Chapter 986: I Am the King of Singers, But...? (22)

Sun Wooju's voice flooded into the audience's ears.

Even though the high notes continued endlessly, there wasn't the slightest trace of fatigue in them. If anything, it was the kind of voice that only made people want to hear more.

In moments

When I miss those who've left

A sorrowful, aching voice.

In moments

When forgotten love

Becomes impossible to forget

This too will pass someday

Like this autumn

As the lyrics of Satellite unfolded, the audience quietly closed their eyes and immersed themselves.

And so my youth passes away.

The narrator wandering through the song never truly resolves that wandering in the end.

Because Satellite had originally been written by singer Choi Yujin himself at the age of thirty-two, based on his own experiences.

A painful and difficult time.

Youth ultimately failed to end its wandering, and by the time that wandering finally did end, youth itself was already gone.

Only then did he finally look around and realize winter had already arrived.

Flowers scatter and fall

Quiet winter—

Before the gray sea

My footsteps stopped

The feeling of the seasons gradually deepened.

A murky gray sky.

A lonely wind.

As each listener painted their own empty winter sea in their minds, the singer's voice filled that emptiness.

Step by step

I begin to walk again

The vocals slowly grew more powerful.

Unlike the fragile, scattered tone from the beginning, the narrator's voice gradually gained strength.

The youth who had wandered lost now rose toward the sky.

And then—

At last I meet

My beautiful

One and only satellite

Having reached above the clouds, the narrator finally meets the satellite he'd once mistaken for a star.

The "star" that symbolized life's purpose.

As a child and teenager, he'd believed he only needed to keep chasing that star.

Only to discover later it wasn't a real star at all, but a fake satellite.

And so the youth resented that false satellite and wandered endlessly in loneliness while searching for a true star.

But once youth finally came to an end, he realized something at last.

You alone

Without missing a single day

Stayed beside me

Unlike the distant stars shining silently millions of light-years away, the satellite had always circled nearby beyond Earth, watching over him.

It wasn't a star, but it was the closest light of all.

The song never explicitly stated what that satellite represented, but most audience members understood it as family or someone precious.

The people who always stayed by my side.

As the narrator in the night sky gently embraced the satellite-like existence, the song itself began to change.

Winter — which had once carried a negative meaning in the song — slowly transformed into something else.

A season of maturity.

A season of ending one's wandering and waiting for the spring to come.

And then—

At the end of loneliness

I will wait for you

As you wander

Shining brightly

The youth who had completed his own journey now became another satellite in the night sky, waiting for other wandering souls.

Lyrics from someone who had walked the path first, comforting those who would come after.

And unlike the original singer, Sun Wooju's own unique vocals warmly soaked into people's hearts.

Maybe it was because of the story between Wooju and his grandmother.

It felt almost like he was expressing gratitude toward the person who had helped him endure his own wandering period.

"Wow...."

As the voice overflowing with resonance powerfully rushed toward the song's climax, the Souffle fans covered their mouths.

'Wooju.'

Was it because the song sounded as though he were talking about his own growth?

The stage made it feel unmistakably clear that the singer standing there had grown tremendously.

Not just as a vocalist, but inwardly too — becoming someone stronger and kinder.

'Wooju really has grown so much.'

The melody carrying the emotions of youth gradually transformed again, swelling into something grand.

Completely painting the original song in his own colors, Wooju raised the microphone high.

At the end of loneliness

As you wander—

Even though he was singing alone, his voice surged toward the audience like a tidal wave accompanied by dozens of backup choruses.

For some reason, the three performances that had built up until now suddenly came to mind.

Probably because of the seasonal imagery.

'Spring, summer, autumn, winter...!'

'It's the four seasons.'

The sharper audience members gasped in admiration.

It felt like listening to the climax track from Sun Wooju's Four Seasons album series.

In spring, he'd reinterpreted a folk song to reminisce about youth.

In summer, he'd sung a confession song and become youth itself.

In autumn, he'd sung about youth reaching maturity.

And now, in Satellite — standing between autumn and winter — he was saying farewell to youth itself.

"Wow...."

Singers watching from the waiting rooms and celebrity panelists with music backgrounds clicked their tongues in amazement.

The idol panelists stared at Sun Wooju's performance with eyes so wide they looked ready to pop out.

Audience members covered their mouths during the highlight section or quietly wiped away tears.

Even a middle-aged man whose expression had barely changed throughout the competition was caught on camera staring blankly with his mouth slightly open.

"Wooju really is...."

Ballad singer Dokgo Young, himself a survival-show winner, stared at the TV in the waiting room and muttered,

"That kid seriously would've won even if he'd gone on an actual survival program."

"He probably would've won and held a concert at the main stadium by now."

"Exactly."

"No, but seriously, why did TJ even let him go? He looks like the kind of talent who could feed a company for ten years."

"How would I know? Even big companies mess up sometimes."

Meanwhile, Chairman Park Taejun collected yet another loss in the court of public opinion today.

And then—

Just like the opening of the song, the crane mask brought the performance full circle with a wistful voice before slowly lowering the microphone.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH—!"

Thunderous applause.

Deafening cheers.

The celebrity panelists rose for a standing ovation.

As the audience gradually emerged from the lingering emotions of the song, they scratched their heads with troubled expressions.

'Who am I even supposed to vote for now...?'

'Ri Hyuk might actually lose at this rate.'

'Uh... hmm....'

The audience members who'd confidently expected Seo Ri Hyuk to dominate now looked conflicted.

Then they looked toward the person responsible for creating this situation onstage.

For some reason, the crane mask seemed oddly smug.

Whatever happened, I'd decided to treat this stage like life or death.

Otherwise, I was going to lose by something like 79 to 21, and if possible, I really wanted to avoid a gap that humiliating.

Something elegant, like 60 to 40?

So I built a strategy to overturn the skill gap.

Target differences in taste!

Genre differences were difficult to exploit.

I had no idea what kind of song Ri Hyuk would bring.

But I could create differences in vocal style and atmosphere.

To contrast with Ri Hyuk's technically orthodox singing style, I intentionally approached Satellite — my final song — with a rougher, more instinctive vocal tone.

This kind of thing happened a lot when competition shows ended with narrow score gaps.

Wow, this choice is impossibleㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

This feels like orthodox martial arts master vs demonic sect master

Honestly, isn't this just personal preference at this point??? Calling it a skill gap feels weird

Yeah, total taste differenceㅇㅇ

I'd referenced the legendary matchup from an older survival show between veteran ballad singer Cha Woohyun and rock vocalist Baek Siyeon.

Of course, vocal style differences alone weren't enough to narrow the score gap.

So I added one more move.

Build narrative momentum.

Why was it that Korean audiences watched certain American TV kiss scenes and reacted with, "Uh... suddenly?" while romantic comedy dramas built up over ten episodes made people scream, "FINALLY...!" and celebrate like crazy?

The answer was buildup.

A U.S. drama where characters met five minutes ago and a Korean drama with ten episodes of buildup naturally carried different emotional impact, even if the scene itself was similar.

So I built a continuous narrative throughout the performances themselves.

A four-part story flowing through spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

In simple terms, while Ri Hyuk fought using a single stage, I was essentially bringing the combined explosive force of four performances.

That would shake people's hearts when it came time to vote.

Sun Wooju's Four Seasons series vs Seo Ri Hyuk's stage

It felt like trying to rate the fourth film in a movie franchise while instinctively taking the previous three films into account too.

So I'd carefully built the strategy and performed the song.

But then—

"WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH—!"

The cheers kept climbing endlessly every time I raised the pitch higher.

"WOOOOOOOOAHHHHH!"

Sudden bursts of applause.

Screams.

Excited faces.

Near-frenzied heat.

As I looked at the passionate expressions directed toward me after the performance ended, I froze stiff.

"WAAAAAAAAAHHHHH—!"

This isn't right.

Th-this isn't right.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH—!"

No.

Everyone, this isn't—

"Hip-hop! Hip-hop!"

"Korea's number one hip-hop artist Seo Ri Hyuk!"

"You're the best! Seo Ri Hyuk!"

No.

I mean, everyone, this is—

"WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH—!"

Ah.

What am I supposed to do now?

Fidget fidget.

"......."

Seo Ri Hyuk quietly watched the figure descending the stairs.

The crane mask.

For some reason, the crane approached looking like someone who'd committed a crime.

"......."

The eldest brother had just delivered a stage so spectacular that most singers would've already admitted defeat.

Inside the sunflower mask, Seo Ri Hyuk narrowed his eyes.

'That hopeless idiot who's only smart in weird ways.'

There was no need to explain what had happened.

This entire mess existed because that idiot's brain worked too well.

'Hmm. I can't let the score gap against Ri Hyuk get too extreme... I need to lose by only a narrow margin, so let's add one spoonful of strategy, one spoonful of vocals, then another spoonful of strategy... uoooooooh! It's overflowing!'

He could practically picture Wooju panicking while staring at something bubbling over with a "gwaaaaaah!"

He'd supposedly stepped onto the stage to help set up the match, only to accidentally climb onto the throne himself and panic.

Ri Hyuk looked at his eldest brother with exhausted disbelief.

'Thank god I'm actually good at singing.'

While Seo Ri Hyuk glared sharply at him, the crane cautiously approached.

"King of Singers Sun Wooju-nim...."

"Yes?"

"I'm counting on you, King of Singers Sun Wooju-nim."

"......."

At the sight of him clasping his hands together like he was praying, Seo Ri Hyuk barely suppressed the urge to scream "KYAAAAAAAH!"

Instead—

"At least cheer for me."

He decided to settle for receiving encouragement from the hyung he liked most.

As Seo Ri Hyuk waited for the other's response—

"......?"

After taking two steps closer, the eldest brother quietly hugged him.

Then gently patted his back.

"......."

Seo Ri Hyuk silently nodded toward him.

The other nodded back.

As the nearby staff cheered, "King of Singers fighting!" Seo Ri Hyuk adjusted his mask and quietly walked up onto the stage.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH—!"

Honestly, the stage Sun Wooju had just shown was the kind of performance that would've already defeated most Kings of Singers.

But—

'I've got this.'

Seo Ri Hyuk smiled coldly.

He was completely confident he could win.

After Satellite — the climax of Sun Wooju's Four Seasons series — finally ended—

"Now... at last...!"

The commentators shouted,

"The 43rd King of Singers, King of Singers Sun Wooju, takes the stage!"

"Please welcome him with a huge round of applause!"

Amid grand background music, the King of Singers wearing the sunflower mask began walking onto the stage.

Step. Step.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH......."

"Wow, that cape is insanely cool."

"Look at the crown."

Wearing a long flowing cape and even a small tiara crown, King of Singers Sun Wooju stepped onto the stage.

Back during the previous competition, people had looked at King of Singers Sun Wooju with affection more than anything else.

But now, they watched him with something almost like reverence.

'That's the King of Singers.'

'If Wooju is already that incredible, then what kind of monster is Ri Hyuk...?'

Because of the lead vocalist's unbelievable performance, the main vocalist's evaluation had risen even higher.

If second place was already a gold medalist, then what kind of existence was first place supposed to be?

Audience members clasped their hands together or whispered nervously to those beside them.

"What do I do? I'm so nervous...."

"Me too."

"God, I'm seriously nervous."

Everyone trembled with anticipation over just how incredible the next song would be.

'So this is where I'm going to be buried today.'

'As a Souffle, I can die peacefully now.'

As the Souffle fans who'd won audience tickets experienced pure heaven and reached the absolute peak of endorphins—

The song finally began.

A calm piano accompaniment intertwined with a clear voice.

Every night

Before falling asleep

I repeat these words

Inside my heart

Unlike Sun Wooju's resonant voice from earlier, this voice could be described as clear and solid.

Clean. Straightforward.

Even without a trace of flashy technique, the crisp sound alone sent chills across the audience's skin.

'Oh.'

'Is this that song?'

It was Today, We — the main OST from the early-2000s drama Ode to Youth.

Back then, it had been sung by rookie singer Cha Woohyun.

Just like the drama itself, which had achieved 43.3% ratings, older audience members and younger viewers who'd been elementary or middle school students at the time immediately lit up with recognition.

The story followed a rich protagonist who lost everything overnight and rebuilt his life alongside the people around him.

A drama beloved for its story of youths enduring hardship without breaking.

Reflecting that atmosphere, the upbeat, lively melody energized the audience.

Seo Ri Hyuk smiled faintly.

What kind of song should a King of Singers choose?

Honestly, there were too many songs he wanted to sing.

The word "youth" alone brought dozens of songs to mind.

But Seo Ri Hyuk had chosen strategically as well.

The kinds of songs I want to sing have probably already been chosen by everyone else.

Unlike the previous theme of "summer," youth wasn't actually as flexible a concept as people thought.

Because of that, it was easy to predict the kinds of songs other singers would choose.

Early rounds would naturally focus on youthful excitement, first love, and nostalgic innocence.

Later rounds would likely center around emptiness, wandering youth, or songs comforting those difficult years.

Those were originally the kinds of songs Seo Ri Hyuk had wanted to sing too.

But—

'Then the audience will get tired of it.'

By the later rounds, the audience would already be emotionally exhausted.

And by then, other singers would've already performed countless emotional songs about youth.

So what kind of song should the King of Singers perform at the very end?

That was why Seo Ri Hyuk chose not loneliness, pain, or wandering youth like the others.

Instead, he chose a song about bright youth.

Thanks to advice someone had once given him.

When things get difficult, think about the audience. Think about what kind of song you want to give them, and the answer will appear.

He wanted the audience to leave happy.

As electric guitar and drums rang out beautifully—

For some reason, the audience felt as though the sunflower mask were smiling brightly.

What kind of things

Will happen today

What kind of day

Will today become

Yesterday was hard

But maybe today will be different

A refreshing voice overflowing with excitement.

It was the kind of song that made people picture a group of friends happily walking beside the Han River during warm spring weather.

The rhythm naturally invited clapping, and middle-aged audience members happily joined in.

Smiles spread across the audience at the bright, lively song.

Love and work

I'm still clumsy at both

The song gradually built higher.

As the drums became more energetic, the vocals soared through the rock-ballad-like OST.

The singers seated on the panel marveled.

'He sings ridiculously well.'

'His vocals are even crazier than last week.'

If Sun Wooju had felt like a poet carefully shaping every lyric, then this felt like a sculptor polishing every individual note.

Like crafting clear, transparent glass. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

His tone alone was already unfair, but the way he freely crossed such a huge vocal range...

To singers, it was pure awe.

But while admiring him, the singers slowly developed subtle expressions.

'Hmm....'

'Ah... but for the audience, this alone won't be enough.'

'There needs to be something more....'

If the singers themselves had to vote right now, most would probably still vote for Seo Ri Hyuk.

But that was from a singer's perspective.

Just as they began thinking he needed one final decisive blow for the general audience—

King of Singers Sun Wooju gradually raised the key.

I won't hesitate

I won't worry

So just take my hand already

And finally, as the music reached its peak—

As the audience smiled unconsciously, swept up in excitement and immersed in the song—

Seo Ri Hyuk tightened his grip slightly around the microphone.

'I know a song with this kind of atmosphere alone isn't enough.'

Did other singers not realize audiences grew exhausted by the later rounds too?

There was a reason they still chose impactful, emotional, or heartbreaking songs anyway.

Even if audiences enjoyed bright songs, when it came time to vote, they usually gave their votes to songs that moved them emotionally.

But—

Seo Ri Hyuk was confident.

'In my own skill.'

No matter what kind of song he sang, he was confident he would become the King of Singers tonight.

And so, as the song raced toward its climax—

Like stretching out legs that had been tightly curled up.

Like spreading wings wide toward an open sky and soaring upward—

Seo Ri Hyuk raised the microphone high.

At least today

I can do anything

Look at the blue sky

Spread out before me

It felt like staring at an enormous blue tidal wave.

All the lingering colors left behind by the previous singers' performances—

The pink scent of beautiful youth.

The gray scent of lonely youth.

Everything.

A blue wave swept violently across the entire stage, and the audience unconsciously widened their eyes.

"Ah...."

The kind of moment where something so overwhelming leaves people too stunned to do anything except stare.

Then, half a beat later, cheers exploded from the audience as the sunflower mask sang the chorus.

Beneath the crashing sunlight

The shining people

That's who we are

Standing before the overwhelmed audience, NewBlack's main vocalist smiled.

Maybe not on every day.

But tonight, he was the King of Singers — the king of every vocalist standing here.

"Kya-ha-ha! I survived...!"