Masked Singer 5-Crown King? (7)
“Dance?!”
“The Mask King doing a dance?”
“Whoa~ This is gonna be fun.”
“No way he’s good at dancing too, right?”
“Come on, that’d be too much!”
The panelists weren’t expecting much from the Mask King’s special performance. He sang so incredibly well—who would expect him to dance on top of that? Even if he did a medley of nursery rhymes instead of something fun, no one would complain.
“Huh?!”
“Dancing to this song?”
But then, out of nowhere, a super high-difficulty girl group track blasted out—like they’d queued up the wrong song. And the Mask King’s body took flight!
Diriring~ Tung tung ta~! Tung tung ta~! Tung tung ta~!
The classic upbeat rhythm of a cute girl idol group filled the air. But this track was infamous for being designed to grind kids’ cartilage to dust. Only Captain Girl, known for their athletic idol image, could pull off a performance like that. Even male idols struggled to cover Captain Girl’s “Power-up!”
Yet here was the Mask King, his flowing white hair—surely a hassle—whipping around as he nailed Captain Girl’s Power-up!
And flawlessly at that!
“No way!”
“Wh-why is he dancing so well?!”
Anyone watching could tell the difference between amateur and pro. The Mask King knew how to bring out the true flavor of the dance.
“No way those rumors were actually true?”
The panelists knew too. There’d been whispers that the Mask King might be an idol. His insane physique had sparked the suspicions. Why would a guy with skills like that be an idol? It didn’t make sense.
“This doesn’t add up! With skills like that, why be an idol?!”
“Ah!! Maybe he’s just super talented and good at everything?”
“Are you blind? That’s straight-up pro level. Not some academy hobby dance.”
Amid the panelists denying the idol theory, a few had realized the truth.
Captain Girl’s Power-up! ended, smoothly transitioning to the next track. Unlike the powerful first dance, the second focused on smooth waves. The third was tight group choreography perfectly synced to the beat!
By the time the five-song dance medley wrapped, the panelists were utterly captivated, cheering wildly.
“Wooo!!”
“Whooo~!”
“Mask King! Mask King! Mask King!”
“That was insane.”
“How’s he good at dancing too?”
“Everyone’s losing it over the Mask King’s special stage. Calm down, folks. Haha!”
We’d had plenty of prep time, so the dance medley was way flashier and more polished than last time. No matter how talented you are, there’s a difference between cramming for a few days and not.
“What’s your take on the Mask King’s special performance? Any guesses on who it is?”
The MC’s deadpan hosting had the panelists in an uproar.
“Nooo~! It’s even more confusing now!”
“He’s clearly trained professionally!!”
“Someone who sings and dances that well at that level? I can’t think of anyone.”
“Didn’t someone say they’d narrowed it down? How’s your hunch now?”
“...Are you mocking me right now?”
“Ahahaha!! No clue, huh? I know, so it’s kinda sad.”
The MC’s smug grin was infuriating even to me.
“Ugh, so annoying.”
Since they were buddies, the panelists pointed and ranted excitedly, making everyone burst into giggles.
“The Masked Singer production team’s worst enemy! The one who always nails the Mask King’s identity. You hit 70% accuracy before, but this Mask King’s got you stumped.”
“I really don’t know. Who the hell is it? Can’t you give more hints?”
“We already did.”
“The dance just made it more of a mystery!”
“Looks like the Mask King’s special performance is really helping you all out.”
“Are you gonna reveal it or not? Argh! So frustrating.”
“He dragged me to a dark corner privately, grabbed my collar, and threatened to make me spill the Mask King’s identity or else. I didn’t tell him, and it was hilarious.”
Wahaha!!
The panelists bantered with the MC. Meanwhile, the votes tallied up, leading to the big reveal: challenger victory or Mask King defense?
But the audience, panel, challenger, and even I weren’t tense. Everyone knew who’d win.
“Will the White-Haired Prince on the Black Steed claim his 4th crown?! Or will the rice cake tiger—who overcame all the Masked Singer greats to earn challenger rights—claim the throne?! The reeesult~!!!!! Is in!!!! The winner is!!!!!!”
Right away.
Bang bang~!
“The White-Haired Prince on the Black Steed!!!! The Mask King claims his 4th crown!!!! Final score: 81 to 19.”
Waaaaaa~!!
The obvious result: my victory. Just one step from 5-crown king.
Recordings usually air over two weeks, and the Mask King stage hits on the second broadcast. So three weeks after filming wrapped, my stage finally aired.
“They said he ripped it! Insaaaaane!”
“Your name’s popping up more and more because of this.”
“Worth grinding that dance medley.”
“Captain Girl’s Power-up! was the killer.”
“Group choreo would’ve been even cooler, but kinda bummed it wasn’t.”
“When the identity drops, should we film ours and upload to YouTube?”
Thanks to the dedicated team’s hustle, we’d gotten our own group YouTube channel like Manager Noona wanted. We uploaded casual, fun member clips, and fans loved it.
“Sounds good.”
I’d practiced with their nagging “help,” so they all knew the choreo decently. Once we really drilled it, it wouldn’t take long.
YouTube success had the kids hyped, tossing out ideas left and right. Plus, it was perfect for reaching overseas fans beyond our core base. The team said foreign comments were spiking.
YouTube’s definitely working.
The one swamped by the channel? Me. Wasn’t it all for me in the first place? The team kept bringing gigs: “Let’s film this! That!”
Luckily, they never pushed stuff I sucked at. They even tossed in 1-2 members per shoot, so no complaints.
“Hyung! Check this out.”
“What’s up?”
Ki Uyeon excitedly shoved a post my way.
Reasons Why the White-Haired Prince on the Black Steed Has to Be 'Jin Haesol' (Refute This If You Can, Muggles!!!!)
“Oh?”
“A fan wrote it. Compares your singing habits with photos, body proportions, voice analysis. So thorough, no one’s rebutted.”
“Guess my identity’s leaking out.”
“With dancing that good, they have to know.”
“Deniers insisting ‘not an idol’ are getting roasted lol.”
For anti-idol fans fighting as White-Haired Prince stans, this was a thunderbolt.
“Feels weird.”
Some still stubbornly denied it, drawing a sigh from me.
What do I show for 5-crown to make them admit it?
Graduation loomed unexpectedly. For the finale, I wanted no regrets.
“Guys. What song for the last one?”
“Rock, duh! Reactions are fire—no reason not to.”
Ki Uyeon quick-voted rock.
“True, reactions were huge.”
“But rock again for the finale? Kinda boring. How about rap?”
“!!”
“Gasp! Rap?!”
“Whoa, no one’d expect that.”
But Jeki’s idea won everyone over fast. Who’d guess I’d rap on Masked Singer?
“Haesol hyung raps decently.”
“‘Decently’? He toys with the beat.”
“That good?”
“Never heard him.”
“I have. Not that great tho.”
“You know his skills skyrocket.”
“Yeah, talent monster!”
“……”
The members glared enviously. Ignoring the heat, I racked my brain for songs.
“How about Light?”
“You can handle that?”
Light’s brutally tough—barely any breath spots, lyrics avalanche. Either blind faith or sadism.
“With what I know of hyung, easy.”
“You got the wrong idea.”
“Puhaha!!”
“No, you got it! Why downplay?”
Jeki protested, but I threw up my hands in surrender.
We brainstormed Masked Singer songs like mischievous kids plotting.
“Everyone pick one by three days from now.”
“Gotta test hyung’s skills first to choose right.”
“Fair.”
“Hyung!!! Sing!!!”
“Too lazy.”
“Come on!! 5-crown’s right there—now’s not the time!”
Caving to the hype, I sang Jeki’s Light. Not from sheet music mastery, so not perfect.
But.
“Ooh, it works.”
“Shortened lyrics, but off a cheat sheet. That good unpracticed? Mastered, it’ll kill.”
“Do we even need others?”
They freaked like it was already legendary.
And it wasn’t just them hyped for my 5-crown.
“I’m swamped with calls all day lately.”
“Calls?”
“Confirming if you’re really the Mask King.”
“You didn’t spill, right?”
“Of course not.”
Manager Noona was slammed. Rumors I might be the Mask King were spreading.
The hot-topic Mask King. Nail 5-crown?
“MBB wants you on a show post-5-crown. Masked Singer’s ours, so you gotta.”
Ride the hype wave before rivals snag it. MBB, knowing my identity, had the edge.