Chapter 988: I Am the King of Singers, But...? (24)

The audience’s hearts pounded.

‘This is insane.’

‘And I’m seeing this live.......’

Honestly, just attending today’s Mission Singer recording alone was enough to become bragging material for the next month.

They had won tickets through odds exceeding one thousand to one and witnessed Seo Ri Hyuk’s performance in person.

Then Sun Wooju had appeared disguised as National Hip-Hop Top Seo Ri Hyuk and engaged Ri Hyuk in a genuine head-to-head battle.

‘I used up all my lottery luck on this! Hahaha!’

‘I seriously burned through an entire year’s worth of luck.’

And right now.

Another legendary stage was unfolding before their eyes.

A duet performance from two members who had both demonstrated king-level skill.

‘How am I supposed to keep my mouth shut about this for a whole week?’

‘I’m bragging about this to literally everyone.’

While the audience was thinking that, NewBlack’s main vocalist and lead vocalist began humming together, drawing sighs of admiration from the crowd.

“Wow.......”

Like soft chocolate melting into warm milk, the two men’s voices intertwined sweetly together.

Ooooooo—

The two men looked at each other while harmonizing.

One of them wore a mask, so his face couldn’t be seen, but the audience felt like they already knew what expression he had.

Because he was probably smiling brightly, just like Sun Wooju was now.

Gulp—

The celebrity panelists swallowed hard while staring intently at the stage.

Middle-aged audience members quietly closed their eyes, while young couples tightly clasped each other’s hands.

The first to begin was NewBlack’s lead vocalist.

When I wander through very old memories

The rusty gate sways softly like a tail

When I carefully remove my shoes and step across the threshold

I can see your lap

Through the acoustic guitar melody, a deep mid-low tone spread throughout the hall.

The audience sighed in admiration.

‘It’s so much better without the mask.’

Was it because they could clearly see his expressions now, unlike before?

As Sun Wooju strummed the guitar and sang, deep longing radiated from his face.

A warm, swelling emotion.

Parents and elderly grandparents quietly smiled with their eyes closed.

Then a clear voice followed.

When I lay my head back and look at the night sky

Everything becomes traces of you

This star is your scent

That star is your touch

If Wooju sang with longing, Ri Hyuk sang with gratitude.

As though answering him, a deep, emotionally rich voice continued.

Now neither the stars frighten me

Nor does the darkness anymore

Then came the following voice — transparent and delicate.

But I still think about it

The night sky we gazed upon together

That night sea back then

Little by little, the two men’s voices intertwined more deeply.

A song reminiscing about childhood memories, telling a grandmother that those days spent together were missed and cherished.

As the audience sank fully into the emotional atmosphere, the chorus of Night Sea quietly spread through the venue.

That night sea back then

Your scent

That night sea back then

Your voice

When the chorus ended, applause broke out.

The cameras captured middle-aged parents and elderly audience members quietly rubbing at their eyes as though wiping away sleep.

“.......”

Even the Souffles who had been silently watching from the audience had tears gathering in their eyes.

There were probably many reasons Wooju had chosen Night Sea as the closing song.

Perhaps he wanted his grandmother, who would eventually watch the broadcast, to hear it.

Maybe it was because it was the first duet song he and Ri Hyuk had ever sung together.

Or because they still frequently performed it during their current tour, meaning they could sing it perfectly without any preparation.

And also—

-Goodbye, Souffles.

...it seemed he also wanted to sing it for the fans.

At least, that was what the Souffles thought.

Among NewBlack’s songs, Night Sea wasn’t exactly one of the group’s biggest mainstream hits.

It had recognition because they had performed it on television multiple times, but it was still different from NewBlack’s recent songs that debuted at number one on the charts from the very beginning.

If the stage had been intended purely for the general public, he would have chosen a song everyone already knew.

The fact that he didn’t meant—

-A song choice for the fans.

That was one of the reasons the Souffles believed Wooju had chosen it.

Even if the public didn’t know it well, every Souffle knew it as one of NewBlack’s true masterpieces.

If all the performances up until now had been for the public, then this Night Sea felt like a song sung specifically for the fans.

‘I really should’ve become a fan back then.......’

‘Why didn’t I know NewBlack in 2014?’

‘The greatest mistake of my fangirl life was becoming a late fan!’

The live performance of Night Sea — now a video with tens of millions of views and considered mandatory viewing among Souffles.

Back in 2014, when the two vocalists had still been rookies, their duet on Jang Sowo’s radio show was still talked about among fans to this day.

Even back then, people thought they were incredibly good.

But—

‘Today feels different.’

‘It really is different.’

Maybe it was because Seo Ri Hyuk’s emotions had become deeper than before.

Or because the skill of the two vocalists had improved to a level impossible to compare with the past.

No one knew the exact reason, but somehow their fresh rookie selves from years ago overlapped with the professional idols they had become now.

That night sea back then

Your scent

The Souffles quietly closed their eyes as well.

That night sea back then

Your voice

As a strange, indescribable emotion bloomed inside their hearts—

Almost nobody in the audience realized that the acoustic guitar had already stopped playing.

‘This is beautiful.’

‘I miss my grandmother.’

The two singers’ soft humming continued, filling the empty spaces.

And when at last the night sea before their eyes finally came to an end—

The audience gave the greatest stage the response it deserved.

“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH—!”

With thunderous cheers and applause.

At long last, it was over.

Today’s recording alone had lasted eight long hours, and including preparation time, the day had practically stretched to twelve.

Of course, just because filming had ended didn’t mean we could rest.

“Wooju! Wooju!”

“Woojuya!”

The hallway was crowded enough that Mrs. Kim Deoksun would probably have called it a marketplace.

A long line of people stood in front of me.

“Could I maybe get a picture...?”

“Of course.”

“Could you maybe sign for Tosami? My nephew’s a huge Tosami fan.......”

“I’ll record a video message later. I brought a Tosami doll with me, but it’s still in the waiting room.”

The celebrity panelists grinned.

“Seriously, when else would we ever get a chance to meet Wooju in person?”

“I’m genuinely such a huge fan!”

“Sunbae, I’m from Monthly Boy Mint. Your performance today.......”

I was so busy dealing with the endless stream of people that my mind went blank.

Celebrity panelists.

Mission Singer staff members asking for photos.

And then—

“Could I ask for a photo too?”

“Me too!”

The two eliminated contestants besides Heo Heejin, who had survived the revival round.

“We stayed on purpose instead of leaving! We wanted to say hi to you, Wooju.”

“Really?”

“Yes! I’m so glad we stayed. Watching the King Match stage was seriously insane... and Night Sea was incredible too!”

Apparently they could have gone home immediately after elimination, but deliberately waited behind. ℯℯ𝑙.

Judging by the atmosphere, Jo Yuri had probably gone home long ago.

After finally finishing the first round of fan service for the crowd gathering around me—

“Whew.......”

As I rubbed the back of my neck and exhaled, someone approached me.

“Woojuuuuuuuuu-!”

“Ah, Producer.”

Producer Park Yeonhee came running toward me with a crazed grin.

She grabbed my hand tightly and shouted.

“I love you!”

“Pardon?”

“Seriously... I think the ratings for this are going to go insane!”

Her joy was so raw that I burst out laughing.

“No, but how are you this good at variety shows? Even if the entertainment gods themselves blessed someone, I don’t think it would turn out this perfectly...!”

“I think luck was really on my side.”

I had carefully built strategies, but luck had definitely played a role too.

Because I had achieved everything I wanted.

-Draw ratings by appearing as National Hip-Hop Top Seo Ri Hyuk

-Lose narrowly during the Seo Ri Hyuk vs Sun Wooju stage

-End with a duet stage between Seo Ri Hyuk and Sun Wooju

One by one, check marks appeared beside the checklist in my head.

Of course, the quests weren’t fully over yet.

There was still one thing remaining.

-Check any parts that could become controversial

I mentally reviewed the things we needed to be careful about once the broadcast aired.

“Producer.”

“Yes!”

“Could I ask a small favor?”

“Of course. Whatever you ask, Wooju, I’ll grant it. What is it?”

Producer Park Yeonhee looked at me with a face full of goodwill, and I smiled.

I could always relay things formally through the company later, but right now, while the producer was feeling especially favorable toward me, it seemed fine to bring it up casually.

That way, I could wrap things up cleanly on my end.

“When I gave my final thoughts earlier, I mentioned that Night Sea is also part of our concert setlist.”

“Ah, we absolutely have to keep that line in the broadcast.”

“Thank you.”

“It helps us too.”

Producer Park Yeonhee asked:

“You’re worried people might think the whole thing was scripted beforehand, right? Since we said Ri Hyuk didn’t know about your surprise appearance in advance, but the Night Sea duet looked so perfectly synchronized.”

“Yes, exactly.”

We had clearly stated that Ri Hyuk didn’t know I was appearing, yet the final stage looked like a perfectly coordinated duet.

Of course, I had proposed the idea to Ri Hyuk and the production staff before round three started....

But viewers watching from home might still get confused.

-You guys planned this in advance, didn’t you??

So I subtly mentioned that it was a song we had performed together recently as well.

Anyway, the producer agreed, so there was no issue there.

“And also....”

I asked carefully.

“It’s about the name National Hip-Hop Top.”

“Ahhh.”

The producer nodded readily.

“You mean the thing you mentioned during the pre-meeting?”

“Yes, that.”

The title “National Hip-Hop Top” attached to Ri Hyuk’s name bothered me a little.

Of course, most people would take it humorously as intended.

And since I had released a hip-hop track called Answer, it wasn’t entirely baseless either.

Still, listeners who genuinely loved hip-hop might feel offended.

-Are you making a joke out of hip-hop right now??

Or people who already disliked us might use it as an excuse to attack us.

That was why I had already discussed something with the production staff during our pre-meeting.

“So what are you planning to do?”

“What I’m planning is....”

As I explained, Producer Park Yeonhee burst into cheerful laughter.

“As long as you maintain the secrecy properly, there won’t be any problems.”

“Thank you, Producer.”

“Watching you, I can understand why Ri Hyuk trusts you so much. You’re incredibly thorough.”

Just then, a staff member informed her that they needed to begin the next drawing round, so the producer greeted me and hurried away.

I turned my head as well.

“Alright! Time to draw the next competition theme!”

“Please gather over here!”

The contestants slowly gathered for the lottery draw.

From farther away, I could see Ri Hyuk still wearing the Sunflower Mask while being surrounded by other singers greeting him with cries of “Your Majesty!”

He looked like he was having fun.

[Kyahahaha!]

Watching him, I quietly took out my phone and sent messages to the people I needed to contact.

As replies came back immediately, I smiled.

“Hehehe....”

Watching Ri Hyuk cackling from the distance, I smiled warmly too.

National Hip-Hop Top Seo Ri Hyuk.

Since I’d already appeared under my younger brother’s name, I should provide proper after-sales service until the very end.

“Ri Hyuk. Hyung will help you.”

If I used this method, there wouldn’t be any backlash over the National Hip-Hop Top title.

Of course, whether Ri Hyuk himself would like it was a different matter entirely....

“Kyahahaha!”

...But maybe that part wasn’t really my responsibility?

“You’re plotting something weird again, aren’t you?”

“Hm?”

“That expression says you’re up to something.”

His narrowed eyes stared at me like they were trying to see through me.

But Ri Hyuk’s current skill level still wasn’t enough to pierce my ironclad shamelessness.

“I’m not planning anything.”

“Mmm. It definitely feels like you are, but I’m too tired to care right now.”

“Good.”

The mirror inside the dorm elevator reflected our exhausted faces.

After finishing the competition and immediately heading back home, we looked utterly drained.

“Ri Hyuk. You tired?”

“Yes.”

“If you want, should I carry you on my back? Or maybe lean on my shoulder?”

“I’d rather die.”

We exchanged warm smiles while cursing each other with our eyes.

Once the elevator doors opened—

The moment we disabled the security lock and entered the dorm, fanfare exploded around us.

Bang!

Bang bang!

Birthday confetti cannons burst at the front entrance.

The three lackeys wearing party hats welcomed us while clapping.

“Congratulations~ congratulations~”

“Congratulations on your coronation as King~!”

“Wooooooo!”

Apparently they had heard the news in advance and prepared everything.

Junghyun held a cake while the others danced around.

Even Biju’s silly dancing somehow looked elegant....

“Ah, come on.”

Ri Hyuk waved his hands awkwardly as his face reddened while the three lackeys rushed toward him.

“You did great, hyung! You showed that wicked spaceship who’s boss...!”

“I loved seeing Wooju hyung lose for once.”

“Ri Hyuk, you really did great. This is exactly what needs to happen so Wooju hyung stops challenging other fields too. Like dancing, choreography, dance routines....”

Aren’t those all the same thing, Biju?

While I sulked at the sight of the lackeys treating Ri Hyuk like some conquering hero—

“Waaaaaaaah!”

“Generic cheering!”

“Generic congratulations!”

The lackeys circled around me shouting random celebratory phrases.

I closed my eyes and smiled.

‘Utter failure at raising younger brothers.’

‘Kyahahaha!’

Apparently my sulking expression was funny, because the lackeys teased me even harder.

Ignoring them, I trudged toward the sofa.

“Ughhh.......”

I collapsed face-first onto it.

Jiho immediately leaned his face over my head, grinning brightly.

“It feels awful, doesn’t it? Competing against Ri Hyuk hyung?”

“Don’t even start.”

“You only survived because you’re you, hyung. If it had been anyone else, it would’ve been eighty-twenty and instant elimination. Seriously, just imagining it is terrifying.”

“Still, it was fun. Felt rewarding too.”

Then I asked the maknae:

“Jiho, do you want to go on too?”

“Me?”

“Yeah.”

“Why would I?”

Jiho blinked.

“At this point, all I have to do is sit still and people will start going, ‘Wait! He survived between Sun Wooju and Seo Ri Hyuk?!’ and reevaluate my vocals automatically. I can just eat from the table you two already prepared for me, so why bother...?”

“Sometimes I really wonder whether I raised you well or not.”

“You raised me well. Wise judgment. Wise pan-dan.”

Maybe because he’d been studying English recently for his Wonder Comics movie role preparations, our maknae’s pronunciation had improved a lot.

The kid didn’t know the vocabulary, but his accent was excellent....

By then, Ri Hyuk had also collapsed onto the opposite sofa.

“Your Majesty. You must be warm.”

“Yes.”

Junghyun waved a giant Souffle fan to cool Ri Hyuk down.

“Please drink some water too.”

“Ah, thanks.”

“Thank you for defeating Wooju hyung. Your Majesty. As of today, you are my sweet potato.”

“!”

Ri Hyuk looked touched while Biju stared in shock.

Meanwhile—

“.......”

I silently stared at them.

Junghyun flinched and avoided my gaze.

“At least I’m still a potato, right, Junghyun?”

“Yes.”

“Hehe.”

“That was before you released a hip-hop song called Answer with Cold Brown.”

“Sorry, Junghyun.”

That one really was my fault.

Strictly speaking, I specialized in jazz, but I had done a little rap too.

Anyway, after enduring the lackeys warning me never to invade their fields again—

“Let’s let the two of them rest. We’ll prepare the meat.”

“Okayyy.”

The three of them headed to the kitchen to prepare late-night food for us.

Meanwhile, Ri Hyuk sprawled across the living room sofa and I lay face-down on mine.

Our eyes met.

“.......”

“.......”

For some reason, a ridiculous laugh escaped us.

Ri Hyuk spoke first.

“Today was seriously exhausting.”

“You looked it.”

“What kind of lunatic brings four legendary stages into one competition?”

“.......”

“Seriously, if it ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) hadn’t been me, you would never have lost. Even I barely managed to win fifty-fifty.”

Feeling slightly awkward, I replied:

“That’s because I trusted you that much.”

“Really...?”

“I bet everything because I believed in you. I knew you’d still win even if I gave it my absolute best.”

“Hmmm.......”

Apparently pleased, the corner of Ri Hyuk’s mouth twitched slightly while he stared into the air.

As I shifted position on the sofa, I said:

“Time really has passed, huh?”

“Yeah.”

Singing Night Sea earlier had brought back old memories.

Calling it “the old days” felt strange since it had only been about four years, but I remembered first singing Night Sea around this exact time back in 2014.

“I’m really proud of you.”

“.......”

“When I watch your stages, I can tell. Those are performances you can only achieve after practicing every single day for four years without ever resting.”

“.......”

“I really love that you’re our main vocalist.”

While the younger members laughed noisily in the kitchen amid running water, Ri Hyuk quietly turned his head.

“Well... I like it too.”

Then he said:

“Of course I like being recognized on stage and singing freely for people... but singing Night Sea earlier felt really good.”

“Did it?”

“I hope we get more chances to do duets together in the future.”

“.......”

Both of us avoided eye contact.

Still lying face-down, I turned my head left, while Ri Hyuk stared toward the sofa cushions.

Then we waited for one full minute.

The kitchen was still loud and chaotic, but nobody called for us.

“.......”

“.......”

I finally spoke.

“Sorry. I honestly thought the meat would be ready by now.”

“Same.”

Ri Hyuk and I burst out laughing.

We’d started saying embarrassingly sentimental things assuming the food would be ready by now, but apparently there was still plenty left to prepare.

“Should we get up?”

“Yeeah....”

“Ughhhhh.......”

“Euuugh.......”

We got up giggling after looking at each other’s hair, both thoroughly disheveled from lying around for only a short time.

As we walked toward the kitchen, Ri Hyuk asked:

“By the way, why did you practice singing so insanely hard?”

“What do you mean why?”

Wasn’t it obvious?

“Because you kept charging forward like a madman, so I had no choice but to chase after you. You practice like that every single day.......”

“That wasn’t a joke?”

“I’m serious.”

Then I asked:

“What about you? Why did you practice like your life depended on it?”

“Well, my reason’s obvious. If some lunatic suddenly starts chasing after me saying he’ll catch up, my first instinct is obviously to run.”

“Because of me?”

“Yes.”

“That wasn’t a joke either?”

“No...?”

As the two of us continued walking—

The reasons we had just given for practicing suddenly echoed in our ears.

-Because you kept charging forward like a madman, so I had no choice but to chase after you.

-If some lunatic suddenly starts chasing after me saying he’ll catch up, my first instinct is obviously to run.

Both our footsteps abruptly stopped.

“Wait....”

“No, hold on.”

It seemed Ri Hyuk had also realized something was strange.

Then our voices rang out simultaneously.

“The reason you practiced was because.......”

“The reason you practiced was because....”

The way we stared at each other slowly filled with horror.

“??”

“???”