Putting Yourself in Their Shoes (2)
In the waiting room, Seo Geonwoo could not tear his eyes from the monitor.
He was a living legend of the Korean music industry, a top-tier producer whose every touch lined up the charts in perfect formation. For years he had reigned at the summit, churning out hit after hit, yet the kind of spark that once set his heart racing had grown painfully scarce of late.
That was why he had accepted this seat.
The special producer chair on MNA's Voice of Legend.
"As expected. Auditions like this always overflow with gems," Seo Geonwoo murmured under his breath, watching the twenty contestants clash fiercely on the screen.
Just watching them was enough to wake his long-stiffened brain cells; new melodies flickered through his mind without rest. And among them, one figure in particular had seized his attention.
Kang Minhyuk.
The solid technique and sheer volume expected of a former musical actor were only the baseline. The man sang beautifully. What truly captivated Seo Geonwoo, however, was the force that pulled the entire stage under his spell—less singing than performing an entire drama, an overwhelming command of the space.
Give that one a track with grand orchestration and it would be perfect.
Unconsciously, Seo Geonwoo's fingers tapped out a rhythm in the air as if striking invisible keys. And at last, the final turn of Round Three arrived.
Contestant number one. Han Jiyoung.
The moment she stepped up to the stand microphone at center stage, Seo Geonwoo crossed his arms and straightened in his seat.
Truthfully, he had not been able to look at the name Han Jiyoung without a certain skepticism. A song released five years earlier suddenly sweeping number one—the so-called reverse-run miracle. The public had gone wild for the narrative, but to Seo Geonwoo, whose bones had been seasoned for decades in this industry, it looked different.
That was pure luck, nothing more.
An algorithm's whim, a fleeting match with the public mood. He had watched countless one-hit wonders mistake that luck for talent, swell with pride, and vanish without a trace.
Yet while monitoring the first and second episodes of Voice of Legend, Seo Geonwoo had been in the process of wiping that prejudice clean away. The cleverness of rearranging an idol dance track, the sensibility she showed while modernizing Kang Soyoung's Invitation—her potential was obvious at a glance.
And now.
Han Jiyoung stood on stage with the very song that had launched her skyward: On the Road.
All right. Let's see it. The raw, unfiltered voice—no studio polish.
The gentle guitar intro began, and Jiyoung's lips parted.
"Please tell me all those days on the road..."
The instant the lyric left her mouth, Seo Geonwoo's brows drew sharply together.
She did not merely deliver a stable live performance; she executed the stage more perfectly than the recorded track itself. Goosebumps rose along the arms he still held crossed. His eyes locked onto Han Jiyoung on the monitor and refused to leave.
A perfect gem!
The exclamation burst from his lips.
That was when it happened.
"Producer Seo Geonwoo, it's time for you to stand by."
The waiting-room door opened and a staff member bowed politely. Seo Geonwoo rose slowly from his seat.
"Let's go."
Kuuuung—!
A majestic sound that shook the stage floor accompanied the slow parting of massive LED doors. Blinding white light poured down as the silhouette of a man emerged through thick fog, walking with unhurried ease.
Neatly combed white hair, sharp eyes still blazing with intensity despite the lines of age on his face.
"……!!"
The moment his features came fully into the light, my breath caught in my throat.
Holy shit…… Seo Geonwoo?
He was not merely a skilled composer. He was a true giant who created trends and steered entire eras.
I was not the only one stunned.
"W-wait……? Senior?"
Judge Kang Soyoung reacted first. She sprang from her seat like a coiled spring, mouth hanging open. Beside her, Terry Oh's eyes went round as he rose as well, and even Park Jinwoo—normally a blank wall of composure—looked openly flustered. Even Kim Taesung, head of Luminous, was staring at the man in open surprise.
"What on earth is this……? No one gave us any warning!"
"Wow, this is a genuine honor. Never thought I'd meet you here……"
"You're so incredibly busy—how did you even find time for this seat……?"
The judges poured out unscripted, raw reactions. Even those standing at the absolute peak of the industry had clearly never expected Seo Geonwoo's appearance. That was how thoroughly the hidden card had been kept under wraps.
Toward the studio still rippling with shock, the MC began whipping up the atmosphere in his characteristic ringing voice.
"Yes! Everyone, surprised? The final producer specially invited for this semi-final—Producer Seo Geonwoo!"
At the MC's introduction, belated cheers and a standing ovation erupted from the audience.
"As you all well know, Producer Seo Geonwoo currently leads GW Entertainment! Beyond the Korean music market, he is dominating the global market worldwide. Even with that packed schedule, he gladly accepted our invitation to join Voice of Legend!"
GW Entertainment…… the global market.
The MC's words drove straight into my mind. Suddenly I remembered what Kang Soyoung had told me a few days earlier at the Dream Concert.
To reach the world, you can't do it alone. You need a vessel that can carry your voice.
That right there is the vessel I need to board.
But the joy lasted only a moment. I forced myself to recall the brutal rule the MC had just explained. Even if I received Seo Geonwoo's song, I would still have to fight a blood-draining death match against the other contestant paired with me. Only by catching his eye and finally taking the microphone would the track become fully mine.
Seo Geonwoo walked to center stage and accepted the microphone from the MC.
"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Seo Geonwoo."
His low, weighty voice rode the speakers, and the excited air of the studio settled into calm all at once.
"From the waiting room, I watched the stages you all delivered in Round Three."
He smiled with easy composure and slowly scanned the ten of us lined up on stage.
"There were so many fine gems. Some of you were so captivating, so overwhelming, I wanted to drag you straight into my studio and start dressing you in songs right away."
Wherever his gaze moved, contestants swallowed dryly. Seo Geonwoo's eyes lingered for a moment on Kang Minhyuk, the former musical actor. Kang Minhyuk met that gaze with a tightly wound expression of his own.
And then those eyes turned toward me.
"……."
It lasted only a heartbeat.
He looked at me.
A thrilling current raced down my spine.
"For this semi-final, as a producer, I intend to roll up my sleeves with the contestants and create the best stages and the best tracks possible. I look forward to working with you."
Seo Geonwoo offered a light bow; the four judges and every contestant bent at the waist in a perfect ninety-degree reply.
The MC lifted the energy again and called out,
"All right! With that, the five-producer lineup is complete! Now it is time for the contestants to match with the producers who will work with them!"
On the giant screen facing the studio, the faces of Kim Taesung, Kang Soyoung, Terry Oh, Park Jinwoo, and Seo Geonwoo appeared, each with two empty slots beside them.
The MC flipped a cue sheet and began explaining the matching method.
"The process works like this. Each contestant first nominates the producer they wish to work with. The nominated producer then accepts or declines."
At those words, a restless murmur rose among the contestants. One of them, unable to hide his anxiety, shot a hand into the air and asked,
"Um, what if we nominate someone…… and the producer turns us down?"
The MC smiled as he answered.
"Then you enter a hold status. After every contestant has finished their first nomination round, those on hold get another chance to nominate. Or, producers who still have open slots may call a held contestant themselves."
In the end, it was a game of reading the room. If you nominated a producer who did not want you and got rejected, you risked carrying the stigma of being the contestant no one chose and having to beg for whatever seats remained—a merciless rule.
The MC quieted the murmuring hall and continued.
"For fairness, the nomination order will follow the audience scores from the Round Three death matches, highest first."
Contestants' gazes drifted into empty air. Who had taken first place in audience points?
While everyone watched one another, the MC drew out the moment and pointed toward center stage.
"The grand first-pick nomination rights belong to—overwhelming audience-score number one! Han Jiyoung!"
At the sound of my name, a short gasp and applause burst from the seats. I took one step forward.
By now Seo Geonwoo had taken his place among the four other judges in the panel below the stage. Five formidable producers. Their gazes all locked onto me at once.
CEO Kim Taesung watched me with a strange expectancy in his eyes; Kang Soyoung lifted one corner of her mouth and rested her chin on her hand with easy leisure. Terry Oh and Park Jinwoo both looked thoroughly entertained, curious whom I would choose.
And at the far end sat Seo Geonwoo. I could not read his expression at all.
The MC held the microphone toward me and asked,
"Well then, Han Jiyoung. Right now every producer here is hanging on your every word. Which producer would you like to decorate the semi-final with?"
"Producer Seo Geonwoo."