ch. 59

"welcome to the final show."

-sign of the times

"hello everyone! i am the masked singer from class f and today i will be singing for you. hope you enjoy!"

eunbi stands on the stage in her typical grey sweater and black sweatpants as the audience does a polite applause, a simple white mask on her face. her eyes scan the perimeter to see her friends in the back with widened eyes, recognizing her voice when she spoke. she can tell that everyone except for yeosang and jongho are in denial about her hidden identity.

spotting a familiar light blond girl on the side, she notices how infuriated siyeon is before she rushes away from her sight. the people around that female look at each other confusedly, calling out her name, before giving up and deciding to enjoy the show.

gradually, the music to her performance piece seeps into the silence and everyone takes a moment to listen to the instrumental. the sound of the piano brings ease to them as they anticipate for the girl on stage to sing for them.

to think that this is her last time performing as the masked singer.

eunbi recalls the memories of strangers cheering her on during the showcase and the dance, the nonjudgmental gazes she received throughout her performance. when she felt the exhilaration, the satisfaction, the attention for the first time, she wanted to keep these feelings to herself. they made her feel so good about herself despite all the struggles she has been persevering through.

but like everything in life, some things come to an end.

she needs to stop cowering in the shadows and show the world who she really is.

so once the time comes, she lifts her microphone and brings her voice to life.

"i purposefully take a few steps back

i look at you walking without me.

there is a void beside you

upon the gray road you look back."

in the moment, she closes her eyes to immerse herself in the music as the words of this song remind her of her heartbreaking experiences. an image of someone's back faces her while they continue moving forward, their arms around someone else. she recognizes the person in an instant when they turn their head to the side.

a bittersweet smile paints her lips.

"i knew just then

that i can't leave you.

no matter how many problems we face

it's easier to withstand, than breaking up."

she gradually opens her eyes and makes eye contact with a person in the back of the audience as she stretches her arm to them, her hand asking them to take it.

"how can i even love the heartbreak

when you're the one i love.

i can't give up on us solely because of love

and experience heart wrenching pain."

that person may not know, but eunbi is willing to start their relationship from scratch.

she is willing to be on good terms despite all the pain they have inflicted on her.

she is willing to do anything to have them back, even if she has to endure this scrutinizing pain a little longer.

"should i turn back a couple of times?

we walk along together upon the desolate road

conversation lacking substance

we look out into the distance where the light shines."

to recall the happy memories she shared with that person blooms butterflies in her stomach, the fluttering sensation bringing chills down her spine. her smiles brightens a little before she drops her arm to the side with trembling lips.

"i realized just then

i can longer move forth.

every step brings me closer to our breakup

your hand i used to hold seems to vanish."

she said that she is willing to wait for them...

but she's slipping away.

she's slipping away from them and her love for them is dying.

she does not know how much time she has left, but she will eventually move on if they don't do something about it.

"how can i even love the heartbreak

when you're the one i love, hoh

i can't give up on us solely because to love

and experience heart wrenching pain, no woah oh hoh."

yet she does not want to give up.

she fell in love with them for a reason, and she does not want those moments she shared with them go to waste. she craves for the warm feelings that lingered in her body after each smile, each laugh, each touch. she's trying to hold onto until the time comes, but she can feel her grasp become weaker as time goes by.

"how could i, to you

our love so deep as the ocean

waiting till it runs dry will be our farewell

how could i, to you

our love so deep as the ocean

waiting till it runs dry will be our farewell."

despite her cheerful smile, a stray tear manages to drip down her cheek once she finishes singing.

"how can i love the heartbreak, you're the one i love" by akmu: a song about unconditionally loving someone.

this song portrays all the feelings she has for someone, and she hopes all her emotions reached them from this far. she wanted to try one time to make things right before she gives up everything and moves on with her life.

san, she wishes to call out. my sanshine, i miss you.

if it doesn't work though, it doesn't matter at this point because she needs to focus on something else.

in the center of the stage, she waits in silence as the crowd put in their votes for her performance. she can barely lift her gaze from the floor after speaking her mind, slightly embarrassed about displaying her vulnerable side at the end.

nonetheless, the announcer steps out of the side and proudly exclaims the score she has received.

"the masked singer..."

everyone does a drum roll to build the anticipation.

"95 votes!"

the crowd goes haywire, screams and shouts filling eunbi's ears, as the girl sheepishly stands with a grin. she does a small bow and waves at the people before her, but she does not leave the stage as requested by the announcer.

"may all the participants come onto the stage?"

hearing that calls those who have performed today to walk on stage with smug grins plastered on their faces. they look around themselves to see if that one student from class f was present with them, which she wasn't. with that, the announcer notices this and speaks into their microphone once more.

"now that most of the participants have performed, may we have park eunbi come on stage?"

that is her cue.

loud music suddenly begins playing on stage, startling everyone, as the masked singer walks to the front of the stage with her microphone. with the familiar beats pounding in her head, a smirk makes its way to her lips and a hand slithers into her pants pocket to grab something.

all eyes are on her once again, watching her stagger to the music with a devilish grin.

"this is for the haters out there!" she shouts excitedly, eyeing the people on the stage. "so i hope you enjoy this present i have for you!"

after all that practice she had with taehyung, she manages to yank her mask off when she quickly turns her head to the side. her free hand puts on the black bucket hat she stored in her pockets and her eyes take in the reactions she has been looking for, her heavy footsteps stomping on every contestant's pride.

"i am park eunbi, the girl behind the mask! and the girl you have been doubting on your entire life!"

and immediately, she starts performing once more.

" 'name, name!' sorry bae.

'pronunciation, pronunciation!' sorry bae.

'diction, diction, diction!' sorry bae.

'oh face not an idol!' sorry bae."

she slowly approaches those on the platform with her menacing gaze, causing them to take a few steps back out of fear. both her hands come together on the microphone and form an apologetic gesture as a way to taunt them.

"because i'm breathing, i'm sorry bae.

because i'm too healthy, i'm sorry bae.

i'm on the air, i'm sorry bae.

errthing errthing errthing

sorry bae."

jumping backwards, she puts all her infuriated emotions into this rap and allows her hand to gesture the lyrics.

"click clack to the bang, you and you!

i'm always thankful, for not earning anything so easily!

why is it my fault, that your life is noncommittal?

keep on living like that vaguely!

sorry but continue to look

because i'm gonna earn more from now!

by all means please live healthily."

she swiftly turns herself to the audience, seeing that they are hyped up, and throws her hand up into the air and ushers them to jump to the beat. without hesitation, everyone stands up from their seats and starts moving their body to the music.

"i love, i love, i love myself!

i love, i love, i love myself!

i know, i know, i know myself!

ya playa haters you should love yourself, brr!"

knowing that this performance is coming to an end, she stands still and glances at every person on the stage.

"i love, i love, i love myself!

i love, i love, i love myself!

i know, i know, i know myself!"

she raises her hand and points at them with a mischievous smile.

"ya playa haters you should love yourself, brr!"

to end this epic show, she drops the microphone to the floor and the echo of her last breath travels throughout the perimeter. her chest rises up and down while the emotions she bottled up within herself releases into the atmosphere. she can hear the crowd applauding her for the surprise and she raises her fist into the air.

"cypher pt.4" by bts.

although she took a small excerpt from it, this song was personally written by her cousins to diss their haters.

and she knows that it did its job to portray that...

because each and every one of them is trembling in her presence.

looking to the side, she can see her friends with their jaws hanging open after her powerful performance.

this is the reaction she was looking forward to.