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“How’s it going? Regretting the bet?”

Lee Hyun-jun quickly wrapped up the recording and came over, poking at me.

…Wrapping up recording that fast?

Thinking back, he is an idol with experience, so he has no reason to take as long as me, listening for feedback.

“I do admit, your voice does pack a punch.”

“Oh, are you complimenting me?”

Yeah, I’ll give him that.

Hyun-jun really does have a notable voice.

“But still, he’s a step below the voice thug, Kim Soo-hyun, you know?”

“A thug? Isn’t that the same as a gangster?”

“A thug seems a bit more intimidating, though.”

Are they similar? To me, the term ‘organized crime’ sounds much more formidable.

“Ha, then I’ll just call myself a voice mafia.”

Voice mafia?

Is this the kind of talk that comes from an adult?

“…Are you, by chance, asking my age? What a childish thing to say…”

“No, was I talking to you?”

As I frowned, suggesting he should act his age, Hyun-jun snapped back.

“Hey, are you angry? I’m keeping it professional here. I’m a member of the famous idol group Daebist…”

“Are you joking? And what even is Daebist?”

“Oh, what was the group name again?”

“It’s Beastz. If you keep messing this up, I might actually throw a punch.”

Uh-oh, seeing Hyun-jun’s fist tense, I quickly shut my mouth.

Sigh, if it was in my male days, that punch wouldn’t even be a problem.

“…What will happen if I really stay quiet? You’re not actually going to hit me, are you?”

Hyun-jun seemed genuinely troubled as I went silent at the sight of his fist.

Yeah, there’s no way he would hit me, but there’s no need to provoke him further…

“I’m just exercising caution, you know?”

I can feel the difference in strength between now and my boyhood.

That’s why I’m being careful.

“…You have a talent for getting under people’s skin. I’ve never hit anyone before.”

“Oops, I’ve never been hit, either.”

“That much is obvious.”

It was Hyeon-su who chimed in, not Hyun-jun.

It seems he had finished fiddling with the PC and approached our sofa.

By the way, how many sofas are in this workshop? It feels like there’s one every three steps.

“Are we done for today?”

“Yeah, today wraps it up.”

With Hyun-jun’s reply, Hyeon-su seemed to slump back into the sofa with a sigh of relief.

Now that I think of it, Hyeon-su hasn’t taken a break.

Especially since he also has to do recording and other things…

Now I understand why he hasn’t been going to school. He’s ridiculously busy.

“By the way, I’ll edit the recording we did today and send it over.”

“Wow, thanks.”

“No, thank you for your hard work.”

This kid, Hyeon-su is quite the blessing.

If he were a cute high school girl like Tenshi instead of a boy with hairy legs, I’d feel like hugging him.

“What are you looking at?”

“Nothing.”

“So, are you leaving now? I was thinking about ordering dinner.”

“Dinner?”

Hmm… Should I stay and eat?

Considering I’ve been skipping out so often, it won’t hurt to stick around for one evening.

I feel a little bad for Mrs. Jang eating alone, but one night should be fine.

“Alright, what do you plan on ordering?”

“Is there anything you’d like to eat?”

“Um… Anything.”

“Do you know that saying ‘anything’ is the hardest?”

“Seriously, anything.”

I mean, I can eat just about anything.

“Why aren’t you asking me?”

“You’re always telling me to just ‘order anything.'”

“Well, that’s because I eat anything.”

Looks like Hyun-jun’s in the same class as me, so we unanimously decided to let Hyeon-su order whatever he wants.

“So, am I seriously ordering whatever I like?”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

I mean, what bizarre dish could Hyeon-su even order?

At worst, it would probably just be fried chicken or pizza.

However, what arrived was a bit unexpected.

“tteokbokki?”

“Oh, it’s really tasty lately.”

Tteokbokki, tempura, and sundae, huh?

Looks like Hyeon-su did have school lunch.

Hyun-jun’s expression turned a bit odd upon seeing the food.

“Tteokbokki for dinner? Is this really a meal?”

“You told me to order whatever.”

“True, but…”

Still, it seems like Hyun-jun was a bit unsatisfied but didn’t voice any complaints.

Well… if he didn’t want something like this, he shouldn’t have said ‘anything.’

Those who say ‘order whatever’ should brace themselves for what that implies.

Of course, I also think that having tteokbokki, tempura, and sundae for dinner is a little… No wait, it’s actually nice to have some street food after so long.

“It’s definitely tasty.”

“See? I told you it’s good.”

The food was indeed delicious.

Hyun-jun’s lips were slightly puckered, but now that he’s eaten it, he seems to be enjoying it.

After finishing the meal, it was finally time to go.

“Do you want a ride home? I’m right in front of the manager’s place.”

As it came time to leave, Hyun-jun made that offer, but I shook my head.

“What if I get caught in some witness accounts or something? No thanks.”

I mean, it would be easy for me to hitch a ride, but what if someone snaps a photo?

Honestly, I was a bit concerned about Moon Chang-sik, too.

But isn’t it true that the dedication of fans for actors and idols is on a whole different level?

Since I already dealt with the Bluebird account, I really didn’t want to go through that again.

“Well, nowadays there aren’t many paparazzi like before… But if you’re fine with that, I won’t suggest it again.”

Hyun-jun was also aware of the potential risks, so he didn’t insist further and headed home.

“Then I’ll head out too.”

“Okay, take care.”

“Aren’t you going home?”

“Me? I’ll probably pass out here working.”

Hyeon-su said that while pointing to the break area.

Not just a sofa, but there’s a proper bed in this workshop.

It’s practically Hyeon-su’s dorm room.

But it’s strange for a student not to return home at night… Is something going on at home?

Well, as I thought last time, we all have our reasons, so I won’t pry.

“Well, even if I can’t sleep tonight, I guess I’ll tune into my broadcast.”

“Broadcast?”

“Yeah, I’m going to broadcast from home.”

I have a special broadcast planned for today.

It’s probably one that would be fine for Hyeon-su to watch, too.

“I’ll check it out if I can’t sleep.”

“Alright, I’ll take off now.”

“Take care. Do you want me to see you off?”

“No thanks. The station is just right in front.”

And so I left the workshop and headed home.

As soon as I arrived home, I forced myself to ignore the lonely gaze of Mrs. Jang, who had dinner alone, quickly washed my face, and headed straight into the soundproof booth.

Turning on my computer and opening my email, I found that the finished version of “Serene Lake,” which I recorded earlier, had already arrived from Hyeon-su, and I sent it straight to the manager.

After sending it, I waited for a moment.

Soon, the manager called.

“Hello?”

[Oh, Miro.]

“Yes, go ahead.”

[The song is amazing! It sounds way better with your voice than the guide vocal.]

I could hear the manager’s excited voice through the phone.

Is it really that good?

“Right?”

Of course, I felt the same way while recording earlier.

Hyeon-su’s version was good, but my voice really does change everything.

[This is absolutely insane. If we do it right for the music video too…]

The manager seemed to be enjoying the thought.

Yeah, it should go well, but still…

“Well, we have to be prepared for anything.”

[Ah…]

We really do need to prepare.

This is a poisoned chalice.

Well, the poison probably just translates to a mild food poisoning at most, but I should still be mentally ready.

[But still… with you, Miro, I’m not too worried.]

“What do you mean by that? I can console and sweet-talk just like the other members.”

[You wouldn’t listen to that, would you? Besides, sweet-talking isn’t exactly a compliment, is it?]

“Sweet things aren’t good for the body, you know.”

[You certainly have a way with words. How about considering a manager position later? You’d be great at it.]

“A manager, huh?”

[Well, just for a week, you could be a manager for the second generation trainees as a prank. Didn’t you claim to be a manager during our last meeting with the second-gen trainees?]

“Oh.”

Now that I think about it, there are indeed upcoming second-gen trainees I completely forgot about.

Well, you know… I’ve been pretty busy lately. It’s not like I have time to think about such things.

“By the way, have all the second-generation trainees been chosen?”

[Yes, they’re preparing. They’re all building rapport and taking vocal lessons.]

“Oh… we haven’t received vocal lessons, either…”

[They said they would support it, but do you know that no one applied except for you? Even you quit shortly after you applied.]

“Well, everyone sings well, don’t they?”

[Still, when the second-gen trainees come out, you might want to be a bit nervous.]

Hmm…

In the VTuber community, a year in seems quite significant.

After all, the second generation is basically growing up in the space the first generation established, right?

It shouldn’t be that easy to surpass us.

“So, what are the others like? Is there anyone particularly striking?”

[They’re all good people. But if I had to pick one, the person from our last meeting keeps standing out to me.]

“Oh… is there a standout?”

[Let’s just call it an assessment.]

“More importantly, who was it among the two people I met? Was it Harbin?”

Harbin could be a prickly person, after all.

I mean… wasn’t she the one I unintentionally tickled without realizing it?

She seemed alright, though…

[Oh, no, it’s not her. It’s the one who came after her.]

“Oh.”

Seo Eun-ha?

She seems a bit intimidating, though.

“That scary one?”

[Scary? No way! I thought you two would get along well.]

“A new duel request, perhaps? Are you coming to face me in the ring?”

[If you’re saying that I should punch the designated idol, you’re disqualified as a manager.]

Are we really going to fight? Great, I’m not confident in a real ring setting.

“Well, anyway, I’m off to broadcast now. Please take care of the music video.”

[Are you dodging me? If so, I understand. I have to push ahead with the music video production, too.]

“Are you the one making it?”

[I’m the executive producer, after all.]

Wait, he even does that much? Just how much work does this manager have to handle?

“…You have quite a lot of work. Thanks for your hard work.”

[Well, I really appreciate the acknowledgment. What broadcast are you doing today? I’ll catch it while working.]

“Oh, is that today? I doubt I could watch while working, though?”

[Why not?]

The manager would be disappointed, but today would be quite difficult to watch while working.

“Today, we’re going to have a watch party.”

[Oh.]

I’m planning to try out the content we talked about before during a previous broadcast.

It’ll be a simultaneous movie watch.

It’s a personal favorite tier-1 content when it comes to viewer engagement.

[That’s definitely… something you can’t watch while working.]

“Make sure to watch the replay. Now I really need to go.”

[Alright, take care.]

With that, I ended the call and set up my broadcast while getting the movie ready.

The film I chose to watch today is a major hit from a few years ago.

Why did I pick this movie? Well, I’m not exactly sure….

I just took a look at the actor’s list under the movie’s synopsis.

Cast: Lee Dong-seok, Seo Ye-na, Moon Chang-sik, Ahn Jung-hwa…

Since Moon Chang-sik is the lead actor, I’ve been wanting to check it out for a while.

The film is called “Return.”

It’s a science fiction movie set against the backdrop of the fictional South Korean space station “Rest-17,” telling a heartfelt story of a protagonist trapped in space due to an incident and the efforts of those trying to rescue him.

 

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