The Song That Moved the Legend
The song faded into the afterglow.
For a moment, silence reigned.
The stage lights dimmed gradually, yet the studio remained trapped in the afterglow.
No one spoke first.
The breath caught before the words.
Then—
Clap… clap.
The applause from the ordinary panelists filled the studio.
Sincere applause for the two singers who had gifted pure emotion.
Main MC Kim Woo-jin didn’t miss the atmosphere.
Having hosted over 500 episodes, his experience pointed to one person.
‘Whoever you look at… today’s stage is this side.’
Checkmate.
A voice that silently changed the center of the stage.
A person who changed the program’s air itself.
Normally, the evaluation for Flower Girl should come first, but the words didn’t flow easily.
“…This is… I think we should calm down a bit and listen. Both songs were moving and didn’t lose their emotion.”
The panelists across the stage nodded.
Most still couldn’t continue speaking.
“Well, now let’s hear the evaluation for Flower Girl. What did you think?”
The first to grab the mic was Cha Tae-ho.
“It was clear. The timbre was clean, and the high notes didn’t strain at all. Definitely idol-like.”
At first glance, it sounded like praise.
But upon closer look, it was a very formal evaluation.
It wasn’t emotion from the depths of the heart, but just a listing of words.
“The high notes were particularly attractive. Like the sound floating above your head? If you have any wishes, I want to hear other songs too.”
Unlike the words, Shin Jung-ah, a former comedian, was puzzled.
She hadn’t been given any hint by PD Han Kyung-il, but there was intuition.
Clearly, Flower Girl was the production’s pick.
They had put in effort.
The song wasn’t bad.
With a little luck, she could aim for the king of singers finals as a decent performer.
But.
‘I can’t believe the opponent sang so well?’
It doesn’t make sense.
This level of skill can’t be hidden.
Why did the production choose this matchup.
“She really sang well. It felt like she had a lot of stage experience? She didn’t waver and had a clear personal color.”
The relay praise for Flower Girl to secure broadcast time continued.
But there was no soul to it.
Because Checkmate, who performed the duet stage with her, showed overwhelming skill.
Simply.
Just to show consideration for the performers.
At that moment, the invited legendary Shin Jae-ho was the first to grab the mic.
The legend of Korean rock.
A living master.
A master with a heart-scratching low voice and soul-tearing high voice.
“Was it three years ago? Your voice has improved a lot compared to when you appeared on some variety show.”
An unexpected praise.
Flower Girl’s face showed a startle.
“Eh, eh? Does that mean you’ve figured out Flower Girl’s identity now?”
To Kim Woo-jin’s question, he quietly nodded.
The panelists were like, “Whoa, tell me privately,” but Shin Jae-ho didn’t say anything.
“But, that’s all. Because I sang a song to win, the emotional expression was lacking.”
A short but incisive remark.
And quietly set down the mic.
A brief silence.
Kim Woo-jin quickly tried to shift the atmosphere.
“Now, shall we hear the panelists’ evaluation of our Checkmate?”
As if waiting for this moment, panelist Yoon Jin-seok grabbed the mic.
Then he opened his mouth bluntly.
“Who are you? What do you do?”
“Eh? Me?”
Kim Woo-jin responded in confusion.
Then laughter erupted from the audience.
Yoon Jin-seok made a gesture of grabbing a chess piece and pointed at Checkmate.
“It was the first verse. Exactly one sentence.”
He closed his eyes once, took a deep breath, and added.
“Truly, it’s hard to move people with low tones. But… I was seeing it for the first time.”
The extreme praise from Yoon Jin-seok, known for being stingy with praise.
He didn’t need to say more and set down the mic.
The other panelists nodded.
The next mic was taken by Cha Tae-ho, a former music PD and broadcaster.
“Checkmate-nim.”
On stage, Checkmate looked up and met his eyes.
The light in In-ha’s eyes hidden behind the mask sparkled subtly.
“What did you do to me?”
A questioning tone.
But soon, a smile spread on his lips.
“I’m a big T personality, right? My personality, and when working, analysis comes first with the opposite sex. But, in life… I got choked up for the first time listening to a song. I almost cried.”
Cha Tae-ho, as stingy with praise as Yoon Jin-seok.
Enough that the meme “false praise master” circulated.
He was laying out high praise that was rare recently.
Since it was an old show, the evaluation was that almost everyone who could appear had appeared.
The panelists’ praise repertoire was nearly exhausted.
But.
Today was different.
A truly sincere evaluation after a long time.
Next, Shin Jung-ah grabbed the mic.
“…I can guarantee it. Checkmate-nim is a former singer. Right, former singer?”
In-ha tilted his head and shrugged slightly.
A look of “I don’t know.”
Then Shin Jung-ah continued.
“No matter how much you hide, it doesn’t hide. The stage knows, the ears know.”
Finally, the entire panelists’ gazes turned to Shin Jae-ho.
He quietly picked up the mic.
After taking a breath, he said concisely.
“…I wasn’t curious who you were while listening. You gave me a thrill, and it moved me. Also, it was a song I wanted to hear.”
The words weren’t long, but no further explanation was needed.
A word from a representative Korean vocalist.
Since he usually didn’t say empty words, no further evaluation was needed.
‘Has there been a singer of this caliber recently.’
Shin Jae-ho mulled it over in his mind.
It was different from the usual vocalists who put technique first.
The flow of the sound was different, the resonance was different.
It wasn’t singing something, but a sound that flowed from sincerity.
Therefore, the gap in skill between Flower Girl and Checkmate became even clearer.
‘Playing a joke?’
At that moment.
Inside the mask, Jisoo bit her lip hard.
She forced her head down, but the hand holding the mic trembled.
Even with deep breathing, she couldn’t calm down.
‘Am I being laughed at, and he’s being praised?’
A hot heat rose inside.
What kind of day is today.
How much preparation did I do for this stage.
But to be treated as a stand-in for a moment.
She tried to compose her expression, but the cheek muscles twitched slightly.
And all that frustration was directed at one person.
Checkmate.
‘Who exactly are you?’
The being who ruined her solo debut stage entirely.
She wanted to peel off that face behind the mask right away.
At that moment.
Breaking the silence that had been swirling in the studio, Yoon Jin-seok cautiously opened his mouth.
“This is… Well, I think the opponent for Flower Girl-nim was a bit… too strong, wasn’t it? I have this feeling.”
The panelists nodded cautiously at Yoon Jin-seok’s conclusion.
Who was the protagonist of this stage.
It was already being told by the song.
***
To the legendary Shin Jae-ho’s evaluation, I was momentarily dazed.
His song, , was my 18th song on karaoke.
It was still at the top of my smartphone playlist.
He said he was moved by my song now.
‘…The adaptation isn’t going well.’
The first time I used the talent on such a big stage like today.
I had always gotten used to it, confirmed it, and adjusted first.
But today was different.
The stage, the reaction, the emotions.
Everything was too big and hit the skin too quickly.
To the point of hearing from a legend like Shin Jae-ho that I wanted to hear it again.
That word meant that the sound I made had reached someone.
It meant I had given them emotion.
For a moment, my head was complicated.
‘…It’s a bit heavy.’
Now, my song was spreading.
People would listen, evaluate, and remember.
Just like Go, just like archery.
I was starting to feel the responsibility that came with having a talent.
It seemed like it had to be that way.
It seemed like the attitude of someone with a talent.
“Now, the final result voted by the 99 panelists, please look together!”
Ddu ddu ddu.
The numbers floating on the electronic board with the sound.
76 to 23.
An overwhelming gap, my victory.
A short music played, and the MC summarized the results in a familiar tone.
“Yes, with this, ‘Checkmate’ has advanced to the next round!”
The applause filling the studio.
I bowed lightly to the panelists in greeting, then descended from the stage.
At the time when I was walking.
‘They’re glaring.’
The gaze from behind.
I didn’t need to turn around to feel what kind of eyes Flower Girl preparing the eliminated song was sending me.
Anger.
Resentment.
Such emotions.
‘…There was no consideration, but the competition was fair.’
I hadn’t wanted to win someone with my song from the beginning.
No, I thought I didn’t have the talent to win in the first place.
But I won.
The one standing there now was me.
I walked down from the stage and slowly walked down the corridor.
The afterglow of the stage hadn’t cooled yet.
In the waiting room, my mind was already heading to the next stage.
‘Up to round 2 is fine. The problem is from round 3.’
Round 2 was individual solo songs.
Since there was a song prepared for the eliminated song, no big problem.
But round 3 was different.
‘…I don’t have a prepared song.’
I had known I would be eliminated in round 1 from the start.
I hadn’t even properly chosen candidates for round 3 songs.
Other participants would have taken time to arrange their songs to fit their tone or add emotions.
But now, I had nothing in my hands.
Time was tight, and there was no leeway.
At that moment.
Knock knock.
With a knock, a hurried voice came.
“Um, I’m the assistant director. There’s something I need to discuss urgently. Can I come in?”
“Yes, please come in.”
As soon as the door opened, the assistant director rushed in.
Behind him, the music director followed.
The urgency was evident on both their faces.
“By any chance, do you have a round 3 song prepared?”
“No. I’m thinking about it.”
I said honestly.
No need to pretend to be ready when not prepared.
The assistant director continued with a worried face.
“Ah… Yes. If you just decide on the song, we’ll get the MR ready as quickly as possible.”
“Understood.”
“The rehearsal… Since it’s not possible to do a full rehearsal due to time, is a simple sound check okay?”
“It’s fine.”
I didn’t expect it, and the production team wouldn’t have had a plan.
“Then, how much time should I give for song selection…”
“No. Let’s do it now.”
I quietly took a deep breath.
It wasn’t a problem that could be solved by thinking long.
In such cases, quick decision was right.
“I’m going to sing ‘For Myself’.”
“…Eh?”
The assistant director and music director both looked up at the same time.
Surprise and tension crossed at the same time.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“…In front of Mr. Shin Jae-ho?”
To the question, I nodded shortly again.
Honestly, if it wasn’t a burden, it would be a lie.
The song was very famous, and the difficulty was high.
I had heard that many singers avoided covering it.
Moreover, the original author of the song was sitting right in front of me now.
But.
‘There is no other choice.’
Whether he was a legend or here now, it didn’t matter.
The song I sang the most.
The song I poured emotions into the most.
The song I sang alone with sincerity for the longest time.
Therefore, this was the best choice for me, the best selection.
I said it firmly again.
“Round 3 song ‘For Myself’, I’m going with this song.”