[TS] Starting the Broadcast - Chapter 114
A Small ResolutionWe arrived at MBS broadcasting station in Sangam.
A similar process to before was repeated.
I get a visitor badge at the desk and go inside to find the King of Masked Singer team.
They say the chance of running into other participants is almost zero since they set different time appointments for each, but it doesn't hurt to be careful.
I went into an empty office to change clothes as soon as I received the mask.
"Hmm......"
It had a somewhat ambiguous appearance that was hard to evaluate.
Like a mix between a clown and the Joker?
It was closer to bizarre than cool, so I let out a small sigh.
But well, this is just a sample and they said they'll modify it reflecting the participant's intentions.
I'll definitely get it modified!
Ending my evaluation there, I first changed into the clothes brought from the shop.
They said I only need to wear the mask to hide my identity from other participants for today's practice, but I added the outfit to capture the feeling since I'm practicing anyway.
Then I hide my hair and makeup that took over an hour to set inside the mask.
Especially for the hair, I rolled it up and even fixed it with a hair net.
The cruel reality where not even 1% of the effort put into styling remains.
'It's not as hard to breathe as I thought.'
Maybe because several years have passed in King of Masked Singer's history and masks have been improved a lot during that time, it was quite advanced in terms of breathing and securing vision.
At this level, there shouldn't be big problems in creating the stage I have in mind.
Knock knock-!
"They're looking for you outside."
"Okay, I'm coming out."
Time passed while testing various things with the mask on.
When I open the door and go out, the assistant writer checks my appearance and quietly gives a thumbs up.
I hope it doesn't mean this bizarrely shaped mask suits me well?
"You can use that room as your waiting room from now on."
The place where I just changed clothes became the waiting room I'll use until the main broadcast day.
The assistant writer also advised a few points to be cautious about.
The media was in an uproar recently due to the ranking manipulation incident of a famous audition program.
There were manipulation rumors whenever famous singers were eliminated unexplainably early on King of Masked Singer too.
Or when incomprehensible results came out.
Of course, they had to be wary about manipulation.
"The contents I just mentioned summarize the contract you'll write now. Here, read it slowly once."
I checked the contract contents together with Producer Bae Il-man.
I signed it smoothly since there didn't seem to be any problematic parts.
"Now let's go to the practice room. When you get there, you'll probably have to practice alone for about 30-40 minutes. We set your partner's time like that so you don't run into each other on the way."
"Okay."
We arrived at the practice room.
The soundproofing that looked several times more luxurious than my broadcasting room caught my eye first.
And the instruments waiting inside.
In front of them, accompanists were waiting to play the instruments.
"Hello. I'm Mysterious Magician H."
Bow-!
I greeted the accompanists and sat in my seat.
Usually managers stay in the waiting room since they can infer identities, but I don't have anything like that, so Producer Bae Il-man comfortably took a seat to the side.
"Ah, ah, ah!"
I loosened up my voice simply.
I can feel the curiosity filling the gazes around.
They must be curious about who I am and my singing ability.
But it won't be easy to resolve that curiosity.
"Prrrrr... Ahem, I'm ready now so please begin."
The BGM starts with a bright and bouncy feeling.
It was the beginning of IU's "Nagging", which became a huge hit as soon as it was released.
"Hmm hmm, hmm hmm hmm."
I skip IU's part simply with humming.
The part I'm in charge of in this song is Lim Seul-ong's part.
Although it's a featuring, a characteristic of this song is that the part amount is no less than IU's.
"... Believe in my heart like this."
When I finish singing, I feel the accompanists' expressions have changed quite a bit from the beginning.
Of course they can't help but be surprised.
I, who revealed my gender with a woman's voice during the first greeting, just sang with an androgynous voice that made it hard to distinguish between male and female.
"Please once more."
The surprise was brief.
They are professionals working for money.
They quickly regain composure and start the accompaniment.
I was able to practice three times in total before my partner arrived.
"Drink some water and do it."
"Okay."
Since it's about time for my partner to come, we decided to take a break.
I returned to the waiting room to drink water and rested for about 10 minutes.
I thought the mask's performance had improved quite a bit compared to the early days, but it still couldn't compare to a bare face.
It feels healing just breathing quietly.
But I can't stay like this forever.
When I returned to the practice room wearing the mask, an unknown person had come in during that time.
A mask with a beautiful blonde woman drawn on it.
It was my partner, Beautiful Assistant Alice.
"Hello. I'm Mysterious Magician H."
"Yes, hello. I'm Alice."
While answering, Alice tilts her head.
And everyone in the practice room was puzzled.
An androgynous voice that made it hard to guess the gender.
Moreover, I'm 168cm tall and wearing dress shoes with slightly high heels now.
From Alice's perspective, my gender would be confusing, and for the accompanists, my action of suddenly changing my voice would be questionable.
I quickly turn my body away from Alice to hide my chest's carrying power.
And I said while making eye contact with the accompanists:
"It's a secret."
"......"
Alice looks back and forth between me and the accompanists in confusion, while Producer Bae Il-man laughs silently, finding something so funny.
Soon after, the full-scale round 1 duet stage practice began.
"You got lucky with the match-up."
"I guess so."
On the way home.
I and Producer Bae Il-man were thinking the same thing.
"Beautiful Assistant Alice", my opponent for round 1, had good vocalization but her skills weren't at a singer's level.
The level where people say "You sing pretty well" among ordinary people?
Just about that.
Her identity is probably an actor.
There aren't many jobs that require such precise pronunciation and vocalization that hits the ear accurately.
"More than that, you did it on purpose, right? Hiding your voice."
"I'm trying to make the stage as perfect as possible."
What makes a magician shine is a trick no one notices, and to increase its completeness, material that can divert attention is needed.
And Alice, who will be on the same stage, was the best material.
"She should be more surprised knowing nothing, and the reaction of the competitor standing right next to you would be very interesting from the viewers' perspective."
"I thought you only had talent in singing, but you're really versatile. Do you calculate instinctively? You're excellent in planning too."
Oh no! A mistake.
I lit this obsessive man's fire again.
Forgetting he's driving, he turns his head and sends a fiercely burning gaze.
You crazy guy, look! Look ahead!
[Is this what they call a narrow escape?]
"... Yeah."
It's not a lie, I really almost died.
To lose focus on a fast-moving road, I'll never ride in that man's car again.
[Don't you have to ride it two days later and four days later anyway?]
"... That's really the last time."
I grab my shaking legs and barely climb the stairs.
I'm tired, mentally and physically.
"Ugh, I need to wash up."
It's bothersome to move.
After rolling around in bed for a while, I turned on the broadcast because it felt weird to just stay still.
A feast of countless hooks pouring in.
-???????????
-Noona why are you coming now! Mom was very sick! Don't go again now. Stay together forever.
-Teacher what concept is that? Or are you perhaps suffering from the mental illness of thinking you're in a family relationship with the host?
-For real let's make announcements! Waiting for broadcasts all day is too hard.
"Hi everyone~ Today was a tough day too."
-What on earth were you doing that was tough ㅋㅋㅋ I'm going crazy with curiosity.
-No, the Survival Game bait is correct. She definitely made a cameo appearance.
-I saw the gallery yesterday and someone wrote a detective novel analyzing what Hani said and the situation ㅋㅋㅋ
-For real, the brain speculation is amazing. If you just believe the writer, Hani entered as Hyena's substitute and won ㅋㅋㅋ
"... What on earth is going on?"
I've gotten quite out of touch with the latest information since I haven't visited the gallery lately because I've been too busy and tired.
-No no, no need to pay attention. It's just nonsense written to sound plausible.
-More importantly, you'll keep tomorrow's promise, right?
-For real, if you don't keep that there'll be a riot right away. We won't forgive you even if you add a penalty broadcast.
"Don't worry. I'll turn on the broadcast as promised tomorrow."
If you just pull too much, it collapses.
Moderation is important in everything.
I've been practicing repeatedly to the point of overdoing it, so I've announced I'll broadcast for about 3 hours tomorrow.
That should be just right to finish practice and refresh my mood.
-I'm really looking forward to watching Survival Game with Hani.
-I'm going to decorate my room like a movie theater tomorrow. And watch Hani's broadcast on a big screen. Then it'll feel like I'm on a date with Hani in a movie theater.
-Teacher please let's live in the real world.
-How many days has it been since a regular broadcast? I'm dying from Hani withdrawal symptoms!
-The mobile broadcast atmosphere is really dizzying for real.
"Yaaawn~"
While watching the viewers' chat, my body that can't overcome fatigue sends a signal to sleep.
I should go to bed now if I'm going to move early tomorrow to practice.
"I'm tired so I'll go to sleep now. They said Survival Game will be uploaded around 7 PM, so I'll turn on the broadcast around 6 PM. See you all then!"
-Don't go! Noona I was wrong. We were good together. My love come back!
-It seems the proportion of people going weird is increasing as the host doesn't do regular broadcasts ㅋㅋㅋ
-For real, it's extremely disgusting.
-I'll sleep looking forward to Survival Game tomorrow.
-Haba! Hani, it means bye.
I ended the broadcast, washed up simply, and lay down again.
Various thoughts flash through my mind.
From Alice, my round 1 opponent, to the image of "Clown Who Came Back Without Dying" currently sitting in the king's seat.
'I wonder how far I can go?'
The current king wasn't such a formidable opponent, to the point where there were stories that they took the seat by luck.
But even rotten fish is better than no fish, so purely in terms of singing ability, they were clearly superior to me.
What I'm aiming for is not singing technique or overwhelming vocal ability, but songs that are versatile, surprising to everyone, and enjoyable to listen to.
'Still, I have to do my best.'
It was such an incredible opportunity that I doubted if it would come again in my life.
I close my eyes quietly, resolving to achieve good results no matter what.