Chapter 994: It Was Beautiful From Far Away.. (6)

Just you wait, Kim Deoksun!

While someone somewhere was resenting his sleeping grandmother in Gunsan—

South Korea was in an uproar on Friday night.

“What?”

“What did you just say?”

It didn’t matter where people were.

Whether they were eating chicken and beer with friends, trapped at a company dinner, riding public transportation, or sitting at home watching TV—

Everyone was talking about the same thing.

“They say Wooju showed up on Mission Singer.”

“Mission Singer?”

“You know, the show where Seo Ri Hyuk became king? Apparently Sun Wooju showed up there too...?”

“??”

Everyone already knew Seo Ri Hyuk had recently become the new Mask King.

But hearing that Wooju had appeared too made people’s eyes widen.

‘Wooju showed up...?’

Everyone felt confused at first.

But soon, a picture formed naturally in their minds.

Sun Wooju VS Seo Ri Hyuk

The corners of their lips lifted automatically.

‘That sounds insanely fun.’

‘Wow, this already sounds hilarious.’

‘So it’s basically NewBlack vs NewBlack?’

People hurriedly pulled out their phones to open live-streaming apps or switched on their TVs with their remotes.

And the moment they tuned into TBC—

The crane mask appeared on screen.

[A-yo! Korea! Check it out~ Do you know who I am?]

A crane mask.

Traditional scholar robes.

A necklace made of old brass coins.

The crane flapped its flowing robes while rapping with a book in hand.

[My name is Seo Ri Hyuk, Korea hip-hop’s number one~ My original dream was NASA~ Aerospace scientist~]

People completely lost it.

The crane pressed a hand against its ear like a DJ spinning records.

[Boom boom wiki wiki~ boom boom wiki wiki~]

Audience members doubled over clutching their stomachs, while viewers at home laughed so hard they cried.

It was the hardest many of them had laughed all year.

had one key difference from other competition programs.

Viewers! You want a funny survival show, right?

The contestants actively created comedy through skits and character bits.

That was because itself had originally been inspired by professional wrestling like WWE.

Where did pro wrestling’s entertainment value come from?

Relationships.

Petty fights over lovers.

Younger challengers arrogantly provoking veterans.

Wrestlers charging at referees only to get chokeslammed by the referee instead.

Likewise, unlike ordinary singing programs, drew laughter from masked singers performing ridiculous comedic skits.

That said, comedy usually wasn’t the main point.

At its core, it was still a competition program, so the humor normally stayed secondary.

But then—

A complete lunatic appeared and changed everything.

[Boom boom wiki wiki~ boom boom wiki wiki~]

Friday night’s singing competition transformed into a full-fledged variety show in an instant.

“PWAHAHAHAHA!”

“HAHAHAHA!”

As the crane wearing Seo Ri Hyuk’s nametag started clowning around, viewers burst into hysterics.

ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Is Sun Wooju actually insaneㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

The coin necklace is genuinely pissing me offㅋㅋㅋ

Why’s the crane rubbing its beak like thatㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ why does it look proud of itself

NewBlack trait: they get proud when they make people laugh

Forget “born funny,” this is the era of NewBlack, the comedy excavator

Even the phrase “Korea Hip-Hop’s Number One Seo Ri Hyuk” was funny by itself.

People leaned toward their TVs.

‘Ri Hyuk!’

‘Show Ri Hyuk’s reaction!’

It wasn’t like they could physically crawl into the television, but viewers still searched the screen anxiously.

And then Ri Hyuk’s reaction appeared immediately.

[!!!]

The sunflower mask sitting on the throne suddenly sprang to its feet.

[That...!]

Seo Ri Hyuk trembled violently.

Viewers clapped and cackled.

“He didn’t know.”

“Ri Hyuk seriously didn’t know Wooju was appearing.”

He clearly looked furious, but nobody found him intimidating.

They were simply too entertained.

The reason there are no NewBlack feud rumors: because the feud is real

ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Ah Ri Hyuk is genuinely pissed but why is this so funnyㅋㅋㅋ

Love-hate relationshipㅋㅋㅋㅋ

The audience’s expression = my expression

The audience laughed while looking back and forth between the two.

The celebrity panelists applauded happily.

The hosts asked playfully.

[Ah. It seems King Sun Wooju has something he’d like to say.]

[Yes!]

The sunflower mask adjusted its crown and spoke haughtily.

[I cannot acknowledge this person as “Seo Ri Hyuk.”]

[You cannot acknowledge him?]

Pointing at the crane mask, King Sun Wooju continued.

[I know Seo Ri Hyuk better than anyone. He’s the younger brother I love most in the world.]

[I see. But why can’t you acknowledge him...?]

[Because in my opinion, that person is not Seo Ri Hyuk.]

Detective Conan background music suddenly began playing.

The sunflower mask pointed dramatically while declaring he would reveal the truth.

The crane mask snickered quietly.

The audience reacted like police officers in a detective manga.

『King Sun Wooju suspects the identity of “Korea Hip-Hop’s Number One Seo Ri Hyuk!”』

『What could the truth be...?』

Still chuckling, the crane mask flicked its robes like flapping wings.

Then, through the voice changer, Ri Hyuk’s exact speech patterns emerged flawlessly.

[Hmph. To doubt me, “Seo Ri Hyuk”... I’ll accept your challenge.]

[Very well.]

King Sun Wooju asked:

[If you are truly Ri Hyuk, a lover of history, then you should know this. What was the annals-style history book about the Goryeo era written by Kim Jongseo and Jeong Inji?]

Right from the start, Ri Hyuk aggressively threw out a difficult question in an attempt to bully the eldest member impersonating him.

Just as viewers went “Huh?”—

The sunflower mask provided multiple choice answers.

[1. Goryeosa. 2. Goryeoguksa. 3. Goryeosajeolyo.]

Viewers burst into laughter.

Why did this suddenly become a Korean history exam

His giant pecs are becoming increasingly pettyㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Look at this dirty-ass questionㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

I’m studying for civil service exams and this question is genuinely evilㅋㅋㅋㅋ Kim Jongseo and Jeong Inji wrote TWO of those depending on whether it’s annals-style or biographical-style history

What’s the answer??

And Sun Wooju immediately answered.

[The correct answer is Number 1, Goryeosa.]

[!]

People laughed at the visibly startled sunflower mask.

Ri Hyuk your hyung literally scored all 1s on mock examsㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

???: But he bombed the CSAT though?

Why did I hear that in Kim Junghyun’s voiceㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Sameㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Wait hasn’t it been almost five years since Wooju studied for exams? How does he still remember this

Wooju’s honestly super smart too... he just uses it for evil

While viewers marveled—

[Ahem. That was merely a basic question.]

Ri Hyuk pretended it was nothing.

But NewBlack, icons of pettiness, were never going to let things end there.

King Sun Wooju presented the next challenge.

[Then let us move on to science—]

[Wait.]

The crane raised a hand.

[I should be the one asking questions. Are you, “King Sun Wooju,” truly Sun Wooju yourself?]

DUN DUN!

Suspenseful music blasted dramatically.

[Are you doubting me right now?]

[Yes.]

Wooju immediately changed the subject because science questions would put him at a disadvantage.

But Seo Ri Hyuk walked right into it.

[Well then. Ask whatever you’d like.]

[Recently, there was a very popular song composed by Wooju, correct? The K-pop children’s song .]

[Ah. Yes, I wrote that song~]

[Then please sing and dance to it for us. Only then can we determine whether you’re truly the original composer.]

[.......]

[Everyone!! Don’t you want to see King Sun Wooju’s dance performance?!]

Even without visible facial expressions, the mask radiated pure “I’ve been trapped...” despair.

As the live audience erupted in cheers, King Sun Wooju reluctantly performed the Tosam dance while singing through the voice changer.

For some reason, he looked strangely sorrowful.

ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

He gave a bucket and got a cart back

Smart, silver-tongued, socially skilled... if you get caught in his schemes you’re genuinely doomedㅋㅋㅋㅋ better stay on his good side

Ri Hyuk the only answer is to beat him with singingㅠㅠㅠ

Beat him through musicㅠㅠㅠ our poor kitty’s crying because of his evil older brotherㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Everyone take your hands off your mouths. You’re all smiling

He had started the fight—

And somehow ended up dancing instead.

Everyone began cheering for Seo Ri Hyuk.

“Look at Wooju showing off like that. Seriously~ If I were Ri Hyuk I’d punch him.”

“He’s gonna get absolutely destroyed by singing later.”

At that point, everyone thought the same thing.

Wooju came here to do variety comedy!

Half right.

Half wrong.

“PWAHAHAHAHA!”

“Ah, this is seriously hilarious.”

Jiho laughed loudly.

“Wow, while I was gone you two filmed something insanely fun together. That must’ve been amazing.”

“Hey, what part of this is fun?”

Ri Hyuk glared at Jiho with puffed cheeks.

“I’m the one suffering here.”

“That’s exactly why it’s funny~”

“!!”

“AAAGH!”

Ri Hyuk grabbed the youngest by the collar and started shaking him violently.

Meanwhile, my gaze drifted toward Biju.

Unlike the others, who were watching enthusiastically, he looked slightly downcast.

“Biju. Something bothering you?”

“Your face...”

“Yeah?”

“...isn’t showing up much....”

Apparently he’d prepared to take screenshots.

I burst out laughing.

Just like my Number One fan....

Hyung. I actually llllooooveRrrr.......

Hm?

For a second, something that sounded suspiciously like Biju’s voice flashed through my mind.

But before I could think about it any further, my attention got pulled back toward my rap on TV.

“Ahem.”

Was it because my lyric-writing skills were weak?

[Once you hear my rap, you’ll never escape~ No hair~]

Even I found my rap embarrassing.

The younger members burst into laughter.

Junghyun smiled warmly and said:

“It’s okay. Hyung struggles a little with lyric-writing, but your actual rapping is really good.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. And considering you intentionally made it funny for variety purposes.......”

“.......”

I’d actually been serious, though.

Anyway, while Junghyun comforted and praised me—

A comedian on the celebrity panel burst into laughter and asked:

[But if Seo Ri Hyuk is Korea hip-hop’s number one, then what does that make Kim Junghyun from the same group?]

[Ah. That hyung?]

The crane mask stroked its beak thoughtfully.

[Honestly, probably Korea hip-hop’s number two.]

The younger members exploded with laughter.

And then my eyes met Junghyun’s—

The same Junghyun who had kindly praised me moments ago.

He looked betrayed.

“Sweet-potato horn moth....”

“Junghyun, it’s a broadcast. Hyung didn’t mean it.”

[This is not for broadcast purposes! This is my genuine opinion! Korea hip-hop’s number one is me, Seo Ri Hyuk! Kyaaaahahaha!]

“Junghyun-ah. Here, have a sweet potato snack. Say ahhh.”

“I don’t want it. I’m not eating.”

“Hyung’s sorry. Please let it slide just this once.”

“Hmph.”

While I attempted to appease him with tribute snacks—

The skit between Ri Hyuk and me finally ended.

“Ah, I’m so curious! Wooju hyung’s stage!!”

“Hyung, when does your performance come on?”

The younger members impatiently waited for my turn while watching the remaining first-round stages.

And then—

“Ohhh!”

“It’s starting!”

Finally, the VCR played showing me and Jo Yuri meeting in the hallway while wearing masks.

[Seo Ri Hyuk, Korea Hip-Hop’s Number One VS Lone Wolf]

And thus began my first-round performance of .

The gentle melody of Kim Sehak’s folk song began quietly, and the younger members’ expressions softened as they immersed themselves in it.

Then, three minutes later—

The crane’s powerful voice rang out while finishing the song.

Rustle—

Shuffle—

Without a word, Biju and Jiho stood up from their seats.

“I need to go for a moment....”

“Me too....”

I asked:

“Where are you going? There’s still the second round.”

“No. We have to go....”

“Go where?”

“Where else....”

Jiho smiled sadly.

“To practice so we can keep up with you....”

“Ah....”

“I seriously didn’t think it would be THIS bad!”

Ri Hyuk and Junghyun nodded.

“Now you understand why I kept nagging you after filming that day, right?”

“Get it now?”

The younger two silently nodded and tried to leave.

I quickly stopped them.

“Aww, don’t go yet. Finish watching first.”

“No! We’re leaving!”

The youngest protested indignantly.

It didn’t even feel like they genuinely wanted to practice.

It felt more like desperate latecomers screaming, Ah! Why are you running so far ahead?!

I smiled and tried to soothe them.

“Don’t leave so coldly. There isn’t even that much left now....”

“No! If we relax like this, we might never catch up to you!”

“Exactly!”

The younger members glared at me resentfully.

I smiled kindly at them.

“If you two leave now, then I’m going to practice choreography and acting too.”

“.......”

“.......”

Watching Jiho and Biju obediently sit back down, I smiled with satisfaction.

That worked surprisingly well.

Maybe I should use that strategy more often in the future.

Meanwhile, cheers and applause erupted from the TV.

[Yes! That was Korea Hip-Hop’s Number One Seo Ri Hyuk’s first-round performance!]

I smiled at the passionately applauding audience and picked up my phone.

I wondered how viewers across Korea were reacting right now.

An image was stronger than people thought.

Simply put—

Once people formed an impression of someone, it was extremely difficult to change.

“Mmm.......”

“Hmm.”

Until Sun Wooju’s stage began, viewers had been overflowing with excitement.

“Wow! Are we getting a Sun Wooju vs Seo Ri Hyuk battle?”

“Isn’t that next week? Today’s probably just the early rounds.”

“Wooju vs Ri Hyuk vocal battle....”

Sun Wooju challenging Seo Ri Hyuk.

Just hearing the premise sounded thrilling.

But...

[Today’s bracket matchups!]

The moment people saw the tournament lineup—

Reality crashed into their heads like cold water.

“Oof... Dokgo Young and Jo Yuri.......”

“That’s not an easy matchup.”

It was different from vaguely shouting “Seo Ri Hyuk vs Sun Wooju!!” out of excitement.

Reality was colder.

Sure, Seo Ri Hyuk had already set a precedent, but...

[Kyaaaahahaha!]

Watching the crane dance around excitedly made people doubtful.

‘Were we getting too hyped?’

‘Did... Wooju really just come here to do variety comedy?’

Some even wondered if he’d only appeared to boost ratings for the competition his younger member was participating in.

Similar questions spread through Souffle households everywhere.

“Unni, is Wooju actually good at singing?”

“That Wooju kid... can he really sing??”

Every Souffle fan nodded.

“He’s good.”

They genuinely believed he had a chance.

Most K-pop songs with intense choreography didn’t demand overwhelming vocal skill.

And yet even through that, Wooju’s vocal talent had always stood out.

Still, Souffle understood the reactions people were showing.

‘That’s just how image works.’

Since Seo Ri Hyuk’s image as a king-level vocalist had only formed two weeks earlier, they expected people to look at Wooju the same way now.

Because of that, many initially predicted Jo Yuri would win.

Wow Wooju got matched against Jo Yuri..

Isn’t Jo Yuri gonna crush him??

People said the same thing when Ri Hyuk appeared too. Everyone was like “Jo Yuri stomps easily” back then

I’m voting for Wooju just in case

But the moment Wooju’s voice rang out powerfully through the gentle guitar melody—

“Uh.......”

“W-Wait......?”

Viewers froze completely.

Even online, silence fell.

The crane mask’s rendition of softly seeped into people’s ears.

Each step became a memory

Each smile was beautiful

You— were beautiful too

Back then, you and I

The singer’s voice swelled explosively through living room TV speakers, giant pub amplifiers, and earbuds alike.

At the venue itself, scenes of audience members crying appeared onscreen.

Wow..

ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ wow I should say something but no words are coming out

Wooju seriously prepared a lot for this

He arranged the song himself..

I deeply regret the version of myself from earlier who was like “Why is Wooju even here??”

The first-round stage felt as though he were singing his own original folk song.

[Seo Ri Hyuk, Korea Hip-Hop’s Number One — 93]

[Lone Wolf — 7]

Jo Yuri was instantly eliminated in the first round.

And nobody objected to the result.

When’s the song release???

My dad said it’s been forever since he cried watching TV

My grandma’s demanding I download this song for herㅠㅠㅠ she wants it RIGHT NOW but it’s not released yet;;

I wanna hear Wooju’s version so badㅠ

The arrangement is INSANE

Honestly I think Wooju would’ve won even without the arrangementㅋㅋㅋ

On Mango Music, searches for “Spring Blossoms Bloom” and “Korea Hip-Hop’s Number One Seo Ri Hyuk” shot upward.

Streams for Kim Sehak’s original song skyrocketed.

Then—

『 Korea Hip-Hop’s Number One Seo Ri Hyuk | I’ll Sing This For You 』

『 Arrangement : Spaceship 』

The second-round stage began.

“!”

“!!”

Just moments ago, Wooju had been moving viewers to tears with a folk song.

Now he returned with bright, energetic rock music.

‘This really feels like summer....’

Against a backdrop that felt like a warm summer breeze, Wooju sang with the freshness of a teenager.

A song portraying youthful love.

Just like the smiling audience members on TV, viewers found themselves smiling along too.

And gradually, people’s attitudes shifted.

“Wooju’s really good.”

“Exactly. That kid can seriously sing~”

Souffle quietly swallowed their laughter at their families’ reactions.

‘Success.’

Once an image was formed, it was difficult to change.

But once it DID change because of some major turning point...

People naturally accepted the new image as though it had always been true from the beginning.

Wow

Go easy on us, Woojuㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Why is it so funny every time they cut to Ri Hyuk’s mask during Wooju’s performanceㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

He’s the king but he looks nervousㅋㅋㅋ

Ahhh next week’s gonna be insane

The second round ended with Wooju advancing all the way to the third round—the finals.

Viewers nodded.

“Wow... looks like next week’s packed with stuff.”

“Yep. There’s definitely more coming.”

Normally, these shows aired Round 1 first and saved the Round 2 highlight performances for the following week.

But the fact they’d revealed so much already meant something even bigger had been prepared for the next episode.

Seo Ri Hyuk VS Sun Wooju

At this point, it was basically guaranteed.

Wooju’s likely opponent in the finals was a mid-high-tier contestant named Braised Beef.

‘Ahh. I’m excited.’

‘Next week I seriously have to watch from the very beginning.’

People eager for the upcoming true showdown between Seo Ri Hyuk and Sun Wooju headed online.

What were people saying on SNS and forums?

Had the stage clips been uploaded to MyTube yet?

Were the songs on the Mango charts already?

Thump thump—

Their hearts pounded with the urge to share something incredible they’d just discovered with everyone else.

And that was when they logged online.

But then—

“Hm?”

“Huh?”

What greeted people on MyTube was an unexpected piece of content.

A video uploaded to NewBlack TV immediately after the broadcast ended.

-[Lemon Entertainment Hip-Hop Division] Special Ep. Korea Hip-Hop’s Number One Seo Ri Hyuk Joins the Company

The thumbnail showed a crane in a business suit bowing deeply to a group of rappers.

And just that alone was enough to make everyone click immediately.