Moderately Fast (5)
Meanwhile,
Saebyeok and Harang finished preparing for the broadcast and agreed to meet up online in the evening.
“Thanks for your hard work. See you at broadcast time!”
“Yes, yes! See you in a bit, Saebyeok!”
Harang's fingertips trembled slightly.
Even when she had only listened to his clips, she already knew his skills were top-tier.
“Wow... this is seriously insane...”
Harang had lost track of how many times she had messed up during the rehearsal because she was so busy marveling at him.
If it was this good when they weren't even performing face-to-face, what would have happened if they hadn't rehearsed beforehand?
“The moment I slipped up, he covered for me like magic... How sweet of him.”
“Ugh... I still have goosebumps.”
Harang flared up at her manager's words.
“I-I'm pretty good too, you know?”
“...I'll just shut up and play the piano.”
“Who knows. But one thing's for sure: his identity will be revealed eventually.”
Harang and her two staff members bustled about, preparing for the upcoming joint broadcast.
“There's a bit of latency.”
From his perspective as a former professional musician, the environment wasn't entirely satisfactory.
Even when performing side-by-side and making eye contact, things frequently went out of sync, so this was only natural.
He leaned his head back and fell into a brief reminiscence.
The time his microphone cut out during a concert, forcing him to sing raw and unplugged.
The time the lighting suddenly broke, interrupting the performance, and so on.
His life as Ed flashed before his eyes.
For someone who had survived such chaotic situations, the current issue was trivial.
A professional had to finish the designated song no matter what, and the audience deserved that level of respect.
To do that, a professional always had to be prepared.
“Even if we focus on pop songs today, I should listen to more Korean songs in the future.”
Without letting his guard down, he continued to refine his preparation until it was time for the broadcast.
“Hello, my Sunflowers!”
“Right? Even I think I put a lot of effort into my look today. How is it?”
Harang appeared wearing a black dress, looking like she was heading to a piano competition.
It was a tastefully revealing off-the-shoulder dress, and the silhouette it created wasn't vulgar at all.
Rather, it carried a decent amount of elegance.
That was all well and good, but the moment she smugly curled her lips, the viewers' complaints exploded.
Harang flared up and shoved her face close to the camera.
“It took me two hours to do my makeup and hair! Aren't you guys being too harsh?”
“S-Shut up!”
“It's not caked on!”
Harang huffed and complained.
“Fine! I'm the crazy one! I forgot what kind of crowd you guys were!”
“Hmph! No matter what you say, I'm the one communicating with the guest! I even talked to him on the phone! And we're going to perform together in a bit!”
“Thanks for the explanation, Captain!”
“Wow, Saebyeok's White Knight? What a cool fan name. My Sunflowers, don't you guys have anything like that?”
Saebyeok let out a dry chuckle as he watched the banter between Harang and the viewers.
The viewer count had already surpassed 4,000, and he couldn't help but applaud Harang's thorough preparation shown on screen.
They said a woman's transformation was innocent!
It seemed that saying held true even in this reversed world.
After exchanging words with the staff, Harang sat in front of the piano.
After loudly warming up her neck and hands, Harang smirked at the camera and began playing a familiar melody.
Some people live for the fortune
Some people live just for the fame
Saebyeok's voice layered over the piano.
The chat fell into a dead silence.
The familiar Moon Children thrilled at the voice of their favorite streamer.
While Harang's original Sunflowers were completely overwhelmed.
Those who had temporarily forgotten to breathe gasped for air.
And focused on his continuing voice.
If I ain't got you with me, baby
Nothing in this whole wide world would mean a thing
If I ain't got you with me, baby
“Hello, Harang-nim, Sunflowers, and Moon Children. I'm streamer Saebyeok.”
Harang stood up from the piano and bowed gracefully.
“Wasn't that amazing, everyone? A round of applause for Saebyeok-nim too!”
“Noooo! You guys are abandoning me? You're discarding me right now?”
“Stop advertising!”
“Ahahaha!”
“Don't you laugh either, Saebyeok-nim! Huh? Right now, my Sunflowers who only looked at me are wavering because of you!”
Harang puffed her cheeks and made a fuss, and the viewers gleefully teased her for a while longer.
She straightened her face and played a loud fanfare to shift the mood.
“Hello, Saebyeok-nim. It's a beautiful night, isn't it?”
“Mmm-hmm! For our first song today, you sang Alicia Keys' 'If I Ain't Got You'. I played it in the original key, and I was so surprised by how naturally you hit those high notes!”
“Thank you. Thanks to your stable accompaniment, I was able to sing comfortably.”
“Oh, stop it! I got so excited that my fingers just... you know? Played automatically!”
“Ahaha... The honor is mine.”
“Noooo! I'm in the middle of an interview right now. Where do you think you're going!”
“Sigh, Saebyeok-nim, the viewers in my room are a bit extreme, aren't they? I try to stop them every time, but they just won't listen. When will they ever grow up?”
“...Harang-nim. You do plan on living past today, right?”
She seemed quite accustomed to the chat scrolling rapidly with mutual teasing.
A top-tier streamer's class really didn't fade.
“Here's a quick break! I'm getting curious about Saebyeok-nim's profile! Shall we take some questions?”
Saebyeok couldn't help but nod at her tactics.
“My age is a secret.”
“Appreciated very much, Ally.”
“Of course it's possible. I hope it's a song that we can enjoy together?”
“Wait, Ally, Saebyeok-nim!”
She stared at the camera with a playful expression and took it upon herself to translate.
“Guys, Saebyeok-nim's pronunciation is insane, right? Even Ally, who's British, was impressed. And when she asked if he takes requests, Saebyeok-nim asked for a song we can all enjoy together.”
“Tehe! I just wanted to brag a little! Ally? So what's your song request?”
“I think we're connected. The band I respect the most is Queen. Then can you wait a minute?”
“Harang-nim, would Queen's 'Don't Stop Me Now' be possible?”
“Oh my! I'm Harang! Of course it's possible.”
“Then I'll strap on my guitar. Let me know when you're ready.”
Harang sat at the piano and lifted her chin.
“Ready whenever you are!”
Saebyeok smirked as he prepared the backing track with the piano and electric guitar removed.