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A few days after the collaboration ended.

I began the interview for Harbin.

Unlike with Loa, this time it was a bit more relaxed, and we proceeded smoothly.

Of course, the difference in our junior-senior relationship played a part, plus it was a private interview held without broadcasting, so there was no pressure to perform.

The interviewer was just Loa, not Lee Soo-hyun or Jeong-hoon.

[Is this right?]

Loa, who was called in as the interviewer, showed a confused expression, but there was a reason for bringing her in.

“If chosen, you two will be partners.”

If Harbin gets selected, she’ll be paired with Loa.

So, first, it’s important for Loa to assess Harbin.

[What?]

“It means you two are one.”

I said this to encourage a careful decision.

[Oh dear….]

Loa then realized I wasn’t joking and took the interview a bit more seriously.

“Then, let’s get started.”

Anyway, after that, we called in Harbin, asked her various questions, and went through the materials she brought with Loa…

[I like her.]

“Really?”

[Yeah, I like her.]

Harbin confidently received Loa’s approval and joined the Miro Family.

By chance, we ended up recruiting one member each from both the first and second generations.

Although both are somewhat incomplete, it’s still a relief to have at least one person capable of composing in every generation.

And then, a band girl and a hip-hop girl…

This could be a dangerous combination.

Well, anyway, I hope they get along well.

Honestly, while I don’t trust Loa’s basic qualities, I can count on her when it comes to work.

She’ll manage on her own.

“Then, since you’ve been chosen, you two should spend some time together.”

With that, I left them in a voice chat.

They’ll be working on songs slowly while getting to know each other.

More importantly…

I quickly opened my phone to check the message I received earlier.

[The song is complete.]

It was a somewhat unexpected message from Lee Kang-jun saying he had completed the song.

I hadn’t been considering it much…

But it seemed like Lee Kang-jun was the first to jump back into action after a quiet period.

**

The next day.

“Oh, you came?”

“You arrived early, didn’t you?”

I met Lee Kang-jun at the café on the third floor we used last time.

It’s nice to meet there since it’s almost empty on weekday mornings.

Being on the third floor means we don’t have to worry about the prying eyes of part-timers.

“By the way, you said the song was finished?”

“Right. I finally completed it yesterday.”

Lee Kang-jun said this with a satisfied expression, but upon closer inspection, his eyes looked a bit haggard.

It seemed he had been working while sacrificing sleep.

“That’s great, but why did you finish it so quickly?”

I honestly thought Jeong-hoon would be the first to complete a song.

After all, he has the most time and isn’t he quite passionate about it?

Yet, the opposite happened; Jeong-hoon sank under Tenshi’s feedback bomb, while Lee Kang-jun surprisingly brought the song back quickly, just like I suspected.

Naturally, I couldn’t help but feel curious.

But instead of confidently explaining, Lee Kang-jun seemed a bit shy as he avoided eye contact and said, “…I had nothing to do.”

“Oh.”

So, Lee Kang-jun had even more free time than Jeong-hoon?

…That’s a sad reason, to be honest.

“I can’t sit still, so I kept myself busy with this.”

He seemed a little awkward, scratching the back of his neck while placing his phone on the table.

Although Lee Kang-jun intended to send me the completed song file, I called him here.

After all, isn’t this the glorious first song of the Miro Family?

Well, I still need to record the guide vocals and mix it, but this could be considered a monumental moment.

I can’t just receive it as a file and listen to it.

“That sounds a bit burdensome.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Lee Kang-jun seemed to sense my expectations and looked a little pressured, but this is something I’ll have to deal with.

“I did the guide vocals. The featuring part will follow the guide vocals.”

“Ah, understood.”

“Then, let’s give it a listen.”

With a brief preamble, Lee Kang-jun took out his earbuds from his pocket and handed me a pair.

“Do I put them in both ears?”

“I’ve listened to it enough already.”

“Well, I guess…”

As soon as I put in the wireless earphones, Lee Kang-jun played the song.

The song started with a calm instrumental and a gentle voice.

Ah, “calm” isn’t quite right; it’s more like “sweet.”

As the emotions built up and lyrics were recited, the highlight burst forth with typical ballad flair.

“Hmm.”

It definitely sounded good.

Maybe it was because the guide vocal was Lee Kang-jun, but…

I think adding my voice to this would work well.

Honestly, this track bore much of Lee Kang-jun’s established artistic flavor, but isn’t this going to be my song?

If he released another song like this, people would call it repetitive, but since it’s me, a completely different person stepping in, it might feel different.

Well, there are differences between a male and a female vocal, as well as a ballad singer and a VTuber, so viewers or third parties will likely feel freshness.

“How was it?”

After finishing the song, Lee Kang-jun cautiously asked the question as I nodded along.

“It’s good.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I think you can record this just like it is.”

Honestly, if there were any issues, I planned to provide active feedback, but… nothing seemed out of place.

What’s more, it genuinely resonated with me.

Isn’t this a style Miro hasn’t tried before?

That alone holds value.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Thanks to you for doing so well.”

He exceeded my expectations, and I rewarded him with a thumbs up, which seemed to embarrass Lee Kang-jun a little as he awkwardly changed the subject.

“What about the recording? When are you thinking of going public?”

“Oh, the release? Hmm…”

Actually, now that I think about it, previous plans have all collapsed.

This wasn’t going according to my thoughts.

Look, even now, Lee Kang-jun’s song came out sooner than expected, while Jeong-hoon was the opposite.

Even if Jeong-hoon were to bring in a completed track instantly tomorrow, we’d only have two songs ready.

Since Loa and Harbin were just paired yesterday and have yet to start on their songs, we still have more than half left to complete.

In that situation, we unexpectedly got a song early, so…

“Shall we just do a surprise release?”

Should we just put it out into the world?

It’s been a while since we teased about needing composers.

If the work for the Miro Family is going to take a while, we could give a little preview, right?

It could build anticipation, and it would also inform them that we’re working hard.

“Right now?”

“Yeah, I don’t think it’s a bad idea.”

And, since the song is good, it seems like it would garner a decent response.

If we make a small music video, even better.

“You can do whatever you want, Kim Soo-hyun. As for me, since I’ve made the song, I’m good.”

Lee Kang-jun completely passed the reins to me from here.

Well, he is the composer, so this next step is entirely my responsibility.

Since I have the keys now, I’ll have to think about this further when I get home later.

“Anyway, thank you. Expect an incoming payment.”

“Understood.”

With this, I could consider Lee Kang-jun’s part done… but honestly, I felt a little regretful.

The work was quick, and the output was excellent… should I just send it off like this?

I’m not an evil boss, but honestly, if we worked on one more song, wouldn’t it be a win-win?

“Actually, I…”

“Yeah?”

Thus, I forcefully held onto the ending that was slowly approaching.

“Could I perhaps … for the next song…?”

Since we finished one so quickly, how about trying a different genre this time?

As I looked hopefully at Lee Kang-jun…

“No, I need to get back to my main work now.”

“Bummer.”

Sadly, I was cut off.

Yeah, Lee Kang-jun needs to find work, too.

I can’t tie him to the Miro Family forever.

“I realized that while working on songs, I also wanted to make my own tracks.”

“Really?”

“Yes, honestly, this song feels too good to give to Miro-nim.”

“Haha, but you’re featuring, aren’t you?”

And what’s wrong with that?

Despite how it looks, I have quite a number of YouTube subscribers.

When the song gets released, I’ll be sure to promote it effectively.

“Well, I’ve learned a lot from this project.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I think I can create something good for the next new song.”

“Oh….”

In any case, this means that the Miro Family activities benefited Lee Kang-jun, right?

That’s quite fulfilling.

I hope others can gain something from this activity like Lee Kang-jun did.

“I’ll support your activities.”

For now, I genuinely cheered on Lee Kang-jun’s individual endeavors as the first member, but he looked at me with a grumpy expression.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Is that all you’re going to do?”

“Huh?”

What else can I do besides support?

I can’t write songs for him…

“You have to give me a featuring.”

“Huh?”

Lee Kang-jun’s comment clarified my confusion.

Now that I think about it, we had agreed to the give-and-take arrangement.

Since Lee Kang-jun gave me first, now it’s my turn to return the favor.

“Will you use it for the next new song?”

“Of course. I have some ideas lined up.”

With that, my schedule, which had been feeling empty lately, now had its next item set.

 

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