Chapter 88 Chapter 88
"Good evening, everyone!" The KPOP STAR elimination rounds officially began. A giant LED screen hung high in the center of the main stage, looping the show's visual theme. The lights were on.
The audience seats were dotted with blue and white glow sticks, creating a rippled sea that swayed slightly to the rhythm of the opening music. Fans held up cheering lights and banners with the contestants' names printed on them, creating a warm and exciting atmosphere. The host, Yoon Do-hyun, held a card.
With a smile on his face, he said to the camera: "Welcome to watch "KPOP STAR", I am the host Yoon Do-heon. Tonight, we will witness the head-to-head showdown of the top 10 contestants——"
"Applause, welcome the ten glorious protagonists!"
Ten contestants' names flashed on the LED screen: Baek Ya-yeon, Lee Hi, Kim Woo-chan... The spotlights dimmed one by one, and they lined up in a row in the center of the stage, their appearance under the spotlight of the crowd. The audience erupted in enthusiastic cheers.
This episode will be broadcast live. The final scores of the contestants will be determined by 60% of the judges' scores, 30% of the live voting, and 10% of the pre-online voting.
Every viewer in front of the TV also had the power to decide. In the backstage control area, Lia stood in front of the monitor, her expression tense. The real-time comments on the computer in front of her were rapidly refreshing: "Bai Yayan, go for it!!!" "This is K-
Pop's Hope...it's truly a legendary show kk" "Am I the only one who hasn't decided who to vote for? I can't even choose one!" "Ahhh, I don't care. Please don't eliminate anyone. Let everyone debut, bye~~~"
"Kim Woo-chan, Saranghae~" ... The two contestants she paid the most attention to were drawn to be ranked last: Lee Hi was ranked ninth, and Kim Woo-chan was the last.
Honestly, she wasn't worried about Lee Hi's performance at all. The talent of the contestant was hard to hide, and the judges and audience were highly unanimous in their choices for her performance—not only had she been voted first in the pre-vote, but she also had a high favorability rating among the judges.
In this competition, she chose to sing "Infatuation" by Kim Gun-mo. There is a saying that,
The more experienced a person is, the more fully they can express the emotions of the song when singing. However, this assumption may not be true for talented contestants. With a high level of understanding, empathy, and talent combined, Lee Hi may not have truly experienced the emotions depicted in "Obsession," but as soon as she opened her mouth, the real-time comment section exploded:
"Wow~ Lee Hi killed the competition as soon as she opened her mouth." "I can't believe this is the voice of a 16-year-old..." "I'm heartbroken." "This is a voice given by God. I'm already looking forward to her future."
"The high notes aren't very good," SM producer Lee Sung-jae peeked in and commented. Lia nodded. Lee Hi excelled in the mid-low register, but her high notes were still a bit weak. This had been evident in her past practice.
As expected, the judges unanimously pointed out this issue in their comments. But it doesn't detract from the overall picture—she's immensely talented, and her flaws outweigh her strengths. Given time, she might become one of South Korea's top female singers.
Kim Woo-chan was the last to perform. He had suddenly changed his music director before the competition. Lia had only watched the rehearsal once. She had thought it was fine, but now, a strange unease welled up inside her.
Jin Yucan had dyed his hair blonde for today's competition, and the moment he stepped under the spotlight, he already had a certain artist's aura. He walked to the front of the stage, adjusted the microphone, and briefly introduced himself: "Today I'm performing my own composition, 'Lover.'"
The lights dimmed, and the room fell silent. A piano prelude slowly began to flow. Barely three seconds into the performance, Lia abruptly stood up, her gaze fixed on the person on the security screen, her expression suddenly changing. That was... her piece.
You could tell he had made some adjustments, but she was too familiar with her own work, even if it was just a demo she recorded casually.
"What's wrong?" Lee Sung-jae noticed something was wrong with her and looked up. For some reason, Kim Woo-chan had come to him for help before the game, so he paid a little more attention.
"...Nothing," Lia said, trying to remain calm. "During the rehearsal, it seemed like this wasn't the song?"
"Oh, that," Li Chengzai said with a relaxed look, "He said last night that he wanted to change it. I thought he was crazy at first, but when I heard the song, it was really good, much better than the original one. So I agreed." "... Like this."
Lia fell silent, slowly sitting down. When did this happen? The original demo was just a melody, something she'd recorded on a keyboard and had kept stored on her computer—a computer.
She immediately recalled the countless times she'd sat with him, reviewing, rehearsing, and checking the stage together, all while clutching a computer... countless times sharing equipment. He'd had so many opportunities. She couldn't quite place her emotions at the moment.
Anger, shock, disappointment... and perhaps even some unacknowledged sadness. It was difficult for her to change her feelings all at once. She was clearly the favored child, but she made such an obviously foolish choice, ruining what could have been a more sustainable path.
...On stage, the performance ended. Kim Woo-chan took a deep breath and bowed deeply to the audience. "Wow, our Woo-chan, hiss—" Park Jin-young raised the microphone, drawing out the words to fully express her surprise.
"I seemed to have misunderstood your songwriting ability before, but today's song has completely changed my mind." "The melody is beautiful. Although the arrangement is a bit monotonous, it does not affect the beauty of the song." "I look forward to your next performance."
As soon as the words fell, the audience cheered enthusiastically, responding to the comment. But Jin Yucan's expression wasn't very good. Like a machine with a faulty regulation, his face simultaneously displayed a mixture of laughter and tears.
"Thank you." He bowed to Park Jinyoung.
Yang Hyun-seok continued, "I agree with Park Jin-young's assessment. I was very surprised by the level of creation you showed today... If you can keep up this level, I think, well, maybe you'll be the second G-
Dragon's level?" "Wow—that's a comment." Park Jin-young was also slightly surprised by Yang Hyun-seok's evaluation. The atmosphere in the judging room was heated, and the online comments were even more boiling:
"Totally awesome!!! Is Kim Woo Chan that amazing?" "He's simply amazing. He actually wrote it himself!" "Completely forgotten. He could have debuted directly. Why is he still participating in the elimination rounds?"
"Yuchan ahhhh!! You really took off today!!!" "Blonde hair is so handsome, who knows!" "This is the true strength of an idol who composes his own songs... It really exceeded my expectations" "No way, I'm going to become a fan too kk" *
Meanwhile, Kwon Ji-yong had just finished filming his solo comeback material and was dragging his exhausted body back to his dressing room. He had barely slept in recent days, and although the public reaction to his comeback announcement was better than expected, the combined physical and mental pressure still kept him on edge.
Makeup artist Taehyun was watching a live broadcast on her phone. When she saw him walk in, she considerately turned down the volume. A familiar melody came from the phone. Quan Zhilong glanced at her sideways, perked up and asked, "What are you watching, Noona?" "KPOP
STAR" live broadcast, now it's the last contestant's performance. Do you want to listen? "She said, smiling and turning up the volume, "Yucan dyed his hair, no mu ye buda~"
Kim Woo-chan's voice slowly emerged from the speakers, the melody growing increasingly familiar. As the chorus began, Kwon Ji-yong's face darkened. This was... the part Lia had played for him in the studio before the accident last year. Was she singing it for him?
"...It's pretty good." He said coldly. "Yeah, they said it was a self-composed song. I wish this kid could join YG." Not hearing the hidden meaning in his words, Taehyun sighed with a smile. "Self-composed song?"
He raised an eyebrow, as if suddenly intrigued, and walked over to Taehyun, sitting down next to him and leaning in to check his phone. Kim Woochan's performance quickly ended, and the judges' praise poured in like a tide. He was like a small boat, swept away by the turbulent current.
Quan Zhilong watched silently for a moment, then leaned back on the sofa, not avoiding Taehyun, and lowered his head to dial the phone. "Brother, it's me." He lowered his eyes, his other hand hanging at his side, unconsciously curled up.
"Please keep the footage you said you wanted to delete." "..." "Okay, thank you, brother." The call ended quickly, and Taehyun looked at Quan Zhilong with some confusion: "Did something happen?" "No."
He shook his head, exhaled softly, and placed his phone face down on the table. "...I'm just a little, angry."
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