“You actually made it to the very last round,” Eli said as he looked at the screen.
The tension had eased within their friend group, but Eli still didn’t treat Zeno the same.
He also hadn’t told them about his financial issues.
A few days after the first episode was filmed, it was quickly aired on a Saturday prime time slot.
The show already had quite a lot of hype due to its popularity over the years. However, seeing Zeno in the teaser also increased the public’s anticipation.
Currently, a lot of people were curious about him due to his acting ability and handsome looks.
“The camera still doesn’t do you justice,” Minji muttered to herself.
Meanwhile, Eli was focused on the screen, dreading what was to come.
It showed the emotional VCR about Philip Hwang’s life, causing Eli to freeze.
“Crap,” he muttered. “They’re going the emotional route when the final contestant sounds like a dying dinosaur?”
Minji and Doha glanced at each other with pursed lips. Meanwhile, Zeno kept silent, his eyes trained on his lap.
Meanwhile, those online began to share their sentiments.
– Philip Hwang deserves the fame so much.
– We made the right person famous! Even his past fellow contestants are rooting for him.
– It’s going to be a disaster if Zeno turns out to be a bad singer. There are certain circumstances where the emotionality of something should be kept.
– Yes! Him being a bad singer would equate to laughing at a funeral. It may happen, but it shouldn’t.
Philip sang his lines, and it sounded effortless, as usual.
Meanwhile, Zeno wasn’t giving anything away.
Zeno sighed and remembered that very moment.
He placed the microphone over his lips and prepared to sing.
He knew he was a bad singer. He tried to sing once in the shower during his first week, and since then, he hasn’t tried at all.
– Here it comes!
– Let him be tone-deaf, please. My partner is falling in love with him, and I’m afraid I would, too.
– It’s most likely that he isn’t a good singer. The first episode usually has the toughest set of contestants. I believe all of the good singers have been eliminated already!
– I thought so, too… but I was there on that very day.
Zeno finally uttered the first words.
“Now the stage is mine, the mic is warm,
the echoes call my name.
For years, I stood in the shadows,
but tonight, I’m in the game.
No more watching, no more waiting—
this time, I’ll give my all.”
There was silence for a few seconds before the crowd erupted into cheers.
His voice, although it was not as professional-sounding as that of Philip and some of the other contestants, had an angelic quality that they gravitated towards.
Philip smiled so widely that the corner of his lips might rip. He was shocked, and most of the audience were, too.
– He can sing, too?
– This is truly a cheat. How can he have this voice with that kind of face?
– The world is so freaking unfair. I have the face of a monkfish and the voice of a cicada. The deities had given all the talents to this guy!
Doha and Minji were undoubtedly shocked out of their minds. Zeno, the man they knew their whole lives as a bad singer, could sing this well?
Ian, too, was focused on the performance, while Risa felt like she could die at that very moment out of happiness.
However, no matter how shocked the others were, the one most shocked was no other than Zeno.
Fortunately, it was Philip who sang the next line, allowing him some time to decipher what was going on.
“I wiped the tears from someone’s dream,
held the doors when they fell apart
But no one asked if I had one too,
if there was music in my heart”
Then, Zeno saw a glowing green text on his system, and it was then that he realized he made another grave mistake.
‘Angel Voice: Activated’
He bit his lip in frustration. This was the booster he had acquired when he cursed the Ascendants! It didn’t have a description, but he assumed it was only reserved for speaking.
However, no.
He was stuck with the voice of an angel, and he sang the next line just like it.
“I know I may not shine like them,
but I have something real
A life of silence, dreams unsaid,
and now they’re mine to feel”
Dahee and the rest of the staff were also flabbergasted. His agency had disclaimed that he wasn’t a talented singer, but they were absolutely lying.
Dahee would have been upset if it was under any other circumstance. But this one worked in her favor.
Finally, a smile lit up her face, and she swayed along with the audience as they sang together.
Dahee couldn’t help but fall for the rising actor’s charm. Who knew that he had such a healing voice?
Again, it wasn’t perfect, but it had something that made them want to continue listening forever.
“Now the stage is mine, the mic is warm,
and I’ll sing till morning comes
For all the nights I stood so far,
for all the songs left unsung
No more watching, no more waiting—
this time, I’ll give my all”
Philip and Zeno turned to each other, singing the last chorus together. Philip couldn’t be prouder of his choice, and he regretted even doubting himself for a second.
Zeno was truly talented.
‘Another talent, really?’ Zeno exclaimed.
He didn’t even do anything to cultivate it! The lyrics, too, spoke of the scenario he was currently facing.
The stage was his.
The outro was supposed to be sung by the two of them together once more. However, Philip wanted Zeno to take the limelight, so he stepped back and allowed the young actor to sing the last part on his own.
“And if this is the only night,
if this is my one last call…
Then let me sing, let me shine,
let me give it all”