Chapter 71: Chapter 71

Backstage, Slyvester was waiting for the contest to start. He was walking around while holding his phone, and people who saw him thought that he was nervous.

He was indeed nervous but in another way.

“I wonder where Ryan is right now,” he said.

Slyvester could not stay still after finding out that Giselle met with Ryan in this place. He tried to call Ryan, but his phone died down.

“Dude, do you have a charger?” Slyvester asked one of the contestants.

“I have.”

“Can I borrow it for a moment?”

“Sure. But I am charging my phone too. If it is full, then get it.”

“Thanks, bro!”

Slyvester checked the man’s phone.

[2%]

‘Is this his way of saying that he doesn’t want to lend his charger?’ Slyvester sighed inwardly.

Since he couldn’t charge his phone, he decided to find Ryan after the contest.

“We’re about to start. Please stand in line!” the pd student of the contest announced.

According to the number, Slyvester is the first contestant. He stood next to Kyle as he looked at the audience beneath the stage.

“Wow! There are a lot of people in the audience tonight!” he said enthusiastically. And when he looked at Kyle, he saw him trembling.

‘Kyle is nervous.’

Actually, Slyvester had no idea why a shy guy like Kyle entered this contest. Either way, he wanted to praise him for stepping out of his shells.

‘However, I wanted to win tonight,’ Slyvester thought.

Kyle declared that he would win both the contest and Ryan. Sylvester would not let that happen.

“Now, let's all welcome our contestants!"

In the midst of the roaring cheers, handsome men from different departments stepped up onto the stage. People cheered, and girls had the loudest screams. Meanwhile, some men were teasing their friends who joined the contest.

“Before we start, let’s ask the contestants why they decided to join this contest,” the emcee said. He stood next to Slyvester and asked him. “Contest number one, may we know why you joined this?”

Slyvester looked at the emcee.

“You dragged me all the way here so I did not have a choice.”

Everyone laughed. The pale emcee smiled awkwardly at the audience and decided to ignore Slyvester’s answer.

“Contestant number two,” the emcee went on, standing next to Kyle. “How about you? Why did you join the contest?”

Kyle stared at the audience as if he was looking for a certain person among the huge crowd.

“I want to get the prize and give it to someone.”

“It looks like you’ll give it to a special girl.”

“Waaah!” Girls squealed.

“It’s me!” shouted a random girl with a thick face.

“Is she your girlfriend?”

“No,” Kyle answered. He glanced at Slyvester before answering. “But soon. Maybe she will be my girl.”

Slyvester frowned. He turned his head to the audience with a face that would be difficult to paint. He isn’t Ryan’s boyfriend, but the jealousy hit him to the bone. He could not feel at ease without Ryan’s sweet ‘yes’.

The program continued.

Unlike the introduction portion, the talent portion will start with the last contestant, which means Slyvester would be performed at the end. It’s been so long since the last time he sang in front of many people. So, he exercised his vocal cord while waiting in the back stage.

"Brrrrr~" he blew air from his mouth.

Other contestants danced, sang, did magic tricks, made poems and acted. And now, it’s Kyle’s turn.

Slyvester wondered what Kyle would perform because until now, they haven’t talked yet.

“Kyle! It’s your turn,” the staff told Kyle.

Kyle stood up, waving his hands. Looking at those long and skinny hands, Slyvester guessed something.

‘Is he going to play piano?!’ Slyvester guessed in his mind.

A man with many talents, that’s Kyle. He can sing, dance, and act. But among his talents, Slyvester praised him for being a piano genius. When he was young, he brought countless medals from winning piano contests at different levels!

“He’s serious when he said he wanted to win this,” Slyvester murmured. He held the mic tightly while watching Kyle step on the stage.

A moment of silence echoed in the air.

Everyone was looking at the guy sitting in front of the piano. His white suit makes him dazzle in the spotlight.

Kyle took a deep breath.

He looked up, gazing upon the starry night sky. Closing his eyes, he exhaled. When he opened them, his delicate fingers touched the piano tiles, as if he was kneading soft bread.

In a contest like this, there are only a few people who used playing piano as their talent. Because it is hard to impress the judges with normal skills. However, Kyle was so sure he could pull this off.

‘I can do this.’

Kyle started to play “Liszt” by La Campanella. It is one of the hardest pieces ever. Nonetheless, Kyle made it seem like he was doing a child-play.

The audience, judges, and the other contestants watched him perform with their mouths wide open.

Kyle finished the piece, and no one spoke a thing. Then, when Kyle looked at the audience, he shyly smiled which captured almost everyone’s heart.

“Woooooo!” all shouted, cheering and clapping.

Everyone will agree that it is a performance worth watching, and it was such a waste to watch it for free. It deserves more recognition.

“Slyvester, be ready. Your next,” the staff reminded Slyvester.

“Ahhh, yes,” Slyvester said with a sigh.

He was nervous to lose against Kyle.

Kyle stepped down on the stage while Slyvester climbed up. Their eyes met as they walked past each other. And now, Slyvester was standing on the stage.

The minus one song played, and Slyvester stood next to the mic.

While the introduction of the song was playing, Slyvester saw Ryan watching along with the crowd. She was quite far from the stage, but it was enough to give Slyvester strength. With a smile, he started to sing.

"When I look into your eyes

It's like watching the night sky

Or a beautiful sunrise

Well there's so much they hold

And just like them old stars

I see that you've come so far

To be right where you are

How old is your soul?"

His voice is sweet, and gentle but has the power to move someone into tears. He was bringing everyone under the magic spell of his voice. Slyvester kept on singing while staring straight at Ryan.

"Well, I won't give up on us

Even if the skies get rough

I'm giving you all my love

I'm still looking up"

While singing, he noticed that a girl stood next to Ryan. It was Giselle!

‘She’s still not going home?!’

"And when you're needing your space

To do some navigating"

Giselle and Ryan were talking about something. Ryan frowned. She looked at Giselle annoyingly and then later on, Ryan walked out.

"I'll be here patiently waiting

To see what you..."

Slyvester stopped singing. His eyes followed Ryan and the audience’s murmurs of confusion joined the music.

“Damn,” Slyvester said in the mic, which widened the eyes of the judges.

He put the microphone down, jolted out of the stage and chased after Ryan.