translation by mourningmoor
As of now, 25 participants have passed the 1st round.
All 25 of them were focused on the large screen hanging on the wall of the waiting room.
The last participant had just started their performance.
“Whoa, isn’t that Graphstar’s song? .”
At one participant’s comment, everyone nodded.
“Oh my god. How did they even think of rearranging that song like that?”
It was a bossa nova-style rendition of at a mid-tempo. The original song, known as the epitome of EDM, had completely lost its original color.
Watching this, Taei let out a cold scoff.
‘He said he didn’t prepare, but that was a lie.’
The arrangement was indeed impressive. While it completely erased the original song’s color, it didn’t abandon it. The piano performance, which perfectly preserved the main melody, was quite charming.
But the judging criteria were strictly about vocal ability.
It seemed like Kang Ichan could play the piano, but this wasn’t the stage to show off such skills.
The fact that he was putting so much effort into the piano performance meant he wasn’t confident in his vocals.
That’s when it happened.
Ichan, who had brought his lips close to the mic placed on the piano, smiled coolly and began to sing.
Gasps erupted from the participants gathered in front of the screen.
A clear voice flowed out sweetly, growing richer with deep emotion. The voice was more compelling than anyone had expected. The way he effortlessly blended chest voice and falsetto while enjoying the bossa nova rhythm was so captivating that it made the listeners sway along.
As he captivated the audience and slowly built up to the climax, he exploded with vocal power at the end.
The judges’ mouths hung open at the clean, flawless voice. While it wasn’t overwhelmingly powerful, the sound stretched out straight, delighting the eardrums.
The precise pitch combined with heartfelt emotion created an incredibly sophisticated piece of music.
On the screen, judge Lee Nayoung was seen brushing her arm slightly.
Most of the participants watching the screen could easily guess why.
She had goosebumps.
Taei was no different.
‘Damn. What the hell is this guy?’
Taei, who was trying hard to ignore the goosebumps rising on his wrist, clenched his fists.
He had underestimated Kang Ichan, a 20-year-old second-year idol.
He hadn’t expected someone who could hit him this hard from behind.
That’s when it happened.
On the screen, all the judges were seen lighting up their stars.
He had lost. The 1st round was his defeat.
And the words he had so desperately wanted to hear came from Yoon Jooeon’s mouth.
―Kang Ichan? You have a talent for surprising people. You know it, right? That you’re an exceptional vocalist. I didn’t expect much because you’re an idol, but my heart is racing right now.
Yoon Jooeon, who had calmed his excitement, continued.
―I dare say you’re the most anticipated participant of this season. I look forward to your future performances.
Next, Lee Nayoung picked up the mic.
―Was Graphstar’s song always this good? The arrangement was amazing, and the performance was even more so. To hear such music in just the 1st round. <Survival, Music Genius> truly is an incredible program.
The other judges were the same.
They all competed to praise Kang Ichan, and the spotlight of the 1st round belonged to him.
* * *
When I, the 26th qualifier, returned to the waiting room, chaos erupted.
Participants who had been indifferent when we first met now rushed to greet me.
“Wow, are you really an idol? That was amazing. Nice to meet you.”
“Your singing gave me chills. The arrangement was fantastic too.”
Most of them greeted me like this and asked for handshakes.
It seemed they had searched for L.I.T while sitting in the waiting room.
“If the lead vocalist is this good, what’s the main vocalist like?”
Some even joked like this.
It was exaggerated, but it was a sign of friendliness.
This way, I built quite a good rapport with the other qualifiers. Except for one guy.
Having taken the title of “most anticipated participant of the season” that he so desperately wanted, I happily collected my qualification necklace.
Then, six additional qualifiers, including Sniper’s Seokwoo, were decided, bringing the total number of 2nd round participants to 32.
* * *
The 2nd round is said to test the participants’ arrangement skills.
A week is given for song selection and arrangement, and about two days had passed.
The first promotional video for TVH’s <Survival, Music Genius> Season 2 was released.
T.I.ONE’s fandom, One Tier, was in a festive mood.
Because Taei was prominently featured in the promotional video.
Sue Award winner. How is Taei so lovable? He went because we asked him to, right?
└Yeah, when Taei was asked on N Live which program he’d like to appear on, most of us said <Survival, Music Genius>.
└Haha. Taei being Taei. Fulfilling even this wish of One Tier.
As Taei mentioned in his pre-competition interview, the reason he joined <Survival, Music Genius> was because of his fandom, One Tier. At least, that’s what he said on the surface.
Did you see the ad? The judges were gaping and crying while watching our oppa. One of the judges said, ‘What are we supposed to do if an idol is this talented?’ That was about our oppa, right?
└Who else would it be?
└Hey, hey, but we still need to stay alert. The ad is edited, so no one knows if that comment was about Taei’s performance.
└What are you talking about? Who else could it be?
While One Tier was fawning over Taei, a Filament posted on the L.I.T Universe community.
Did you see the <Survival, Music Genius> Season 2 ad today? I’m pretty sure that’s Ichan. (Photo) (Photo) (Video)
Along with the short post, two photos and one video were uploaded. The photos and video were all screenshots from the promotional video.
One was a normal shot of the waiting room.
The other was a mosaic-blurred photo of someone entering the TVH M&E Center.
The key was the video.
The video capture showed participants standing in front of a large screen, their mouths hanging open as they listened to a song.
Comments started pouring in immediately.
└OMGㅠㅠㅠㅠ The back of the neck of the guy in the black T-shirt in the corner of the first photo. I’m pretty sure that’s our boy. The pierced ear and the pale neck. That’s definitely him.
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋ, now that you mention it, yeah? The black T-shirt he’s wearing, isn’t that the style Ichan often wears?
└OMG. Now that I think about it, the second photo seems right too. Even with the mosaic, the chic vibe is undeniable. And the proportions, what even?
└Even if I look at it upside down, it’s Ichan. Even if I stand on my head, it’s Ichan.
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Even if I look at it while doing a backflip, it’s our leader.
└ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠWatch the video. It’s definitely him.
Ichan. You never said you were going on this show. How could you do this to us? This is totally OMG.
The song the participants are listening to with their mouths open in the video, isn’t that Graphstar’s ?
└Yeah. It sounds like it. But the vibe is totally different.
└The voice is 100% Ichan, right? There’s no way I wouldn’t recognize my bias’s voice.
└It’s definitely Leader Kang. If I’m wrong, I’ll leave the fandom.
Convinced that Ichan was a participant on <Survival, Music Genius>, the Filaments eagerly awaited the first broadcast.
And around the same time, the promotional video for <King of the Jungle> was released.
* * *
For the 2nd round arrangement mission, I asked none other than my own members for help.
On the day the <Survival, Music Genius> promo was released, we gathered in the practice room and put our heads together.
First, the most important thing was song selection.
I played five songs I had roughly picked and asked for their opinions.
“I think <Stormy Night> by Lim Cheol sunbaenim, as Siu said, would be good. It connects well with <In My Dreams>, so it’s easier to figure out the arrangement direction.”
Hanjoon supported Siu, who had chosen <Stormy Night> first. But the maknae shook his head.
“It’s too much of an image waste. It won’t work.”
Jaewon’s point was valid. We had previously remade Lim Cheol’s <In My Dreams>. The response was great, and it became widely known.
Especially the performance, which was packed with storytelling, created such a huge impact that while some might not have seen it, no one who saw it just once could forget it.
“If we mess up even a little, we could get stuck with the ‘dream demon’ image. And if we keep showing the same thing, what about fan fatigue? How boring would that be?”
At this, the other members quickly nodded.
Then, Roa raised his hand.
“I think <To You> by Jo Sehui sunbaenim would be good.”
Jo Sehui, known as the queen of OSTs, was a unique presence in ballad music. Especially <To You>, with its calm melody and poetic lyrics, was an incredibly beautiful song.
“You’ve tried bossa nova, so how about something idol-like, like EDM?”
“EDM?”
“Yeah. Add some dance elements, transform some parts into rap sections.”
It was a good idea.
The other members seemed to like it too, nodding quickly.
“Ichan hyung. No matter what, you have to crush T.I.ONE’s Taei.”
At the maknae’s words, even the gentle Siu clenched his teeth and fists.
It seemed Go Dajin had heard what Taei said to me during the 1st round. Go Dajin had told the maknae, who then shared it with the members.
“Let’s see what they’ll say when a ‘cheap idol from a cheap company’ beats a ‘premium idol from a premium company.’”
The maknae extended his hand, palm up.
“I’ll help with vocal practice or whatever. This isn’t a fight you’re doing alone.”
“I’ll help with choreography practice, hyungnim.”
Roa placed his hand on the maknae’s. Then Hanjoon stepped up.
“I’ll help with transforming the rap parts in the lyrics.”
Finally, Siu placed his hand on top and said.
“I’ll handle snacks and cleaning. You just focus on crushing Taei.”
Looking at each of the members’ faces, I smiled faintly and placed my hand on top of Siu’s.
Then Jaewon, puffing up his nostrils, shouted.
“Alright. Let’s march toward victory. L.I.T, L.I.T, fighting!”