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[Oh, you really don’t remember?]

Seeing that I had forgotten, Hyeon-su spoke with a hint of disappointment.

“Wait, I’ve been busy lately… When exactly was it?”

[It was when you first came to my workshop.]

When I first went to Hyeon-su’s Workshop?

When was that?

It must’ve been quite a long time ago since it was probably for the Wonderland featuring recording.

If the world were a novel, it would be around Chapter 147.

Thinking like that, it kind of rings a bell.

“Oh, oh, I think I remember.”

[Right?]

So, he did remember that.

But it’s astonishing that that high school kid has grown so much in just a year.

Of course, there’s a huge difference in me compared to a year ago too.

“Yeah, that happened. Okay, I got it.”

Well, if I made a promise… I have to accept it.

Honestly, even if I hadn’t made a promise, if Hyeon-su asked me, I probably would’ve done it anyway, given my sense of indebtedness.

“But are you sure it’s okay? I’ve never really done a concert before.”

Although I said I would, I couldn’t shake off the worry.

I hadn’t even stepped on a stage during my school years.

Suddenly, a concert? It’s hard to imagine that going well.

[You’ll do great! Plus, there’s still plenty of time.]

“Really?”

[Yes, it’s just that a plan has formed now. It’s a long way off.]

If that’s the case… I’m relieved. It’s not immediate.

“Then that’s good. I can prepare myself mentally.”

[Yes, thank you.]

With that, I wrapped up the call.

A concert… Can I really do this?

What if I forget the lyrics while performing as a guest?

The thought of Hyeon-su’s fans giving me cold stares suddenly made it hard to breathe.

“…I really need to practice a lot.”

The silver lining is that since it’s a featuring part, I believe I can master it quickly.

For Wonderland, Miro from back then did it, so now that I’ve grown, I feel more confident I can handle it.

Well, I’ll think about the concert later; for now…

I read the announcement in front of me.

[Announcement for ‘nature’, the group song of the 2nd generation’s Celestial Realm.]

With the brief title, there was a teaser and the date below.

It feels like I just debuted yesterday, and there’s already a group song coming out; time flies.

I wonder if they’ll prepare for the 2nd generation’s 2nd album songs or the 1st generation’s 3rd album songs next.

They might even do both at the same time, or maybe an audition for the 3rd generation?

I don’t know. I know The Six isn’t such a large company, so handling multiple projects at once wouldn’t be easy.

Still, I believe they’ll manage well, just like they’ve always done, as I entered the Soundproof Booth.

I just need to focus on what I have to do.

Thus that day, I finished the broadcast safely.

***

Today is the release day for the 2nd generation’s song.

On such a momentous day, what should I, as a senior, do?

[Junior Song Appreciation Session]

I should promote… not for personal gain, but for the sake of the broadcast.

– Is the song being released today?

– Oh, are we watching together?

– It’s been a while since we watched simultaneously.

“Hello, everyone.”

I turned on the broadcast and greeted the viewers before heading straight to The Six Official Channel.

Doing this reminded me of when the first group song was released.

The 2nd generation must be really nervous right now.

After all, it’s the day their hard work together comes out into the world.

Well, looking at the average viewers, there’s a sense of guaranteed success, but still.

…Thinking about it, the 2nd generation really gets to taste the sweet nectar of success.

Anyway, as I’m browsing The Six’s official channel, which now has quite a few subscribers, a waiting room for the premiere popped up.

A waiting room decorated with a group illustration of the 2nd generation.

Once I quietly entered, I chatted a bit with the viewers.

“What do you think the song will be like?”

– If I promise not to form a band, I’ll tell you.

– I’m looking forward to it, hehe ^^

– What if we beat the 1st generation’s song?

“If we beat the 1st generation’s group song, then we’d have to beat Miro’s original song next.”

– Haha, seriously though!

– Such amazing potential, haha!

– A team that’s greater than its individual members, whoa!

– Beating the turning point might be tough, though.

“Whoa, the turning point? That sounds like a calm lake.”

That calm lake still holds a spot in the charts.

Just when I thought it might be slipping down, it oddly stays put.

These days, it’s been appearing in shorts along with the turning point… I have no idea about that.

[Thank you for the 1,000 won donation, ㅇㅇ!]

It’s incredible that Miro has two songs in the charts, considering how it hasn’t even been long since the official debut.

“Wow, Miro has two songs charting? That’s impressive!”

– For real, haha!

– Right? But I think there’s a typo in one of the artist names, haha!

– Da Mi Ro

“Hey, hey, let’s stop talking about other artists in my room, and let’s sneak a peek at the juniors’ broadcast.”

– Other? Artists??

– Who’s different?

– Sneaking a peek at the juniors is solid, haha!

– If you listen to their song and cringe, you’ll definitely upvote!

After some time, I had a leisurely look at a few juniors’ broadcasts, chatted a bit, checked out the café, and suddenly, it was time for the official song premiere.

“Looks like it’s about to start. Aren’t you feeling nervous?”

– For real, haha!

– Why would you be nervous about a song that’s not yours?

– How does it sound?

– Have you heard it?

“I have no idea about the song at all.”

I’m not even participating, so I really don’t know.

Well, I’ve seen the teaser video, but it didn’t give me much of a hint.

Still, it’s exciting; I heard they worked with someone new this time instead of Kang Woo-hyeon, the composer.

I wonder what style the song will be?

“I’m looking forward to it.”

So I waited for the song release while unable to hide my excitement.

Sure enough, just like usual, the song began with a countdown.

[Go—]

The first scene is the universe.

A vast universe.

Amidst the pitch-black, infinite space, a shining galaxy is visible.

“Wow…”

– What’s with this quality??

– Haha!

– Wow, it’s stunning!

In awe of the beautiful cosmic scene for a moment.

Suddenly, we see Seo Eun-ha effortlessly floating through the center of the universe as the song begins.

Seo Eun-ha is starting things off; her voice is quite nice, after all.

And thus the music video started.

It kept zooming in and moving, showcasing the nature and the 2nd generation.

With the sun, there’s Haeun.

By the sea, we see Haeil.

On the snow-laden mountain peak, there’s Seolha, and in the vast wheat field glowing in gold, Gan was singing.

And even in a city that sparkles brightly at night, Harbin’s voice rang out.

At that point, I remembered the 2nd generation’s concept.

Except for Harbin, they were all nature-themed, right?

I was wondering how to fit Harbin into nature, but there was no need to force anything.

Nature includes humanity too.

Honestly, it doesn’t seem like a song with mainstream appeal.

But thinking it over, it doesn’t seem like public appeal matters much in the vtuber song scene.

Isn’t it more crucial to attract potential fans who would enjoy vtubers?

From that perspective, this song seems to be exceptionally well-crafted.

The high-quality character representations sprinkled throughout, paired with the song, might keep the vtuber fans engaged.

And above all…

“The Six, you crazy fools…”

Why is the quality of this music video so good?

How much money did they spend?

– For real, haha!

– Are these guys loaded??

– They’re being funded to an award-winning degree…

…Should I whine for a 3rd album?

Would it hurt to have something like that happen for us?

I mean, while the 1st and 2nd albums, as well as the Calm Lake video, were all great, human desires are endless.

So, naturally, someone else’s rice cake looks bigger than mine.

And just like that, the music video ended.

I quietly liked it and nodded.

“…It’s truly well done.”

– For real, haha!

– Wow, haha!

– The quality is amazing!

– 1st generation, step aside! 1st generation, step aside! 1st generation, step aside!

“Whoa, stepping aside? First, you need to step out of the room yourself.”

– For real, haha!

– Isn’t that true?

– But the quality truly is remarkable.

“Indeed. The quality is no joke.”

– For real!

– What a song, haha!

– They’ve essentially made an anime.

Where on Earth did they acquire such technology…?

Of course, it’s great since I’m part of the company, but…

On another note, it also suggests that the money I bring to the company gets spent like water, which is a bit unsettling.

“The song is good too, so the streaming will be worth looking forward to, right?”

– Hmm… Is that about right?

– Isn’t the audio challenging?

– I feel like those in the know will scratch their heads.

– The song is good, but seems non-mainstream, right?

“I still think it’ll do well.”

I think it may even outperform the 1st generation’s group song in terms of streaming performance.

Haven’t we accumulated a vast fandom since then?

– The hype is insane, haha!

– Absolutely not, haha!

– Just because you say it, doesn’t mean it’ll happen.

– So naive.

“Ugh… Wanna bet?”

– Let’s go!

– Bring it on!

– Come at me, you fool, haha!

“If I win, you owe me a 3-day break from streaming.”

– No, no.

– Nah.

– Let’s just not do it?

Well, anyway, the song of the 2nd generation ended on a high note with plenty of praise.

After that…

As I predicted, thanks to the fandom bound up until now, the 2nd generation’s song climbed the charts due to immense streaming and the music video’s quality immediately after release.

Once it showed up at the tail end of the chart, the fans ramped up their efforts and streamed like crazy; thus, the recorded ranking became…

[49. Calm Lake]

[50. Nature]

Sadly, it didn’t quite manage to beat Miro’s original song from the grand Celestial Realm 1st generation and stopped at 50th place.

They made it this far; that’s impressive.

I anticipated this kind of success.

[Miro, damn it, step aside!!]

“….”

Seeing the title of the post on the community board, I quietly closed my eyes.

‘I won.’

I realized that the 2nd generation still has a long way to go and drifted off to sleep.

 

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