Chapter 968: I Am the King of Singers, But...? (3)

Seo Ri Hyuk.

To the general public, he was NewBlack's main vocalist—the one everyone agreed could sing well.

But—

Q. Is Seo Ri Hyuk truly top tier?

When asked that question, most people still tilted their heads uncertainly.

-Ri Hyuk? Yeah, he's good.

-I heard he's the best among idols... isn't he?

-If it sounds good to my ears, then he's good. That's enough for me~

Strictly speaking, it wasn't that people denied Ri Hyuk's vocal ability.

They simply didn't really know how good he was.

Most NewBlack songs leaned toward easy listening tracks or performance focused music.

There was an unavoidable gap between powerhouse vocalists belting sky high notes on TV competition programs and a handsome young idol charming concert crowds with a refreshing voice.

Of course, there had been Legendary Songs back in 2015, but few members of the general public bothered digging up footage from back then.

And even if they stumbled across it through the MyTube algorithm—

-He's good?

-Wow. Ri Hyuk seriously sings well.

-Damn, he's honestly better than a lot of actual singers.

He sounded incredible.

But nineteen year old Seo Ri Hyuk's vocals back then hadn't quite reached the level of completely overwhelming every singer on that program.

It felt more like—

'Ah, this is a kid talented enough that he could've succeeded as a singer too, but he chose the idol route instead.'

However—

Industry professionals viewed things differently.

"Wow...."

"That's really Ri Hyuk? Seo Ri Hyuk?"

The contestants rubbed the temples of their masks nervously.

'You've got to be kidding me.'

'No, but if he's here then....'

These were singers who understood Ri Hyuk's ability accurately.

-He might not make Korea's Top 20 vocalists, but he'd definitely make Top 30.

At first glance, ranking in the twenties didn't sound particularly impressive.

But the people occupying Korea's Top 20 were almost all monstrous vocal legends.

The generation of vocal beasts born in the seventies and eighties.

Ballad alone had singers like Cha Woohyun, The Moon, and Yeon.

Rock had monsters like Choi Yujin and Baek Siyeon.

And countless others besides.

People with at least twenty more years of experience than Seo Ri Hyuk.

Only after lining up all those veterans would Ri Hyuk's name quietly start appearing near the back end of the twenties.

Of course, someone could still ask what was so amazing about that.

But—

'Isn't he in his twenties?'

'How old is Ri Hyuk again? Born in '97... and this is 2018, so he's twenty two. That's insane.'

'At that age....'

That was the real point.

Ri Hyuk was still in his early twenties.

The only singer in his twenties standing shoulder to shoulder with veteran artists who had spent decades in the industry.

Even Cha Woohyun openly said it during interviews.

-Cha Woohyun: "Among singers currently in their twenties, nobody can beat Seo Ri Hyuk... unless I myself returned to my twenties."

When someone hailed as the god of ballads joked publicly about him being his successor, that already said enough.

In truth, anyone with even a decent understanding of music already knew how skilled Ri Hyuk was.

One look at the solo stages from NewBlack concerts made it obvious.

'His fundamentals are absurdly solid. Whether it's high notes or low notes, the pitch never shakes at all.'

'How does someone in their twenties sing like a university vocal professor?'

An orthodox vocalist polished through extreme training.

Within the range he could express, he displayed near perfection.

And the terrifying part was that his range was so diverse it was hard to believe he was a male singer at all.

Then add overwhelming vocal power and a crystal clear tone sharp enough to make your ears ring.

"......."

"......."

The singers stared blankly into the distance while watching King of Singers Sun Wooju clown around on stage.

'It was fun while it lasted....'

Luxury Supporting Actor Jangjorim, who would face Ri Hyuk in Round 1, smiled warmly while applauding.

'At least I won't meet him in Round 1.'

'Even if I make it to the semifinals, thank god I won't face Senior Ri Hyuk there.'

Singer songwriter Cherry and Lucky Girl's Allie quietly sighed in relief.

Unless they reached the finals, they wouldn't cross paths with him.

However—

Two men present wore particularly complicated expressions.

"Ah...."

Dokgo Young, the survival audition winner and today's strongest championship candidate, fiddled with his cat mask.

'Even if I win Round 1, I meet him in the semifinals!?'

The cat mask, who had assumed he'd cruise comfortably into the finals, suddenly felt deeply anxious.

And—

The reigning champion Yoo Jaechan also began rubbing the back of his neck.

Then his eyes met Dokgo Young's.

"......."

"......."

The two singers, who normally shared an awkward relationship, exchanged polite nods.

Just moments ago they had been fiercely sizing each other up.

Now they smiled warmly instead.

The cat mask spoke quietly.

"I think both of us are going to have to sing like our lives depend on it today. Ordinary stages won't cut it anymore."

"I'm seriously planning to risk my life out there."

"Fighting."

"Yeah... fighting to you too, sunbaenim. Let's both do our best."

The two singers clenched their fists encouragingly.

Onstage, King of Singers Sun Wooju danced around cheerfully.

'I already know he's good.'

'But... we can't just roll over for him either.'

Every singer present silently vowed to deliver the greatest stage possible today.

While the contestants tensed nervously—

"It's Ri Hyuk!"

"Holy crap, that's Seo Ri Hyuk!"

The audience had descended into full festival mode.

'I can't believe I'm seeing NewBlack in person!'

A superstar active on the world stage through Billboard and the Grammys.

A national idol beloved across every generation in Korea.

The biggest star in the country stood directly before them.

"Wooow...."

Even the other contestants and panelists stared blankly.

"No, seriously."

One entertainer muttered,

"Why would someone like King of Singers Sun Wooju appear on a shabby little show like this...."

Another entertainer immediately scolded him.

"Hey. Are you saying our show is shabby?"

"Isn't it?"

"Not a little shabby. Extremely shabby! My god, how did someone so precious end up here...."

When King of Singers Sun Wooju stopped doing the Uncle Rabbit choreography, questions exploded from every direction.

"What made you decide to appear on the show?!"

King of Singers Sun Wooju shamelessly answered,

[Hmm~ I felt like people only paid attention to my visuals until now~ They keep calling me a fashionista!]

Boooooo—

The audience booed loudly.

King of Singers Sun Wooju responded haughtily.

[Hmm~? What kind of reaction is this? Are you all looking down on me, King of Singers Sun Wooju, internationally recognized fashionista of the Met Gala?? I am a once in a century fashion icon acknowledged by celebrities worldwide!!]

The audience burst into applause and laughter.

'He imitates him perfectly.'

'Feels exactly like Sun Wooju.'

The sunflower mask continued acting ridiculous.

[Anywaaaay! I thought it was about time people started paying attention to my singing too~ Lalalalala!]

Then he flirted shamelessly with nearby couples and middle aged audience members.

"Ri— Wooju!"

"Sun Wooju! Sun Wooju!"

The mothers waved frantically.

When the sunflower mask struck another playful finger heart pose, one of the judges immediately blew a whistle to stop him.

Fan service before the competition counted as unfair conduct.

[Unfair conduct...? Is being cute considered cheating too!!! Wooju is naturally adorable!]

The crowd exploded with laughter.

'He's so obnoxious.'

'Honestly, even if Wooju himself came here to strangle him, it'd be justified.'

As the sunflower mask finished the introduction segment and headed back toward his position—

"He's way too good at copying him. What if that's actually Wooju? Maybe it's Wooju pretending to be Ri Hyuk."

"Hey. Their builds are different...."

"What if Wooju can just crack his bones around and change his body shape?"

"Say something that actually makes sense."

Other than the physique, it looked exactly like Sun Wooju no matter who watched.

Just as the audience started wondering 'Wait... could it really be?'

One of the dolls slipped off Ri Hyuk's shoulder as he bounced away flamboyantly.

[King of Singers Sun Wooju!]

The commentators called out to him.

[You dropped a doll.]

[Eh!?]

King of Singers Sun Wooju hurriedly checked the dolls attached to his shoulders.

He instinctively checked the Ri Hyuk doll first before examining the Biju and Junghyun dolls.

Then a staff member approached holding Wang Jiho's doll.

King of Singers Sun Wooju stared at it with obvious annoyance.

[Honestly, this kid causes trouble even as a doll. Good thing generous older brother me is here to take care of him~]

[King of Singers Sun Wooju? Your tone just now sounded a little...?]

[Lalalalala! I love our adorable maknae~!]

He desperately recovered the situation, but the brief moment where Seo Ri Hyuk's real speaking tone slipped out sent the audience into hysterics.

Just from that single line, everyone could sense the complicated love hate relationship between him and Wang Jiho.

One hundred percent Seo Ri Hyuk.

After the shocking entrance of King of Singers Sun Wooju—

The returning contestants finally began making their entrances.

[Jorim~ Jorim Jangjoooorim~!]

[The friend of lonely bachelors~ Mom's homemade flavor~ Jangjoriiim~]

Starting with Jangjorim, who entered singing alongside soy sauce bottle mascot dancers, the contestants appeared one by one to loud cheers.

The real competition had officially begun.

[Now then! Here is today's tournament bracket!]

The commentators' voices echoed through the venue.

Like an actual sports broadcast, each singer's profile appeared onscreen alongside detailed commentary.

Strengths.

Key points to watch.

The sports caster hyped things up while a music critic and vocal trainer provided technical analysis.

Just as the audience became absorbed in the surprisingly informative commentary—

A video played showing the managers drawing lots under staff supervision to determine the theme.

『 Summer 』

That was today's keyword.

[July is just around the corner, isn't it? Bright refreshing songs to cool off the blazing summer heat are welcome! Emotional rainy season ballads work too. Even rock and roll about passionate summer nights is fair game!]

[I'm already excited to hear what songs everyone prepared.]

While audience members fiddled with their voting switches in anticipation—

[Now then!]

[Starting now, Round 1 of officially begins!]

Waaaaaaaah—!

The audience roared as the real competition finally started.

People laughed watching the VCR clips of masked contestants trash talking one another—

But the moment the first Round 1 match began, the audience gasped.

[Rockstar Sock Princess VS Lonely Wolf]

Indie vocalist Cherry, wearing the sock mask, calmly began singing a summer song.

Using her trademark arranging skills, she had transformed Girls On Top's famous summer hit <Love & Summer> into an acoustic version.

When this night passes

Where will we be?

That distant night sky—

Could it perhaps become the Milky Way?

The gentle acoustic melody soaked softly into the ears while the singer's voice rang out alongside the guitar.

'There's definitely a reason people like her survive so long.'

'The arrangement is incredible again.'

Her raw singing skill wasn't exceptional, but her unique arrangements and stage composition made her consistently memorable.

A performer who won entirely through atmosphere.

As the singer in the pink sock mask lowered her hand from the guitar strings, thunderous applause erupted.

[Wow. What a beautiful performance.]

[It truly felt like the Milky Way unfolding before us. The original song is an upbeat summer track, but she transformed it brilliantly. Even the simple lyrics suddenly feel meaningful.]

[Sock Princess used her legendary "your song is now my song" skill once again! Incredible!]

Sock Princess bowed politely and left the stage.

Then the contestant wearing the wolf mask stepped forward.

The moment the song began, audience members widened their eyes.

"! "

"!!"

Holding the microphone, the wolf mask tilted his head and released a haunting high note like a wolf's howl.

A chorus delivered entirely a cappella.

Combined with the glass-like mask material—

'It's Jo Yuri!'

A wild yet seductive male voice scraping against the melody.

The vocalist of a famous band, known nationwide for his unique tone and singing style.

And also a former contestant from the legendary first season of Legendary Songs.

"Wow, today's lineup is insane. Ri Hyuk's here, and wasn't Jo Yuri part of Legendary Songs too?"

"He appeared on it?"

"I think so... yeah, definitely."

Unfortunately, compared to some of the other Season 1 contestants, his fame had faded slightly.

In truth, Jo Yuri's band hadn't become less popular.

The others had simply exploded afterward.

Lisa, now starring in famous musicals.

Song Bohyung, the top earning trot performer.

Cha Woohyun, filling Olympic Gymnastics Arena concerts solo.

And NewBlack, who barely even needed mentioning anymore.

'NewBlack....'

Ignoring the word briefly crossing his mind, Jo Yuri gripped the microphone.

The song began softly before swelling into a sweet emotional chorus.

Even if I regret it—

Even if I long for you—

You and I will never change—

Our love story—

The sweet high notes of the beloved national hit rang through the hall.

Cheers and admiration erupted during the climactic chorus of the rock ballad themed around passionate summer love.

Even the celebrity panelists whispered among themselves in awe.

"Who is this? That voice sounds insanely familiar. Mouth the name to me."

Someone silently mouthed, Jo Yuri.

"Ahhh~"

"Wow, he's seriously amazing."

"Another champion level contestant appeared. Today's brutal."

He had clearly come prepared with sharpened claws.

Even during Legendary Songs, he had never fallen behind the other contestants vocally.

The result became obvious.

[Lonely Wolf 67]

[Rockstar Sock Princess 33]

Sock Princess, who had survived for over a month, applauded regretfully.

The victorious wolf mask bowed deeply toward the audience before leaving the stage.

Then—

"......."

Inside the wolf mask, Jo Yuri's eyes shifted toward the name King of Singers Sun Wooju on the bracket.

The opponent he would meet if he reached the finals.

Back then, he and his band members had looked down on that rookie.

Now that rookie had returned as a global superstar.

'I'll show everyone that fame and skill are separate things.'

Quietly, he clenched his fist.

After the explosive first match—

Round 1 continued rapidly.

[Yes! The winner is Alice in Wonderland!]

Lucky Girl's main vocalist Allie narrowly defeated her challenger.

[Victory goes to Mill Cat!]

[At this point we should call him Rabid Cat rather than Mill Cat. I can practically see his expression through the mask!]

[Remember, he declined the champion challenge last time! But now the problem is this—there are two additional champion level contestants today! If things go wrong, he might not even reach the championship stage!]

Mill Cat delivered a viciously intense performance and won Round 1 by an overwhelming margin.

And after those three fierce battles ended—

Only one final Round 1 match remained.

"Wow. I'm seriously excited."

"Me too."

At last, it was time for King of Singers Sun Wooju versus Jangjorim.

The first to perform was musical actor Jang Jaerim.

'So sweet. Ridiculously sweet.'

'Jorim! You're doing great!'

The song by indie band Peter Pan and the Strawberry Pirates, a reinterpretation of the musical <A Midsummer Night's Dream>, began playing.

Though he had encountered a terrifying opponent, he clearly had no intention of surrendering quietly.

His sweet voice spoke of dreams unfolding beneath a summer night.

Love.

Sweet fruit.

Lovers.

Within the soft, dreamlike fog, the Jangjorim mask sang the chorus.

They say love is seen

Not with the eyes—

But with the heart

Foolish and naive—

That is what love truly is

The Jangjorim mask moved passionately across the stage.

The audience showered applause upon the contestant giving absolutely everything he had.

It almost felt like a farewell performance.

[Jangjorim feels different today.]

[It feels like he's saying, "I've shown everything I possibly can." He burned himself completely on that stage.]

Amid chants of 'Jangjorim! Jangjorim!' the contestant quietly left the stage.

The audience tilted their heads in confusion.

'But why did he sing like that?'

'It sounded like someone expecting to be eliminated.'

His desperation felt strangely excessive.

Sure, NewBlack's Ri Hyuk was good—but nobody knew the outcome until they actually competed, right?

Just as people thought that—

King of Singers Sun Wooju slowly walked onto the stage.

"WAAAAAAAHHHHHH—!"

The sunflower mask, impossible to read, slowly swept his gaze across the audience before standing still.

What kind of stage would NewBlack's Ri Hyuk perform?

Audience members whispered among themselves.

Panelists sat politely, bracing themselves to avoid being criticized by Souffle later.

Staff members exchanged hurried signals while preparing the next stage setup.

Meanwhile, behind the sunflower mask, Seo Ri Hyuk quietly closed his eyes.

His leader stared directly into his eyes as he spoke.

"Ri Hyuk."

"Yeah?"

"You know mediocre won't cut it here, right? You need to sing several times better than usual."

"I know."

The reason he needed to perform perfectly—

"Unless you're genuinely awful, we're going to receive votes no matter what. People already like us. Unless your performance makes people think, 'No matter what, this is unacceptable,' you'll advance anyway."

The eldest member continued while looking straight at him.

"So you need to perform overwhelmingly well. So well that nobody can say you advanced because of popularity."

"Understood."

It was the strategy meeting they'd held immediately after confirming his appearance.

Junghyun and the maknae had initially gone, 'Just do what you normally do~', only to get scolded into silence by the others.

Among the countless ideas discussed, one conversation remained especially vivid in Seo Ri Hyuk's memory.

While he sat there touching his chin thoughtfully, the eldest member had bounced over energetically.

"Ri Hyuk."

"Yeah?"

"If you're okay with it, want me to help plan your strategy? I can make you win."

"! "

And so, he listened.

"First of all, in Round 1...."

Pulled back from his thoughts, Ri Hyuk slowly opened his eyes.

He gave the production staff a signal.

Then the music began.

"Huh?"

The audience widened their eyes.

Because the song was incredibly familiar.

It was one summer day

Lost inside the forest

When I heard a voice—

A beautiful whisper

.

A solo hit from a first generation girl group singer.

One of the most beloved karaoke songs in Korea.

A song everyone recognized instantly.

As Ri Hyuk sang sweetly, a familiar voice echoed through his ears.

-At first, we're going with shock therapy. People don't actually realize how good you are yet.

The clear, unwavering voice spread through the hall.

One by one, audience members slowly parted their lips in astonishment.

-The best way to leave a powerful first impression is to emphasize your physicality.

-Physicality?

-Choose songs everyone in the country knows. Songs people hear constantly, or songs singers frequently cover. Pick something that highlights what fundamentally makes your singing physically different.

Remembering someone's brilliant smile, Seo Ri Hyuk closed his eyes.

Faster along the river

Higher across the fields

Following the cool breeze

I chased after the whisper

A girl living a quiet, peaceful life in the countryside.

Drawn by the beautiful whispers echoing through the forest during summer, she runs joyfully deeper into the woods.

And there she witnesses—

A beautiful cluster of stars.

Something singing among them.

There were many interpretations regarding what exactly the protagonist saw in .

But one thing was certain.

'Wow....'

At some point, the audience had completely fallen into Ri Hyuk's song.

Blue lighting scattered beautifully across the stage.

Before an audience now staring at him with mouths slightly open, Ri Hyuk slowly opened his eyes.

-I have a question.

-Hm?

-What happens after people get shocked?

-After that... well....

The audience's astonished expressions overlapped with someone's faint laughter.

-That's when you show them who you really are.

NewBlack's main vocalist smiled quietly as he raised the microphone.

It was finally his time.

A moment he had waited for, for a very long time.