After accepting the proposal, I arrived at the recording studio that the game company had informed me about.
According to Si-young, I could record by myself and send it without having to visit, but that was not an option for me.
Since I would eventually hear my voice while playing the game, I wanted to do it properly.
If everyone else had a clean voice and my character’s voice came out as low quality, it would be unbearable.
To prevent such a situation, it was wise to record at a professional facility equipped with the best gear.
Thus, I found myself at the recording studio, where a man introduced as the director had a minor hiccup upon seeing me.
He flinched as if he had seen a ghost and started hiccuping, which startled me. After that, he somehow calmed his hiccups and kept apologizing, saying it was nice to meet me.
It was a familiar reaction. Most people who show such response usually…
“I’m a fan.”
Sure enough, the director was an enthusiastic fan of mine. When he shyly introduced himself as a Molbu fan, I couldn’t help but smile wryly.
At the same time, I could easily picture how things had unfolded.
It was ridiculous that a proposal had come to me, bypassing talented voice actors and other candidates. After all, the character I would voice, Sena, was a major character with significant weight.
However, I had no intentions of blaming the director. Achieving such a position in the industry and being able to work with someone he desired was a testament to his abilities.
I felt the same way. Out of the blue, I had received the unique opportunity to voice a game character, thanks to starting my broadcast and building a solid fanbase, even generating Molbu fans among game directors.
It was a sort of snowball effect. This was the result of my efforts up to that point.
Wasn’t it just a fan giving me a job? Isn’t that a bit cheeky? That’s correct. So what can I say about it?
Life is originally like that. All I could say was if you don’t like it, you can do it too, which felt somewhat regrettable.
My thoughts wandered unnecessarily. Suddenly, I recalled a donation that flew in during the broadcast yesterday. It was about how I was living easily while just playing games at home and making money.
If it were a while ago, I would have just laughed it off, but lately, perhaps I had become a bit sensitive, as it remained lodged in my chest.
Objectively speaking, being a streamer did indeed have its perks. Having some social experience allowed me to feel that clearly.
Yet, human beings are truly fickle creatures. That old memory of an easy life had now turned into a distant tale, leading to a subtle dissatisfaction with my current state.
Proving that human greed is endless, I found myself unable to be satisfied with what I had, merely wishing for everything to be perfect.
I wished that viewers would always like me, that they would say “good job” after broadcasts, and that when I went live, they would just greet me warmly without saying anything else. Such small but excessive wishes.
“Um… do you drink coffee?”
The sudden voice snapped me from my thoughts. I looked up to see the director standing awkwardly in front of me.
He had been in that state ever since the hiccup earlier.
Feeling a bit more at ease seeing him like that, I happily requested coffee.
“I’d like it black with ice, please.”
“Black with ice… understood.”
The director nodded, even though I added a specific request. Usually, if someone wanted black coffee, it was often unavailable and only mixed versions were offered, but it seemed that a game company, which apparently served coffee more often than water, had black coffee on hand.
“Shall we record right away?”
“If Mollu is comfortable, we can go right in. The voice actor you were hearing is nearly done.”
As we conversed, we slowly moved into the recording studio. Opening the door, I saw sound equipment set up, and inside was another door labeled as a soundproof room.
Inside the soundproof room was a woman who appeared to be in the midst of recording.
“Haha, is this all there is? Huh?”
“Could you convey a bit more madness? Like, in a way that makes it seem like you’re laughing at them. Like, truly insane.”
“Yes, I will try again.”
It was a scene of professionals at work. The director with the megaphone was articulating requirements while the voice actor was improving the output immediately through feedback.
Even though the lines seemed undeniably cheesy in my view, she delivered them in a fitting voice without a hint of hesitation.
I couldn’t help but admire her professionalism.
“That voice sounds good…”
“That’s voice actor Kang Yeong-ji. She’s extremely famous in this industry. I’m sure Mollu must have unknowingly heard her voice a few times while playing games or watching animations. She also participated in the recording for the schoolgirls game that you played recently.”
The director explained that she had appeared in a broadcast I conducted recently about dating cute girls.
I became intrigued and asked back, “What character did she play?”
“You were trying to win over Minji.”
“Oh…”
So she was the voice actor for our ‘Yabal’ character.
The voice actor who portrayed Minji was so talented that she had earned the nickname ‘Yabal Voice Actor’ from our group.
Her performance of Minji’s rough language and expressions fit so perfectly that viewers joked she must have actual experience.
Seeing the person in front of me now and realizing she had done such a tough delinquent role seemed unbelievable as she looked so innocent. She didn’t seem like the type to use profanity or even internet slang.
From that good-natured face came a variety of voices as per the requests of the director with the megaphone. Starting from the voice I had heard before, she generated many diverse variations.
It matched her character in the upcoming game.
Was it a multiple personality character? The character setting seemed dizzying just to hear. With multiple personalities, the number of lines would be extensive, and each line would likely require a different concept for the voice.
Naturally, she would need to deliver the appropriate voice for each line.
Yet, our ‘Yabal’ voice actor was diligently accomplishing that high-difficulty task. As someone unfamiliar with it, I thought it sounded genuinely good, and judging by the smile on the face of the director holding the megaphone, that seemed to be the case too.
Before long, I could see the voice actor exiting with a refreshing expression.
“Wow, thank you for your hard work.”
“Not at all, I hardly had to struggle. I’m always thankful that you call me. By the way, this beautiful lady… Oh my. Director, you’ve truly brought someone precious.”
She had said that while exchanging a brief conversation with the director and then turned to look at me.
“Do you know Mollu?”
“Of course. I watched the live broadcast of the schoolgirls game you were in not long ago. You entertained the viewers and me very well.”
“Ah… ah…”
Just for a moment, joy at meeting the person who voiced Minji turned to embarrassment upon hearing she watched that live broadcast.
Mollbu fans can be quite embarrassing anywhere, but that particular broadcast had been especially memorable. I remembered the chatroom being full of mischief since it was a day dedicated to dating simulations.
The problem was that I had also mixed in with the viewers and made some questionable comments myself. I might have even gotten a bit carried away and encouraged the viewers that day.
All I could do was express gratitude with a reddened face for her tuning into the broadcast.
“I’m really glad to work together. It’s so nice to meet Mollu in person. I wanted to see the recording session too, but I have an appointment, so I think I should take my leave now.”
Despite the voice actor’s words sounding somewhat regretful, I felt relief. It was better this way; it would have felt awkward facing her. Let’s meet again next time, not today.
“I guess I can only listen to the recording later… I’m curious about the results. Then, ‘I’ll be looking forward to it?'”
With a bright smile, she delivered her line in the voice of Minji and then departed the studio.
I took a moment to breathe and asked the director for a short prep time before we began recording. Even with careful preparation, it felt insufficient, and in my current state, it seemed impossible.
As I took a brief moment of respite before starting the recording, Si-young, who had quietly been maintaining her position without interrupting our conversation, spoke up.
“Does the director prefer people with good voices?”
It was a rather unexpected question. I thought she would say something relevant as we were about to start recording.
Or perhaps this was her way of trying to ease her own nerves. Maybe it was a deliberate attempt at redirecting attention with an off-topic conversation.
I didn’t understand Si-young’s intentions, but I decided to think simply.
Voice, voice, I thought.
“If I had to choose, yes, it would be nice if they had a good voice. I mean, a nice voice is good, but that’s not everything.”
After hearing my response, Si-young pondered for a moment and then asked again.
“Is my voice considered good?”
It was a sudden and personal question from Si-young, who was usually clear about business matters. She might be carrying a complex about her own voice.
She might have compared herself to the voice actor we met earlier. The voice actor’s voice was delightful, like the song of a nightingale.
Compared to that, Si-young’s voice was at a typical level, but that was to be expected since she was an ordinary person.
Nonetheless, if I had to judge whether Si-young’s voice was good or not, I thought it was certainly pleasant. Her calm, business-like tone reminded me of typical office ladies.
As I conveyed this thought, Si-young nodded her head with an air of satisfaction.
I didn’t know what she was thinking, but that wasn’t important. The recording was about to begin.
I headed into the soundproof room with a racing heart.
