ALL NOVEL Chapter 16
After the Celestial Realm Project audition concluded, I entered full-fledged preparations for my debut.
First, I drafted the contract remotely and had a group meeting with the person in charge, hearing the overall plan for how my debut would unfold, just like the last time I visited the company.
The schedule was quite tight.
We needed to start recording the debut song, conduct a showcase, and also arrange collaborations for advertising with famous streamers from The Six.
One thing that reassured me was the immense support from the company, which seemed determined to push us hard, one of the highlights being the avatar.
“Is this my avatar?”
[Yes, that’s correct.]
I examined the avatar moving in front of the monitor.
Although I had already spent a considerable amount on my previous avatar, this one was of much higher quality.
It not only recognized my facial expressions but also had enhanced graphics.
The light pink hair glimmered, and my once pale face looked livelier than ever.
As I idly stared at my avatar, realizing the limitless potential of quality, the voice of my former person-in-charge, now my manager, came through my headphones.
[And I think the debut song will be completed around tomorrow. I’ll connect you with the composer, so you need to record it.]
I dropped my jaw at that.
A debut song! I knew about it, but it suddenly hit me that I had indeed passed the audition.
“Ah… I’m nervous.”
[Haha, you’ll do great. Oh, and this is a secret…]
My manager chuckled at my nervousness, as if preparing for some revealing news.
“What is it?”
[You can’t tell anyone else, okay? I heard the composer is looking forward to working with Miro.]
“Really? Why?”
[He said he really likes your vocal tone.]
“Wow, is that so?”
Hearing a professional composer praise my vocal tone made my lips involuntarily curl into a smile.
‘I guess I’ll have to throw away the remaining cigarettes.’
I had kept them well after gradually quitting, but now, they had to go.
It wasn’t long since I became a woman, so thankfully, my voice hadn’t changed.
These days, I’ve been enjoying singing practice too much to ruin it with smoking.
[Anyway, there will be good results. I have to go now to deliver avatars to others.]
“Wouldn’t it be better to give them all at once?”
[You know, presents are best appreciated when received alone.]
“Ah, I see…”
[Well then, take care. Please do well in tonight’s collaboration.]
After ending the call with my manager, I stared blankly at the ceiling.
I was worried when I first became a woman, but now that the day of recording my debut song is right around the corner, I feel overwhelmed with emotions.
How long had I been lost in thought while gazing at the ceiling?
Suddenly, my phone started buzzing.
Beeeee— Beeeee—
As it kept vibrating, I looked at it to find messages piling up at an alarming rate in the Celestial Realm Project group chat.
It seemed everyone had heard the news about the debut song being released.
Since our first meeting, we hadn’t stopped group calls or messaging each other, and just a few days had passed, but we all got quite close.
The ages were roughly similar, and with the same line of work, there were endless topics to discuss.
Moreover, being a virtual YouTuber can be a lonely profession, right? It felt nice to have colleagues I could relate to.
Of course, I was also actively messaging my peers to build camaraderie.
As I entered the group chat now to reply, I noticed the topic had shifted to broadcasting.
(Mahohyun[Mahoh]): Is it okay to mention that we’ll be recording the debut song in tonight’s collaboration?
(Anna[Anna]): Isn’t that why we’re having the collaboration today?
(Hannari[Haru]): I can’t wait for the debut song www
(Kimarin[Loa]): What’s with that tone?
(Hannari[Haru]): You need to learn the culture from the seniors.
(Kimarin[Loa]): (Trembling bear emoji)
(Mahohyun[Mahoh]): By the way, Soo-hyun, can I mention that during the collaboration?
(I): What?
Curious, I asked, and the replies came flying back quickly.
(Mahohyun[Mahoh]): Remember when we first met and I sang? I want to show off to the viewers!
(I): Sure, that’s perfectly fine.
Of course, there was no problem with that.
Isn’t it a good story to share? I would appreciate being told.
(Mahohyun[Mahoh]): Soo-hyun doesn’t sing much on broadcasts, so I just wanted to ask!
(I): (Thumbs-up emoji)
(Hannari[Haru]): What? I want to say something too!
(Anna[Anna]): I’ll say it first!~
But it seemed other peers were also looking to gain permission from me, so I gave them suitable answers and then grabbed my coat and headed outside.
Since we still had several hours before starting the collaboration, I decided to grab some dinner.
***
After a hearty meal at a newly found tonkatsu place instead of my usual soup restaurant and picking up some snacks, I returned home to find everyone gathering at the Celestial Realm Project DKO channel.
“Isn’t it still an hour until the collaboration starts?”
The company had arranged everything well, so we just needed to log in to the broadcast 30 minutes early, chat briefly with the prepared streamer, and then dive right into the game.
I wondered why everyone was already here, but when I put on my headset and entered, I quickly learned the reason.
“No, delete that too!”
“Ah, yes!”
“Hurry! We have one hour left!”
It turned out Loa was still struggling to install the game while the rest of the members were gathered, giving her some tips.
“Hey, Miro, you here?”
“Yes, have you not installed it yet?”
“Ahh! I’m going crazy! She’s completely clueless! But I’m almost done!”
“Uh… good luck. I need to grab some snacks.”
“Huh?? Aren’t you being a bit too laid-back??”
“Too many cooks spoil the broth.”
Saying that, I left the call, quickly finished the broadcast setup, and after lying down watching a few martial arts novels, time flew by, and our scheduled broadcast time arrived.
Watching the notifications of the members starting their broadcasts one by one, I hit the start button myself.
[King Miro joined the Phoenix Club]
– Hi hi
– Miha
– Finally turned it on
– What’s the Phoenix Club again?
“Ah, the Phoenix Club is an event for the martial arts community where people gather, similar to the Dragon Club. The Dragon represents males and the Phoenix represents females…”
– Can’t you just shut up?
– Avatar quality improved!
“Anyway, we’re collaborating today! Yay~ Since I passed the audition, we finally have this collaboration lined up.”
– Wait, we’re actually collaborating?
– Is he a guy?
– Hmm…
Ah, these guys… They get all worked up when I mention collaborating with a guy.
They often refer to one another in such a casual way, but they seem serious when it comes to me.
“Alright, since we have some time, should I report what I’ve been up to during the broadcasts?”
– Let’s just play a round of LOL ㅇㅇ
– Are you leveling up in LOL?
“Oh, I’ve played a few games but not a lot.”
[Master Miro, thank you for the 10,000 won donation!]
So what have I been doing in the meantime???
“Thanks for the 10,000 won donation! What do you mean? Ever since passing the audition, I’ve had meetings to plan my schedule, setting things up, and checking in. That’s why my avatar also changed, see? It’s cute, right? Look how it recognizes my expressions.”
As I said that, I shook my head in front of the camera and made various faces, making my character mirror my expressions. I couldn’t help but feel proud of this well-crafted avatar as I logged into the game early.
“Today’s game is Royal Ground. You all know it, right?”
Royal Ground.
In this battle royale game, players fight each other and gather guns to become the last one standing within a shrinking circle.
“There are six members in our group, right? We’ll split into teams of three, and a famous streamer from The Six will join each team.”
– Why are they even participating??
– Miro… my horn hurts… Miro… my horn hurts…
“Why is everyone so dramatic? When we start the game, don’t mess with those people, okay? I don’t want to get dragged into any trouble.”
– Just someone who doesn’t even know anyone…
– Yes, that’s done~
– Let’s get in, let’s get in, let’s get in, let’s get in~
“If you’re caught chatting inappropriately, we’ll ban you looking at the usernames in our room.”
I knew they were just joking in the chat, but I felt uneasy, so I dealt with the bans swiftly, and only then did the chat quiet down.
“I guess some people only listen when you’re firm.”
[Thank you, 1,000 won!]
The viewers are not some beasts why would they need to be reprimanded? Please apologize quickly.
“Thank you for the 1,000 won. I’ll sneak into the call room now.”
I casually passed through viewers’ donations, and taking a quick peek at the call room, I saw two popular streamers from The Six, whom we were supposed to collaborate with today, had already entered.
Ding—
“Hello!”
With a cheerful connection sound, I entered the call room.
[Oh, Miro is here!]
“Hi hi!”
[Ah! Nice to meet you, I’m Hangle, a log streamer.]
[I’m Nadan.]
Hangle and Nadan.
They are the log streamers I’m set to collaborate with today.
Since we hadn’t met before, this was our first conversation.
“Yes, looking forward to working with both of you.”
Honestly, I didn’t have much thought about these two.
Both were streamers with hundreds of thousands of subscribers, but anyway, this was just a one-time encounter.
[Alright, now that everyone’s here, shall we get started?]
Hangle mainly led the session. As one of the most recognized and charismatic figures here, he naturally took charge of the atmosphere.
[Do you all have experience with logs?]
[Ah, yes! We all know how to play to an extent.]
Anna answered on behalf of the group. Being the eldest sister among us and quite popular, her response was natural.
As we took turns introducing ourselves and lightly conversing to ease the atmosphere, at some point, we had a random draw to divide teams.
[Alright then, Mahohyun, Haru, and Miro are in Hangle’s team.]
[That means Anna, Mile, and Loa are in Nadan’s team.]
Two invited streamers with much experience and skill became team leaders, and the game rule was that the first team to reach first place in a match wins.
[Then let’s disperse into the call rooms.]
As we half-split into teams, the atmosphere quieted a bit.
[Cough, is everyone confident?]
Unable to bear the silence, streamer Hangle spoke up first and I quickly replied to ease the tension.
“Ah, yes, I’m confident.”
[Oh really? How confident?]
“I’m confident enough that if someone drops out, you won’t even notice the absence.”
Logs are very popular games.
Meaning, both male Kim Soo-hyun and female Kim Soo-hyun have experience playing it.
Moreover, I considered myself to be relatively good at gaming. I was in the top 3% in LOL, after all.
Since I also play as an ADC, it’s reasonable to assume I’d be good at FPS as well.
[Great! Let’s go for it!]
Did they find my confident statement appealing?
With Hangle’s enthusiastic words, the official collaboration began.