The second competition of Three Kingdom, “Heritage.”

And the last act—Iam’s stage—was about to begin.

'My feelings are complicated.'

Sitting at the judges’ table and watching Iam’s members prepare to start their stage, Seyoon was feeling an oddly ironic mix of emotions.

Raon had produced Iam, and Seyoon was the one who had made Raon in the first place, so there was no way her mind wouldn’t be messy.

Even if it was a different agency, to her, it was like... a granddaughter group, you could say.

So hearing that this “granddaughter” was going to sing the “daughter’s” songs—there was no way it wouldn’t feel strange.

Tap.

As Seyoon watched the stage with those complicated feelings, it seemed the preparations finished, because the stage lights went out and music began to flow.

♬

"This is...."

The moment she heard that melody, Seyoon flinched without realizing it.

"It’s Signal in My Veins."

Raon quietly added the words, like she’d expected that reaction.

And it made sense—because the music playing right now was the intro to Raon’s debut song, "Signal in My Veins," so it wasn’t weird for Seyoon to be startled.

It was still Seyoon’s favorite among Raon’s songs, and it was like a declaration of war that announced the singer named Raon to the world.

But the song Iam was supposed to present today was "Pop star," so Seyoon was flustered, not understanding why the melody of Signal in My Veins was playing—

Tap.

The lights came back on again, and the stage revealed itself in bright clarity.

"Three?"

At Park Taesu’s mutter, everyone’s eyes snapped to the stage.

Geum Shinyu, Im Yunkyung, Lee Gahyeon.

Out of Iam’s seven members, only three were standing onstage.

"I haven’t seen those outfits in a while."

Those three were wearing outfits similar to what Raon had worn at the time of her debut, and it stood out that they’d modernized what used to be practically Raon’s symbol—sleeveless tops and wide-leg cargo pants—by remaking them for the current era.

In the dark screen’s reflection

A unfamiliar silhouette of me

The questions I’ve kept hidden

Are waking up now

Iam’s stage began.

With Lee Gahyeon in the center and Geum Shinyu and Im Yunkyung split to either side, the way they formed the stage was pretty fresh.

'I get why they built the stage with this combination.'

Because Raon’s age back when she debuted with Signal in My Veins had been a huge topic—she’d been so young—Seyoon immediately realized they’d put in Iam’s youngest members, Im Yunkyung and Geum Shinyu, to capture that feeling.

Signal in My Veins was a song with a future-facing vibe and the message “I am me,” and it shined the brightest when a teenager sang it.

In fact, after Raon built up a certain amount of seniority, she stopped performing it on broadcast except at concerts.

Of course—

This is my signal, loud and clear

A steady frequency

No one’s rule matters

I define my destiny

If it had been just those two, the stage composition could’ve become monotonous, so Seyoon thought it was a really good decision to include Lee Gahyeon, who was now connecting the two harmoniously from center stage.

If they’d put in different members, their individual color would’ve been too strong, and the focus wouldn’t have gone to the youngest members—but right now, Lee Gahyeon was highlighting Geum Shinyu and Im Yunkyung’s individual traits and fully serving as the link.

Tap.

While Seyoon watched the three of them with old memories rising up, the first verse ended, and as the three onstage hit their ending pose, the stage lights blacked out again.

♬

"Ah."

At the melody of a new piece of music that flowed in again, Seyoon finally realized what concept Iam had prepared for this stage.

'Pulso.'

A melody that not only Seyoon and the other judges, but also the audience behind them, the filming staff, and even MC Jang Junseok who’d stepped back behind the stage all nodded along to after hearing only the intro.

It was the opening of Pulso—Raon’s biggest hit, the song that gave her the nickname “Queen of Asia”—so there was no way they wouldn’t recognize it.

And onstage, revealed along with the music, three Iam members were up there again.

Kurosawa Yuri, Seo Ryujin, Ryu Ayeon.

'Of course the ace members have to come out.'

Seeing the members everyone evaluated as the most skilled among Iam’s lineup step onstage, Seyoon thought it was only natural.

Raon, who’d sung on the street to busk and wandered through small venues all over Japan, singing in harsh conditions, just to break into the Japanese market with skill alone.

Pulso was the song that contained that effort in full.

The dance was intense and the song was intense, so if the singer’s stamina or vocal technique was even slightly sloppy, it showed immediately.

There was almost no room to breathe, powerful vocal projection was the key point, and yet rhythm was everything—if the tempo was even a little slow or a little fast, the whole song died.

-CEO, did you really make this song to be sung live?

-You can do it.

Seyoon suddenly remembered the moment Raon first received the song and asked that, wearing an incredulous expression.

To handle the song that even Raon—someone who almost never said anything was hard—had called straight-up abuse to sing live, yes, sending out Iam’s aces was the right call.

In those cold eyes

A sign you can’t hide

The closer you get, the clearer it becomes

Your wavering line

"Ah...."

Watching the stage finally begin, a groan slipped out of Seyoon.

Seo Ryujin, who handled the intro, started the song with a powerful low register that made her think of Raon, and that sight pulled old Raon memories up so vividly.

Was it Raon’s direct coaching?

With SY’s distinctly clear and honest vocal production, the way Seo Ryujin sang truly resembled Raon from back then.

Even if you push me away, I get closer

A dangerous sense of distance

On top of the rule you set

I draw my own line

Following behind Seo Ryujin, now Ryu Ayeon matched her part with fierce choreography.

"...."

"What is it? Why aren’t you saying anything?"

At some point, Seyoon had become spellbound, watching Iam’s stage.

Seeing Seyoon like that, Raon must’ve felt the mood turn heavy, because she tossed out a playful joke—but right now, Seyoon only wanted to watch Iam’s Raon stage in silence.

Don’t try to break my flame

The game is already burned

My love won’t

Break that easily

From Kurosawa Yuri’s solid voice singing the song’s highlight, to Ryu Ayeon’s energy-packed movements that stood out even though all three of them were dancing the same choreography—

And finally, Seo Ryujin, steadying the tempo so reliably you’d doubt it was live, leading the team’s stage—

The stage the three of them created was Raon herself, and Seyoon felt like Raon had been split into pieces and stepped onto the stage.

If Lee Gahyeon, Geum Shinyu, and Im Yunkyung had shown Raon’s still-unripe, fresh youth, then these three were showing Raon at her peak, when /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ she had begun to bloom.

"The last one is Pop star...."

Tap.

As the stage lights went out again, Seyoon felt like she could already hear the melody of the next song—one that hadn’t even started yet—coming into her ears.

***

'They really worked hard.'

Raon was watching the stage with half embarrassment, half pride.

-Shh! We can’t show you! Shoo, shoo! Go away!

After deciding the stage’s theme would be Raon, Iam’s members had practiced in secret among themselves and didn’t show Raon what they were preparing.

Of course, she could guess the rough outline of what they were doing, but she hadn’t known the details.

So this was basically her first time seeing the full stage, and it hit differently.

People jokingly called her a veteran singer, but watching the girl group she produced recreate her songs—somehow it made her feel embarrassed.

And because they were her songs, she could see how much effort it must’ve taken to build a stage with this level of completion, so she felt proud of them too.

It wasn’t easy at all to choose Raon’s landmark songs and turn them into one stage—not just copy one song.

'Lucas must’ve touched it.'

In particular, the arrangement that stitched completely different songs together so smoothly stood out.

At first she thought maybe Shinyu did it, but if it was this polished, there was no way a professional hand hadn’t been involved.

And at KJ Entertainment, the only people who could do that were Raon or Lucas—and since it wasn’t Raon, it was obvious Lucas helped.

It annoyed her a little to imagine Lucas tricking her too while working with Iam’s members, laughing the whole time, but anyway, thanks to that, the stage was well-built, so it was fine.

"The last one is Pop star...."

Raon heard Seyoon’s muttered words while she was briefly sunk in the stage.

'Right. Now it’s Pop star’s turn.'

Raon nodded, agreeing with Seyoon.

Signal in My Veins, her debut song, and Pulso, the song that made her a top singer in Japan, had come out in order—so now, the only thing left was Pop star.

♬

The omen of the song Raon had prepared ambitiously for her U.S. push—and the song that made her decide to retire—began to flow.

Tap!

The stage lights turned on again in time with the music.

"What is it?"

"Huh?!"

"No way!"

In that instant, all three judges blurted out shocked voices at the same time.

Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine (Latin → English: “Grant them eternal rest, O Lord.”)

Music filled the stage—music that wasn’t in Raon’s original Pop star at all—an orchestral, solemn atmosphere with a grand, dramatic feel.

But the reason the judges were shocked wasn’t the music.

Sliiiide.

A single pillar was rising on a lift in the dead center of the stage.

And someone was tied to that pillar.

Te decet hymnus, Deus, in Sion (Latin → English: “A hymn befits You, O God, in Sion.”)

When the music that had echoed through the venue—almost holy at a glance—ended, six Iam members wearing cloaks rushed in around the pillar.

"They approved that?"

Raon’s scalp started to throb.

-You really won’t get tied up?

-Are you insane? You think I’m getting tied to a pillar?!

-Hah... I suggested this because it’s you, PD, but later you’re going to regret it and be jealous.

-No one is doing that crazy thing! And I won’t be jealous!

-This is totally a funeral-hall mad-movie angle and you’re rejecting it.

Until two days before today’s shoot, Lee Sion had kept trying to convince Raon, nonstop, asking if she really wouldn’t consider getting tied to a pillar.

Of course Raon refused.

It was weird enough for a judge to be onstage, and even if you gave a hundred concessions and made it possible, standing there tied to a pillar was absolutely not happening.

So maybe that was why.

The person tied to the pillar onstage right now—was Lee Sion instead of Raon.

And she was wearing Raon’s exact outfit from when she promoted Pop star.

Shhhk.

Staring with her mouth open because the sight was so absurd, Raon watched as the ropes tying Sion to the pillar loosened with a slide—

Snap!

The moment the rope released, Sion kicked off the foothold installed on the pillar and flipped in the air.

Just as screams were about to burst out from everyone in the venue, including Raon—

Everyone froze, unable to do anything but stare at the stage.

Because Sion, like she’d become a bird, spun through the air with unbelievable grace—and landed cleanly on the floor.

This is the fantasy I made

Play the beat by my rules

In the pouring flashes

Look at me, dazzling, yeah

Other members quickly gathered in around her and handed her a handheld mic, and the moment Sion took it, she started singing.

Raon’s Pop star—no, Iam’s Pop star—began.

***

I’m a pop star (pop star)

The world calls me louder

I shine over the moonlight like glitter

I’ll never stop

While the other members executed the choreography exactly, I focused only on vocals.

-Choose and focus. If we try to follow this at our current level, there’s no way we can digest it perfectly.

Our stage’s focus this time was performance.

It was the conclusion me and the members reached after sleeping in the practice room and debating day after day to prepare for this Three Kingdom stage.

It was also the decision we made so we could convincingly show the audience a single stage built by bundling the three songs that represented the singer Raon.

-A requiem concept isn’t bad.

At first, Shinyu put flesh on the bones of the requiem concept I suggested.

And with Shinyu’s proposal—let’s show that Raon isn’t the end, that she rises again—we all agreed, and that’s how the stage was born.

'It would’ve been better if Raon PD did it, but she said no, so I had to do it.'

So I ended up tied to the pillar for the performance, but I was satisfied because it came out exactly the way we planned.

We’d suffered, practicing in secret the whole time just to make this a surprise reveal—so seeing everyone in the venue staring with their mouths open, shocked by our performance, made me feel proud.

Pop star (pop star)

A drama sparkling like a star

It’s all my stage

Watch me now, I’m your pop star

As we finally finished the song’s last part and Iam’s members hit our ending pose centered around me, a photo we’d prepared appeared on the screen behind us.

A black-and-white photo of Raon smiling brightly.

'Raon PD, are you happy there?'

I found myself turning my gaze to the judges’ seats, curious how Raon was reacting—since she had to be moved, watching the stage we’d built to cheer her on.

And there she was—Raon, trembling head to toe, like she was touched by our surprise show and the photo.

"Hey! I’m not dead yet!!!"

And with Raon’s shout, our stage came to a close.