Chapter 214
“Are you okay?”
“Don’t talk to me.”
I bravely took the plunge to uncover the hidden ID, but it turned out I was the one getting exposed.
Thinking back, even though my stamina has improved, it’s still not up to par with an average person.
I spun around the table trying to catch the two of them, but in the end, I just ended up slumping down.
“How many times have you been temporarily banned?”
“Huh?”
“How many times have you been banned both of you?”
Knowing the history of a viewer can often be gauged by their temporary ban count.
It’s common for veteran viewers to have 99+ bans and even records of being kicked out.
…Looking at it like this, it’s really a mess.
I wonder if I really need to purge the viewer base.
“….”
“Well… I got caught in the banhammer….”
However, seeing both of them avoiding eye contact, it seems there’s quite a backlog.
I picked up a cushion from the chair next to me and threw it straight at Jeong-hoon.
“Ugh!”
“You, why are you spamming the chat like that?”
Why did I only throw it at Jeong-hoon?
That’s because he’s just a kid compared to me, a mere student.
How dare a younger person insult me in the chat?
I can’t confirm it, but since they swore, there’s no way they’ll let me know their ID.
One of these days, I’ll catch them and find out everything.
The same goes for those two, and even Tenshi, who claims to watch my broadcasts regularly.
“I, I only followed along with the trend….”
“Bring more cushions.”
They’re clearly out of touch.
In situations like this, I should be racking my brain and presenting a new song, but it seems I need to instill some proper manners.
“…First, calm down.”
But thanks to Lee Kang-jun, the only ordinary person who doesn’t watch the broadcasts, I was able to settle my mind.
“How bad is that chat really?”
“I think I know a bit about the Celestial Realm and Miro, but I’m not entirely sure,” he said, shaking his head.
“I’m planning to create a PDF file of the chat logs to extort money later.”
“What?? Is that really true?”
The one reacting to this wasn’t Kang-jun but Lee Seo-yeon.
Is this person…?
“It’s my retirement fund.”
“Um… if I bang my head against the wall now, will you forgive me?”
“Why should I?”
“Ahh, please…”
Of course, there’s no such PDF file. It’s impossible for that to exist, right?
When would I ever capture all that?
And, I have no intention of reporting anyone.
After all, I relaxed my restrictions so they could chat freely.
…But their reactions are quite amusing.
I might play a similar prank on my broadcast later.
“What should I do….”
“Ah, that…”
Just as I was about to tell Seo-yeon that it was all just a joke, at that moment—
“Uh… should I bang my head too?”
Jeong-hoon, who had been quiet the whole time, courageously spoke up, prompting me to grab another cushion.
“Both of you should take some hits.”
The second round of chaos begins.
**
The fight settled down only after the composer returned to the workshop for a brief moment.
“…What happened here?”
“Hoo… justice.”
I was completely worn out from throwing and swinging cushions, slumped in exhaustion, and in front of me stood Jeong-hoon and Seo-yeon, their hair a mess from being pelted with cushions.
Kang-jun, on the other hand, had kept his distance, watching as a neutral third party.
“Goodness… adults…”
The composer’s mumble pierced my heart like a dagger, yet I felt no shame in my actions.
After all, I couldn’t swing a chair, could I?
However, I’ve come to realize how I should deal with these two.
Initially, I planned to approach them from a business perspective, thinking of them as composer and lyricist, but they were merely my viewers.
Just two average students with Miro in a casual setting.
…Finding another composer in the fan café would yield similar results, I suppose.
“Sigh.”
A sigh escapes me.
I do need to gather more people, but should I look for external help?
I’m slightly conflicted.
“Why the sigh?”
Look at him.
Kang-jun seems completely unbothered.
He looks somewhat comforting, to be honest.
“I believe in you.”
“In what?”
“Just… Do you happen to know how to find a decent composer?”
“Wouldn’t that person know better than I do?”
While saying that, I pointed at the composer, who might have brought back snacks or drinks, leaving the room momentarily.
…Well, that’s true.
“…If we’re going to ask the composer, we should ask for him to make a track.”
“Why not?”
Kang-jun asked with genuine curiosity.
Well, if I request something from the composer, surely he could manage to whip up a song.
There might even be some sketches lying around.
But that’s something I want to keep as a last resort.
“I think it means something to work under my own lead.”
Being in a position where I take responsibility, working with the people I gathered will be a great experience for me.
Once the composer starts getting heavily involved, that might become a bit tough, wouldn’t it?
As for the provided space… well, I think it’s borderline acceptable.
“Introductions should be fine.”
“Honestly, if I don’t know a person, it feels…”
This thought crossed my mind while gathering people to work together—having a complete outsider who doesn’t know me or Miro’s broadcasts makes me think the collaboration process might face hiccups.
This atmosphere wouldn’t even exist.
I might not be able to take the lead either.
And just look at Kang-jun.
He hesitated a bit at approaching me as a singer through the VTuber route.
Would it be any different for a composer?
Kang Woo-hyeon and Hyeon-su are special cases.
Even if I somehow find someone to work with through a recommendation from the composer, that person would undoubtedly harbor some reluctance in their heart.
Well, it could just be a bias, I suppose.
Still, it’s better to avoid awkwardness, right?
Maybe this is just my greed or stubbornness.
It’s merely a desire to work with people I’m comfortable with.
Yet, since I’m creating a track for a concert without thinking too much, I might as well go with my wishes.
After a brief moment of rest, I suddenly turned my attention to a thought that popped up while Kang Woo-hyeon was back in the meeting room.
“Does everyone have a concept for their tracks in mind?”
Since we’re all gathered here, we might as well draft an overall outline.
“The concept?”
“Yes, let’s sketch a rough framework.”
The first to respond to my question was none other than Kang-jun.
His posture suggested he might have put some thought into it.
“I’ll be honest… I think it’ll end up sounding like my song.”
“A ballad?”
“Exactly. It’s the genre I’m most confident in.”
Hmm… that doesn’t sound too bad.
While I might not know how to sing it, I do sing from time to time.
And a VTuber ballad?
I’d actually think that’s refreshing.
Should I aim for the karaoke charts?
Imagine Miro’s track makes it onto the popular karaoke rankings.
What better promotion could there be?
Having heard Kang-jun’s answer, I turned to Jeong-hoon.
“What about you, Jeong-hoon?”
“Me? Well, I’m leaning towards… um.”
Jeong-hoon seemed to be pondering for a moment.
…Honestly, what’s there to think about?
I had asked, but I already knew roughly what his style would be.
“Aren’t you just going to make an otaku song?”
“Huh?”
“You’re good at that kind of thing.”
You know, something cutesy and playful.
A song typically sung by a female vocalist that carries the vibe of those commonly referred to as otaku songs.
“Well… that’s true.”
Jeong-hoon seemed to agree with that observation.
After all, he knows himself the best.
“By the way, do you like anime?”
“Me? I like a lot of it.”
“Oh….”
I’m not judging based on looks, but he doesn’t seem like the type at all.
Well, being a VTuber already says he must be heavily into subculture.
Having established their frameworks, Seo-yeon also brought up topics related to lyrics and structured the overall plan.
Since everyone had cleared their schedules for the day, the not-quite-a-meeting continued for quite a while.
Under normal circumstances, we would have wrapped things up earlier with Jeong-hoon’s student status in mind, but this is where we are.
In the workshop of the famous composer, we comfortably extended our meeting late into the night.
After all, even if it got late, we would likely head home with the composer.
“Alright, this is how we’re proceeding. Is everyone in agreement?”
“Yes, sounds good.”
Kang-jun spoke up on behalf of everyone, and judging by their expressions, they all seemed onboard.
“If you want to make any changes later, feel free to say so, and let’s wrap this up.”
We’d already been seated long enough that we had ordered delivery during the meeting.
Outside the window, it was already dark.
“Well, I’ll be taking my leave.”
“It was great meeting you all today.”
Kang-jun was the first to stand up, followed by Seo-yeon.
I stayed behind momentarily to finish cleaning up the meeting details, and Jeong-hoon caught my eye as he sat still.
“You’re not leaving?”
“Me? I’ll just go with my dad.”
“Ah, I see…”
But what does it feel like having your dad be a famous composer?
Since Jeong-hoon is also pursuing a career in composition, it must resonate more deeply.
I wrapped up the summary of today’s meeting quickly with those thoughts and stood up.
“Oh, Jeong-hoon.”
“Yes?”
I called out to Jeong-hoon, who was staring blankly as I was getting up.
Nothing major—just a curiosity about what he was feeling.
“How was it today?”
Wasn’t it a bit of a special day for a kid in school?
After all, he wasn’t just discussing an evaluation task with his peers but rather engaging in discussions with adults about work.
…Although the atmosphere was rather light.
“Today? Hmm….”
Jeong-hoon paused for a moment considering my question, then hesitantly said.
“Honestly, it was really great.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, it’s my first time collaborating like this….”
Hmm… so he enjoyed it a lot?
But….
“Aren’t you the composer’s son? You should be able to do this anytime.”
Indeed, it’s an opportunity not many of his peers would easily get.
With the composer’s connections in the entertainment industry, if he asked his dad, he could likely work on a song with fellow newcomers with similar experience.
“Then it would be too much of a connection. I wanted to do this based on skill.”
However, Jeong-hoon shook his head as if that thought never crossed his mind.
He continued, slightly unsure of himself.
“…To be honest, I thought I was chosen just because of my dad this time.”
Ah, so being the composer’s son might have made him feel a bit less confident?
I suppose he’s grown up watching the world of composition around him.
“Jeong-hoon.”
“Yes?”
“You’ve got talent, so don’t worry.”
After all, someone like him must be extraordinary even among his peers.
At least that’s what I think.
Well… there may be some rookie vibes, but they’ll improve after the military service, they say.
I don’t know since I haven’t gone, but that’s what I heard.
“Really?”
“The tracks will speak for themselves; just don’t mess up.”
“….”
With that, I finished up my conversation with Jeong-hoon and left the meeting room.
Now, it’s time for me to head home.
“Did everything go well?”
As I walked down the hallway to leave the building, I spotted the composer sitting in the lobby.
It just struck me that Jeong-hoon must be waiting for him.
In a sense, he might be considered the chief contributor to today’s meeting.
“Thank you. I feel like the conversation flowed really well thanks to you.”
I wouldn’t have been able to chat as comfortably in a café or somewhere like that.
“It’s nothing. I’m more worried about whether my son will be a bother or not.”
“Hey, why would you worry about that?”
Just before leaving, I chatted briefly with the composer, and suddenly, something that slipped my mind popped up.
“Oh right.”
“Yes?”
“Mr. Jeong-hoon’s father.”
I had completely forgotten about this.
I meant to bring this up earlier, but I had put it off.
“…Why do you call me that?”
“It’s just that….”
“That…?”
Looking at the composer’s expression, it seemed he was curious about what I was hesitating to say, so I plucked up the courage to share some shocking news.
“Jeong-hoon has been cursing in the chat of my internet broadcast.”
“What? What do you mean by that?”
Skill is skill, and he’s just a kid, but…
Jeong-hoon, you better get ready for a scolding from your dad!