[TS] Starting the Broadcast - Chapter 122

"Um... Hello?"

This was the first cautious phrase uttered by Alice, who had been pondering what to say.

"Who is it?"

"I've heard that voice somewhere..."

As Alice shrinks from the murmurs of people trying to reveal her identity, I gently pat her back to indicate there's nothing to worry about.

"Hey, Alice."

"Yes."

"Is Magician H a man or a woman?"

"Um..."

At Kang Gura's question, she glances back, checking if it's okay to speak.

I nodded, meaning she could say whatever she wanted.

"I think it's a man."

"See! How can someone called an expert have such poor judgment?"

"Ugh..."

Kang Gura looks triumphant while Yoo Jung-hyuk's face is clearly disgruntled.

Behind them, Shim Bong-sun's face appears, deeply pondering something.

Then suddenly...

"I got it! I know!"

"Oh my, you startled me. My eardrums might burst. Speak more softly!"

"No, senior. That's not important now, I've figured out Alice's identity!"

At Shim Bong-sun's confident voice, everyone's gaze focuses on him, celebrities and civilians alike.

Honestly, I was curious too.

Could Shim Bong-sun really guess the correct answer?

"Ko Yeon-woo! It's actress Ko Yeon-woo. You know, the one from 'To Live for Tomorrow'. The voice is exactly the same."

"That's right! It's Ko Yeon-woo!"

As if Kang Gura's unique intuition had activated, he immediately agrees with Shim Bong-sun's opinion and jumps up from his seat.

"It's Ko Yeon-woo, right? I met you once at a meat restaurant in Gimpo. I remember you came for a wrap party after filming a movie."

"This hyung really gets into everything."

"......"

I, standing right behind her, could tell first that Alice, or rather actress Ko Yeon-woo, was flustered.

"Don't be nervous and keep talking."

"...!"

Surprised by my soft whisper brushing her ear, Alice soon regained her composure, nodded, and answered Kang Gura.

"Ah, no, that's not right."

"What do you mean it's not? Should an actor act so awkwardly?"

"I'm a fan of Ko Yeon-woo. Could I get an autograph later?"

"I'd like an autograph too, please."

The atmosphere among the judges had already solidified that Alice was actress Ko Yeon-woo.

Of course, she actually was Ko Yeon-woo.

Anyway, I tapped Alice's shoulder a couple times to signal that it was enough.

Understanding perfectly, she closed her mouth.

I took the microphone Alice had been holding.

"From now on, I'll speak."

"Come on, what is this? Let's stop disguising our voices and be upfront."

Kang Gura grumbles at me as I imitate young Conan's voice.

I cast the magic I had prepared for him.

"Kang Gura, you're noisy."

"...?"

"Huh?"

People's eyes grew round.

Starting with Kang Gura himself, then Ko Yeon-woo and Han Sung-joo right in front and to the side, and everyone else on the set...

"Wait, did I hear that wrong?"

"Kang Gura, you... are so ugly!"

"...!"

"Puhahaha!"

Kang Gura's face turned red and blue at the scathing criticism delivered in Ko Yeon-woo's voice, while Shim Bong-sun burst into laughter.

"What's this? Are you playing tricks by hiding a small microphone or something? What kind of magic is this!"

Ko Yeon-woo pleaded innocence to the demanding Kang Gura.

But since there was nothing, it couldn't be heard.

Han Sung-joo quickly approached and held the microphone to Ko Yeon-woo's mouth.

"No, I didn't say anything."

"Then is this pre-recorded audio being played now?"

Led by Kang Gura, people were bewildered about what was happening.

At that moment, along with turning off my voice modulation, the strategy I had secretly requested through the MC was executed.

A famous drama plays on the screen behind.

It was the iconic scene from 'To Live for Tomorrow', which could be called Ko Yeon-woo's representative work.

Only the video was playing, without sound.

It's the very scene where Ko Yeon-woo's catchphrase was born.

Everyone's gaze turned to the suddenly playing video.

You must be curious.

Why suddenly play Ko Yeon-woo's work?

To resolve their curiosity, I step to the front, passing by Ko Yeon-woo.

On the screen, Ko Yeon-woo and her co-star were acting passionately.

Ko Yeon-woo, crying out with a bitter expression as her last-ditch effort fails to work.

Biting her lip until it bleeds, she says:

"I'll... destroy everything. I won't let this go!"

"...!"

"Huh? For real?"

"Insane!"

It was the shocking reality of the magic.

---

"The result is 78 to 21! Mysterious Magician H wins. Congratulations. Please move quickly to the waiting room."

"Wait! Don't go, let's talk!"

"That's right. This is the production team's outrage. We demand disclosure of Magician H's information!"

It was complete chaos.

Thanks to the MC quickly wrapping things up with the result announcement, it was only this bad. Otherwise, I might have been surrounded by the celebrity judges, led by Kang Gura, coming at me like zombies.

As I headed towards the passage, the MC was asking actress Ko Yeon-woo about her current feelings from behind.

After laughing dejectedly for a moment, she said:

That she was dumbfounded.

And that she felt bewitched.

"Since I'm eliminated, could I perhaps visit Magician H's waiting room before going home? I'm going crazy with curiosity."

"Not allowed."

With the MC's firm answer, I passed through the corridor and arrived at the waiting area behind the stage.

I saw Ski Jump, who was slouched in a chair, buried in it with his whole body, as the waiting time had been longer than expected.

After exchanging brief greetings, I passed by and arrived at the waiting room.

"Why so late? I thought you might have run away embarrassed after being eliminated."

"Why? Didn't it show on TV?"

"I don't know, it showed up to the jive dance together, but after that it was a black screen, maybe because the time went over. Makes people curious."

"Watch it on the broadcast. They filmed it well."

"I'm not that free. I'm one of only three producers at JYC Entertainment."

"So you're not going to watch?"

"I'll watch it live."

"Anyway..."

After exchanging jokes, I feel refreshed.

Though not quite tension, there had been a somewhat stiff feeling, but now it seems to be loosening up.

I lay down on the sofa after taking off my mask and placing it on the table, even undoing the chest compression device.

"Phew..."

It was heaven when the stuffiness of the mask disappeared.

I hadn't realized it, but my nape felt sticky, seeming I had sweated a lot.

"Tsk, how can you be so careless."

Producer Bae Il-man, who had been on guard from the moment I took off my mask, locked the door.

Then, seeing my condition, he clicked his tongue a few times and took out wet wipes.

"The assistant writer gave these earlier. They said it's essential since it's hard to just go wash up when you're in a position of hiding your identity, even if you sweat. They left towels too."

Looking where his finger pointed, I saw neatly folded towels in the corner.

Are they being considerate in their own way?

Whatever.

As I wiped around my face with the wet wipes, I recalled the round 1 stage.

Regret and satisfaction intersected.

The regret was for the emotion of the song that still felt immature, and the satisfaction was for eliciting an explosive reaction despite that.

'I wonder how far I can go?'

My opponent in round 2 will be decided by the battle between Kim Yeon-ah and Ski Jump.

My prediction favors Kim Yeon-ah, who chose her mask in advance, but if she's not a singer but has another profession, we can't rule out the possibility of Ski Jump advancing.

"They say it's mealtime after round 2 ends. What do you want to eat? Like last time?"

I'm easygoing too, but that guy seems like a real idler.

Well, his original intention was to show me a taste of the entertainment industry, not to win King of Masked Singer or anything.

I can fully understand that leisure.

"I'll have the same menu."

"You rascal. You must have liked it."

Nod-!

The harmony of well-fermented kkakdugi and soup rice is nothing short of an irresistible cheat key.

Even if they tease me for being a soup rice addict, I'll devour another bowl of soup rice today.

As we were chatting like that, the winner of the last pair was decided.

The protagonist was Kim Yeon-ah, as expected.

Moreover, she clearly showed a singer's skills.

"Can you do it?"

"... I'll have to try."

Honestly, I'm not confident about going up against a proper singer.

If I've delved into a wide range of areas related to voice, a proper singer is a creature that digs deep and deeper into their narrow area.

In that depth, there's no comparison with me.

But that doesn't mean there's no chance of winning.

'Not all listeners will appreciate that true value... They're not experts enough to know that depth.'

It's the same just looking at books.

Not everyone wants difficult, profound books that convey meaningful lessons or knowledge.

There are many people who want books they can laugh at and enjoy lightly.

Knock knock!

"It's time to come out."

The security guard's voice comes with a knock.

It feels like I barely rested.

Producer Bae Il-man's snickering laughter from behind is quite annoying.

I put on my mask again, adjusted my clothes, and left the waiting room.

I head towards the waiting area behind the stage, passing through the corridor that's become quieter with the eliminated contestants gone.

"Please wait here."

They say Igloo's round 2 stage is in progress.

When that ends, Elsa's stage will follow, and the winner between the two will be decided.

"Phew..."

Tasting fragments of the song coming from across the passage, I recall the round 2 stage I prepared.

What I showed in round 1 was a soft tone and basics... and a surprise ad-lib at the end.

It was done under the calculation that that much would be enough against actress Ko Yeon-woo.

And it actually turned out that way.

Then in round 2, I need to show the opposite.

That way, people will be more shocked by the contrast effect when they see my stage.

"......"

A time of quiet waiting.

I silently sharpened the knife for victory in my heart.