Hitting the Charts

"......Nari-nuna."

"That's right, a-add 'nuna' when you say it, got it?"

"Yes."

"'Yes' is still formal, though."

This was hard.

It would just be easier to stick with formal speech.

I couldn't even remember the last time I'd used casual language with anyone outside my family.

"It's habit."

"Okay, I get it. That can happen. Nuna understands."

"Yes—I mean, yeah."

"I-I should call you by your name too. Do- Do-yoon. Yeah, Do-yoon."

She remembered my name.

We'd shared it ages ago while exchanging bank transfers, but since no one had called me by my real name after that, I'd figured she would have forgotten for sure.

"Damn it! C-cheers!"

As Yu Nari's beer moved into its second can, the speed of her words climbed higher and higher.

She started with the concert, then viewer reactions, Shin Se-young's struggle adapting to VR, and the nerves that hit her when she sang Blackout Cat.

Listening to her chatter so excitedly like this, I felt the alcohol starting to catch up with me too.

"Hff, the drinks are going down smooth today. I feel great. Ah! You—you you! Don't you dare make another song about me drinking. When I first heard that track of yours I thought I'd die of embarrassment!"

"I still cleaned up the lyrics as much as I could..."

"Where exactly was that cleaned up?! 'The cat rubbing its cheek against the monitor' is cleaned up to you?"

"Originally it was the cat drooling on the monitor while it slept."

"Uuuugh, so it was even worse."

"I thought about it and changed it to something a little cuter."

"If the lyrics had been meaningless it might've been cute... but you wrote it about me actually being drunk, so that's the problem..."

From my side, those lyrics had been as roundabout as I could make them.

It wasn't like I could erase the image completely.

"The song itself is just too good to refuse, you devil. Why are you so good at making songs? How old were you when you started? You're only twenty-one now."

Psst-!

"I dabbled since middle school with books and online lectures, so it's been a while."

"Whoa—gulp gulp—our Do-yoon is a genius, a genius. So proud of you."

"......"

What was that.

I just heard another beer can crack open.

"Eheheh, the concert wrapped up well and I'm so happyyy."

This person was starting to come completely undone.

"This Nari-nuna is going to stream even harder from now on, so we'll stay ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠close, okayyy?"

"...Alright. Maybe it's time to sleep now."

"Ahem, when an adult is speaking you should listennn."

"I'm listening. Talk."

"Mm, good boy. Good. Ahem!"

She cleared her throat like a principal about to deliver morning announcements and continued.

"There are a lot of black-hearted people out there, you know? Be careful. Outside and inside are different in this world! Foxes, a whole truckload of them."

"Yeah, yeah."

Was this déjà vu.

Once she drank she only talked about herself.

"What fun is that kind of streaming anyway, pfffuu—ah, where did my beer go."

"Getting sleepy?"

"No! Not sleepy! ......Am I sleepy?"

"Come on now. You must be tired today."

"But I still wanna talk moreee."

"We can do it tomorrow."

The silence stretched long enough that I couldn't tell if she was dozing or thinking.

"Good night, nuna."

Either way, putting her to bed quickly seemed best for both of us.

"......Hearing you say 'nuna' is still so weird. Maybe because I've never heard it before."

"Does it feel awkward?"

"No, I like it. Pfffuuuu."

A long breath that practically smelled of alcohol stretched out.

"Sleep well, Do-yoon-ah."

And then the call cut off.

I finished the rest of my barley tea and headed for bed.

Bzzzzzz- bzzzzzz-!

"Uuuugh...... u...?"

Yu Nari buried her face in the pillow and stretched a hand toward the vibrating phone.

Ah, my head is going to split.

Without even trying to figure out the situation she answered.

"......Hello?"

It was Han So-yeong.

And she sounded incredibly bright.

Had this woman ever used a voice like that before?

"......What time is it?"

"Cha...rts?"

What was that again.

Half-asleep, Yu Nari forced her eyes open.

"Uweh, okay."

She fumbled with her smartphone, head still foggy.

Ah, I drank last night. What did I even do.

Her hands and brain were working separately until her fingers reached the music site Mellow first and scrolled the real-time chart.

"Huh...?"

84th. Blackout Cat.

She scrolled further.

98th. Delivery Food.

"......Huh, huhh?"

"S-So-yeong-nim? How is this even...?"

Yu Nari shot upright on the bed.

"Waaaaaaagh!"

"Ack ack, hehe, I haven't warmed up my throat. Ahem ahem. Wow but I'm so happy! This is insaneeee."

Hearing the pure joy in Yu Nari's voice, Han So-yeong laughed as she continued.

"Whaaaat?!"

Yu Nari and So-yeong cheered together for a while before hanging up.

It felt like receiving a huge gift that erased every hardship she'd endured preparing for the concert.

But as the surge of adrenaline slowly ebbed, her head began to throb strangely.

"Ugh...?"

And with it came the flood of memories.

What was this.

She was pretty sure something exactly like this had happened a few weeks ago.

You little bastard!

Do-yoon-ah~ Do-yoon-ah~

Tsk, when an adult is speaking!

Wow.

Yu Nari clamped a hand over her mouth and let out a silent scream.

Was charting supposed to come with a free black-history production pack?

"I-I need to apologize."

She tried to type a message, but her fingers kept freezing and she couldn't get the letters right.

Suddenly calling him by name feels a bit embarrassing.

Come to think of it, she had never once in her life called a guy by his first name.

It had come so easily when the alcohol was in her system...

Alcohol was the problem.

The root of all evil was alcohol.

Therefore she herself was not bad.

She repeated that to herself.

Do-yoon already gave off a somewhat frail impression, and the thought of calling him by name made her feel like she was committing a crime, squeezing her chest.

In the end she left out the name and only sent the words.

I should tell him about the charts too, but when is he going to wake up.

If she could pivot the topic with that, it would be perfect, she thought, checking her phone again—only to find a DM waiting.

"Eh? What."

A name she wasn't particularly happy to see.

Kurogami Yui.

She wanted to meet in person?

What was this, a real-life fight request?

They had never directly harmed each other, but there was such a thing as gut feeling.

Her feelings toward the other woman weren't particularly good.

There was no real reason to meet.

She was about to ignore it completely when she decided that, since they were in the same industry, she should at least write a rejection—then consecutive messages arrived.

Feeling a little flattered at being acknowledged, her overall impression stayed roughly the same.

Why should I? Wouldn't a call be enough?

Curiosity made her reply.

Yui's answer came immediately.

What on earth was this about.

She was still puzzled by the abstract explanation when the next message made her brow furrow.

"Uuuum."

She wanted to refuse.

But the suddenly humble attitude made her curious about what made Yui so desperate, and she was also in a good mood from charting.

Yu Nari sent a message saying she would meet.

Besides, if she refused, Yui would probably just contact Do-yoon instead.

I can brag about charting while I'm at it.

With that light heart she left the house.

.

.

.

Yu Nari headed toward the location Kurogami Yui had sent.

It was closer than expected, and she arrived quickly.

The destination was a karaoke room.

Since they were going to talk vocals, she probably wanted them to sing while discussing it.

Yui's straightforward personality seemed consistent both online and offline.

She stepped out at the meeting spot and looked around.

Ajusshi, ajumma, elderly people, students.

No one who gave off a Yui-like vibe yet.

Then—

"Excuse me. Nari-nimu? Is that you?"

A girl nearby who looked like a teenager spoke up.

Fluent Korean mixed with a Japanese accent, and someone who knew her name.

"......Yui-nim?"

She looked nothing like the virtual image.

Small.

Tiny.

A frail build. Short height, small frame.

She was wearing an oversized hoodie that hung loose and made her look even smaller.

Cute-looking, sure.

Which only made her look younger.

No matter how I look at her she's a student?

Yui tilted her chin up and glared at the way Yu Nari was staring.

"......Why you looking at me like that?"

"Ah, no, just, it's our first time meeting."

"Because I'm small?"

"No, that's not—"

"Everyone does. When they meet me for first time, everyone reacts like that."

A tiny thorn pricked through her voice, so Yu Nari hurriedly looked elsewhere.

She felt strangely like she had done something wrong.

"Uh, s-shall we go in first?"

At Yu Nari's slightly kinder tone, Yui let out a small, familiar sigh.

The two of them went straight into the coin karaoke.

And when Yu Nari naturally reached to pay, Yui grabbed her hand.

"I'll do it."

"Uh... I feel like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I should..."

"What did you say...?"

"No, go ahead. Yes yes."

Since Yu Nari was the one who had come to help, it was proper for Kurogami Yui to pay.

But looking at that face somehow triggered the impulsive urge not to let her.

Whether she instinctively read that not-quite-consideration, one corner of Yui's mouth twisted.

"......I'll sing first."

Yui took the mic and sang a few of her favorite songs.

Then she asked Yu Nari,

"How was it?"

"You're good. Clap clap clap clap."

"......Shit."

"Ahem."

Yui pouted and passed the microphone over.

"I'm twenty-four. I'm the unnie."

"Whaat?"

Between the foreigner's soft pronunciation and that baby-faced look, treating her as an older sister was impossible.

The reaction was secretly entertaining, too.

"My singing is average. I wanted to look special so I tried growing my voice, took lessons, did this and that, but still same."

Yu Nari listened quietly.

"Long time ago I entered a singing contest and went against Sion. Back then I got compared so hard and it was so sad."

"I thought it was because her high notes were outstanding. But when I saw Nari-nimu's stage at VBF, I thought if I also had a special song I could shine too."

"But in the end that wasn't it either. Nari-nim, you have that same special, goosebump-raising something that Sion has."

"I want to know what that is so bad. I need it to achieve my dream. Please."

Yu Nari felt complicated.

The explanation was still crude and she still had no idea how she was supposed to help.

But Yui looked genuinely desperate.

"I don't know if I can be of any help."

"It's fine. We'll try all kinds of things and if it doesn't work... then it can't be helped. Dreams are just dreams."

"What do you want me to help with?"

"Ah first, songs! I want to hear you sing. Lots of songs."

When Yu Nari agreed to help, Yui finally broke into a bright smile.

"Whew, thank goodness. Meeting in person to talk was the right choice. For some reason, from long time ago, talking offline feels a little more comfortable than online for me. People are kinder too."

"Mm, ah, yeah that makes sense. Haha."

That's because of your vibe...

Unless someone made a hobby of stealing candy from children, people would naturally turn kind around a face like that.

"Now can you sing a few songs for me like I did earlier?"

"Sure."

Yu Nari picked a few songs she usually practiced and sang them comfortably.

One song ended.

"This is just someone who sings well."

Next song.

"......This isn't it."

Next.

"Uuuum."

After three songs in a row, Yui asked,

"What's different from the concert?"

"Well...... the difference is..."

Yu Nari propped her chin on one hand and rolled her eyes.

I think I was annoyed. Why exactly was that again?

Because she said she wanted to sing the song Do-yoon made together?

Because Do-yoon found Yui's streams fun?

Because Do-yoon hated people yet still tried to contact her?

Hmm? Why is it all Do-yoon?

Weird? There's no way I'm that petty.

Ah, it must have been Yui's attitude that was the problem.

While she failed to come up with a clear answer and kept thinking, the karaoke time ran out.

"For ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠now, let's move somewhere else today. The karaoke doesn't even have Nari-nimu's songs yet. I think I rushed too much."

"I'll think about how I immersed myself more deeply back then too. It'll help me as well."

Still carrying their respective questions, they opened the door and stepped out.

Yu Nari, who came out first, locked eyes with two men waiting in the hallway.

"Ah, hey! Excuse me! It's just, I heard the singing and really liked it... if you have time left... huh?"

The man trailed off the moment he saw Kurogami Yui coming out behind her.

His friend jabbed him in the side and whispered,

"Hey hey hey, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they're students. Let's go. Let's go."

"Oh oh right. Haha sorry. Have fun."

They naturally slipped into another room.

A brief silence settled over the hallway.

"......"

"......"

Yui's face flushed bright red in an instant.

"Those bastards..."

And Yu Nari was busy looking away, desperately hiding the corners of her mouth that were trembling with laughter.