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[Did you enjoy the concert?!]

“Oh… what do you mean?”

[I saw it on YouTube?!]

It’s been a while since Tenshi called me, and we’re chatting now.

How long has it been since I last heard her voice? I think it was the last time she wanted to give me concert tickets.

“I’m still disappointed though. I wish you could have come in person.”

[Ugh…!]

Tenshi really wanted to attend the concert but, in the end, couldn’t make it.

I remember her whining about having pre-scheduled advertisements for those two days.

I’m disappointed too; it would have been great to have her there.

“More importantly, what’s up? Did you call just to tell me that?”

Tenshi doesn’t call often, so she must be busy.

She usually only calls when there’s a matter to discuss.

[Well, um…]

“What is it?”

And of course, she seems to hesitate, probably because she has something else on her mind.

[Now that the concert’s over… do you have time?]

Time?

Ah, I know what she’s getting at.

“Are you inviting me to your broadcast?”

[Yes…! I thought it was about time…!]

During the last Miro 24 hours stream, Tenshi and I made a promise.

That I would guest star on her broadcast sometime.

I was curious about why she called, but was that the reason?

“Hmm… something else came up though…”

[Eh?]

“But if it’s Tenshi asking, I can make it happen.”

[Huff….]

Honestly, I’m not that busy, and a trip to Japan is doable.

I also have things to deliver to Sake.

Releasing songs can be done slowly.

And isn’t Tenshi a part of the featuring candidates when I finally drop a track?

If I get to go to Japan this time, it wouldn’t hurt to hint at that.

But if I go to Japan, will I have to go on a broadcast hiatus again?

The viewers will surely complain.

Or since YouTube is doing well lately, I could film something like a vlog and upload it after editing.

I hear my channel has been on an upswing recently, so I need to keep an eye on that too.

The main stay is live broadcast, but YouTube is my primary income.

And don’t the new viewers go crazy for vlogs these days?

Of course, unlike V-Tubers, my actual appearance won’t be shown as much, but they’ll probably enjoy seeing the Japanese scenery.

“So when should I go? I’ll try to fit it into my schedule.”

[What a sweet thing to say…! I’ll let you know as soon as I have the details!]

It was a rather lighthearted promise we made.

[And…]

However, Tenshi didn’t hang up immediately and seemed to hesitate again, as if there was something else she wanted to say.

“And?”

[Um, would you like to play some games together…?]

A cute proposal comes out as I lightly prompt her.

Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since we gamed together, hasn’t it?

Both of us are pretty busy people.

“Well… I’d really love to, but…”

[But…?]

I do think it would be nice to game together after such a long time…

“I’m outside right now, so can I contact you once I get home?”

It’s really unfortunate, but I’m out at the moment.

[Eh, you’re outside… Totally a social butterfly…!]

Wow, she knows the term “social butterfly”?

I thought they’d use a different expression in Japan.

“I came here for work. Business.”

I’m out because of work, after all.

Maybe I should have scheduled things for tomorrow when I realized Tenshi would ask to game.

[Heeh… Can I ask what you’re working on?]

It’s clear Tenshi is intrigued by my work.

But…

“I’ll let you know later.”

Doesn’t it ruin the fun to reveal it now? Well, they can probably piece it together from the broadcast, but I’d still prefer to discuss the concert details in person.

[We have secrets between us?!]

“Oops, I’ve arrived, so I’ll hang up now.”

[Whaaaat…!]

With that, I ended the call with Tenshi and looked at the café building in front of me.

Since I arrived a bit early, I should head inside and wait.

I entered the building, ordered a drink, took the vibrating bell, and headed up to the third floor.

Isn’t it common sense to drink at the highest point in a three-story café?

I planned to sip my drink while observing the busy people below and, upon reaching the upper floor…

“Ah.”

“Ah.”

As soon as I climbed up, I locked eyes with a guy sitting at a table near the stairs.

“You got here early?”

“Oh, yeah, I just arrived.”

I didn’t expect him to be here early, but it’s definitely better than showing up late.

“It’s been a while.”

I greeted the guy I hadn’t seen in ages.

“Please take a seat.”

The person introduced by the composer is none other than ballad singer Lee Kang-jun.

After releasing the track I worked on with the composer, he established himself as a recording artist in the industry.

Looking at the drinks on the table, which were quite empty, it seems he arrived even earlier than I thought.

“Did you order a drink?”

“Oh, yes, I got this vibrating bell here.”

“I see…”

We awkwardly sat across from each other, honestly feeling quite uneasy.

After all, we hadn’t met often, and this was our first time being alone together.

It was only natural that there would be some awkwardness between us.

Once the bell rang and our drinks arrived, we finally began a proper conversation.

“So, you need a composer…?”

“Yes… I want to release a song…”

“Not Miro, but that virtual YouTuber…”

“Actually, it’s for an idol…”

“Iidol, right…?”

“Ah, no, it is a virtual YouTuber…”

Lee Kang-jun seems completely clueless about V-Tubers.

…Well, to be fair, how would he know?

It isn’t exactly easy for the average person to get into this field.

Even though Japanese manga has recently surged in popularity, this area is a whole different level.

Reaching up to the sunlight seems pretty farfetched.

“I’ve seen a rough overview of it…”

It seems Lee Kang-jun has done some light research and peeked into that abyss.

Hmm… there is a chance this might not work out.

Lee Kang-jun is here not because of V-Tuber Miro, but due to the rising singer Kim Soo-hyun.

And I’m sure there’s a sprinkle of ambition for his composing career too.

Being successful as a singer and being successful as a composer are different matters.

Honestly, I still find it a bit hard to grasp.

I know he can sing well, but compose?

Although, the claim that he composed his own track made it a bit understandable, I still wonder if he can create a song that fits Miro.

Well, for now, let’s just discuss the work at hand.

“Actually, I’m planning to release multiple tracks for an EP album.”

“Really?”

“Of course, I don’t intend to work exclusively with one person; I plan to share it around.”

I’ve already announced that I’m looking for composers on the broadcast.

I may end up finding a bunch of amateurs since I’m searching for someone experienced like him.

“Well… I understand. Still, I found that there are many suitable people, including Soo-hyun.”

Fortunately, Lee Kang-jun seems to have noticed the potential among the celestial realm’s members.

Hmm, our cohort and juniors are using virtual avatars, but their skills stand tall no matter where they go.

“By the way, I’ve roughly composed a melody.”

“Really? You’ve already got a melody?”

His claim startled me a little.

That doesn’t come easily.

“I should show something as I may be lacking in my composing career as a singer.”

Lee Kang-jun, who seemed unexpectedly humble, slid his phone onto the desk.

Looks like the melody is on there.

“Would you like to listen?”

“Of course, I’d love to.”

“…Alright.”

But he appears unexpectedly lacking in confidence.

His demeanor makes me worry.

For someone of Lee Kang-jun’s stature, he should have an ear for music, so why is he so hesitant?

Is the melody really that bad? If it were, he wouldn’t have brought it.

After all, the composer wouldn’t have recommended him otherwise.

Feeling a little uncertain, I listened to the melody…

“…It’s good!”

I couldn’t help but wonder about his lack of confidence.

It’s good!

No, it’s excellent!

Why is he hesitating like that?

“Really?!”

“Yes, why is your confidence so low?”

“The thing is… I’ve been training lately, and I’ve been hearing a lot of harsh critiques.”

Looking at his posture, it feels more like he’s lacking assurance rather than confidence itself.

Who on earth is his mentor to make him feel that way?

“…Who are you learning from?”

“Composer Kang Woo-hyeon…”

“Oh.”

Hearing that makes it a bit more understandable.

That guy… well, he’s notoriously tough in his own field.

He must be getting scolded quite a bit.

But geez, while he gave me compliments, he’s treating his disciple like he’s in some martial arts story with a strict master.

But, it doesn’t matter if he lacks confidence; what matters is if he can compose well.

“Great, let’s collaborate.”

“Really?”

“You came here with the intention to sign a contract, didn’t you?”

The fact that Lee Kang-jun is here means he has the desire to work with me.

This place is kind of like an interview spot.

Here, we’re chatting back and forth to decide what to do.

Though I’ve always been in the position of serving in terms of music production, for this project, I’m the absolute dominant one.

And while we’ve been discussing, it suddenly hit me…

“But if we’re going to work together, how do you feel about a featuring artist on the track?”

“A featuring artist? Hmm… unless it’s a special case, that’s great! It helps in diversifying the song and balancing it out.”

Seems right.

“That’s nice. Then I’ll leave that to you as well.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re a singer, right?”

With those words, I looked at Lee Kang-jun.

Did I forget he’s a singer?

He’s an incredible artist who’s topped karaoke charts.

It’d be a waste to not use a talent like him for featuring.

In fact, I have certain expectations about this side of things as I came here today to not just discuss composing.

“A featuring artist for a V-Tuber song?”

“Why not? Since you compose as well, it seems fitting.”

Are you looking down on V-Tubers?

Huh?

If you rise high enough, even popular idols can be overtaken in a snap.

Japan’s Izakaya Sake proved that.

“Is that really the case…?”

“Hyeon-su did it too…”

“Oh.”

And recently, the top artists, Slim Gold, also featured on my track.

Are you really going to miss out?

“Hmm…”

Lee Kang-jun seemed deep in thought even after my words.

Career considerations must be clouding his mind.

It’s one thing to compose a track upon request, another to step in as a featuring artist.

But I genuinely want Lee Kang-jun to take part.

While the existing celestial group members are great, it’s his composed song, after all. Having him personally sing on it would sound far better.

Then why the hesitation…?

Looks like I have to bring out Miro, the deal-making expert.

“Okay, sounds good.”

“Excuse me?”

“Do it, and I’ll have Miro feature on it.”

For him, the idea of Miro featuring holds more weight than using V-Tuber Miro.

He must be swayed by the thought of Miro’s feature, right?

“Really?!”

And just like that, he looked thrilled at the prospect of the feature.

“Of course. It’s a win-win, right?”

“…I agree.”

Seeing Lee Kang-jun nodding subtly, I couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.

Young ballad singer Lee Kang-jun.

Joining the team is a done deal.

 

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