Chapter 403: Red Rouge (22)

The final broadcast of

Introduce My Singer

featuring Eden finally concluded. Just taking off my mask had been turned into a dramatic moment by the show, allowing me to step off the stage amid a torrent of cheers.

The audience’s reaction was overwhelmingly positive, and Seo Han had given an exaggerated, enthusiastic reaction right as I removed the mask. The panelists kept praising me even when the cameras stopped rolling. They said things like, "I knew it!" and "I didn't realize you could sing so well, Hyun-Woo!" Their kind words made all my anxieties about revealing my identity disappear.

“Hyun-Woo, you did great.” Tae-Seong smiled at me through the rearview mirror while sitting in the passenger seat of the car driven by Reina’s manager.

“You too, hyung. Thank you for all the efforts you made to accompany me discreetly.”

“It was the stylists who had it tough,” he replied.

While I was Eden, Reina had assigned me a new manager. However, Tae-Seong and the rest of the staff still had to be cautious to avoid being spotted. The stylists and Tae-Seong had to stay cooped up in the waiting room during the shoot to avoid drawing attention.

“But hyung, now that I will be performing as Eden, will you be coming with me?”

I would be working with the manager Reina had assigned to me until today’s episode aired, but what would happen after that? Reina’s manager was a great guy, but I felt more comfortable with Tae-Seong, so I preferred being with him.

The manager answered instead of Tae-Seong. “Once the episode airs, Eden will officially be under YMM management. Reina will still be the producer.”

This meant that I would be working with Tae-Seong. I wondered if Reina’s manager thought I disliked him, but before I could say anything, Tae-Seong asked me, “Do you need to go to the hospital?”

“Huh?”

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Tae-Seong turned halfway to look at me. “The hospital.”

I was puzzled until I remembered the pre-shoot incident in the waiting room. After I met with the creator god, Tae-Seong had found me with sweat drenching all over and my face pale. I had probably seemed sick. I had given a vague answer and brushed it off back then, but Tae-Seong had remarkably remembered it.

“Do you need to go?” he asked again, his concern evident.

“I’m fine,” I replied.

“Really?” Tae-Seong scrutinized me, trying to determine if I was just avoiding going to the hospital out of laziness.

I shrugged and shook my head. “Seriously, I’m fine. I don’t know why I looked awful earlier. I wasn’t sick.”

“Well, that’s good.” Satisfied with my longer response, Tae-Seong turned back and leaned into his seat. Although I appreciated his concern, I didn’t want to think about that moment.

‘Synchronization, synchronization, synchronization...’

My mind was again filled with thoughts about synchronization. Isaac had suggested it might not be a big deal. I hoped he was right, but he could never be trusted.

“Well...”

It was frustrating.Why did I keep running into these circumstances that I couldn’t talk to anyone about? I just wished everything would be resolved soon.

“We’re here. Great job today, Hyun-Woo. See you next time.” The manager stopped the car and smiled warmly. This was the first time he called me by my real name. It was clear that keeping my identity a secret had been a burden for him too.

“Thank you for everything! See you next time.”

“Yep!”

When I returned to the dorm, the members surprisingly greeted me at the door.

“Hey, great job.”

“Hyun-Woo, well done.”

“How was it today?”

“Did you win, hyung? Did you tell the world who you are?”

The members were eager to know if I had beaten Oh Yoo-Wol and when Eden would reveal his identity. Linking arms with Jin-Sung and Yoon-Chan, I walked inside and answered their questions. “I won.”

“Really!? That’s amazing. So cool.”

“I knew you’d win eventually. You’re just as competitive as Joo-Han hyung.”

“Yeah, I knew you would win only because you are my little bro, Hyun-Woo.”

“Oh gosh, here we go again.”

“And I told the world who I was.”

“What did people say?”

“Hyung, you must have worked so hard. Did people love it?”

Every time I spoke, the members bombarded me with questions. What a noisy household. Unlike the clingy members, Joo-Han approached me slowly after I sat on the couch. He smiled proudly. “Once this episode airs, people will go crazy knowing you are Eden.”

I had seen that expression before when Joo-Han wanted something. He often looked like that when we gained unexpected popularity during

Pick We Up

or made a lot of money. I leaned back slightly and asked, “Hyung, what’s up with you?”

Joo-Han sat beside me and smirked. “You know that composers will flood you with songs now, right? They will want their songs on your album.”

“Come on, I doubt that. Usually, artists ask for songs, not the other way around.”

Ignoring me, Joo-Han chuckled. “Even if other composers offer you songs, don’t forget about me. Got it?”

“What’s with him? Why is he so weirdly affectionate?” Goh Yoo-Joon muttered with a frown.

“You should have

my

songs in your future solo albums, okay? We’re family, remember?”

“Ugh, what’s up with him? Too much pressure, hyung.”

“Ah.”

So that was it. He was aiming to become the royalties king.

“Of course,” I quickly replied and escaped to my room.

The members were hilarious. Thanks to them, my earlier anxiety during the ride immediately vanished.

***

A few days passed since Eden’s final broadcast. My biggest concern was a leak before the episode aired, but the secret was surprisingly well-kept.

Of course, there were articles about Eden’s identity. The articles on portal sites were mostly promotional, encouraging viewers to watch the upcoming episode where Eden would reveal himself.

My biggest worries were that the audience or the cast would spoil who I was before the episode aired, but they did a good job keeping my secret. Probably, the people in charge of the broadcast had decided to suppress the rumors, or maybe the cast and audience members had simply decided not to reveal my identity.

There were some leaks hinting that Eden was me, but they didn’t cause a major stir. Maybe people already suspected my identity and chose to ignore the hints.

As a result, nothing changed significantly after the reveal. I continued my schedule with the members to promote “Red Rouge,” and Reina occasionally mentioned Eden’s next steps on her

UTube

channel or had his songs play on the radio. Our days were going as usual.

Except for one thing. Just as Joo-Han predicted, composers started flooding the company with their songs. However, even if they sent me songs, it wouldn’t matter much. I would be able to include Joo-Han’s songs as Suh Hyun-Woo, but Eden’s album was solely filled with Reina’s compositions.

- There will be a meeting on Monday at 4 PM. We will discuss future schedules and concerts. Don’t be late~!

I checked the message that Reina sent from Tae-Seong’s phone and put it away. The glasses I wore just for fashion had slipped down, partially obstructing my view.

“These glasses are more uncomfortable than I thought.”

Joo-Han shook his head. “Right? Imagine dancing with them on.”

Today was the day we were appearing on

Pick We Up Two

as mentors. After wrapping up “Red Rouge” activities, we changed into

Pick We Up Two

outfits and swapped accessories. I ended up with Joo-Han’s glasses.

“We’re mentors now,” Jin-Sung muttered.

Indeed. It felt like just yesterday we were contestants on

Pick We Up,

and now, time had flown by and brought us back as mentors for the new season. It was a truly heartwarming feeling.

As we prepared for our mentor roles, I couldn't help but feel a surge of pride and nostalgia. It was incredible to think about how far we'd come and the impact we were now able to have on new contestants. This journey had been full of surprises and challenges, but moments like these made it all worth it.