“For this round, Speedo Sensei and Lace King stood out to me,” Hyunwoo commented. “It seemed that the two of them are good singers.”
“I only agree with Speedo Sensei,” Philip said. “Lace King didn’t sing as passionately for the tone-deaf voice, and that was why it looked off for him.”
Minji pursed her lips to suppress a chuckle. Doha was doing way too good at this. He was fooling everyone with his lip syncing.
Risa, whose eyes were still stuck on Zeno, couldn’t decide whether he was truly talented or not. In fact, he had done so well in both parts that he suited both of them!
“Zeno’s really talented, isn’t he?” Ian whispered to Risa.
“Coming from you?” Risa asked. Still, she agreed. However, she knew that Ian was also a man of plenty of talents.
Despite only being in his mid-20s, he had already established himself in the industry.
“He’s more talented than I am,” Ian admitted, surprising Risa. “He even made a tone-deaf singer look handsome.”
Risa chuckled and shook her head.
Meanwhile, Zeno looked around the studio. There was still a lot of audience members looking at him. He even saw a couple already fighting because the girl was staring at Zeno too much.
Zeno could feel the boyfriend’s hateful gaze, probably wanting for him to get eliminated right away.
However, Zeno couldn’t do that. He needed the money so he could pay for Eli’s tuition and make up to him!
Fortunately, it seemed he wasn’t their topic for this round.
Philip, once again, felt that Zeno’s character was someone he needed to keep until the end.
Why?
Because, somehow, Philip felt that Zeno and him were alike.
The two of them longed for stardom!
It also seemed that Philip’s instincts weren’t very good.
“The two tone-deaf singers are,” Philip started off. The spotlights dimmed, and the audience waited for his decision with bated breaths.
“Lace King and Bougie Diver!” he exclaimed.
Zeno sighed in relief when his code name wasn’t called. Doha, too, felt overjoyed. With that, Lace King and Bougie Diver got ready for their performances.
Meanwhile, the remaining contestants were called backstage while the two of them performed.
As soon as they arrived, the staff couldn’t help but look at Zeno once again. They still couldn’t believe he was the same person they saw in the trending dramas of the month.
The camera truly didn’t give him justice. He looked a hundred times better in real life!
At that moment, Double Life took the time to get to know him.
“Just an ordinary guy, huh?” she started off, pertaining to his code name.
Zeno nodded.
Doha chuckled, joining in on their conversation. “Zeno is just a really humble person. He doesn’t like flaunting about his talents, but he really has so many.”
Zeno shook his head this time. Doha seemed to have an angel tongue. Most of the time, his statements were proven true.
Zeno already had two talents, and he was contented with it.
“I see,” Double Life muttered. “I just want to tell you this—”
“I am getting that prize money,” she smirked. “I will buy a new car so I can flaunt it in my school and bar. The two of you better not get in my way,” she snapped before leaving the two of them behind.
Doha’s brows furrowed. “Is she stupid? It’s not like we’re the ones picking who will stay.”
“Ignore her,” Zeno said. “It’s normal to encounter humans of such breed in shows like this. All of us need the money. I’m assuming that’s why you joined this show too.”
Doha’s neck became red, and he rubbed the back of it. “You could say that,” he muttered.
Their conversation came to a halt when Lace King began singing. Like Robo-Guru, he was also a talented singer.
The audience held its breath as his deep, resounding voice echoed in the studio.
“That’s two times in a row,” Minji muttered, glancing at Philip Hwang, who still appeared confident despite making two wrong choices.
However, as soon as Bougie Diver was also revealed as a talented singer, his bravado cracked, and he pursed his lips in nervousness.
Bougie Diver sang an RnB song this time, similar to that during the lip sync showdown. As his stage finished, the panelists began discussing what went down.
“This is bad,” Hyunwoo chuckled. “We already eliminated three talented singers,” he said.
Ian nodded. “Are there any talented singers left in the bunch?” he asked.
Hyunwoo shrugged. “That is something we do not know about. Only the staff know the number of good and bad singers in the bunch. There might be three, four, or five!”
“Let’s hope it’s the latter, then,” Risa said. However, she didn’t really mind who will win. In the end, all she wanted was to witness Zeno for a longer time.
However, the staff members were already panicking.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Dahee muttered, looking down at her script and staring at the names of the remaining contestants.
Beside their names were the truth about their singing ability.
She lifted her head before pursing her lips. “The surprise is going to be ruined,” she cryptically muttered.
The contestants made their way back to the stage, and it was now time to introduce the mechanics of the last round before the final decision.
“This round is called Act and Reveal,” Hyunwoo started off.
Zeno and the rest of the contestants were perplexed. This wasn’t part of their orientation. They were only supposed to introduce themselves into the microphone with their real voices and call it a day.
However, why was the word ‘act’ within its title?
“We are nearing the end, and from this moment on, there’s nowhere left to hide. We will finally hear your real voices.”
Philip and the audience listened intently, familiarizing themselves with another new segment of the show.
“But you won’t be singing,” Hyunwoo continued. “Instead, you’ll be acting. Each of you will receive an impromptu scene, and you must perform it on the spot. It will be flashed on the LED screen before you,” he said, gesturing to the one next to Dahee.
“Now you may ask—why acting? Well, it is because singing isn’t just about hitting the right notes—it’s about storytelling, emotion, and control. A great singer knows how to express feelings not just through their voice but through their entire presence. This round will test that ability.”
He paused for a while before continuing.
“For the first time, the audience and the judges will hear your actual voices, even if you’re not singing. Whether you’ve been lip syncing or truly singing all along, this is your moment to prove yourself. Two of you will be eliminated based on your performance, so give it everything you’ve got.”
Hyunwoo glanced at the cue cards in his hand, then back at the contestants. “Let’s begin.”