Chapter 298

[JO INCHAN’S POV]

Legendary Singer .

“Aaaaahhh!”

“Oh my, it’s a total mess.”

Seeing the audience erupt into a commotion, Nam Yihwon burst out laughing. When I belatedly asked, “ What’s going on? ”, Nam Yihwon gave a small nod and gestured toward where our Hyung was.

As my gaze naturally turned in the direction of our hyung, I saw that his hair, which had always been brightly bleached, was now dyed jet black.

‘His hair, he dyed it.’

Since Prism was a group that really went all-in on strong concepts, it seemed they were aiming to change up their image. Han Seungbeom had such stunning visuals that he could’ve pulled off any style, but seeing how his snow-white skin skin and bright amber eyes stood out even more radiantly against the dark hair, I was involuntarily struck with admiration.

“He’s handsome, isn’t he? My child.”

Whether that suited Seo Yutae, with his rigid, bamboo-like personality, was another matter entirely, but in any case, his visual was quite a sight to behold.

“Haha … his already cold impression has become even colder.”

“For real. It’s a good thing Seungbeom’s looks are at least cute.”

The Han Seungbeom in the photo my hyung showed me looked like a kid with such a gentle aura, so I couldn’t help but wonder; could just a change in who’s inside really alter someone’s impression that much?

My hyung, who somehow sensed we were looking at him like he had a sixth sense, glanced up at the judges’ table with a sullen expression.

When our eyes met, I slowly mouthed, “ Do well ” 1 , to him. In response, my hyung lifted one corner of his mouth in a faint smirk, then turned and headed backstage as if nothing had happened.

‘He’s so relaxed. I guess that means he’s confident he’ll do well no matter what.’

The other contestants next to him were trembling with intense nervousness, but seeing him perfectly calm and collected on his own made me chuckle.

“Inchan-ah, if you keep staring like that, you’re going to bore a hole in the back of Seungbeom-ssi ‘s head.”

Chise-hyung, watching me sneak glances at our hyung, teased me with a playful remark. I turned away, pretending not to hear, and meanwhile, our hyung walked off the stage with the other contestants, not even looking back.

The MC, now standing alone at the center of the empty stage, stepped forward and shouted toward the camera.

“And now, let’s begin the final competition of Legendary Singe r!”

***

“Shoot, this is live. What should we do?”

“…It’s the final broadcast, but the ending has gone all weird.”

As soon as Raize’s performance ended, the members shook their heads with troubled expressions.

In the end, Raize completed their performance without a hitch. While other groups had pitch issues and frequent choreography mistakes, Raize didn’t slip up once, which clearly showed just how much effort these kids had put into their preparation.

Raize undoubtedly performed the stage exactly as they had prepared, without any mistakes.

But for Prism, that was a given.

Frankly speaking, the overall quality of the performance was below their expectations. By Prism’s standards, simply not making mistakes wasn’t the same as doing a good job.

‘They lowered the key and just glossed over Yutae-hyung’s choreography with gestures during the dance break.’

It was definitely the best performance I had seen so far, but it wasn’t enough to satisfy me.

‘If you intentionally lower the level, anyone can have a mistake-free performance.’

If other groups’ performances could be described as breaking and falling short of capturing Domination , Raize’s performance felt like they forcibly squeezed the song into their own level, completely missing the essence of the original.

Domination was a song whose strength came from its vocals. How could one have made an evaluation when the song itself didn’t live up to expectations?

‘If Seo Yuseong were here, he would have lost interest from the start and wouldn’t have even watched the performance.’

It’s impossible to cover Seo Yuseong’s part, given his genius-level talent. There was no point in making that excuse, as Prism had already accomplished it.

Even after the brothers left Prism, the group still had to perform Domination . Yoo Jay, as the center, took on Yutae-hyung’s dance break, while the other members kept practicing until they could handle Seo Yuseong’s part.

For that Prism, this performance was never going to be enough to satisfy them.

‘If possible, since this is the final broadcast, I’d like to say something positive, but…….’

I picked up the microphone and began my evaluation on behalf of the members, who seemed to have nothing else to say.

“…Hmm, this song is very difficult to begin with. From the breathing to the rhythm, nothing about it is easy. The vocal range, in particular, relies heavily on innate talent, so it must have been really tough for you.”

At that gentle words, spoken as if comforting a child, the members of Raize, who had been gasping for breath after their performance, tightly shut their eyes. They had instinctively understood that their performance wasn’t good enough.

“Still, as the original singer, I’m really happy to see how much effort you put in. Thank you so much for your hard work.”

“…Thank you!”

I wanted to acknowledge the kids’ efforts somehow, so I focused my feedback entirely on the process without mentioning the results at all. Even though it was done with good intentions, that choice also implied I couldn’t give a positive assessment of the final result , which left me feeling heavy-hearted.

Faced with contestants making all sorts of mistakes and putting on low-quality performances, Prism’s gradually hardening expressions, and cold evaluations that hadn’t offered a single “w ell done ” so far, the production team was breaking into a cold sweat.

‘Why did they have to ruin everything on the final broadcast, after doing so well till now? They should’ve known there’s a line that shouldn’t be crossed.’

I glanced over at them out of the corner of my eye, let out a deep sigh, and then leaned back in my chair. Sitting through one mediocre performance after another was leaving me more exhausted than usual.

‘The last performance is … Pantheion, huh. I hope they do well.’

After a brief wait, it was finally Pantheion’s turn.

As the bright lights poured over the dark stage, Do Yuda’s clear, pure voice rang out, breaking through the cold stillness of the audience.

“Overcoming countless obstacles”

Domination started with a C5 from the beginning, without any warm-up.

As the high note rang out cleanly for the first time, noticeably different from all the previous performances, the audience erupted in cheers.

“WOAAAAAHH!”

“Running towards a higher peak”

Before Do Yuda’s breath could falter, Baek Kiryang entered.

“I’m a monster that thrives on fear”

Finally, Nicholas walked in.

And even after their individual parts were over, the three main vocalists didn’t stop singing; they continued to double each other’s lines.

“The lies that come out of your mouth aren’t even funny

You’re a sacrifice made for me”

Gradually, as even the other members who weren’t main vocalists joined in one by one, the introduction transformed into a lush, a cappella-like arrangement of harmonies and ad-libs. The sound was so complete that it was almost impossible to notice the MR hadn’t started yet, unless you were consciously paying attention to it.

‘…Anyway, they’re not letting even the intro go unnoticed.’

Since other groups had already performed Domination several times before, the audience was likely growing tired of the same pattern. While that might have been a hard detail to catch for someone preparing the performance, there was no way Seo Yutae would miss it. The arrangement was designed to stay as true to the original as possible, yet was crafted in a way that would allow the audience to feel the clear distinction from the other performances.

‘Since the members still aren’t able to sing like Yuseong, they probably tried to mask the lacking parts by making it as flashy as possible…….’

I let out a chuckle as I watched Pantheion instantly capture the audience’s attention, then quickly pressed my lips back into a firm line.

“…….”

Singing a song without any backing track meant they had that much confidence in their vocals.

A cappella singing only became truly captivating when the singer was able to stay perfectly on pitch and tempo without instrumental backing, with every detail—vibrato, pronunciation, and tone—coming across so cleanly that nothing felt off to the listener.

In this arrangement, I could clearly feel the deep pride our hyung held for the members he had nurtured.

‘Somehow, my heart feels…….’

It was something we had fully felt while working as Prism.

In that moment, I felt like my mind went blank from that thought.

But without knowing my feelings, our hyung lifted his head and fixed his gaze on the Prism members seated at the judges’ table. Then, with his fist extended toward us.…….

“ Yes, we are PRISM ”

He uttered the slogan we must have shouted thousands, if not tens of thousands, of times until now.

As I reflexively mouthed the slogan, silently following it, our hyung smiled brightly, his eyes crinkling into a smile.

Then, the Pantheion members, who had been behind our hyung, scattered according to their positions.

“You make me weak

With that worthless body, you’ll slowly consume me

But I don’t care, I’ll just laugh it off and move on”

The song was still beyond their abilities, but everyone had a face full of confidence. It was only natural for them to feel confident. How could they not, when the Seo Yutae himself believed in them?

‘…Just like we did.’

“Ah…….”

The moment I was faced with that dazzling sight, a sound slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it.

My entire being thought, this is too cruel for us.

‘I’m jealous.’

A sharp pain shot through my chest, as if my heart had been cut with a knife.

Jealousy twisted my insides so violently, I felt like I could throw up at any moment. I could barely stand it.

‘…Don’t smile like that.’

Oh, how I wish it were me on that stage instead of those children. Do they have any idea how precious it is to be able to stand on stage with that person? Do they know just how desperately we longed for that chance ? Why did it take losing it for us to finally understand what we once had ?

No matter how many times I asked myself those questions, this miserable reality stayed the same.

The distance between Prism, who now received senior treatment wherever we went, and Pantheion, who had just debuted, was as wide as the distance between these judges’ seats and the stage.

‘Why, why are you singing there … with that look on your face?’

I felt this childish urge to beg, Can’t we do so much better than those kids? Aren’t you the kind of person who wouldn’t be satisfied with just this level? So why are you standing next to them?

‘…This song was made for us.’

This was ugly jealousy.

This was not an emotion I, who had already lived many more years than those kids, should be harboring as their senior.

The shame from my own lack of integrity and the guilt I felt toward the kids made my face flush with embarrassment. I knew I needed to sort out my feelings quickly, but despite this, I found that the human heart wasn’t so easily controlled, and I couldn’t suppress it in the slightest.

“No matter what happens, I won’t look back

Fear will always be by my side”

‘I don’t want to see it.’

If I couldn’t sort out my feelings on my own, then I just shouldn’t look. With that thought, I forcefully turned my stiff neck, only to have my breath catch in my throat.

“…….”

“…….”

The other members all had the same expression as mine. Even Woon-hyung and Chise-hyung, whom I had always considered much more mature and rational than me.

The clenched fist, so tight that the nails dug into the flesh, the furrowed brows, and the eyes, following someone as if completely spellbound, were filled with an undeniable longing, anxiety, and sorrow that couldn’t be erased.

It was something only we could recognize because we had spent so many years together.

“Even if the world becomes too heavy, I won’t fall apart

Despair only serves to make me weak

All I have to do is touch the ground and slowly rise back up”

“I hope you’ll remember

My dream

Our time

This feeling that’s impossible to forget”

I stared at him dazedly, then clenched my teeth and swallowed the surge of emotion that rose up inside me.

“…….”

This performance was so outstanding that it was beyond comparison with anything Pantheion had shown on Legendary Singer so far, or to any of the stages other groups had presented today.

No matter how talented they were, how on earth could rookies create such a performance?

Simply put, the arrangement played a major role.

The truth was, Pantheion still wasn’t at a level where a single member could fully handle a Prism’s song on their own. However, this arrangement supported the members’ individual shortcomings and had the strength to keep them from being devoured by Domination .

This was a level of producing only Seo Yutae—the very person who created Domination , the one who understood this song better than anyone else in the world—could achieve. It was a testament to his love for this song.

Thump!

As the fast-tempo beat started playing, our hyung stepped into the center as if he was taking the reins. And he pulled off the notoriously difficult dance break with such ease. Although, to compensate for the difference in body size, he made slight adjustments to his dance style, making it more fluid and lighter.

“Aaaaah! Han Seungbeom must be insane!”

The audience, awestruck by the dance moves of an entirely different caliber, screamed in awe. Before the excitement could even cool down, the members who had led the dance break bent their bodies low.

And then, Nicholas, who had been waiting at the back, walked forward and began to sing.

“I hope you’ll watch

This stage, this song

My shout”

After Baek Kiryang followed, Do Yuda, having secured enough breath, took the microphone.

Then, with spectacular stage effects, an ear-piercing high note broke through the air.

“I’ll prove it here

The sight of myself that has conquered even my instincts”

If enough time had passed for the public to forget Seo Yuseong’s singing, and if Domination hadn’t left a strong impression in their minds, the other groups’ performances with lowered keys might have been decent enough.

But once they tasted the thrill of the explosive high notes in the original key, no substitute could ever satisfy. The audience would never be able to let go of their expectations, no matter the circumstances.

“For you, thank you”

And now, in this moment, after five performances, that expectation was met for the first time.

“Because of you, I was able to dominate this fear.”

“Woaaaaaaaah!”

It was important not to go off-key on stage. A single mistake could completely ruin the precious stage that had been prepared for such a long time.

But they didn’t know that with such a mindset, one that pursued stability, they could never defeat Seo Yutae.

[Vocal A 1st Place: Do Yuda (PANTHEION +30 points)]

[Vocal B 1st Place: Nicholas Hwayoung Lee (PANTHEION +30 points)]

[Dance A 1st Place: Youngho (RAIZE +30 points)]

[Dance B 1st Place: Ilrang (RAIZE +30 points)]

Pantheion had the upper hand in vocals, while Raize had the upper hand in performance.

Judging by those two aspects alone, Pantheion and Raize were more or less on equal footing.

[Center 1st Place: Han Seungbeom]

But Pantheion had something that could seal the victory in any match; the most powerful variable of all, Seo Yutae .

He was the origin of this crushing victory.

[END OF JO INCHAN’S POV]

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Translator’s Corner:

Idk if it’s just my feeling, but I could swear this is the longest chapter out of the 298 chapters that I’ve translated … rather than a suitable song with a high note, I’ve been listening to aespa – Whiplash to vibe with this chapter, and I almost got sick of that song now …. one drop give me whiplash ….. this took so long because my laptop kept lagging too sigh …

…. and because I got distracted reading the manhwa of Insincere Idol Blank Slate …. i finished the current chapters, and it made me want to read the novel … except it’s been so long since I read the novel, so I re-read it from Chapter 1 … now I’m on chapter 150 …. let’s see how many days I will take to finish the, idk how much now, 500+ chapters? I like Eden so much, I used to have a huge crush on him before I found Yutae

Anyway, I lowkey wondered if I should’ve tled it as Dominate to match the lyrics … the word is 지배 , well. Domination is correct.

This chapter def on Inchan’s POV because the other members not nice …. maybe they should be grateful Yuseong is not alive …. otherwise he would have already caused these chicks experiencing a greater reality check ….

Anyway

Perhaps he didn’t realize this,

If this kid had the time, he might be able to pull off this song.

I smiled as I pushed Do Yuda’s back toward the stage.

There was no way he couldn’t sing the song I made.

Because,

— Chapter 40

Does it ever drive you crazy … just how fast the night changes……..

Oh, it reminds me. Actually “had the time” part in Chapter 40 is not a 100% ultimate correct translation. The term used is “had the 여유” / taken from Japanese よゆう. That word lowkey tricky to translate because … well, the meaning depends. The literal meaning is “room to spare”, “leeway”, “composure”, “time”, or “flexibility, or etc etc. I chose time because, well, time proved it in the end. I didn’t explain it back then because maybe it will count as spoiler.

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