The first round ended with June still not knowing his vocal hard work points. He had pestered Fu continuously in his mind, but the annoying system was insistent on keeping the same format.
"What a menace," June whispered as he went out of the waiting room, still cursing at Fu in his mind.
As he arrived backstage, he saw Sunshine Lady, the winner of the second duet, waiting for him in the seats.
She stood and bowed deeply at Tongman, which surprised June himself.
Sunshine Lady was acting too respectfully toward June when her singing voice appeared older and more mature!
'She's most definitely in her late 20s,' he thought, certain that Sunshine Lady was a singer/actress that he had heard the songs of. Her voice was just so distinct that it was hard not to recognize her.
June believed that even the panel had guessed her identity because her tone was very specific.
However, it seemed like she did not have a clue about June's identity since she treated him like a senior singer! Sunshine Lady would definitely be in for a surprise when she realizes that Tongman was a mere 21-year-old who debuted only a few months ago.
"The second round finally begins!" Kim San?exclaimed, earning a round of applause from the audience.
"The past two performances heated the venue up, and we want to keep the fire burning in this place! So, without further ado, let's already call on our final two challengers—Sunshine Lady and Tongman!"
The two challengers arrived at the stage, the claps deafening as the audience was excited for their battle.
"Let me explain the mechanics of this battle briefly," Kim San?started off. "Unlike the first battle, these two challengers will now sing one song after the other. Sunshine Lady would sing first while Tongman will go second. After Sunshine Lady's performance, it would immediately shift to Tongman's song. Both challengers will stay on the stage all throughout the two performances!"
"Then, after the two songs, we'll go right ahead with the voting! The person with the highest votes will be the 'Disguised Challenger—' which means that they'll have the chance to take away the throne from our ten-week champion, Guitarman!"
Sunshine Lady and Tongman nodded in understanding.
"However, before we start, let's have a mandatory question-and-answer portion!" Kim San?excitedly said.
"Let's start off with Sunshine Lady. How do you feel about battling it out with Tongman?"
"Well, it's definitely an honor," she said, her voice distorted in the same way as June's.
June frowned in confusion. How come all the other men's voices were distorted lower while he sounded like a chipmunk like Sunshine Lady?
"I watched his performance a while back and nearly cried because of his portrayal of the lyrics. I'm secretly hoping that he doesn't sing a song within his genre so that I'll have a chance to win," she joked, even chuckling.
Kim San, too, chuckled in amusement.
"You sound very fond of Tongman," Kim San?pointed out. "You're speaking about him with high regard, too. Tell me—do you secretly know of his identity?"
Sunshine Lady abruptly shook her head.
"Oh, it's not anything like that. The production crew did a very good job in keeping our identities from each other. As I walked into the building this morning, all I saw were people in costumes. So, I'm not a hundred percent sure about Tongman's identity."
June turned to Sunshine Lady, surprised that she might actually have a clue about his identity.
"And who might that be?" Sanasked.
"It's hard to tell," Sunshine Lady responded. "However, from the panel's comments a while back, I agree that he might be an old actor or a veteran singer."
However, June quickly shook his head when he realized that Sunshine Lady actually didn't have a clue at all.
"Well, let's head to Tongman, shall we?" Kim Sanasked, slowly making his way over to the bright figure next to Sunshine Lady.
As soon as his name was mentioned, screams erupted in the venue, surprising Sanand June himself.
"Well, it seems like you already have some fans," Sansaid. "That was fast! However, I definitely see the appeal. Who knew that a guy with a tong on his head could sing so beautifully?"
The audience and the panel chuckled at San's statement.
"My question for Tongman is—what kind of song are you going to perform for us this afternoon? Sunshine Lady over here already wished that you wouldn't sing your usual genre."
June didn't know how to answer Sanquestion. He, too, wasn't sure of his song choice until the very last minute. He was thinking of doing another ballad—since he was great at those.
However, when Akira told him to go out of his comfort zone and blow the audience away, he quickly changed his song before going up the stage.
"Um, it's fun?" Tongman said in an unsure tone, earning chuckles from the listeners.
"Ah, you must really be a comedian. Or maybe a trot artist?" Kim Sanguessed, making some of the panel and audience members exclaim in agreement.
"I got you now!" Kim Sansmiled. "You must be singing a trot song, huh?"
June didn't respond this time.
"Well, we can't wait for your performances. So, without further ado, let's start with Sunshine Lady!"
The audience clapped curtly as the lights dimmed, with the spotlight only illuminating Sunshine Lady.
As expected, she sang a ballad, one which required a lot of emotion and stability. It was pleasant to the ears and had an endearing message about love.
June found himself swaying to the sound of her voice, finding it soothing yet controlled at the same time.
The song ended quicker than expected, and it was now June's turn to show off his vocal skills.
The people waited in anticipation as the spotlight shifted to Tongman. Then, they held their breaths as they waited for his long-awaited song choice.
Most of them guessed it was going to be a ballad, similar to Sunshine Lady, since it was the obvious choice during these types of shows.
Meanwhile, others were influenced by Kim San's input and expected a joyous trot instrumental to play.
However, as the first notes of the acoustic guitar accompanied by an electric keyboard and soft percussion resounded in the venue, the audience was stunned to silence.
Ji-Hyun, who fully expected Tongman to be someone of her age or maybe even older, shook her head in disbelief.
"He's going to sing an RnB song?"
