Raising a Neglected Singer-Songwriter - Chapter 23



Only Krnovel

23. That’s me

“Let’s start unboxing.”

I opened the gift box I received from MXM.

It contained all seven of Yuna’s albums released so far, along with various goods.

There were things like star-shaped cheering sticks reminiscent of Cardcaptor, photo cards, key rings, and eco-bags. It seemed like there were also things from male idol groups mixed in here and there.

“You gave me so much.”

I wasn’t a huge fan of Yuna, so aside from the album, the items I had were of no use to me. Even if you only look at the market price, the amount of goods I had were worth quite a bit. Anyway, since it was a souvenir, I had to keep it well.

Suddenly, I thought that if I recorded the current unboxing process as a video, I might be able to get some views.

[Unboxing the MXM Entertainment Gift Box, Containing Yuna Goods Worth Over 1 Million Won!!!]

We will give away Yuna goods as a gift through a raffle to those who subscribe, like, comment, and set notifications~

If you even hold an event like that, the reaction will be explosive.

I’m worried that if this continues, I’ll end up putting the cart before the horse and become more successful as a YouTuber than as a singer.

Still, I thought I’d take a quick video in vlog format, so I took out the gift in the second box.

The corners of my mouth go up in a smirk, using the heavy feeling I feel at my fingertips as a pulley.

Yes. In fact, all the goods that have come out so far are side items.

The main was separate.

“Oh, so this is a 4K full-frame mirrorless camera…!”

This will be the camera for filming YouTube videos.

It is also a Canon product that is used by famous influencers, and when I looked it up on the Internet, I found that it was an expensive product worth 1 million won.

When I first heard about camera sponsorship, I was skeptical…

He really gave it to me. MXM has a lot of money.

It didn’t end there.

There was also some support that wasn’t included in the gift box.

‘If necessary, please send us the cover song video and the original recording file. We will edit it for you.’

Usually, when filming a cover song, you film and record each line of the song from multiple angles, so it takes a lot of time to synchronize the video and audio.

It often takes more than a day to record and edit a single 3-minute cover song video.

MXM Entertainment offered to take over the editing and reduce the time.

This is a suggestion that would be enough to make any other YouTuber bow down to it.

However,

‘it’s okay.’

Anyway, since the concept was to film from one angle and one take, there was no need for editing, so I declined.

‘What?! One take?! And recording too?’

Of course, Team Leader Kim Seong-su was shocked.

Instead, I decided to just get help making thumbnails.

‘I would like a style that is classic yet sophisticated, striking yet provocative and comfortable.’

Except for the fact that Kim Sung-soo’s expression hardened for a moment when he told me what kind of thumbnail order he wanted… it was a perfectly amicable ending.

Anyway, thanks to this, an environment was created where recording could be done without any annoying secondary work.

It will make your work much easier in the future.

On the other hand, there was also the burden of running in return.

With this level of support, it is impossible to produce substandard results.

“Well, if you do well, it’ll be fine. Your stats are steadily increasing.”

I checked the status window with determination.

+

[Cha Seong-jun Lv.4]

Title: Late bloomer singer-songwriter beginner

Stats: [Vocal Lv.7] [Range Lv.6] [Rhythm Lv.4]

[Appearance Lv.3] [Composition Lv.10] [Appeal Lv.4] [Association Lv.1]

Skill: [Chest Breathing Lv.3] [Abdominal Breathing Lv.4] [Chest Breathing Lv.4]

[Casual Lv.3] [Guitar Playing Lv.3] [Piano Playing Lv.3]

Items in stock: [Henna Sticker-Black] [Hopi Pattern Panties]

+

[The lottery] has been going on for a long time, from Wednesday evening when it opened until Sunday lunchtime.

And it’s all [singing practice].

The purpose was to select and focus to quickly reach the 3-stage promotion condition of 10 levels.

As a result, [Vocation] and [Vocal Range] in the stat section, and [Double Breathing] and [Chest Voice] in the skill section have slightly leveled up.

On the other hand, there were several failures to level up during idle activities, and it seemed that the probability of leveling up gradually decreased as the stats or skills became higher level.

‘If you want a sure spec upgrade, you should invest directly in coins.’

However, Song Coin is currently being saved for drawing.

There will be no direct investment for the time being until we can see what the SSR items, the highest grade in the draw, are worth.

If it’s not worth it even though it’s SSR grade, then you can just go back to direct investment.

“Anyway, should we start recording the cover song now?”

The song that opened the door to the long-awaited cover song project with MXM is ‘Love Potion’, the title song of the album that Yuna released just before ’26’.

As a love song with the Korean meaning of ‘love potion’, the main lyrics are about making the person you have a crush on fall in love by giving them a love potion.

Thanks to Yuna’s visuals armed with a lethal dose of loveliness in the music video, it was a mega hit song that reached 200 million views on YouTube and ranked 10th on Billboard.

“Ahem, ah. Brrrrrrrrr-”

I stood in front of the microphone, loosening my lips and throat.

As I set up my new Canon camera and put on my headset, MR, which had finished adjusting the height, started playing.

In the sweet pink accompaniment that whispers and surrounds your ears –

“I first saw you on a spring day when cherry blossoms were fluttering.”

Cha Seong-jun opened his lips.

*

At that moment,

“Ah, I’m bored…”

Kang Seung-wook, who played bass in Cha Seong-jun’s band, is free.

I am a popular person who boasts a packed schedule with dinner on weekdays and lunch or dinner on weekends, 7 days a week…

Somehow, today, a golden Sunday, became as empty as a ghost.

So, I was looking for a partner to fill the empty hole.

After a long time, I posted in the band chatroom that we should go out for a meal when we have time, but the responses were not very encouraging.

– [Kim Ho-su]: Sorry, my wife is about to give birth, so I’m a bit worried. Let’s eat it next time I visit my wife’s parents’ house.

– [Cha Sung-jun]: I’m busy.

Even if Kim Ho-su is married and about to give birth,…

I used to meet Cha Sung-jun on weekends and have meals together, but lately we haven’t been in touch at all.

“Surely this kid doesn’t have a girlfriend, right?”

He was a guy who was exceptionally handsome since he was a freshman in college.

Because of this, there were many people of the opposite sex who would approach him and ask him about his hobbies, whether he had a current girlfriend, or his ideal type.

At first, I liked it because I thought he was talking to me because he was interested in me, but then I found out that it was just a way to approach Cha Sung-jun, so I was very bitter…

Well, anyway.

Even though she wasn’t exactly a girl I liked, it was clear that something was up.

“I can’t help it. Should I just turn on the broadcast?”

He used to stream FPS games as a hobby.

[Legendary Snake Gang-woogi] is a streamer who has a loyal viewer base thanks to his witty remarks.

As soon as I turned on the broadcast, subscribers started connecting one by one, perhaps because they had received a notification.

– [Sniper of the Snowflake]: Hi, today isn’t the night broadcast. What’s going on?

– [Wookbaraji]: Sunday lunch broadcastㅋㅋㅋㅋ This makes it clear that Woogi doesn’t have a girlfriend.

– [3gang5duck]: Wook, you punk! The king himself came to visit, so why aren’t you greeting me?

“Hey~ the guys from Tsu are here~?”

Kang Seung-wook started the game after joking around with the viewers.

As his streamer nickname suggests, he holds a sniper rifle and uses his flashy controls to destroy his opponents’ pots.

Double kill! Triple kill! Quadruple kill!

– [Sniper of the Snowflake]: Today, the rain is getting physical.

– [Ukbaraji]: The other guys are going crazy because of the way they open their mouthsㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

– [3gang5duck]: Well, if you achieve Pentakill, I will give you a big gift.

– [3gang5duck] presented a mission. If you achieve a pentakill, you will receive 100,000 won in rewards.

When the mission is given, Kang Seung-wook becomes more focused.

And soon, as he narrowed and widened the telephoto lens and measured the angle, the helmet of his opponent, the size of a grain of rice, came into his field of vision.

At that moment,

Ddalgak-

A delicate mouse click is followed by a fanfare.

– Mission success! [3gang5duck] donated 100,000 won!

“Oh my! Brother Samgang Odeok~ Thank you!”

Kang Seung-wook stands up straight and bows 120 degrees.

However, our sponsors did not seem to be satisfied with the reaction.

– [3gang5duck]: Hmm~ Your reaction is lacking. Have you lost your original intention?

“Do you think I tried to eat it too raw? Hehe. Okay. Brother Oduk paid for the chicken today, so I have to raise my reaction again. What should I do?”

– [3gang5duck]: Well, after a long time, I’ll upload a bass song that will please my ears.

“Bass? Suddenly?”

It wasn’t a completely random request.

It’s not like that now, but in the early days of broadcasting, I used to do support reactions using bass to differentiate myself from other streamers.

Mainly focused on flashy techniques like slap technique and requested songs.

And [3gang5duck] is one of the early viewers along with [Snow Sniper] and [Wookbaraji].

Of course, I knew that Kang Seung-wook was a bassist, and that he was a skilled player who could hear the melody with his ears and immediately follow it with his hands.

In fact, I have received many requests to play requested songs along with support.

– [3gang5duck]: There happens to be a song that I’m missing.

Then a link arrived.

When I clicked on the link, a YouTube video was linked.

“Oh? It’s a Yuna cover song?”

– [3gang5duck]: It was uploaded on the official MXM channel a few days ago, and since it’s my taste, I’ve been playing it on repeat. I also enjoy singing it in karaoke.

– [Sniper of the Snowflake]: Oh, that’s right. You said Oduk was a fan of Yuna.

– [Wookbaraji]: I heard this too. It’s a great song sung by a guy. Now that I look at it, there’s a comment saying someone sang along in a karaoke room and got beat up. Isn’t that a fanboy? Lol

Yuna’s 26 was a song she also enjoyed listening to.

But they asked me to play a cover song and not an original song.

I tilted my head, but since I received a donation, I just let it be.

“Okay. Let me hear it first.”

Kang Seung-wook takes out his bass and places it on his lap, playing a cover song.

The song began with an accompaniment that was lowered to a man’s height.

He has good pronunciation, good emotions, and sings well.

however···

‘What is this, this voice strangely resembles Sungjun’s voice···.’

As soon as I heard the first verse, Cha Seong-jun came to mind.

It was a much deeper voice and resonance than I remembered, but the habit of faintly hearing it was similar to Kuse.

Kang Seung-wook could tell because he had been listening to his songs for a long time as a member of the band.

However,

‘Hey, no way, can’t it be?’

It’s been several years since Cha Sung-jun quit singing, frustrated with his stagnant vocal skills.

But then you started singing again? And your skills improved a lot, too?

At the time, Kang Seung-wook couldn’t imagine what Cha Seong-jun would look like as a wreck.

‘But it’s still similar, isn’t it?’

A regret that doesn’t go away easily.

In the end, I decided to check with the person in question directly.

– [Kang Seung-wook]: Hey, Seong-jun, is this you…

Just before sending the message,

“Hey, no.”

Kang Ho-seung hastily deletes the content again.

I don’t want to bring up my friend’s painful wounds.

He’s a guy who used to shed tears while watching a singing contest in the military, but he might cry out loud this time when he sees someone with a voice similar to his doing so well.

We need to protect our precious Seongjun’s mental health.

‘Wow, at this point, I feel like I’m really an angel’s best friend?’

Kang Seung-wook, smiling proudly alone, played the bass.

*

*

*

…is a warm story that seems to come out of Aesop’s Fables.

– [Kang Seung-wook]: Did you see this? Fake Sung-jun is a huge hit on YouTubeㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Since ancient times, it has been the law that a true friend should be helped to overcome his or her wounds by beating him or her even harder.

Rather than timidly asking in a private message, I uploaded it in the group chat.

– [Kim Ho-su]: Oh, their voices are really similar? It seems like Sung-jun is a superior version of him.

– [Kang Seung-wook]: Seong-jun, what are you doing?

As soon as I started playing Tikataka with Kim Ho-su, I received a reply from Cha Seong-jun, who was said to be busy.

Where and how spicy the double curses came from···

– [Cha Sung-jun]: Yeah. That’s me.

······Huh? Seriously?

────────────────────────────────────

────────────────────────────────────