Episode 21: Surprise Worship
“Sorry…”
Zia’s hesitant voice comes through the phone.
I just laugh.
Despite her hesitation, her tone’s noticeably brighter.
“Sorry for what?”
“It’s just… tomorrow…”
“Woo Zia! Wrap up that call and come on! The raw fish is getting cold!”
A voice calling Zia cuts through, and I chuckle deeper at the mention of cold raw fish.
What’s that about?
“It’s fine. I can’t go with you anyway. Don’t worry, eat well, and have fun.”
“Still…”
“Still what? If you feel bad, remember the place and take me there later. Hurry, your fish is waiting.”
“Okay…!”
As I hang up, Baek Kyungmin, melting like slime, groans in a dying voice.
“Raw fish getting cold? What’s that mean?”
“No idea.”
Probably something about the ice in mulhoe melting.
I shrug, and Baek Kyungmin, who’d furrowed his brow, changes the subject.
“Haven’t seen Zia lately.”
I was about to fiddle with the frustratingly limited DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) when I chuckle and reply.
“Zia’s been busy.”
“Didn’t she get that sweet part-time gig? Little work, big pay—she was thrilled.”
“Not busy with work. Other stuff.”
“Other stuff?”
“Yeah, she’s learning all sorts lately.”
Zia’s been swamped since Moon Sookhee started dragging her around, closing the café to do so.
Morning swimming and evening Pilates are daily fixtures, plus driving, baking, pottery, makeup—you name it.
Today, Moon Sookhee got a craving for mulhoe and whisked her off to a spot in Sokcho.
“Wow. I was a bit worried about Zia in that sense. That lady’s a blessing.”
“For real. Super grateful.”
Moon Sookhee, slicing through the issue I couldn’t push Zia on—taking care of herself—is a godsend, a beacon, invincible.
Maybe it’s because Zia, who’s spent her life caring for me (Han Yujin), is experiencing someone doting on her for the first time.
She says it’s a bit overwhelming but doesn’t resist Moon Sookhee’s care.
I think it’s because it’s the kind of maternal love I can’t give her, no matter how much I love her.
‘Strictly speaking, it’s not overwhelming—it’s unfamiliar.’
It’s a shame my time with Zia’s been cut down and her soft waist is getting toned.
But the joy of seeing her take steps forward outweighs that.
She’s only scratching the surface now, but eventually, she’ll find what she loves.
“Still, it’s a pity. This song feels like Zia’s vibe.”
Baek Kyungmin’s words make me chuckle again.
To be precise, it’s not ‘this song’—it’s ‘my songs’ that are Zia’s vibe.
But that fact might hit Baek Kyungmin (32, zero dating experience) too hard, so I keep it to myself and reply casually.
“It’s fine. I play it for her at home.”
Even in our soundproof rooftop room, it’s still a rooftop room, so I can’t strum the guitar and sing live—recorded tracks will do.
“Ahem. By the way, Blind Singer’s buzz is insane.”
My words must’ve stung, as Baek Kyungmin hurriedly shifts gears.
“The teaser’s blowing up online.”
“Oh?”
“Oh? You haven’t seen it?”
“I saw the teaser. Didn’t check the reactions.”
The teaser’s mostly Ji Sehyuk bantering with the judges.
“Check it out. The Blind Singer gallery’s a circus.”
Baek Kyungmin shoves his phone at me.
South Korea’s biggest online community, and its Blind Singer gallery, is already a festival.
[Teaser #37 Identity: Eom Dongkyu]
His pinky and ring finger spread when he hits high notes—totally Eom Dongkyu.
- I’m Eom Dongkyu, and yeah, that’s me.
- Who’s Eom Dongkyu, lol?
└ Not a stan pick, but he’s got that vibe lol.
└ Lmao fr.
- If it’s Eom Dongkyu, isn’t the winner already set?
└ Nah, heard #80 is Kim In. That’d be tough even for Eom Dongkyu.
└ Who’s Kim In, lol?
└ Go to bed.
[#19 Is Seunghee?]
PinkSome flopped, but… Seunghee, you gotta make it…
- PinkSome? PinkBlossom? How’d you know?
└ Seunghee’s got a mole on her left middle finger, same spot as #19.
└ Damn… that’s kinda creepy…
- Seeing Seunghee on TV after so long is great, but it’s sad her face is hidden.
- Yang Seunghee’s main vocal material for any girl group, and PinkSome fumbled her.
The teaser featured five contestants: Eom Dongkyu, Kim In, Yang Seunghee, Noh Jiyoon, and Taeoh.
Noh Jiyoon, lesser-known, and Taeoh, practically unknown, get no mentions, but Eom Dongkyu, Kim In, and Yang Seunghee’s names are trending.
‘Korean netizens… spotting people not by voice but by habits or moles? That’s trauma-level.’
High-note quirks are one thing, but identifying someone by a finger mole? Wild.
But the real hot topic:
[Seo Yoonje, Seriously, Even Here?]
A judge spacing out and not pressing pass? Makes no sense.
- You don’t know Seo Yoonje. That old man’s capable of anything.
└ ??
└ Drops everyone else to hog the spotlight.
└ Absolute king lmao.
- Seo Yoonje’s old, cut him some slack.
- You think you won’t age?
- Eom Dongkyu could pull that off.
└ Dongkyu? Go prep your song.
- Meanwhile, AZ is drop-dead gorgeous…
Seo Yoonje’s late pass press and subsequent tantrum.
Some call him unfit to judge, but others say the performance must’ve been that good.
I hand the phone back to Baek Kyungmin, who scrolls up and down before pocketing it.
Grinning, he asks,
“So, you really not gonna tell me?”
The question lacks a subject, but it’s not hard to grasp.
It’s the same question Baek Kyungmin has asked countless times while preparing for Blind Singer.
“Seriously, it’s nothing special.”
“You think I don’t know you? Your skills completely changed after that moment.”
“Guess something just clicked with that song. I honestly don’t know what’s different.”
“No way. Even how you act with Zia—it’s totally different.”
He’s questioning my sudden skill jump.
It’s not like you can dope for singing, so he keeps asking how I improved so fast.
“Even if I told you, you wouldn’t believe me.”
“What, that you came back from the future? Pfft! What, did you win a Grammy too?”
“Yup. Record of the Year.”
“Get outta here!”
See? I tell him, and he doesn’t buy it.
Still, he’s right about having nothing to do. I save the file I was tinkering with and stand, slipping on my shoes.
Baek Kyungmin’s voice follows me.
“Yujin, kill it tomorrow.”
“I’ll do what I always do.”
“Then you’re set.”
I wave a hand over my shoulder and step into the scorching summer air.
One day left until Blind Singer Round 2.
***
The next day.
No Zia, so I wake early and arrive at YTV’s studio.
Only one egg ghost greets me.
“Hey!”
It’s Taeoh.
Maybe because of my number 1 or the messy hair poking out from my mask, he spots me instantly, pulling out an AirPod and approaching.
“You’re doing Yoon Heesoo, right?”
“Yup.”
Taeoh’s pick is Yoon Heesoo’s ‘Sound of Stepping on Fallen Leaves’, a quintessential 90s folk song perfect for his voice.
It’s a strong weapon In a three-way battle against Eom Dongkyu and Park Juan in his group.
“Ready?”
“Yup!”
His enthusiastic reply, like a wagging tail, makes me chuckle.
“Hyung… you ready?”
His energy dips suddenly.
He knows my song choice.
“Worried?”
Taeoh scratches his head awkwardly instead of answering, drawing another laugh from me.
‘Who’s worrying about who?’
Feels like I’ve had this thought before.
“Don’t worry. Just look forward to it.”
No need for self-aggrandizing talk. My simple words prompt Taeoh to clutch his chest dramatically.
“Hyung, my heart just skipped a beat.”
“Stop it. A guy’s heart skip isn’t cute.”
“No, not for you—it’s that line! Can I use it later?”
Taeoh gets me good.
“Pfft. Sure.”
Knowing it’s just playful banter, I laugh it off and shift topics.
“So, what were you listening to?”
“Oh, my current fave song. You probably know it.”
“What?”
“For a Moment. It was the OST for that drama that ended recently. The drama wasn’t my thing, so I dropped it, but the song stuck with me.”
I barely stop myself from freezing.
“Oh, the chill one?”
Yo-han’s version of For a Moment is more famous than mine, so I toss that out, but—
“Nah, you’ve only heard Yo-han’s version. His is great, but my fave’s another one. By EUJN. They only have this one song, but the voice is unreal. Wanna listen?”
His reply makes me bite my lip under the mask.
He’s worshipping his fave, clueless that the guy’s right in front of him. How do I not laugh?
As I take Taeoh’s AirPod, oblivious to my stifled laughter, he plays the song and keeps talking.
“Honestly, this song’s why I’m here. Studying endlessly like others, I couldn’t imagine where I’d end up. But this song makes me think, ‘You gonna just drift like that?’ Weirdly, Yo-han’s version doesn’t hit the same.”
The hope I poured Into that song wasn’t what Taeoh’s describing.
‘But that’s art, isn’t it?’
The meaning shifts depending on who’s listening. That’s what we do.
My voice starts flowing through Taeoh’s AirPod.
I consider saying, “Nice song,” to this clueless guy worshipping his fave right beside him but change my mind.
‘He found courage in my song.’
Might as well give him a big push on the path he’s started.
-“Even if you look back, the scenery passing by the window is gone.”
I sing along to the chorus.
“Huh?”
Maybe because he hears the song through the wrong ear, exactly as he’s used to.
Taeoh’s shoulders flinch, and his body creaks as he turns to me.
“No… way… Hyung…”
But before he can finish, number 36, Noh Jiyoon, barges in with a bright greeting.
“Hey! Morning, numbers 1 and 2!”
Taeoh’s question gets lost, and—
“Shh.”
I raise a finger over my mask, finally letting out a laugh.