CH19

The stage was over.

The contestants did their obligatory claps as told by the production crew, but the judges huddled up for a pow-wow, heads nodding together.

At the end of the discussion, it was BLUE who raised his hand.

"Mr. Kang, can we check out the original stage video once?"

Audition programs are far more planned shows than the general public thinks.

There are scripts for many parts, and even seemingly improvised moments can be pre-determined from A to Z.

In the later intense competition stages, there were even cases where eliminations and passes were decided even before watching the performances.

However, this was not the case now, as the participants' song choices were not pre-announced.

Even the judges couldn't remember every single stage of every song either.

"So, can we watch it on the screen? With the contestants."

"Yes, please do."

Soon, Way From Flower's stage started playing on the screen behind the stage.

"Ah, yeah, that's how it went."

"Ah. It was like this."

The participants hesitated to speak while also being cautious with their words.

Girl group fandoms might seem lighter compared to boy groups, but dig deeper, and you will find some hardcore fans.

Saying something careless here could lead to you getting shredded by the top-tier girl group fandoms.

But despite that, everyone had the same thought.

"This is awkward."

"Why'd he raise the pitch?"

"Han Si-On didn't raise it, he lowered it."

Han Si-On's version was like the original, and Way From Flower's version sounded like a cover.

And not a great one at that.

This was quite surprising.

They had only heard Han Si-On's version once while having listened to the original many times.

In other words, Han Si-On's version packed more punch than the original heard countless times.

Meanwhile, the judges nodded at each other.

After the video wrapped up, BLUE, the mentor, was the first to grab the mic.

"Hello, contestant Han Si-On?"

"Yeah?"

"Why didn't you say anything? I was clueless."

"Are you talking about the choreography?"

"Yeah, you switched up the dance moves, didn't you?"

To be precise, Han Si-On did not flip all the moves.

Doing the basic moves in reverse would have been absurd.

But the key moves definitely went the opposite way.

Gestures that usually push out were clenched and pulled in.

Steps that extended outwards were done inwards instead.

The movements that usually opened up the upper body were tightly folded.

What was surprising was that this was very natural, and it went well with the feeling of the changed song.

That was why the contestants did not notice at all, and the judges had been wondering for a long time.

Even BLUE.

Han Si-On's response was simple.

"I thought it'd be more fun if you watched it without knowing."

Cheeky remark, right?

It was like saying, "I don't see you as a judge or mentor, just an audience member."

But when it was backed up by skill, this kind of cheekiness came across as charming.

Choi Dae-Ho chimed in.

"You were expressing falling petals?"

"Yes. That's right."

"Why?"

"When I first heard the song, I felt an ambiguous feeling in the lyrics. It fits the blooming flower theme but also works for falling petals."

"Could you elaborate a little more?"

Was that a made-up answer? Yes. A lie? No.

Putting an end to the long night

Finally greeting the world, Hi

Originally, these lyrics greet the arrival of spring after a cold winter.

But to Han Si-On, it sounded more like a final farewell before fading away.

The warm temperature surrounding me

Your hand touching my skin

It all seems to be for today…

The feeling of the lyrics, "warm temperature" was the same.

Rather than the anticipation of the warmth to come, the regret for the last warmth was felt first.

Like bracing for the coming winter by holding onto memories of warmth.

Of course, one could argue why he had to interpret such an overtly spring-themed song in that melancholic falling flower way.

But that is art.

These were just clumsy songs with soulful singing done by soon-to-debut folks.

Yet, it is still music, and it is art.

And how to interpret that art is up to the consumer.

Even if that consumer is someone who is trapped in an infinite loop of blooming and then dying miserably.

Choi Dae-Ho made a strange face at Han Si-On's interpretation but nodded.

"Did you tweak the arrangement to match your interpretation?"

"There was no arrangement. I just touched the scale."

To be exact, there were quite a few parts that would have been awkward if he had just touched the scale.

Han Si-On subtly adjusted the arrangement of those parts to fit the mood.

But this was ambiguous to be called an arrangement, and it was an acceptable level of rubato (a free tempo that fits one's interpretation).

"It's definitely pushing it to call it an arrangement. If you just touched the octave scale and asked for an arrangement fee, you'd get cursed out."

Lee Chang-Jun, the composer in charge of the technical comments, joked.

"But still, it's impressive how much the song's vibe changed."

The two then began to have a deep conversation that would never make it to broadcast.

As the production crew who were listening wondered if they should cut it off, the conversation reached a point where it could be used for broadcast.

"Wait a minute, Han Si-On, something's off."

"Yes?"

"Based on how you talk, it doesn't seem like you think you changed anything?"

"Ah, right. I think this is the original."

"The original?"

"<Flowers Bloom> was probably meant for male vocals in the early stages of the composition. I think they probably changed it to fit the female vocals when they decided on a singer during the production process."

"..."

"So I didn't change a thing, I just sang the early version."

It would be inconsiderate to stay silent after hearing such comments.

Broadcasts always need a buzz, regardless of Han Si-On's wishes.

He probably wanted this, throwing out the bait.

"So, do you think this version's better?"

Han Si-On shook his head at Choi Dae-Ho's question.

"How could it be? I sang this because I'm a male. If I were a female, I'd sing the original. I just really wanted to sing this song."

"Why?"

"Because I love the song. The lyrics speak to me."

"But..."

Choi Dae-Ho stopped, covering his mouth in surprise.

He caught Han Si-On's trap.

Han Si-On was intentionally avoiding mentioning the difference in level between the two songs.

To find out Han Si-On's true intentions, they would have to ask something like, 'But isn't there a big difference in level between the two versions?'…

But that was a no-go.

Impossible.

'Wow, this kid's something.'

Even more impossible?

There was even a stronger reason why he could not.

He could not ask Han Si-On if he really had to overinterpret the spring song as falling petals.

Given his parental situation.

In other words, Han Si-On left no room for any unpleasant remarks to be made.

But they could not just gush over his skills either.

So, the judges had one play left.

"The dance, vocals, and even the song interpretation were all charming. Han Si-On really comes across as an all-round artist."

"I thought his dance would be lacking, but he killed it. It's not easy to give off such a full feeling with a solo dance."

"The blooming choreo might've been lacking in a solo performance, but the choreography that expresses the feeling of flowers falling seemed to be better with just one person."

Praise.

'Is he smart, or is it instinct?'

He must have a desire to show off his talent.

Yet he must have known that doing so would inevitably lead to comparisons with the original song's quality.

Choi Dae-Ho was even more amazed by that than Han Si-On's skill.

And so, after the judging comments, Han Si-On's revealed score was 39 points.

Choi Dae-Ho, slightly peeved at nearly falling into Han Si-On's trap, gave 9 points.

As I took my seat after my stage, I could feel the other contestants shooting glances my way.

I may have lived many lifetimes, but I don't actually have the ability to read minds from eye contact.

However, if I had to guess their thoughts, it would be something like:

'Ugh, seriously, why'd that dude have to go first and stir things up…'

"Should I chat with him? Seems like he's definitely on Team B."

"Damn, life's unfair. Guy's got vocals and moves."

Something like that?

For context, these inner monologues are based on a lifetime of eavesdropping on folks.

As I sat there pondering, Go Tae-Hwan suddenly looked at me and nodded.

Guess that means he nailed it.

I nodded back, a silent 'you did great too', then turned to watch the next stage.

Next up, Park Seong-Joo, a rapper.

He tied for last in the pre-mission with Go Tae-Hwan, lost the rock-paper-scissors, and ended up staging after me.

"He's going to be eliminated."

Then came Choi Jae-Seong, a vocalist.

Decent pipes of him.

He's like the hexagon of vocalists – no standout strengths in any particular area or weaknesses?

A bit underwhelming now, but with training, he might shape up.

But as I watched Choi Jae-Seong, déjà vu hit.

I swear I've seen him somewhere, but can't place it.

I thought I'd remember when I saw him on stage.

I can forget faces and names, but voices stick.

But still, no dice.

It's definitely not a mistake.

I have a vague memory of him slaying a stage with that voice.

'Hmm. Doesn't seem like he's got much potential for that though.'

I wonder if he made it big as a musical actor or something, and I just blanked on it?

I was glaring at him in frustration when Choi Jae-Seong, who was singing, suddenly glanced at me and made a mistake.

"..."

He should be eyeing the judges. Why's he looking at me?

I felt bad for him for no reason, looked away, and he resumed with a less tense vibe.

He seems like a shy person.

But you can't fix shyness.

It would be preferable if he gets eliminated so we don't end up on the same team.

Next was Go Tae-Hwan, the one I had helped earlier.

He made an interesting song choice: American R&B superstar LAZY BOY's <Slow Down>.

Everyone knows LAZY BOY in Korea.

Even if not by face, his songs will ring a bell when they hear them.

That's because LAZY BOY's songs are always used in scenes that set the mood in variety shows.

<Slow Down> is a song from LAZY BOY that gets a lot of mixed reactions.

It's very slow, and it's all about vocal ability.

The entire song composition exists solely to serve as a vocal ability litmus test, so without great vocals, it has zero appeal.

That's why there was a meme calling it the "vocal ability detector," and the song gained popularity because of that meme.

Personally, I don't think it's a great song.

I talked to LAZY BOY at a party once, and he said he made the song thinking people would listen to it and laugh.

But he was surprised that it blew up when folks started doing serious covers on YouTube.

Anyway, It's not a good fit for an idol survival show, or Go Tae-Hwan, for that matter.

As expected, everyone is tilting their heads.

All with a look that says, 'He's singing that?'

Meanwhile, Go Tae-Hwan, after sneaking a glance at me, grabs the mic.

TL/n - 

You can read 5 chapters in advance on p@treon.com/inkbound