Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 15

15. First Competition

Eunseon laughed, taken aback by Rembrary’s confident answer.

Rembrary’s response considered his divine power, which would inevitably mix in subtly, but Eunseon found it arrogant and conceited.

In the end, Eunseon awkwardly replied,

“You have a strong mentality.”

“Yes. I have excellent mental fortitude.”

Although he automatically spoke and heard Wooyeonwoo’s language, Rembrary’s language skills hadn’t become as natural as a native Korean speaker.

Because of this, Rembrary’s words were close to dictionary definitions, making it difficult to capture the nuances of ordinary people.

Eunseon mechanically laughed at Rembrary’s self-praise, turning her gaze away, thinking, ‘Unlike what I heard, he seems quite nice in person. But his personality is definitely unique.’

Rembrary, unaware of Eunseon’s thoughts, simply smiled gently.

Then, as he turned to return to the waiting room,

he saw Seonwoo Sil looking at him with utter disdain.

When their eyes met, he smirked, exaggerating his mockery.

However, an astonishing thing soon occurred.

When Eunseon pointed the camera and requested,

“Seonwoo Sil, please give Wooyeonwoo some encouragement!”

his expression suddenly turned amiable.

With a completely different expression, so much so that one might mistake them for twins if they hadn’t seen it firsthand, Seonwoo Sil spoke as if Rembrary were his closest younger brother.

“Our Yeonwoo is capable, so he’ll do well on his own. He has the talent.”

However, the moment Seonwoo Sil lowered the camera, his gentle expression and hearty laughter reverted to normal.

Taken aback, Rembrary was asked quietly by Eunseon as she turned off the camera,

“I heard Wooyeonwoo and Seonwoo Sil had a fight. Is it true?”

“Who said that?”

“Well… information comes in from various sources. There are many rumors too.”

“……”

“Is it true?”

Rembrary opened his mouth to say he didn’t know.

However, before Rembrary could answer, Jongwoo interjected,

“No.”

“That’s impossible.”

Then, he smiled innocently and urged Rembrary to walk faster.

Later, after Eunseon briefly left, Jongwoo explained the situation in a quiet voice.

“You heard what Eunseon said earlier, right? That a lot of information and rumors come in.”

“?”

“In this industry, you have to watch your mouth. Don’t show if you’re on bad terms, and don’t badmouth people you dislike. Even if you’re throwing punches and fighting openly, you have to say you’re not on bad terms if someone asks.”

“I don’t intend to badmouth anyone, but… why do I have to do that?”

“You never know when someone might talk about you in a variety show or interview.”

“What’s wrong with them talking about me?”

“People expect two kinds of topics from celebrities: stories they can relate to, and stories related to the entertainment industry.”

“Entertainment industry stories?”

“Celebrities and non-celebrities are all the same, but since they appear on TV and are in the spotlight, they seem more unique. People are curious about that world.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. Stories about fellow celebrities, rumors circulating in the entertainment industry, fun behind-the-scenes stories from filming, things like that.”

Jongwoo sighed.

“Interviews are a bit better, but entertainment shows prefer entertainment industry stories over relatable ones. And entertainment industry stories have to be sensational. That’s what gets attention, and that’s what gets you invited to other shows. To be sensational, what do you have to do? You have to tell all sorts of stories, pretend you know even if you don’t, and exaggerate small things. If you admit you’re not on good terms with Seonwoo Sil, rumors will spread that you two are arch-enemies before you know it.”

Jongwoo seemed like he wanted to give a longer lecture, but he quickly shut his mouth as soon as Eunseon returned.

Jongwoo made a ‘shush’ gesture towards Rembrary and then went outside.

It seemed he was going to Keshi’s waiting room since she was up next.

Rembrary sat on the sofa in the waiting room, repeatedly pondering Jongwoo’s words.

How long had he been there?

As he was spacing out, a buzzing music filled the room.

Reflexively looking towards Eunseon, he saw her checking the small camera attached to her camera and she informed him,

“It looks like the first performance has started. Do you want to watch it on TV?”

“No. It’s okay.”

Rembrary listened, but even though he could hear the music, it was too muffled to properly appreciate it.

The same was true for the second and third performances.

Around the sixth performance,

Rembrary gave up listening to the barely audible music and went outside.

Eunseon had said that he could go to other people’s waiting rooms until his turn, so he thought he would go to Keshi’s.

“Oh? Are you going to see Keshi?”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to tell her to do well?”

“I’m going to see if she looks like she’ll do well.”

Eunseon quickly turned on her camera and followed.

Since he didn’t mind her following, Rembrary knocked on Keshi’s waiting room door.

However, the sound of ‘come in’ didn’t come right away.

“?”

As he was wondering, the door finally opened after a while, and Jongwoo appeared.

“Oh, Yeonwoo.”

His face was much more tired than before.

Moreover, there was a musty smell.

As Rembrary looked at him strangely, Jongwoo stepped aside and said,

“Come in.”

The smell was even worse inside the waiting room.

The smell of someone having vomited.

That’s what it smelled like to Rembrary.

“What’s that smell?”

Still, just in case, he asked, and Jongwoo replied in a troubled voice,

“Keshi must have been very nervous. She threw up everything she ate.”

“She threw up?”

“Yeah.”

Rembrary recalled what Jungseo had said.

That Keshi’s mentality was very weak.

‘It seems like it’s true.’

“What about the dancers?”

“It seems easier for her to calm down when there aren’t people around. So I borrowed another waiting room.”

Jongwoo clicked his tongue and looked at the sofa.

Keshi was curled up in a corner of the sofa.

“Keshi. You have the skills to win first place if you just don’t get nervous.”

Jongwoo comforted her weakly, but it didn’t seem to have much effect.

Rembrary sighed as he looked at her and approached.

He didn’t want to use his divine power on something so trivial if he could help it. But Keshi was a member who had occasionally helped him, even while grumbling, when he first entered this body.

He thought it would be okay for him to help her out once.

“Just leave her alone, Yeonwoo.”

Whether he was tired of trying to stop him, Jongwoo spoke bluntly, but Rembrary approached Keshi, placed his palm on her head, and released a very small amount of divine power.

“Ah, just leave me alone.”

Keshi initially spoke curtly, but when Rembrary’s hand touched her, she remained still.

Her body was instinctively reacting to the divine power.

“……”

Keshi remained still and eventually closed her eyes.

Rembrary confirmed that Keshi was half-dreaming and got up, saying as if he hadn’t done anything,

“She’s asleep.”

* * *

After entering the waiting room, Rembrary spent his time looking only at the lyrics.

Eunseon pointed the camera at Rembrary for about 30 minutes, but when Rembrary didn’t take any action, she eventually lost energy and lowered the camera.

“I thought Wooyeonwoo wasn’t afraid of the camera. I need to change my mind.”

Rembrary finally looked at her as Eunseon grumbled.

“?”

“It’s not that you’re not afraid of the camera, you just don’t care about it at all.”

“…Is that not normal?”

“Usually, they talk to themselves a lot when I point the camera at them. It’s easier to pick out footage that way.”

“Ah.”

Rembrary nodded, but instead of talking to the camera, he focused on rechecking the lyrics he had memorized.

Eunseon sat down dejectedly and turned on the TV.

The TV was showing the performances of other singers.

The screen was unedited and chaotic, but it was still possible to see how they were performing.

“Oh, it’s Keshi.”

Just as Eunseon turned on the TV, Keshi was coming onto the stage.

Rembrary took his eyes off the paper with the lyrics and looked at Keshi.

The person in charge of hosting said something, and the music started right away.

The musical that Keshi had prepared started with the first movement at the same time as the music, and Keshi was quickly stepping to the beat without missing a beat.

Then, she picked up the microphone and began to sing skillfully.

It was a very impressive performance, with good expression, singing ability, and dancing to back it up.

So much so that Eunseon clapped when Keshi finished her performance.

‘Divine power works properly on the people of this world too.’

Rembrary was satisfied that he had been helpful and repeated the lyrics again.

In the meantime, time passed quickly, and before he knew it, the seventeenth participant was on stage.

Then, without knocking, a staff member came in and told Rembrary as if he was notifying him.

“Please wait backstage in advance.”

As Rembrary got up from the sofa, put down the lyrics, and went out, Jongwoo, who was already in the hallway, rushed over.

“Hey, Yeonwoo, did you see Keshi’s performance?”

“I saw it.”

“She did really well, right? Don’t you think she can aim for the top ranks?”

Jongwoo was smiling brightly, happy that Keshi had performed without making a mistake.

Rembrary agreed appropriately and went backstage.

But unexpectedly, Seonwoo Sil was already there.

However, instead of being surprised, Seonwoo Sil smiled and sneered.

“Oh dear, what’s our junior going to do? He’s performing after me.”

It seemed he knew that he was performing in a similar order to Rembrary.

Jongwoo looked anxiously at Seonwoo Sil and Rembrary alternately.

But Seonwoo Sil wasn’t just in a similar order.

He was number 19.

When it was his turn, unlike Keshi, Seonwoo Sil confidently went on stage with only his mental strength.

Rembrary stared intently at the stage.

He was curious to see how well the person who had been nitpicking about his singing could sing.

The first note that Seonwoo Sil had arranged was a low note.

However, the note suddenly soared. At the same time, the sound of an instrument, whether it was a guitar or something else, rang out loudly.

Seonwoo Sil’s voice stepped forward as if tearing through the loud noise.

“Hoo.”

Rembrary was genuinely impressed.

It wasn’t an empty compliment that Seonwoo Sil had the skills to make up for his unpleasant personality.

Keshi’s performance was also excellent, but Seonwoo Sil’s voice was intense and powerful, as if grabbing and shaking people’s necks.

On the other hand, Jongwoo’s expression darkened.

It wasn’t enough that Seonwoo Sil, who was performing before him, was doing well, but his impact was too strong.

If he gave such a strong impression, wouldn’t the person after him be easily buried, no matter how well they did?

Seonwoo Sil, who had come down from the stage after finishing his performance, seemed to be thinking the same thing, as he smiled mockingly at Rembrary and passed by.

“…”

However, Rembrary went on stage calmly with his usual expression.

As Rembrary went up, the host briefly introduced him.

Then, heavy and subtle music began to play.

Although it was a rehearsal, the music and lighting were no different from the main stage.

The staff gathered on the set laughed and whispered among themselves.

“Did he arrange it in a similar style to Seonwoo Sil?”

“He’s probably going to start low and then belt out a high note like a twist.”

As veterans of the broadcasting industry, they were saying that it was obvious how the arrangement would be.

But even though it was a predictable style, it was a very wonderful arrangement method if sung properly, so the staff looked at the stage with anticipation.

In the meantime. Through the heavy music, the sound of several people snapping their fingers at the same time began to be heard.

Then, the intro lyrics were heard.

[You’re so great-]

[So great-]

[So great-]

The low voices rose one note at a time in succession, creating harmony, and people looked at each other in confusion.

What is it? Is it rock? Is it acapella?

However, the moment the intro ended and the opening song began, they could tell that it wasn’t acapella either.

Suddenly, the black cloth covering the stage was pulled up, and people in white clothes with gold decorations began to chant lowly, snapping their fingers as a group.

[Money money money money]

[Money money money money]

The heavy, low voices constantly called for money in the same tone, creating a strange feeling as if a demon was crouching in a cave and inducing secular corruption.

Since the arrangement style was kept secret, the staff wondered what kind of stage it was and whispered among themselves.

Through the low, chanting sound of money money money money and the whispering of the staff, Rembrary finally began his solo song sadly.