“That’s Zeno Han?”
“I only ever read about him. I’ve never seen any of his dramas, but maybe I should.”
“That’s what he looks like in real life?”
The girls beside Minji couldn’t hide their disappointment. However, his visual somehow didn’t make them curse.
Minji, on the other hand, couldn’t close her mouth in shock.
“Z—Zeno,” she stammered. What was he doing here?
Ian and Risa, too, turned to each other with raised eyebrows. Then, a small smile appeared on Ian’s face. He didn’t expect to see his new friend in this show! Now, he wanted to pay attention even more.
Meanwhile, it took everything in Risa not to scream right then and there. This was the first time she had seen Zeno since she had made a Sigmoid account just dedicated to him, and her dopamine levels had gone through the roof.
Although the spotlight was shining down on the other contestants, the people couldn’t take their eyes away from Zeno. He really stood out among the rest.
Even the contestant next to him, Robo-Guru, glanced at him for a moment and felt her breath get caught in the back of her throat. Now, she regretted choosing the fifth slot. She’d look like a piece of gum next to him!
“Our last contestant for today—a man who’s not so special. Give a hand for ‘Just An Ordinary Guy!'” the voice-over introduced, and the audience clapped, still in a daze.
Philip stared at Zeno and shook his head. “Contestant Number 6 is such a handsome guy,” he started off. “Wouldn’t it be a cheat if he was also good at singing?”
Zeno froze. It had only started, but the tides were already working against his favor.
The other panelists began to agree.
“Yes, I see that,” one said.
“Usually, attractive people at that level aren’t great singers or dancers. It’s the universe’s way of balancing things out.”
Hyunwoo then turned to Ian. “Can you vouch for that?” he asked. “Do you know how to sing, Ian?”
Ian pursed his lips before shaking his head, earning hums from the panelists.
“So, we’re going to eliminate him right away?”
Philip placed his hand under his chin. No matter how much he tried to look at the other contestants, his gaze kept going back to Zeno. Maybe that was a sign to eliminate him in the first round!
Risa, sensing a crisis, knew she needed to do something.
“That logic is flawed,” she loudly said, capturing everybody’s attention. “If that was the case, then idols would cease to exist.”
“But a lot of idols these days can’t sing well,” Hyunwoo truthfully said. “A lot of them rely on the backtracks and their good looks to get to where they are. It’s not as cutthroat in the vocal department.”
He had uttered the harsh truth, but the audience couldn’t deny it. Since it was said by Hyunwoo, a highly respected music producer, it was well received. If it was said by anybody else, then it could have led to backlash.
However, they knew there was some truth to his words.
Risa, however, couldn’t let it go. She was unaware of Zeno’s talents aside from acting, but she didn’t want him to get eliminated so early in the game.
She was sure the production crew didn’t want that, too. Who else would light up the studio?
“But wouldn’t it be nice to see him lipsync in the second round?” she asked.
The other panelists began to tease her. “Maybe you just want to watch more of him.”
Risa chuckled, taking it lightly. “You caught me!”
The audience laughed along with her, most of them agreeing with her sentiment. Some of the men, however, wanted Zeno to get eliminated right away because their girlfriends’ gazes were rooted on him!
Philip was amused by Risa’s statement. “I see where Risa’s coming from,” he said. Somehow, as he looked more at Zeno, he could feel the melancholy from him—one that he couldn’t feel from the rest of the contestants.
“I do want to see more of him.”
“Because of that,” Philip started off, “I have made my decision. I will be eliminating ‘Robo-Guru.'”
The fifth contestant froze in her spot. They didn’t even talk about her all this time, and suddenly, she was getting eliminated?
“What is the reason for that?” Hyunwoo asked.
“I just felt it,” Philip smiled. “I can imagine her singing like an AI for some reason.”
“Are you locking in your answer?” Hyunwoo asked.
Philip nodded. “Let’s watch her solo stage!”
Hyunwoo smiled. “Alright, our star has made his decision. Robo-Guru, please stand centerstage.”
The moment a contestant was eliminated, they will have the ‘Truth Stage,’ which will reveal if they were talented or tone deaf.
It was the most nerve-wracking moment of the show, and usually the one that went viral.
Robo-Guru appeared centerstage, now dressed in a traditional Hanbok.
“Omo, is she a traditional singer?”
“I think he made a wrong choice!”
The music started, and the suspense was killing them. Philip wanted to stay with his decision, but the moment she placed the microphone over her lips, he felt he made the wrong one.
“Butterfly, butterfly, dance, and soar,
Ride the flower-scented breeze to the sky.”
And Philip made the wrong decision, indeed.
The crowd gasped in amazement and disappointment at the same time. Unlike Robo-Guru’s modern job, her voice sounded like it came from the olden times. It was soft like a lullaby.
After her stage, she waved goodbye and was brought backstage. And just like that, the first round was finished.
Zeno sighed in relief as soon as the first round was over. He was almost in jeopardy there. The 10,000,000 won just flashed right before his eyes!
However, the next round was also something he dreaded—the lipsync round.
“It’s time for the second round,” Hyunwoo started off. “This one is guaranteed to mess with your soul.”
The audience chuckled, sensing chaos ahead.
“This is the Lip Sync Showdown!” he announced. “Our contestants will take turns lipsyncing to the same song. First, they’ll channel their inner superstar by syncing to a talented singer’s voice.”
A soft “ooh” rippled through the crowd.
“But here’s the catch,” Hyunwoo smirked, pausing for effect. “Right after, they’ll have to lipsync to a singer who is, well… tone-deaf.”
The audience erupted into laughter.
“That’s right! They are switching between heavenly vocals and questionable choices. The star’s mission is to figure out which voice suits them more.”
Hyunwoo clapped his hands. “At the end of this round, two contestants will be eliminated. So if you think you can fake your way through this… good luck.”