Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: This Stage is a Wish (4)
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The accompaniment cut off abruptly, as if a lightbulb's fuse had blown.
The surroundings suddenly fell silent, and the audience began murmuring.
The mother and daughter, who had been fully immersed in the song, exchanged glances.
"Why'd the music stop all of a sudden? Is it part of the performance?"
"I don't know. But probably..."
Judging from the frantic atmosphere among the staff, who looked like they'd been hit by a bomb, it seemed like a sound system malfunction.
"What do we do..."
Her daughter muttered unconsciously, her voice thick with dismay.
For something like this to happen right in the middle of their performance.
If she were one of them, her mental state would have completely crumbled.
'They were doing so well.'
Does this mean they'll have to start the stage over? The thought left her feeling deflated somehow.
That was when it happened.
A sudden sound made her turn her head back toward the stage.
* * *
Crazy. A sound malfunction. The accompaniment cut off out of nowhere, and I froze up on the spot.
It was the crucial part where the atmosphere was building to a peak. All the emotions had to burst out at once.
But the backing track that was supposed to support it had vanished.
'What do I do?'
I'd never even considered a situation like this. I was supposed to sing the next line, but no sound came out.
The director sprinting off somewhere to assess the situation and the staff flustering about were crystal clear in front of me.
In that split second, countless thoughts flashed through my mind.
'Does this mean we have to redo the performance?'
But if we did, the audience's reaction would inevitably cool off. They'd have to watch the opening part they'd already seen once again.
And reviving a stale atmosphere was harder than anything.
'No choice.'
With my thoughts reaching that point, I gritted my teeth.
And I activated the active skill I'd been saving for this highlight.
'Skill, Sparkle Sparkle activate. Candy of My Throat too!'
[You have activated the active skill 'Sparkle Sparkle!' Spotlight on stage increases by 50% for 30 seconds.]
[You have activated the active skill 'Candy of My Throat.' Vocal skill effects increase by 50% for 30 seconds.]
Right before the stage started, I'd already used the item 'Voice Up! Raw Egg,' boosting my vocal skills by 50%.
Adding the active skill effects on top made it a full 100% boost.
In that state, I opened my mouth.
- If God appears before me
And says he'll grant
Just one wish
My voice echoed through the deathly silent hall.
The director, who had been rushing to check the situation, stopped dead in his tracks.
I could feel everyone looking at me.
'The next part is Go Eun-young's.'
I turned my head and locked eyes with Go Eun-young.
She looked utterly flustered by the sudden crisis.
But the moment our eyes met, she seemed to grasp the situation and picked up the part seamlessly.
- I would wish for you
To love me
Good. Well done. I praised her with my eyes.
The next section was the part we had to sing together.
The most important harmony.
There was no accompaniment, but we kept rhythm by nodding to each other, eyes locked.
Memories of all those practice sessions where we'd matched our breaths over and over flashed through my mind.
- Can't live without you
I can't possibly live without you
The sensation from back then, when we'd sung it endlessly for a perfect stage, guided us to flawless timing.
- So please don't ever leave my side
The other members caught on too, performing their assigned choreography from their positions.
Every gaze in the room was fixed on me and my members.
- That is my wish-!
And was it coincidence, or a miracle?
The moment Go Eun-young and I hit the high note together, static crackled from the speakers, and the upbeat backing for the final chorus exploded out.
Feeling that pounding in my chest, I broke into a wide grin.
We did it! The timing was so perfect it felt destined.
* * *
"Whoa, amazing..."
The daughter watching the stage gaped without realizing it.
In the midst of feeling sorry for the sudden cutoff of the music, a young man with a beautiful tone started singing boldly on his own.
Without the backing, perhaps, it sounded even clearer, more bewitching, stimulating the ears.
It was a song brimming with emotion that tugged at the heart. The young man singing it seemed to glow. She couldn't tear her eyes away.
'How can an idol sing like that?'
Idols can't sing well. Sure, there were occasional good ones, but even then, maybe one per group if that.
It was the moment her deep-rooted prejudice shattered to pieces.
It was like... a scene from a musical where the male lead pleads his love.
Just like when she'd heard Jin Soo-hyun sing, her eyes started to well up. Unbelievable.
And then, as he synced with Go Eun-young, handled their parts, and finally unleashed the high note together.
The accompaniment resumed as if by magic. The timing was so impeccable it felt intentional.
As the heavy bass throbbed through their chests, applause and cheers erupted from the audience.
- Oh baby you
My wish is just you
Now my one and only wish
Is only you
Entering the final chorus, the song's vibe returned to its original dance track energy—bright and lively.
The seven members naturally clapped along as they danced across the stage.
"Come on, everyone together!"
"Sing along!"
"Hands up above your heads!"
At their cheerful calls, the mother and daughter clapped and smiled too.
And in that moment, Go Eun-young's solid high note soared crisply with an ad-lib!
Whoa, it was a high note so exhilarating it cleared the soul.
- That is my wish
With the final line, they nailed the ending pose perfectly.
As the song ended, thunderous applause exploded. It was on par with the response after Jin Soo-hyun's song.
The mother and daughter clapped vigorously too. It was a stage that deserved it.
As the seven lined up neatly to wrap up, MCs Han Dae-se and Yoon Chae-hyun hurried over to continue the broadcast.
"Yes! That was EverPlanet's performance. Wow, I was really shocked. It felt like watching a full musical scene."
"My heart's still racing. What an incredible stage. Now, let's hear from our celebrity judging panel on what they thought of this performance."
As Yoon Chae-hyun handed it over, a famous composer grabbed the mic.
It was Cha Hong-soo, notorious for his harsh critiques. He'd given a rather cold review to Neighborhood Honey Bread's stage earlier.
But his reaction this time was different.
"Wow. Honestly... I saw EverPlanet for the first time here today. And I was thinking, how have I not known about these talented kids until now? It was that impressive. Especially that part where the music cut out. I got flustered there. But then, who was it...?"
He pointed at the member who'd started singing a cappella, and that member spoke up.
"I'm Lee Jae."
"Yes, Lee Jae. Ha Jaejust starts singing without music. Wow... I really thought I was watching a musical soliloquy."
At his words, singer Berry took the mic and continued.
"It really felt exactly like a musical stage. The arrangement, the dance—wow, just like a musical number. And they preserved the original feel while perfectly showcasing EverPlanet's color. I loved it. The live vocals were so stable too. Great performance."
"Thank you!"
EverPlanet bowed deeply to the panel's near-universal praise. The audience applauded again.
"Yes, now we'll measure the audience scores for EverPlanet's performance. For the next 10 seconds, please click the buttons on the remotes we provided to give your scores."
Obviously 100 points.
The daughter gave full marks without hesitation. Her mother seemed to do the same.
Once scoring ended, all the performers gathered on stage.
The MCs bought time for tallying with some light talk.
Soon, the staff signaled the scores were ready, and Han Dae-se pointed to the screen behind the stage.
"And now, we'll reveal the scores for each performer!"
The top two would go straight to the finals based on these.
"Yes! Advancing to the final stage are..."
The daughter gripped her seat's armrest tightly. She wasn't even a singer, but she felt tense anyway.
"Yes, Jin Soo-hyun with 97 points and EverPlanet with 95!"
Whoa! The daughter grinned widely. The two she'd given perfect scores to had made it to the finals.
EverPlanet, amid applause from the others, stared at each other with wide eyes, as if they couldn't believe they'd advanced.
"Yes, now for the final stages. We'll start with EverPlanet, who scored 95! After a short prep, we'll proceed right away. Please be patient, audience. Performers, please wait backstage."
What would the final stage be like? Watching Jin Soo-hyun and EverPlanet head down, the daughter filled her chest with anticipation.
Surely another amazing performance awaited.
* * *
The moment we stepped off stage, Han Tae-hee grabbed my shoulder hard.
"Ha Jae! You!"
Then she started shaking me vigorously.
"How'd you even think to just keep going in that situation? Huh? You cheeky guy!"
"Tae-hee hyung, you can't let him off easy. Praise him more!"
With Park Su-rim chiming in, Han Tae-hee's shaking intensified.
Then Teddy pried her hand off and hugged me tightly from the side.
"Stop! Enough! Our Lee Jae's dizzy!"
"Oh really? Since when is he your Lee Jae, Teddy?"
"What kinda talk is that? If not ours, yours?"
"...Fine. My bad."
Han Tae-hee scratched his head, deflated.
Meanwhile, Lee Jae-oh patted my back gently.
"But seriously, that scared me. The sound failed out of nowhere, and I panicked, but when you kept singing, it snapped me out of it."
"You too, Jae-oh hyung? Same here. Wow, seriously. Ha Jaehyung suddenly starts singing and locks eyes with me. It woke me right up. So I jumped in."
"You did great too, Eun-young."
Kim Kwang-myeong patted Go Eun-young's back, then mine.
"Perfect call. Redoing the stage then would've killed the vibe and gotten a meh reaction."
"Right."
"But seriously, we made finals? Can't believe it."
"Same here."
Everyone nodded at Park Su-rim's words, sharing the sentiment.
Honestly, I couldn't believe it either. I'd prepped a final song just in case, but never thought we'd actually use it.
Then Han Tae-hee slung his arms around me and Go Eun-young, grinning wide.
"Kids. Since we're here, let's go all the way and win it!"
"Yes! We're winning this!"
Teddy's agreement made the others grin too.
We huddled in a circle, arms around shoulders.
"Wanna do a fighting cheer?"
"Yes!"
"EverPlanet!"
"Fighting!"
Led by Park Su-rim, we all shouted fighting.
Just then, a staffer called that final prep was ready.
Time to end on a high note.