Chapter 234
Chapter 234
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 234
Chapter Title: Cecilia and Calypso
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1
While talking about relics from past eras, another figure suddenly came to mind.
But first, let me ask this.
Have you all heard of the culture called "cover songs"?
Cover songs. Songs covered and sung.
It refers to overlaying your own voice onto a song that already has an original artist.
No need to go far. Whenever you go to a karaoke bar and sing, that's all cover songs.
And on the Busan Peninsula, there's one very famous cover song artist.
"Huh? A-ryeon, where are you going?"
"Oh. O-oppa, there's a concert today. I scraped together ration coupons to buy a ticket..."
"A concert? Dang Seo-rin's?"
"Eek. N-no, not that. That weird Latin choir performance isn't my style... I-I'm going to Cecilia's concert!"
The Masked Song King.
Stage name: Cecilia.
From the fact that her name was written in Japanese katakana (セシリア) rather than English "Cecelia," you can infer she's Japanese.
However, the fact that she's Japanese wasn't widely known.
No, honestly, across the entire Korean Peninsula, fewer than ten people knew. I only learned it later from the Saintess.
Thanks to this thorough policy of secrecy and mystique, bait threads popped up frequently on SG Net.
-Anonymous: Anyone know Cecilia's true identity?
└[Three Thousand]MeteorIsTheLaw: I got curious and dug around with my close friends, but there's barely any info.
-Anonymous: Can't understand the fans sucking up to some no-name calling her Song King lol. Rumor is she does secret encore stages with real VIPs after shows... Gotta be a backroom deal 100%...
└Goryeo Jang: You fucking idiots lololol I've bought dozens of VIP tickets and there's no such thing.
└Anonymous: No proof, so what?
-Cooking Queen: I think she's someone with a truly beautiful voice! Being able to soothe the hearts of broken people with song is so cool.
-Anonymous: So she's Lily Blue Pill?
Appearance. Origin. Age. Gender. Hobbies.
Nothing about the "masked singer" was revealed. She simply sang at specific times in specific venues.
How was that possible?
Because it's the Apocalypse and all personal info vanished? That probably played a big part.
But the decisive reason was something else.
"Lately, every evening at 7, SG Net is nothing but Cecilia talk. Is some bland singer really that great?"
"B-blahnd? How can you say that, Guild Leader! Cecilia doesn't lack features... she has every feature, all of them, every single one!"
Cecilia was an all-purpose cover singer.
Literally, she could "perfectly replicate any song's original."
When performing Michael Jackson on stage, she became the Heavenly Demon Michael. When belting Celine Dion, she transformed into Empress Celine.
A thousand changes, ten thousand transformations.
That was Cecilia's awakening ability.
She freely altered her voice and timbre each time, delivering 100% original fidelity as if the actual artist had descended.
In short, pinpointing any one person from Cecilia's singing was impossible. Her voice changed with every song.
"G-Guild Leader, wanna come with? You've got tons of ration coupons stacked up, so you could easily snag a scalped ticket with markup."
"It'd be no fun for you if I went."
"Huh? Why? I always go to shows alone anyway?"
"......"
I ended up going with her.
As expected of the second-most famous singer on the Peninsula after Dang Seo-rin, Cecilia's concerts were pricey.
The venue itself was extraordinary.
While most Busan businesses recycled pre-Apocalypse buildings, the supper club where Cecilia performed had architects gathered to build a brand-new structure.
Stylish wooden architecture.
A central stage with about fifty tables in front. To watch the show, you had to order food.
"If Dang Seo-rin is the idol for the masses, this is high-end strategy..."
"Ehehe. G-Guild Leader! F-First time up in VIP!"
Sim A-ryeon bounced excitedly.
VIPs sat in second-floor terrace partitioned seats. Private rooms where you enjoyed expensive meals while overlooking the performance.
A setup so luxurious it was hard to believe in the Apocalypse.
"First time? You make a ton of money, A-ryeon. Don't tell me you blew it gambling again?"
"Ehehe. B-But when I win big, I pull all the aggro from the table, and it's so sweet I can't stop."
"No, last time you got stabbed in an alley because of that. Not sick of it yet?"
"F-Fact is, no matter how much they stab me, it heals with Self-Heal."
"......"
Then the lights went out.
Staff circulated with torches, lighting spots here and there. The atmosphere instantly came alive.
Next to me, A-ryeon, mid-steak, squealed "Waaah! A-amazing!" in excitement, spitting flecks everywhere. Truly an embarrassing kid anywhere you took her.
-Ah, ah, ah...
In the darkened stage center.
Cecilia stood gripping the mic.
It wasn't a real working mic. Electronics always risked contamination by anomalies.
But to singers, a mic was armor for the soul. No singer would step onto the battlefield of the stage without it, even if it didn't work.
-Aaaah, aaah♪
Face fully masked, not a inch of skin exposed.
Like a Venice Carnival costume, the "masked singer" sang.
-Kyaahahaha!
-Ceciliaaaa!
Fans who'd paid top dollar for this band's tickets roared in cheers.
Tonight's theme: a legendary British rock band. The entire concert was their songs from start to finish.
With most electronics hazardous, Cecilia was nearly the only channel to hear "favorite music at original quality."
Fans had no choice but to go wild.
-Ah, aaah aaah♪
Conversely, Cecilia had it made.
Imagine: pick one famous musician worldwide daily, and money duplicates itself.
Announce six months of schedules on SG Net in advance, and that artist's fans flock, paying fortunes for the pilgrimage.
No need to compose new songs or worry about meta fatigue boring fans. Cecilia's shows always sold out.
Win-win: fans happy, singer happy.
"Hmm."
But I... couldn't get hyped for Cecilia's stage.
"Couldn't love it" might be the better phrasing.
Even accounting for being a Zero Witch Squadron member who unwaveringly believed Peninsula's top songstress was Dang Seo-rin.
'...Isn't she ultimately just a highly advanced recording device?'
Sure, this recorder was alive, moving, doing live shows—that made a world of difference.
Still, I preferred performances where the singer's true voice shone through.
Even among cover singers, I favored those singing in their own voice.
However, my harsh take on Cecilia needed filtering through my uniqueness as the Undertaker.
'With [Perfect Memory Ability], I can replay any track in my head anytime I want.'
In other words, Cecilia's live show held almost no value as "live" for me.
Watching Sim A-ryeon shriek "Kyaaah!" "Cecilia's the best-!" "I-I'm glad I'm alive" while bawling her eyes out held far more intuitive value.
After the main show and encore, a fan signing session for VIPs only.
Cecilia, Busan's Song King in her Venetian mask, greeted us.
"Hello."
Even this voice was tuned to the British rock band's vocalist.
"Thank you so much for coming to the show. Shall I sign for both of you?"
"No. Just for her."
"Yesss."
Scribble scribble.
Cecilia playfully signed for the fan with practiced ease.
"Here..."
When she looked up to hand over the signed item, our eyes met.
For some reason, Cecilia froze.
Specifically, she hesitated about 0.5 seconds. Not long, expression hidden by the mask, but definite surprise flickered.
Not strange. My face was well-known. The Ten Tribes subjugation hero showing as VIP? Natural to be startled.
"...You really don't want my autograph?"
"Ah, yes. I just tagged along because the kid I came with is your fan. Great singing."
"...Thank you."
A somehow unsettled response.
But with no clue about the singer's face, I had no bandwidth to care—Sim A-ryeon receiving her signed item beside me was too loud in her frenzy.
I barely calmed A-ryeon and escaped the signing.
"Have fun?"
"Yes! Thanks to you, Guild Leader, I got a h-handwritten autograph... You're the best! I'll never forget this concert!"
"Good. Glad you enjoyed."
"Hehe... Ah! Right! G-Gonna go back to VIP quick and snap some pics!"
"Huh? Pics for what?"
"To post proof on SG Net!"
"......"
That day, SG Net got a thank-you pic with the aggro post [Even VIP at Cecilia show can't see these idiots? Lol].
Truly embarrassing anywhere.
I glanced at the signed item Sim A-ryeon framed like a family portrait.
-To Sim A-ryeon. Hope you have a great night.
Nowhere on the signing was "Cecilia," her own name.
That oddity lingered curiously in my mind.
2
So, what are the Undertaker's singer tastes?
Setting aside the singular exception, Three Hans' Top Idol Dang Seo-rin.
I preferred nameless singers for casual live listening at lunch or dinner spots.
"Hello. I'm Calypso. Now, I'll sing. A song I composed and wrote myself... Ruins."
Like this musician "Calypso."
She hustled daily at noodle joints or BBQ spots, acoustic guitar in hand, singing solo.
"Is the broken half-moon you, or your pupil..."
Skill-wise, kindly put: lacking.
In this era, such musicians didn't get paid by restaurant owners. They rented space and survived on customer tips.
Comparing to "Song King Cecilia's" whirlwind stage felt unfair.
That was one of Busan's rare luxury supper clubs; this was a half-collapsed ruin with a "business as usual" sign.
Customer spending differed naturally. Subpar singers often just filled the restaurant's sound before leaving empty-handed.
"Good show today."
"Ah...! U-Undertaker! Th-thank you!"
And I liked these singers.
Calypso's Korean pronunciation was clumsy. Probably from Japan.
Adapting in a foreign land couldn't be easy, yet she showed up at nine out of ten restaurants I frequented when bored.
Meaning?
'Begging restaurant owners left and right for gigs!'
Not some creepy hobby to monopolize a private little tail.
Unlike No Do-ha with her youth phobia, I just wanted to help and cheer struggling young folks whenever I saw them.
Sponsorship amounts: just right, not too much or too little.
Enough to not starve.
To build skill here, take off—fighting herself until then.
I wanted to extend a bit the grace this ruined world denied.
"Good show today."
"Ah, yes! ...Thank you!"
Calypso bowed deeply.
But something felt off. Normally we'd part here, yet she lifted her face, resolute.
"Um, excuse me...!"
"Hm."
I smiled kindly.
"No need for that."
"Actually...! E-eh?"
"No need to thank me so much. You don't even need to remember my name. I'm content as an anonymous fan cheering Calypso."
"Uh..."
"Fight on."
"......"
I gave a thumbs-up and gracefully exited the restaurant.
Felt her confusion behind, but as leader, I steeled against hesitation.
'Perfect.'
My footsteps rang with pride.
The epitome of an exemplary fan!
So proud, entering a secluded alley, I addressed the "invisible constellation."
"Isn't it heartwarming, Saintess?"
[...]
"Seeing people striving regardless of age or origin fills my heart to bursting."
"Yes... It does."
"Contrast that with that supper club last time. Tsk. High-end strategy my ass—catering to just fifty snobs while singing. In a world that could end anytime, still doing business like that. Tsk tsk."
[...]
"Someday, I'll make a system where anyone can enjoy leisure."
But the Saintess's response was lukewarm.
Confined to her tank all day, her only human convo partner was me.
Should've had more back-and-forth, but today was weird.
[...Undertaker.]
"Yes?"
[I've been debating whether to tell you for a while. Hiding it now feels unfair to you, so I must.]
"What is it?"
The Saintess inhaled, then spoke.
[The singer you're personally sponsoring, Calypso.]
"Ah. Yes."
[She's the same person as Cecilia.]
Blink.
"Pardon?"
[...Meaning, the nameless singer you praised and the Busan Song King you critiqued are precisely the same person, same body and soul.]
"......"
[Sorry. Knowing you were immersed in anonymous patronage, I thought silence best, but reflecting now, I should've told you from the start.]
Silence.
"...So Calypso—no, Cecilia."
[Of course she recognized you. Just now, she probably meant to reveal she's Cecilia. Mustering courage.]
"......"
[......]
"......"
[...Sorry. Should I not have said?]
This is all Sim A-ryeon's fault!