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Right after I made a somewhat rude but honest comment.

“W-What? Can you say that again?”

Haru looked at me with a face that seemed unsure if she heard correctly.

– lolololol

– Scratch?? Scratch??

– Look at how her voice is trembling lol

“Ahaha, I’m just joking.”

She seemed ready to drag someone down with her words.

Where did that awkward person from earlier go?

“Th-That’s right? It’s a joke, right?”

“So, you’re really not the same singer, right?”

“Eek!”

Honestly, I had a bit of an intention to tease Haru, but to be fair, I genuinely couldn’t tell the difference.

Is it strange? Maybe it’s because their voice tones are similar?

– You bad girl lol

– You’re insane lol

– Don’t curse, everyone

– Isn’t this asking for a fight? lol

“Oh no, fighting? We’re not like that.”

We’re not even comfortable with each other to the point of touching.

What fighting, really.

[Thanks for the 1,000 won donation, OO-nim!]

Honestly, if it’s like Miro, I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart lol

– They’re clearly different;;

– For real lol

– You can’t tell them apart?

Is it because Haru has an interest in this?

Some viewers seem to know.

Well, the viewer’s personality tends to follow the broadcaster’s.

Maybe she mentioned foreign hip-hop on broadcasts before.

– Even watching this during the collaboration

– Please stop…

– Let’s just watch some Korean hip-hop

Of course, there are many regular viewers who don’t like it.

It does make sense that there would be preferences.

Anyway, the division of opinions is a good thing.

Well…

“Right? Look, even the viewers acknowledge it.”

“No, no, those people are Miro’s viewers.”

– ???

– Not really??

– Are we cutting ties??

“I don’t think so?”

When I said that, Haru glanced at the chat as if she didn’t believe me, but seeing some familiar usernames, she nodded slightly, looking a bit deflated.

“…Is it a bit strange?”

“No, well, it’s fine.”

What about the contents of the World Cup?

Isn’t it more about who does it?

Since the viewers are already accustomed to seeing us both together, even if we played American hip-hop or Indian pop, they might grumble a bit but wouldn’t really dislike it.

After all, we’re listening to songs and rating them, right?

Someone might actually like it.

“Ha… To be honest, I knew the reactions wouldn’t be good.”

“Yeah?”

But why did you pick it, you little—

…I couldn’t say that, so I softened my words.

“Then why did you pick it, you little rascal.”

– lolololol

– For real lol

“Eh.”

“Eh and whatever.”

Huh? I thought we were doing something normal, but was that not the case?

When I looked at Haru with a bit of betrayal in my gaze, she chuckled and shifted topics.

“W-Well, it’s a decoy. I have something else prepared.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, this is the real one.”

Anyway, the foreign hip-hop World Cup was flipped upside down.

To be honest, I felt a bit lost… so it seemed to be just a joke from Haru.

Well, she had been doing broadcasts for a long time, so she wouldn’t bring something like this for a collaboration, right?

“…I’ll move on to the next one.”

…It was probably a decoy?

Seeing her looking disappointed, it didn’t seem like it, but…

Anyway, if there’s a next one, that’s fine.

“What’s next?”

“Actually, I prepared something everyone knows.”

She said that as she pulled out a somewhat familiar title.

The J-Pop World Cup that we always do.

“Hmmm….”

I felt it might be a little stale for my taste, but….

– Oh lol

– This is hilarious lol

– This is it lol

Maybe it was because we hadn’t done it recently? The reactions in the chat were good.

Yeah, well… If the reactions are good, that’s all that matters.

“Shall we start with this? This isn’t a decoy, right?”

“Of course not. We have to milk this till the end of today’s broadcast.”

“That’ll be enough.”

This song World Cup is officially Miro’s best content, without a doubt.

I could probably go all night if I wanted to.

– lololol

– 128 lol?

– Let’s make it a 256 round lol

“I’ll make it to the 64 rounds.”

Of course, I wouldn’t actually take it that far.

256 rounds? Is there a death wish?

It’s impossible to do that in a single day.

– Oh

– Me

– Extreme S-Miro

– Rock

“Alright, I’m starting.”

And thus the World Cup began, and the two songs that came up were ones I knew well.

– OMG

– Isn’t this a Miro pick?

– It’s a finals-worthy matchup from the start

“Oh, this is a song I really like…”

I was genuinely surprised that songs I liked came out in the first round, so I said that to Haru to kick things off.

“Hmmm… Is that so?”

Haru commented with a pouty face.

“Ohhh….”

– lolololol

– For real lol

Aren’t these two singers the same, right?

“You think differently than I do?”

Haru seemed a bit surprised by my comment, so when I turned to look at her, she averted her eyes, as if trying not to make eye contact.

She probably thought it would be hard to maintain that concept if we were facing each other.

“I think they’re pretty much the same.”

“We haven’t even listened to the songs yet.”

“The music videos look the same.”

Seeing Haru stubbornly avoiding my gaze and continuing to speak made me chuckle.

Yeah, she’s doing pretty great, huh?

I had no intention of saying anything further.

I initiated first, after all.

But…

“If you don’t understand, I should help you.”

“Yeah?”

“Since these are artists you should know well, I’ll explain it well.”

– Oh, that’s so nice;

– Oh

– Let’s just listen to the songs and choose

– Sigh lol

– Here we go again

You can’t tell the difference??

Then as a senior, I can’t just ignore that.

No matter how you look at it, the birthplace of virtual YouTubers is undeniable.

Since it’s a song sung by a famous singer from that scene, it’d be helpful if you knew it.

“…I’d rather not choose a winner.”

“That’s fine too.”

“Ah, then….”

“But first, let’s go over the singer’s information.”

“Yeah?”

I took a sip of the water I had prepared.

I’d need to talk a lot today after a long time.

As I took a moment to hydrate, I brought up every knowledge I had about “female Kim Soo-hyun” to its utmost limits.

So…

“Actually, this singer began her activities ten years ago…”

I guess I should start from ten years ago, right?

Haru’s conduct was cute, but I chose the wrong opponent.

That day, the broadcast ended without even reaching the 64 rounds, much less the 32.

**

After the broadcast ended.

“Phew….”

Haru trudged over to the bed and collapsed onto it, as if she was exhausted from the long broadcast.

I also felt the desire to lie down, but still, I had to maintain a senior’s demeanor.

To show a bit of composure, I remained seated in my chair.

“Did I do well today?”

Haru, lying on her stomach on the bed, asked, and I nodded lightly.

Did I do well? Well…

“Just as usual.”

I thought it was a suitably fun and ordinary collaboration.

However, for broadcasters like us, that’s the best kind of compliment.

It’d be nice if things were a complete riot, but where would that be easy?

As long as it didn’t end up in a complete disaster, that’s good enough.

“Is that so… I’m relieved.”

Haru probably understood that too, as she buried her face into the pillow and mumbled.

Has the awkwardness eased a bit?

After all, there’s nothing better than collaborations to relieve the tension.

The ability to help even the shy Seo Eun-ha become friendly is the strength of a collaboration.

Huh? With just one collaboration, it becomes a close friend.

“…Are you okay? Don’t you want to rest? You can do so.”

“Well, then I’ll take a liberty.”

I had been sitting to maintain my dignity, but if she said that…

I also sprawled out halfway on the bed.

Fortunately, the bed was large enough that there wasn’t a lack of space.

As I lay there, I felt sleepy creeping in.

This bed is soft; is it expensive?

I almost drifted off, but thankfully, I snapped back to reality.

There wasn’t a special reason; it was just that a thought I had before coming here suddenly resurfaced.

“By the way.”

“Yeah?”

“Are you thinking about doing some featuring work?”

Right, I wanted to ask this as a side note while relieving the awkwardness.

No one knows when the timing will be, but this is groundwork for a future featuring request.

If I throw out this bait now, I can smoothly ask for help when the time comes.

“Featuring? Of course, I’d welcome it.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, it’s your song, right? Who would refuse?”

Well, I do hold a decent position in the Celestial Realm.

Moreover, I have a good personality, so anyone would want to work with me, be it peers or juniors.

“I’m saying I’m glad about it.”

“Yeah, feel free to ask anytime.”

Good. I secured the promise for featuring.

Next…

“So… do you happen to know how to compose as well?”

I needed to ask this too.

Miro Family is always struggling with a lack of manpower.

I tossed the question with the thought of dragging her to the interview room if she was somewhat acceptable, and Haru cautiously nodded.

“Yeah? I know how, but…”

You know how?

Wow, I’ve found some talent nearby.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Oh, never mind…”

“I can tell what you’re thinking, but don’t get your hopes up.”

Haru shook her head and pointed at her monitor.

“I have something I wrote. Want to listen? It’s terrible.”

I lowered my expectations a bit at her self-deprecating attitude.

What could possibly be so terrible?

Someone who could go on an audition show still says that.

“Sure, let me hear it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Well, I might as well take a listen.

Getting up from the bed, I sneaked over to the desk, just like in the broadcast, and turned on the computer.

“Make sure you don’t have any expectations.”

“Why are you so unconfident?”

“Even when I try hard, it doesn’t work out.”

Seeing her look a bit downcast made the gap between her and Loa, who once pushed a video of her strumming a guitar right in my face, feel stark.

After all, showing your draft to someone else can be tough.

Even Loa felt shy about it.

“It’s okay. You’ll probably do better than me.”

“Have you ever composed?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“….”

“But I just want to see and judge.”

You have to look first.

It could be a rough gem.

If it’s buried in dirt, I’ll just dig it out.

Anyway, after waiting a bit, Haru brought over the music file.

Unlike Loa, who had video, it seemed she only had audio.

As I slipped an earphone to each ear and played the file, the song sounded.

Hmm… Singing rap? Is it something like that?

It feels like it’s somewhere between rap and singing.

Personally, I found it easier to listen to than the typical hip-hop, leaning more towards this style.

I think this kind of style would suit my singing too.

And evaluating the composition… it wasn’t terrible at all, right?

But there’s something missing.

It feels well-made, but just to that extent?

Should I say it lacks character?

“Did you study composition?”

Since the basics felt solid, I casually asked.

“How did you know?”

“Did you study it?”

“I only studied, but I can’t write good songs.”

“Okay.”

I guess I understood.

So, you have solid fundamentals, but lack the inspiration, right?

“Hmm, that’s unfortunate for you.”

It’s sad for her.

She learned composition from a young age with a dream in music but lacks what’s often referred to as talent.

However, for me… it seems like the pieces are aligning just right.

I’m in a team, after all.

No matter how you look at it, there are those with talent without the basics.

“Do you want to come in for an interview?”

“Me?”

I had been wondering when to teach the basics to Loa, so…

“Yeah, come check it out.”

I found a good prospect here.

If they can’t do a single part individually, could they not just work together for one part?

 

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