Minji's Cryptic Words and Haeun's Cool Cover

Sure, if it's that kind of order, I'm all for it—but once I got home and lay down, Minji's words from earlier kept circling in my head. "Master... at this rate... I think I'm really gonna get pregnant...."

The way she looked up at me while saying that was strangely captivating. Was it scary? Or pitiful? 'We were in the heat of the moment, so it was probably just excited talk... but why did it sound like she was hoping for it?'

She's still young—no, practically a kid. She wouldn't be thinking like that. Plus, she's diligent about her pills and checkups. Even setting aside her feelings, the chances were practically zero... or so I thought.

'Chances.'

An active idol getting pregnant? That would be a total disaster. I'd be socially buried in an instant, and with their performance outfits, there's no way to hide it.

'What if we just owned it boldly?' Soye, Haeun, and Minji all waddling on stage, full-term.... Just imagining it made my head spin.

'What kind of insane delusion is that!'

I shook my head vigorously to chase away the deranged thought. Humanity wasn't ready for that sight. And it probably never would be—something we should never witness up close.

'Gotta stay strict on birth control....'

Fun was fun, but we'd have to be careful from now on. Minji wanted to succeed as an idol, after all.

'...Right?'

A sudden doubt crept into my mind. Did Minji really want to succeed as an idol?

'Hmm....'

For some reason, I couldn't picture her ideal idol image clearly. The other two were easy to visualize succeeding.

'Soye finishing center stage with a satisfied smile as she steps down. Haeun delivering the ultimate performance, with everyone buzzing about it. But why can't I picture Minji like that?'

Maybe because, unlike the others, she was always so passive. She never showed the same hunger or passion; she just followed along. Maybe she didn't care much about being an idol.

'Nah, that can't be. She'd have quit ages ago if she didn't....'

What did Minji want from idol life? Well... she loved games and holing up inside, so maybe she dreamed of being a streamer or something.

'But that's not really idol stuff.'

Or maybe go full cute route, drop a solo single, hit up variety shows, and become the nation's little sister?

'Not bad, but variety... could she handle it?'

With her personality, it might be tough.

'What else would she like....'

Lying there, I kept sketching out possibilities for her ideal path.

Three days later, at a recording studio in Seoul.

Song Section Chief—the same game company rep from the ad shoot—was waiting for us when Haeun and I arrived.

"Aigoo, hello~!"

"Hello, Section Chief Song."

"Aigoo, thanks for accepting right away. We can finally fit it into the schedule."

He shook my hand enthusiastically the moment he saw me.

"No, thank you for taking my proposal."

Sending that quick cover of the opening and character song had been the right call. Just hours after my email, as expected, they replied wanting Haeun to record the ad song—in three days.

It was a shame the request was for Haeun solo, not The Queens as a group.

"How about having The Queens do the opening together? It's an ad, so the opening's gotta be in there anyway...."

"Ah, well... we're doing three separate ads, each highlighting a different character. We already have recordings for the others."

I probed once more out of hope, but no dice—they only needed Haeun. Which meant she had to nail this. Her version needed to outshine the other ad songs, spark curiosity like "Who's that cosplay model?" and draw interest to the group.

'Would've been easier to slap The Queens' name on it if we'd done it as a group....'

"Alright then, let's get to recording."

I said it confidently to Section Chief Song, then headed to the lounge right outside the booth with Haeun.

"Haeun, we're jumping right in. You good?"

"...Yeah."

She scratched her head at my question.

"What's up? Something wrong? Throat not feeling great?"

"Nah, it's fine. Voice is perfect."

"Then what?"

"......"

She scratched her head again.

"This for real? Sing it my way...? You know my style, right?"

"Course I do. Cool and powerful."

"But the original's cute as hell."

She was right—the original we were covering had super-cute vocals, perfectly matching the adorable Freyja character. But I was telling her to do it her own way.

"I'll love it... but the client's gonna hate the image change."

True, they'd probably freak if it strayed too far. But better to gamble than play it safe and mediocre. In showbiz, bold risks beat wishy-washy every time.

"That's an order. Show your style, show your skills. Got it?"

"If it's an order, sure... fine, got it."

With that, she headed into the booth.

Now Haeun would handle her part... and it was my turn to shine.

Meanwhile, Section Chief Song, standing next to me, was already thinking about wrapping up quick and heading home.

'Knock out the recording and bounce.'

When I'd sent the sample, he'd been impressed. Good quality, close to the original. Solid for an idol. Not bad for a last-minute voice actor fill-in.

No big expectations—just get a decent take, sign off, pass it to the ad director, done. Routine stuff.

"Section Chief, you're in for a treat."

That is, until I dropped that line next ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to him.

"Huh? A treat?"

"Yep. You'll be blown away. The quality, the fresh twist—it's gonna shock you."

"Uh...."

The sample was just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠okay, though?

"Got it, looking forward to it. Heh heh."

Dedicated producer hyping his idol. Cute.

He brushed it off. But my words had already piqued his interest in Haeun.

'What're they gonna pull off?'

Haeun steadied herself in the booth, taking a deep breath and adjusting the mic.

'Visuals on point as always. Even prepping looks pro.'

Song Section Chief admired her looks once more. Then—

"Oh."

As the intro played, her eyes changed.

The moment Haeun's eyes shifted, the booth's atmosphere transformed. Everyone watching flinched at the change.

She met all their gazes and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠began.

This was supposed to start fragile and cute per the original, but instead, it was lonely, cool—pure Haeun.

"Huh...."

Song Section Chief tilted his head beside me. Natural reaction to such a departure from the character song.

But he didn't react further, just listening intently.

Her voice kept ringing out—cool, powerful, miles from the original. And honestly? Better to listen to.

'Nailing it, Haeun.'

Haeun's vocals were always top-tier. She handled dance for The Queens, but her singing was the strongest, especially in her style—enough to wow vocal trainers.

Problem was, the group's sexy sell overshadowed it, and her visuals stole the spotlight anyway.

'That idiot Kim Su-hyeok couldn't utilize her right. What was his deal?'

Let her sing her way, and even in her niche style, she delivered tier-1 idol vocals.

Silence fell when she finished.

From the sound engineers to Section Chief Song, everyone stared, speechless. Clear sign her take had landed hard.

After letting the afterglow linger, I turned to him.

"So, what do you think?"

"...Incredible. Total impact."

"Right?"

"Yeah. But...."

He stroked his chin, hesitating.

"The original character song's... kinda cute."

"Not what you expected, huh."

"Exactly. Our policy's to match the Japanese original for publishing."

"Fair point. Publishing's key... but here's the thing."

Haeun had done her part. Now it was time for me to talk.