Chapter 161

Chapter 161

Raise Three Idols Well And They’ll Launch a Confession Attack.

Episode 161: The Rise Of The Vocal Genius

While Seon Taeyang and Yoo Gaeul were abroad filming Music Road, all the other employees of TwoBear were seated. In the midst of politely receiving the champagne and orange juice poured by Seo Soo-yeon, the commercials ended, and the broadcast began.

“It’s starting!”

Cheon Aram, looking delighted, set down the champagne and took her seat.

The broadcast began, showing street corners around the world and many unknown singers performing in those places, accompanied by a professional narrator’s voice.

“There are hundreds of languages in the world. Because of these differences in language, walls are built, and misunderstandings arise. On the other side, there is common ground. The foundation of that is language. Thus, differences in language also represent differences in culture. We face difficulty understanding each other because of these language differences. But despite that, there is a language understood by everyone.”

Then the camera showed various people of different races, clapping and cheering as they listened to the unknown singers’ songs.

“That language is music.”

The dark screen faded in and transitioned from the street performance of an unknown singer to the audience of a massive festival stage.

“Through music, we can communicate. Across different cultures, across different languages, music carries sorrow, longing, affection, peace, and love.”

The camera then zoomed in on a singer, smiling with joy as they looked at the audience, and the title “Music Road” appeared.

“Music Road: Love and Song. Starting now.”

Forgetting even the popcorn and pretzels prepared by Cheon Aram beside them, all of TwoBear’s staff became focused as Music Road officially started.

In the studio where the gathered singers sat, an awkward silence lingered. Then, the MC entered, skillfully guiding the atmosphere and explaining the competition’s rules.

“You must forget all the fame you’ve built up until now and perform as unknown buskers.”

The first round of the survival competition required them to perform in a foreign plaza and receive a “Love” vote from at least 70% of the randomly selected audience members. If they failed to reach that threshold, they would be immediately eliminated.

R&B singer Lena Shin asked with a slightly arrogant tone.

“Why do we have to go abroad? Couldn’t we just do this in Korea?”

“It’s because we want you to prove the power of music purely. You’re all top-tier artists. If you perform in Korea, your fame and past achievements alone would easily get you more than 70% ‘Love’.”

“Then why not just cover our faces?”

The MC replied with a serious expression.

“We don’t see singers as mere machines that play sound in this program.”

“…”

“Expression, gestures, performance, sweat, immersion, sadness, joy, anger, madness—everything that’s visible, heard, and felt is part of the music that makes you who you are. We decided that hiding faces and body types would be incomplete. That’s why we’re doing this overseas. There, people won’t associate fame with the singers performing on the streets from the East. While there might be some differences, we thought they wouldn’t matter.”

Then, rocker Shin Ju-rim asked,

“What about the judges?”

“For the first round, the only judges are the audience.”

The MC walked to the center stage and said,

“Starting from the second round, official judges will be mixed in with the audience and will also evaluate the performances. However, their influence on the results will be minimal. Their primary role will be to provide commentary that helps viewers understand the performances better—nothing more, nothing less. The true deciding factor is the audience. Do not forget that.”

The studio scene faded out, and soon, the screen showed a man walking onto a famous plaza in Europe, carrying only an electric guitar.

It was rocker Shin Ju-rim, who had spoken earlier.

“Honestly, even if the language is different, rock music can still be communicated. And I’m confident. I know how to get the audience excited. That’s what I’ve been doing for over ten years. I could get people excited even with a children’s song like ‘Three Little Bears’.”

Seeing Shin Ju-rim show his confidence, the PD asked him a question, and he nonchalantly connected his guitar to the pre-set amplifier.

“Expected Love rating? Hmm… 100% is hard, maybe 95%? At least if it doesn’t go over 90%, it’ll be a huge blow to my pride.”

As the eyes of the gathered audience focused on him, he started playing his guitar with a powerful sound and began singing.

After the busking ended and the audience’s ratings were calculated, the MC read the results.

“The Love rating is 67%! Unfortunately, Shin Ju-rim is eliminated.”

“…Damn.”

It was an unexpected quick elimination.

Yoo Gaeul, shocked, asked,

“Isn’t Shin Ju-rim a huge star? How could he get eliminated so quickly? I thought he did well…”

Vocal trainer Song Johan, who had been watching alongside her, answered.

“I don’t think Shin Ju-rim’s skills are lacking. If they were, he wouldn’t have been able to establish such a position in the music industry. But the reason for this outcome is probably due to the psychology of judging, and the use of the word ‘Love’ in the rating.”

“Is it just the word?”

“Words like ‘like,’ ‘good,’ and ‘cool’ are easier to use, but ‘Love’ is a word not used lightly. When people ask, ‘He did well, but was it really Love?’ they can feel negatively about it. I think this psychological barrier led to this result.”

“Ugh, with that, is it really fair to have to exceed 70%? Isn’t that too difficult?”

As they conversed, more singers took the stage. One barely made it through with Love ratings of 76% and 71%, scraping past the first round. Meanwhile, another contestant, who struggled with pitch and made noticeable mistakes, faced a crushing defeat with only 45%.

“Do you think Gaeul unnie will be okay?”

“…”

As the staff of TwoBear looked on anxiously, the screen shifted to show a familiar acoustic guitar.

“Hello, I’m Yoo Gaeul, a member of the girl group Girl Revolution.”

It was Gaeul.

“Wow, it’s Gaeul unnie!”

The PD asked her if she felt any pressure while tuning her guitar.

“Honestly, it is a bit overwhelming. Everyone here is either a professional singer or someone who was an idol but has successfully established themselves as a solo artist. They are the kind of people I dream of reaching when I succeed in growing in the future.”

After tuning her guitar, Gaeul stood up and began walking toward the stage in the square.

“Even now, as I step onto the stage, it still doesn’t feel real that I’m competing with these people. The truth is, I feel unworthy to stand beside them. Plus, I’m the only active idol here. The reason they called me here is probably because the PD saw my busking videos in a positive light.”

The PD stopped her for a moment and asked the final question: what her goal was for this show.

Gaeul looked at the crowd for a moment, then smiled softly and answered.

“To win, of course.”

And without hesitation, she finished her statement as she walked out onto the stage.

“So that I won’t be ashamed of the love and trust I’ve received.”

The song she chose was “Albatross,” arranged to be fully acoustic with just the guitar.

As the familiar melody, recently popularized on social media, filled the air, the people in the street began to gather their attention.

At first, the reactions were light, like, “Interesting, I know this song.” But that reaction quickly changed as she began singing the first line.

[Pond, river, sea, and I’m looking at you.]

The plaza fell silent.

Everything, except for the small sound of the guitar and Gaeul’s voice, fell silent.

Everything except the soft strumming of Gaeul’s guitar and her voice disappeared.

An elderly man reading a newspaper at a café table stopped flipping the pages.

A police officer arguing with a driver over a parking violation ceased speaking.

A pickpocket scanning the crowd for a wealthy target froze in place.

A tourist adjusting their camera to capture the scenery lowered it slightly, momentarily forgetting their shot.

Every single person in the plaza had turned their attention toward the lone figure on the stage.

[I’ll remember you, kid who’ll fly the furthest.]

[Until the wind blows that will make you fly one day.]

She was a sorceress.

This strange atmosphere was undoubtedly seen as magic, a force that bewitched people.

[The scene where you cross the clouds and cut through the sky.]

As the song ended and the plaza fell silent, the silence was broken by the voice of the MC.

“Love rating is 87%! Yoo Gaeul passes Round 1.”

And so, the hidden genius who had long been overshadowed by her group began to reveal her true self to the world.