Chapter 8: I'll Just Quit!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 8: I'll Just Quit!
Just like with the other contestants, the stage lights shone brightly on Luka.
[Hello! I'm Luka!]
Her voice was so cheerful it made me wonder if I'd worried for nothing.
The moment Luka appeared, I could feel a huge grin spreading across my face.
Luka's avatar today was wearing a white dress that radiated pure elegance.
She usually wore trendy, hip outfits for her streams, so I guessed she'd matched her clothes to the concept of the song she'd prepared.
It was the kind of outfit that would look perfect in an air conditioner commercial.
The silver headband, which seemed to be a key point of the outfit, also suited her current look perfectly.
[Yes, welcome, Luka-ssi. We have to ask. The third round of auditions is really heating up—how are you feeling?]
[Ah, well, I was actually monitoring the live viewer count until just a moment ago.]
[And way more people are watching than I ever imagined.]
[I'm a little nervous, but I guess I'd say I'm happy.]
I wondered how many viewers there were for her to say that, so I checked myself. Whoa, this is insane...
[98,623 people are watching]
That's almost 100,000 people. Seriously.
It was a moment that really brought home just how popular this Closer Project was.
I don't think there were this many during the first live audition...
It seemed that as clips spread and word of mouth grew, many new viewers had become fans, thickening the fanbases for various candidates.
[Have you been feeling your own popularity lately?]
[Ah... um... To be honest, it hasn't really hit me yet, but it does seem true that more people have been visiting my personal streams since the audition started. Hehe.]
[I see! Well then, could you briefly introduce the amazing performance you've prepared for us today?]
[The song I've prepared for today is...!]
From this point on, it was clear Luka had prepared her lines, as she began to explain her concept and song very smoothly.
[Let's see Luka-nim's performance right now!]
A calm instrumental began to play.
I'd guessed it from her outfit, but this confirmed that my decision to go all-out with donations on the day Luka held her song poll was the right one.
If this goes well, you can thank me for saving you, Kim Doah.
My monthly salary from my part-time job is 500,000 won.
That day, I'd impulsively donated a whopping 200,000 of it.
That's how perfect I thought the song Luka was about to sing was for her.
If the judges and the world didn't get to hear it, it would be a global loss.
In contrast to her energetic tone from moments before, a calm first verse settled over the instrumental.
[To long for spring must mean I haven't forgotten you yet.]
[A season full of regret. I'm still right here where you left me.]
Yes... Yes...!
It seemed like she was performing with the same skill she'd shown on her stream that day. My fists were clenched so tight my palms were sweating as I focused on the screen.
The camera occasionally cut to the judges' faces, but since they were avatars, it was impossible to tell if they were actually smiling or what their real expressions were.
From my perspective, she wasn't losing to Leah at all...
Wondering if the viewers felt the same way, I scanned the chat.
[Oh. Luka's a better singer than I thought?]
[A calm song like this is definitely not a bad choice for showing off her unique style, better than a generic idol song ㅇㅇ]
[Still think she's no match for Leah lolㅋ She needs to practice more.]
Look at what that bastard is saying.
What is our Luka lacking? Huh?
I thought about memorizing his username, but my eyes weren't fast enough to keep up with the rapidly scrolling chat.
While that was the general reaction from people seeing Luka for the first time or non-fans, our villainous fan club, the Pink Army, was unleashing insane firepower in between.
[You're the best! Luka-tan! You're the best! Luka-tan! You're the best! Luka-tan! You're the best! Luka-tan! You're the best! Luka-tan! You're the best! Luka-tan! You're the best! Luka-tan! You're the best! Luka-tan! You're the best! Luka-tan!]
[Future champion Luka-tan! I love you Luka-tan! Future champion Luka-tan! I love you Luka-tan! Future champion Luka-tan! I love you Luka-tan! Future champion Luka-tan! I love you Luka-tan!]
Wow... They're really going all out since they won't get banned here.
On Luka's personal streams, this level of spam would have gotten them kicked out immediately.
But with so many people watching, even the spammers' messages scrolled up and out of sight in the blink of an eye.
Before I knew it, the song was racing toward its climax.
[Will that spring we spent together ever come again?]
The high-note part that signaled the start of the chorus.
[The warm sunlight. That dazzling smile.]
The highlight that Luka must have practiced countless times, the very melody that had revealed her identity to me, echoed through my small room.
[It's what lets me breathe, even now.]
Knghhh...!
This is it...! This is what I'm talking about...!
There were no voice cracks, and the gentle atmosphere was perfect.
Honestly, if she doesn't pass with this, who will?
They're not picking based on pure vocal talent anyway!
Isn't singing this well and having this much charm enough?!
As the piano accompaniment faded, the camera once again focused on the judges' avatars.
[Judges! What did you think of Luka-nim's performance?]
[I'll go first.]
Surprisingly, the first to begin the critique was the streamer, Blackstone.
[That was a great performance, Luka-ssi.]
[Ah. Yes! Thank you!]
Luka's avatar bowed its head deeply.
[Shisho-nim will take care of the commentary on the song, so I'd like to talk a bit more about your personal streaming.]
[Yes, yes.]
His gruff, middle-aged man's voice made even me, just watching, feel nervous.
[I actually knew of Luka-nim even before the auditions started. I've personally dropped by her streams in my free time, and viewers in my own chat would sometimes bring me her clips.]
Ooh... Blackstone did?
Then again, Luka wasn't a super small-scale streamer, so it wasn't like she had no popular clips at all.
[Ahaha... Yes...]
Luka gave an awkward laugh, as if she hadn't expected him to say that.
[First off, in Luka-nim's case, I want to strongly recommend her to the other judges.]
[Oh? And what's the reason for that?]
The president, using a Taoist sage avatar, asked with interest, resting his chin on his hand.
[The point I value most highly is her deep understanding of subculture.]
[Of course, there will be existing idol fans and new viewers who randomly join this new project, but as of right now, the people most invested in this project are likely those who were already frequent viewers of personal streams.]
[Since this is a group built around the keyword 'communication,' it's my opinion that it would be good to have at least one member with a high understanding of the viewers' culture.]
[I feel bad for some of the other contestants I've rated harshly, but if you actually watch Luka-nim's personal streams, you'll immediately understand what I'm talking about.]
[This person is a really good streamer.]
Holy crap... Blackstone, what the hell...!
When he'd suddenly declared he'd go first, I was terrified he was about to pelt her with stones, but now I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude toward him.
Is this what it feels like when your daughter gets praised at school?
[Hoho... Is she really that good?]
[Ah, President, you should go watch her sometime when you have a chance.]
A battle ensued in the chat between other fandoms asking 'Is she really that good?' and the Pink Army roaring that it was obvious.
[Shisho-nim! What did you think of the song!]
The host asked for the vocal coach's reaction.
[Ssssp... This is a tough one. Still, looking only at the result, I think I'm on the positive side.]
[To be honest, it's a bit far from the concept of 'perfect vocals' or 'being a great singer,' but I think she knows her own voice very well.]
[It seems like she prepared for this competition knowing how her voice sounds to others, how it's perceived. Is that right? Was that your actual approach?]
The camera showed Luka's avatar.
[I did think about it a lot, but I guess using the 'ask the audience' lifeline was a big factor. Hahaha...]
[Ah. You used the 'wisdom of the crowd' lifeline.]
Shisho's avatar made a giggling expression.
Finally, the project's team leader, Ha Saem, began her evaluation.
[As Blackstone-nim mentioned, Luka-nim is indeed a very suitable talent for the project we're building.]
Hell yeah... She's in!
One gave her high praise. Another said she was not bad. With even Ha Saem, who was speaking now, giving a decent review, I was confident that Luka would at least pass this third round.
[However.]
Ah. Why. Again.
You just said she was suitable. Just let it go.
[From what I know, Luka-nim doesn't stream for very long, and even when she does, her streams are on the shorter side... Hmm... I have some doubts about whether she'll be able to handle the project's schedule.]
...This is a tough one.
This was a hurdle she had to clear.
My mouth went dry at the question, which poked at Luka's real-life circumstances as a student.
[Ayy... If you're talking about my real-life schedule...]
Luka grinned.
[I'll just quit!]
...Does that happen to include our group project?
I wasn't sure if I was supposed to laugh at that.