ALL NOVEL Chapter 4
“Well, if you’re that confident… I can’t skip the verification, can I?”
Taesan said as he surveyed Miro, the participant standing in front of him. At first glance, it might seem like it could turn into a chaotic situation, but—
Thanks to Miro’s beautiful voice, precise pronunciation, and her ability to speak without any stumbling or hesitation, the viewer reactions were fairly positive.
“Even here, the audience members are professionals who know their stuff in this field.”
– LOL, for real.
– Ever heard of the 10,000-hour rule, rookie?
– You think just because you’re in your mid-20s, you can truly appreciate masterpieces? Haha, I’ve been watching anime for 30 years.
– Ah, now’s the time for all the wannabe experts to come out.
– Is it really something to brag about, watching a lot of anime?
– Picking Slam Dunk first is a pass, for sure.
– What’s this, a joke? Only people with dentures would be hyped about it.
Taesan quickly skimmed through the chat window, pushed aside the prepared questions, and started firing off impromptu inquiries.
“Well, if you had to choose three life-changing mangas, what would they be?”
“Umm… That’s tough… I’ll go with Slam Dunk, Dragon Ball, and Bleach.”
– Whoa, LOL.
– What’s with Bleach? Haha.
– The first two are okay, but Bleach is stretching it…
– Haven’t you seen the latest Bleach?
– Ugh, please, wannabe experts…
– Is “The King of Tides” any better?
“Oh… is there a common reason you picked those three?”
“They resonated with my heart.”
– Whoa, LOL.
– So romantic, pass!
– You really know how to appreciate it for real…
– Nowadays, anime doesn’t have that kind of vibe.
“Hmm… ‘Resonated with your heart’? But all of those are a bit older, right? How old are you, by the way?”
“Oh, I’m an 18-year-old high school girl.”
“What? You’re a student?”
“Oh, no, I don’t go to school.”
“But your application says you’re 21?”
“….”
– HAHAHAHA.
– I’m dying to protect this gem!
– High school girl (not in school).
– Seriously, she’s lying without even changing her tone, LOL.
– How can you have watched all those at 21?
“Well, anyway, that’s impressive. It’s not something your average high schooler these days would recognize as classics.”
“What other mangas did people mention?”
“Well, there were Inuyasha, Haikyuu, and Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen was also frequently mentioned.”
– Control group picks right there, LOL.
– Girls do watch those a lot, for sure.
“Ah… I see.”
“I see? You’re not disappointed or anything, right?”
Taesan, sensing Miro’s modest chuckle, immediately latched onto her lack of explanation and continued questioning.
“Wow, do you really not like them? Choosing masterpieces is a personal freedom, isn’t it?”
“Um?? It’s not that; I just thought it was impressive.”
“Impressive? Impressive in what way?”
“I mean, there’s probably so much you haven’t seen yet, right? I’d love to go to an anime café together sometime.”
With that bold statement, Miro, the youngest applicant among the first-round passers, made Taesan chuckle.
‘She’ll definitely make it.’
For someone like Taesan, who had some experience in broadcasting, it was preferable to have a thick skin in front of cameras.
In that light, this Miro character… had that potential, he felt.
And well…
‘She has a nice voice, right? And she talks so coherently.’
That was the only reason.
Bold, with a good voice and great speaking skills.
If luck’s on her side, she might just hit it big.
With that thought, Taesan wrapped up the interview with Miro and called the next participant.
***
“Ugh…”
The first thing I did after the second round of interviews was step outside for a smoke break.
As I entered a familiar alley and let the nicotine swim through my lungs, memories of the interview came flooding back.
“Did I overdo it?”
Well, honestly, I felt I’d done my best considering I had no distinct characteristics or qualities compared to the other participants, but it still felt like I had been too loud for my own good.
“Well, it’s already in the past.”
I usually don’t dwell on the past. It’s not like I can change it anyway, so why overthink it? Just do better next time.
I extinguished my cigarette and returned home, sitting in front of my computer desk.
Some time had passed since the second interview, and I figured it was time to check the community and see the reactions.
[Miro <— She seems to be the best one, imo.] Today’s interview was a total snooze-fest, but I still managed to catch a few moments, right? - What? LOL, did you really even watch those mangas? Sounds like you just named some famous ones. - Can't sing at all. - Isn't she at least above average? Are they just attacking her out of the blue? - We're looking for idols here, right? Being just above average should be a given, don’t you think? - This guy genuinely thinks they’re auditioning idols; aren’t they just looking for virtual YouTubers or something? - Don’t you know they’re recruiting named composers to release tracks? I expect her to be at least like an idol’s assistant. "Ugh... I saw everything." It was a bit unfair to hear comments implying I didn’t actually watch those famed titles, but I couldn’t just rattle off everything about the stories, could I? What’s more, the comments about my singing skills were the ones that actually caught my attention. "Come on... it's not like I can’t sing." Never before had anyone said I couldn’t sing. This person is clearly just hating on me. [Miro, but she seems a bit older.] Honestly, why would teenagers these days watch classics like Slam Dunk, Dragon Ball, and Bleach? Haha. Seriously, mid-20s to 30s would probably be the age range for that. - She said she’s 21. - That’s just what she wrote on her application, right? She could be lying about her age. - Classics don’t care about the time. - Ask around your female friends if any of them have seen those. Except for those who watched Slam Dunk in theaters, they probably only recognize the titles. - And first, check if you even have any female friends, you jerk. - But her voice sounds like someone in their early to mid-20s. - She says she’s 18, hmm... LOL. "Ah..." Now, this I can't stand. In a hurry, I logged in with a throwaway account and commented. - (Me): The world where kids these days aren’t watching these classics is what’s truly wrong, you jerk. Stop whining about age! After that, I ignored all the notifications that followed. I'm the kind of guy who never looks back... no, I’m a girl now, so... Once I closed the window, my desktop appeared before me. My default background was messy with programs and saved files scattered everywhere. Most of them were design-related things, remnants of my past self, with little relevance to who I am now. "Deleting them feels a bit... off, right?" Yet, since these files were part of the design works that Woman Kim Soo-hyun had put effort into for sometimes over a week, I couldn't just delete them. Instead, I created a folder and tossed them all inside. "Now it looks a bit cleaner." With all those design-related files tucked away, what remained were games and messenger applications, and among them, a game caught my eye. "...League of Legends?" It was a game I played occasionally during high school and college in PC rooms, but seeing it here felt rather refreshing. Come to think of it, Woman Kim Soo-hyun had played this game often... I remember her tier being pretty high, Diamond 4 if I recall correctly. "Should I give it a go?" In my memories, Woman Kim Soo-hyun had always gotten angry when playing this, but how could a game provoke that much heat? Still, I remembered having fun even when we lost while playing five-player team games back at the PC room, so I started up the game with a relaxed mindset. After choosing the role of AD Carry, which was her main position, I began the game. And exactly four hours later, I threw my mouse across the room. "Ugh, stupid piece of junk!" Why do they act like that? No, more importantly, why are the people here so mentally weak? Every little thing would trigger them, "15 losses, I’m out." "I’m going mid." Some even decided to quit altogether. Aren’t they all Diamond rank? They’re supposedly among the top 2% of users. Why on earth are they throwing matches like this? I was playing pretty well. Though I wasn’t necessarily originally at Diamond level, somehow I managed to hold my own throughout the match. But my record? Loss-loss-win-win-loss-loss-win-loss. For four hours straight, my score remained stagnant. "Ugh... my time." I lost track of time while getting engrossed in the game, and now I had to submit my resignation letter at school tomorrow... Feeling the harsh reality of why this game is considered a disease, I closed it down. "I really need to exercise some self-control from now on." Given that I suddenly had time on my hands, I needed to focus on self-improvement. First and foremost on the list was enrolling in vocal training. Of course, that’s still far away, but if I pass the fourth audition and get accepted, haven’t they mentioned something about releasing tracks? I couldn’t let myself be unprepared, so I started searching for vocal academies around. Fortunately, I found a vocal academy with good reviews just a bus ride away, about ten minutes from my studio apartment, and I scheduled a consultation for tomorrow. First, I’d go to school in the morning to submit my resignation letter, then have a consultation at the vocal academy in the afternoon. After that... "What to do next?" Well, time just flies when you’re lounging around on your phone, but since I was going out, I wanted to do something meaningful... While planning to casually visit a nearby manga café and brushing my teeth, my phone rang. [Hyejeong] I saw her name, which had now become familiar, and picked up immediately, greeted by Hyejeong's cheerful voice. [You’re still awake? What are you doing?] "I'm about to sleep, just brushing my teeth." [Oh, really? Do you have time tomorrow?] “I’ll have time in the evening, why?” [Well, we’re gathering with high school friends for drinks, so I wanted to invite you. I noticed you hadn’t said anything in the group chat, so I just figured I’d ask.] "Group chat?" The group chat... oh right. Was she talking about the one that always had 300+ unread messages that Woman Kim Soo-hyun had turned off notifications for? "Well... I’ll go, where’s the location?" [If you want to stay home, you don’t have to... Wait, are you actually coming?] This kind of reaction never fails to surprise me. How much of a recluse was Woman Kim Soo-hyun that her friends were shocked when she expressed any desire to go out? [What’s this? The Kim Soo-hyun is actually going out for drinks?] "Is it really that surprising? I just have something to take care of tomorrow, so I figured I’d stop by." [Well, you never came before, so that’s nice. They’ll probably be glad you're coming.] "Yeah, tell everyone to dress up since legendary Pokémon are coming over." [Are you out of your mind? Isn’t it a bragging right to be a rare occurrence?] "Rarity has always been a strong advantage in any era." [You’re insane...] *Click* The call ended, and I finished brushing my teeth. Come to think of it, it was my first time going out for drinks in Woman Kim Soo-hyun’s body. What should I wear? Dresses? Nah, not quite ready for that, so I’ll stick with pants. "Ugh, I’m not sure." I’ll just think about it more in the morning. Woman Kim Soo-hyun had a great body, so whatever I wear would probably look good on me. With my plans for tomorrow set, I drifted off to sleep.