like a final boss who had absorbed his minions and powered up.

[Yes! This is the power!]

His helium-distorted voice trembled with excitement.

The staff behind the cameras desperately covered their mouths and looked away to stop themselves from laughing.

Then the sunflower king pointed dramatically toward the Four Heavenly Kings.

[Little brothers! I shall avenge you!]

Even the Four Heavenly Kings finally broke down laughing.

But there was one man present whose sense of humor appeared to have been surgically removed.

[Hmm.]

Orpheus, God of Song, watched his companions laughing openly.

A serious expression settled over his face.

Is this a scheme designed to lower my guard?

He clenched his fist.

It will not be so easy.

Orpheus silently resolved to fight with his full strength.

Ding!

[Win Rate: 28% → 18%]

Unfortunately for Seo Ri Hyuk—

It was a devastating development.