The Idol Who Returned from Hell Chapter 136

True to its name as the KNet International Music Awards, people from various countries were invited as presenters.

Song Ji-won was barely holding onto her sanity amid the diverse linguistic bombardment of English, Japanese, and Korean.

‘The fun of seeing completely unknown foreign celebrities has its own charm. Though I do feel like my English anxiety is kicking in.’

KIMA was famous for distributing small trophies to pretty much all the performers. They even specially invited small-scale idol groups from the host country to give them special stage opportunities.

“The KIMA Trendy Pop Artist of the Year goes to… Congratulations, JUMP7!”

This year, as always, they slapped together obviously hastily made titles and handed a trophy to a Japanese idol group.

More than an hour and a half had passed since KIMA began, and Song Ji-won’s two hands were mechanically producing automatic applause.

‘Just hold on a little longer. Just hold on a little longer.’

Soon the boring first act would end.

If things went according to her hopeful circuit… Ryu Si-hwan might kick off the glamorous second act.

After the Japanese idol group that had burst into tears over what seemed like an insignificant award went down, the MCs predictably announced there would be a final first act stage.

As soon as a girl group that steadily pulled in tens of thousands in initial sales cleanly decorated the first act finale, murmurs could be heard from the surroundings.

Most were in Japanese, full of words she couldn’t understand, but there were familiar pronunciations scattered throughout.

“…CENTIX…”

“Zefawadoko?”

“…Han-ul…”

Even the local Japanese fans seemed to be continuously waiting for this collaboration stage to appear.

During the 15 minutes needed for stage cleaning time, Song Ji-won sneakily checked SNS public opinion again.

Sure enough.

―Ah why is this year’s KIMA so fucking boring seriously

└Seriously this… I usually try to keep watching without cutting off the flow, but the first act was seriously so boring I almost fell asleep

└They just keep bringing out weird awards lol. What is this, Noryangjin Fish Market? The names are also fucking gross like they just made them up

―They said this lineup was legendary… Always just talking big and ending up like this

└Honestly, it was legendary because all three major boy groups were appearing, but if you look at each one closely, it’s pretty lacking

└Who are the three major boy groups again

└Isn’t it Zefa, Comet, CENTIX?

└Shit lol. Again the century-old group fans are trying to squeeze their kids into Magnus’s spot

└If Magnus was that good, they would’ve made it into the new generation

└Yeah, that’s because your kids barely squeezed in~

└Isn’t it kinda funny to diss century-old groups when you’re not even at the level to get PD picks? LOL. Why are Magnetic stans digging their own graves so funny

└Yeah, congrats on making it this far on internet hype ^^ Really proud, right?

└Wow these comments are really dizzy, more nauseous than watching the shitty live performances in the first act

The boredom of the first act and criticism of KNet naturally led to sniping at their media play.

The criticisms that it was infinitely lacking compared to what they had insisted was a legendary lineup also intensely transformed into anticipation for the second act.

And naturally swept up in that torrent was the special stage [Leaders, Lead the New Generation].

Whether MILLENNIUM liked it or not, it meant Ryu Si-hwan couldn’t escape from the center of attention.

Song Ji-won bit her lips while turning on all of CENTIX’s light sticks.

‘Si-hwan, show them. I believe in you, really.’

The figures of staff members busily running around the dark stage disappeared.

A mysterious energy began to swirl around the darkened stage.

K-pop fans who had come to the venue knew well what this silence meant.

[Crackle, crackle!]

At that moment.

Black and white mosaics flickered on the screen.

The sound that grabbed eardrums hard focused the attention of 30,000 spectators in an instant.

―Ah, Ah. Mic checking, one two, one two.

The mosaic video that seemed like transmission was cutting out gradually gained clarity.

A finger tapping a silver standing microphone.

The voice testing if it was working properly also came through broken with shaky sound quality.

―Calling for an emergency. Emergency.

A siren wailed over the continuously cutting sound.

The finger frantically hitting the microphone disappeared in an instant, and again only the afterglow of gray and black lines remained on the screen.

The entire stage began to be dyed red.

The siren sound that had been ringing frantically fell over a rhythmic beat and formed a natural melody.

Trap K-pop struck eardrums over heavy bass drums.

「We we we, we the leaders」

And with the first verse, the black and white screen split in half, and from behind it, a man standing on a large podium raised both hands high. The white fur coat draped over his shoulders fluttered majestically.

When Baek Joo-won shouted with all his might into the silver microphone in his hand, the audience went absolutely wild.

「Everybody holler!」

Funky trap beat rhythm burst out at a pace that seemed like it would tear the speakers.

On both sides of the podium showing off its white appearance, backup dancers wearing sunglasses moved with angular steps like bodyguards.

On the podium gradually moving toward the center of the stage, Baek Joo-won’s opening began.

「End of the season

Already out-of-season songs

Outdated lyrics

Those arrogant faces are crying from the start

But I don’t give a sh*t

It’s not my problem」

Tight rap that perfectly matched the trap beat.

It seemed to show why Baek Joo-won enjoyed great popularity in Zefa, and why he possessed a concrete-like core fandom.

His intense aura reached like sunlight even to Song Ji-won’s area, far from the center stage.

It was truly tremendous spirit.

「We we we, we the leaders

You guys are way behind, you’re just cheerleaders

This is a beautiful prelude opening a new era

Just open your eyes wide there and watch ay」

When Baek Joo-won finished his rap and dropped the silver microphone onto the podium, the trap beat gradually cut off in chunks.

The moment he looked at the camera and came down to the main stage, EDM’s characteristic synthesizers barged in with booming sounds over the hip-hop atmosphere accompaniment.

Over the sound transitioning to hook melodies familiar to K-pop fans, a sweet voice contrasting with Baek Joo-won’s husky voice echoed through the dome.

「Dye everything in my color

Standing at the center of the world

Not afraid wherever we go

Cause we the leaders」

Joo Han-ul, who rose on a lift from the center of the main stage where the podium had stopped, danced solo with precise movements.

The black suit contrasting with Baek Joo-won’s white fur coat made his tall, slender figure stand out even more.

The vast stage seemed to be completely filled by Joo Han-ul’s presence alone.

But around him, Baek Joo-won and dozens of backup dancers joined to create a massive formation.

And the broadcast camera created outstanding visual beauty by filming the beautiful triangular formation from a sky view.

‘It’s just… so cool?’

Was this the experience of Korea’s top-tier idols?

Song Ji-won almost forgot that she had been feeling bored just a few minutes ago.

Just changing the members composing the stage could make such a difference in how it felt.

In a corner of her heart, even greater anticipation was creeping up.

‘Si-hwan. What is our Si-hwan planning to do!’

The upbeat EDM chorus passed. As they were entering the mid-to-late part of the song, the audience’s immersion was at its peak.

It was when Song Ji-won’s two hands were gripping her clock stick with all her might.

「Calm and peaceful

Young and beautiful

Open your eyes at the end of the era」

Through the reverse cymbals rising into the air, a brilliant yet strong tone broke through.

A unique presence so distinctive that you could recognize who the voice belonged to without even trying.

Thud, thud-thud.

The backup dancers who had been performing group choreography on the main stage bowed their heads to the floor.

Following them, the red lights also went out, and only the area behind the seemingly empty screen was dyed with bright light.

And from the center of it, Ryu Si-hwan holding a hand microphone walked out step by step.

“Si-hwaaaaannnn―!”

Song Ji-won wanted to scream even louder in her heart, but she couldn’t break the atmosphere that had become quiet for a moment due to the reverse cymbals.

She just covered her mouth with her clock stick while watching Ryu Si-hwan slowly advance to the center.

「Spread our colors

Unfold them higher

The blood flowing here will soon become flowers」

She could feel it.

That the pitches coming out of Ryu Si-hwan’s mouth were getting higher and higher.

When the cymbals that seemed to be heading toward zero gravity ended, weak siren sounds began to be heard in their place.

And matching that pitch, Ryu Si-hwan lowered his head and spat out the lyrics like a howl.

「New sensations soaking the air

I’ll convey it all with my voice」

The siren sound grew fiercer, and EDM and bass came down like rain at a pace that seemed to swallow that noise.

Usually when such rich accompaniment continues, vocals get buried more often than not.

Right now, [The Leaders] stage performance was also heading toward an even more dramatic climax.

However, Ryu Si-hwan scratched out consecutive high notes with vocals that pierced through all the sounds filling the stadium.

「Feel the pulse(the pulse!)

Feel the beat(the beat!)」

Finally, when Ryu Si-hwan joined the main group, Baek Joo-won and Joo Han-ul doubled him as if they had been waiting.

In a moment when you could get intoxicated by the extremely fast BPM and magnificent bass sound.

「Break it down」

The special sound effects that started with siren sounds had somehow been transformed into intense guitar riffs.

Song Ji-won felt chills rising all over her body from the powerful vibrations.

And that sensation was doubled through the dance break of the three idols who had completely conquered Kyocera Dome.

‘Is this truly their first time matching choreography? Weren’t they originally one group?’

The leisure to catch cameras filming them. Confident expressions as if they had really opened the prelude to a new era. And precise synchronized dance supporting all of that.

The cheers of the audience enjoying the bursting energy created a perfect climax.

The moment the dance break ended, another climax struck Song Ji-won’s heart.

「Enjoy this moment

Cause we the leaders」

As if riding and enjoying the crisp guitar riff like a wave, Ryu Si-hwan freely controlled his vocal range and raised his head voice.

Anyone who had watched all of 〈Idol Stove League Season 2〉 as a (former) national manager would know. What Ryu Si-hwan’s usual high note style was like.

Stable high notes that rose comfortably using unwavering breathing to make even the listener feel at ease. This was the vocal technique Ryu Si-hwan usually favored.

But what about now?

The sight of him scratching his vocal cords like a rocker while raising the pitch one more level with a semi-falsetto was something both the (former) national manager and (current) MILLENNIUM were seeing for the first time.

Despite already being in high vocal ranges from earlier, watching Ryu Si-hwan still easily pierce through the AR, Song Ji-won had one thought.

It was like he was vomiting out the resentment that had been building up through this stage.

Like he had resolved to pour out all the strength he had just for this moment.

Song Ji-won raised her voice and conveyed gratitude in her heart once again toward her ultimate bias who was adding scratches to his high notes until the very end.

‘Thank you so much for debuting, Si-hwan.’