The moment Hyerim's body hit the floor, everything shattered.
Someone screamed her name.
Someone else threw the mic away like it was cursed.
Yura was sobbing so hard she couldn't even breathe, and Junki was slamming at the karaoke machine, shouting that this was fake, a prank...anything but what it was.
But the blood on the stage didn't look fake.
And the stench of panic filled the small, suffocating karaoke room.
I stood frozen where I was, unable to even blink.
Then something flickered by the main screen.
[Next Round Begins In: 03:00]
A smaller countdown window appeared above the broken karaoke machine.
The seconds were slipping fast.
[2:59]
[2:58]
[2:57]
I forced my eyes down to my phone, where the rules were still open.
My throat was dry as I reread them again and again.
"Each round: one contestant must sing within three minutes.
Failure to sing before the timer ends = automatic removal from the stage."
"Removal from the stage…"
I whispered the words.
My heart pounded.
I looked at Hyerim's body.
'Leaving the stage meant...dying.'
I looked up and the others hadn't even noticed the timer yet.
Bae Nari was shaking in the corner uttering the words.
"We need to go… we need to go…"
Park Hyunwoo was pressing the on button trying to boot his phone for the fifteenth time.
Park Mina was hitting the walls, screaming that this was some hidden camera prank gone wrong.
No one was thinking straight.
And I knew no one was going to sing.
And the timer didn't care.
[1:47]
I swallowed and realized I hadn't sung yet.
If no one was to sing and it picked randomly for someone to exit the stage...would it pick me?
My chest tightened.
I didn't know how to sing.
I knew I was brave enough to gamble on the chances of it picking any of us to leave the stage...but I wasn't going to gamble on my life.
It could be me next.
[1:09]
'I can't risk it...'
My eyes darted to the screen as it shifted again, the song selection window reappearing in glowing red text:
---
[Song Selection – Round 3 Incoming]
1."Endless Summer Dream" – FIVEYE
2."Whispers in the Rain" – Seo Min-kyu
3."My Baby, My Star" – CANDY★DROP
4."Broken Stage" – Ashfall
5."One Last Goodbye" – Han Areum
---
"FIVEYE…"
I murmured.
I'd heard that name before.
Of course I had.
The song had been everywhere last summer. Short video apps, ads, convenience stores, even my neighborhood café.
"Endless Summer Dream."
The bright, nostalgic hook repeated endlessly online.
Even if you hated K-pop, you knew that melody.
My thumb hovered, then pressed the song.
The room dimmed, the colored lights flickering into warm orange.
The opening synth line floated out.
I took the mic.
My fingers were trembling, but the lyrics were there...somehow.
Buried in my head from a hundred times hearing it unconsciously.
---
"Under the fading sun, we danced and laughed away the night…
Even when the waves erased our names, we stayed bright…"
---
My voice cracked on the word bright.
It was rough, off-tempo and shaky but I kept going.
The others had stopped shouting now.
Every eye in the room was on me.
Even Han Yura, who had been crying into her palms, looked up slowly as I sang the chorus.
---
"Endless summer, summer-summer
Baby, we're like light in the rain,
One last dream I'll chase again
In your eyes…"
---
The sound system echoed my voice with too much reverb, making me sound bad.
However I didn't stop.
For once, the silence in the room wasn't from fear.
It was because no one dared interrupt.
I clutched the mic tighter, staring at the big glowing screen in front of me...and that's when I noticed the viewer count.
[※ 7,214 Spectral Viewers ※]
The number was climbing fast.
I swallowed hard as the music faded, my last shaky note hanging in the air.
Then the cheerful host's voice came again.
["That was a wonderful performance!, you've really captured the season's warmth!]
[What do the viewers have to say about that? Let's find out~!"]
'What?...voting already'
I thought voting happens after two people sing...and the one with the lowest votes is eliminated.
'Individual voting?'
The lights dimmed.
The screen switched to another window with a horizontal bar graph stretching across the display.
---
[ ↑↓ Live Voting Results Incoming…]
[ ↑ Upvotes:
██████████████████░░ 3,561]
[ ↓ Downvotes: ██████████████████░░ 3,562]
[Total Votes: 7,123]
---
I froze.
The blue bar blinked.
The red bar blinked.
Then the numbers flickered.
[↑3,563.]
[↓3,562.]
A one-vote difference.
The lights pulsed in rhythm with the numbers, and for a split second, I thought my heart had stopped.
Then the cheerful voice returned, clapping sounds playing in the background.
["Wow!
Contestant Kim Namgyeong won't be leaving the stage!
Congratulations!"]
I almost dropped the mic.
My knees gave out, but I didn't fall.
I was still standing.
The others were staring at me...I could make out the looks of some with relief, others with disbelief.
---
Everything was still tense after that last round.
The air in the room felt heavy, almost too thick to breathe.
No one wanted to speak first.
Then, suddenly, Choi Taegyu's voice cut through the silence.
"Next round," he said, arms crossed, his tone calm but sharp.
"You'll need two heads."
"What?"
Mina asked, her voice small and shaky.
"What do you mean two heads?"
Hyunwoo followed, confusion spreading around the room.
Before anyone could ask again, Taegyu moved.
He grabbed Seori's arm, pulling her toward him.
She struggled immediately.
"Hey, LET GO OF ME!
What the hell do you think you're doing!?"
She yelled, trying to pull free.
Taegyu didn't let go. His expression didn't change.
"If you don't want to die, you'll be my duo for the duet."
"Duet?" Junki asked.
He turned, his voice rising so everyone could hear him.
"You heard me!
You all should team up too!
I'm not planning to die because you idiots waste time!"
Everyone froze.
I looked at the screen.
There was no timer this time.
Three minutes hadn't started counting down yet.
'So that's it…' I thought to myself.
No timer must mean the next round must be duets.
I went througj the rules again on my phone and confirmed it.
Taegyu then reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small silver walkman.
"This thing..."
He said, waving it slightly.
"...was on the whole time.
I didn't even realize it."
He smirked.
"And if that's the case… then it recorded everything.
Every word the host said about the rules.
That means…"
He glanced at all of us with that smug, calculating look.
"I've got the most advantage now."
He pressed a few buttons, the small machine whirring faintly as it rewound.
Everyone was silent, watching him.
Then, with a small click, it started playing.
The walkman's sound came out grainy, the voice slightly distorted like it was coming from an old radio.
[kkkrr-Congratulations! You've been selected for a Private session-Spectral Session-rrrkkk-
Rule 3-Perfomances must be solo...unless our lovely ghost idol invites a duet!—rrkkk-Losers get...escorted off stage!—kkrrt-kkrrr—]
The sound faded with a bit of static.
Taegyu stopped the tape and looked up with a satisfied grin.
"You heard that, didn't you?"
"If any of you want to live and see tomorrow...you do exactly as I say."
No one argued.
No one even looked him in the eye.
That silence itself was an agreement.
Then, as if to seal his words, the karaoke screen lit up again and the host's cheerful, TV-presenter voice came through.
["Welcome back, contestants! Round Four will be Duet Mode!
Please select your partners! Make sure both of you sing~!"]
The room went still.
That bright, almost happy tone only made it feel worse.
One by one, everyone started pairing up.
Bae Nari turned to Junki first.
"P-Please please...let's just… get this over with."
She muttered.
He nodded quickly.
"Yeah...Just stay on tempo."
Mina and Yura ended up together too, though neither looked happy about it.
Yura kept glancing at the screen nervously while Mina tried to keep her calm.
"I guess it's just us."
Hyunwoo said, walking toward Lee Miri.
Miri sighed and nodded.
"Whatever...just don't screw up!"
Taegyu looked straight at me from across the room, his hand still gripping Seori's arm lightly.
He had that same cold smirk on his face.
"Looks like you're the only one without a duo, Namgyeong."
---
A faint buzzing filled the silence before that same cheerful and distorted voice returned.
["Hehe~ Wonderful, wonderful~!
You all made it to the next stage! Isn't that amazing?
Our lovely ghost idol, Harmony-chan, has decided to spice things up just a little bit!"]
The tone was unnervingly bright, almost playful, like a cartoon mascot addressing kids...except the "kids" were a group of trembling adults covered in blood of their own co-worker.
["Because Harmony loves teamwork...she's decided to allow duets!
That's right! Sing together!
Two hearts, one voice~!"]
The voice grew louder.
["Pay close attention, contestants, to the rules for this special duet round!
They're super easy!"]
A red light shimmered above the main screen, and glowing words appeared mid-air.
I could see them reflected across the horrified faces of my coworkers.
---
________________________________
[※DUET ROUND RULES※]
• In the song selection, there will be two songs only.
•The first duo to pick their preferred song will lock it in - leaving the other duo with whatever remains.
•Both duos will sing their songs in turns.
•No live viewer votes this round! Instead, our lovely ghost idol Harmony-chan herself will decide the fate of each performance!
•The entire duet can be eliminated… or just one member… or both duets entirely!
___________________________________
---
The voice paused, then shifted into an even more excited tone, as though adding a "bonus rule" for fun.
["And one last rule! Harmony hates it when singers mock or disrespect the performance. So, if anyone dares to laugh, break character, or ruin their partner's flow… Harmony might just decide you're not fit to stay on stage~!"]
["Good luck, my lovely contestants~! Put on a performance to die for!"]
The song selection screen above us flickered to life again.
Two songs appeared in bright letters.
---
[Song Selection – Duet Round]
1. "Strawberry Cake" – HYPEE (Boy Group)
2. "Cookie" – KISS (Girl Group)
---
Choi Taegyu didn't waste a second.
He moved straight for the glowing control panel, dragging Seori with him.
"We're taking the first one."
With a loud beep, the first song locked in.
The letters dimmed slightly, marking it as chosen.
That left 'Cookie' for Junki and Nari.
Junki stared at the screen for a second, then looked at Nari with foggy, bloodshot eyes.
His face was pale, and I could smell alcohol on him even from across the room.
He'd been drinking before this whole nightmare started ...I remembered that.
Nari took a deep breath.
"It's fine.."
She said softly, mostly to calm herself.
"I know this one...Just follow my lead, okay? It's easy.
Just… stay on beat."
He nodded lazily.
"Got it… Miss intern."
Meanwhile, Taegyu and Seori took their positions in front of the mic stands.
The screen changed colors, showing
Strawberry Cake – HYPEE.
The music started with strong, rhythmic beats with the kind of high-energy tone you'd hear from a boy group in concert.
Taegyu's voice was steady and commanding.
Seori matched him surprisingly well despite trembling earlier.
Their harmonies weren't perfect, but they were confident.
Despite everything, it looked… professional.
By the time they finished the was air filled with the faint hum of static again.
Then, their song faded out, and the second duet was up.
"Let's go."
Nari said, taking a step forward.
Junki staggered beside her, clutching the mic with one hand.
His eyes were glassy, his expression slightly unfocused.
The screen brightened with soft colors of pinks and blues as
Cookie – KISS began to play.
Nari started strong.
Her voice was shaky, but she kept the melody steady.
Then came Junki's part.
At first, he tried ...his voice cracked a little, but he followed along.
Halfway through, though, his voice wavered.
He hiccuped once or twice.
Then he let out a small laugh.
Everyone froze.
He laughed again louder this time.
"Hehe… sorry… I just- *hiccup!"
Hesaid, slurring slightly.
"This song's too damn happy..."
Nari turned sharply.
"Junki! Focus...!"
But he wasn't listening.
Instead, he stepped closer to her, circling behind her like some kind of drunk performer playing up a skit.
His voice dropped into a whisper, right into the mic.
"You're so damn pretty, you know that, Nari?"
The room went silent except for the instrumental.
He laughed again, lowering his mic slightly while tracing the tip of his finger along the side of her neck and his other hand still holding the mic carelessly.
"I've always wanted to…"
"Stop it!"
Nari hissed, her voice trembling as she tried to keep singing.
"Just sing! Junki, please!"
Junki however kept laughing with a messy and ugly sound.
Nari was the only one left singing alone.
When the song finally ended, there wasn't a single clap.
Just heavy, broken breathing.
Then, once again, the host's voice came on.
["That was such a fun round! Wonderful! Wonderful! So full of… emotion~!"]
A pause.
Then the tone dropped just slightly.
["However…"]
["…It seems our lovely ghost idol Harmony did not like the second group's performance…"]
["Oh my—!"]
The voice exclaimed in mock surprise.
Before anyone could move, before Junki could even look up...
*BANG!
Junki's head burst open like a melon, spraying blood across Nari's back and the mic stand.
Nari froze and her hands shook violently.
The mic she was holding clattered to the floor, bouncing once before rolling near her feet.
Her eyes went wide, her mouth trembling.
"..."
["Thank you, Contestant Junki! Your performance was truly unforgettable~! Harmony sends her regards~!"]