Chapter 970: I Am the King of Singers, But...? (5)

At that same time—

the audience members were eating dinner.

After nearly four straight hours of recording the competition program, they rubbed their stiff necks and shoulders.

“The singers are the ones singing, so why am I exhausted?”

“Exactly.”

“The celebrities are amazing too. How do they sit in front of cameras doing this for eight hours?”

Inside the TBC cafeteria, where the food had been set up buffet-style, audience members filled their trays with rice and side dishes before gathering around tables.

Families sat together, friends clustered up, and even people who had come alone naturally grouped together while eating.

“Mmm.......”

“Mm.......”

Everyone could feel the corners of their mouths twitching.

‘Ah. So this is what they meant by the king’s donkey ears.’

‘This is driving me insane.’

They desperately wanted to talk about a certain person.

If not for the confidentiality agreement they had signed, they would have already been flooding their group chats with messages.

-I SAW SEO RI HYUK!!!!!!!!

Normally, just spotting NewBlack walking down the street would already become a story someone repeated for an entire week.

But today they had seen NewBlack’s main vocalist appear on a vocal competition program.

Under the nickname “King of Singers Sun Wooju,” no less.

‘This isn’t just gossip. This is legendary gossip!’

‘Now I get why the donkey ears exploded. You literally can’t tell anyone.’

‘I wanna talk about it. I wanna talk about it. I wanna talk about it. I WANNA TALK ABOUT IT!!!’

It wasn’t simply because it was NewBlack.

They wanted to share the emotions they had felt from that stage.

How incredible the performance had been.

“Ha.......”

Someone set down their spoon and spoke.

“My mouth is itching so badly.......”

Everyone burst into laughter at the near-tearful complaint.

“I seriously... reeeally want to tell someone.......”

“We have to hold it in.”

“Exactly. What else can we do...?”

The staff had also asked them to avoid discussing anything that could specifically identify the contestants.

Even now, several production staff members were eating nearby while keeping sharp watch like hawks.

Of course, they weren’t policing every conversation.

There were certain topics even the staff let slide.

For example—

“So what do you think is gonna happen now?”

Discussion about the finals.

Someone asked in a whisper.

“It feels completely neck and neck.”

“Seriously. I have no idea who’s gonna win.”

No one could confidently predict the winner.

“He was so good too. ‘That person,’ I mean.”

“He seriously came prepared.”

“But who is he? Everyone else seems to know him... ah, that person? No wonder he looked familiar.”

Jo Yuri, vocalist of Jo Yuri Band.

Even the general public knew the name Jo Yuri Band fairly well.

They had frequently appeared on the digital charts around 2014 and 2015 and had also shown up on television quite often back then.

-Oh, that indie band that’s really good live?

That was roughly their public image.

Among music enthusiasts, Jo Yuri was acknowledged as one of the top-tier vocalists.

And anyone who frequently attended music festivals would react with, “Oh? Jo Yuri Band is headlining? Nice!”

The one thing everyone agreed on was that they were incredible live performers.

A slightly husky, distinctive voice.

High notes that still sounded pleasant even when he rasped them out.

Memorable stage presence.

Regardless of personal opinions about his music or the controversies surrounding his personality, he was considered a top-class vocalist everywhere he went.

If Seo Ri Hyuk hadn’t appeared today, the atmosphere would probably have been, Jo Yuri becoming king of singers? Yeah, that makes sense.

That was how unusual Seo Ri Hyuk’s existence was.

‘Seriously, what even is this situation?’

The more they thought about it, the less sense it made.

An idol singer was standing shoulder-to-shoulder against a band vocalist considered king-of-singers level.

Considering the general public’s perception of idol vocalists, it was unbelievable.

And yet, after seeing Seo Ri Hyuk’s stage, not a single audience member found it strange.

‘Round 1 was absolutely insane.’

By Round 2, they had adjusted slightly, but the shock of the first round had been on an entirely different level.

It had felt as though a vast blue ocean had spread out before their eyes.

If the audience had to pick the best performance of the day, that stage would have taken first place without question.

“Whoever wins, doesn’t this just come down to personal taste now?”

“Seriously... it’s just preference at this point.”

The audience felt the contestants’ skill levels were so close that the result now depended purely on taste.

However...

‘Jo Yuri does have a slight advantage.’

Technically, Ri Hyuk seemed just a little better.

The problem was that Jo Yuri specialized in rock vocals, which allowed him to choose explosive songs he could belt fearlessly.

That gave him access to the kind of intensely impactful stages that thrived on competition programs.

But if someone then asked whether Jo Yuri would definitely win because of that, the answer was still unclear.

There was another variable.

Public image.

‘Jo Yuri sings well, but he’s really kind of unlikeable.’

‘Something about him just rubs me the wrong way....’

People who searched Jo Yuri on portal sites would often end up clicking on the “Jo Yuri / Incidents and Controversies” section on AntWiki with a frown.

Stories and eyewitness accounts about him openly scanning female audience members during concerts before approaching them afterward.

The controversy about ignoring rookie NewBlack back during Masterpiece Group.

Backtalk targeting a famous indie band, saying they had no skill and were only popular because they were handsome.

Most ordinary people didn’t know these things, but among those who did, his image was pretty unfavorable.

Meanwhile—

‘Ri Hyuk.’

‘Our Ri Hyuk!’

Seo Ri Hyuk was a national idol beloved by everyone regardless of age or gender.

As people searched for Seo Ri Hyuk vocal clips on their phones in surprise, a NewBlack TV video appeared.

“‘Wait? Seo Ri Hyuk can sing this well?!’ — A video for everyone shocked by this fact”

It was a video from 2017.

“Huhu!”

“For everyone who watched the Korean Series national anthem performance~! You were shocked, right?”

The leader and his underlings grinned mischievously.

“Ri Hyuk’s vocal ability is seriously fascinating, isn’t it? How does a body that small produce that much volume?!”

As viewers nodded along, NewBlack suddenly put on solemn expressions.

“To be honest, we’re fascinated too!”

“We don’t know either! Why is his voice so loud?!”

“Maybe it’s because he spends all day yelling at his adorable younger brothers?!”

People burst into laughter.

Then the members turned to ask S-something, who had long black strips beneath his eyes, for his secret.

“The secret to singing well?”

“Yes.”

“There’s nothing special about it. Just don’t meet friends and practice singing for three years straight, and you’ll end up like this~”

As Ri Hyuk answered while barely moving his lips like a ventriloquist, viewers reacted with impressed noises.

Then suddenly, Ri Hyuk began smacking Wooju on the back.

“When did I ever say that?! Ah! This is so annoying!”

“But wasn’t my impression accurate?”

“Hey!”

Watching Biju, Junghyun, and Jiho collapse into hysterical laughter, people smiled warmly.

‘So Wooju was doing an impression.’

‘I seriously thought it was Ri Hyuk.’

‘This guy’s weirdly talented at the strangest things.’

The video continued playing before the smiling viewers.

It showed how Ri Hyuk had improved since his trainee days and how diligently he practiced.

And how proud and affectionate the members were toward their main vocalist.

Without realizing it, viewers found themselves smiling like proud parents.

‘I really like Ri Hyuk.’

‘Seriously, he would’ve succeeded no matter what he did. He feels like one of those hardworking model students.’

‘Jo Yuri sings well too... but I still hope Ri Hyuk does even better.’

No one discussed the finals anymore, but everyone’s thoughts were similar.

‘I hope Ri Hyuk wins.’

That was the power of the title “national idol,” something NewBlack had steadily built up over the past four years.

After dinner—

“Phew.......”

Ri Hyuk put on his mask and spoke.

“Alright, I’m heading out.”

“Have a good one.”

I waved goodbye, and Ri Hyuk stood there for a moment staring at me before waving back.

Click.

As the door shut, Minki hyung spoke up.

“Ri Hyuk is seriously......”

“Shh.”

I pressed a finger to my lips.

“Hm?”

Then, thirty seconds later—

I turned to the manager.

“You can talk now.”

“What?”

“You know how suspicious he is. Sometimes after leaving, he listens outside for a second to see if we’re talking behind his back.”

Our staff burst into laughter.

When I gestured for Minki hyung to continue what he’d been about to say, he nodded.

“Ri Hyuk is seriously nervous.”

“Well, this finals match is basically the king of singers match anyway. Makes sense he’d be nervous.”

Current king of singers Yoo Jaechan was certainly a good singer.

But honestly, compared to the people who had reached the finals now, he was weaker.

Whoever advanced was practically guaranteed to replace the current king.

One of the staff members spoke.

“Still, Ri Hyuk really has terrible luck in a way. I’ve never seen anyone climb Mission Singer this brutally.”

“Seriously, even Round 2 was basically king-of-singers level.”

“And Dokgo Young’s famous for his vocals too.”

Round 1 had been against musical actor Jang Jaerim, who had survived for nearly two months.

Round 2 had been against Dokgo Young, who won a survival audition purely through singing ability.

And now in Round 3, a king-level rock vocalist was standing directly in his way.

While the other staff members pitied Ri Hyuk for having such a hard time, Minki hyung and I quietly smiled.

‘Honestly, this benefits us more.’

‘Exactly.’

The whole point of appearing on the show was to display Ri Hyuk’s vocal ability.

In that sense, this situation was actually better for us.

Even among kings of singers, there was a difference between someone who climbed easily and someone who fought through terrifying opponents to get there.

Of course, Ri Hyuk would suffer a little more because of it...

“And now! Mission Singer enters its long-awaited finals and king of singers match!”

The waiting room TV switched back to the live stage feed.

“First of all, we’d like to thank our audience members for reacting so enthusiastically despite the long recording!”

The celebrity panelists and the two singers onstage applauded the audience.

Small cheers followed.

“Now then! Before the long-awaited finals begin, let’s hear the determination of our two singers! First up, Lonely Wolf!”

Jo Yuri, wearing the wolf mask, raised the microphone solemnly in character.

“I’ll risk my life to show you this stage.”

Loud cheers erupted.

Then King of Singers Sun Wooju stepped forward holding the flower microphone.

“On the honor of my younger brothers! I promise you this! Starting today, my name shall become King King of Singers Sun Wooju!”

Since “King of Singers” would become part of his nickname, he was joking that he would become “King King of Singers.”

People burst into laughter at the cute line, and King of Singers Sun Wooju shyly twisted his body around.

“Ah? Now that I think about it, this is embarrassing. Being called King King of Singers... perhaps this shall become another dark chapter in my history..☆? Kyahruk!”

The camera caught a middle-aged couple in the audience clutching their stomachs while laughing.

As our staff cracked up, I sighed.

“Please tell me I don’t act like that normally.”

“You don’t, Wooju.”

“Thank you.”

“You satisfied now?”

“Hm?”

I turned toward Minki hyung, about to ask something else—

when the finals officially began.

The first performer was Jo Yuri.

The wolf mask gripped a standing microphone as the intro started playing.

“WAAAAAH—”

The song he chose for Round 3 was Rain Shower.

A ballad about passionately confessing love to someone beneath a torrential summer rainstorm.

“Wow. He picked that.”

“That song’s insanely hard.”

It was the kind of song people attempted at karaoke to impress their lovers—

and usually failed miserably.

If sung well, it sounded cool.

If sung badly, the lyrics became painfully pathetic.

A song centered entirely around explosive high notes in the chorus.

The highest note reached third-octave G, meaning ordinary people usually cracked horribly trying to reach the high section and killed the mood instantly.

And...

it also happened to be CEO Park Gyuho’s favorite karaoke song.

-“KYAAAAAAK!”

I suddenly remembered the CEO passionately singing beneath spinning disco lights.

I barely managed to stop myself from laughing and instead coughed.

“Ahem.”

Then I listened to the intro with a grin.

Third-octave F.

Considering the vocal fatigue that had surely accumulated after the long recording and two previous stages, it seemed he had lowered the key by two notes.

A wise decision worthy of a veteran singer.

Thinking that, I watched the stage.

You were someone I could only admire from afar

At least once

I waited for your gaze

To fall upon me someday

It was an old-fashioned emotional song about a girl with long flowing hair and a lovely scent brushing past someone’s life.

The wolf mask sang quietly.

Gradually adding rasp into his voice as he approached the high section.

“WAAAAAAAH—!”

The audience erupted as he flawlessly delivered the infamous chorus section.

Celebrity panelists closed their eyes with satisfied “Kyaaa~” reactions while the wolf mask passionately belted the chorus.

“He’s seriously good....”

“Wow.......”

“Wow, he’s exactly as good as he was during Masterpiece Group.”

The wolf mask brilliantly unleashed the same vocal ability he had shown back then.

It was the kind of stage where placing the king’s crown on him right now wouldn’t feel strange at all.

And at the same time—

it was also the kind of stage that made our staff nervous.

“He’s... really good.”

“Whoa, he’s too good...?”

Even with Ri Hyuk being such a beloved favorite, overturning that wouldn’t be easy.

But—

“You don’t need to worry too much.”

I smiled at the staff.

“In my opinion...”

“Hm?”

“Ri Hyuk already won this match.”

Thunderous applause.

Cheering.

The wolf mask bowed politely to the audience and left the stage—

and the ridiculous flower mask walked up instead.

“WAAAAAAAHHHHHH—!”

King of Singers Sun Wooju appeared amid even louder cheers.

Maybe because of the weight of the finals.

As Ri Hyuk stood silently onstage, the audience clasped their hands together while cheering him on.

‘Ri Hyuk, fighting!’

‘Ri Hyuk!’

At last, the soft intro began, and Ri Hyuk’s stage started.

By now, summer oceans had become so strongly associated with Ri Hyuk that the backdrop naturally shifted into a seaside scene once again.

As the piercingly blue lights shone down—

A child

Who has never seen the sea

Draws the ocean

Again today

A low, quiet melody.

The audience’s eyes widened at the deeply emotional voice settling over them.

“Hm?”

The refreshing tone from Rounds 1 and 2 remained—

but the feeling was different.

Ri Hyuk’s voice drifted softly past his own ears as he held the microphone.

-Round 3 is the finals. At that point, you’ll need a different song choice. Whoever faces you will definitely bring something different from Round 2 too. A song that maximizes their greatest strength.

So he asked—

what kind of song he should choose.

-Give them another twist. Show people you’re not just a singer who’s good at bright, refreshing songs.

The public image people held of Seo Ri Hyuk was mostly limited to “clear and refreshing vocals.”

So this was the song chosen to reveal his true vocal range.

A song spanning low notes to high notes alike, requiring delicate emotional delivery and technique.

Fragments of a Dream.

Originally sung by Baek Siyeon, considered one of the greatest female vocalists, it was a unique mix of rock, ballad, and folk.

A song beginning with quiet low notes before exploding into grand sound during the chorus.

It told the story of an adult wandering beside the sea while remembering and comforting their lonely childhood self.

-You don’t need to do anything special, Ri Hyuk. Just show them your skill.

Just as instructed, the shocked audience began murmuring.

Eyes gently closed behind the sunflower mask, Ri Hyuk began delicately carving each note.

Like stacking a tower made from fragile shards of glass.

Emotion accumulated piece by piece.

In a dark room

Left behind in the corner

A child

Dreams again today

The loneliness of a child abandoned inside an empty house.

Inside the dream

The child meets a friend

And stands by the sea

A loneliness so deep that imaginary friends had to be created.

But dreams never last long

And the child

Quietly sobs alone

The delicate emotions Ri Hyuk built slowly seeped into the audience’s hearts.

Everyone had experienced pain as a child.

And as though gently comforting those wounded memories, the soft low notes quietly embraced the audience.

Gradually, they sank deeper into the song.

And somehow

I became an adult

Like this

Slowly, the melody began changing.

Soft strings swelled upward.

As Ri Hyuk gradually raised the notes, a story began unfolding before the audience’s eyes.

A child unable to adapt in a foreign land, suffering alone.

A child struggling to survive in Korea while searching for his own future.

And eventually—

that child met good people and became an adult.

After passing through a long tunnel, light finally arrived.

And then

I finally came to the sea

At last—

the climax.

The singer’s voice exploded during the chorus.

Look

Here is the sea

The sea

You longed to see

Goosebumps erupted across the audience’s arms.

Though he was singing alone, the overwhelming richness of his voice flooded the stage as if multiple people were harmonizing together.

The audience found themselves thinking Ri Hyuk was probably crying behind the mask.

Or smiling.

The sea

You longed for so desperately

To the adult you became

And to me

Who was once that child

A lonely child meeting good people and smiling while walking beside the ocean.

For some reason, people could almost picture five friends setting off fireworks along that beach.

Or perhaps singing about the night sea together.

“Waaah.......”

As the first verse ended and the melody swelled again, audience members quietly rubbed at their damp eyes.

An indescribable emotion kept blooming inside their hearts.

And—

“.......”

The wolf mask watching King of Singers Sun Wooju’s performance from below the stage slowly fell slack-jawed.

Jo Yuri’s pupils shook violently.

‘There’s... no way.......’

He knew Ri Hyuk was good.

He even knew Ri Hyuk had improved since Masterpiece Group.

But he still believed Ri Hyuk was beneath him.

Compared to himself, a vocalist with ten years of experience, Ri Hyuk was merely an idol approaching his fourth debut anniversary.

The result should have been obvious.

And yet—

“......?”

The song filling his ears now—

and the sight of Ri Hyuk gesturing atop the stage—

felt utterly unfamiliar.

Perhaps because the song itself was about a child becoming an adult.

The lyrics drifting toward Jo Yuri’s ears said—

Like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon

That’s how

I became an adult

The sunflower mask sang while spreading his arms like a butterfly opening its wings.

As though telling him this—

-While you remained standing still in that same place.

I finally climbed all the way here.