Chapter 1. The Life of a Singer, Four Times
In the 5th century BC,
the life of Helios, born in Athens, Greece, had been very smooth.
Until the day of his final performance at the age of 30….
Possessing the most beautiful voice of anyone, he was the idol and object of admiration for all Greeks.
With the talent and intellect bestowed upon him by the gods, he established the foundation of ancient vocal techniques. Countless followers adopted his methods, and as a result, the first musical drama in history—the ancient Greek musical play—was born.
The ruler of Athens, Tyrannos, praised his artistic contributions and permitted him to enter the Ekklesia.
His artistry transcended all fields to such an extent that it brought him to the peak of political success.
But tragedy began with the reckless devotion of one woman.
Helena, a noblewoman who was obsessively enamored with Helios’s singing, became so consumed by her obsession that she ultimately made his neck an offering to her husband, Kairos.
Helios’s head fell to the ground all too easily beneath Kairos’s sword.
It happened behind the stage during a performance.
For a very brief moment, while blood still flowed through his severed head,
he made a final wish.
That in the next life, he would become an even better singer….
In the late 17th century,
Brusco was born in the slums of Naples, Italy.
At the age of nine, due to his parents’ desperate choice to escape poverty, he lost his masculinity.
A castrato….
A male opera singer capable of expressing a woman’s voice.
Fortunately, he possessed extraordinary natural talent, and thus he reaped great rewards in exchange for the masculinity he had lost as a child.
Through his innate voice, refined senses, and perfectly controlled vocal technique guided by his brilliant mind, he produced an extreme range of sound.
Handel admired him and composed the opera Rinaldo in his honor.
He even praised him as the great vocalist who would lead the history of opera.
From his voice—containing both restrained beauty and intense passion—the bel canto style of singing was born.
Thus, Brusco became the symbol of the Baroque opera era, leading the birth of Italian opera that inherited the tradition of ancient Greek musical drama.
He had an unusual fear of knives and spread anti-violence ideals through his art, earning praise throughout Europe as a pacifist.
Though he had lost his masculinity, a fellow soprano named Caterina was always by his side.
A lover who promised a future together, always encouraging him without seeking physical satisfaction.
One day, hearing strange sounds coming from the theater’s prop room backstage, Brusco opened the door—
and witnessed a scene that shattered everything.
Two people intertwined, moving intensely and moaning….
The man was the theater manager.
And the woman was none other than Caterina.
That night, Brusco—the great vocalist expected to illuminate the history of Italian opera—took his own life.
As he lay dying, he made one final wish.
That in the next life, he would become an even better singer….
In the early 20th century,
Matthew Connors was born into a working-class family in Brooklyn, New York.
Following his father, he spent his life doing manual labor.
One day, when he turned twenty, he followed a friend to a Broadway audition.
A conductor there urgently needed someone for an ensemble role and asked him to sing a single line.
Matthew had little interest in singing, but when he heard that appearing for one month in a musical ensemble would earn him five months’ worth of construction wages, he was tempted.
For some reason, after hearing his voice, the conductor became visibly excited and urged him to study musicals seriously.
When Matthew declined because he had no money, the conductor insisted he would personally cover all the tuition.
Against his father’s fierce opposition, Matthew left home and moved in with a friend.
Thus began his study of musical theater.
After about a year of training, he was suddenly cast as the lead in a massive Broadway theater production.
It might have seemed like a short time, but for someone with his natural talent, it was more than enough—more than the ten years others needed.
Both critics and audiences reacted negatively to the casting of an unknown rookie.
But the moment his singing began, every critic fell into overwhelming joy and emotion.
The birth of a perfect musical actor.
A voice that stirred the human heart, emotions that shook the soul, dramatic breathing and expressions that captivated the audience.
Broadway was electrified by the birth of an unprecedented genius artist.
Matthew Connors then spent about ten years at the peak of his career as one of Broadway’s most prominent figures.
Talent creates attention, and attention creates affection.
He felt great achievement and satisfaction in his life.
Except for one thing—
his severe paranoia toward women made normal relationships impossible.
At most, relationships lasted a year before the women eventually left him.
But not all of them.
The last woman…
instead of leaving him, made him leave.
Tormented by his constant suspicion, she eventually lost her sanity and decided that the only way everyone could be happy was to end things.
So she poured cyanide into his coffee.
Matthew Connors collapsed to the floor after drinking half the cup.
And he realized he was dying.
He made his final wish.
That in the next life, he would become an even better singer….
1994, Korea.
Doo-doo-doo-doo…
The sound of timpani echoed urgently from the orchestra of RBS Public Broadcasting.
Everyone held their breath at this moment.
Finally, the awards ceremony host lifted the microphone.
“1993! The Grand Prize of the Korean Music Awards… the honored winner is… Han Ji-hyeok!!!”
When Han Ji-hyeok’s name was called, people at the venue—and viewers across the country glued to their televisions—reacted with the same words.
“Wow, in the end it’s Han Ji-hyeok!”
“Such an obvious result!”
“What about Oh Jun-seong? His childhood friend who only did his chorus parts ended up beating him.”
Today’s Grand Prize winner, Han Ji-hyeok, had begun his career as a singer by coincidence.
It started when he added harmonies to an album for his close friend, Oh Jun-seong, who was also competing with him until the end today.
But once the album was released, public attention turned not to Oh Jun-seong, but to Han Ji-hyeok.
“The guy doing the harmonies has a much better voice.”
“It feels like the lead and supporting roles are reversed!”
“I only listen when the harmony parts come on.”
Oh Jun-seong was already a famous singer and walked a smooth path thanks to the support of his father, Oh Min-cheol, chairman of Daehan Group.
But he happily supported Ji-hyeok despite the attention focused on him.
Even when Ji-hyeok’s debut album surpassed Jun-seong’s and reached No.1.
“You jerk, you actually took first place on the charts.”
“Sorry, Jun-seong. Next time it’ll be you.”
“Forget it. You only succeeded because of me.”
“Of course! Hahaha. Thanks.”
“Anyway, congratulations, Han Ji-hyeok!”
Their story became a frequent topic of heartwarming stories in the entertainment industry.
Two childhood friends who became stars.
And the friend who merely added harmonies achieving even greater success.
Naturally, the main character of the story was Han Ji-hyeok, while Oh Jun-seong was merely the supporting character who helped his success.
Entering his prime, Han Ji-hyeok displayed transcendent singing ability, as though he had been singing for hundreds or even thousands of years.
When he sang, even his flaws turned into strengths.
People called him a genius singer who could turn even human imperfection into charm.
After the ceremony, at the broadcasting station parking lot.
As Han Ji-hyeok appeared surrounded by reporters, Oh Jun-seong greeted him with a bright smile.
“Han Ji-hyeok! You finally did it first. Just take everything for yourself!”
“I was lucky! Hahaha.”
“What luck? It was inevitable. Congratulations, Han Ji-hyeok!”
“Thanks, Jun-seong. It’s all thanks to you.”
“Yeah right, listen to that polite nonsense…”
“Hahaha.”
At that moment, a woman stepped out of a van and walked toward them.
Jung Si-yeon.
Korea’s top actress and Han Ji-hyeok’s girlfriend.
She had fallen for Ji-hyeok’s voice and first met him after visiting his dressing room at a concert for an autograph.
While most celebrities kept relationships secret, the two publicly revealed theirs just a month after they began dating.
“Congratulations, Ji-hyeok!”
Si-yeon seemed even more excited than Ji-hyeok himself about his award.
“Si-yeon, you know I didn’t win today because of this guy, right? You two better comfort me properly.”
“Haha, Jun-seong, you were amazing this year too.”
“Yeah, man. You were good too. Let’s not obsess over awards.”
“That’s easy for the guy who won to say!”
“Oh… is it? Hahaha.”
Si-yeon glanced at her watch.
“I have filming now, so I should go. Jun-seong, don’t let Ji-hyeok drink too much tonight!”
“Wow… a Grand Prize winner and a top actress girlfriend worrying about him. What a lucky guy!”
“Stop it already, it’s embarrassing.”
“I can say anything to you today! Hahaha.”
Laughing heartily, Jun-seong walked toward his car.
“I’ll go first so you two can have some time together. I’ll see you at the studio later!”
Ji-hyeok waved and turned around.
Si-yeon’s eyes looking at him shone brighter than ever today.
“Thank you. Having you with me makes days like this possible.”
“I didn’t do anything. If you didn’t win, who would?”
“Hahaha. I expected it, but actually receiving it still feels surreal.”
Si-yeon held his hands tightly.
“I think this is just the beginning. You’ll become a truly great singer performing on the world stage.”
“Even if that doesn’t happen, I’ll be happy as long as I have you.”
Ji-hyeok hugged Si-yeon, and flashes from reporters’ cameras exploded around them like fireworks.
Later that night.
After drinking heavily at the studio, Ji-hyeok and Jun-seong were standing on the rooftop.
“We were drinking happily—why the rooftop? This sobers me up.”
Ji-hyeok loved drinking, so Jun-seong’s suggestion to get some air annoyed him.
Jun-seong leaned against the railing, enjoying the cold night breeze.
“Hey, if you drink like that all the time your voice will get ruined. You need rest now that you’re a Grand Prize singer.”
“Hahaha. You’re right.”
It was late December and freezing, but Ji-hyeok’s heart was warm.
The Grand Prize, his beloved girlfriend Si-yeon, and his lifelong friend Jun-seong.
At this moment, surrounded by precious things, Ji-hyeok felt he was at the peak of happiness.
He walked over beside Jun-seong.
“Thanks, Jun-seong. For always taking care of me. And… I’m sorry.”
This building itself had been given by Jun-seong’s father, Chairman Oh Min-cheol, to support his son’s music career.
Jun-seong freely provided Ji-hyeok with the studio, office, and recording rooms.
“You’re right about the taking care part. But sorry? That’s insulting to me. Just watch—I’ll beat you someday.”
“Hahaha. Yeah, you will.”
Though they said this, neither of them truly believed Jun-seong could surpass Ji-hyeok as a singer.
“Still, I’m grateful too.”
Jun-seong suddenly said.
“For what?”
“The lyrics you fixed for me were pretty good.”
Recently, Ji-hyeok had helped revise the latter part of lyrics Jun-seong had written.
“Oh, that? I just rearranged some words.”
“That’s the detail. Just changing the word order to match the pitch made the whole ending come alive. You really are a genius.”
“Hey, don’t get all serious over something like that.”
Jun-seong suddenly recited the lyrics Ji-hyeok had helped with.
“I achieved love and dreams—there is nothing left in the world to regret.”
Ji-hyeok frowned slightly.
“That lyric sounds kind of dark. Doesn’t suit your style. Changing your album concept?”
“Maybe… maybe not.”
Jun-seong’s expression grew serious.
“But this will change my life. Just this one lyric you wrote for me.”
Ji-hyeok thought the lyric wasn’t very commercial, but he still encouraged his friend.
“Yeah! A change of image could be a good opportunity.”
Jun-seong looked at him quietly.
“Help me with one more thing.”
Ji-hyeok smiled and answered without hesitation.
“Sure. If I can do it, I’ll help.”
“Thank you, Ji-hyeok. It’s something only you can do.”
Jun-seong grabbed Ji-hyeok’s shoulder tightly.
Then he whispered something sinister into his ear.
“Die for me.”
Before Ji-hyeok could even ask what?
Jun-seong shoved him.
Ji-hyeok’s body was pushed over the 20-story rooftop railing.
The ground rushed toward him at terrifying speed.
Thud.
