Chapter 1045: I knew it (14)

Before the King of Singers match began—

"WAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

"Thank you!"

The eliminated contestants bowed to the audience after finishing their farewell performances.

The audience members sending them off looked disappointed.

So did the contestants leaving the stage.

"Ahhh..."

One of the eliminated singers sighed as he descended backstage.

"I'm seriously so disappointed."

"What am I even supposed to tell my company when I get back? How were we supposed to beat those people?"

Under normal circumstances, these were singers talented enough to cruise through the first round and survive into the following week.

But this time their opponents had simply been too cruel.

It was like arriving at the gate leading to the world's strongest martial artist—

Only to discover that the gatekeepers themselves were monsters.

—

"Wait. Why is the Alliance Leader standing there?"

"Haven't you heard? Apparently the Alliance Leader has already chosen this year's strongest martial artist as his successor!"

—

One of the most revered figures in the music industry stood blocking the entrance with a microphone in hand.

And when you tried to slip around through a side door—

The pinnacle of female rock vocalists stood waiting beneath a Black Rose Mask.

—

"My, my. Aren't you adorable little newcomers?"

"We're not exactly newcomers..."

"Do you have over twenty years of experience?"

"..."

"Then you're newcomers."

—

No matter which direction they turned, they ran into one of the Four Heavenly Kings.

It was a day when singers who normally would've been strong enough to reach the finals suffered crushing defeats.

"I think I got flattened so badly my market value dropped by about two thousand won."

Everyone laughed at the joke.

Then the singers arriving backstage suddenly swallowed hard.

A heavy pressure filled the air.

Standing there was a massive man wearing a half mask and a purple cloak that looked fit for an emperor.

It's Senior Cha Woohyun!

Part of it was his nearly 190-centimeter frame, honed through years of exercise.

But the singers felt intimidated for an entirely different reason.

—

The ultimate vocalist every ballad singer aspired to become.

A singer blessed with divine tone, technique, control, and vocalization.

—

The aura attached to those titles was overwhelming.

Gulp.

He's scary.

Wow... that presence...

Seeing Cha Woohyun up close was genuinely intimidating.

People obsessed with something always carried a certain madness around them.

"Hello, Senior."

"Hello."

The half mask casually waved at the singers who hurriedly bowed.

As they passed him—

Huh?

It's Ri Hyuk.

They finally noticed the person standing behind Cha Woohyun.

Like him, Ri Hyuk wore a black cloak and a Sunflower Mask.

Perched atop it was an adorably small tiara crown.

Normally they would've found it cute.

But not today.

[...]

The atmosphere surrounding Ri Hyuk was anything but ordinary.

On stage, he was the first person to laugh and imitate King of Singers Sun Wooju while acting silly and approachable.

But the King of Singers standing backstage felt completely different.

He's got killing intent.

Wow. He's young, but he's serious.

If Cha Woohyun radiated the aura of overwhelming strength—

Ri Hyuk radiated determination and fighting spirit.

"Hello."

[Hello.]

Ri Hyuk politely greeted the eliminated contestants.

Watching the tense atmosphere between the two singers standing barely a meter apart, the contestants hurried away.

They felt like they shouldn't stay any longer.

"Wow..."

The moment they entered the hallway, someone exhaled.

"The atmosphere is insane, right?"

"Seriously."

Cha Woohyun's presence alone was enough to suffocate people.

But—

"Ri Hyuk is incredible. Even with Senior Cha standing right beside him, he doesn't look intimidated at all."

"For real. I'd have shrunk into myself immediately."

"If anything, I felt the opposite. Like he's determined not to give an inch."

But the part they truly admired was something else.

What did it mean if someone wasn't overwhelmed by Cha Woohyun's pressure?

It means his skills back it up.

It meant he possessed enough confidence in his own ability to stand before Cha Woohyun without fear.

And in their eyes, Ri Hyuk had earned that right.

He'd spent the last month and a half proving it.

Even if Mission Singer had never featured the Four Heavenly Kings, none of them were confident they could defeat Ri Hyuk and become King of Singers themselves.

That's a different realm.

A monster vocalist in his twenties, born from overwhelming talent and relentless effort.

The vocalist widely regarded as the finest singer among Korea's younger generation.

They couldn't help wondering what he would show them today.

"I need to get back to the waiting room and watch."

"Same."

Everyone rushed toward the televisions.

Not just them.

Everyone involved with today's production gathered around screens to watch the competition unfold in real time.

Meanwhile—

[Hmm.]

Contrary to everyone's expectations, the two singers standing a meter apart were having a perfectly friendly conversation.

[King of Singers Sun Wooju.]

[Yes, Orpheus.]

[Did you receive the link I sent you?]

[Yes. Thanks to you, I came after drinking the tea that's good for the throat.]

Ri Hyuk confirmed he had arrived in top condition.

Cha Woohyun nodded.

Then he rummaged through his pocket and handed something over.

Throat candy.

[Eat it afterward.]

[Thank you.]

Silence settled over them again.

The two singers quietly took deep breaths while preparing for the match.

Then—

"Orpheus, God of Song. Please come up."

The half mask nodded.

Then he turned toward the smaller Sunflower Mask.

Pat.

Pat.

A gentle hand patted Ri Hyuk's shoulder.

[I'll be waiting for you up there.]

With those words, the God of Song walked toward the stage.

As though showing the future his junior might one day reach.

"WAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

The audience erupted into cheers.

Watching the stage explode with applause, Ri Hyuk quietly tightened his grip on the microphone.

Everyone has moments when they get nervous.

Even a singer with nearly twenty years of experience couldn't completely escape it.

I'm nervous.

Cha Woohyun nodded as he felt his breathing tremble slightly.

The vibrato should come out nicely.

No professional singer could completely eliminate the pressure and tension before a performance.

A true professional learned how to use that tension.

"WAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

The cheering audience stretched before him.

Cha Woohyun quietly took his position.

No introduction was necessary.

He was Cha Woohyun.

[Once again, following last week, Orpheus, God of Song, has challenged the King of Singers!]

[I can't wait to see what kind of stage he'll show us today.]

The lights gradually dimmed.

Darkness settled over the audience.

A single spotlight descended upon the half mask.

Casting a massive shadow behind him, Cha Woohyun looked down at it and slowly closed his eyes.

I've already sung enough songs meant to win.

To keep his promise to face Ri Hyuk, he'd selected songs designed to make the strongest impact.

Because if Baek Siyeon happened to unleash a 120-percent performance, he might never reach the finals.

So he'd done whatever it took to get here.

But now he no longer needed to climb.

Now he only needed to sing the song he wanted his junior to hear.

What song should I show Ri Hyuk?

It was something he'd thought about long before joining the show.

He liked Ri Hyuk tremendously.

He reminds me of myself.

His manager insisted otherwise and claimed, "Hyung, you're more like Junghyun."

But Cha Woohyun refused to budge.

There were too many similarities.

If he had to choose one—

The desire to improve.

The refusal to settle.

The constant drive to climb higher.

Three years ago, when they filmed Masterpiece Choir together, Ri Hyuk had been like a chick fresh from the egg.

Now he had become a phoenix.

And his vocal style had grown increasingly similar to Cha Woohyun's.

It wasn't because Ri Hyuk had copied him.

There were many paths up a mountain.

But the summit was the same.

When singers pursued the ultimate peak of vocal artistry, their styles naturally converged.

Watching Ri Hyuk's reign on Mission Singer, Cha Woohyun understood that better than anyone.

He knew how obsessively the younger singer studied vocals.

How many hours of practice it had taken to reach this level.

A junior walking the same path I once walked.

That was why he wanted to show him.

The road ahead.

And the destination waiting at the end of endless effort.

Hoo—

The tension drifted away with a soft breath.

Then the God of Song began to sing.

May I leave a little more slowly?

Before today fades away into sunset.

It was Poem About Yesterday, the OST from the drama Sleep that NewBlack had released three years earlier.

Back then, it had become one of the most beloved drama OSTs of the year, even competing against NewBlack's own title track, Windflower, on music shows.

A song about wanting to remain in the past while time continued moving forward.

Its lyrics flowed through Cha Woohyun's voice.

What is pushing me onward?

I only wish to move a little slower.

He was merely singing softly.

Yet a piercing sadness settled into people's hearts.

His slightly husky tone carried the opening verse.

The sheer volume of his voice spread like a tide.

Goosebumps rose across the audience.

Time flows on and everyone moves ahead.

Would it be so wrong for me to remain a little longer?

His voice felt like a faded photograph.

Cha Woohyun closed his eyes and immersed himself in the emotions.

Everyone experiences moments when time seems to pass too quickly.

Moments they want to hold onto forever.

Moments when they simply wish things would stay the same.

But as time passes, things gradually drift away.

College friends begin marrying one by one.

Parents who once spent every weekend hiking slowly start staying home, their faces lined with age.

Photo albums yellow with time.

Like sand slipping through clenched fingers.

Cha Woohyun poured those familiar emotions into every note.

Audience members nodded quietly.

Others wiped away tears before anyone could notice.

They had become immersed in the feelings carried by the song.

Another day will pass unchanged.

Everyone sings of tomorrow.

But I sing for you.

A poem for yesterday—

A poem dedicated to yesterday.

To the happy moments that could never be reclaimed.

The God of Song lifted his voice powerfully into the chorus.

"Woooooo—"

A brief howl.

Then he raised the microphone.

When the weary night finally ends,

another yesterday will arrive.

In Sleep, the lyrics had seemed to comfort the protagonist.

Tonight, they comforted the audience.

As the song transitioned into the second verse—

Only then did the panelists finally exhale.

"Wow..."

"That's insane."

The audience felt the same way.

Now they understood perfectly why Cha Woohyun occupied such a revered position within the music industry.

His ability to convey emotion...

Every technique.

Every vocal flourish.

Every aspect of his singing served a single purpose.

To communicate emotion.

To draw out the emotions already hidden inside listeners and create resonance.

To make them feel they weren't alone.

This is what singing is.

The performance felt as though it were declaring exactly that.

As the second verse continued, Cha Woohyun quietly looked across the audience and nodded.

Good.

On stage, he felt freer than anywhere else.

—

Why did you become a singer?

Because I love singing.

—

Years ago, people had criticized that answer as lazy during a rookie interview.

But he'd meant every word.

At their core, singers debuted because they loved to sing.

Because they wanted to share their emotions.

Because they wanted to tell their stories.

That was why singing was the hardest monologue in the world.

You had to hold a conversation with an audience that could never answer.

Reading only their expressions and breathing in real time.

May I leave a little more slowly?

Before tomorrow arrives as sunlight.

Every subtle shift in the atmosphere changed his technique.

Instinctively connecting with the audience's emotions, Cha Woohyun gradually raised the pitch.

You're watching, aren't you?

A senior singer showing his junior the goal he should pursue.

King of Singers Waiting Room.

"Wow..."

"Wooow..."

Nobody could say anything besides exclamations.

The younger members stared with their mouths hanging open.

The managers were no different.

Even Mingi hyung, who normally paid no attention unless his favorite artist Lisa was performing, was covering his mouth in disbelief.

"That's insane..."

"He's genuinely crazy about singing."

Even staff members who watched performances for a living were reacting the same way.

Jiho said,

"No, seriously. Hyungs. When we sang that OST, it didn't sound anything like this."

"Not even close..."

Biju muttered blankly.

"How does he sing that by himself? That song wasn't even designed as a solo track."

"R-Right."

Ironically, I was probably the most shocked person in the room.

After all, I'd written the song.

What was the advantage of a group song?

It allowed singers to divide difficult parts among multiple members.

By that standard, Poem About Yesterday was not an easy song to sing alone.

Yet Cha Woohyun performed it so naturally that it felt as though it had always been a solo piece.

I couldn't help feeling awed.

Junghyun said,

"He's not a King of Singers."

"Yeah..."

"He's a God of Song."

"A real God of Song..."

On the television, audience members were crying.

Panelists sat speechless in admiration.

Jiho sighed.

"What do we do about Ri Hyuk hyung?"

"He's probably shaking right now."

"Should I run under the stage and hug him? What if our hyung gets crushed?"

"Don't worry so much. Ri Hyuk will do fine."

I nodded reassuringly.

Then Wonseok hyung spoke up.

"But looking at it now, this really is Sun Wooju versus Sun Wooju."

"Huh?"

"Poem About Yesterday is your song."

He pointed at the screen.

"And the song Ri Hyuk's about to sing is one you arranged."

"...I guess you could look at it that way."

A sense of impending doom suddenly washed over me.

I could already imagine the future.

You blocked my path again!

Ri Hyuk shaking me by the shoulders while yelling.

Meanwhile, our manager seemed delighted.

"Cha Woohyun's performance is probably going to bring attention back to the song."

"That's... true."

Normally that would've been wonderful.

But right now all I could think about was Ri Hyuk.

I muttered,

"Why was I so good at writing songs back then?"

"You were inspired, remember? Back when you were working with the music director."

This wasn't even the first time Poem About Yesterday had appeared in a competition.

I knew it had been used before.

I just never imagined it would return as a weapon aimed directly at us.

Actually—

It wasn't really the song's fault.

The person singing it was simply too powerful.

The God of Song could turn a stick into a legendary blade.

And right now he was holding a shining sword.

"Seriously... he's incredible."

Watching the youngest member stare in awe, I nodded.

Now I truly understood why singers considered him the ideal.

And somehow—

As I watched the stage, I could almost hear Cha Woohyun's voice speaking directly to Ri Hyuk.

Ri Hyuk. Are you watching?

This is the road you're meant to walk.

A gentle voice.

Ri Hyuk.

This is how singing should be done.

A performance filled with sincere competitive spirit.

But also genuine affection for a beloved junior.

"..."

"..."

Everyone fell silent.

Because of the guilt suddenly creeping into our hearts.

Junghyun muttered,

"For a senior who wanted to put on such a sincere performance..."

We all remembered what we'd done.

—

"Kyahaha! We've analyzed ten years of Cha Woohyun's data!"

"So what are we going to do?"

"We're going to shamelessly target his weaknesses!"

"We're going to prepare a stage that makes him think, 'Wow. That's a dirty way to play the game.'"

—

Everyone quietly looked away.

Meanwhile—

"WAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

"That was an incredible performance from Orpheus, God of Song!"

The half-masked Orpheus gave a slight nod and stepped off the stage.

And today's protagonist began walking toward the spotlight.

[The moment you've all been waiting for! King of Singers! King of Singers! King of Singers! And Korea Hip-Hop's Number One King of Singers Sun Wooju is making his entrance!]

Everyone burst out laughing at the ridiculous title.

Biju looked at me.

"What do you think, hyung?"

"Honestly?"

I smiled.

"It's still going to be difficult."

Then I added—

"But I don't think his chances are zero."

As ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) I spoke, blue lights flooded the stage.

The screens transformed into a dazzling cosmic landscape.

Competition Hall.

The audience erupted the moment Ri Hyuk appeared wearing the Sunflower Mask.

"Oh my god, I'm so nervous."

"Me too."

"Wow... Ri Hyuk's stage is finally here..."

Everyone waited to see how Ri Hyuk would respond after Cha Woohyun's historic performance.

The lights dimmed.

Blue light swirled around him.

Like a galaxy.

[I am—]

Standing before the microphone, Ri Hyuk's voice echoed through the hall like a monologue.

[I am a comet orbiting the solar system.]

Stars flowed across the screen.

A comet streaked through them.

[Once every seventy-six years, I visit Planet Earth.]

The audience listened as though they were hearing part of the song itself.

Entranced by the beauty of his voice.

[I am—]

The voice speaking transformed into a singing voice.

"Halley—"

At that moment, a bright acoustic guitar intro burst forth.

Like a comet cutting through outer space, the melody surged forward—clear, refreshing, and direct.

The audience erupted into cheers.

It felt as though Ri Hyuk were saying:

Let me show you, Senior.

The Sunflower Mask spread both arms wide like a pop star embracing the stage.

Starlight poured down upon him.

Halley

The stage that had been crafted by the industry's greatest minds—

And arranged by a Billboard No. 1 composer—

Had finally begun.