-Let's meet the nominees for Best Song of the Year on screen.
As I listened to the actress presenting the award onstage, a thought crossed my mind.
‘I can do this.’
This time, I could finally beat that bastard.
I blinked, and the faces of several people appeared on the giant screen.
After the music videos of several formidable singers, mine began playing on the screen.
『Chanhwi』 ‘Yellow Chamomile’
WAAAAH!
The thunderous cheers delighted my ears.
It was a little embarrassing to say so myself, but this was unquestionably my best album in the seven years since my debut.
Its title track, 'Yellow Chamomile,' had achieved the quite respectable feat of holding first place on the Melon chart for twelve weeks.
That was right.
It was my best album and had held first place for three whole months, yet I could only call that a 'respectable' result.
All because of the bastard starring in the music video that played right after mine.
『Yujin』 ‘Blue Night’
WAAAAAAAAAAH!
My mood soured at cheers twice as loud as the ones for me.
The screen was showing the music video for ‘Blue Night,’ a song that had achieved the monstrous record of topping the chart for twenty-six weeks that year.
I watched the screen, then turned my head and glared at the star of that music video.
“......”
Despite being nominated for Song of the Year, the bastard looked completely unfazed.
Of course he did. He won awards every year.
That made him even more irritating.
Yujin.
He had debuted around the same time as me, and starting with the Rookie Singer Award he won in his debut year, he had never failed to win an award every year.
Last year, he had swept every award a solo singer could receive apart from those given to groups.
Did that mean Yujin would sweep the awards again this year?
The thought was only natural, but Chanhwi shook his head.
‘I don't know what that bastard was thinking this time, but he didn't do anything except promote his music.’
In other words, there was still hope.
After glaring at Yujin for some time, I belatedly noticed that the camera's light was on.
‘Damn, I need to watch my expression.’
These days, even a look like that was easy fodder for media gossip.
Once the cameras caught it, every outlet would obviously plaster itself with articles comparing me to that bastard, so it was important to keep smiling at events like this.
When I turned my gaze back to the stage, the actress about to announce the winner opened her mouth.
-And the winner of Best Song of the Year is?
Every star of the nominated music videos focused on the actress's lips, and at last, she called someone's name.
-Yujin. Congratulations!
Haa.
Clap, clap, clap, clap!
Just before the applause erupted, I heard someone sigh. It probably had not come from only one or two people.
Even I wanted to sigh at the situation.
Even so, I rose with a smile and applauded the bastard.
“Congratulations.”
“......”
Yujin ignored me and headed straight for the stage.
“That bastard...”
As always, he climbed onto the stage with a blank face utterly devoid of emotion and accepted the trophy.
He opened his mouth in front of the microphone.
“Thank you, everyone, for loving me again this year.”
After that single sentence, Yujin moved his lips as if he had more to say.
“......What?”
Until last year, he had always delivered just that line without any flowery words and stepped down, but today, for whatever reason, he showed no sign of leaving.
Only when the producer watching him signaled for him to hurry did he finally add one more sentence.
“It has already been seven years since I debuted. I would like to take this opportunity to offer my sincere gratitude to the Bluebirds who have loved me over those seven years.”
When he finished, Yujin left the stage.
Only then did the heavy silence break, and the audience belatedly came to its senses and hurried to applaud.
His words had been an expression of gratitude, but for some reason, an endlessly solemn air had surrounded him.
A gravity unlike anything before settled over the awards ceremony.
***
-We Asked 32 Experts: This Year's Best Singer [2029 BMA Wrap-Up]
-‘Yujin’ Sweeps the Awards Again This Year. No Upsets.
-‘Yujin’ Becomes First Solo Singer to Win Seven Awards.
-‘Chanhwi's’ Unfriendly Glare at ‘Yujin.’
The awards ceremony ended.
In the end, Yujin swept the ceremony again. Going one step further, he broke his own record from last year by one and took home seven awards.
Apparently, there had never been a solo singer who won seven awards before.
Meanwhile, after ending the ceremony with that disappointment, Chanhwi was now at a Korean barbecue restaurant with Team Leader Gong from his agency and his road manager.
They were there to console him for failing to win an award.
“Come on, Chanhwi. Your favorite meat is here. I got the CEO's card especially for today and ordered ribeye.”
The card had actually been given to him so they could celebrate if Chanhwi won, but what did that matter? Cheering him up came first.
“I'm not a little kid. Meat won't win me over anymore.”
“Oh, your mouth says that, but your hands are awfully honest.”
Before he knew it, Chanhwi was placing pieces of meat on the grill one after another.
When Chanhwi put a piece of beautifully browned ribeye into his mouth, Team Leader Gong, who had been busy checking again and again whether his mood had improved, spoke.
“Damn, we lost. We lost. This song really was your magnum opus, Chanhwi, but that bastard Yujin is a genuine monster.”
It was no empty flattery. The agency had done its utmost for Chanhwi's latest album, to the point that one could say it had staked its survival on it.
Chanhwi had also pushed himself through such a brutal schedule of music promotions, variety shows, and advertising work that even three bodies would not have been enough.
“And after all that, you lost to a bastard who only promoted his music. Ha ha.”
Team Leader Gong was horrified by the road manager's drunken remark.
Fortunately, Chanhwi did not bristle at it.
In the past, he had always become angry whenever anyone compared him to Yujin.
Relieved that Chanhwi had not reacted, Team Leader Gong broached the subject cautiously.
“So, Chanhwi. Let's avoid Yujin from now on.”
“......”
This was the agency's decision.
The reason Chanhwi had never won a major award was that his comeback season overlapped with Yujin's every single time.
And Chanhwi's opinion had played a huge role in those comeback seasons overlapping.
The agency knew perfectly well that Chanhwi saw Yujin as a rival because they had debuted so close together and were the same age.
‘But they're in different leagues.’
Team Leader Gong faced reality.
Of course, Chanhwi was undoubtedly an outstanding singer. Everyone at the agency, himself included, could vouch for that.
But Yujin was a singer whose talent could not be fully expressed by the word outstanding.
Yujin's voice captivated those who heard it.
Should I call it magnetism? On top of that, he possessed a phenomenal singing ability that 'highly skilled' did not begin to describe.
Chanhwi, on the other hand, was an excellent performer, but his singing ability seemed slightly lacking compared with Yujin's.
‘At least Chanhwi has the larger fandom.’
If Yujin had one flaw, it was his blunt expression.
His face almost never changed, so more than a few fans found that aspect of him disappointing, apart from those who liked a cool and aloof image.
Chanhwi, by contrast, regularly started broadcasts, interacted with fans, and readily made time to play games with them. He gave off the impression of an easygoing friend who knew how to have fun, which made it easy for fans to approach him.
Looking at it that way, Team Leader Gong gave a hollow laugh.
‘Combining those two would create the perfect singer.’
Unfortunately, the two were practically mortal enemies, so that dream could never come true.
In any case, Yujin having a smaller fandom did not give Chanhwi an advantage.
Yujin's songs had the power to captivate even people who were not fans. By now, every comeback kept him near the top of the Billboard chart.
They had managed to keep this album slightly clear of Yujin's comeback only after finally persuading Chanhwi, which was why it had stayed at number one for twelve weeks. There was no need to say aloud that if he had challenged Yujin head-on as usual, he would have been the eternal runner-up.
‘The difference in talent is hopeless.’
And this was not a problem unique to Chanhwi. Many other singers also timed their comebacks to avoid Yujin.
He was already the agencies' number-one threat because whenever he appeared, the music charts were devastated so thoroughly that people likened him to a nuclear bomb.
After Team Leader Gong spent over ten minutes explaining all this, Chanhwi finally gave a positive answer.
“I'll think about it.”
Perhaps his stomach had churned as he listened, because Chanhwi had kept drinking, and his face was already completely red.
“Good. Stop drinking now and go home. You worked hard this year too, and next year, let's make sure you win.”
***
---♪
I forced my eyes open at the sound of a ringtone coming from somewhere.
Though I had awakened in a daze, the splitting headache made me frown.
‘Ugh, my head. How many bottles did I drink?’
I remembered Team Leader Gong talking to me about Yujin, but I could not remember how I had gotten home after that.
‘You drank until you blacked out again, you idiot, Chanhwi. Get a grip.’
But drinking myself senseless after losing to Yujin at an awards ceremony was practically an annual tradition, so there was a good chance I would make the exact same mistake again next year.
---♪
‘But who's calling at this hour?’
I flailed a hand around and found the smartphone beside my pillow.
Squinting at the screen, I saw a clock showing 3:33 a.m. and a number I did not recognize.
“Who the hell is this?”
It could have been spam, but too groggy to think that far, Chanhwi pressed the answer button.
“Hello?”
-.......
There was no response from the caller. Chanhwi finally began to suspect that it was a prank call or spam and was about to curse and hang up when...
“...Do you enjoy this industry?”
An out-of-the-blue question came through the receiver.
“Hello? Who the hell calls in the middle of the night and...”
-......Goodbye.
Beep. Beep.
The call ended after that one cryptic remark.
“What the hell?”
Was it a prank call? Should I call back?
But Chanhwi was too exhausted from his hangover to think for long.
In the end, he put the phone back beside his pillow and tried to sleep.
‘But where have I heard that voice before?’
That was the last question that crossed Chanhwi's mind before he fell asleep.
***
The next day, an online article shook South Korea.
-Yujin, Singer of ‘Blue Night,’ Found Dead at Home.