Chapter 166: Chapter 166

The day for the final competition was approaching rapidly.

While we busily prepared for the cross-unit, Kang Ichae was holed up working on songs and had already prepared several candidates for the final.

“…Huff, it’s here.”

At the first shoot, The Dawn received zero votes, landing us in last place, but now, we were a strong contender for victory, stronger than anyone else.

Even more so, if we were to go by the total scores received so far, we were in second place, hot on the heels of High Five.

The air, grown stagnant since the show’s beginning, now filled with sharp glances directed at us.

Soon, all the participants gathered, and the lights dimmed.

“Wow!”

People murmured in surprise as a VCR video started playing, briefly recapping the competitions held so far.

The Dawn was the fourth one featured.

[THE DAWN]

From our initial meeting, through the “Say You Love Me” duet with Seong Jiwon, to Kang Ichae’s self-composed rap and Lia Purple’s “Easy Tempo,” and the oriental-style hip-hop “Fantasy Reincarnation,” culminating in Jeong Dajun’s standout performance in “Ride With You.”

Kim Seonghyeon, who was quietly watching the screen next to me, drew a slight smile.

– “We will now begin the briefing for the final competition of Shining Star Season 2.”

As the VCR video ended, MC Ha Seoyeon appeared with a mechanical voice.

“Hello, did you enjoy the video?”

“Yes~!”

The tension eased a bit as everyone reflected on the efforts they had made.

“The evaluation method will be the same as the previous competitions. However…”

Ha Seoyeon snapped her fingers, and a giant live hall and stage were displayed on the screen.

“It will be conducted via live broadcast, not on-site voting. And the total score will be determined by combining the music scores released a week earlier with the live voting scores.”

Live voting.

That was what was giving me the biggest headache right now.

Having experienced Season 1, I knew the broadcast well, but Kim Heeyeon, fair by nature, wouldn’t edit the footage to favor The Dawn alone.

Even with viewership ratings at stake, it wouldn’t be easy.

Hmm.

I mulled over the various conditions and situations I had already thought through countless times.

Bercy and Try—they weren’t bad, but they failed to stand out, staying in the lower ranks despite their initial strong showing.

TEW—somewhat ambiguous, but not a major concern.

In the end, all that remained was High Five.

Hmmmm.

Honestly, I felt a bit anxious.

I had a grasp on the onsite votes.

Except for when we were last, the rankings were more or less as I expected them to be.

But live voting was a big variable, and currently, it was tough for The Dawn to compete with High Five’s popularity.

At least a good song could possibly draw the public’s response, but it was difficult to earn their votes with such a mundane narrative.

As I was lost in my thought and stroking my chin—

– “Hello! This is Han Chaeri!”

“Wow!”

Perhaps wanting to extract more footage for the final, a video message from the mentors was played.

Unlike Joo Woosung, who was often edited out for being biased, Han Chaeri had genuinely paid equal attention to everyone.

– “I’m also very nervous, but the effort you’ve put in so far will never betray you. Fight until the end!”

“She’s like a real angel!”

“It was really scary during practice…”

Despite her fame, she didn’t act superior and treated all the participants equally, pouring her passion and effort into them, which seemed to have moved everyone.

After Han Chaeri’s bright greeting, Joo Woosung appeared.

– “Hello, I’m Joo Woosung.”

Woosung looked somewhat subdued.

Even Ha Seoyeon, skilled in managing her expressions, paused for a moment.

Joo Woosung fiddled with his fingers as he slowly shared his thoughts on the competition.

– “There’s a lot on my mind as we approach the final competition. I’ve learned a lot from watching the contestants so far.”

“…”

– “There’s a lot I want to say, but if I could give one piece of advice before the final competition, it would be this.”

He seemed to hesitate for a moment before looking straight at the camera.

– “I hope you do your best so that you won’t have any regrets.”

Seeing a different side of Woosung, everyone seemed enchanted, even though they hadn’t received much help from him.

Meanwhile, I felt somewhat out of place as I was too preoccupied with how to secure first place.

“…”

When I looked up, my eyes met with Kang Yeonhu’s.

He smiled faintly, as if showing the composure of a winner in advance.

After the mentor’s video concluded, Ha Seoyeon’s expression completely changed.

“Not just the mentors. For the final competition, the production team has specially invited a guest. This person will help you achieve the best results.”

Who else could they possibly bring?

“Let’s welcome the special guest!”

I turned my gaze toward the entrance with lukewarm interest.

Considering Woosung was already a mentor, it couldn’t be another Black Call member, so at most, I thought it would be Yu Jia from Season 1.

But…

“The Midas touch! The heart of K-pop—!”

Bright, colorful lights gathered toward the entrance.

“—Blue Tiger, Composer Lim Hyeonsu!”

Why was she here when she was supposed to be in the US?

“Wowwwww!!”

“…Cough.”

Kang Ichae, sitting in the back, seemed startled as he coughed at the announcement.

Where did the disheartened look I last saw go?

Lim Hyeonsu, with a completely confident face, strode in and swept back her hair with a flourish.

“This, this…”

Then, slightly lowering her angular black sunglasses, she winked at the camera.

“Isn’t this the face everyone’s been looking for?”

Even then, not quite satisfied, she turned to me and with a bang! struck a gun-shooting pose.

Oh, my goodness…

I just hoped this scene wouldn’t make it on air.

.

.

.

“Seo Hoyun~!”

Today wasn’t even a day for a major shoot yet I was already feeling unnecessarily tired.

As I was about to head quickly to the van, a message made me drag my weary body to the smoking room.

“Long time no see?”

There was Lim Hyeonsu, drawing deeply on her cigarette before blowing out a stream of white smoke.

“Couldn’t quit smoking, I see?”

“Seeing how smug you are, looks like you’re still hanging in there.”

“Obviously.”

Lim Hyeonsu, clicking her tongue as if disappointed, suddenly pushed her face close to mine, examining me from every angle.

“Wow~, look at this guy’s radiant face. Been living well?”

“Well, gotta eat well at least. It seems like Composer’s skin got a bit tanned, huh?”

“Yeah, while you’ve been rotting away here in Korea.”

And you were saying just earlier that I looked good?

Ignoring the nonsense, I stepped back from the incoming smoke, and Lim Hyeonsu cracked a sly smile.

“Hoyun, I’ve come to realize the truth of life once again.”

“What is it?”

I wasn’t curious at all, but her face practically screamed “hurry up and ask,” so I played along.

At that, Lim Hyeonsu smiled contentedly.

“When it gets tough, what do you do?”

“I don’t know.”

“You heal with money and love.”

“…”

Lim Hyeonsu then pushed up her sunglasses.

“This noona just had a fabulous and fun vacation in California. I spent a lot of money, sipped on some cocktails, and other stuff…”

“Geez, enough!”

“…Anyway, so yeah, the stress just flew away. I really do like people who are healthy after all.”

What was up with California?

Did money grow on trees there?

I glared at Lim Hyeonsu, thoroughly unamused.

“Why bother someone who’s just minding their own business?”

“What’s up with this reaction? Don’t you want to hear about how hot my time in California was?”

“Save that crap for Joo Woosung.”

But there was no stopping Lim Hyeonsu’s mouth.

She went on and on about how fantastic her vacation was with cool people, forcing me to figuratively plug my ears.

“I’m leaving if you’re just going to talk nonsense. I’m busy.”

“Hey, I got something to say.”

Chuckling, Lim Hyeonsu caught me, flicked off the ash, and deeply inhaled from the cigarette until the filter glowed red.

“Have you seen Kang Ichae?”

“Our manager called him, so he went back to the van first. Why?”

“Too bad. He just said hi and then left.”

Don’t you know why he only said hi?

It was Kang Ichae’s way of being considerate.

He was quick to notice the mood of those he liked and probably stepped back first, worrying that Lim Hyeonsu might find him bothersome.

“…Kang Ichae, such a cute kid.”

Lim Hyeonsu muttered something vague, knowing roughly what was going on.

Then, tilting her head as if pondering for a moment, she lifted her phone.

“Seo Hoyun, go and pass a message to our Ichae.”

Since when was it “our Ichae”?

I raised an eyebrow, and Lim Hyeonsu confidently lifted the corners of her mouth.

“I just sent him a song. Tell him to check it.”

“…It’s not something weird, is it?”

“Of course not.”

Despite my narrow gaze, Lim Hyeonsu only continued to smile, offering no real answer.

“…Well, I’ll pass the message to Kang Ichae. But aren’t you forgetting something?”

“Hmm?”

“Being a special guest and all.”

Lim Hyeonsu, there must be a reason you were here too.

“Any advice for a contestant?”

Lim Hyeonsu smirked as she tapped my arm.

“Don’t lose your cool, and take first place.”

“Seriously.”

With a slight smile, I left Lim Hyeonsu and headed back.

After being gone for a long time, it seemed only right to bring a song as a gift.

“Anyway, glad to see you’re looking healthy.”

There was truth in what Joo Woosung once said.

Indeed, she looked better with a certain level of self-love.

“Hyung, you’re here~?”

When I returned to the van, today’s targets, Kim Seonghyeon and Jeong Dajun, were being teased by Kang Ichae in full swing.

Yet, his eyes kept darting my way, clearly curious about what Lim Hyeonsu and I had discussed.

“Kang Ichae.”

“Hmm?”

I sat next to him and pulled the blanket toward us.

“The composer wants you to check your messages.”

“…Oh, really?”

After passing on the message, I closed my eyes.

After all, it was just about a song, so I didn’t think it would be a big deal.

But that was a mistake.

“…Hmm?”

Kang Ichae’s face furrowed deeply as he checked his messages in the van.

***

“Where’s Kang Ichae?”

“Huh? Umm, isn’t he in his room?”

“I peeked in, but he wasn’t there?”

“Really? I saw him go in earlier.”

But that day, Kang Ichae was too quiet.

I had too much on my mind to notice at first, but something was definitely off since he wasn’t being his usually annoying self.

I entered the room I shared with Kang Ichae first, followed by Seong Jiwon.

He looked around the empty room and tilted his head in confusion.

“See, he’s not here.”

“…Hmm?”

While we were puzzled, Jeong Dajun came rushing over from the kitchen, munching on an ice cream.

“What’s up, why the faces?”

“Kang Ichae’s missing.”

“Maybe he went for a workout?”

Kim Seonghyeon, who had just come out of the shower and was drying his hair with a towel, suggested as he entered the room.

He was about to sit in the chair Kang Ichae usually occupied when…

“I’ll just call him and—Aaagh!!”

Something squirmed.

“Woaaaah!”

“Aaaaaah!”

The scaredy-cats Kim Seonghyeon and Jeong Dajun yelped and scurried back to the door.

Inadvertently, Seong Jiwon and I were pushed back as well.

“…”

Round and round…

Beyond the spinning chair, from what we thought was a bundle of blankets on the bed, Kang Ichae’s face slowly emerged.

…Is this a horror movie?

Kim Seonghyeon, clutching his racing heart, gasped in horror.

“Hey, hey, hey… Why are you lying there without making any sound?!”

“H-hyung, hyung!! I thought it was a ghost for real.”

Kim Seonghyeon and Jeong Dajun stammered like broken tapes, shivering as they tightly hugged each other.

I pushed past them and strode toward Kang Ichae’s bed.

“Were you there the entire time? Why didn’t you answer?”

“…”

“Kang Ichae?”

I called him again, but it was silent.

Something was clearly off.

Even a gentle tap on his cheek elicited no reaction, his face remaining blank.

“…What?”

“…”

“…Hmm, let’s go eat first.”

Maybe he needed some alone time.

Just as I shrugged and was about to gather the others to leave…

“…Waaahhhaaaahhaaa.”

Kang Ichae clutched at my shirt, bawling.

“…??”

“I, I’m worried about myself…”

I quickly lifted his face with both hands to check, but it was completely dry without a trace of tears, as if each fine hair was alive and about to move.

This little…

“I’m so worried about myself that I’m going crazy~!!!”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

In response to my sour expression, Kang Ichae flopped onto the bed, faking sobs and making a scene.