Chapter 498
Chapter 498
The competition stage of Nice to Meet You.
[Your weekend afternoon delight! A meeting of stars, a collaboration for the ages—the stage of Nice to Meet You is about to begin!]
The MC read the standardized script with the fluid ease of years of experience. From the audience, the expected cheers and applause of a studio crowd erupted.
[The theme for this competition is ‘Millennial 2000’! We’ve decorated the stage with the 2000s as our motif.]
[Our cast members have formed collaborations by selecting artists from genres they’ve always wanted to work with. Please look forward to seeing what kind of performances have been born from these pairings!]
The MC then quickly summarized the voting rules.
It was simple: if you liked the performance, press the button!
It was the same cliché speech given at every recording, but this time, there were quite a few audience members hearing it for the first time.
‘I can’t believe I’m actually at a place like this.’
‘Jae-hyun, thank you. I’m accidentally being a good daughter today.’
These were people who had applied for tickets the moment they heard news of Cheong-ryeo’s appearance. In other words, the crowd was packed with VTIC fans who weren’t part of the show’s usual demographic.
And that was a double-edged sword for this competition.
If Cheong-ryeo failed to deliver a performance worthy of first place but won anyway due to the audience vote, it would spark immediate controversy.
However, the fans sitting there hardly worried about such things.
‘It’s Jae-hyun, after all.’
It was a faith that grew firmer the longer one stayed a fan.
VTIC, and Cheong-ryeo in particular, never put on a disappointing show.
[And now, the curtain rises on this special stage.]
Finally, the third themed competition of Season 7 began.
Waaaaah—!
With polite cheers, singers and masters of various crafts emerged to perform.
The "singers" here were mostly established artists with high popularity among the middle-aged and elderly.
This meant there were no male idols like VTIC.
‘Oh.’
Since the genres were so different, Cheong-ryeo’s fans watched with quite favorable, non-competitive attitudes.
‘That’s not bad.’
‘They’re all so good.’
Pure evaluations were given freely.
There were many surprisingly bold performances. A collaboration between an opera singer and a former rapper performing a hit musical song from the 2000s made the "old" feel "hip," and a joint performance between an acrobat master and a dance singer was quite impressive, even if a bit discordant.
‘Wow!’
It resonated even more with the younger VTIC fans.
Since they didn't usually watch this program, they weren't familiar with its typical, "crowd-pleasing" stage structures, making everything feel fresh.
And in their own way, they began to imagine Cheong-ryeo’s stage.
‘Who did Jae-hyun partner with?’
‘It would be so cool if he did something with an opera singer.’
Occasionally, when there weren't enough masters or the pairings didn't match up, two singers would perform together, but no one imagined that would be the case for Cheong-ryeo.
‘Hmm, to do better than these people...’
There were even one or two performances so good that a slight worry crept in—what if Jae-hyun made a mistake?
Then, time passed, and it was time for the sixth stage.
The second-to-last slot.
The MC finally opened the long-awaited gates.
[The next performer... is a global K-Pop artist representing South Korea. It’s VTIC’s Cheong-ryeo!]
Kyaaaa!!
Waaaa!
Fans who had caught the hint the moment the word "global" was mentioned were already cheering wildly.
Even the middle-aged audience members, who weren't necessarily fans, reacted positively. Everyone had heard the name VTIC at least once, whether on the news or WeTube.
The anticipation for a famous celebrity!
Eyes watched, gauging just how good he would be.
Amidst the surging adrenaline, the MC controlled the tempo and continued.
[And the collaboration partner Cheong-ryeo selected is...]
A short pause.
And just when the audience’s curiosity reached its peak.
A bolt from the blue dropped.
[The national idols! It’s TeSTAR’s main vocal, Park Moon-dae!]
“...??”
“...?!”
Excuse me?
Unlike the casual reaction of the older audience members, who thought, ‘Oh, the young idol kids are doing something together,’ the Cheong-ryeo fans in the seats doubted their ears and screamed internally.
Why is TeSTAR coming out here...?
‘Cheong-ryeo?’
‘Hey, Shin Jae-hyun!’
Some fans were ready to scream that they’d rather he perform with a recorder-playing kindergartner.
[Then, let’s see them now! Collaboration, start!]
Before they could even process their shock, the stage began with the MC’s shout!
Lights hit the darkened stage.
“...!”
The fans reflexively held their breath and focused on the stage.
But... there was no singer.
Only a single standing microphone stood alone under a spotlight at the edge of the stage.
Whoooooo—
The sound of wind echoed briefly.
In that void, a familiar piano riff filled the air.
A melody everyone knew.
And cutting through that quiet background music came a minor-key chorus.
- Snow falls in my winter
Wrapping around my cheeks
A cold yet cozy warmth
And you.
It was a hit song from an emotional hip-hop group that was popular in the mid-2000s. A song that followed the formula of having a famous female soloist feature on the addictive chorus.
That featuring part was now being recreated by a magnificent male voice.
- Um, umm— Um, umm—
- Um, umm—
A lonely humming.
An emotion incredibly close to the original, singing of the bittersweet memories of love after a breakup.
“.......”
The one singing wasn't Cheong-ryeo.
‘Is it... Park Moon-dae?’
But the voice was so clear it felt refreshing despite the minor key, and the audience leaned in instantly.
The subtle piano accompaniment and humming echoed softly through the hall.
- Yes
Then, as the accompaniment shifted to a major key—the moment where a faster rap should have kicked in with a band sound and a brighter atmosphere—
- No
“...!”
The notes dropped even heavier.
Thump.
A fluid, gloomy piano accompaniment laid down a heavy base.
Over those weighty minor notes, the tempo of the accompaniment dropped... becoming even slower.
Leisurely and dark, to a point that felt almost dangerous.
And then, a silhouette appeared.
- A night with the lights out
Our yearning hearts
“...!!”
Cheong-ryeo!
Wearing a head mic, the singer walked out from the wings. It was a movement that made the stage feel full all by itself.
Black slacks and a navy stage shirt suited him perfectly.
‘Uwah!’
But even as suppressed cheers erupted from the audience, some people were puzzled.
‘Huh?’
The song Cheong-ryeo was singing.
The melody was familiar, yes.
But... it wasn't the song that had been playing just a moment ago, Winter Love.
- I hear the voice of love
Heat of a Summer Night.
Like the previous song, it was indeed a track from the 2000s.
However, it was a song by a female soloist famous for her sexy concept.
Furthermore, unlike the original, which was a fast-tempo techno dance track, the choreography and song unfolded over a heavy, slow-tempo arrangement.
- Summer night
- A hot and ecstatic moment
Movements with a hint of modern dance or waacking unfolded along his solid frame.
Dancers came out to fill the stage with the same movements, but they only served to add to the spectacle.
The movement of the lights, the unwavering live vocals, and the dance—where every detail was certain and the control of power was so perfect it felt like catharsis.
That alone made the stage feel complete and tightly wound.
The natural ease unique to someone who had stood on stage for a long time drew every eye.
- I’ve been waiting, you know
While condensing the glamour and sexiness of the original, the slow, static, and heavy tempo added a layer of artistic wildness.
The tackiness characteristic of old pop songs, which could easily sound frivolous, was suppressed and vanished without a trace.
‘This is insane.’
‘He could have just done this alone!’
‘Then why was Park Moon-dae at the beginning...?’
The fans were completely immersed, their thoughts racing in a blur of consciousness.
- Let the moment become eternity
- Burn the flame of love
- Summer night
Meanwhile, the relaxed yet weighty performance led the stage fluidly, and the first chorus was over in the blink of an eye.
Then, the music paused for a moment.
Cheong-ryeo walked toward the standing mic at the edge of the stage, his shoes clicking against the floor.
“.......”
The audience held their breath again, watching him, waiting for the next moment of catharsis.
Suddenly, someone else appeared under a spotlight on the opposite side.
“...!”
Park Moon-dae.
The singer, his soft blonde hair neatly styled, gripped the standing mic on the other side.
And the accompaniment flowed again.
- My love is in winter
- Even when spring comes, in my heart
“...?”
The previous accompaniment used for Cheong-ryeo’s Heat of a Summer Night continued seamlessly.
And Park Moon-dae’s melody blended in with startling naturalness.
‘Wait...?’
It was possible because they had connected two songs from the same era that used similar compositional grammar.
But the atmosphere and lyrics were polar opposites.
Thanks to that, a very strange atmosphere was created.
A narrative had been born.
The brief love of a summer night and the eternal parting of winter.
- Snowdrifts that won’t melt
- The warmth of an eternal winter
- Woo—
A clear, solid strength was added to the lonely voice, rising with the accompaniment.
The vocal ad-libs reached a climax, sounding pleasant without being overly technical.
- Snow falls in my winter
- Wrapping around my cheeks
- A cold yet cozy warmth
The sound racing toward the high notes effortlessly stretched into an ultra-high register, elegant and beautiful.
- Yes, you
And from there, the notes and lyrics continued.
- You and me
- in summer night
Cheong-ryeo’s song cut in.
The two of them continued to sing their respective songs alternately, as if they were sharing parts of a single track.
- You mustn’t miss the chance
And at the end of the rising notes, two massive spotlights hit the center of the stage.
The two figures on stage moved.
“...!”
Reaching the center, the two moved in sync with the building accompaniment.
Mirror choreography.
- Summer night
- Hot and ecstatic
(I hear your voice)
The movements blended, and the lyrics intertwined.
- My love is in winter
(in summer night)
Before they knew it, they were swapping songs, then naturally taking them back and continuing.
- Let the moment become eternity
(The warmth of an eternal winter)
And the final line.
- And you.
The performers stopped their choreography, facing each other.
Then, they pulled the song to its peak with harmony.
- Yes, you!
- You, you, u- uu, umm, umumm, umumm—
The strings swelled passionately.
And the choreography reached its climax.
- Um, umumm, Um, umumm, um, Umm...
The humming, a blend of the two melodies, created an exquisite harmony before dropping off.
The two movements matched like a mirror as they executed a complex pair dance.
Feet crossing, torsos twisting, grabbing each other’s shoulders—a performance that filled every gap like an acrobatic feat without a single error.
All those seemingly soft movements could only look elegant if one had the strength to perfectly control their limbs.
In other words, performing "humming" with perfect pitch live while doing these movements—rather than just shouting out high notes—was a sight that looked almost unreal.
‘Wow.’
“.......”
Gazes were fixed as if being sucked in.
A composition that could only be pulled off by performers with an extremely high level of understanding and mastery of dance stages—specifically, K-Pop stages.
‘Ah...’
That was why a few fans finally understood why Cheong-ryeo had chosen Park Moon-dae.
‘I see.’
‘If he wanted to do something like this, he would have had to pick an idol.’
However, there was a slight misunderstanding.
In truth, it was currently impossible for Park Moon-dae to execute the choreography of this climax part alone with his current stats.
But through sheer practice, he had covered it so he could "copy" and perform the short 30-second choreography exactly like his partner.
Furthermore, when the person who had spent decades developing ways to effectively engrave choreography into his members' minds had personally hammered in every single movement...
A "miraculous" recreation was possible for a brief moment.
And at the end of that "impossible" synchronization, a short, clear high-register harmony soared over the brilliantly built-up accompaniment.
- A hot and ecstatic moment
- I’ve been waiting, you know
Catharsis!
- Wh-whewhewhewhe!
To the sound of brass instruments, standing back-to-back and facing the audience, the stage that began with winter met its end in a summer night.
Thump!
“.......”
And so, the stage ended.
A composition that poured the artistry suited for this program into an idol-like stage framework.
That atmosphere!
And the exquisite arrangement, the live vocals, and even the stunt-like choreography.
It was the essence of performance.
‘They tore it up.’
‘Holy crap.’
Waaaaaaaah!!
Cheers like screams filled the hall.
It wasn't just cheering because they were fans; it was a reaction to the stage itself.
[That was truly an incredible performance!]
Even the MC’s comment sounded sincere.
Soon, the two on stage smiled slightly, bowed politely to the audience a few times, and calmly returned to their seats.
It was for the sake of the vote, but in truth, the result was as good as decided.
The fans already knew.
‘I can definitely vote for this.’
Even when it aired, Cheong-ryeo would never be criticized for taking first place.
That certainty filled the fans in the room with overwhelming emotion.
But still, confusion and question marks remained in the minds of most of the fans who had come to watch.
‘How did he end up doing this with Park Moon-dae??’
‘What was with that song selection? Insane.’
And those curiosities were set to be satisfied soon.
Because the process of the two forming a team was scheduled to receive plenty of screen time during the weekend broadcast.