Chapter 282

In the second competition of Legendary Singer , the cast had to perform solo songs from Prism members instead of the group’s songs. This decision was made because covering a group song with many vocal parts would not work for those competing in the rap position. Fortunately, Prism had plenty of members who had achieved success in their respective solo careers, so there was no shortage of suitable song.

When the public thought of ‘ Prism’s Center ‘, the first person that came to mind was Seo Yutae. However, since Seo Yutae had left the group before he passed away, he was not officially a member of Prism. Therefore, the center position team had to cover a solo song by Yoo Jay, the current center of Prism.

When Gong Seonghwa first received the news, he let out a sigh of relief.

Although Prism’s songs were all undeniably difficult, Seo Yutae’s solo and the songs by Starz, the unit formed by the Seo brothers, were on another level. Their songs demanded an almost superhuman level of skills, making even getting through a full cover performance feel like an impossible feat that most preferred to avoid if they could.

On the other hand, Yoo Jay’s songs leaned more toward mainstream appeal, making them relatively less difficult. However, even those were far more challenging than the choreography they were used to. Naturally, even if they performed the same moves, the quality would inevitably vary depending on the dancer’s skill level.

Feeling a bit anxious about that, Gong Seonghwa asked this question to Seo Yutae—the one person he subconsciously saw as his biggest rival, no matter how much he tried to deny it, even to himself.

“Seungbeom-ssi, have you ever danced to this song before?”

Seo Yutae shook his head at the question and answered honestly.

“No, I haven’t.”

He had only ever watched and given some brief feedback—nothing more.

Seo Yutae, who strongly disliked anything complicated or bothersome, never bothered to lie unless it was absolutely necessary. Even though they hadn’t known each other long, Gong Seonghwa had come to understand his personality to some extent, and that answer brought him immense relief.

‘…I can win.’

That was because he had already mastered the choreography for Jay’s solo song. As a devoted fan of Prism, Gong Seonghwa had followed their activities from beginning to end, and had a hobby of rewatching every single one of their performances. Because of this, he was able to dance to every Prism song; from solo to unit tracks to full group songs.

Despite having limited practice time due to his packed schedule, he was able to prepare for the second competition performance without any issues thanks to that.

Unlike himself, who had already built a solid foundation, Han Seungbeom had to start from a complete blank slate. Gong Seonghwa concluded that there was a gap between them; one that wouldn’t be easily bridged.

But there was something Gong Seonghwa was unaware of.

It was the truth that Han Seungbeom was actually Seo Yutae. The reason Gong Seonghwa had been able to underestimate him all this time was that Seo Yutae had deliberately hidden himself. He didn’t want to stand before the public with Prism’s songs and reveal any connection to his true identity. At the same time, he wished for the Pantheion members to grow without being overshadowed by him.

In other words, having to perform a song he had never danced to as Seo Yutae—and doing so without the Pantheion members—was not a disadvantage for him but rather the removal of a limiter.

‘Something about the atmosphere … feels different from when we were practicing.’

It was only natural for Gong Seonghwa to be caught off guard by this.

Practice for the Legendary Singer stage was only a small fraction of the long training hours scheduled into Seo Yutae’s day. Even the members of Prism would have been shocked by the sheer amount of practice he managed to endure daily—despite being in the body of Han Seungbeom, who had weaker stamina compared to his peers. What made this possible was his strong mental strength and his meticulous energy management, backed by the exceptional experience he had accumulated over the years.

Naturally, this meant that the practice Gong Seonghwa had seen so far was performed with controlled energy for the sake of efficiency.

His busy schedule had kept him from properly noticing that, and during the rehearsal on the day of the competition, he had been too focused on his own performance. It was only now that Gong Seonghwa was truly witnessing Seo Yutae’s full-fledged performance.

No, in fact, he was still trying to focus on his own performance.

His years of experience had taught him that expecting dramatic improvement during the actual broadcast was unrealistic. Rather than being conscious of his surroundings, he knew that focusing on himself was the key to delivering a better performance.

But.

“ Baby, Don’t be afraid

It’s just a game .”

The moment Seo Yutae stepped forward to perform his part, Gong Seonghwa found his gaze drawn to him, as if he had been enchanted.

“…….”

And unconsciously, he thought to himself,

‘Ah, I can’t win against this.’

It wasn’t just Gong Seonghwa. Everyone present at the filming set thought the same.

Even Prism, whose role was to objectively evaluate all the performers, felt the same.

“Haha! Is he out of his mind?”

Watching Seo Yutae’s performance, Yoo Jay suddenly let out a cheerful laugh, then ran a hand through his bangs as he muttered under his breath. The words had slipped out before he even realized it. Given his personality, he rarely spoke on camera without carefully choosing his words first. But after witnessing such an unbelievable performance, he simply couldn’t hold back.

“Don’t worry

I’m not trying to hurt you

This was just something that had to happen.”

“This is absolutely ridiculous…….”

Right now, Seo Yutae had completely absorbed Yoo Jay’s style and was reinterpreting it in the most beautiful way possible for Han Seungbeom’s physique.

At that, Cha Woon shook his head as if he had expected this all along, while Lee Chise waved his hands in a gesture that screamed, “ It’s over “. Nam Yihwon slammed his palms against the table, exclaiming, “That was insane!”. Meanwhile, Jo Inchan simply watched Seo Yutae on stage in silence, his eyes sparkling.

Gong Seonghwa, whose eyes held a blue-green tint of boundless admiration, awe, and affection, slowly felt his mind growing faint.

‘…The moment Han Seungbeom stepped into the center, the entire focus of the stage shifted.’

The numerous cameras set up around the filming site were all moving solely to capture Seo Yutae. It was an overwhelming talent that anyone who stood on stage would dream of having.

“Wow…….”

As Seo Yutae’s image filled the screen, the cast members seated at the side of the stage exclaimed in admiration.

“How can a body that thin produce that much strength?”

That wasn’t simply a matter of physical strength. Those movements could only come from someone with the skill and confidence to exert perfect control over every part of their body, from the strands of their hair to the tips of their fingers.

The present Seo Yutae, standing before Prism, seemed to be mocking them, as if to say, ‘ How dare you evaluate me? ‘. The moment Gong Seonghwa took in that sight, what he felt wasn’t the bitterness of defeat; it was envy.

Seo Yutae possessed the light that Gong Seonghwa longed for.

“…….”

A deep ache began to spread in his heart.

‘…This is irritating.’

Gong Seonghwa’s exceptionally high pride and competitive spirit were what had elevated him to the top as the leader of first-tier male idols. And that was precisely why he loved Prism so deeply.

If he had simply looked for something to like out of ‘ positive interest ‘ alone, he would have been a fan of a cute-concept girl group. However, the reason Gong Seonghwa became a fan of Prism had nothing to do with that; it was because Prism terrified him.

Prism. An unprecedented group with an untouchable career and talent. The group that left the greatest and most indelible mark on South Korea’s music industry.

Gong Seonghwa had watched their performances during their prime and genuinely thought, ‘I can’t win against them’. No matter how much effort he put in moving forward, it wouldn’t make a difference. It would be pointless anyway. From the perspective of someone aspiring to be in the same industry, they were nothing short of monsters.

In the first place, did it even make sense that a group that had been around for so many years, that had gone through multiple huge scandals known to the entire nation, was still standing at the top? Especially in an industry where generations change happened at an unusually fast pace?

[Oppas, why … don’t you age? Am I the only one getting older?]

[Prism is blocking the generational shift LOL, it’s insane. Seriously, how long has Prism been around?]

[Prism is a legend……]

[Honestly, no group that debuted after Prism can even compare. I know there’s a constant stream of new, fresh groups, and that there’s a hierarchy among them, with first-tier and second-tier groups, but I’m not sure if there’s any group that can truly surpass Prism]

Prism was not normal.

They dominated at all times, in every place.

When faced with an opponent beyond their ability to handle, it was a natural human instinct to perceive them as an anomaly and instinctively exclude them from competition. However, Gong Seonghwa, whose pride and competitive spirit were exceptionally strong, took it a step further; he chose an even greater form of avoidance.

“…Cool. They’re really cool.”

If you can’t win against them, the easiest thing to do is to love them.

If you embraced them as a part of yourself, the need to win would disappear.

As a result of his efforts, Gong Seonghwa reached the top within a realm where he could contend, without ever falling into despair.

‘I tried so desperately to avoid it, so why!’

The monsters were still up there, in a realm beyond reach.

Everyone taking the stage now was human. That was the the reason he decided to appear on Legendary Singer .

“ Killing , don’t try to run away

You won’t be able to escape anyway.”

…But what is this?

A strange being had mixed in, throwing everything into chaos. The world he had carefully defined with rigid boundaries started to fall apart.

It took only fifteen seconds to acknowledge him.

Gong Seonghwa closed his eyes and let that time, which felt like an eternity, simply pass by.

And he realized that the perception he and the public had of Han Seungbeom before Legendary Singer was not an overestimation, but an underestimation .

It was an absolute defeat.

***

[Center Position 1st Place: Han Seungbeom]

Once the second competition was over, Gong Seonghwa approached Seo Yutae, who was quietly staring at the results sheet—a unanimous decision from Prism—in a corner of the hallway, and spoke to him first.

“Congratulations on taking first place, Seungbeom-ssi.”

“Thank you.”

“…Thank you for being considerate when I missed the mid-term evaluation due to my schedule. I came to tell you that.”

When Gong Seonghwa gave a brief word of thanks, Seo Yutae, as always, just shook his head with a blank expression. Gong Seonghwa, who was quietly observing that face, frowned slightly before speaking again.

“Seungbeom-ssi, I told you not to go around alone. What if you run into that stalker again?”

Just then, Yoo Jay, who was chatting with the other juniors, casually walked over to where the two were and put his arm around Seo Yutae’s shoulder.

And with a smile, he asked, “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, there’s this weird stalker who’s been following Seungbeom-ssi, and it seems like he’s been near him lately. He needs to be careful.”

“…Ah, really? I didn’t know that.”

At Gong Seonghwa’s offhand explanation, Yoo Jay rolled his eyes and glanced down at Seo Yutae. Avoiding his gaze, Seo Yutae discreetly clenched his teeth. Just as Gong Seonghwa was about to tilt his head in question, commotion erupted from the waiting room where COMA-1 was gathered.

“Accident?”

“They said it was a serious accident. He injured his spine badly, so from now on, he’ll probably…….”

“So, that’s why we haven’t heard from Lim Seunghoon-ssi?”

It was a peculiar commotion.

Picking up bits and pieces of the conversation, Gong Seonghwa learned that someone named Lim Seunghoon , an associate of RH Entertainment, had been in an accident. With a voice tinged with sympathy, he murmured, “Oh dear, how unfortunate.”

“You should go, Seonghwa-ya. The Raize members are looking for you.”

After Gong Seonghwa left as Yoo Jay suggested, Yoo Jay took Seo Yutae by the arm and said, “We should get going too, Seungbeom-ssi.”

“…….”

“…Seungbeom-ssi?”

Seo Yutae stood frozen in place for a long moment, as if he hadn’t even heard Yoo Jay’s call. Then, all of a sudden, he clamped a hand over his mouth, shoved Yoo Jay’s hand away, and bolted into the restroom.

Startled, Yoo Jay hurriedly ran after him, and found…….

“Heuk, urgh … blegh!”

Seo Yutae was slumped in front of the toilet, retching up stomach acid.

You can support this translation through Buy Me a Coffee or Wishlist!

Translator’s Corner:

Hahaha .. debunking the ruthless protagonist allegation …. who enjoys the shift in this chapter …. we’re so back

Sigh, I really like Seonghwa’s personality … I want to see him meeting the OG Seungbeom … author-nim, please just write an alternative story or something T_T Seo Yutae is too OP ….. give me us the pretty angelic boy …..

Anyway, I haven’t had the chance to read the comments, so I started diving my wordpress notifications slowly and someone made a very good point in early chapter about if the handwriting is the same, why can’t MC just fake his sui*ide note and publish them … and omg …. I NEVER EVER THOUGHT OF THAT ???????????? I’M PRETTY SURE EVEN YUTAE DIDN’T THINK OF THAT ???? NO READERS EVER POINTING THAT OUT BEFORE THIS ONE TOO ASDFGHJKL Pack it up, guys, I think we’re just not suited to be a skilled criminal … although to be fair, it’s not going to work now that MC remembers he’s not dying for that reason …..

Anyway (2), I even made a separate post asking people not to repost … so why are they still continue updating …. there’s no way you didn’t see it considering you have to visit this site to copy the chapters ???? even the SSS Cafe reposter deleted it right away after I warned it once, and back then SSS Cafe was way more attracting attention than this T_T (I think people staying away from this not just because of the summary, but also because the title kinda … uh, that.). I’m going to update NemariChicken then …….

If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.