Raising a Neglected Singer-Songwriter - Chapter 4



Only Krnovel

4. Would you like to sing a duet?

Seol Hye-yoon, a deputy manager in her fifth year of employment.

This is usually the time when I would be removing my makeup and rolling around in bed.

She was at the karaoke bar now.

Today, I decided to relieve my stress by eating spicy chicken feet with my younger brother for the first time in a while.

It was because, unfortunately, the team leader’s ‘lightning’ struck.

– Manager Seol hasn’t been here for a while, so wouldn’t it be nice if we all got to know each other better?

As expected, she had only been transferred from the marketing team to the general affairs team for a week, so she couldn’t refuse the team leader’s invitation.

A lightning dinner that I attended while crying and eating mustard.

What was thought to be a one-time event suddenly gained momentum after the team leader said he wanted to sing.

This time, too, her face remained frozen as she failed to refuse.

On the other hand, the person who caused the unwanted dinner party.

“Forget it, I told you!”

He’s drunk and shouting into the microphone.

‘Ugh, my ears hurt…’

Seol Hye-yoon frowns behind her glasses.

Noise pollution.

The team leader’s song could be defined in just these four words.

‘How much is left···.’

She was sitting quietly on the end of the sofa, then glanced at the karaoke machine screen.

10 minutes left.

If there is no unfortunate incident where the tactless karaoke bar owner gives us service time out of kindness, today’s company dinner will be coming to an end soon.

At that time, I was calculating in my head that if I went to the bathroom and came back, my seat would be finished.

“Excuse me… Manager Seol?”

Seol Hye-yoon flinches at someone’s call.

When I raised my head, there was a male employee from the same team there.

Cha Seong-jun.

He is a male employee who is one year younger than her and she has not even spoken a word to him yet.

Not only are our duties different, but our positions are diagonal, so we rarely see each other except during commuting hours.

That guy all of a sudden.

“Would you like to sing a duet with me?”

He thrust the microphone into my hand and suggested a duet song.

…Are you crazy?

*

[Score 80 points or more in a duet song.]

Suddenly, unintelligible letters appeared before my eyes.

‘What is this?!’

Cha Seong-jun rubbed his eyes.

Am I seeing things? I’m not that drunk today.

As I stretched out my hand, it passed through the transparent letters.

Even if you stir it vigorously, it doesn’t disperse.

The thought stopped for a moment.

Then suddenly a thought occurred to me.

‘Could that be it?’

If it was a message floating in the air like a hologram, there was only one thing that stood out.

I’ve seen this a lot in web novels and webtoons –

‘System window.’

Other than that, there was no way to explain the strange phenomenon that was happening before my eyes.

‘Maybe this is also because of synchronization? Has reality become like a game?’

For a moment, I had doubts.

‘What’s the big deal about that now?’

Soon I stopped guessing.

Because trying to analyze and understand a game that goes beyond perception and common sense is meaningless in the first place.

Rather, it was a priority to desperately pursue this miraculous event.

‘So there’s a mission function too.’

If it’s a game, missions and rewards are essential elements.

There was nothing particularly surprising.

The only thing that was a little special was that the mission had to be carried out in reality, not in a game.

There is just one thing that is regrettable.

‘The mission is a bit tricky. Tsk.’

Cha Seong-jun clicks his tongue lightly.

Why did it have to be a duet song?

It would have been easier to just get over 90 points with a solo song.

It was a mission that would not be easy to succeed in if you were to sing with someone whose singing skills were poor.

But if you ask me, does that mean I should give up?

‘Absolutely not! I’m giving away two Song Coins!’

Everyone is in a good mood after drinking, so if you suggest doing a duet to get into the mood, they will easily accept.

His eyes quickly search for his partner.

There are five people left in the karaoke room, including himself.

First of all, the team leader was quickly eliminated from the candidates.

At least I don’t want to sing a duet with that old man even if I die.

‘Then I guess Manager Park or Manager Oh···.’

The two of them were on good terms and could joke around comfortably.

You can start with Manager Oh first, and if that fails, you can take it to Manager Park.

Besides, Manager Park probably still feels bad about sacrificing himself for promotion, so he’ll probably help you out if possible.

Cha Seong-jun, who had set his goal, picked up another microphone.

That was the moment.

Tiring-♪

[An additional mission has arrived.]

[Sing a duet with your partner.]

[Success Reward: Song Coin X1]

‘uh?’

Cha Seong-jun’s movements stop as the second mission arrives one beat late.

What the heck? You’re just giving me one coin if I sing a duet with someone of the opposite sex? Without any conditions?

Even looking at it again, it was clearly written like that.

‘This is a jackpot.’

If you duet with a person of the opposite sex, you will definitely get 1 coin regardless of the score.

If you complete 80 point missions that cost 2 coins at the same time, you will get 3 coins at once.

There’s no need to think about it any more. You have to call someone of the opposite sex unconditionally.

‘If there is reason here···.’

Cha Seong-jun’s eyes caught the eye of the only woman at this dinner party, Assistant Manager Seol Hye-yoon.

She was sitting quietly at the end of the sofa, her expression clearly indicating that she was dying to go home.

‘Um… what should I do?’

A duet song with a female coworker.

I never even dared to imagine it.

Because you never know what kind of rumors might spread around the company the next day.

For example,

The story that ‘a young man and a young woman kissed and sang a duet at a company dinner’ was distorted into ‘I heard the two kissed!’ or ‘I heard the two were secretly dating in the office?’

Did you go too far?

Anyway, it was a shame for a pack of hungry lynxes to rush in and chew, tear, taste, and enjoy the gossip that they were the ones to enjoy.

‘If you do it well, you can get a whopping 3 coins.’

The reward the mission offered was so sweet that it made all those risks disappear from my mind.

‘Even if you can’t eat it, it’s okay.’

Cha Seong-jun made up his mind.

This time it’s time to take a risk.

Of course, if Manager Seol refuses, there’s nothing we can do.

At that time, it was just selling some bread, you know.

“Excuse me… Manager Seol? Would you like to sing a duet with me?”

Cha Seong-jun, holding out the microphone, observes Deputy Seol’s reaction.

And as expected.

“···yes yes?”

Her stuttering eyes showed confusion and burden.

It was a natural reaction.

Well, it’s absurd for people who don’t normally communicate to suddenly sing a duet song.

I gave up, but I wasn’t particularly disappointed.

In times like this, all you have to do is quickly sort out the situation so that the other person doesn’t feel embarrassed.

“Oh, are you surprised? I was joking-”

The moment Cha Sung-jun was about to use Han Nam-ja’s secret, ‘Actually, it was a joke~’ joke.

“Um… Okay, I understand.”

For some reason, Seol Hye-yoon accepted his offer to sing a duet song.

‘Huh? Is this okay?’

It was Cha Seong-jun who was surprised by her acceptance.

No matter how I looked at it, I had a feeling I would reject it···.

I didn’t know why, but it was an opportunity.

‘No falling!’

In case Seol Hye-yoon had a change of heart, Cha Seong-jun quickly pressed the karaoke remote control to enter a song.

There is a duet song that every citizen of the Republic of Korea has heard at least once.

A national hit song sung by the female singer ‘Yuna’, who is called the national goddess, and a male member of an idol group famous for their beastly idols.

‘Bitter words’

It is a sweet and savage love song about lovers who have no choice but to say bitter things because they love each other, and it has maintained a high ranking on karaoke popularity charts for several years.

I glanced at her and luckily she nodded slightly as if she knew the song.

♪~ ♬~

When you press the start button, a unique, lively intro plays.

“Oh, what’s this all of a sudden? A duet song? Sounds good, Sungjun?”

The team members were applauding and cheering, amazed and delighted by this strange situation that had suddenly unfolded.

In such a situation, Seol Hye-yoon, who shyly held the microphone with both hands, opened her mouth first.

“You shouldn’t be out late~ Only three glasses of alcohol~”

Ooooooh-

The male employees exclaim in admiration at the voice of the only woman.

Meanwhile, Cha Seong-jun let out a sigh of relief.

I chose Seol Hye-yoon because I was blinded by the additional song coin, but I was uncertain about her singing ability.

The mission is a duet song + a score of 80 points or more.

So, the opponent, Seol Hye-yoon, also had to be someone who could sing to some extent.

‘It’s better than expected, isn’t it?’

Cha Seong-jun glanced at Seol Hye-yoon, who was quietly sitting in her seat and singing.

I’ve only ever seen him working quietly, wearing glasses and not talking much, but I never thought he’d have such a nice tone.

A pure tone similar to that of the original singer, Yuna.

Even the pitch and rhythm weren’t bad.

And finally, Cha Sung-jun’s part.

Since a duet song is one sung by a man and a woman, the woman’s part is usually low and the man’s part is usually high.

In the case of bitter words, the latter.

That’s why the original verse would have had a hard time starting with a high note.

“I’m laughing~ The way you treat me like a child~”

Is it because I raised my voice and vocal range level?

‘There’s no strain on your neck.’

I feel the sound rising slightly.

The feeling of practicing over and over again during my vocal training but continuing to fail.

I went through all kinds of trouble trying to find this feeling… but I never thought I’d learn it in an instant just by raising my stats a little.

Cha Seong-jun continues to sing in a strangely elated mood.

A melody that gradually builds to a climax as Seol Hye-yoon and the singer take turns singing along.

Up until now, I’ve been singing without any mistakes like missing a note or a beat, but I can’t let my guard down.

Because there is still the long-awaited climax of the song, the last chorus, and the highest note left.

‘If I can just get over this hurdle, I can get at least 80 points.’

The highest note of the bitter song is two octaves higher than yesterday.

It was a high note that the previous Cha Sung-jun would not have been able to easily achieve.

But now.

‘Strangely enough, I’m not that worried.’

As a second-day login bonus, I upgraded my voice range by one level.

I confirmed several times yesterday that the stat increases were actually reflected.

Cha Seong-jun raised his voice confidently.

“I can hear your bitter words~!”

In an instant, the sound of the abdominal pressure pushing out with all its might came out with such a cool force that it seemed as if it would pierce through the microphone.

It was a perfect high note without any flaws.

That’s how the song ended.

Cha Seong-jun stares at the screen, catching his breath.

And soon.

– Wow~! Where did you play? Thumbs up!

With the comment

– 89 points

The score was displayed on the screen.

[Mission accomplished.]

[You have earned Song Coin X3.]

*

The long dinner ended with a duet song.

In fact, there was enough time left to sing one more song, but that time was filled with the team members’ explosive interest in Cha Sung-jun.

“What’s wrong, Seongjun? Why do you sing so well? Do you think you can be a singer?”

“Did you say you were in a band? That’s different!”

“Cha Sung-jun, you’re a real person! Is that why you left me out on purpose! What, you can’t call me to a place like this because it’s so trivial?!”

Even the team leader was amazed by his singing ability.

Then, out of the blue, there were calls for an encore and even for extending the karaoke time.

As if someone’s earnest wish had reached them, the announcement to end the event, “It’s regrettable, but it’s time to say goodbye,” was heard, and the event naturally ended.

While the team members who came out like that were sending the drunken team leader home in a taxi.

“Thank you for today. It was a difficult request, but…”

Cha Seong-jun bows at a 90-degree angle and offers a folder as a greeting.

The opponent was Seol Hye-yoon, who had unintentionally caused trouble.

“I’ve always liked the song ‘Ssulssori’ so much that I really wanted to sing it. But since it’s a duet, I can’t sing it alone, and Mr. Seol happened to be there.”

“Don’t be too sorry. I had fun too.”

Seol Hye-yoon smiles and waves both hands.

Cha Seong-jun sighed in relief at the sight.

‘Fortunately, it seems like you’re not angry.’

He was worried that he might hear things like, “I had no choice but to allow the duet because of the atmosphere,” and that he was really embarrassed and uncomfortable.

Looking back, his proposal was quite sudden.

“I’ll buy you a meal sometime. Or coffee if you want.”

It wasn’t an empty promise.

I owe a great debt to Seol Hye-yoon.

From accepting my sudden request for a duet song, to helping me get a high score, to finally, to your great understanding.

For her, a meal was the least she could do.

“It’s really okay···.”

Seol Hye-yoon, who had hesitated for a moment, opened her mouth.

“Um… Then, can I ask you one more favor besides food?”

“Of course! As much as you want!”

She is the one who helped me get 3 Song Coins.

It is your duty to grant any request, as long as it is not a request to borrow money.

Oh, you’re not really asking me to lend you money, are you?

“Can you come to my house this weekend?”

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