Free Web NovelA scene unfolded vividly before their eyes—
the view seen by someone climbing the lonely hillside road of a shantytown, where not a single trace of human presence could be felt.
Under the flickering reddish-orange streetlight, what came into view was a torn trash bag spilling open, flyers scattered and rolling nearby, and beyond the wall, jagged brown glass shards of broken beer bottles embedded along the top.
<Phantom of the Abyss> snapped back to his senses and didn’t miss his turn.
Even if I lift my head and look up,
the sky I can see
is cracked entirely by electric wires
As his voice rose slightly louder than before, the dim stage lights flickered.
As if he were truly standing beneath a streetlamp.
The moment the stage effects layered in, the ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) electric guitar struck sharply.
Turn your body,
run back as far as you came
<Phantom of the Abyss> bent forward and belted out the first high note.
All attention from the panelists and the audience snapped toward him at once.
He fully captured one of the song’s key charms—the refreshing, explosive bursts.
Even if it’s a downhill road, I’m not afraid,
even if I have to climb it all over again,
it’s okay
But <Aori Apple> didn’t falter on the high notes either.
Rather, without even seeming to strain, she poured out loneliness with a volume twice as powerful as his.
On top of that—
her pronunciation struck the ears with crystal clarity.
It was as if subtitles were appearing before their eyes.
Even as I keep running,
even if I want to keep looking back,
It felt like watching someone who, without regret, turned their back on the downhill path they had struggled to climb, and kept running forward.
“This is it!”
A panelist known for being hard to impress jumped to their feet and shouted.
At the same time, the entire stage lighting shifted into a deep orange glow.
As if bright streetlights were illuminating someone breaking free from the hill.
Even if I stumble for a moment,
and one worn-out sneaker slips off,
The sound of uneven, gasping footsteps came alive.
It painted the image of a dirt-stained sneaker, its sole completely worn down, slipping off and tumbling across the asphalt.
At that moment, <Phantom of the Abyss> pushed his voice even higher, veins standing out along his neck.
His voice rang all the way up to the ceiling.
Turn your body,
run back as far as you came
In the audience, people were covering their mouths with both hands.
At this point, <Phantom of the Abyss> didn’t even think about saving his voice for the second round anymore.
Even if it’s a downhill road, I’m not afraid,
even if I have to climb it all over again,
it’s okay
The drums pounded like racing footsteps.
The rhythm sped up, overlapping with the audience’s heartbeat.
The heavy bass supported him, grounding the weight of the song.
A faint dawn light
brushes past the broken edge of the wall
The second verse began with <Aori Apple>.
By now, everyone was fully immersed in the performance.
This wasn’t a “broadcast reaction.”
Through the narrow gap of a window,
someone’s dream
spills out
It was as if <Aori Apple> had already gauged how her voice spread across the stage through the microphone.
Though she had only just finished the first verse, her singing felt even more refined now.
From far away, the sound of a garbage truck—
what am I even doing here?
As <Phantom of the Abyss> picked up the next line, sweat was already forming inside his mask.
‘Now... the highlight of the second verse...!’
He had led in the first verse—
but this time, it was <Aori Apple>’s turn.
Turn your body,
run back as far as you came
She didn’t seem like a singer.
Her breath control while pushing into high notes was slightly unpolished.
But instead—
that rough, gasping breath created realism.
Like someone truly breaking free from a dark alley with all their strength.
Even if it’s a downhill road, I’m not afraid,
even if I have to climb it all over again,
it’s okay
That slightly unstable breathing added sincerity to the lyrics.
It sounded like someone trying to reassure themselves—
like someone who was actually afraid, tightly shutting their eyes as they ran.
At that moment, <Phantom of the Abyss> instinctively realized his defeat.
‘Still...!’
But there was still a chance.
He took over the highlight.
Even as I keep running,
even if I want to keep looking back,
He pushed half a note higher than <Aori Apple>, and the audience erupted.
Inside the mask, heat and sweat had completely filled the space.
Even if I stumble for a moment,
and a few coins fall from my pocket,
The song was now rushing toward its end.
The once-dark stage was now brightly lit.
The reddish-orange lights shone brilliantly—
as if every streetlamp in the alley had turned on at once.
Turn your body,
run back as far as you came
Their voices merged.
The final part had to be sung together.
<Phantom of the Abyss> turned his body and looked at <Aori Apple>.
Even if it’s a downhill road, I’m not afraid,
even if I have to climb it all over again,
it’s okay
Facing each other, they sang the final line.
The camera didn’t miss the audience members in tears, capturing them in frame.
Even before the performance fully ended, the panelists burst into applause.
It had been a long time since such a rock performance—and the quality exceeded expectations.
“Wow! Are we getting a new king today?”
“I want to hear that one more time.”
As soon as the music ended, the panelists began arguing to give the first evaluation.
The most composed among them raised a hand and spoke seriously.
“What do you think, composer?”
“In my opinion....”
The panelist with glasses spoke calmly.
“Encore.”
At the unexpected request, laughter burst from the audience.
The composer shrugged lightly, knowing that once a stage succeeded, anything could be said.
“First, <Phantom of the Abyss>. Yes. I can already tell just from the frame.”
“Then what’s his identity?”
“He’s handsome.”
“Ah! What was that?!”
The evaluation first focused on <Phantom of the Abyss>.
Catching his breath, he bowed deeply in thanks.
Despite the praise, he pressed his lips together.
Because he was an idol.
And no one understood audience reactions better than him.
The audience’s gaze—
was not on him.
It was on <Aori Apple>.
‘But seriously... who is she?’
At some point, he found himself more curious about his opponent than the result.
Who was behind that mask?
“And <Aori Apple>. Wow, that was really incredible. Personally, I’d love to hear a calm song in that voice. The rock was great, but your voice has... a narrative? A kind of delivery.”
<Phantom of the Abyss> almost nodded without realizing.
Her voice truly had the power to create a story.
It could shape the vague idea of “me” into something visible.
“I think she’s an idol.”
“Why?”
“If someone dresses that excessively cute, they’re usually an idol. Look! Even the gloves are cute!”
Just as the panelist said, <Aori Apple> wasn’t wearing ordinary white gloves—
but large, plush-like gloves like those worn with mascot costumes.
Her styling practically screamed: Please find me cute.
“Oh? Oh—?”
As soon as she heard that, <Aori Apple> covered her face shyly with her hands and bounced in place.
‘Is she really an idol...?’
Watching her beside him, that guess started to feel convincing.
Because that kind of behavior—
didn’t come naturally unless you were used to doing it in front of fans.
“Alright, please cast your votes!”
At the MC’s call, both panelists and audience pressed the buttons in their hands.
<Phantom of the Abyss> closed his eyes.
“Now, first round! The sharp high notes of <Phantom of the Abyss> versus the soft, delicate voice of <Aori Apple>. The result is—?”
Numbers spun rapidly on the black screen behind them.
He bit down hard on his lip.
Inside the mask, it felt suffocating.
He wanted to tear it off immediately.
“...Congratulations!”
He exhaled a shaky breath and turned around.
“<Aori Apple> wins!”
Just as he expected.
<Phantom of the Abyss> let out a hollow sigh.
But at the same time—
it felt refreshing.
Because he, too, wanted to hear one more song from her.
“<Phantom of the Abyss>, please remove your mask!”
At the MC’s words, he reached up.
“His identity is—!” freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
He removed the mask with a bright smile.
“It’s Seo Eden!” ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
* * *
“Wait—Seo Eden?!”
The office worker’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Her friend, half-lying beside her, reacted the same way.
“He sings better than I thought?”
“Seriously. I thought for sure he wasn’t an idol.”
The two of them had been lazily flipping through channels at home over the weekend with nothing to watch, and ended up on 〈King of Mask Singer〉.
They hadn’t expected much, so the surprise made it even more enjoyable.
“So who’s the current king?”
“Apparently it’s <Cream Yellow Mouse>.”
The office worker searched the show on her phone and continued watching Seo Eden’s next stage after his elimination.
As expected from a post-elimination performance, the song choice was bold and refreshing.
“Come to think of it, isn’t Seo Eden doing some drama or something?”
“Yeah. Probably here to promote it.”
She idly tapped her foot as she watched the TV.
“Oh. Found it. He’s in the same drama as Han Yeoreum.”
Her gaze shifted to <Aori Apple>, who was waving her hands along to Seo Eden’s performance on the panel side.
‘They wouldn’t send two people from the same drama team... so it’s probably not Han Yeoreum.’
Unfortunately, in 〈Youth Disqualified!〉’s practice footage, they had mostly shown instrumentals, with only a very brief glimpse of singing.
The office worker suddenly wondered—
what if Han Yeoreum had appeared on 〈King of Mask Singer〉?
‘Nah. Still, singers and actors have different strengths.’
Even knowing the answer, she asked anyway, glancing at her friend absorbed in her phone.
“But has there ever been a case where two actors from the same project came on for promotion? On this show?”
“Hold on.”
On screen, the second round had already begun.
Now, the winner would face <Aori Apple> next.
“Nope.”
At her friend’s answer—that it had never happened—the office worker nodded.
Her friend was already about to change the channel, apparently uninterested in the second-round song.
“Hey. Wait.”
But the office worker suddenly felt a strong urge not to switch away.
“Why? You like this song?”
“No, not that....”
There had never been two people from the same drama appearing for promotion.
So <Aori Apple> couldn’t be Han Yeoreum.
“...I just feel like I want to keep watching.”
More than anything—
she desperately wanted to know who <Aori Apple> was.
