Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Better Than the Profile Picture
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Mahohyun, who had entered the audition under the name Maho, was a person with a personality similar to that of the girl Kim Suhyun.
She preferred home over the outside world, and considered it happiness to cozily decorate her own little space and lounge there rather than gathering with people.
Such a person, she took a liking to Miro.
Among the participants, she had thought the Miro from that first audition broadcast was pretty impressive.
Hadn't she turned people who came to the communities to insult her or gang up on her into loyal fans with her sheer charm?
And without any real content to boot. Just rambling on with empty chatter, yet people still gathered.
That was why she found her impressive—and a little worrisome.
She had such a strong my-pace vibe; if she passed and they ended up in a group together, wouldn't it cause some discord in the team?
For Maho, who was already a bit worn out from dealing with people, it wasn't exactly a situation to celebrate.
However, the real Miro she spoke with over calls turned out to be someone who didn't warrant those worries at all.
She was kind and cool by nature—there was no way discord would arise.
Not shy either; in fact, they often exchanged chats.
Maho had no one around her to talk manga, anime, or even Japanese VTubers with, so her Heavenly Realm Project colleagues made for great otaku buddies—and Miro was someone she could talk to endlessly, letting them bond quickly.
That's why she mustered the courage to call and suggest they head to the recording together.
It might've been a bit presumptuous, but she figured Miro would be fine with it—and she was.
So she stepped out feeling a touch more lively...
"How about it? Better than my profile pic?"
What was this beauty??
Pretty. Incredibly pretty—a sharp, cat-like beauty.
Curves in all the right places, long legs; most celebrities couldn't even compete.
And she clearly knew her looks inside out, smirking away and flaunting them like it was on purpose ever since they met.
"Unnie, you're pretty too."
"Th-thanks?"
"Haha! Alright, let's get going."
Miro, grinning ear to ear like something was hilarious, took the lead in walking, and Maho followed with a small sigh.
"Have you listened to the debut song a lot?"
"Yeah, the guide vocal nailed it, right?"
"Totally. Some famous person?"
"Not sure? I don't really know Korean singers."
"Right? Same here. Japanese singers, though? I know them like the back of my hand."
With looks like that, she wondered why become an otaku—but Maho bit her tongue.
Now she got why her friends always asked her that.
No, even so... she still couldn't wrap her head around it.
"You seem kinda tense. What's up?"
"Uh... prettier than I expected?"
"You're pretty too, though?"
"Still... you're way prettier."
She'd said it half in resignation, but Miro just burst out laughing like it was the best thing ever.
"Why're you laughing like that?"
Not liking the sight for some reason, she asked—and Miro, beaming with amusement, replied.
"I changed my profile pic just to see that reaction. Totally worth it, right? Just tell the others the real-life Miro was only 'kinda cute,' okay?"
Miro's words were even more absurd and quirky than she'd imagined.
She'd swapped her profile pic to gauge reactions to her face?
Even someone super confident in their looks wouldn't pull that.
But having fallen for it herself, Maho couldn't muster a retort and could only let out a ridiculous laugh.
"Ahaha... yeah... can't let it be just me."
She'd already taken the hit anyway, so Maho decided to roll with it. Plus, having a friend this pretty among her acquaintances lifted her mood a bit.
And so, Maho arrived with Miro at a studio downtown.
"Nice building."
"Yeah? Guess the famous owner's loaded."
The awkward air from earlier had mostly cleared up on the walk.
Chatting idly, they stepped inside the building, where the composer—who'd been tipped off ahead of time—came out to greet them personally.
"Welcome."
The composer was a skinny guy who looked to be in his early forties.
His unkempt long hair hung loose, and he stroked his stubbly, unshaven chin with a deadpan expression as he led Maho and Miro further in.
"You're from the Heavenly Realm Project, right?"
He glanced at each of them in turn as he spoke, gave a quick rundown, then pointed toward the recording booth inside.
"For starters, please sing the whole song through. I'll listen and assign the parts. Who's going first?"
"Uh... should I?"
"Yeah, unnie, you go first."
It was decided Maho would sing first. Looking a tad tense, she entered the booth and sang verse by verse, calmly focusing on the melody playing in her ears.
She'd recorded countless covers, but this was her first time singing a track she'd actually debut with, so some nerves were inevitable.
On top of that, the song's difficulty was no joke, so she had to stay sharp to avoid mistakes.
Honestly, the overall vibe was K-pop-ish, which she wasn't super confident in, but the mid-song parts that felt like Japanese band music? Those she could handle.
She finished singing and stepped out to Miro clapping in awe.
"No way, unnie—you crush the high notes!"
The blunt compliment cracked Maho up.
With the tension gone post-song, she laughed freely.
"Ahaha! What kinda way is that to say it?"
"But I'm no slouch either, so sit tight and watch."
Miro strode into the booth, brimming with confidence.
Maho quietly admired the sight. Headset on, mic in front—she really looked like a pro celeb recording.
"Alright, starting."
A pleasant voice echoed in her ears, the backing track kicked in.
And Miro's singing began.
"Oh..."
Truth be told, Miro's technique wasn't all that flashy.
But her crisp enunciation and unique timbre filled out the song beautifully even without it.
She struggled a little with highs and lows, but powered through steadily, her natural tone more than covering the flaws.
And with that, Miro wrapped up her first full run-through.
"Alright, I'll call out the parts—please record those first."
The composer, who'd listened stone-faced without chit-chat, pointed out sections and gave pointers.
"For now, Maho-ssi, your strength is the lows."
"Yes? Oh, got it."
"Lower the tone just a touch and sing this part?"
"Ah, yes—understood."
Unlike his stoic vibe, he was a total pro when it came to recording.
He nailed each singer's strengths and weaknesses, assigning parts that fit like a glove.
He even tossed in feedback mid-take, radiating expertise.
For Maho, used to solo covers, it was a fresh experience—and a huge help.
Backed by years of covering all sorts of songs, she nailed his requests handily, wrapping up in no time.
"Good work. Sounds like we've got some solid parts shaping up."
He nodded, clearly pleased with her efficient run.
"Now then, Miro-ssi."
Miro's turn.
Having watched Maho's feedback session, she entered the booth a bit tense.
"This part here, and raise the tone a little? Overall right now..."
"Ah, yes... like this?"
"Good. And after that... wait, hold on—redo the previous part. Sorry. Here, go like..."
"Yes, yes... alright, let's try."
"Nice. Good. Seems like you've got a versatile voice. That's a strength. Next part, like this..."
"Yup, got it..."
"Again—one more time. Pushing the voice is good, but here, ease up on the throat a bit..."
The marathon recording session kicked off.
Maho shot a side-eye at the composer, who'd turned noticeably more engaged than with her.
Where'd those impassive eyes go? Now his lips curved up faintly, eyes gleaming as he fired off requests.
Figuring it'd take a while, she flopped onto the sofa in the corner of the studio.
"More, more."
"Aaaa!! Aaak!!"
"No screaming."
"Aaa!!!"
Still... with Miro's voice being so good, it wouldn't get boring. Maho settled in to watch what happens when a pro composer hones in on a promising amateur singer.
"Now, calmer here—bring the voice down."
"Aa-"
"A bit more."
"A- A-"
"Good. A touch more."
"Damn it..."
"That mutter you just did? Try this part in that tone."
But as time dragged on, the pretty, bold girl from earlier was gone—replaced by Miro, face twisted in frustration mid-take. Maho let out a sigh.
'...Was gonna catch a movie after this.'
No end in sight, she canceled her pre-booked anime flick without a second thought.