Chapter 106
Chapter 106
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: Vocal Lesson with Ye-eun
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Suddenly, my workload had spiked.
On top of my regular tasks, there was now the ad stream and Tenshi-san's visit to Korea.
"Um...."
I stared innocently at the calendar.
Time-wise, Tenshi-san's trip to Korea was coming up first.
So, I should prepare for that first.
Well, honestly, there wasn't much prep needed for the drawing stream.
I could just turn on the stream and draw, right?
Though I probably needed a meeting with the game company beforehand.
For now, I started thinking about where to take Tenshi-san once she arrived in Korea.
Since I'd offered to guide her last time, I felt like I should put together a proper itinerary as a Korean.
The problem was, I'd never planned a domestic trip before, and I'd never even been on a proper date.
So, I had no idea how to put one together.
Hm... Should I go with Gyeongbokgung Palace?
I'd heard foreigners often wanted to see Korea's cultural heritage sites....
No, someone like Tenshi-san from the MZ generation might prefer an amusement park?
Japan had Disneyland and Universal Studios, though.
...Not that I'm downplaying Korean parks, but with those amazing ones in Japan....
Ugh, no clue.
As I pondered deeply, a sudden chuckle escaped me.
Her main purpose was recording, yet here I was obsessing over sightseeing.
Since nothing was coming to mind right now, I'd push it off and focus on the song we were collaborating on.
As for the dance... I could ask the Dance Instructor during next week's lesson before Tenshi-san arrived; she'd probably teach me separately.
So, today I headed to the vocal academy for the first time in ages.
I'd naturally dropped it after moving, but when I reached out yesterday, she offered a one-day special lesson.
There were a few conditions in exchange for doing it for free, but I gladly accepted since the Vocal Teacher was making time for me.
Arriving at the academy after such a long time, the lobby looked exactly the same.
Hm... Even the receptionist was the same.
"Oh, Suhyun! Long time no see?"
She greeted me like an old friend as I walked in.
She remembered me after all this time?
Well, with looks like these, I wasn't easy to forget.
"Long time no see."
"Who are you here for? Or registering?"
"Haha, not registering. The Vocal Teacher's giving me a one-day special lesson, like I mentioned yesterday."
"Whoa... That's not normally allowed by academy rules...."
What? It wasn't allowed?
I broke into a cold sweat, wondering if I'd said the wrong thing, but then the receptionist smiled.
"I'll let it slide this time. Go on in."
"Haha... Thank you."
That shaved ten years off my life....
Thanks to the lenient receptionist, I made it inside successfully.
I walked the familiar hallway, knocked twice on the door of my usual lesson room, and entered.
"Hello."
"Oh! Come on in!"
The Vocal Teacher greeted me with the same bright smile as our first meeting.
Come to think of it, I owed her a lot.
Participating in Hyunsu's album, variety shows, movies—all of it.
If you traced it back, it was all a butterfly effect from her one recommendation.
Thinking that way, she almost seemed to have a halo glowing behind her.
"You're early?"
"How could I be late?"
"Didn't you used to be late sometimes?"
"Ahem...."
Did I?
I was occasionally tardy, but never really late....
"Anyway, how've you been?"
"Same as always, doing great. And you, Teacher?"
"I'm doing well too... teaching students like you."
We chatted about recent updates for a bit before getting to the point.
"So, you've gotten into K-pop now?"
"Haha... Not really, just need to sing something briefly."
"Oh, things going well these days?"
She probably meant my VTuber work.
Yeah, they were going well. Too well, sometimes problematically.
"Modestly, yes, very well."
"Wow, you've become so humble?"
"Virtue of success."
"Oh...."
Hm... I was just saying it, but her genuine admiration was a bit embarrassing.
I quickly changed the subject.
"So, where's that person?"
"Oh, it's not time yet. She'll be here soon."
One condition for the free lesson today: taking it with one of her students.
She'd gotten prior consent, but was it really okay?
"More than me, though?"
"You'll be plenty. My style's different, so you wouldn't feel it as much. That's why I brought you, Suhyun."
The reason was to ignite that student's passion?
She could do better but wasn't, apparently.
Too positive, high self-esteem—advice just didn't stick.
Well, positivity wasn't a bad thing... but I'd see for myself.
As we chatted, someone knocked on the door. With the Teacher's okay, a woman entered.
"Hello!!"
The woman who burst in with energetic greeting radiated brightness and positivity.
Her long legs and confident expression screamed self-assurance.
"Ye-eun! Come on in!"
"Yep!"
Ye-eun started heading to the back but spotted me and locked eyes.
"Oh, uh... Who's this?"
She looked flustered at the sight of me—same reaction as always.
"Oh, let me introduce. Remember I mentioned? Suhyun, who's joining us for the day."
"Ah! The one the Teacher talked about... Nice to meet you!"
Ye-eun snapped to attention at the intro and greeted me; I smiled back.
"Nice to meet you too. Looking forward to today."
"Yep! Me too!"
Definitely likable—her brightness made her instantly appealing.
What was it? A smiling face? No trace of gloom.
"Now that you're both here, shall we start?"
With Ye-eun seated beside me, we dove into the lesson proper.
"So, these days, K-pop is different from before...."
The Vocal Teacher's lessons weren't just vocal training; she shared basic info on the music too.
A J-pop expert, but she knew K-pop well enough—and gave plenty of useful tips.
I'd use what I learned today to sound knowledgeable on stream.
Most people don't know much about this stuff, so even superficial knowledge lets you bluff like a pro.
"Alright, let's try it."
After the lecture, we moved to actual singing training.
"Suhyun first, then Ye-eun."
The lesson went smoothly.
I'd trained with her before, and Ye-eun was already a student.
Both familiar with the format, it was easy.
Plus, advanced class—no basics to stumble on.
But despite the smooth training, I couldn't shake a nagging doubt throughout.
"Teacher, can I talk to you a sec...?"
During the break after a while, I pulled the Vocal Teacher aside.
"Something wrong?"
In the hallway outside the vocal room, she asked casually, but I stared in disbelief.
"That student we're doing it with...."
My issue was Ye-eun, who'd just trained beside me.
She was way different from what I'd heard.
"Oh, right, Ye-eun."
"...She's way too good."
That was it.
Wasn't she supposed to be capable of more but slacking? She listened intently and nailed it.
With that skill, singing next to her shouldn't spark some passion surge....
I voiced my concern, but the Teacher laughed heartily.
"It's already working, see?"
"Huh?"
"Ye-eun's trying way harder than usual. More stimulated than I expected."
"What? What did I do?"
"We took turns singing, right?"
Sure, I sang beside her... but this wasn't a field I'd practiced much, so I lacked confidence.
Especially that K-pop track earlier—I didn't think I outdid Ye-eun skill-wise.
"Of course, Ye-eun's amazing. Skill-wise, she might be on par with you."
...Then why me?
"But."
She pointed at my throat.
"Your tone is unreal. Just naturally gifted."
Ah, tone.
I'd gotten so used to my voice lately that I'd forgotten—I'm the type who crushes with timbre over technique.
"Tone's mostly innate. Ye-eun has a great voice too, but yours stands out hugely. That's the stimulus."
It made sense now.
People get most rattled by things they can't control themselves.
"Ye-eun's such a great kid—I want her to succeed as her teacher... Sigh, if only she'd always try this hard."
"...She does seem nice."
She really did.
In this era, someone that upbeat, sings well, great voice—she'd crush broadcasting.
Curiosity satisfied, time to head back in—
"And actually."
The Vocal Teacher hesitated, then leaned close and whispered cautiously.
"Oh, don't tell anyone, okay? Only telling you 'cause it's you, Suhyun...."
"Huh?"
No idea what, but she didn't have to say....
Sometimes ignorance is bliss.
Like the blue pill vs. red pill in The Matrix.
Some truths are better unknown.
But whatever....
I wouldn't spread it, and she brought it up.
"...What is it?"
Curiosity's natural.
"Truth is, Ye-eun... she said she wants to do that VTuber thing, like you."
"Huh?"
Didn't expect that to be the real red pill.