Chapter 41 |
“Because you’re the main vocalist I chose.”
Do Yuda held his breath for a moment at my words.
Then, bowing his head deeply, he mumbled.
“…You’ve never said anything like that before. It’s really mean of you to say it only now, at a moment like this.”
The words left behind by the small voice carried a hint of grumbling and dissatisfaction, but I could only smile and let it pass.
Because there was no longer any fear left on his face.
That was enough.
“I’ll be back.”
Do Yuda, as if all the hesitation he had shown until now had vanished, walked toward the stage without a moment’s doubt.
“NICHOLAS!”
“Lee Hwayoung! Lee Hwayoung! Lee Hwayoung! Lee Hwayoung!”
The stage was filled with fiery cheers, as if it were ablaze. It was due to the aftermath of Lee Hwayoung’s team, who had performed just before.
‘The cheers….’
Watching that fervor, I couldn’t help but feel something unusual. Strangely enough, all the cheers from the audience were directed solely at Lee Hwayoung. Among the numerous audience cheers, there was no one calling out the names of the other members.
‘Lee Hwayoung….’
In the first mission, Lee Hwayoung had also displayed an overwhelming number of votes, overshadowing his teammates. His teammates blamed this phenomenon to Lee Hwayoung’s immense popularity and the fact that the spotlight was focused solely on his parts.
However, they were wrong.
For this second mission, Lee Hwayoung’s team was composed of top-ranking trainees with solid skills, and the parts were distributed evenly among them.
Nevertheless, the same result was repeated again this time. The audience was solely cheering for Lee Hwayoung, and for the first time, the other members, who had consistently enjoyed high votes as top-ranking trainees, experienced the sting of defeat.
Lee Hwayoung had essentially proven himself through this second mission; the result of the first mission was by no means just a matter of the distribution of parts. His strong presence overshadowed and overwhelmed the members of the same group.
And to some extent, it seemed like he was doing it intentionally.
It was clearly visible whom that guy was referencing to carry out such behavior.
His series of actions were very similar to someone.
‘I feel bad. No, should I say I say I feel uncomfortable?’
And that someone was ‘Seo Yutae‘ from his PRISM days.
Everything about Lee Hwayoung closely mirrored who I was back in those days. The way he used the stage, how he captured the camera’s attention, how he focused the audience’s gaze to him, even the small habit of holding the microphone.
‘I thought you were just a young master who came to have some fun … but I guess not.’
Just because you wanted to copy someone didn’t automatically mean you could.
He had much greater talent than I realized. A talent as an idol that attracted the audience.
Perhaps the members of Lee Hwayoung’s team had noticed the situation, as they clenched their teeth, visibly shaken. They followed Yang Hajun’s instructions and went down from the stage, but it was clear to anyone that their condition was far from normal.
“….People are still only calling out Lee Hwayoung’s name.”
“What should we do about them……”
Those watching the scene had no choice but to feel sympathy for them.
‘If the atmosphere of the on-site audience continues like this, the burden on the next team could increase.’
I looked at Do Yuda’s face as he stepped onto the stage. To my relief, he moved forward without faltering, his face full of determination.
‘Thank goodness.’
As I sighed in relief after seeing Do Yuda’s calmness, one of the members of my team patted my shoulder.
“Why?”
“Over there … it looks like Nicholas is coming towards you…..”
At the tip of the finger the member subtly pointed to, there was Lee Hwayoung walking toward me without hesitation. He had just shattered the mentality of his teammates, but he walked with a very confident stride.
The guy who approached me right up to my face smiled brightly. And then he asked,
“Did you watch my performance?”
“….Right. It was your performance, not the Euphoria team’s performance.”
In response to my blunt answer, Lee Hwayoung let out a relaxed laugh.
“That’s why I told you, I want to be on the same stage with you.”
“…….”
“In order for me to put on a stage worthy the my name, I absolutely need you. You’re the only one who won’t be eaten by me.”
He stared at me, his eyes glittering with greed.
‘So this is why he kept pointing me out as the member he wanted to be with.’
I finally understood the reason for his persistence in pursuing me.
Lee Hwayoung wanted someone who could coexist on stage with him, without being overshadowed, no matter how wildly he acted. In the end, the only person he found was me.
It wasn’t even funny.
I forced a laugh and took one step closer towards him.
“What are you talking about?”
“…….”
“If you want to perform on stage with me … you should be worried about you getting eaten, not me.”
At the clearly provocative words, Lee Hwayoung’s expression stiffened slightly.
His way of thinking was like a frog in a well1, nothing more, nothing less.
There were countless talented people in this world, and Lee Hwayoung was just one of many stars. The important thing was not to settle for talent, but to nurture it diligently.
But this kid didn’t seem to have realized that yet.
“Don’t be so stiff like that. Sometimes, look down.” I said, putting my arm around Lee Hwayoung’s shoulders.
“….What do you mean?”
“What I’m saying is, if you keep looking only up like that, you will someday have your neck grabbed by those who were beneath you. For example, Do Yuda, who will stand on the stage from now on.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. From what I’ve seen, everyone in this program, except for you, is just a bunch of worthless people.”
Lee Hwayoung shook his head and let out a scoff. It seemed like he had no intention of changing his mind at all.
‘This kid is so stubborn…….’ I let out a small sigh as I scratched the back of my head.
I was tempted to just leave him to his own self-destruction, but in the end, Lee Hwayoung would be one of the final debut members. So, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to give him a little enlightenment.
“We really have to move now!”
“…….”
“Lee Hwayoung.”
I called out to him, who was reluctantly about to leave at the production team’s insistence. At my call, Lee Hwayoung shook off the staff’s hand and turned around.
I smiled at him and nodded toward the stage.
Bam!
Along with my voice, the lights that had brightly illuminated the entire floor went out, and a fog effect began to spread beneath the stage.
Then a single pin light began to shine on Do Yuda.
The light was small, but it was more than enough to illuminate Do Yuda standing alone on the stage and to drive away the darkness of the backstage.
“I won’t disappoint you. We can bet on it.”
As the faint light poured in from behind, I was able to clearly see Lee Hwayoung’s face. His eyes flickered, reflecting mine.
“Watch. See how much the person I’ve raised will shine on that stage.”
“…There’s no need to watch.”
With a scowl on his face, as if he didn’t agree with my words, Lee Hwayoung turned and left the room.
I watched him go and muttered to myself.
“You’ll have no choice but to watch, whether you want to or not.”
“Overcoming countless obstacles
Running towards a higher peak”
Amidst the audience who couldn’t shake off the chaotic atmosphere, Do Yuda’s high note rang out sharply. Without any backing track, the voice that pierced the air brought instant silence to the stage.
“Wow … are we going to be okay? Can we get the first place?”
“Every time I see something like this, it makes me think that being good at singing is probably the best thing.”
It was understandable.
‘Domination starts with a C5 from the beginning.’
Lee Hwayoung seemed to feel a special bond with me, but that wasn’t what we needed now. The attitude of that guy who only looked at me was nothing but arrogance.
Survive IDOL was a program where seven members would ultimately debut as one group. Therefore, the first thing he needed to do was acknowledge the existence of the members he would debut with.
‘All you have to do is admire the kids I raised.’
Do Yuda, who had been lowering his eyes and concentrating on theunaccompanied song, slowly lifted his gaze.
And he stared straight into the camera.
“I’m a monster that thrives on fear
Run away. Get out of my grasp.
“The lies that come out of your mouth aren’t even funny
You’re a sacrifice made for me”
“Yes we are PRISM.”
“It’s song by Prism!”
“That’s a trainee?”
“WAAAAH!”
The on-site audience, realizing the identity of the song hidden behind the veil, let out ear-piercing screams.
.
.
.
“This is crazy…….”
By the time Do Yuda’s team reached the climax of their performance, the members of my team looked completely overwhelmed.
The current stage was incomparable to the yesterday’s dry, and certainly better than the camera rehearsal this morning. Do Yuda had perfectly resolved the issue he had feared and delivered a decent performance, even if not on par with the original singers.
“I hope you’ll watch
This stage.”
When Do Yuda sang first,
“This song.”
Baek Kiryang filled in the middle.
“My shout”
Do Yuda took over again.
They showed a far more impressive synergy than I expected.
And at the center of that synergy was Baek Kiryang.
‘That guy will be quite useful too.’
Baek Kiryang frequently checked on Do Yuda’s condition, assisting him to ensure he could catch his breath sufficiently. It was possible because that guy was naturally quick-witted and intelligent.
“…..Not bad.”
I crossed my arms as I watched their backs. At this level, I felt it was safe to relax and comfortably enjoy the juniors’ performance.
‘….What?’
But then, something unexpected happened.
Do Yuda, who had been facing the audience the entire time, turned to look at me for the briefest moment—so fleeting that the audience wouldn’t have noticed—and pointed at me with his finger.
And then sang the lyrics of the climax.
“I’ll prove it here
The sight of myself that has conquered even my instincts
For you, thank you Because of you, I was able to dominate this fear.”
Domination was a song born from my desire for the PRISM members to overcome their fear of the terrifying stage and audience, and instead of being eaten, to dominate the stage and make it their own.
‘I didn’t write the lyrics with that meaning.’ I let out a small chuckle and muttered to myself.
Do Yuda had taken the lyrics of the climax quite literally and acted in such a way to genuinely express his gratitude toward me.
‘I never thought I’d feel this way while listening to these lyrics.’
In terms of interpretation ability, it was zero points. But it was okay.
“…It’s not a song you sing while smiling like that.”
“Be brave. move on. Don’t stop.“
Even if it was a different interpretation, it wasn’t completely wrong.
A person dominated by fear didn’t smile with that kind of expression.
He had almost completely grasped the true meaning of Domination that I intended.
“Seungbeom-ah, you’ve worked hard.” After Do Yuda’s performance, Woo Kangwon tapped me on the back.
I knew the warmth in Woo Kangwon’s gaze carried some meaning, but I pretended not to notice. Woo Kangwon had a tendency to see me as too good a person.
I refused any further misunderstandings.
“Motorcycle team, let’s go up on stage!”
Before the lingering effect of the Domination team could fade, the production team signaled us.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes!”
I led my teammates onto the stage.
A pleasant wave of competitiveness coursed through my body.
‘You showed such a great performance, so I can’t fall behind.’
Well then, from now on it’s my turn.
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Translator’s Corner:
- A frog in a well (우물 안 개구리): an idiom that basically means someone who’s ignorant or has limited view of the world. Just like how a frog in the well could only know the sky limited to the sky he saw from the well, or know the water just from the water that was on the well. ↩︎
I was thinking what song you could watch maybe if you want to get how hard the Domination song is, but all I could think for the closest is SHINee – Lucifer level. That song also started high from the start and the breathing sections not that much, just maybe with a little harder Everbody-level choreo.