Chapter 9
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: A High School Girl's Soft Embrace
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Siyeon gently closed her eyes. The dazzling lights and the judges staring intently at her faded from her awareness.
Only the cold metal strings under her fingertips, and the faint lingering image of her mother in her mind, remained on the stage.
It was a song that didn't require any flashy techniques or high notes.
Not made for a professional singer, but born from the raw emotions of high school dawns.
Because of that, nothing mattered more than her own heartfelt emotion.
-Your young days seen only in photos...
-I feel it while gazing at myself in the mirror.
The moment the first verse spilled out, the air seemed to purify in an instant.
It was a voice as clear and refreshing as glass beads unique to a child.
Yet within that transparent tone lay a dense sorrow impossible to believe came from a nine-year-old.
No one else could know, but the grief inside her now had accumulated over nearly thirty years, so it was only natural.
The clean, soaring high note only made listeners' hearts ache more sharply.
As the song reached its midpoint, the guitar playing intensified.
It wasn't some incredibly advanced technique. But the emotion in her left hand's picking tugged at everyone's hearts.
With rough strums added, the quiet confession turned into a cry.
Siyeon fiercely plucked the strings, as if the mini guitar's body might shatter, unleashing a piercing high note.
-How is that place you left me behind?
-While you in the photo just keep smiling.
The refreshing timbre rode waves of emotion, sharply piercing up to the studio ceiling.
Without scraping her vocal cords forcibly, the pure sound's vibrations drew out stifled sobs from spots throughout the audience.
Even main writer Kang Junhyeong, watching via the monitor backstage, covered his mouth with the cue sheet, shoulders trembling.
This song felt less like a mere audition piece and more like a requiem for everyone bearing the pain called family.
And sung by an elementary school orphan, no less!
Kang Junhyeong shuddered with a perverse thrill rising through his body.
As the song passed its climax and sank back into silence, Siyeon quietly stilled the strings with her slender, trembling fingers. Then, whispering into the mic, she uttered the final lyrics.
-I want to call you at least once.
-Mother... no, Mom.
Even after the last note faded, no one clapped.
A bizarre pressure dominated the studio, as if applause itself would profane this sacred air.
After about ten seconds of heavy silence, KY Entertainment CEO Jina was the first to break it.
Jina reached for the mic to give her feedback, but a tear already dropped from her reddened eyes.
Seeing that, a single tear fell from Siyeon's eyes too.
She didn't know why.
Was it sorrow from being an orphan? Or longing for her mother built up from her past life?
Maybe she'd just immersed too deeply in the emotions she'd conjured for the song.
In truth, while being an orphan sucked for Seo Siyeon, it wasn't particularly heartbreaking.
If anything, she even thought having no parents to nag wasn't so bad.
Her original world had a father and grandmother, so even if this life had parents, they probably wouldn't have given proper love anyway.
Yet one thing remained unchanged.
The camera captured her reddening eyes in close-up, and that image would spread nationwide via this program that pierced 10% ratings in an era where legacy media was dying.
Right after getting all passes without any hitches.
I wiped my reddened eyes for some reason and headed to the waiting room.
For the record, I skipped the interview.
Because that episode seemed like it would spark even more buzz—take it or leave it.
As I entered the waiting room, strange gazes poured in from around me.
If before they looked at me like a monster or a fraud, now it was just pity for a poor orphan.
Honestly, I didn't like it much.
Because I wanted to be remembered as a fierce competitor, not a pitiful orphan.
That's why I'd used this sob story leveraging my orphan status relatively early.
Truthfully, saving this strategy for the finals in the upper rounds would be most effective.
People instinctively pay attention to the pitiful, and it'd turn into votes for me.
But doing it then would fix my image as the pitiful orphan.
That could become a hindrance for future activities.
The public gets jealous watching an orphan they saw as beneath them rise up.
Those people turn into anti-fans, harming my future path.
"Wahh... Siyeon, are you okay?"
"...Yoo Seolha-ssi?"
Breaking the silence, the first to approach me was Blooming's vocalist, Yoo Seolha.
Tears streamed down her fresh, cute high-school-girl face.
"Waaah! So sad...!"
With that, Yoo Seolha hugged me.
Buried in a high school girl's chest, my adult male ego sensed danger and flailed to escape her embrace.
"Mmph...!"
"It's okay... Big sis will hold you!"
Our connection was just a few words exchanged in the waiting room.
What a nosy person.
But separately, her embrace was quite cozy.
The soft, squishy flesh pressed against my cheek.
My adult male ego thrashed to get out now, but Seo Siyeon's ego wanted to stay nestled here.
'Fuck. It's because I don't have a mom. That's all this is.'
Definitely not because a high school girl's boobs feel good.
I'm an orphan too, and hearing Seo Siyeon's song has me bawling in my room.
I lost my parents in an accident at 7 too, grew up with grandma.
I usually hate sob stories, scoff at melodrama movies.
But when Siyeon sang "Your young days seen only in photos," my heart just dropped for real.
I have just one clear photo of mom at home.
Remember staring at it, then the mirror, wondering if I look like her—it's driving me crazy.
Calling her "Mom" at the end burst all the tears I'd held back; I sobbed out loud.
Feels dumb at my age, but seeing Siyeon is like watching my kid self—heart hurts so much.
Siyeon, I hope you make it big. Don't live like me—succeed for real.
Ah fu... no words but hang in there.
ㅠㅠ Hang in there, OP. Siyeon's song hits hard. That clear voice makes the sadness worse.
Tragedies hurt more when the person stays stoic. Her blank expression mid-performance, then tears at the end—that was the kill shot.
How does a real 9-year-old write lyrics like that? Gal peeps, she must be on her second life fr.
Thought the coolguys would show up calling it sob story, but saw this and quietly un-recs. Leaving.
Morning top comments lmao, gal flooded with newbies.
What is this real post lol
Fact) 500% chance she didn't write those lyrics. Producers ghostwrote it. A 9yo writing that? Lol
You orphan? Who ghostwrites for nursery kids, retard? No big agency either lol
Kang Junhyeong PD scripted for ratings? Based on real events?
Comments explode right after real post lol
Josens who fall for scams are inferior race confirmed
Voting is a crime kekeke
"Whoa. What the hell exploded the comments."
"Wahk!"
"Eek...!"
The one grinning slyly behind me was none other than Blooming's vocalist, Yoo Seolha.
After that incident, we'd exchanged emails and kept in touch sporadically.
It was super inconvenient since I had no smartphone and could only reply at the PC bang, but once Park Hansu gave me a burner phone the day before yesterday, she started bombarding me like crazy.
It was getting burdensome enough to consider pulling back a bit, but pushing away someone approaching with goodwill didn't sit right.
Anyway, she'd offered to buy me clothes, and I'd accepted instantly upon learning she owned a place in Gangnam—after initially planning to refuse.
Figured a high schooler in a band was suspicious, and yeah, her family had money.
"Oh my! Siyeon, egosearching already? Naughty, naughty."
"I-I just happened to see it once."
Lie.
I've been a heavy egosearcher since my past life—even idols I managed scolded me to cut back.
I skip the hate, but when it's all praise like now, it feels damn good.
Yoo Seolha, who always wore her uniform on stage to emphasize her high schooler image, showed up in thick glasses, black hoodie, and jeans.
She looked so adult like this, it surprised me.
With her hair dyed brown too, she seemed even less like a minor.
"Ooh, Siyeon's disguised well too?"
"Yeah. Too many people recognizing me would be tiring."
I'd pulled my hood low and added glasses for total cover.
As an orphan, I had no decent clothes, so until now I'd scoured the nursery on performance days for something passable.
But with auditions ramping up, I needed proper outfits now.
Especially once top 10 locked in—about a month of camp, maybe more.
More clothes, more options.
Walking side by side, talk naturally shifted to the next round.
"Hey, Siyeon. Heard anything?"
"Yeah, the PD told me."
"Huh? I haven't heard squat?"
Of course she hadn't.
Next round was team battle; PD only told the team leaders.
Meaning pick your teammates in advance.
"Next round's teams. I'm team leader, so I got the heads-up."
"Ehhh?!"
Yoo Seolha let out a high-schooler-esque squeal.
I eyed her with narrowed gaze.
Reaction feeling a bit forced?
"But round 2 mains are always teams anyway..."
"And I'm filling my team entirely with Blooming."
"Eeeek..."