The Genius Girl's Hiatus — And the World That Wouldn't Let Her Go

The awards ceremony had barely ended when the flood of articles began pouring in, as if they'd been lying in wait.

The news of winning four trophies at the Korean Music Awards — an achievement that might never be repeated — combined with her announcement of a hiatus from singing, was impossible for Korean society to ignore. Even amid the chaos of the pandemic, the entire country turned its attention to her.

She had essentially dominated the previous year. Her songs still sat at the top of the charts. And now this girl, the genius child who had captured the nation's eyes, was stepping back. The story spread like wildfire. Within a single day, it felt like there wasn't a single person in Korea who hadn't heard her name.

She had mentioned roughly one year, but everyone knew it could easily stretch longer. Even after her voice change ended, she would need time to adjust to her new voice and rehabilitate her vocal technique.

Comments like this received waves of agreement. People felt a deep sense of loss over Seo Siyeon's break, yet they trembled with anxiety that she might never return.

The music she had shown them was bursting with childlike creativity and playfulness, yet it was crafted with such delicate consideration for the listener. It was an emotional quality that belonged to Seo Siyeon alone — something no one else could replicate.

Of course, long hiatuses were common for young child actors. But for a young singer to take an extended break? That was far rarer. After all, it was almost unheard of for a child singer to become famous enough for their hiatus to even register with the public.

“...So it really came to this.”

Go Hyena, who had practically been leading Siyeon's fandom, received the news with calm acceptance in her small one-room apartment. She had already suspected this moment might come after noticing that Blue Sky Entertainment, unlike Blooming, had never established an official fan club for Seo Siyeon.

Given how young she was, this outcome had always been inevitable.

In a situation like this, the only thing a fan could do was...

“Wait.”

She would simply keep waiting, never forgetting her. That was all.

With that thought, Go Hyena picked up her light stick.

Naturally, just because Seo Siyeon had entered a hiatus didn't mean she was actually doing nothing and resting.

Even if the singer Seo Siyeon had vanished from the public eye, the composer and producer Seo Siyeon — and the Seo Siyeon of 늘늘 Orphanage — continued her energetic activities behind the scenes.

Just one month after her vocal retirement, Seo Siyeon's name appeared as the sole composer and producer on Blooming's second single album.

She made a brief appearance as a temporary judge on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Singer Star 6 after all three heads of the Big 3 agencies had dropped out.

As the youngest producer for a new idol group, she once again set the entertainment industry ablaze with discussion.

At this point, her fandom began leaving comments like these:

The days continued in a similar fashion afterward.

Then, half a year later.

(GIF of Siyeon in short sleeves throwing the first pitch)

And then came another stretch of silence. Half a year later, she finally posted on social media again.

“Hmm... They're pretty sharp.”

I closed the Instagram comment section and looked straight ahead. There stood a beautiful girl wearing a school uniform with her hair tied in twin tails.

Although her height was still on the petite side compared to her peers, the fresh, youthful charm on her face made the uniform look absolutely perfect on her.

The past two years had brought quite noticeable changes to my body.

My voice change had long since disappeared. Having finally crossed the 145cm mark, my silhouette now clearly belonged to a young girl rather than a child. The baby fat had melted away, revealing sharper facial lines, yet the lovely impression from my younger days remained miraculously intact.

In every sense, I was walking the classic path of 'growing up without any awkward phase.'

Behind me, Yoo Seolha approached. Even after all this time, she still displayed that same fresh, youthful appearance.

“Kyaa, you're so cute! How can you still be this adorable even as a middle schooler?”

“That's because my actual age isn't that of a middle schooler...”

Thanks to graduating elementary school early, I had finally managed to escape that dreadful place.

Of course, it was a little sad to say goodbye to the friends I'd made there... but we could just keep in touch.

“So. Isn't it about time for you to make a comeback?”

“...Actually, I already did come back.”

“Huh? What do you mean...”

I pulled out my phone and showed her my YouTube channel.

The creation date was marked exactly one year after that day's Korean Music Awards.

Seeing it, her expression twisted in disbelief.

“...How are people supposed to figure this out...?”

“Hmph. I did come back. It's their fault for not finding me.”