Chapter 150
Chapter 150
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[The identity of May Groom on <The Singer I Made> just revealed]
: TeSTAR’s Park Moon-dae
He appeared wearing the exact same thing as the hologram.
(Screenshot)
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-Holy shit.
-I doubted my own eyes while watching.
-Oh my god, LOL.
-It really was Park Moon-dae, you bastards! T_T
‘As expected, it’s going up in real-time.’
I checked the ballooning comment section for a moment before giving up on my escape and turning back to the TV.
In the living room of our dorm, the TV was currently broadcasting the reveal of ‘May Groom’s’ identity.
[TeSTAR’s Park Moon-dae??]
[A surprise appearance by the National Stock Idol….]
[Audience and judges fall into a state of shock]
I’d turned on my smartphone because I couldn't bear to look at those captions and the editing style.
If I were alone, I’d just deal with it, but the problem was… we were currently having a group viewing.
“I-It’s okay, Moon-dae. You look cool…!”
“It’s an impressive production!”
“Whoa, Moon-dae~ You really went for it, didn’t you? You even prepared the outfit? Nice~”
Keun Se-jin nudged my shoulder. Meanwhile, another caption appeared under Park Moon-dae’s words on the screen.
[Please introduce yourself!]
[Yes. Hello. I am Park Moon-dae, the main vocal of the group TeSTAR.]
[May’s rosy smile… melting women’s hearts]
“Rosy…!”
“Wow, the captions are really something….”
The others couldn't take it anymore and buried their faces in their hands, trying to stifle their laughter.
As a montage of TeSTAR’s career, edited with heavy exaggeration, flashed across the screen, they didn't even think about looking up, seemingly finding it too cringeworthy to watch.
‘Is there even any point in monitoring this?’
I’d anticipated this ever since they insisted on watching it together, but I was starting to feel like going into my room to watch it alone.
Fortunately, the broadcast soon moved on to the winner announcement.
[The greatest singer character on <The Singer I Made> is….]
[Park Moon-dae’s ‘May Groom’!]
Confetti exploded on the screen.
“WOOOOW!”
“Of course he won after singing like that!”
Bae Se-jin shouted in excitement.
“……?”
What is he doing?
When Bae Se-jin caught my eye, he cleared his throat and subtly turned his head away.
I remembered him telling me, with an incredibly stiff face last week, that he ‘enjoyed listening to Winter Night.’
‘I guess he likes that kind of dramatic singing style.’
I thought he was watching a horse race or something.
Coincidentally, the MC on the screen was making just as much of a fuss.
[Ah~ Moon-dae, please give us a few words on how you feel!]
[Um…… While I was moving as ‘May Groom,’ I had a lot of fun. That alone was a meaningful experience… but I was truly happy that there were people who liked it. …Thank you very much.]
Those words were the truth.
I’d started this with a clear head, but the results were better than expected, so it was… surprising.
‘I got lucky.’
I couldn't keep expecting that kind of fluke, but it was a fresh experience nonetheless.
“Moon-dae hyung, your physique is very similar to the ‘May Groom’ hologram. Did you plan this public performance from the start?”
“Weren't the flowers on your face uncomfortable?”
…I managed to answer them honestly.
“…Yeah, I planned it, and of course it was uncomfortable.”
“I knew it!”
“Discomfort is no good!”
It was a bit overwhelming, but I had to put up with this much. They’d probably been walking on eggshells around me for the past month because of my poor condition.
“Seeing this makes me want to start our new album promotions soon~”
“Y-Yeah.”
As the guys, stimulated by the monitoring, chattered away, my screen time was almost over.
[Regrettably… our ‘Ribbon-wearing Chicken’ is the runner-up!]
‘That guy was from the Gold 1 group.’
While the runner-up, the old-fashioned whole chicken, was being interviewed, Ryu Cheong-woo asked a question.
“Then is Moon-dae appearing next time too?”
“Yes. I’ll be appearing starting from the semi-finals the week after next.”
“That’s good. Congratulations. Um… then, just a second.”
Ryu Cheong-woo stood up with a smile. Then, the two youngest members jumped up after him.
“……?”
It was unnatural, no matter how you looked at it.
‘…Ah, don’t tell me.’
The three who had disappeared into the kitchen reappeared in an instant.
In Cha Yu-jin’s hands was a cake.
[<Celebrate> TeSTAR 1st Anniversary <Congratulate>]
[You did great! You’re awesome!]
“……!”
I knew it.
…Actually, today was June 18th. TeSTAR’s 1st anniversary since debut.
‘There’s less than an hour left, though.’
It was already 11:20 PM.
Since the commemorative content had been filmed long ago due to editing time and uploaded at midnight, I had momentarily forgotten.
“We did release a video at midnight… but I thought it would be nice for us to do something ourselves too.”
Ryu Cheong-woo smiled and ruffled the hair of the two youngest.
“I prepared a little something with these guys.”
“I like cake!”
“We decided on the message at the top together.”
It was a message that definitely seemed like it came from the sensibilities of those three.
But the message wasn't the important part.
‘…Did they wait until my monitoring was over?’
Man…. Should I call this touching?
Just as a strange sentiment was bubbling up, Keun Se-jin cut in.
“Wait, wait! Let’s take a picture first~ Moon-dae!”
“…….”
Why are you handing me your phone so nonchalantly?
“Hey, Moon-dae is good at taking pictures~ Huh? Don’t tell me you’re not confident because it’s a selfie? Is that it?”
“Give it here.”
“Ooh~”
I’ll let it slide.
I snatched the phone from Keun Se-jin’s hand and switched it to selfie mode.
I stretched my arm out as far as it would go, adjusting it so that all seven of us and the cake were in the frame.
“I’m taking it.”
“Okay~”
Click, click, click. I naturally took several shots at one or two-second intervals.
And a moment later.
“Now, let’s eat cake!”
“…Is it really okay to eat this? The food coloring on top is…….”
“It’s delicious!”
“Cha Yu-jin! Let the hyungs eat first!”
“…….”
Bae Se-jin seemed to have given up as he stuffed a piece of cake into his mouth.
I shrugged my shoulders.
‘…The taste is okay.’
For a custom-designed cake, it was actually quite good.
And so, thirty minutes before June 18th ended, the 1st anniversary passed as we simply munched on cake.
“You all worked hard this past year. Let’s keep doing well in the future.”
“Ah, of course~ Let’s keep going until we win a Grand Prize~”
“We’re not even in a promotion period, so eat up.”
“Yes, yes…!”
That simplicity wasn't bad.
While Park Moon-dae and the members were peacefully sharing cake.
Park Moon-dae’s fans were letting out roars of victory.
-Ahhh, May Groom is Park Moon-dae!! (Shouting at the top of my lungs)
-It feels like getting hit by a waterfall of cider under a showerhead. Thank you, my idol.
-Ugh, seriously, I thought I was going to die from frustration. Finally, let me introduce my husband. It’s Groom Park Moon-dae.
└Hey, get in line. Your turn is way back.
└LOL.
As much as they had been holding their tongues and restraining themselves, posts flooded SNS and communities like crazy.
[Comparison of ‘May Groom’ and Park Moon-dae’s movements]
[The identity of May Groom that everyone who knew already knew.jpg]
[This final stage of <The Singer I Made> is freaking goosebumps]
After a wave of venting their pent-up feelings, the fans finally began to openly gush over Park Moon-dae’s new content.
-Park Moon-dae, you crazy man, seriously, how did you think of that… He doesn't know how to use the brakes!! That’s why I love him!!
-Is it for real that he put in the Groom’s profile that his ideal type would change to a flower head if he met his bride, and then he just popped out himself? What is this narrative?
└It’s a proposal, right? It’s definitely a proposal. I need to go file a marriage license.
-I can’t tell which is the flower and which is his face T_T Aren't Park Moon-dae and Bouquet Head synonyms?
-May’s Moon-deng-deng? This is it. (A country puppy wearing a flower)
-I’m seriously bursting with pride… If you don't feel proud after listening to Park Moon-dae’s song, you’re not Korean.
And while not quite as explosive as the fans, ‘May Groom’ left a deep impression on the regular viewers of <The Singer I Made> as well.
This was because all the stages from the preliminaries to the finals were excellent, and the impact and structure of the identity reveal were highly polished.
-It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a contestant take this fake singer thing so seriously. Have I seen too many guys who just acted like local baseball mascots in the meantime?
-It’s a bit of a waste for a guy who sings like that to be an idol. Won’t he just be doing dance songs all the time?
└Aigoo, old man. Everyone starts as an idol these days. He’ll go solo once he has enough experience.
-The final stage didn't have an original song. If it’s a self-composed song, that’s insane.
-Except for the preliminaries being a bit weak, he’s a winner you really can’t find fault with. I don’t think there will be any disagreement.
└Since he used the preliminaries to build the character, it was a brilliant strategic choice. I’m curious, who directed him? If he did it himself, he’s seriously beyond idol-level.
└Well, the vocal cords are his own. That alone is enough to acknowledge him, lol.
└True, lol.
Just as the regular viewers were full of praise, general viewers also acknowledged one thing for sure, even if their tastes in the character differed.
‘That kid is really good at singing.’
Winning overwhelmingly on a major network prime-time music variety show with around 10% viewership had a slight impact even on public perception.
This was evident from several comments on the video of ‘May Groom’s’ identity reveal uploaded to WeTube.
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[A stage of romance and thrills, ‘May Groom’! What is his surprising identity? | <The Singer I Made> | 202X0618]
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-The final stage really gave me goosebumps! The best!
-He is truly a young man who is a blessing to the country… What a master singer with an amazing voice! How can he sing so well? ^^
-Park Moon-dae! I’ll be waiting for the next stage~ T_T
-His face is so bright and handsome. I guess a beautiful voice dwells in a beautiful face.
The middle-aged and elderly generation had recognized Park Moon-dae.
Since <Idol Inc.> had been so successful, they might have seen ‘Park Moon-dae’s’ face once or twice, but not many had listened to him sing so seriously.
On top of that, the reactions of people who really liked the character of ‘May Groom’ itself joined in.
-Proposal-Breakup-Wooing-Obsession. Up to this stage, the narrative was god-tier.
-Since last week, all sorts of delusions haven't left my head. I feel like I’ve made 5 trillion movies with May Groom as the protagonist.
-You do not come, and love rots away. (May Groom Fanart)
-It’s been a long time since there was a good non-human character… I didn't know there was a fellow concept-lover among idols.
└LOL. A sudden surge of intimacy!
└The fact that he came dressed exactly like the hologram, LOL. He seems like a total pro.
-I seriously can’t stop thinking about him taking off the Bouquet Head.
└You too? Me too, LOL. Honestly, I liked May Groom so much that I thought the fantasy would be shattered if a human head came out, but it was surprisingly okay.
└I guess the face is the answer after all.
-I really wish Moon-dae would share more TMI about May Groom.
No matter how much Park Moon-dae created it and used his own voice and motions, the character and Park Moon-dae couldn't be exactly the same.
Nevertheless, favorable feelings spread rapidly. This was because they had so many commonalities.
-I’m already looking forward to the stage the week after next so much T_T
It was a time when he had performed a killer stage on a program watched by many, and his identity had just been revealed.
A point where all sorts of praise and attention for Park Moon-dae were at their peak.
Of course, it didn't end there.
[Park Moon-dae could just go solo then, haha.]
It was the expected bait.
For the record, it was about to get crushed.