Raising a Neglected Singer-Songwriter - Chapter 11
Only Krnovel
11. I am a passerby.
BJ Changhyuk, a YouTube creator with 2 million subscribers.
He was doing a street karaoke broadcast in Hongdae today.
Thanks to its fame, large crowds flocked to the area.
Hidden talents each showed off their singing skills.
In particular, musical actor Hong Kwang-woo’s songs are among the best he has heard, even for someone with a long career in broadcasting.
There seemed to be no major disagreement that today’s winner was Hong Kwang-woo.
Although, he was someone who had been recruited in advance.
‘He’s a friend of a friend of a friend of mine, Changhyuk, make him a star~’
It’s not uncommon for people around you to ask you to promote their channel in this way. Of course, this assumes that the person has some level of skill.
In return, Changhyuk received a small amount of promotional expenses and was able to recover the prize money, so it wasn’t a bad deal for him.
Well, anyway.
‘[Super Special Legend] sung by a real musical actor! No! This guy is unknown?!’
The title and thumbnail have already been decided.
If they just put in a few ads, it would definitely be able to get at least 200,000 views even though it’s a bit behind its prime.
‘By now, I think I’ve picked out the parts for the supporting characters.’
As the broadcast time was coming to an end, it was time to start cleaning up.
“Isn’t there a final challenger? Really, isn’t there one?”
There was no response to the repeated calling of names.
“Okay, then let’s vote for today’s winner! Please send me the number of the challenger who you think sang the best today using the number I’ll give you now-!”
Just when Changhyuk was about to shout out his vote with a bright smile.
“Dozer!”
Someone ran onto the stage, waving his hand.
He was a man in a shabby outfit, wearing tracksuits and a hat.
‘Tch, of all things. At the end.’
Even during my school days, there were always guys who would raise their hands and ask questions to the teacher at the end of class. This guy must have been one of those guys.
Thanks to that, I ended up getting off work late even though it was a set result.
“Yes! Today’s last challenger has come out!”
Changhyuk, who emphasized that it was the last one, smiled and hid his true feelings as he conducted the interview.
“Then, challenger! Please introduce yourself briefly!”
“···Please call C, a passerby.”
“yes?”
“I’m C, a passerby.”
What kind of introduction is this?
You’ll see all sorts of strange people.
I was a little uneasy, thinking that maybe a strange person had applied, but due to time constraints, I didn’t bother to ask any further questions.
“Yes, then what song will Mr. Ji-Haeng C sing for us today?”
“······.”
“Excuse me, teacher?”
“···I will sing ‘Don’t Break Up’ by ‘Park Jung-jae’.”
oh?
Changhyuk’s eyebrows slightly rise and fall.
The song the man chose was quite difficult.
It’s a song that’s already 10 years old, but it was once popular as a cover song challenge by singers and YouTubers who said, “I can sing a little bit.”
“Okay! Then I’ll listen right away! A passerby is calling! Let’s not break up!”
As Changhyuk nodded slightly to the MR staff member, the intro began to resonate through the amplifier.
Changhyuk, with a smile on his face, lightly moved his feet to the left and right while adding exclamations such as, “Oh, oh, I feel it!” and “Even his posture is the mark of a master!”
Of course, this is just a reaction for broadcast.
In reality, I didn’t really care whether the man was singing or reciting the Heart Sutra.
Because all I had in mind was having a drink of soju with my editors after work.
In such indifference and weaponization.
It was the moment when the man opened his mouth to sing the first verse.
“-?!”
A murmur arose from the audience surrounding the circular stage.
At the same time.
‘what?!’
Changhyuk’s mouth fell open as he failed to control his facial expression.
*
Tiring-
[A special mission has arrived.]
[Join Street Karaoke.]
[Mission Reward: 1 Bronze Coin]
Tiring-
[An additional mission has arrived.]
[Win the street karaoke.]
[Mission Reward: Stat [Appeal] unlocked]
“Dozer! Dozer!”
At the message that appeared before his eyes, Cha Seong-jun hurriedly raised his hand and flew towards the stage.
A special mission that appears after a week.
But the compensation was different than before.
The reward for success is amazing.
‘New stats unlocked?!’
Even if it’s ‘appeal’, that’s it. That ‘appeal’ when you have a voice with a strong ‘appeal’!
Perhaps thanks to the promotion, the mission rewards seemed to have been upgraded by one level.
It didn’t end there.
Tiring-
[A 1-time experience ticket for mission reward status has been given.]
[Would you like to use the ticket?]
This time, an item I’ve never seen before has appeared.
‘Stat Experience Ticket?’
Although there was no detailed explanation, it appeared to be an item that allowed one to experience the effects of stats in advance.
Like a 1-minute preview of a Kiwi player or experiencing a new character in the game!
This is such a huge deal?!
BJ’s interview was conducted in a situation where he was distracted by excitement.
“Please introduce yourself briefly and tell us where you live!”
First is self-introduction.
It was a common opening question that is usually asked formally on broadcasts targeting the general public.
But Cha Seong-jun.
“···I am C, a pedestrian passing by.”
He gave a bizarre answer.
The reason was simple.
Because I feel embarrassed to reveal my real name.
The reason was that people at work might find out.
For a brief moment, I thought about promoting a SoundSky account called D.Voice.
‘But it’s embarrassing because I’ve only uploaded one song so far.’
Dismissed for the following reasons.
The ‘passerby’ was someone who just casually babbled whatever came to mind.
If someone saw me, they would have thought I was a second-year middle schooler obsessed with the concept of mysticism, but that didn’t really matter.
Anyway, as long as you get the mission reward, that’s it.
“What song are you going to sing?”
Cha Seong-jun thinks quickly in response to BJ’s subsequent questions.
In fact, it is widely known through various revelations from channels that operate similar content that these types of broadcasts are all rigged Go-Stop games.
It was obvious that there would be a predetermined winner, but…
‘If you use the stat experience ticket…!’
With this unknown ticket, there was an expectation that something different might come out.
If that doesn’t work out, I’ll just settle for one coin and a taste of the appeal stat.
“···I will sing ‘Don’t Break Up’ by ‘Park Jung-jae’.”
After much thought, I said the song I was most confident in.
This is the last song I practiced at vocal academy, and the song I recently tried again after installing an idle singer-songwriter training game.
The calculation was that it would be quite competitive because the vocal difficulty was high and the level of recognition was sufficient.
“I will listen with applause!”
There is occasional applause from the audience as BJ encourages them to respond.
While the prelude was flowing, Cha Seong-jun, who was catching his breath, repeated to himself, “Use the ticket.”
Okay then.
[Stat 1 Experience Ticket used.]
[Stat [Appeal Power Lv.5] is applied for 5 minutes.]
The ticket that appeared before my eyes was torn in half with the message:
At the same time.
Twinkle-
Between the torn tickets, small purple beads of light appeared, like candy.
Then, a light ball emitting a mysterious light shot into Cha Seong-jun’s throat.
‘Ugh?!’
Cha Seong-jun, surprised by the sudden situation, gropes his neck.
Strangely enough, there was no foreign body sensation in my throat.
Just the feeling that some indescribable energy was surrounding my vocal cords.
I was curious about what was going on, but I didn’t have time to look into it.
Because verse 1 was about to begin.
‘Let’s just call her.’
Cha Seong-jun spoke his first words in an unknown sensation.
however.
‘What, what is this?’
Cha Sung-jun’s eyes widen.
I’m definitely singing the same song as I did a week ago.
The voice, the breath, the lyrics he sang were deeper and more sincere than ever before.
It’s as if someone is singing directly to your heart, not your ears.
I wonder if I’m the only one who’s felt such a change.
“?!”
Before long, the pupils of the people surrounding Cha Seong-jun had also dilated.
“Honey, who is that person? A singer?”
“No. He was just a passerby.”
“Your voice is crazy… I think I’m going to cry.”
“Wow, the final boss appeared at the end?”
Among the onlookers who were chattering, a man carrying a camera started filming Cha Sung-jun’s performance.
Then, soon, the people nearby also took out their phones one by one, and the procession of taking pictures began to spread like wildfire.
And when the song ended.
“Whaaaaaaaaaa!”
An explosive applause erupted from the audience, as if the stage was about to leave.
*
one side,
“······.”
Changhyuk, the host, was also watching the stage with rapt attention.
Because he had been doing street karaoke content for over 5 years and had become complacent.
It’s been a long time since I lost the excitement when a talented person, even an established singer, appeared.
But···.
‘Why is my heart beating so fast?’
The song of the man who appeared at the end strangely tickled his heart.
The passionate voice that sang with all its might strongly stimulated his original intention.
‘Yeah, that’s why I started a street karaoke bar!’
Then suddenly.
“Ah! Vote!”
Changhyuk, who came to his senses late, proceeded with the voting.
He looks around the room with anxious eyes.
Originally, Hong Kwang-woo was predicted to win easily, but the atmosphere changed drastically after the last stage.
Looking at the current atmosphere, it seems that Cha Seong-jun, who was the highlight of today’s contest, has gained ground.
Even Changhyuk himself was unconsciously thinking of Cha Seongjun’s victory.
‘What should I do with this?’
Changhyuk is lost in thought.
Since they have already received the promotional fee, they cannot overturn the musical actor’s win.
However, if we ignored Cha Seong-jun, who had enthusiastic support from the audience, we would have been looked at with suspicion and thought that it was a fabricated broadcast.
In this situation···.
‘······There is one way.’
Changhyuk, holding the microphone, announced today’s winner.
*
*
*
The next Monday morning.
An email arrived for Cha Seong-jun, who had arrived at work.
It was a cooperative email from the marketing team.
+
[Title: Request for cooperation regarding registration of VIP parking lot for the marketing team]
This afternoon, I have a meeting with a VIP who is discussing selection as the new model for the ‘Acuele’ brand.
In relation to this, I would like to request parking lot registration.
Arrival time: 2pm
Vehicle number: 123ga 4567
······
+
In short, it was a request to Cha Seong-jun, who was in charge of managing the staff and VIP parking lot, to apply for entry in advance.
Let’s report this to the team leader.
“Ah, I heard from the marketing team. Register him and he’s an important guest, so you should go down and bring him up with you. You don’t have anything to do anyway, do you?”
An instruction was given to do so.
‘Why am I the one who is doing the VIP protocol for another team···?’
It has been known within the team for a long time that the team leader wants to move to the marketing team.
It was obvious that this protocol instruction was an action to look good to the other director.
Funny and transparent to others.
However, unfortunately, Cha Seong-jun was in a situation where he had to look good to that team leader.
Because he also had a promotion at stake.
So.
‘Team Leader, no matter how much I think about it, I don’t think this is something I should do!’
Instead of speaking out with the same convictions, he just swallows his curses inwardly.
‘But if I make it as a singer, just wait and see. I will definitely get my revenge.’
“all right.”
In the end, what he spat out was an answer like a chocolate chip cookie, one that was different on the outside than on the inside.
“Oh, and please give me 3 autographs.”
“Are you talking about… a sign?”
“Yeah. My daughters are fans. I know that, so go and do your job now.”
Cha Seong-jun returned to his seat, bowing and thinking as he sat down.
So, you’re asking me to get the autograph of a VIP from an unknown team while escorting them?
Even 3 chapters including my two daughters and mine?!
He wanted to report to the labor office right away, but he held back today as well.
Because salary is precious.
‘By the way, it looks like a famous celebrity is coming for the autograph.’
Although the email did not specify who the VIP was, perhaps due to a confidentiality clause in the contract, this company, despite being a mid-sized company, has a tradition of using A-list celebrities as its brand models.
So this time it will be a similar level of style.
Meanwhile, the word ‘star’ reminded me of what happened last night.
It was an evening where two stars were born.
One is Hong Kwang-woo, an unknown musical actor.
‘The winner of this year’s street karaoke is! Musical actor Hong Kwang-woo!-‘
And the other one.
‘-And, passerby, you are joint winners! Congratulations!’
It was none other than Cha Seong-jun himself.
BJ Changhyuk said that it was the first joint win at a street karaoke.
Additionally, it was pointed out that although the score was slightly higher for Hong Kwang-woo, it reflected the fact that he was a musical actor while Cha Sung-jun was an ordinary person.
After that, I signed the consent form for the use of YouTube videos, and the prize money of 1 million won was deposited into my account.
‘That’s not really the important thing.’
The [Appeal] stat obtained as a mission reward was the real loot.
‘Honestly, it would not be an exaggeration to say that winning was a win-win.’
In terms of depth of voice and vocal skills, he was still lacking compared to Hong Kwang-woo, who was a professional.
But appeal filled the gap.
‘That was a level 5 effect.’
How much more awesome will it become as you level up in the future?
Just imagining it made me happy enough to forget the team leader’s absurd instructions.
*
And then the afternoon came.
Cha Seong-jun took four sheets of A4 paper, including his own, into a clear file and got on the elevator.
VIP parking lot on basement level 1.
Marketing Team Manager Seo Mi-ae had arrived early.
“Seongjun, you don’t have to come.”
“The team leader said that it would be right to go down and take a look. Along with this.”
Cha Seong-jun shows off his A4 paper by waving it around.
“Mr. Seongjun, you’ve had a hard time too.”
“Is it only the manager? But who is the celebrity coming today?”
“Hehehe. Our team hit the jackpot this time. They’re going to arrive soon, so come see for yourself. I think you’ll be surprised.”
at that time.
Squeak-
Just then a black celebrity van pulled up.
The driver’s seat opened, a man who appeared to be the manager quickly jumped out, opened the door, and soon a long leg stretched out.
At the same time.
“Huh? Huh?!”
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