NOVEL NEXT chapter 258
[...Gia has been recommended as the voice actress for Roro in Season 2 of the anime.]
Magia tilted her head, thinking she must’ve misheard.
“You mean they want me [N O V E L I G H T] to voice Roro in the anime?”
The rep, sounding quite thrilled, repeated the statement.
[Yes. It’s a request directly from the animation studio.]
To be honest, the skillset required for recording a full-length anime was nowhere near the same as for a game character voice (CV).
For game CVs, there’s still some leeway for non-professionals to participate.
You mostly record short lines, and as long as it’s cute, people can overlook minor imperfections.
Magia had done her part flawlessly for the final chapter recordings.
But even so, that was a tiny fraction compared to the full length of an anime.
A character like Roro—who had major narrative importance—would appear across several episodes, and during the climax, might even be given one or two full-length episodes.
And they wanted Magia to do that?
It was only natural to have doubts.
“Honestly, I feel a bit overwhelmed. I’d like to decline, but… may I ask why me?”
The circumstances were as follows:
[The voice actress who played Kurokumo Roro in Season 1 had to step down due to personal reasons.]
The character Kurokumo Roro, voiced by Magia, first appeared in the mid-section of the game’s first arc, gradually causing all sorts of chaos around the protagonist, Master.
Since the game wasn’t fully voice-acted, those parts were handled through text-only scripts.
But that wouldn’t be acceptable in an anime.
Roro appeared in silhouette in Season 1, her identity hidden. A voice actress had already been assigned.
Naturally, the anime was produced in Japanese.
The original VA had spent years voicing young characters in Japan and was considered a top-tier professional in that niche.
[That VA, after discussing with the director, listed several replacement candidates—and you were one of them.]
That is, Magia hadn’t been selected outright but was one among several suggested candidates.
“There must be a ton of Japanese voice actresses who can pull off Roro’s voice… Why me?”
[It seems they saw your event Shorts and your Japanese thank-you message on the official channel.]
“You’re saying just that was enough to make me a candidate?”
[I found it surprising too, but they didn’t elaborate beyond that. Whether it’s pure curiosity or a specific reason, I really can’t say…]
“Hm.”
[In any case, it’s an incredible opportunity. Whether or not to pursue it is up to you, Gia.]
The motive was unclear, but the offer was real.
Yet, thinking back on how she rose to fame as Fan_C—
Would she have ever gained that much popularity without Na Hyun-gon?
Magia herself would say no—there’s no way she could have reached millions of subscribers alone.
It was CAT Entertainment and Na Hyun-gon who nurtured her raw talent into something real.
So she couldn’t just be thrilled about this new proposal.
She always said yes to whatever would help Parallel, but…
This one?
Magia genuinely wanted to back out of it.
To those offering her this massive opportunity, a rejection might seem rude, but being an anime voice actress was a whole different burden.
“Would it be okay if I spoke with the original VA who recommended me?”
[Of course. I’ll ask her when she’s available for a call.]
“Thank you.”
***
A few days later, on the weekend.
Magia sat on the living room couch and called Cheon Do-hee over.
She wanted her present, just in case the call required a sudden decision.
“So, if they really want you, what’ll you do?”
“I have to give it a shot. Whether or not they’ll be satisfied with my acting, I don’t know.”
“Yes. If I pass, I get the role.”
“Hmm… You think you’ll pass?”
“No way.”
“Same here. Then why call the voice actress?”
“Because I want to understand her thinking. I’ve got zero voice acting experience—what did she see in me?”
“True. I’m curious too.”
Soon, the promised time arrived, and Magia, sharing one earbud with Do-hee, placed the call to Roro’s original voice actress.
Ring… Ring…
After a few tones, a cute voice came through the speaker.
[Hello! Is this Danbi-chan?]
“Hello, Kayami-san. This is Danbi.”
[Oh my, so cute. You sound exactly like I imagined in Japanese.]
They had only exchanged greetings.
Magia frowned slightly, exchanging glances with Do-hee, and after some small talk, got to the point.
“This might come off a bit arrogant, but to be frank—I’d like to decline this offer. That said, if you don’t mind, could you tell me in more detail why you chose me?”
Kayami was a true veteran—she’d been voicing youthful characters for nearly ten years.
The reason she picked Magia was—
[It’s simple. Danbi-chan unconsciously mimics my vocal habits and tone.]
“Ah.”
Magia finally understood why she had caught Kayami’s attention.
Her Japanese had been self-taught.
And in the process, she had absorbed countless voice samples from VTubers and anime.
When learning anything related to voice, Magia relied most heavily on imitation and reproduction.
Before recording Roro’s CV, she had studied various characters voiced by Kayami—and naturally picked up her style.
Of course, her Japanese wasn’t entirely based on Kayami—if anything, it was a patchwork of styles, like a stitched-up quilt.
But for Kayami, the elements she recognized as her own were likely the most prominent.
[So I figured, maybe Danbi-chan would be the least jarring replacement for fans if we have to switch VAs.]
“But I’m Korean…”
[That doesn’t matter. I just want someone whose voice, intonation, and delivery are closest to mine. Since I’m stepping down so suddenly, I want to take full responsibility for what comes after.]
A moment of silence.
Kayami voluntarily explained her circumstances—even though Magia hadn’t asked.
[I’ve only got a few months left before giving birth. And during that period, I won’t be able to visit the studio. I’ll need someone to fill in.]
“I see.”
[I know it’s a selfish request, but if you have time, I’d love for you to audition. I know the other candidates are amazing… but I have my reasons, as I said. I’m sorry.]
“No, there’s nothing to apologize for. I’m grateful you even considered me.”
Some might say she could’ve pre-recorded all her lines and then focused on giving birth and postpartum recovery.
But long-form anime—whether one or two cours—constantly have scripts and direction changes.
Even with pre-planned scripts, adjustments are often made during airing to address missing explanations or viewer confusion.
That means multiple retakes.
But with Kayami soon unavailable due to childbirth, she needed someone to cover that gap.
Professional voice actresses, however, already had packed schedules.
So instead of risking disruptions to another professional’s work, she thought of “Danbi”—a newcomer with no real credits, potentially more flexible, and someone who had already portrayed the same character in a different language.
If Magia hadn’t uploaded that Japanese thank-you video, she never would’ve been noticed.
But the moment Kayami saw it, she’d felt a spark.
And if someone trusts her that much, Magia couldn’t easily say no.
Who knew what benefits this might bring to Parallel in the future?
After all, being able to say, “I once voiced a lead in a global hit anime,” was an achievement that carried serious weight.
They ended the call with Magia promising to review everything and respond via Mimax.
Magia looked at Cheon Do-hee.
“I want to try, but… I’ll probably fail, right?”
“I believe in your potential, but like Kayami said—your competition’s going to be tough.”
“Still, I’d like to give it a go. Should I talk to our producer?”
“Probably best. CAT Entertainment’s got a bunch of voice actors anyway.”
“If I do it, I’ll probably have to disappear for a couple of months. Travel back and forth from Japan or maybe even stay there. Would that be okay?”
Do-hee chuckled.
Like she was saying, What do you take me for?
“You collapsed once from exhaustion and we still ran fine. Plus now we’ve got Seung-yeon and JC, remember?”
“Our team’s grown since then.”
Do-hee gently brushed Magia’s hair back.
“From the start, I built everything so you could rest whenever you wanted. Do what you want—don’t worry.”
Do-hee had always tried to make sure Magia could live her life even without Parallel.
First it was the dream of being a solo streamer.
When that didn’t pan out, she helped Magia become an utaite.
And now? A voice actress?
She had the talent, just not the resume. Do-hee wanted her to gain that experience.
“I think about this all the time—why are you so eager to push me out into the world?”
“Because I know you’re not going anywhere.”
“If I go to Japan, maybe I’ll swing by Bachubachu again…”
“What for, huh?”
Magia burst into laughter and ran off.
“Just kidding!”
“You little—!”
After a brief game of chase around the couch, Do-hee collapsed onto it, out of breath.
“There’s no point getting ahead of ourselves. The producer might still say no.”
“You think so?”
Voice acting was tough on the throat.
Given that CAT Entertainment was grooming her as Fan_C the singer, they might refuse to let her take the job.
“Yeah, so talk to the producer seriously. Then tell Mimax. That’s the right order.”
“Got it.”
***
Monday, after the weekend.
Since Magia said she had something important to discuss, Na Hyun-gon invited her to the café on the first floor of CAT Entertainment HQ.
Given that even many celebrities had trouble securing meetings with him, this was a mark of how highly she was valued.
“Must be urgent. You even said so yourself.”
“Yes. A big opportunity came up, but I honestly think you should be the one to decide whether I take it.”
After hearing about Kayami’s situation and the offer made to Magia, would Na Hyun-gon tell her to decline to protect her voice?
Surprisingly, he didn’t.
“Hm. If your schedule permits, I definitely think you should do it.”
“Really?”
“Of course. What did I tell you before? You said you wanted to surpass Bachubachu—to become a VTuber company bigger than them.”
“Yes. That’s my dream.”
“Then you’ll definitely need ties to major animation studios. And this kind of opportunity? Doesn’t come around often.”
Na Hyun-gon had a knack for identifying the exact potential others were aiming for.
Since Parallel was now partnered with CAT, he was always scouting for ways to help it grow.
“There was that Korean indie game bought by a Chinese publisher that hired Japanese VAs and became a huge hit.”
“Oh, yeah, I think I saw that.”
“Right. Like it or not, Japan is still the king of animation. The global market craves that unique ‘flavor.’ So whether it’s an anime or even just an anime-style PV—having a famous Japanese studio involved is never a loss.”
If this offer helped solidify that relationship—
It could be the first step toward global expansion.
With a clear goal and support from all sides—
Magia had no reason to hesitate.
“If I decide to pursue voice acting seriously… would you help me grow?”
Na Hyun-gon smiled.
“Our company always respects our artists’ wishes. So—when do we start?”