Honestly, Seo Yeon barely entertained the thought of actually winning on
It wasn't a matter of motivation.
It was a matter of skill.
Seo Yeon hadn't been born with any extraordinary talent for singing. She had simply reached a level where she could sing reasonably well thanks to help from various people.
That was all she considered herself to be.
Adding emotion to her singing did dramatically improve the response, but honestly, from the singer's perspective, it was hard to tell.
The fact that people online were talking about how good the insert song from
But even so, she probably couldn't win a competition decided by singing.
'I should just focus on promoting Sky Garden and come back.'
It was a slightly subtle thought to have while appearing on a variety show, but Seo Yeon had steeled her resolve.
Well, most actors who appeared on other shows came to promote their dramas or movies anyway.
So why couldn't she do the same!!
With that thought, she stepped forward proudly wearing the nickname 'Max Level Rabbit.'
'But who came up with this name anyway?'
Could they really not think of a rabbit-related name?
However, the host and audience's reactions were surprisingly good, so maybe it was fine.
Thinking roughly along those lines, Seo Yeon looked at her opponent.
The opponent was a man wearing a pigeon mask.
A formidable contender at a glance.
'This is where it ends.'
Seo Yeon bowed her head calmly and greeted her opponent.
Then, the opponent nodded back with a rather confident demeanor.
'That's definitely a skilled contestant.'
There was confidence in his actions.
As if he had confidence in the song he was about to sing.
And so.
Thus came the first match.
"By a margin of just three votes!!! Max Level Rabbit takes the victory!"
"Wow, by three votes!"
"Truly a razor-thin match!!"
"??"
Seo Yeon froze while holding the microphone.
Wait, she actually won?
***
The main MC of
Song Byung-soo was a professional broadcaster.
It had been nearly five years since he took charge of
As it was entering the ranks of long-running programs, he had accumulated a considerable amount of experience by now.
He was at a level where he could gauge an opponent's skill just by looking at them.
Strict confidentiality.
It was necessary to prevent any information from leaking, and because it ensured authentic reactions wouldn't be compromised.
So even Song Byung-soo had many parts he could only roughly guess.
'The Noryangjin Pigeon won this one.'
He felt that way the moment he saw them.
No matter how much they hid their identity and feigned their actions, there were habits they couldn't conceal.
First, singers had plenty of experience singing in front of massive audiences, so they were confident.
Even when receiving the gaze of many, they moved as if enjoying it, and they had confidence in the song they would sing.
Roughly, a strong image of 'I'll win this.'
On the other hand, 'Max Level Rabbit' was the exact opposite.
'The mask is really well-made though.'
It seemed to be a reproduction of that monster from some Western movie—Bopal Rabbit? Or was it Karnov's Rabbit?
Something along those lines.
A rather brutal impression.
Compared to the Noryangjin Pigeon, the quality difference was in this one's favor.
'But this broadcast isn't a martial arts tournament.'
Naturally, the one who sings better wins.
'At the very least, Max Level Rabbit isn't a singer.'
There was a difference in how they held the microphone and how they looked at the stage.
Though she seemed somewhat accustomed to standing in front of an audience like this, she still didn't give off the feeling of a singer.
It was a subtly awkward appearance, as if holding a microphone like that wasn't familiar to her in the first place.
At this point, Song Byung-soo was certain of the winner.
And he wasn't the only one—the viewers probably felt the same.
"Alright, starting first is the Noryangjin Pigeon!! Please sing a wonderful song!!"
The first to sing was the Noryangjin Pigeon.
Ever since the 'Ashen Crow' appeared, it felt like there were strangely many birds on
They were probably trying to match that kind of theme.
That was probably why the rabbit stood out so much.
'He's good.'
As expected, the Noryangjin Pigeon's skill was outstanding.
First, his vocalization and technique alone suggested singing was his main profession.
The audience and panel's reactions were favorable too.
"Alright, then next up~"
Max Level Rabbit.
First, from the outfit and modified voice, one could guess she was a woman.
Even in the corner where they reveal hints about their identity, she was just doing some strange punching motions.
What on earth was she doing?
Looking at it, she seemed to be punching something with her fist.
"Ahem, anyway. Max Level Rabbit. Let's see if her singing skills are max level too~!!"
With MC Song Byung-soo's shout, a lively accompaniment began playing.
Hearing the accompaniment, the audience and panelists let out the usual admiration.
'An idol song?'
Who would have thought she'd use an idol song in a competition?
Usually, idol songs were upbeat and involved dancing along.
Naturally,
It wasn't the right song choice for a competition.
Even more, Summer Girl?
The girl group with Cha Na-hee.
Honestly, Cha Na-hee was the famous one; as a girl group, it was debatable.
Didn't they lack any particularly good songs?
The song she was singing now seemed like one that didn't even make the top ten and faded away.
The moment he was thinking that, Max Level Rabbit brought the microphone to her mouth.
And.
"……!!"
Song Byung-soo's eyes widened.
'Wait, she's actually good?'
Honestly, it didn't feel like her technique was exceptional.
But there's a saying for that, isn't there?
The voice is a weapon.
It truly felt like a clear tone with rich emotion conveyed through the lyrics.
'This song was like this?'
The arrangement was also outstanding.
A skillful composition as if the real Summer Girl had arranged it herself.
On top of that, the emotional voice added a refreshing quality to the song.
While technique was lacking, the vocalization was proficient, and it embedded itself into the audience's ears as if flying straight in.
'I feel like I've definitely heard a similar voice before.'
Song Byung-soo, who was pondering deeply, suddenly thought of something.
The insert song of
'That's right, that's it!'
He could recall it immediately because it was the OST of a drama he'd been watching lately.
While others were watching
The emotion in the song he heard back then.
And the emotion in the song Max Level Rabbit was singing now were very similar.
And so, the song ended.
Both the audience and the panel had a slight murmur.
It wasn't that she felt like an incredibly skilled singer, but it was oddly an intense stage.
Intensity.
No matter how much natural technique one had, no matter how well one sang, intensity was something that couldn't be obtained through those alone.
Probably, that was Max Level Rabbit's greatest weapon.
Therefore.
"The winner, by a margin of just three votes, is Max Level Rabbit!!"
No one was greatly surprised by the finally announced result.
Even the opponent, the Noryangjin Pigeon, applauded heartily and congratulated her.
"The Noryangjin Pigeon's identity is Park Len!! It was rapper Park Len!!"
"Wow, it was Park Len? The winner of Hip Under Show, right?"
"Yes, since I don't usually get to sing songs like this, I wanted to show you a new side of myself."
The person Seo Yeon defeated was Park Len, the winner of Hip Under Show, where popular rappers appeared in full force.
Even though it was a match decided by singing rather than their main stage, Max Level Rabbit's victory was certain.
'Just who is Max Level Rabbit that she beat Park Len?'
It wasn't that Park Len sang poorly.
Since it wasn't a stage where he could show his true skills, the emotion was somewhat lacking, but his characteristic sense of rhythm hadn't disappeared.
Yet, Max Level Rabbit beat that.
"And so, Max Level Rabbit advances to the upper round!"
On the stage where everyone was clapping and congratulating, the two people flustered by this
'Wait, how did I win?'
Seo Yeon, and.
'Hold on a second. Isn't this…… dangerous?'
The Ashen Crow, trembling anxiously on the throne.
***
「Congratulations!! Wanna go to a karaoke room together next time? I know a good karaoke place, you'll definitely like it!!」
「Rabbit running fast emoji」
「Ah, you'll come, right?」
Seo Yeon stared intently at her smartphone with narrowed eyes.
This, this is suspicious.
'As expected, isn't this her?'
The person who contacted her as soon as
How on earth did she recognize that she was appearing, like a ghost?
No, since her identity was supposed to be hidden, knowing this meant someone had told her.
In the first place, Jo Seo-hee wasn't the type to keep up with every variety show.
'Lee Ji-yeon.'
Right, it had to be Lee Ji-yeon.
There weren't many people who knew Seo Yeon was appearing on Masked Singer in the first place.
So if she heard about it, it must be Lee Ji-yeon, and she could roughly guess when and where she heard it.
'Those two have been really suspicious lately.'
It wasn't that the two had developed some kind of ambiguous relationship.
It was just that Ji-yeon often learned acting from Jo Seo-hee rather than Seo Yeon.
And Jo Seo-hee, for her part, seemed to be receiving various kinds of 'help' from Lee Ji-yeon.
'That villainous lady role.'
That's also Jo Seo-hee, isn't it?
She didn't know at first, but after checking every broadcast, she could figure out a certain amount.
A silver spoon lady to the bone.
How many people like that could Lee Ji-yeon possibly know?
As far as Seo Yeon knew, it was only Jo Seo-hee.
It was only circumstantial, so she was just harboring suspicions, but anyway, that was her guess.
「Thanks to beating Park Len, the community's attention is amazing too! When you take off the mask, the promotion will be huge.」
Her friend Jo Seo-hee was chattering away quite enthusiastically.
Even Seo Yeon, who had initially been dismissive, had a tendency to inevitably accept things by this point.
「I'll go to karaoke next time.」
Seo Yeon finally replied so and let out a sigh.
Honestly speaking,
The amount of singing practice required was considerable for something done lightly.
For Seo Yeon, who had many things to do, falling out in the first round would have been the right outcome.
"Seo Yeon-ssi, we're about to start filming, is that okay?"
"Ah, yes."
When she raised her head, Kim Il-soo, the filming director of
"Max Level Rabbit yesterday, that was you, right Seo Yeon-ssi? Wow, you've gotten much better than before."
"Ah, how did you know?"
Who told you?
She looked at him with that thought conveyed.
"Ahem, I didn't hear it from anyone. I just recognized you. I'm someone who's watched Seo Yeon-ssi's singing improve from the sidelines."
Even so, matching it just by hearing the voice was nothing short of amazing.
"Still, I'd appreciate it if it doesn't affect the filming. After all…… you know, right?"
"Yes, of course."
"Great! Then let's go at it energetically for today's filming too."
She could roughly guess the reason Director Kim Il-soo was expressing concern.
It was probably because Seo Yeon had been doing so many different things.
If she didn't have the invincible TS physique, she would have probably collapsed from exhaustion long ago.
'So that's why…….'
She could feel gazes at the filming set.
Some young actors.
Among the actors participating in this Sky Garden, there were noticeable gazes.
Kim Hyun-suk, who had been picking fights with her before.
Of course, he didn't give off that kind of feeling right now, but there was definitely an underlying atmosphere he was projecting.
She knew the reason.
The one who had taken all the focus in
Of course, that was natural since she was the protagonist.
Rather, it would be a problem if she couldn't take the focus.
However.
- There are definitely too many young kids appearing, so it's hard to get immersed.
- Isn't the difference in acting skill way too big honestly?
- Seems like some measures need to be taken, there are some kids who occasionally stand out in a bad way?
Receiving such harsh reviews made it understandable to feel dizzy.
'……This isn't good.'
When things are like that, it's bound to affect the other actors too.
Moreover, episode 10, which they would film tomorrow, was a potentially dangerous shoot.
The exact middle of the 20-episode Sky Garden.
And it was an important turning point that would reverse the atmosphere of the drama.