Chapter 5 …

While the cameras and stage lights briefly caught their breath on the stage,

the judges—exhausted after more than five hours of preliminary auditions—leaned back in their chairs while drinking coffee.

Among the three judges, the oldest, Choi Min-seok, spoke in a tired voice.

“Whew… there aren’t many contestants left now, right?”

“Yes. Once this one finishes, it’s break time.”

Kim Eun-soo, who had once been a popular idol group member before retiring and becoming a producer, smiled as if to comfort him.

But Choi Min-seok shook his head from side to side as if trying to shake off his fatigue.

“No, I mean—this program isn’t some agency promotion event… Why are there so many kids sent by entertainment companies this time?”

The youngest judge, Yoon Tae-hyun, a popular solo singer known for his unique tone, shrugged lightly.

“Well, at least those kids already have basic training, so it’s easier to build a stage with them.”

“If that’s the case, then why hold auditions at all?”

“Hehe. Still, sometimes there’s a real gem hidden among them.”

“That’s true. When you discover one, it’s pretty satisfying. It even makes me feel like I’ve returned to my beginner’s mindset.”

“Beginner’s mindset, huh.”

At Yoon Tae-hyun’s words, Choi Min-seok nodded with a small smile.

“Ah—sorry. Saying that in front of my seniors…”

Yoon Tae-hyun quickly bowed his head, and Choi Min-seok waved it off as if to say it was fine.

Just then, the monitor displayed a name and profile.

“No. 39 — Park Do-ha.”

Yoon Tae-hyun looked at the screen with curious eyes.

“This kid isn’t from an agency. Haven’t seen a free agent in a while.”

Kim Eun-soo’s eyes lit up as she flipped through the application with interest.

“Park Do-ha? That name sounds familiar… Ah, here it is. Talent Discovery Team, dance prodigy.”

Hearing that, Yoon Tae-hyun smiled as if recalling something fondly.

“Oh, that little kid who danced really well? He was super cute.”

Choi Min-seok looked toward the stage with anticipation.

“You saw that too? His nasal voice during the interview was a bit disappointing, though.”

“What, now you’re even digging through Talent Discovery Team to find rookies?”

“Hehe, that’s just how this job is, senior.”

When Choi Min-seok teased him, Kim Eun-soo grinned.

Looking again at Do-ha as he walked onto the stage, Eun-soo watched him with a mixture of expectation and doubt, wondering how much he had grown.

The stage lights turned on.

As Do-ha’s figure appeared, Choi Min-seok spoke first.

“Nice to meet you, Park Do-ha. I fell for your dancing when I saw you on Talent Discovery Team.”

“Thank you!”

Do-ha bowed politely.

Hearing his voice, Eun-soo tilted her head slightly.

That wasn’t the nasal voice he had as a child.

Did he fix it through training?

That wouldn’t be easy… Should she ask? Or not?

While she was pondering, Yoon Tae-hyun spoke with clear curiosity.

“Can you show us the dance you did back then?”

“Yes.”

As if he had been waiting for the request, Do-ha answered immediately.

The host quickly took away his microphone.

“Oh, good posture.”

Wanting to relax his head a little, Choi Min-seok leaned back against the chair.

‘Is it finally starting?’

As the judges’ gazes poured toward him, his heart pounded.

While preparing for the audition, when I found out Do-ha had written “Talent Discovery Team” on the application, I was startled.

If he wrote that there, it must have been a strategy to attract attention by dancing like he did as a child, right?

But Do-ha… I’ve never danced in my previous life!

For a moment, despair hit me.

But as I watched the clip of young Do-ha dancing on Talent Discovery Team and tried to copy it—

“Huh? This actually works?”

Maybe because Do-ha had done nothing but dance since childhood, his body was perfectly optimized for any kind of dance.

Whenever I watched a dance video, the movements and flow were imprinted in my brain, and my body reacted exactly the same.

Bright, cheerful music burst onto the stage.

It was the moment for Do-ha’s genius talent to bloom brilliantly.

I looked toward the judges’ table and lifted the corners of my mouth in a confident smile.

As if gladly accepting the provocation, the judges focused intently.

With the tips of my feet, I bounced lightly to the rhythm.

Like a child running around in an amusement park, I waved my arms cutely and shrugged my shoulders.

Light, lively steps.

A small, adorable gesture—forming a V with both hands and tapping beside my face.

The corners of the judges’ lips rose.

‘Cute… but is this really enough to be called a prodigy?’

Just as doubt flickered—

The music suddenly switched, and a powerful beat exploded.

In an instant, my expression changed.

The cute, innocent image from moments ago vanished.

Instead, I stared at the judges with sharp, perfectly honed eyes.

Lowering my body, I performed a powerful wave.

The movement started from the hips, flowed through the chest and shoulders, and spread to the fingertips like flowing water.

Then came a rapid turn—

followed by a high-level step where my feet crossed and landed precisely.

The playful cuteness vanished.

In its place, intense tension and powerful energy filled the stage.

Like a flexible rubber band, every part of my body moved under perfect control.

As I connected the movements with sharp popping, the judges held their breath.

They couldn’t look away.

Because Do-ha’s movement was the music—

and the music was Do-ha.

‘What the… he’s a genius.’

The judges couldn’t close their mouths.

As the dance ended with the final beat of the music, all three judges were leaning forward toward Do-ha.

Kim Eun-soo was now truly curious whether Park Do-ha had overcome the nasal voice he used to have.

“Still impressive. So, what song did you prepare?”

Do-ha answered in a calm voice—so calm it was hard to believe he had just performed such an intense dance.

“It’s an original song.”

At those words, the three judges exchanged looks filled with expectation.

“Alright. Let’s hear it.”

As soon as Eun-soo finished speaking, the stage lighting changed.

Now the real evaluation began.

The judges’ eyes focused on him.

The accompaniment started.

And finally, the song flowed from his lips.

“I buried the voice that would never fade away…”

A low, solid mid-bass voice crossed the stage.

The spotlight followed the line of Do-ha’s left profile.

The camera fixed on his eyes.

The clear youthful tone unique to a boy—

combined with the resonance of a deeper register.

The slightly awkward, cautious voice only made it more moving.

Emotion filled his voice, and his unrefined sincerity flowed out naturally.

A soft sound, like gently tapping on someone’s heart.

‘So he really fixed that nasal tone…?’

Eun-soo’s eyes widened.

She clasped her hands together and leaned forward on the desk.

As the song approached its climax, Do-ha poured emotion into the melody.

“Now I know how to breathe again—
since the moment you held onto me.”

At that moment, Do-ha’s eyes trembled slightly.

Emotion surged up, almost spilling into tears.

The high note was steady—

but his gaze wavered.

‘Is he crying? Too much emotion? If it goes further…’

Without realizing it, sweat formed in Yoon Tae-hyun’s palm.

But—

“Because now… I get to live as myself.”

Hitting the pitch perfectly, his voice resonated sadly and earnestly through the space.

He finished with a clean tone and lowered his head.

‘Was that intentional?’

His final note held no uncontrollable trembling.

Only lingering resonance remained.

Before anyone realized it, Choi Min-seok’s eyelids had turned red, moisture gathering at the corners of his eyes.

He quickly lifted his head and pressed his eyes with his fingertips.

Glances were exchanged among the staff.

The atmosphere and emotions Do-ha had shown in the interview—

they weren’t just an image.

They had now been proven with real skill.

The stage had been far better than expected.

And powerful.

The floor director who had seen him since the waiting room sighed in admiration.

The boy’s short comment during the interview—

who would have thought it would echo this strongly on stage?

“…That strangely moved me.”

Kim Eun-soo, who had doubted his voice, spoke first.

Choi Min-seok, having regained his composure, followed.

“It reminds me of my younger days.”

The highest praise filled with sincerity.

At those words, Do-ha bowed ninety degrees.

“Thank you!”

“You have a beautiful tone, Park Do-ha.”

As soon as Choi Min-seok finished speaking, Yoon Tae-hyun shouted:

“I want to see the next stage. You pass!”

Choi Min-seok and Kim Eun-soo quickly declared their approval as well.

As Do-ha stepped down from the stage, he felt his fingertips trembling slightly.

‘Did I do well…?’

At that moment, a short phrase from a walkie-talkie clearly reached his ears.

“Highlight confirmed. Mark it.”

And just like that, the first scene of a boy’s story finished preparing to spread beyond the screen.

* * *

Inside the subway train, the evening sunset flickered past the shaking windows.

Do-ha looked at his reflection in the glass, then turned his head slightly.

The faint trace of studio lighting lingered beneath his eyes.

It seemed his makeup hadn’t completely come off yet.

Even so, his chest was still full.

Not because he passed.

But because he had truly enjoyed the stage itself.

I always believed singing was for the listener.

But my appearance had always been judged first.

It had been an obstacle that kept people from hearing my voice as it truly was.

To sing, I had to hide my appearance.

Because the moment I stepped onto a stage—

no one truly listened to my singing.

‘Now it’s finally right.’

I muttered to myself and let out a small laugh.

“Even if I’m doing it with someone else’s face… and someone else’s voice.”

Why does part of my heart feel so warm?

Maybe because this was the first time someone said my song was good, simply for the song itself.

I had longed to hear that simple evaluation.

And now it had finally come true.

Watching my song quietly touch something in the hearts of the judges and staff—

it felt intoxicating.

It was the first time.

This overwhelming emotion.

For others, it might have been just a small preliminary audition stage.

But compared to my past life—where my appearance overshadowed everything and my singing was never truly evaluated—

this felt like an enormous blessing.

‘Now I really want to do well.’

I steadied my resolve again and took a deep breath.

Just then—

my phone vibrated loudly.

I pulled it out and looked at the screen.

It was a text message from Voice League.

Finally… an announcement?

[Voice League: Final Sound — Main Round Participant Notice]

[Official Announcement]

Hello.

This is the production team of 〈Voice League: Final Sound〉.

Congratulations to all participants who have passed the preliminary round.

Since Park Do-ha has been selected as a contestant advancing to the main round of Voice League,

you must now pass the entry audition for the studio stage.

Only those who pass this residential audition will be able to participate in the studio competition.

※ Absence or lateness on the day will result in automatic elimination.

Mission: Announced on the day
Schedule: Enter the designated location according to your individually notified schedule
Stage Conditions: No audience — performance in front of judges and production staff only

“Is it finally starting?”

Before I knew it, my heart was pounding wildly.