Chapter 448: What Should We Do From Now On (12)

It was incredibly hectic. Even though a senior artist was singing on my concert stage, I couldn't even take a moment to watch as I had to rush back to the waiting room to change my outfit.

“Please hurry up. You need to go out in thirty seconds."

“I’m ready!”

As soon as I entered the room, my outfit was swiftly changed, and my makeup and hair were quickly touched up. Only after I followed the staff's lead and stood backstage in my new clothes did I finally manage to gather my thoughts.

♪ I wait for you here,

Where even the sounds of people's voices

Become whispers from you

At that moment, I could finally hear Park Sang's soft singing. I looked up to see him on stage, where he was simply strumming the guitar and singing quietly. However, his voice had the power to captivate everyone.

I had admired his singing when I covered his songs, but experiencing it live, I understood the unique power of Park Sang's performances. I wanted to convey that depth of emotion in my cover, but such emotions were uniquely his. This deepend my respect for him.

“Eden, you will go out as soon as the song ends."

“Yes, understood."

I quickly adjusted my in-ear monitors and prepared mentally to join such a revered artist on stage.

‘We've rehearsed, but...'

The pressure to match his emotional depth was undeniable. As these thoughts raced through my mind, Park Sang's song came to an end.

“Eden."

“Yes."

Following the crew's cue, I clapped and ascended the stage. I quickly bowed to Park Sang when our eyes met. “Ah, Senior. Thank you so much."

“Ha ha."

I was disoriented on stage for a few seconds. Was it the nerves of conducting a talk session with him? My applause and nods came in quick succession. Surely, the other members watching somewhere were giggling at my evident nervousness. I suddenly recalled Goh Yoo-Joon's chuckling face, which snapped me back to reality.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please give a big round of applause. Park Sang has graced us with his presence."

“Wooow!!!"

The audience erupted in enthusiastic support for him. Park Sang greeted the crowd, and I joined the applause while thanking him again. “Senior, thank you so much for being here."

“Oh, it's nothing. It's an honor to be invited to Eden's first concert."

“No, really, I’m the one who's grateful. I’m actually quite nervous to meet a senior I've always admired."

“Take it easy. No need to rush. I’m also a bit nervous. It has been a while since I've been on such a big stage."

“Thank you."

Even during rehearsal, I had felt Park Sang's personable and considerate nature. He patiently waited as I gathered my thoughts to continue speaking with an utterly relaxed demeanor.

“Though today is the first time I’ve had the honor of meeting you, someone I deeply admire, I do have a little thing to share. I recently covered your song ‘In a Bronze-Colored Teahouse.’”

“Oh, I know about it,” Park Sang replied with a broad smile and gave a hearty nod of approval. “I saw it too. Reina sent it to me saying, ‘Park Sang, you have to see this.’ And wow, you really did it justice,” he said with a casual chuckle and a thumbs-up. “That song is a difficult piece to sing for young artists like you. It carries a deeply emotive melody that’s quite challenging to execute. But you performed it exceptionally well.”

“Thank you,” I responded, feeling the tension slowly ebbing away.

“It’s such a pleasure to meet you this soon. I always wanted to thank you for covering my song if we happen to meet.” The gentle and courteous tone he used eased my tension bit by bit. It was truly a relief. I was concerned how I could possibly sing alongside him if I remained this nervous.

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

“I am so grateful for your kindness. Covering your song brought me the joy of meeting you today. I can’t express how happy that makes me.”

I waved my hands as I spoke, then turned toward the audience. Following Park Sang’s request to have a brief talk session, we decided to wrap up our chat. Just then, the staff signaled it was time to continue with the song.

“Now, we will perform ‘In a Bronze-Colored Teahouse,’ a song that connects Senior Park Sang and me.” I placed a hand over my heart to signify my nervousness. “Meeting you in person is nerve-wracking, but singing this song together adds to my jitters,” I admitted.

The song perfectly embodied Park Sang's unique emotional depth. Despite receiving high praise for my rendition, I worried that my weaknesses might be more apparent when singing alongside the original artist.

In response to my words, Park Sang simply smiled without saying much and picked up his guitar to prepare for singing. His actions seemed to say, "Don't bother with unnecessary worries."

I took a deep breath and said, “Nevertheless, I will give it my best shot. Please, everyone, I hope you will enjoy our song.”

I sat next to him as the lights dimmed to a calm, almost natural glow. The quiet in the hall deepened as Park Sang’s guitar strummed softly, each note resonating deeply.

Singing with the original artist meant performing the song in its original form this time, without any modifications. Accompanied by Park Sang's guitar, I started singing. As I focused on capturing the emotion and moistened my dry lips, Park Sang also sang.

♪ My dear,

Even the waiting only brings longing

Just as I managed to relax my shoulders, a surge of energy quickly returned as a deep and solemn voice came through the in-ear monitor. I closed my eyes. This actually made it easier to capture the required emotions. Hearing his voice so close to me allowed me to quickly immerse myself in the soft, contemplative feelings I had experienced during the filming of

Introduce My Singer.

I could feel Park Sang finishing his part and looking at me. Worried that my emotions might unravel, I deliberately avoided looking at Park Sang as I sang.

♪ The fireflies on the grass blades sketch out the Milky Way,

And the crickets cry, creating memories

When will you come to my side?

The more I sang, the more I wondered, how did I manage to convey the emotions and voice I desired?

I slowly lifted my eyelids and looked at Park Sang. He was looking at me with an expression of satisfaction, or perhaps admiration.

***

“That was Park Sang! Everyone, let’s hear your applause!"

The performance with Park Sang had just wrapped up. Until the last moment, he gracefully waved his hands to the audience and even whispered some encouraging words to me before he exited the stage.

Following that, I was carried by the momentum and performed a medley of all the songs I had presented on

Introduce My Singer.

Given the diverse moods of the songs introduced in each episode and their adaptations, capturing the exact emotions was somewhat challenging. However, the extensive rehearsals paid off because they allowed me to garner a rather favorable response.

Then, it was time for another talk session.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Please, just a moment."

Immediately after finishing the song, I grabbed some water. This talk session was incredibly brief, and soon, a sequence of Eden's unreleased choreographed tracks would take over the remaining performances.

So far, blending Eden and Suh Hyun-Woo hadn’t caused any disruptions in the show's rhythm. But from this point on, I needed to dive deep into my alter ego—Eden.

First things first, I drank some water to soothe my slightly parched throat. After setting down the water, I asked, “Everyone, how have you been enjoying the show so far? Are you having a good time?"

“Yes!!!" The once calm audience quickly revived with energy in response to my question.

I couldn't help but smile. From here on out, I was on familiar ground with well-rehearsed lines. “It's great to hear that you’re enjoying yourselves. But don't you feel like something is missing?"

A mix of 'yes' and 'no' echoed back to me.

“What might be lacking, you ask? Well..." I playfully scratched my head and looked around as if pondering. The crowd caught on that I was putting on a show, and they laughed.

“You all might be under a misconception." I paused briefly before I spoke up again. “I am not just a ballad singer."

It was just a bit of playful deception, but the audience chuckled. They were obviously entertained by my solo act.

“Here’s a little-known fact. I actually dance very well. Surprised, aren't you?"

As I cheekily pretended to spill a secret unknown to anyone, the audience laughed, yet responded enthusiastically with a resounding “Yes!"

I nodded, confirming their surprise. “You wouldn't have guessed that, right? But yes, I can dance quite well."

However, Eden wasn't quite the dancer. I said this to myself in my head while reflecting on my experiences rehearsing as Eden.

“No, no, Eden. You feel too much like an idol. Sure, you are an idol, but Eden's supposed to be a ballad singer, remember? Could we try toning down the idol vibe?"

Being faced with Reina's advice, I was completely baffled. After ten years as a trainee and six years of teaching idol trainees, I was now performing as an idol... What exactly did it mean to dance without the idol flair?

While it was fine for Eden to be a skilled dancer, he shouldn't have come off too much like an idol. Confused by this, I decided to adopt a clumsy dancing persona. My goal was to appear talented yet somewhat stiff.

I certainly didn't want to hear that Chronos’ Suh Hyun-Woo sucked at dancing. Therefore, I made it clear this was all an act. Luckily, I had taught many trainees who fit this exact profile, which made it easier to mimic them effectively.