Chapter 299

“The final winning group of Legendary Singer, Prism Special is!”

Dun dun duuun!

“Pantheion! Congratulations!”

“Whoaaaaaa!”

At the MC’s announcement, a thunderous cheer erupted from the audience. And then, with a loud bang of an air shot, confetti showered down on us like falling flower petals.

As I watched the sight in silence, Do Yuda ran over and hugged me.

“Aaahhh! We won!”

“Hey, that’s dangerous!”

Because of the difference in our builds, I staggered for a moment as I tried to hold him up. While I was still supporting him, I suddenly felt the body in my arms trembling. At first, I tilted my head in confusion, but then I realized his face—puffed up like a steamed bun—was overflowing with tears, so I roughly patted the back of his head.

Even though the burden was shared with the other vocal position members, the highest notes had to be entirely taken on by Do Yuda due to the limitations of their vocal ranges, so the pressure must have been quite heavy.

“…You did well.”

It made me realize, once again, just how much time has passed.

When Do Yuda was forced to sing Domination on Survive IDOL , he was under so much pressure that he couldn’t even breathe properly and hid in a small room. But that terrified expression from back then was nowhere to be seen anymore.

He made crying noises during the breaks in practice, but he didn’t run away and finished the performance until the end.

‘His singing has gotten a lot better.’

Even when he was still a trainee, Do Yuda had good vocal skills, but he used to sing exactly as the company taught him, with a very textbook-like feel. However, the Do Yuda of today has built a new style by adding his own unique color to his solid foundation, and he soon became the decisive factor in avoiding comparisons with Seo Yuseong.

Wasn’t this a world where there were countless talented people? In order to maintain his place within it, that process was absolutely necessary.

The producing to bridge the gap in skill between him and Prism, as well as to make up for the weaknesses he had yet to overcome, was indeed something he received help with from me. However, the creation of his own style came entirely from Do Yuda’s efforts. The time he spent constantly thinking and working hard while recovering from his injury has now returned to Do Yuda in this way.

When I whispered softly, Do Yuda flinched and then froze like stone. Shortly after, he exhaled in a rough, rapid breath, far more intense than before, and then he just burst into a loud cry.

“Uhuhuhuhuhu.”

No, I tried to comfort him and tell him not to cry, but now he was crying out loud.

‘…Goodness gracious.’

I was held so tightly, I couldn’t move an inch. Just as I resigned myself to this being my fate and stared blankly into the air, a taller guy stumbled toward me.

“Huhuu, Leada.”

Ah, this pattern again. He wasn’t some baby who just cried along when the kid next to him cried. This was really troublesome.

“…….”

As Zen, crying with tears and snot streaming down his face, clung to my waist, I shook my head repeatedly and saw Woo Kangwon, his eyes red, looking at the members while rubbing his nose with his sleeve. Next to him was Baek Kiryang, who had already taken off his glasses and was using his sleeve to wipe his eyes, unable to hold back his tears.

Lee Danbi trudged over to me, then, avoiding the spots already taken by Do Yuda and Zen, squeezed in beside me. He kept his mouth tightly shut, probably to hold back his tears, but the sound of a faint “ Heuk ” escaping from his throat told me that it was already too late.

‘…What?’

Of them all, only Lee Hwayoung was left standing there, awkward and out of place, like a structure that had been set up wrong. It felt like seeing something I wasn’t supposed to … like catching sight of a cat standing on two legs.

Sensing the looming crisis of a potential “ Lee Hwayoung getting ostracized ” rumor, I quickly gestured for him to come over. He glanced at the camera, made a slightly pouty face, and then hesitantly made his way toward me.

‘Is he going through puberty?’

That guy … when he was little, he used to ask for a piggyback every time he didn’t feel like walking, and now he’s acting all shy just because there’s a camera? Then again, with the camera rolling, Choi Jeokhyeon or Camilla might be watching, so I could understand why he’d be self-conscious.

Actually, it was brave of him to come stand by me, knowing full well he’d probably get laughed at by Choi Jeokhyeon and have to endure Camilla’s cackling.

“…….”

Compared to him, my current state was actually not that bad.

“Sniff, my nose is all runny.”

“Leada, were you always this tiny? You’re really thin.”

Yeah, even if the clothes I was wearing were getting more and more soaked, I was fine. Even if the outfit, stained with tears, made the audience burst into laughter as soon as it appeared on screen … Even if my limbs started to go numb from poor blood circulation.

While I let out a silent sigh, Gong Seonghwa’s figure caught my eye.

“…Congratulations.”

Even though he made an effort to congratulate us, he couldn’t hide the disappointment as he lowered his head. Somehow, seeing him made me feel like I could understand the members’ feelings a little better.

“Thank you.”

“Seungbeom-ssi, you’re always so calm, not like a rookie at all.”

“…….”

In fact, if I really thought about it, I should have reacted as intensely as the members did.

Especially since this was the final competition, where I pushed the members to their limits in preparation. When a good result came after all that hard work, the effort that had led up to it should have naturally flashed before my eyes.

‘Yeah, it was me who was strange.’

Pantheion proved their skills with a song of extraordinary difficulty, beating out all the formidable seniors. And they did it right in front of the top seniors in the industry, who had long been regarded as a role model by many juniors.

And yet, strangely, I was calm.

I was very happy to take first place, but unlike the other contestants, I didn’t feel particularly emotional about this program. It was definitely because I was Seo Yutae .

I didn’t feel particularly ecstatic about defeating the younger juniors and receiving praise from Prism, nor did I feel any sense of my limits or anxiety during the practice period. To the members, I was more of a mentor than a teammate growing alongside them.

‘…It’s different.’

“Prism, congratulations on winning first place!”

“Huhuheu … Thank you so much, Seras. Yutae-hyung, thank you too … I love all the members a lot … I’ll really work hard. I’m so happy today.”

The lives the children standing here with me right now have lived, and the time that has passed for them, are different from mine .

The tears that had just started to fall were as warm as skin, but the tears that gathered at the chin and then fell onto the back of my hand felt cold, as if they had already cooled. There was an undeniable, absolute difference between these children and me that couldn’t be ignored.

‘Will I be able to feel the same warmth, the same emotions as these children in the future?’

As I asked myself that question, I suddenly felt as though the space I was standing in had been cut off, leaving me alone. It felt as though every other space, apart from the narrow spotlight falling above my head, had turned pitch black.

I knew for sure that I cherished these children, and that would never change, no matter what happens, but something was different.

“…….”

It wasn’t Lee Hwayoung who felt out of place here, it was me .

“Haha…….”

I laughed as soon as I came to that realization. I felt a mix of complicated emotions, and I also felt rather pathetic for only realizing that now.

My mind, which had been rolling and getting all tangled up like a ball of thread, suddenly stopped as if it had hit a wall, and I stood there, lost in a daze.

Then, through my vision darkened in black, the MC handed me the microphone and said, “Please share your thoughts on Pantheion’s victory.”

I took the microphone without really thinking. And then, feeling somewhat obligated to compose myself because of the camera on me, I began to give the winning speech.

‘Get a grip. This is live.’

I had to thank the people I should be most grateful to first.

As I thought about that, the Muse immediately came to mind, cutting through the haze in my head.

“First of all, thank you so much to our Muses for always supporting us.”

I had always thought of them as people to whom I owed a debt too great to repay, so recalling them wasn’t difficult at all. It was almost a reflex.

“Thanks to your love, we found the courage to participate in this program and aimed to grow even more. We’re so happy that we can now repay you with such a wonderful result. Pantheion’s activity period is almost coming to an end, but we’ll do our best to show you even more of our best in the remaining short time we have.”

So far, it felt like I had done fine.

Now that I’ve thanked the fans, it’s time to mention the members standing beside me.

They were my pride, the children I loved so dearly I could keep them in my eyes and it wouldn’t hurt. 1

“To our members, I know I put you through a lot during the competition, but I’m truly proud of how steadfastly you held on. You worked so hard. Thank you.”

Next, what comes next?

Ah, that’s right. I shouldn’t forget that the great seniors were right here in front of me.

I hurriedly gathered my thoughts and began to speak, “And to our Prism-sunbaenims, who helped us grow throughout the competition…….”

‘Ah.’

The moment I briefly shifted my gaze away from the camera, the darkness in my vision suddenly cleared, and I met the gaze of the members of Prism. Even though the stage was crowded with performers, they, who had walked the same path as I had, were looking only at me.

“…We would also like to thank you, Prism-sunbaenims. We’ve learned so much from you.”

A brief silence passed, and then Cha Woon started clapping. The other members followed his lead, smiling and clapping, some even mouthing words of congratulations to celebrate Pantheion’s victory.

“Congratulations.”

Their striking looks, enough to make everyone watching marvel, were topped by a smile as perfect as a painting, with a gentle atmosphere surrounding them. It was a flawless image, with absolutely nothing to criticize, perfect for broadcast.

“…….”

But to me, it felt horribly detached and professional.

How could I not know?

We’ve spent so many years together.

Prism had so much experience standing in front of cameras that they knew exactly how to fake expressions to look fine. I had never forgotten the faces they wore when they were truly happy and joyful, so I couldn’t help but deeply feel the gap between that memory and the faces they wore now, masked with deception.

The members of Prism were wearing the exact same expression as I was now.

.

.

.

“Thank you for your hard work!”

Once the hectic live broadcast was over, the members returned to the waiting room, chattering noisily with their eyes all swollen.

“Manager-hyung! Let’s take a picture!”

As I was taking off my mic, watching the kids drag our shy manager over and strike poses with him, the waiting room door opened and the Prism members’ faces came into view.

“Congratulations on the win, kids!”

“Heuk, sunbaenim! Hello!”

“Don’t be so nervous. We just came to congratulate you.”

While the Prism members casually accepted the greetings from Pantheion and offered their congratulations again, Jo Inchan quietly approached me. He led me out of the waiting room without drawing attention, handed me a bouquet full of flowers in a quiet corner, and spoke softly.

“Here, congratulations on the win. The waiting room is too crowded right now, so I couldn’t bring this big thing in.”

“Thanks.”

He’d always been fond of giving flowers as gifts, and realizing that hadn’t changed made me smile faintly as I replied. But in response, Jo Inchan just pressed his lips together tightly. Sensing something was off, I lifted my head, only to see Jo Inchan’s face twisted, as if he were about to burst into tears.

“What’s wrong…….”

Startled, I tried to reach for him, but Jo Inchan took a step back and, without even managing to compose his expression, forced a smile. Then, he spoke in a trembling voice.

“…Thank goodness, you look happy.”

“…….”

“Hyung, if you’re happy, I’m happy too.”

And Woo Kangwon, who was standing at a distance, witnessed that scene.

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Translator’s Corner:

Who miss me …. I finished Blank Slate Idol …. 599 chapters in 4 days … my eyes …. it was good when I first read it (back then it only has 100-ish chapters?), so I didn’t expect a lot, since idol novels usually got boring for me when they dragged on with too many chapters, but this one surprisingly suits my taste a lot … the latter parts are getting more and more fun …. it also didn’t give me stress reading it. I can read it as just reading without investing my own emotions too much …. good …..

Anyway, this is the last part of Legendary Singer arc. These days I found out taking care of kids is really difficult, let’s make a poll on who do you think the best at taking care of children … (The Best Potential Father Poll ? ) (We will exclude MC since he’s practically already raised three)

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