A New Career Singer Who Can Read The Future [EN]: Chapter 51

The deciding factor in that incredibly close, 1-decibel difference was…!

“Contestant number 23! Congratulations!”

It was Do-hyun.

Do-hyun was overjoyed.

Despite the challenges he had faced, he was simply happy to see his hard work paying off as the competition neared its end.

“Contestant number 23, a few words, please!”

“…Thank you all so, so much! I was able to show a side of myself tonight that I haven’t even shown in my previous activities, and I’m just so grateful that you all seemed to enjoy it! I love you all!”

After his acceptance speech, Do-hyun glanced at Hyo-seop, who had been stuck in second place. He expected Hyo-seop wouldn’t be pleased, having lost by a mere 1-decibel difference based on real-time votes.

Do-hyun’s assumption was correct. Hyo-seop looked crestfallen.

“Now, let’s hear from contestant number 33, who came in second. We can’t leave him without a few words, can we? Please, a few words.”

When Ha Yeon-ho asked him to speak, Hyo-seop forced a smile and offered his thanks.

“Although I lost by a narrow margin of 1 decibel, it was an opportunity for me to realize how much you all care for me. Thank you so much!”

With that, the stage segment ended, and the contestants headed backstage.

But then, just as things seemed to be wrapping up quietly!

“Main Director, are you sure it was really just a 1-decibel difference?”

Hyo-seop approached the main director with his question.

“Of course. We don’t manipulate the results, and we installed decibel measuring devices everywhere to ensure accuracy… Surely you don’t suspect the production team of rigging the results, do you?”

Hyo-seop’s eyes were filled with suspicion.

“I just don’t understand it. How could it be only a 1-decibel difference? It felt like the cheers for me were much louder. If the difference had been significant, I wouldn’t say anything, but a 1-decibel difference seems suspicious. Is this some kind of strategy to create drama and attract viewers by making it seem like a close race? The broadcasting station has been pushing contestant number 23 anyway!”

Hyo-seop blurted out everything he had been holding back. Do-hyun, overhearing this, was at a loss for words.

The broadcasting station had never favored him. In fact, his agency’s unenthusiastic response had almost caused a major problem, and the broadcasting station hadn’t been able to offer a solution, so Do-hyun had resolved it himself.

Hyo-seop, unaware of these behind-the-scenes issues, was speaking so carelessly.

Hyo-seop glanced at Do-hyun. The moment their eyes met, Do-hyun realized that maintaining a friendship with Hyo-seop would be difficult. The look in Hyo-seop’s eyes was anything but friendly.

“Honestly, what I’m thinking is, did HU Entertainment lobby for a dramatic success story for his fourth debut, Director?”

“No, what are you implying….”

“Please, I want to see the raw data. I want to see the decibel measurements and confirm them myself.”

Hyo-seop was putting the production team in an awkward position with his polite but arrogant demeanor.

“Haa, I was worried something like this might happen. Follow me, I’ll show you the decibel measurements.”

The assistant director led Hyo-seop away.

Do-hyun felt uneasy as he watched them go. They were officially rivals, but he thought they were getting along well, and he never expected something like this to happen.

* * *

Hyo-seop followed the production team and reviewed the decibel data himself.

However, a lingering feeling of unease remained. Even if he was in a rivalry with Do-hyun, he couldn’t accept a 1-decibel difference.

On his way back, he found Do-hyun waiting for him. It was after 10 PM, so all the cameras were off.

“Hyo-seop, let’s talk. I think you’re misunderstanding something….”

“Hyung [older brother or close male friend], I have nothing to say to you. And even if I did, I don’t want to talk right now.”

Hyo-seop replied coldly and went inside the dorm.

Do-hyun was upset by Hyo-seop’s blunt rejection. He knew that this kind of situation was inevitable in a personal survival show, but he still felt uncomfortable.

However, he couldn’t give up first place either. He had worked just as hard. Did Hyo-seop even realize how much effort he had put into winning over the viewers and the audience?

He wondered if their similar concepts were contributing to Hyo-seop’s misunderstanding.

“Hoo… nothing is easy.”

Frustrated, Do-hyun went to the practice room and sighed.

It felt awkward to go back to the dorm, so he figured it was better to be in the practice room.

Lying on the sofa in the practice room, Do-hyun replayed the earlier events in his mind. He vividly remembered Hyo-seop’s cold expression.

“He seems to be really upset because of that 1-decibel difference. How can I clear up this misunderstanding? If we end up working together, we’ll keep running into each other at broadcasting stations… I can’t let a personal issue turn into a rumor. This is a real problem.”

He wanted to draw a tarot card for guidance, but he had already used up all his chances. He would have to wait a few days to draw again.

“After a few days of rest, Hyo-seop will sort out his thoughts and come back to normal… This misunderstanding won’t last long.”

* * *

Do-hyun usually avoided going home on weekends, but because of the awkwardness with Hyo-seop in the dorm, he felt uncomfortable staying there and decided to visit his parents’ house.

“Is our Moo-myung [meaning ‘no name’], here?”

“It’s Do-hyun now, Mom. I’ll be in first place if I succeed in the last competition. I’m going to change my name, so please don’t try to stop me.”

“You’re being funny. No matter what you do, I’ll always call you Moo-myung. Why would you throw away the precious name your grandfather gave you….”

“Name Myung, absence Moo [a play on words meaning ‘nameless’]. What’s so precious about this name? I think there are enough legal reasons to change it, you know? By the way, where did Dad go?”

“He went fishing for the first time in a while. Shall we have a glass of wine together today?”

“Anything but Bordeaux wine. I want something sweet, Mom.”

“Did something happen?”

Do-hyun usually preferred dry and flavorful wines. There was a reason he was asking for sweet wine.

He only looked for sweet wine when things weren’t going well, when things weren’t going according to plan.

“Yeah, something big happened. Sigh, Mom, why are human relationships so difficult?”

“What happened to make you say that?”

Do-hyun told his mom about the 1-decibel incident that had happened after the competition the previous day.

He explained that he had a falling out with a junior he was close to because of 1 decibel, and that the junior didn’t want to talk to him.

“Oh dear, no wonder you’re upset. Here’s some Eiswein [German ice wine]. It’s quite sweet. I was saving it to celebrate your success, but I’m opening it now because you need it.”

“I wish I could have drunk it to celebrate, but it’s upsetting to be drinking this delicious Eiswein because I’m at odds with a friend.”

Do-hyun muttered. The more he talked, the more he felt something building up inside him.

The tangled mess of his singer life had finally seemed to be unraveling, but he couldn’t have imagined that something like this would happen before the final competition.

“That friend is probably just sensitive because of the competition. Don’t worry too much.”

“But I have a feeling that things are going to escalate… I just have that feeling, Mom. You know my hunches are usually right.”

“Hey, not this time. The production team took him to check the decibel measurements, right? How much bigger of a problem could it be? I don’t think it’s that serious.”

“I don’t know… I really don’t know what’s going on in Hyo-seop’s head. I don’t know if he’s really angry at me, or if he’s angry at the production team, or if he’s angry at himself… Originally, I should be basking in the joy of victory and thinking about the next mission in the dorm. But it’s not like that….”

Do-hyun’s mom listened to him intently, offering words of comfort.

“Is the final competition revealed yet?”

“No, the final competition hasn’t been revealed. That’s why I’m worried. I’m worried that Hyo-seop will bring it up again during the final competition. Actually, after checking, there’s about a 150,000 vote difference between Hyo-seop and me in real-time votes, and if you add the audience scores and the judges’ scores… I’ll be in first place, assuming I don’t mess up in the final competition.”

“Should I congratulate you on your fourth successful debut in advance? Anyway, so?”

“I’m starting to wonder if it was a mistake to try and get along well, even though it’s a personal survival show, Mom. Is it my fault? I don’t know, even though I’m twenty-eight years old. What’s the point of being in the entertainment industry for 10 years? I don’t know how to read people in these situations. I wish I knew how to use my head.”

“It would have been better if it was a team battle where everyone gathered to debut as a team… It’s a personal battle, so you’re having a hard time.”

Do-hyun sighed deeply as he drank the Eiswein.

‘Recognizing’ a situation and ‘accepting’ it were two different things. He was aware of Hyo-seop’s state of mind, but he still felt uneasy.

Even so, there was no reason for him to step up and suggest re-measuring the decibel levels, implying that the 1-decibel difference was an unfair result.

The production team had installed decibel measuring devices everywhere for fair evaluation, and the result was a 1-decibel difference.

Do-hyun believed that the process was fair. If he brought up a rematch in the current situation, it would be like saying that he also doubted the fairness of the judging.

So Do-hyun knew that it was better to ignore Hyo-seop’s claim, even though he couldn’t fully accept it.

“The path of a singer seems really difficult, Mom.”

“There’s no easy path to anything. It’s always like that. Just living a human life isn’t easy. Besides, you chose the path of a singer against your family’s wishes, without even receiving a divine calling. So it can’t help but be more difficult, can it?”

“…Should I have received a divine calling? Could it be that if I had, this wouldn’t have happened?”

He knew it was nonsense, but Do-hyun muttered the words that came out of his mouth without thinking.

“Son, don’t think like that. You’re doing well, so don’t worry too much, okay? The misunderstanding with Hyo-seop will be resolved. So don’t worry.”

“I keep getting the feeling that it won’t be resolved, Mom. Something feels ominous. I know that my hunches have never been wrong, so something… something….”

“The more that happens, the more you have to steel your heart. Don’t you?”

Do-hyun nodded at his mom’s words, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of unease.