NOVEL NEXT Chapter 46
[Major Announcement from Miro]
What do you mean by a major announcement? It’s not just any notice!
– Don’t you know Miro’s style? It’s just to stir things up!
Haha, that’s right!
– Miro being important? It’s a big joke, right?
Nah, she said she’s moving.
[Isn’t this the reason Miro is moving?]
Isn’t it true that story surfaced when she did that singing bang?
– For real… seems like that’s why she’s moving.
– That guy hasn’t posted his review?
Nah, he deleted it after that. Haha.
– No way? Hahaha.
– She said her lease is up, that’s why she’s heading to the arcade.
– Can you believe someone actually believes that? Hahaha.
– Please back me up, man.
– Nah.
– Ugh, I guess you all want to believe Miro is cute or something?
– You don’t really know, do you?
– I seriously hope that’s the case!
– Yep, she’s a PC room goddess! Hahaha.
[For now, Miro likely doesn’t have a boyfriend.]
If she had a boyfriend, she’d still be living alone, but with her going back home, she must really be single…
– Honestly, that sounded stupid, but thinking she’s 21 makes it kinda believable…
– Sorry…
– What are you apologizing for, you brat?
– Why do you talk like that…?
– The level of discourse in this place is ridiculous.
[Here’s the notice about the streaming break]
(I took a screenshot of the notice Miro posted in the café)
It was long, so I just captured it.
– Damn, haha.
– So careless.
– Summary: Total trash, hahaha.
– Is this for real?
Nah, it’s true.
– But who even looks at cafés? Hahaha.
– There were a few people around.
– I check the café.
[Logging into the bulletin board, hahaha]
But damn, she turned it around to avoid being targeted ahead of time.
– Ugh… is she going to play another round and quit?
– That might happen.
– But this time, it’s solo!
– Is she not working with that vtuber from before?
– That guy has 1.6 million subscribers; would she collab with a Josen hacker?
– When’s the next singing bang? I’ve been binge-watching it lately; it’s so good!
– Wait for Miro’s singing bang for another year.
– Yeah, it’s over now. Hahaha.
[Miro <— if she streamed like the other members] When she streams, it’s usually for 5-6 hours, And several times a month she does singing streams, If she prepared content every time, wouldn’t she be the top of the Celestial Realm? - Miro is just keeping the balance... - She's already number one. - Anna told her not to overdo it to keep her in check. - Oof, then she'll be bullied by the older sisters. - Miro's just trying to keep balance... - Still, it’s only Miro who streams almost every day... - But she only streams for 2 hours. - But still, it’s impressive she streams every day! [Call for the 1.6 million vtuber, logging in, hahaha] (A short clip of a message sent by a Japanese person in a friend's chat) “Let’s do this together, let’s!” logging in. Hahaha. Shall we take a look? Hahaha. - Let’s go to the VO board! Hahaha. - Is this the start of World War II? - Wow, they’re sending the love call first! - Great Miro! [??? Is this girl insane?] She’s rejecting it even though there’s a 16-fold difference in subscribers? - Crazy girl! - She’s rejecting that? - How dare you call me a Japanese; Miro did well! (Narrating while watching the vtuber) [Just now, Miro rejected the love call from the Japanese vtuber] (Main page of Murasaki Tenshi’s YouTube channel) She's a vtuber with 1.6 million subscribers, hahaha. - No way! Hahaha. - Why did she reject it? Nah, she declined because she’s in the middle of a stream, just suggested they do it later. - This girl Miro... is she not interested in growing her stream? That's no good. Nah, she doesn’t care even though she’s number one in the Celestial Realm Project! Hahaha. - Isn’t Anna number one? - Last time, Miro was chosen. - Miro must have something special, being compared to 1.6 million subscribers first. - She’s got a good voice, nice personality, and is fun. - Does she have a good personality? - She’s actually in the top 1% of charming Korean women, haha. - Miro is seriously chill because she doesn’t engage in petty competitions. - She’s just a playful girl like Shin-chan. Hahaha. - C'mon, let's collab. - Are they going to stream together after the show is finished? “Ugh, should I have done it?” After the broadcast ended late at night. In my slightly empty studio apartment, I recalled earlier’s situation. To get straight to the point, I declined the Japanese vtuber’s offer. I told her we could do it later when I wasn’t streaming. Why did I do that? Maybe, I just wanted to make friends with a Japanese person. If we collaborated publicly, wouldn’t it just become a business relationship? Just like the Celestial Realm Project colleagues who are friendly but rarely meet outside of that. Perhaps this time, as a woman, I might make my first real friend. Who knows for sure. Of course, Hyejeong is also a close friend, but isn’t that just fate between female Kim Soo-hyun? Honestly speaking, even when chatting comfortably, sometimes I feel this strange gap. For instance, when I nod at memories I only recall and fake a smile. In those moments, I feel like I’m not truly myself. “Ugh, whatever.” I pulled the blanket up to my head and closed my eyes. I need to sleep early today. After the broadcast ended, I got a message from the composer. The new song for the Celestial Realm Project is finished, so I should come by. Tomorrow, I need to check that new song. They said I’d hear it for the first time in the workshop, but how did the song turn out... Knowing the composer’s skill, I felt more excitement than anxiety as I drifted off to sleep. The next day. The composer’s workshop I returned to after a few days was still nice. Come to think of it, after we decided to work on the new song last time, I hadn’t received any contact. Is time just moving leisurely? “Nice to meet you, Soo-hyun.” “Ah, yes, Composer.” ‘The title has changed, huh?’ She used to call me Miro but now refers to me as Soo-hyun. Is it a sign of the composer's own intimacy? Or is it because the last contract was made under Soo-hyun, so she calls me Soo-hyun? I can always ask about it later. Thinking that, I followed the composer into the inner part of the workshop. “Is the song well completed?” As I entered the recording studio and comfortably sat on the sofa, the composer stroked her unique rough beard and nodded. “It seems well done. And actually, there's a reason I called Miro in first.” “Eh? Why?” “I’d like to ask for a guide vocal.” “Eh? Guide?” Guide vocals. Before the original singer records the existing song, it’s a vocal that sets a certain direction to avoid misinterpreting the composer’s intention. “Well, that’s one reason, and I wanted to discuss the new song we contracted.” Saying that, the composer walked to the sound equipment, clicked the mouse a few times, and played the song. “First, listen to the melody of the new song for the Celestial Realm Project, and here are the lyrics I printed out.” “Uh… uh.” Are we playing the song right off the bat? For a moment, I was flustered, but I soon focused on the melody that echoed. It’s definitely pleasant and refreshing. And... putting aside how good it is, hearing just the melody already looks challenging. After listening to the melody, I immediately looked at the lyrics. So... um... “Uh, is this... high teen?” “Correct.” ...This new song of the Celestial Realm Project has the concept of high teen. Is that correct? “Does that mean all the members are students?” “You hit the nail on the head.” In this song, six students will appear. And naturally, those would be the members of the Celestial Realm Project. Momentarily, I recalled Anna, the oldest member of the Celestial Realm Project, but I forced myself to focus on the lyrics. Just by reading the lyrics, I felt like I could tell who was who, and as I smiled, I noticed some rather odd lyrics. Lyrics that reveal an excessive self-confidence and shamelessness towards others. “...Who is this? Sounds narcissistic.” “It’s Miro.” “No way?” “...Then who else could it be?” “Um...” “Personally, I like this part... do you need a switch?” “Oh, no...” It seems that’s how others see me... But wasn’t I merely looking at myself objectively? They say it’s hard to evaluate oneself. However, for me, female Kim Soo-hyun was clearly a figure I could refer to as male, and thus I gained confidence from the perspective of male Kim Soo-hyun. ...That's not narcissism, right? “Well, anyway, now you need to do the guide vocal.” “But why me...?” In that case, isn’t it better for Anna, Loa, or even Maho to do it? We can later set a time to talk about the new song, but is there really a need for me to be the guide vocal? “You need to practice.” “Oh.” “Let’s be honest. The song we contracted is really difficult.” “...Indeed.” “Wouldn’t it be good to accumulate some experience before that?” Since that was absolutely right, I could only nod quietly. Regardless of anything, this is beneficial for me, and the composer is taking time to help me grow, which means she finds value in it. “Well, it’s a guide, so I won’t push you too hard.” “Right?” “But have you had lunch yet?” “I had breakfast.” “Then what will you have for lunch?” By the way, it’s currently 10 a.m. Thinking about the common lunch hour being around noon... “...I’d like Jajangmyeon.” At least two hours to wait... This, too, is beneficial for me, so I accepted it humbly, stepping into the recording studio with the mindset of a dog being led to the slaughter. After that, the guide recording ended after far exceeding 2 hours, hitting the 4-hour mark. “Great job.” “Phew… yes.” So much for just being a guide vocal; she really took me around the studio. “Ah... Ah... Is your throat okay? Not tired?” “Your vocal cords are naturally blessed.” “Really?” “Yes, it’s something even first-rate singers would envy, so you can be proud of that.” “Like in this song's lyrics?” “Haha, just to reiterate, those aren’t my lyrics.” “Who wrote them? They sounded like they’d watched our broadcast.” “The final selected lyricist is a friend of mine and a fan of the Celestial Realm Project.” “Oh...” A fan? If I ever meet them, I’d want to ask who their favorite member is. “Would you like me to give you a signature?” “Um…” “Er... I just said that casually.” Since I said it jokingly, why are they seriously considering it? “Does that person actually need a signature?” “Ah, not really...” “Not really, huh...?” “Actually, my son is a fan of Miro’s broadcast.” The fact that he has a son is surprising, but that he watches my broadcast too? “Wait, you have a son? How old is he?” “He just entered high school.” “Uh…” If I recall correctly, the composer sitting in front of me looks to be in his early 40s... “You got married early, huh?” “Well... that’s how it happened.” Though he spoke calmly, an odd atmosphere descended. Hmm... was that a sensitive question? Being an observant streamer, Miro knew how to read the room, so cautiously, I asked. “Where should I sign?” When such a moment arrives, changing the topic quickly is the best policy. “Um…” As the atmosphere turned a bit chilly, I sought out where to sign. Naturally, I couldn’t be carrying around anything like a signature, and I’ve never even signed anything before. I looked for something white… something I could write on... but all nearby notebooks or items to write on were all things I used directly... Tissues... would that work? Or should I just tear a piece of the notebook to sign it? Nope. I took off the hat I was wearing. It was freshly washed, so it should be fine, right? Taking off the hat, I grabbed the permanent marker lying on the desk. For a signature... do I just write my name? “Eh, Miro? You want to sign it there?” “Yes, this is my first signature! This is something precious.” On a hat that I used? That's seriously premium. “Uh, hold on.” The composer, seemingly surprised by my action, subtly stood up from her seat. “No, you don’t have to decline...” “No, that’s not it… um, could you write my name too?” To her, I insisted not to decline, but the returned answer was unexpected. “Pardon?” “No, um... give it to my son who doesn’t even study... just sign with your name, please.” “Uh... um, yes...” Does he have a hidden... collection obsession?