Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: The Kettlebell Quest
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I headed to the dorm in the car driven by Choi Yoo-jun.
“Ro-si. What’s your secret?”
“What do you mean?”
“How do you know the brand, release date, and price just by looking at clothes?”
Seul-bi gazed at Ro-si with wonder, and Ro-si was clearly flustered.
“…I’m just really interested, so I read magazines and stuff.”
“It didn’t seem like that was all there was to it…”
Bzzz.
It was past 11 PM, and the call was from reporter Shin Dong-min.
“Yes, Reporter Shin. What’s the occasion at this hour?”
“Ah, it’s nothing major, but did something happen with your group in Gangnam?”
Was he talking about the fight with Ji-yoo? It hadn’t even been thirty minutes, and he’d already heard about it?
It seemed he was showing off his information network.
In times like these, it’s best to play along.
“Your information is incredibly fast. It wasn’t our fault; I think Ji-yoo of Savage Girls was a bit drunk.”
“Ah, yes. Ji-yoo is quite famous for that.”
The nuance in his tone seemed to point to Ji-yoo’s trashy personality.
“It’s reassuring to have you, Reporter Shin. You even let us know about things in advance like this.”
“Well, I am a fan of Answer, am I not? Haha.”
“Thank you for thinking so highly of us.”
“Oh, you’re too modest. I’ve heard about it, too. That you turned down all the other reporters’ requests.”
It seemed that turning down the other reporters’ interview and casting offers, which the Isa-nim had asked about, was the right call.
While we were on the topic, I figured I should ask him about a talented writer.
“By any chance, do you know any talented writers who aren’t well-known yet?”
“A writer?”
“Yes. Aren’t there many people who are overshadowed by main writers and don’t get to shine? I had a feeling you might know someone. You’re well-connected, after all.”
“Well-connected? Haha. Sometimes, Team Leader Min, you don’t talk like a young person.”
Whenever I got a reaction like that, I’d flinch as if my true identity had been discovered.
“Ah… well. I may not know them personally, but I do hear a lot of rumors… Are you planning to start a production business or something?”
“Me? Of course not. I was just thinking of building a connection in advance for one of my team members who’s talented in acting or variety shows.”
“Ah, I see what you mean. I’ll look into it.”
Reporter Shin Dong-min had become a fan of Answer, so he was favorable, but in a relationship where livelihoods were on the line, it couldn’t be a one-way street. I had to show some sincerity as well.
“If I come across anything that could be an exclusive scoop, I’ll let you know right away.”
“Hahaha. I appreciate the mutual support.”
By the time the call ended, we had arrived at the dorm.
“I’ll just go up for a moment.”
“Okay. Then, you two artists may go inside.”
“See you tomorrow, Yoo-jun oppa.”
I walked up the stairs.
When I reached the fourth floor where the dorm was, the security camera I had installed earlier came into view.
I smiled to myself without realizing it.
While Seul-bi opened the door, I stood in a blind spot where I couldn't be seen from inside.
Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep. Chirp.
“I’m back.”
“We’re back.”
Seul-bi and Ro-si said as they entered.
“Did you enjoy your adult pastimes?”
It was a tone that brought to mind Ina’s pouting lips.
“Did you two come alone?”
There was a hint of dissatisfaction in Seol-ah’s voice.
“Of course not. Now that I've checked, I'm off.”
“Wait!”
At Ina’s urgent cry, I poked my head inside the dorm.
“What is it?”
“It’s cold. Come on in.”
Seol-ah and Ina, who had been sitting on the floor leaning against the wall, got up.
Come to think of it, there wasn’t a single sofa in the dorm. They must have been uncomfortable all this time. I hadn’t been thorough enough.
“The bathroom light went out, and we don’t know how to open the fixture. It’s too late to call the landlord.”
“Do you have the bulb?”
“The bulb is here.”
I took the lightbulb from Ina and went to the bathroom.
The faint scent of shampoo was very fragrant.
The members shone their phone lights, and I reached for the recessed light in the ceiling.
“Whoa! You can reach it without a chair?”
I chuckled at Ina’s over-the-top reaction.
“I thought you could just twist it out, but it wouldn’t come out no matter how much I turned it.”
Just as I was thinking it should simply twist off, Seol-ah spoke as if she had already tried.
Then how do you take it out?
[Trait ‘Sixth Sense’ Activated]
Through my third eye, I saw a translucent video of how to replace it.
I never thought I’d use a trait for something like this.
“Do you have a flathead screwdriver?”
“…We only have a Phillips.”
I looked for a usable tool in the kitchen.
I took a spoon and, following the direction of my third eye, forcefully wedged the tip into the gap between the ceiling and the light fixture.
Pop. Click.
“Woah…”
“So you don’t twist it.”
I felt a bit self-conscious at Ina and Seol-ah’s comments.
I put in the new bulb and pushed the fixture back into place.
“Wow… why are you so cool?”
“It’s nothing.”
Acting unfazed by Ina’s comment, I turned on the bathroom light.
Click.
The bright light illuminated the members’ faces.
“Anything else?”
“No. Thank you.”
“You need to take care of your skin, so put on face masks and go to bed early. There are only a few days left.”
“Okay, okay. Good night, Oppa!”
I closed the door and went down the stairs.
“Min-jun oppa is so cool.”
“You! Getting fixated on the strangest things again.”
I could hear Seol-ah scolding Ina.
* * *
“Seol-ah, you'll go over the parts for the recording with me. The three of you, try to think of choreography for the verse and bridge. The hook isn't done yet, but you can manage, right?”
“Yes!”
Seul-bi said confidently and headed to the practice room with Ro-si and Ina.
“Yoo-jun, go to the office and organize the expense reports. When you're done, film the choreography and monitor them.”
“Understood!”
Seol-ah and I headed to the studio.
Today was the day I had finally decided to raise Seol-ah’s vocal stat, the second time after having raised Ro-si’s rap stat.
Because we had arranged to use the studio in advance, the two of us had the spacious room to ourselves.
Lv 60s was neighborhood karaoke.
Lv 70s was a regional singing contest.
Lv 80s was top-tier in the country.
Lv 90s was world-class.
Seol-ah’s vocal was at Lv 83. It was top-tier among female idols, but she needed to captivate everyone with a single broadcast. That’s how hard it was to appear on *Best Idol*.
Currently, I had 35 distributable points.
To reach Seol-ah’s max potential of 92, I tried to invest 9 points.
[Exceeds distributable value.]
[Points can only be used up to 98% of maximum potential.]
Does this mean points aren’t omnipotent?
That missing 2% felt strange.
[Distribute 7pt?]
[Yes]
[Point Distribution Quest will now begin.]
Objective: Practice ‘Answer me now’ while doing kettlebell swings.
Seol-ah's practice count: 0/70 (8kg)
Your practice count: 0/7 (16kg)
Time Limit: 23:59:59
“…Is it insane?”
“Pardon?”
I had forgotten Seol-ah was next to me and said it out loud.
“Not you, Seol-ah.”
“…”
Is the system insane? What kind of ridiculous kettlebell swings are these?
How on earth was I supposed to explain this?
I began to worry.
Gulp.
The sound of Seol-ah swallowing snapped me back to my senses.
It seemed quite some time had passed.
“…How… should we practice?”
“Could you go into the booth and sing?”
“…Yes.”
Seol-ah entered the booth with a reluctant expression, and I played the MR for ‘Answer me now,’ which would be both the single and the album's title track.
-Should I sing the whole thing?
“Yes. Sing it all.”
While Seol-ah sang, I wracked my brain for a way to explain this absurd stat distribution quest.
An image of Seol-ah singing while swinging a kettlebell she could barely lift popped into my head.
“Pfft… Haaa.”
A sigh mixed with a disbelieving laugh escaped me.
I checked my consumable items in the system, but there was nothing useful for this situation.
All I had left was one persuasion item, ‘Hey, Listen (C),’ and one ‘Limit Break (A).’
If only I had an ‘Instant Application (B)’ item, which allows point distribution without training, it would have been perfect timing…
But I had never gotten one from the gacha.
It’s not going to let me have it easy, is it?
I started formulating a plausible explanation, recalling vocal theories.
-…
Startled by the silence, I peered into the booth.
Seol-ah’s expression changed in an instant.
I think her lips were slightly pouted.
-Is there a problem?
“Seol-ah, vocal balance is important, so try singing without any bending.”
-…Bending? You mean don’t do any runs?
I played the MR for the bridge and chorus parts again.
♪♬
My love is waiting for you
In this short darkness
♪♬
I muted the MR.
As silence fell again, a flicker of anxiety showed on Seol-ah’s face.
“Seol-ah, you use your respiratory and vocal organs really well. You learned classical singing, right?”
-Yes.
“But you seem to underutilize your articulatory and resonating organs in comparison. You're a good singer, but your balance is lacking.”
-…Last time, you said it was good…
It was obvious Seol-ah’s feelings were hurt.
“Of course, it’s true you’re top-tier among idols, but I’m saying this because you can do even better, and it's a shame not to.”
-Is that so…?
“Yes. Because the balance is off, it makes the listener nervous that your high notes might come out whiny.”
That wasn’t actually true. Even now, her skills were already far beyond the average idol.
-…
Seol-ah’s face turned red.
It was a natural reaction for Seol-ah, who was confident in her vocals.
I felt sorry, but I had to see this through.
-…I think it’s because I haven’t been eating well due to my diet.
It was an excuse, something the always-confident Seol-ah wouldn’t normally make.
“Then what about Sae-yeon, who was an idol, or our company’s Lee Yoo-ah? They’re both thin, but they sing well, don’t they?”
Lee Yoo-ah’s vocal was an astounding Lv 90, a huge gap compared to Seol-ah’s current Lv 83.
Seol-ah’s cheek twitched. It looked like she was clenching her jaw.
Her pride must have been wounded by the fact that Lee Yoo-ah, who was younger than her, sang better.
“Shouldn’t you be able to produce that sound even when you’re hungry?”
-…What do I have to do?
I let out a small laugh at her sulky voice, so unlike the usual Seol-ah.
“Drink something good for your throat and wait.”
I activated my trait to find some kettlebells.
Why is it pointing this way…?
The arrow pointed not outside the building, but inside. To the CEO’s office, of all places. I considered just going out to buy them, but the quest’s time limit wasn’t very generous.
Just singing a 3-minute-30-second song 70 times would take 245 minutes. That was over four hours, and there was no guarantee she would complete this ridiculous quest if I wasn't there.
She’d probably struggle to do it for even an hour.
Knock, knock.
“It’s Min-jun.”
Almost simultaneously with my knock, I heard a small ‘thump’ and a vibration.
“Come in.”
CEO Park Jae-yong was looking out the window with his back to me.
The sunlight, streaming in from the south somewhere between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, must have been blinding, but there was our CEO, striking a pose.
His shoulders were shaking slightly.
“Min-jun, what’s up?”
“I came to borrow some kettlebells for a moment.”
“What? Kettlebells?”
CEO Park Jae-yong asked as if I’d said something completely out of the blue.
Worried it would get complicated if he denied it, I quickly pointed under his desk.
“I saw them when I was in here before, and I thought they might be helpful for Answer’s training. I only need them for a day.”
“Oh… is that so?”
The CEO started tearing up, his eyes probably stinging from the sunlight.
“Which…”
“The 8 and 16kg ones, one of each.”
“…You can’t do push-ups with just one of each…”
CEO Park Jae-yong grumbled as he handed me the kettlebells. The veins bulging on the back of his hand showed why he was in such good shape despite his age.
He handed them over as if they weren’t heavy, and I took them with ease.
“…You’re pretty strong too, Min-jun?”
He looked subtly surprised by my strength.
“I have to stay in shape to escort the artists.”
“…But who are you training?”
“Seol-ah.”
I left the CEO’s office and headed back to the studio.
As I gripped both kettlebells in one hand to open the studio door, I finally felt their considerable weight.
It was a combined 24kg, but thanks to the system and traits like ‘Soldier’s Spirit (B),’ I had strength to spare.
Seol-ah saw the kettlebells and shot up from the sofa in surprise.
“If you use legato vocalization while engaging your lower abdomen, the listeners will connect with you and fall in love.”
“…With these? How?”
“We’re going to train your core, the source of your power, while practicing to find your precise points of articulation.”
“…”
Seol-ah’s heart was pounding, her pupils dilated in confusion.
I understood. If I were in her shoes, I’d be dumbfounded too.
“…You’re not going to tell me to sing while doing kettlebell swings or something, are you?”
“Seol-ah, in just a few more months, it will have been a year since we started working together.”
“…Are we really doing that?”
To Seol-ah’s question, which she asked with conviction without hearing any more, I gave a serious nod.
[Trait ‘Star Maker’ Activated]
[Group Trait ‘Unyielding Mind’ Activated]
[Point Distribution Quest will now begin.]
[Synchronization with you and the activated traits will significantly lower Seol-ah's risk of injury.]
Seeing the confusion in Seol-ah’s eyes, I gave a bitter smile.