Chapter 93
Chapter 93
The owner of the voice wore a white short-sleeved shirt over a black long-sleeved one, with no winter accessories like a scarf or gloves at all.
No matter how less cold it had gotten due to global warming, it was a ridiculously thin outfit for December.
Yet there was a reason why the words 'cute' left people's mouths before 'he must be cold'.
'He's pretty.'
It was definitely a face that jumped out at you.
An unusual hairstyle for a boy, with long black hair tied back, and pale white skin. Large eyes.
'Exactly the style kids these days would go crazy for.'
Though to the office worker's eyes, he just looked like a good-looking 'kid'.
But from that youthful face... a voice poured out that seemed like it belonged on a late-night radio show from the 90s.
When the cold wind makes you clutch your collar,
And your heart aches for no reason,
Like a dawn spent tossing and turning all night,
When you sigh in helplessness.
'Wait, this song.'
Distracted by the unique voice, he hadn't realized it, but it was a very famous song.
<It's Okay>.
It had been well over 20 years since its release, but it was used in an iconic scene of a recent massive hit drama, causing it to suddenly reverse-chart and even threaten the number one spot on the annual charts.
Though I want to cry out loud,
Hidden behind the name of being an adult,
On that night when I had to swallow nothing but bitter smiles,
It's okay, lean on me here.
Originally, it was a song sung by a middle-aged singer with graying hair.
But a kid who looked like he could be no older than a high schooler was murmuring those lyrics as if they were his own story, so it was only natural that a sense of incongruity arose, as if he were forcing on clothes that didn't fit.
'What bitter smile could a kid that age be swallowing? Go eat some spicy chicken or something.'
It was true that such cynicism was the first thing that came to mind.
But... well, it wasn't bad.
Rather, that unadorned voice, slightly untainted by the world yet strangely clawing at the heart with that husky tone, was breathing life into lyrics that had become so commonplace they felt stale.
Not an adult's weary resignation... but rather, it sounded like a purer empathy that hit home precisely because he didn't yet know the whole world.
Or maybe, the thought flashed that this kid might have also gone through his own 'nights of swallowing bitter smiles'.
Was that why?
In that strange dissonance, the 'adult' within the office worker—who had been defending himself with cynicism and self-deprecation—felt like it briefly caught its breath and stepped out into the world.
It really wasn't bad.
No, rather... oddly, he was drawn in.
Like the warmth held in a teacup,
A small comfort is right here.
You've worked hard, today and this day too.
The song ended.
The boy who had been singing while looking down at his guitar the whole time lifted his head.
But his gaze was directed not at the audience, but somewhere else.
The office worker, who had unknowingly synchronized completely with the boy, naturally followed his eyes.
'......Who is that?'
There stood a man in a black long padded jacket, hat pulled low, and a mask.
Considering it was December, it was an entirely plausible outfit, but no matter how you looked at it, bundling up that tightly looked a bit suspicious.
The office worker narrowed his eyes to observe him, then came to a conclusion.
'Must be his older brother.'
When the man nodded, the corner of the boy's mouth—who had been singing expressionlessly the whole time—lifted ever so slightly.
But that was only for a moment. The kid quickly erased his expression, bowed to the audience, gathered his guitar case, and left the stage.
The man who appeared to be his brother also disappeared, hiding behind the crowd.
Feeling regretful for no reason, the office worker lingered there for a while.
The guitar sound and voice that had lingered in his ears receded like the tide, and the noisy carols and sounds of pedestrians rushed back in.
'Where can I hear it again?'
There had been a lot of people filming, so a video would definitely be uploaded to NeoTube.
But what the office worker wanted... was different from the desire to see a recorded version again.
He was curious about his future.
Curious about the many other songs he could sing with that unique voice.
Curious about who he was.
His name, his music taste, his normal speaking voice.
And what kind of nights he had been through.
'......Let's go now.'
The office worker moved his feet, lighter but slower than before.
And only then did he realize.
That snow had been falling silently for a while.
* * *
Amid the lively Christmas, Jeong Sowol's busking video was quietly uploaded to a NeoTube channel.
500,000 subscribers. It carried a label of being 'large,' but in reality, it was just a modestly sized channel specializing in recording busking.
At most, it got 12 comments.
On this humble channel where video views barely hovered around 10,000.
Comments (112)
―Wow, voice is insane;; Who is it?
―The tone is a real treasure, why isn't this person a singer?
―3:02 The snow starting right then is truly a heaven-sent production.
―I thought you were the reincarnation of Park Pil-hyo. Your voice is totally my taste.^^ I really hope I can see you on TV~
└Park Pil-hyo is still alive.
―Face is a baby but how do you sing like that.
―Haven't heard a voice like this in 20 years.
―Whoa, face is my type too,,, if you don't have an agency, please contact me.
└Whoa are you an agency staff??
└No, if they're a regular person then let's date.
Jeong Sowol's video was setting an unparalleled record all on its own.
Comments (217)
―Please debut, I'm saying I'm getting dizzy.
―If I don't listen to your song I can't sleep now, take responsibility lol.
―Please just release the digital track...
―Ah the music sound passing by in the middle is so damn annoying, please release a track dammit.
―I paid for premium because of this video.
Within a day of the upload, people were already claiming addiction, and the comments began filling up with rave reviews and chaos.
But only that far.
It was hard for a regular person's busking video to achieve more buzz than this without the algorithm's help.
And so, Jeong Sowol's busking video was heading toward being a hidden gem, with only those in the know quietly visiting to leave comments like 'I want to keep this to myself'.
Comments (347)
―Haah,,, came to listen again. What's with this addictiveness.
―Does anyone have info on this person? Please.
―Day 2 of demanding a digital release.
And.
Comments (500)
―Leaving a footprint before it hits a million views... Pilgrimage to the sacred site, bow (__)
The fact that this comment, which was just a common game of pilgrimage, became reality was not far off in the future.
The trigger was ordinary.
[Gayo Daechukje Daejeon cue sheet leaked]
(Photo)
Comments
―Wow look at AWER's order lol. They're rookies but impressive.
└Rather, it seems like they got the last slot because they're rookies.
―Joint stage Yoon Haejun and Jin Yeohyun? Wow ㄷㄷ.
―What did Wonseokit do right to be on there...?
―Oh the ending song is It's Okay.
December 30th.
It was simply that the song decorating the ending of a year-end music festival was <It's Okay>.
The final stage was truly okay.
A stage where representatives from each group sang a verse solo, and as the chorus hit, they put their arms around each other's shoulders, exchanged warm glances, and burst into a group sing-along.
Beneath the sparkling lights, this stage—which wrapped up the year while carrying a message of excitement for the new year—looked highly elaborate.
The scene of hundreds of idols singing together was undeniably beautiful, overwhelming, and did its job.
It was a moving stage neatly packaged exactly as expected.
However.
―Hm... I get wanting to look pretty on camera, but don't you have to open your mouth for the song to come out?
―Sigh, they rely on autotune every single day, so of course they don't know how to harmonize.
―Is that how you sing this song...
<It's Okay> was a song released 20 years ago.
And the original artist, Kim Pil-hyo, was a singer who dominated an era.
So it was a natural progression that their stage was mercilessly evaluated by those who had lived through that era.
―Among the singers I've seen recently, this friend seemed to be the most okay.
└With his hair all long and stringy lol, but he sings the song properly.
└Hundreds of people can't beat one kid. Tsk!
└He's good~~
└Why did he dress like that? If he'd worn something neat it would've looked much better.
All of these reactions were captured and scattered across various idol communities.
It was clearly a post full of aggro, but since the commenters were obviously older folks who disapproved of idols, idol fans just brushed it off with a 'here we go again' instead of deploying sharp defenses.
Separately, however, they did get curious about the regular person these older folks were acknowledging, thinking 'Just how good is he?'
Idol fans began searching for the busking video as if possessed.
And it was at this point that the NeoTube algorithm kicked in.
Under normal circumstances, idol fans—each with their own viewing patterns—would have only consumed their 'ultimate bias' videos. But now, a rare phenomenon occurred where they simultaneously clicked on a 'regular person busking video'.
The system didn't miss this data, and interpreted Jeong Sowol's video as 'a video idol fans are interested in'.
And it kindly started pushing Jeong Sowol to the algorithms of even more idol fans.
At a time when everyone was busy devouring only the year-end stage fancams of their favorite idols, this was why Jeong Sowol had suddenly squeezed in.
Comments (1.7k)
―I also came here because it popped up on my algorithm, but wait what, were all you K-pop fans already here? lol
―Is this the official gathering spot for idol fans?
―The god-ordinary people were enjoying it all by themselves.
―Wow, a truly unique tone and the vibe is insane... Please, someone from Mary, kidnap them...
―*sigh* But why is this so oddly familiar, feel like I've seen them somewhere.
―Hey, isn't that the one? In the trainee sighting account taken by a Sorasum sasaeng.
Just like that, the hectic year-end passed, and on January 1st.
The header image of Sorasum's official NeoTube channel had changed.
* * *
"Hyung, did you know? That the ending song was 'It's Okay'?"
"Well...... more or less."
"Who'd you hear it from?"
"It's not that I heard it from someone."
I massaged my legs and answered.
"A guess."
Because among this year's hit songs, the one best suited for a sing-along and for mixing in an emotional code was that one and no other.
It was such a massive hit that even if it later came out that Jeong Sowol had been an idol trainee, we could avoid accusations like 'Didn't he know the ending song in advance and purposely aim for a comparison?'
"Oh."
......He was the one who asked, but Jeong Sowol gave an insincere exclamation and glued his eyes back to his phone.
He was currently reading through the busking video comments.
"But......."
Jeong Sowol suddenly furrowed his brow.
"Nobody says that kind of thing."
"What kind of thing?"
"Animal......."
"Animal?"
Jeong Sowol murmured with a dejected expression.
"No one tells me I look like some animal."
"Ah, hm."
So that's what mattered.
Even I was examining his face to find an animal resembling Jeong Sowol, when Han Neuti suddenly cut in from the side.
"Cat?"
"That's you, hyung."
"......Can't we share?"
Just then, Kim Yuri snapped her fingers to get our attention.
"Guys, our teaser is about to drop!"
I checked the clock.
Only a few minutes left until midnight.
'......Indeed.'
A wave of both worry and anticipation washed over me.
Because, how the teaser would be released... even we didn't know.
"Look forward to it. I prepared something huge."
When I anxiously asked, "......How?" the director had answered confidently without a hint of hesitation.
"In a fun way!"