Chapter 62: Santa Claus Goes Wild (6)

In the backstage control room.

"Amazing... JYP, do you want a singer like Park Jin-young?!" The stage director never expected that his random selection would result in such a remarkable find.

To be honest, selecting one person from over 30,000 fans to participate in the stage performance was both a difficult and simple task. The simple part was that you could choose anyone from the 30,000—old, young, ugly, beautiful, healthy, or disabled—as long as they could speak. The difficult part was whether the person who came on stage would have the courage to sing in front of 30,000 fans, whether they would get stage fright, and whether they would go off-key due to excessive nervousness. If that happened, the next day's newspapers and the internet would be filled with ridicule of the SBS Christmas Eve concert. The lucky fan, who was supposed to share the joy with the singer, would end up being a disappointment.

At the same time, the lucky fan might be mocked by friends and neighbors due to this embarrassing moment, turning their luck into misfortune.

But when Li Yunzai appeared on the screen, the stage director's eyes lit up. Li Yunzai's unique style meant that even if he couldn't sing well, no one would recognize him. Even if SBS suffered a slight embarrassment, as long as it didn't leave a psychological shadow on the lucky fan, it would be fine.

However, he never expected that the "carefully" selected lucky fan would outshine all the other singers who had performed (excluding those who hadn't, like Shinhwa and BoA). This left him speechless and shocked. It was only then that he remembered the saying, "True masters are found among the common people."

Park Jin-young had a good relationship with the stage director, so he stayed in the control room after his performance. Initially, he wanted to see the "Santa Claus" make a fool of himself, but in the end, he was the one left speechless, his mouth wide open.

"Park Jin-young, snap out of it! Look, your saliva is almost dripping. Do you have some weird preferences?!" The stage director shivered at Park Jin-young's "evil" face. "Do you want a singer like this?!"

Park Jin-young came to his senses, wiped his saliva, and said, "Amazing, truly amazing! The singing techniques, the smooth transitions, these can be cultivated later, but the feeling, the emotion, and the soul the singer puts into the song cannot be taught. It can only be understood by the singer themselves. But this person has a very good grasp of that emotion. Among the singers who debuted after 2000, I've only felt a hint of this in BoA, but it wasn't strong. This person, however, gave me a very strong feeling. It's incredible!"

What Park Jin-young didn't know was that Li Yunzai could only fully immerse himself in the song's atmosphere when singing this particular song, which was closely related to his experiences. If he sang other songs, this feeling might be much weaker. After all, there's only one Michael Jackson in the world.

"Yeah, his stage control and instrumental skills are also excellent. I really hit the jackpot today!" The stage director laughed heartily.

"Call the staff and have them keep him. Get his contact information!" Park Jin-young instructed.

The stage director looked at him with a sidelong glance, remaining silent as if waiting for something. Park Jin-young patted his head and said, "Look at your stingy face. Don't worry... I'll take you out for drinks tomorrow... you choose the place!"

...

The intense applause lasted for over a minute before it started to wane. But someone shouted, "We want more!" This phrase spread like a virus throughout the square. Ten people, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand people all shouted, "We want more!" The deafening sound echoed for hundreds of meters, drawing more and more people to the area.

Lee Hwi-chul and Lee Hyori had to come out to control the situation. Li Yunzai handed the electric guitar to the guitarist and walked to Lee Hyori's side.

"Amazing... This fan, have you ever been an entertainer or waited on stage before? Otherwise, how could you sing so well, even better than me!" Lee Hwi-chul marveled.

Lee Hyori couldn't resist teasing, "Oppa, forget it... When have you ever sung? Oh, right, you did sing one song... the national anthem of the Great Cold Hell Kingdom!"

The audience burst into laughter.

"Santa Claus, you must have been an entertainer before, right?!" Lee Hyori asked, skipping over the previous comment. "Otherwise, how could you sing so well? Whether it's the transitions, high notes, or the hardest-to-grasp emotions, as well as your stage control, you're far better than most singers!"

Li Yunzai shook his head and honestly said, "No... This is my first time on stage, my first time singing in front of so many people!" At this moment, Li Yunzai's voice was still hoarse, but to the audience, it had a unique charm, and they couldn't tell that his vocal cords were problematic.

"Amazing!" Lee Hyori exclaimed, her eyes wide open, looking at Li Yunzai as if he were a monster. "How can you sing so well?!"

Li Yunzai humbly replied, "Not really, I just hummed a bit!"

"Wow... So arrogant, too arrogant!" This time, it wasn't the audience but the other singers in the singer area who couldn't help but mentally give Li Yunzai the middle finger. "You just hummed a bit and sang so well, how are we supposed to survive? This is just teasing us."

Lee Hyori staggered, smiling bitterly. "Oh my... Your words just now hit me hard... You sang better than me with just a hum, how am I supposed to survive in this industry... I feel like the past ten years were wasted!"

Li Yunzai realized he had misspoken and quickly tried to make amends. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean it that way... you know, I really didn't mean it that way!"

"Alright, alright! We won't tease you anymore... We're very grateful for your participation in SBS's Christmas Eve concert. Thank you for bringing us such an amazing performance!" Lee Hyori thanked him.

Li Yunzai bowed slightly and was about to leave the stage. At this moment, he was eager to leave, as he could already feel a slight discomfort in his throat, which would worsen with time.

But just as he was about to leave, the audience below seemed unsatisfied and shouted in unison, "We want more... We want more... We want more..."

The faces of the singers in the singer area stiffened. This level of popularity was something even top-tier singers envied. Fans had never been so eager to keep them on stage, but Li Yunzai was receiving this treatment.

"This..."

Lee Hyori and Lee Hwi-chul exchanged glances. The atmosphere on the scene seemed to be out of their control due to Santa Claus's outstanding performance.

"What should we do?" Lee Hyori asked, not looking at Lee Hwi-chul.

Lee Hwi-chul was at a loss. They had no right to ask Li Yunzai to perform again. Just then, a staff member on the side of the stage made a gesture, and he felt relieved. "Santa Claus, don't go yet. Look at how enthusiastic the fans are. Why don't you sing one more song to calm them down?"

The singers in the singer area and backstage all felt like they were about to vomit blood. Even they had never experienced such a precedent, but a fake Santa Claus had set this precedent. Was it really Santa Claus's magic?!

Li Yunzai was taken aback, looking at the excited fans below. His steps instinctively stopped. The camera focused on him, and his close-up appeared on the LED screen, his Santa Claus appearance particularly eye-catching.

"We want more... We want more... We want more..." The audience below, seeing the possibility, shouted even louder.

In fact, their excitement, besides Li Yunzai's excellent singing, was also because Li Yunzai was not a professional singer. He represented the grassroots, the 30,000 fans below, and the millions of fans across Korea. This is why the audience was so enthusiastic.

"Santa Claus, sing one more song!"

The audience erupted in cheers. The men almost sprayed blood from their noses, as Lee Hyori's seductive and charming plea was irresistible.

Li Yunzai subconsciously scratched his head, a gesture he made when he felt awkward. But this subtle action was noticed by BoA.

"Yunzai?!!" BoA called out softly, her eyes full of doubt.

"BoA-ssi, what are you saying?" Suh Hyun frowned, her ears particularly sensitive to the name "Yunzai."

"Ah... nothing... nothing!" BoA evaded, but her beautiful eyes were fixed on the Santa Claus on stage, as if trying to see through his disguise.

Feeling the charm of Lee Hyori and the strong invitation from the audience, Li Yunzai nodded.

"I was too excited just now, so my throat is a bit uncomfortable. Can I sing a slow, emotional song this time?" The staff adjusted the microphone for Li Yunzai, and he asked the audience.

"Sure!!!"

Li Yunzai shrugged, gave a thumbs-up, and slowly walked to the piano, sitting down and placing his hands on the keys. "This song is my own creation, dedicated to my sister. Sister, I hope you like it!"

In the audience, Park So-yeon's body trembled.

"Oh..." The audience below let out a meaningful cry, filled with suspicion. The term "sister" had many meanings—was it a biological sister or a close friend?!

...