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The day after Hyeon-su agreed to participate as a concert guest.

Naturally, I called the manager to deliver the news about Slim Gold’s participation.

[Slim Gold? Really?]

“Yes, is that okay?”

[Absolutely. It must be done.]

The manager was equally surprised and delighted to hear the news.

After all, according to Ah-young, Slim Gold is in their prime.

Having them as a guest would be a great boon for The Six; it could only be beneficial.

[If they agree, when will the recording be?]

“I heard they’d practice a bit and then come right over to help with the recording.”

[So, they’ll be coming to the company soon?]

“Right?”

Since we need to film and record at The Six Headquarters.

Hyeon-su doesn’t have a separate filming location.

[Please let me know as soon as possible. I’ll clear the studio right away.]

“Understood.”

[Oh, by the way… ]

“Yes?”

While we were having a nice chat, the manager seemed hesitant before cautiously bringing it up.

[If they come, may I, um, get an autograph?]

“An autograph?”

[Uh, I feel like it might be too forward to ask someone working… ]

An autograph?

Come to think of it, I think the manager might be a fan of Slim Gold.

I vaguely remember seeing them disappointed when Miro couldn’t feature in a Slim Gold album a while back.

“I don’t think it would be a problem.”

Hyeon-su has a strong sense of professionalism.

If asked for an autograph, I’m sure he would smile and oblige.

[…Alright, I’ll look forward to that.]

“It won’t take long.”

Although he mentioned practicing, this is Hyeon-su we’re talking about; I believe he’ll pick it up quickly and reach out.

[Employees will surely be thrilled about this.]

“Really?”

[Yes, it turns out quite a few of them are fans.]

That’s a surprising piece of news.

Hyeon-su has fans among the staff… but then again, since The Six has many female employees, it’s not that strange, I guess?

“I’ll contact you again soon.”

[Yes, I’m looking forward to some good news.]

Thus, the call with the manager ended.

And just a few days later.

As I had expected, Hyeon-su quickly contacted me, saying practice was over and it was time to set a date.

**

On a weekday afternoon.

“Is this the place?”

“Yep.”

“Wow… nice building.”

I stood alongside Hyeon-su, both of us wearing sunglasses, gazing at the building in front of us.

This was none other than The Six Headquarters.

Today was the day we had set, so we met early in the afternoon and took a taxi.

“Let’s go in.”

I led Hyeon-su into the building, feeling quite familiar with the place.

“It’s amazing to come to your company.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I watch the broadcasts sometimes, and this is the headquarters, right?”

“Well… it is. By the way, you seem to be watching the broadcasts pretty often.”

“Actually, I just binge-watch them on YouTube.”

“Wow.”

Binge-watching on YouTube, but the highlight of being a virtual YouTuber is the live broadcasts.

“What’s the point of watching on YouTube? You should be watching live broadcasts.”

“Is that something you should say? Your YouTube channel is the biggest, after all.”

“That’s a managed thing, though.”

As I said that, I pressed the elevator button.

Speaking of YouTube… back until last year, I was amazed by its rapid growth and kept an eye on it, but now I’ve just stopped bothering.

Perhaps it’s the nature of humans to adapt; observing metrics consistently does lead to a sense of indifference.

So nowadays, I just let it be.

The Six should be managing it well on their own.

Anyway, we took the elevator and arrived at the level used by The Six.

“Oh, did Miro arrive?”

The staff at the counter immediately recognized me, even with my sunglasses on.

“Hello! I came to use the studio today.”

“Ah, yes. By the way, is this guest next to you…?”

“They’re the guest for today.”

Just as I was about to introduce him, Hyeon-su took off his sunglasses.

Then….

“Wow, wow…!”

The staff at the counter instantly recognized Hyeon-su and were in awe.

“This is my first time seeing you in person.”

Seeing that reaction made me realize Hyeon-su truly is a celebrity.

What the manager said was indeed true.

“Would you like me to sign something?”

“Oh? Can you really do that?”

“Sure, you seem like a fan.”

“Squee…”

With the staff in ecstatic delight, Hyeon-su signed for them while employees walking by inside began turning their heads one by one.

“Wow, Slim Gold…!”

“Today was the day they’d come…!”

Awestruck by Hyeon-su’s presence, yet still trying to maintain their professionalism and working spirit.

Watching all of this, I asked Hyeon-su,

“Can those folks also get an autograph?”

“Yeah, sure, have them come over. I’ve got plenty of time today.”

With Hyeon-su’s approval, I called over the staff members.

“Just come over here for autographs and pictures.”

“Oh, is that really okay?”

“Yes, go ahead and get them now.”

I told them that there wouldn’t be another chance once we got to the studio, and they surged over to get autographs.

As one person, then another, received their signature, more staff emerged from the back, drawn by the news.

And soon enough….

“Uh… me too….”

“Manager?!”

As I mentioned before, the manager came out from the back, discreetly requesting an autograph.

“Oh, look at this, you’ve even prepared an autograph board.”

“…I guess so.”

It even looked like he might have organized everything in advance, bringing a signboard and a marker, suggesting he was waiting for this moment.

“Thank you!”

“You look even more amazing in person!”

“Ahaha… thank you.”

With the manager as the starting point, everyone slowly finished up with their autographs.

“Well then, we’ll head to the studio now.”

“Yes! Everything is set up.”

We now headed downstairs to begin the official recording in the studio.

“Ouch, my hand hurts.”

On the way to the studio, Hyeon-su flexed his hand and said.

“Thanks for signing with the staff.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I usually do this much in one go, so it’s fine.”

“…But didn’t you just say your hand hurts?”

“I was just trying to throw in some flair.”

“Come on.”

With The Six having quite a number of employees, it looked like they genuinely had a fun time.

I found myself wondering if I should treat them to a meal after this.

Anyway, we finally reached the studio.

“Ooh… is this where we film? This is amazing.”

“Yeah, they bring the equipment over here.”

“Do I also need to bring a car?”

“Yes, so you can be recognized as a person.”

While there’s a chroma key behind, having actual cars is much better for camera recognition.

Even if it’s just the main body, like Hyeon-su without a character.

“Oh, Miro is over there.”

“How dare you speak informally to Miro!”

Hyeon-su, looking at the screen recognizing the camera, said with a sense of wonder.

It was indeed a bit awkward to see a real human standing next to a character.

But what else could I do? We couldn’t create a character for Hyeon-su; it was just going to have to be this way.

By the way…

“You have a flashier hairstyle than my character.”

“Ahahaha… well, that’s something I focus on.”

Hyeon-su definitely has a flashy hairstyle.

It used to be just dyed gold hair, but now it’s what? Platinum blonde? Anyway, it indeed shimmers just by looking at it.

“How much do you spend on dyeing your hair?”

“Quite a bit. It’s done at a professional salon.”

Hmm… a professional salon, huh?

“Where is it?”

“It’s in Gangnam. Would you like a recommendation?”

“Uh, no, I’m good.”

“Why’s that?”

“Going for dyeing doesn’t really seem like me.”

I nearly considered dyeing my hair later but changed my mind.

I’m constantly complimented on my natural hair, so it doesn’t seem necessary to risk ruining it by dyeing.

“Really? I think it would suit you well.”

“Natural is best.”

Honestly, no matter what style I chose, I’d probably look good, but there is that saying about tuning being best in its original form, right?

Black straight hair is the best.

“Speaking of which, you practiced a lot, right?”

“Are you worried about me?”

“…No.”

I regretted even bringing up practice; I had lost the opportunity to say anything meaningful.

Why would I be worried about anyone when it comes to singing?

It’s Hyeon-su, so I figured he’d do well on his own.

If there’s a problem, it’d probably be his dancing?

I gave my character a little flick.

“There’s a height difference.”

When I was with Tenshi, I was taller, but standing next to Hyeon-su now, he’s actually taller.

The saying that guys can grow until they’re 20 isn’t just a myth; he’s certainly grown more noticeably in the past three years.

“I’ll manage to adjust accordingly.”

“I’ll set it up, so you just focus.”

“Is that okay?”

“I’m a pro at these recordings.”

From Tenshi to other members who have been guests, a few have already come here and recorded.

Adjusting to the other person has become a second nature now.

“Then let’s give it a try.”

“Okay, cue the music.”

Thus, the official recording began.

As the intro of the song played in the studio, I started singing first.

At the time we created and recorded the song, the effort was quite a bit. Now, it feels easier to sing.

I’ve been regularly attending singing lessons lately, and I felt like I had reached my peak performance.

I had this sneaky feeling Hyeon-su would be surprised as I smoothly led through the beginning, waiting for his featuring part to arrive.

I peeked over as my part came to an end.

Just a bit curious.

How much had he grown since then?

Expecting eagerly, I wrapped up my part and waited for Hyeon-su’s to start.

And soon enough.

“Ah—!”

Hyeon-su’s part kicked in.

“….”

I suddenly understood why Ah-young had said that Slim Gold was in its prime right now.

‘…This is insane.’

The growth since three years ago was not just physical height.

 

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