Chapter 972: I Am the King of Singers, But...? (7)

After the recording for ended.

In the waiting room hallway, the eliminated contestants and surviving contestants were saying their goodbyes.

“Cherry, you worked really hard too.”

“It’s such a shame. I almost survived through the revival match at the end...”

“Jaechan! You worked hard!”

Conversations between the surviving contestants wearing masks and the eliminated contestants revealing their disappointment with their bare faces.

Since one of the long running contestants had finally been eliminated, the hallway was even more crowded than usual.

And the reason it felt especially crowded today was, above all else, because of one particular person’s presence.

“Ri Hyuk.”

“I’m seriously a huge fan, Ri Hyuk!”

“Hello! I’m Cherry from Sax. You know Saetbyeol, right? Saetbyeol and I are really close friends...”

People swarmed around the Sunflower mask.

The former King of Singers, ballad singer Yoo Jaechan, who had now removed his mask and revealed his face, spoke to Ri Hyuk.

“It was truly an honor competing against you, sunbae.”

“No, not at all. I should be the one saying that...”

The intellectual looking ballad singer adjusted his glasses.

“I don’t know if you’ll remember, but I greeted you once at an awards ceremony last year...”

“Ah, yes. I remember.”

‘He remembered me!’

Yoo Jaechan was overwhelmed by emotion at his senior’s words.

Ri Hyuk was younger than him, yet somehow never seemed young at all.

An overwhelmingly enormous presence.

Everyone there felt the same thing.

‘There’s something... something powerful about him.’

‘He’s extraordinary.’

Before today’s performance, he had seemed like an untouchable superstar because of his immense popularity.

But now...

It felt like they were witnessing a genius vocalist.

Rather than “I should be careful because he’s so famous,” it was closer to pure respect from one vocalist to another.

“This is seriously insane.”

A few contestants watching Ri Hyuk from afar whispered among themselves.

“What was I even doing at twenty one? I think I just drank all day.”

“Ri Hyuk is twenty one...?”

“Was this even possible at that age? Seriously, what was I doing with my life?”

Faces filled with awe.

More than anything, his rate of growth was terrifying.

-He wasn’t this good back then?

Even during NewBlack’s debut days, he had been the kind of singer people casually praised with comments like, “Wow, that idol actually sings like a real singer.”

But in just four years, he had evolved into someone worthy of being King of Singers.

And if several more years passed from here...?

“......”

“......”

As that thought crossed everyone’s minds, chills ran down their spines.

It was terrifying even to imagine.

Of course, not every singer could continue growing forever. Everyone had limits.

But every singer who had witnessed Ri Hyuk’s performance today could feel it.

-That’s not the end of it.

They could clearly sense that Ri Hyuk had not yet reached his ceiling.

This wasn’t the end.

That was the unmistakable feeling.

‘So that’s why Cha Woohyun said that...’

Cha Woohyun, the singer every ballad vocalist considered the ultimate ideal, had once commented, “My successor is Seo Ri Hyuk.”

It had become a huge topic among singers.

At the time, conversations like this openly circulated during drinking gatherings.

-“Did you see this? Cha Woohyun said Seo Ri Hyuk is his successor. Said there’s no one in their twenties better than him.”

-“Huh?”

-“It’s just lip service. Why are you taking it so seriously? Aren’t they close? They even came out together on New Universe as best friends. That guy’s probably just buttering up a superstar.”

-“Ah, seriously. That’s pathetic. The pride of Korea’s ballad scene acting like that... sighhh....”

But everything Cha Woohyun said had been true.

‘To think he’d be this good...’

They knew Ri Hyuk could sing well.

But the reality far exceeded what they had imagined.

“If we told people this, would they even believe us?”

“Probably not. Besides, we can’t say anything anyway.”

“Ah, right.”

The contestants thought there would be absolute chaos once the episode aired, though they were bound by confidentiality agreements and couldn’t say a word.

How would all the singers who had made those comments at drinking parties react?

‘My mouth’s already itching to talk.’

‘Ah, I seriously want to tell someone.’

While close contestants quietly exchanged those thoughts—

A figure slowly approached Ri Hyuk, who was currently giving fan service to the other singers.

“King of Singers Sun Wooju.”

It was none other than “Premium Supporting Role Braised Short Ribs,” whose energy was overflowing.

The contestant who had survived through the revival round had once again put his mask back on.

[Hehehe. I, Braised Short Ribs, have returned once more. From this moment onward, I pledge my loyalty to our new King of Singers.]

At the voice distorted greeting, Ri Hyuk clicked on his own voice changer.

[Is that so! Please take care of me! Kyahaha!]

[Hehehe! Just trust me! I shall become your gatekeeper and drive away all challengers...!]

The two clapped hands together and burst into giggles.

The person inside the Braised Short Ribs mask, musical actor Jang Jaerim, was in the best mood imaginable.

‘I survived!’

Before today’s recording, he had honestly wanted to get eliminated soon.

He needed to start preparing for a new musical soon, and the competition preparation had become increasingly exhausting.

The King of Singers only needed to prepare one song each week.

But surviving contestants had to practice four songs every round under the assumption they might make it all the way to Round 4. Even if they had no intention of challenging for the throne, they still had to prepare at least three songs.

Even with recordings happening once every two weeks, it was grueling enough that he’d wanted to leave the show.

But—

‘I have to stay now!’

Braised Short Ribs immediately changed his mind.

-The appearance of King of Singers Sun Wooju, possessing unrivaled skill!

This was guaranteed to work.

Absolutely guaranteed.

NewBlack, the group capable of creating rating explosions and turning people into “Uncle Bunny” fanatics just by appearing on childcare variety shows, had now thrown themselves into a competition program.

‘This is absolutely going to blow up.’

The ratings would be monstrous.

Episodes with ratings like this were a huge opportunity for him to introduce himself to the public.

[King of Singers Sun Wooju! I love you!]

[Kyahk!]

For that reason, the eyes of the surviving contestants and production staff as they looked at Ri Hyuk were overflowing with affection.

‘Walking ratings jackpot!’

‘Historic buzz...!’

Surrounded by people like that, Ri Hyuk smiled.

‘Ah... this is draining my energy...’

Ri Hyuk took a deep breath, wanting nothing more than to hurry back to his members.

‘I am Sun Wooju. Sun Wooju...’

He was attempting method acting by immersing himself in someone who only became more energized the more people surrounded him.

Then—

Ri Hyuk’s eyes met Jo Yuri, who was hiding in a corner wearing the Wolf mask.

‘Why’s she acting like that?’

They had only made eye contact, but she visibly flinched and became awkward.

Bow.

Seo Ri Hyuk bowed first as a gesture meaning “good work.”

The other side awkwardly bowed back.

That was when someone said—

“But when are they coming?”

“Seriously.”

“It feels like they should be here by now...”

After the eliminated contestants waved goodbye and disappeared—

The only people left were the five surviving contestants, including the King of Singers, along with their managers.

The reason they had remained was simple.

-The drawing lottery.

They needed to draw the theme or mission for the next competition.

It was a rule strengthened after the manipulation scandal from the early days of .

Back then, another producer had been exposed for secretly telling certain contestants he favored the themes an entire month in advance. Since then, the show had changed to a fair lottery system conducted in the presence of contestants and managers alike.

As the contestants waited in the hallway—

“Sorry for the wait!”

Producer Park Yeonhee walked over with cameras trailing behind her, smiling brightly.

‘What’s with her?’

‘Did something good happen?’

The contestants tilted their heads.

Producer Park, who always looked exhausted, seemed unbelievably happy today.

Those who could guess the reason simply thought, ‘Is it because of Seo Ri Hyuk?’ and moved on.

“All right! Shall we begin the drawing?”

“Yes!”

Three more people emerged from behind Producer Park.

They seemed to be managers of singers participating in the next competition.

“Now then, here are the themes for the next round. Can you see them?”

Keywords like [Breakup], [Youth], and [Food] were placed inside a transparent lottery box and thoroughly mixed.

“All right then, our King of Singers!”

“Sun Wooju! Sun Wooju!”

King of Singers Sun Wooju stepped forward with his eyes closed and slid his hand into the box.

His pale, elegant fingers picked up a slip of paper.

‘His hands are so pretty...’

‘Beautiful...’

Ri Hyuk unfolded the paper.

[Youth]

The moment Jo Yuri saw the keyword through the Wolf mask, she clenched her fist.

‘That’s my keyword.’

Rock songs about youth flashed through her mind.

Maybe next round, even if she couldn’t become King of Singers, she might at least challenge for the throne.

At the same time—

The other contestants’ eyes lit up too.

‘I’ll definitely survive again next round. As long as Ri Hyuk is here, I absolutely have to stay.’

‘It’s a difficult theme, but I’ll try.’

‘Youth... not bad.’

Braised Short Ribs, Lucky Girl’s main vocalist Allie, and survival show winner Dokgo Young all nodded.

As filming wrapped up and the contestants dispersed—

“Wait a second...”

Braised Short Ribs blinked.

Then he turned his head and counted the managers who were leaving.

Including the four singers appearing two weeks later, there should have been nine managers total.

But there were only eight.

‘One’s missing?’

There was no way a single manager would handle two singers.

‘Did they not finish casting someone yet?’

That didn’t seem likely either.

After returning to the waiting room, he removed his mask and became musical actor Jang Jaerim once more.

“What’s wrong, Jaerim?”

“No, something just feels weird... the number of managers doesn’t add up...”

“Really?”

“Well, it’s probably nothing.”

He scratched his head.

“But why do I keep getting this strange feeling?”

“?”

“No, it feels like another huge person is about to appear.”

“You’re imagining things. It’s because you met Ri Hyuk this time.”

“Probably, right?”

The musical actor nodded after thinking it over.

It was probably just his imagination.

Click.

Ri Hyuk opened the waiting room door and walked in.

“Hoo...”

“You worked hard, hyung.”

“Ri Hyuk, good job~”

He waved off our praise and collapsed onto the sofa.

“It’s finally over. Ahh... I’m exhausted.”

“Did you draw the theme? What is it?”

“The theme...”

Ri Hyuk showed me the slip of paper.

[Youth]

“Oho...”

I stroked my chin and sank into thought.

Stages that could be built around the keyword “youth” were already appearing in my head.

Seeing my expression, Ri Hyuk awkwardly said—

“Um... it’s okay now.”

“?”

“I’m saying I’ll be fine without help now.”

“!!”

The younger members looked shocked at Ri Hyuk’s words.

“Wow. Ri Hyuk’s conscience.”

“Look at him. After getting all that help, now that he became King of Singers he’s tossing aside Useful Rabbit Sam just because he’s no longer needed. What do you call that again, Junghyun hyung?”

“Throwing away the hunting dog after catching the rabbit.”

“Ri Hyuk hyung’s exactly the same. Just like Wooju hyung suddenly threw aside Rabbit Sam after the nursery rhyme went viral...”

I cut in.

“When did I ever do that?”

“After Rabbit Sam’s nursery rhyme became popular, you got jealous and started saying there can’t be two suns under the same sky...”

“So that’s what happened... right...”

I stuffed a snack into the maknae’s mouth to shut him up.

Meanwhile, Ri Hyuk hurriedly explained himself.

“No, I don’t mean ‘I’m King of Singers now so I don’t need your help anymore!’ It’s absolutely not like that. I’m not Wang Jiho.”

“!!”

Jiho, unable to refute because his mouth was stuffed with snacks, pounded his chest in grievance while our main vocalist continued.

“What I mean is, now that I’m King of Singers, there’s no need to prepare songs strategically anymore.”

“That’s true.”

The King of Singers on didn’t need any special strategy.

Since it was only defense rounds, all he had to do was pick a song that showcased his abilities to the fullest.

“Plus I only have to practice one song now, so it’s a lot more relaxed. And also... it feels like I’ve already received way too much help.”

“Hmm...”

“I think this is enough. So from now on, I’ll try doing it with my own strength. Thanks for everything.”

At those words, Junghyun made a sinister expression like a scheming minister from a historical drama.

“Translation: You’ve been useful until now, but your role ends here. Prepare to die.”

“When did I say that!?”

While the younger members teased Ri Hyuk for being ungrateful, I thought for a moment before saying—

“Okay.”

“Hm?”

Ri Hyuk looked even more confused by my reaction.

“Aren’t you supposed to try persuading me at least once? Like, ‘Are you really sure?’ That’s usually your pattern.”

‘Because I’m appearing the round after next.’

...Obviously, I couldn’t say that.

So instead, I smiled and placed a hand on Ri Hyuk’s shoulder.

“Because your hyung believes in you.”

“What’s with that fake smile...?”

“...Our Ri Hyuk, I love you!”

The moment I redirected things with an “I love you,” Ri Hyuk’s ears instantly turned red.

Only Mingi hyung, who knew the full story, quietly snickered.

Meanwhile, sounds of the other contestants noisily preparing to leave echoed through the hallway outside.

“By the way...”

Ri Hyuk looked toward the other members.

“How did you guys get here?”

“?”

“We snuck in, obviously, but how did the three of you get here?”

The production staff had requested that everyone keep their identities hidden until the broadcast aired.

That was why the younger members had hidden themselves too.

If NewBlack members were seen wandering around the station, rumors about might spread.

“Ah, we...”

Biju answered confidently.

“We used the perfect method to hide our identities.”

Ri Hyuk nodded knowingly.

“Ah... so you used that method. The most foolproof way to hide your identity.”

“Yep.”

“Did you bring mine too?”

“We brought all five.”

Ri Hyuk and I smiled contentedly.

TBC Underground Parking Garage.

Celebrity managers sat in driver’s seats while TBC employees preparing to go home started their engines.

Ssssh—

A dark shape stirred within the dim parking garage.

“?”

“??”

Several sets of footsteps echoed simultaneously before giant silhouettes emerged from the darkness.

“!”

“!!”

Huge mascot costumes walked past the startled onlookers.

Five teddy bears.

The drivers blinked and twisted their heads while gripping their steering wheels.

Then the teddy bears happened to look back at the exact same moment.

ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

‘......’

ʅ ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ ʃ

‘What the hell? Why are they dancing...?’

An awkward silence spread.

Inside the mascot costumes, the NewBlack members smiled proudly.

‘Success!’

‘Nobody knows it’s us!’

Watching the teddy bears run off in a flurry, the drivers chuckled warmly.

‘What? It was NewBlack.’

‘You scared me.’

‘Do they need to hide their identities for something...?’

Industry people simply pretended not to notice.

The next day.

“Ughhh...”

“Tired?”

“Yeah.”

I stretched as I spoke.

“Ri Hyuk was the one competing, so why am I exhausted?”

“Waiting around is always more tiring. Even when I filmed Gods, waiting on set was harder than the actual filming.”

“Maybe that’s why.”

Ri Hyuk had been the one performing, but somehow I felt unbelievably drained too.

Was it because I’d spent all of yesterday anxiously thinking, ‘Ri Hyuk has to become King of Singers... he has to...’?

Jiho spoke up.

“Ri Hyuk hyung completely collapsed. I opened his door this morning and he wasn’t moving at all.”

“Let him sleep. He must be exhausted.”

The kid already had a reputation for being the physically weakest among us, and he’d just survived nearly eight hours of recording.

“Let him rest.”

Thinking about Ri Hyuk sleeping soundly, I looked around.

The Gocheok Dome visible in the distance was gradually getting closer.

“We’re almost there.”

“Wow, traffic’s already building up. Good thing we came early.”

Today was our day off.

Before heading out for the Brazil and Argentina tour, we were taking time to rest and recover our condition.

And—

Jiho and I were heading to Gocheok Dome to meet our respective close friends.

I was meeting Taehyun, Hanbyeol, and the younger line, while Jiho was seeing Jihoon, whom he’d become close with through acting.

[TNT : We Are Back]

Seeing the banners fluttering above Gocheok Dome, I smiled.

Today, we planned to relax while watching our friends’ concert.

TNT’s long awaited full group concert at last!

After their full group performance during the Pyeongchang Olympics, this was TNT’s first concert with fans as a complete lineup.

‘Ah... this feels amazing.’

Together, TNT’s fandom, entered Gocheok Dome with blissful expressions.

Everything felt beautiful and perfect.

Although TNT was known for having a high ratio of solo fans, the group absolutely still had group fans as well.

And even solo fans didn’t necessarily want only solo activities from their favorites.

To people like them, this concert and comeback album felt like a gift.

“Did you see this? The song’s number one on the real time chart right now.”

“Waaah... the fandom power is insane.”

They smiled while looking at the comeback song sitting at #1 on Mango’s real time chart.

‘Youngjoon...!’

‘Youngjoon’s doing so well!’

After Park Taejun left and former Executive Director Han Youngjoon rose to CEO, TJ Entertainment had finally started returning to normal.

The comeback song’s quality alone was incredible.

A song that perfectly targeted the fandom’s tastes while also making the general public react with, “TNT’s comeback song is really good.”

‘Things are better now.’

‘Not quite like the company next door, but this is still excellent.’

Maybe not to the level of Lemon Entertainment across the street, but lately TJ Entertainment’s work had become noticeably more satisfying.

Fans sitting in the audience chatted away.

“Did you see Taehyun’s Uncle Bunny fancam yesterday...?”

“So cute!!”

“Seriously, isn’t he a born idol? He’s literally just doing a simple dance...”

That was when they heard a whisper nearby.

“...What exactly is Uncle Bunny’s appeal anyway?”

The comment wasn’t meant for them—

But because the speaker had such excellent projection and diction, even the tiny whisper slid directly into their ears.

A voice sincerely questioning the person beside them.

“Am I missing something? Honestly, I’m cuter than Rabbit Sam...”

‘What nonsense.’

‘Who is this? How shameless can you be...?’

The Together fans stared in disbelief at this ugly jealousy directed toward Rabbit Sam.

Then—

Their eyes met the gaze of someone wearing a baseball cap and mask.

“!”

“!!”

Even though it wasn’t a TNT member, any Korean could recognize him from his eyes alone.

‘No way.’

‘It’s the real Rabbit Sam...!’

The Together fans froze after spotting Wooju and Jiho sitting nearby.

Then Wooju rummaged through a bag and pulled something out.

Swoop—

“?”

“??”

The nation’s top idol pulled out a fluffy rabbit doll and greeted them.

[Nice to meet you, little Together children! It is I, Uncle Bunny!]

The TNT fans burst out laughing and coughing at the same time.

And then—

Within moments, idol fandom social media exploded into chaos.