The Lazy Snail's Digital Escapades and a Close Call
I returned to my room in a state of utter laziness and flung myself boldly onto the bed.
-Poof.
Maybe because my body weighed less than I expected, the sound was pathetically weak for such a dramatic throw.
As my self-definition wrapped up, my mind cleared more than ever, but I still needed a bit of rest. I burrowed into the blankets like a snail, only my soles and slightly protruding arms visible.
"Mmmmaaaah…"
Right now, this Lee Haru was a snail craving nothing but rest.
Suddenly, just lying there felt too boring, so I grabbed my phone and casually scrolled NewTube. But my break didn't last long before Mom's voice rang out.
"Haru! Dinner time!"
"Yeees…"
Part of me wanted to flop around like a carp going ing! eung-ing! to protest leaving, but I had no intention of being an unfilial fire-attribute daughter… no, son of sorts. So I obediently crawled out of the covers. I picked at my food half-heartedly and pulled up NewTube again for some Shorts.
Lots of Shorts popped up, but nothing really grabbed me. As I logged off NewTube wondering what to do next, the Vocaloid Gallery crossed my mind. With time to kill, it seemed like a perfect light browse.
Vocaloid Gallery
I considered checking other galleries, but knowing each had its own vibe, I stuck to just the Vocaloid one.
'Hmm… My fault?'
Nah, probably not. I pondered it briefly, but if two posts could ruin a gallery, that was the problem. I boldly ignored it and clicked the next.
'More fun than I thought.'
This must be why once you dive into a community, you can't stop. Before I knew it, 30 minutes had flown by browsing fresh posts.
'Should I post something?' But writing junk would make me the poster child for laziness.
'Speaking of, that game… Wanna try it?'
The gallery post suddenly sparked a urge to game.
Honestly, I'd never been big on games. Neither in my memories nor Haru's—aside from mobile stuff, no PC gaming recollections.
A lonely guy scraping by couldn't afford a pricey rig or extra PC bang trips. Haru's life had a smidge of fun with Star something-or-other, but that was it.
If I'd shown my face, maybe I'd have followers, but my pics were just food snaps, so followers were limited to middle-school pals and Jisu.
'Whoa… I've lived such a boring life.'
No wonder fiddling with Vocaloid felt thrilling—probably 'cause there was zero dopamine elsewhere. I signed up for the top game and started installing.
Weekdays: meet Jisu, school, post-class tteokbokki or walks, home. Weekends: shopping with parents or rare Jisu chats—like a hamster wheel.
'Alright… Let's game at least.'
Hobbies are good, right? School and Vocaloid tracks daily sounded dull as dirt.
*
'Hmm… Why am I getting flamed?'
Weird? Didn't they tell me to game like this? While signing up and installing, I followed a NewTube guide: top AD FMO setup. But team reactions were off.
The spam-asterisking AdultNibia raged at me then ditched.
'Mentally fragile? I thought I did okay…'
For a first-timer, 5 kills, 7 deaths, 0 assists felt solid. But with two teammates (minus me) bailing, we lost hard.
'That was fun.'
I stretched lightly and dove back into Vocaloid work. Games were enjoyable, but matches dragged—time would vanish.
To shake off that "stiff and intellectual" critique, I ditched memory reliance for gut-feel vibes.
-Tap tap tap. Click. Click.
Time flew in the zone. Headphones on, blasting fast-tempo MRs unique to Vocaloid tunes, tweaking songs as my heart led.
Endless MR loops had me humming original lyrics unconsciously.
"Hum hum huuum~"
Japanese? Barely touched it outside songs, yet it flowed naturally now.
At this rate, maybe Sailing? But nah—high notes baseline, highlight acapella. Pass.
Trance state. Making songs via Vocaloid locked me in, ignoring minor noises.
-Creeeak.
Door sound? I yanked off headphones and turned.
"Haru, still up?"
"Kyaaak!"
Sudden door—Mom's face floated from the dark living room. I jolted, flinging headphones. Monitor showed vibrant audio waveforms from my tweaks and ERU's illustration.
"M-Mom! Wh-why…?"
She eyed my face puzzled, scanned the room lightly. Angle hid ERU pic—only waveforms visible.
"Just… Heard weird noises from your room while trying to sleep. Sounded like singing, so I checked."
Heart nearly leaped out from the shock. Parents think I'm your average high schooler—hanging with Jisu, that's it. No clue about Vocaloid songmaking.
Humming J-pop lyrics? Suspicious as hell. Truth might get cheers, but no need to spill.
"Oh… School music project? Was listening to songs for it. Japanese study too…"
"Huh? Japanese? Studying's great, but don't stay up too late. Voice carries—worried about noise complaints."
"Y-yes! Going to bed soon!"
Door shut, I exhaled held breath. Cold sweat down my back.
'That was close… Sound leaks, huh.'
Fancy apartment, yet crap soundproofing? Lucky no neighbors knocked. MRs via speakers reached parental bedroom—headset mandatory now.
'Almost done though. Oh, thumbnails too.'
Farewell Declaration shorter than Sailing by 30 secs—easier make. Unlike Sailing's vague imagery, this had iconic visuals.
'Commission? Check thumbnail sites?'
Freelance sites? Prices insane. Low quality min 150k won, 7 days. Meh.
'Hmm… What now?'
Optimal hack: AI thumbnails. Minimal cost, max output.
First time, but 'It'll work out.' Hit top AI art site, burned free tokens on prompts for perfect composition.