Could she really acquire the ability to sing?
In truth, this was a gamble for Sua as well.
Looking back, Sua absorbed some things as abilities and others as roles. What was the criterion?
After pondering, a simple conclusion could be reached.
‘What I can handle becomes embodied, but what’s outright absurd gets absorbed as a role.’
Huh? What’s with this sudden brilliant deduction?
Actually, Kim Yu-han told me!
─Your thoughts are correct. For example, the special ability failed at intelligence infusion and instead inserted me as an entity.
‘…’
There was nothing to counterargue.
Anyway, the focus is elsewhere! Focus on Sua!
‘It’s that I can learn singing on my own, right?’
Had the only singers entering the world of imagination been good at it, it would have been a failure, but luckily, the special ability also said that Sua could learn to sing.
This is really a jackpot. A grand jackpot.
[ …Calling for special ability… ]
[ Special Ability: Singing ]
‘This is really a jackpot.’
Sua’s life changed entirely after gaining the special ability. How much more will it change henceforth? Her heart couldn’t help but race with anticipation.
‘What kind of life am I going to experience this time?’
Of course, she fantasized about good scenarios—like being born into a wealthy family and embarking on the path of a singer-songwriter. Or anything but hardship. She disliked the difficult path!
That’s when it happened.
[ …Creating a learning environment… ]
[ …Error occurred…]
“Huh?”
[ Target level is primitive. ]
[ Failed to establish human environment. ]
[ Adjusted step to beast. ]
[ …Beginning learning…]
“…What?”
Sua didn’t even get a chance to question.
Sssss─!
The learning began instantly.
Suddenly, she found herself amid a dense forest.
Lost in thought, Sua muttered,
“Where am I now?”
Not only was the location unexpected, but Sua was shocked by the enormity of the surrounding trees. Did trees like these even exist?
Then, upon glancing at the small puddle below, Sua realized she wasn’t human anymore.
“What? Could that be me?”
All traces of the self she knew were gone. There was just a small bird-like creature.
‘…Is this what they meant by beast environment?’
Thinking back, the experience felt similar to when she had learned ‘fox behavior.’ Still, this was too much, right?
“Could you not have given me something better?”
Then came another unsettling feeling. Although she had become a bird, she didn’t chirp. It was still a human voice.
That’s when information was injected into Sua’s mind.
“…”
She learned she was a bird known as ‘Jinhaejo,’ resembling a sparrow but not quite. Renowned among singing birds, her defining trait was singing to attract mates.
Sua was suddenly struck with a terrible premonition.
‘Surely, this couldn’t be happening.’
Her fears were confirmed when she checked. She, too, was male.
Simultaneously, the ability screen popped up.
[ Master singing to succeed in marriage ]
‘…’
Sua wanted to say something to the special ability but quickly realized she shouldn’t. After all, learning this way was better than not learning at all.
…But what’s with this world where she had to sing as a human in a bird’s body? What happened to living comfortably as a singer-songwriter born into wealth?
“tsk.”
Sua found herself muttering.
“No matter how I think about it, using song to attract mates is a bit….”
Isn’t it too embarrassing? Sua knew she was naturally shy and easily flustered. It was simply too much.
“Then why? Isn’t it fortunate to attract mates with songs?”
“What?”
“You’re not very bright after all. If this were an intelligence-based society, you’d have been cast out long ago. Instead, it’s a fair place where everyone competes only through song.”
“….”
Sua thought, “Is this what the special ability really wants to say through the mouth of the Jinhaejo?”
In any case, Sua soon started her mission.
Soon the surroundings were filled with bird songs.
Male Jinhaejo would approach solitary female Jinhaejo sitting on various branches, as if for an interview, singing and receiving evaluation.
‘…The world of Jinhaejo is cold.’
That was Sua’s observation.
Male Jinhaejo with good singing skills proceeded smoothly, but those who sang poorly invariably received cold responses.
‘Good. So can I.’
Sua courageously approached a female Jinhaejo.
“Hello….”
“Are you going to sing or not? If not, please go away.”
“Aah, yes.”
As Sua cleared their throat—
“That’s enough. Just go.”
The other party rejected them outright.
“Huh?”
Sua was taken aback.
“But I haven’t sung a single note yet.”
“That’s obvious without listening. Your breathing is uneven, and your voice is full of shyness. What could you possibly express with a voice like that?”
“…”
“As it seems, you rarely talk or engage in proper conversations. How terrible must your social skills be to be like that? You need to learn how to make sounds before considering singing.”
“…”
“Go.”
Sua was chased away without much resistance.
Sua was gloomy… Sua was devastated…
Despite only facing one setback, Sua was disheartened. Although the comments were accurate, they didn’t need to be so harsh. It left a wound in her heart.
Then other male Jinhaejo urged Sua.
“Sua-bird! What are you doing standing here like a fool?”
“Hey! You need to try again!”
Sua looked around again.
Noticing that not only she had been rejected, almost every male had experienced rejections. But they persisted, unfailingly seeking other females.
That’s why Sua gathered courage.
‘That’s right, as long as I can increase my singing skills, embarrassment is meaningless, right? Focus on imagining how impressive I’ll become later, right? The result matters!’
Sua, Sua, fighting!
After that, Sua went wild, moving around and approaching females.
“When are you going to sing? Why are you just screaming?”
“…Are you forgetting the lyrics? There’s an issue with your intelligence?”
“Don’t represent us as Jinhaejo please. It’s embarrassing.”
“Go away.”
All attempts ended in failure. Sua was collapsing in despair!
In the end, Sua couldn’t form a pair and watched silently as the other Jinhaejo settled happily into families, meeting her demise.
This was the first regression.
Afterward, Sua practiced singing like crazy.
“Uhhhhmm.”
This world had a bizarre structure where her Jinhaejo body could sing human songs, so Sua could earnestly learn from other males. Sua worked hard!
Despite having no prior training in breathing and articulation, her innate voice seemed not too bad after all. Remarkable results appeared surprisingly fast. She really put in a tremendous effort.
‘…Do you think ignoring me because I’m insignificant is right?’
Sua clenched her teeth and worked tirelessly.
Afterward, progress came.
“That’s decent enough. But I’ve already chosen someone else. Please give me some time.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Not bad.”
The responses from the female Jinhaejo noticeably improved. Sua had reached a respectable level. She jumped around in joy and continued practicing harder.
After living an incredible ten thousand lives—
“Sua-bird! Please marry me!”
“Having other wives is no problem! Just allow me to hover around and listen to your songs! Sua, please!”
“I can no longer be satisfied with other songs!”
Sua finally smiled contentedly.
“Hmm…”
[ …User level has increased… ]
[ …Attempting to establish a human environment… ]
[ …Beginning learning…]
Afterward, Sua experienced the desired learning—a life born into wealth walking the path of a genius singer-songwriter. Of course, this was repeated ten thousand times as well.
How much time had passed?
Becoming aware, Sua was back home.
‘…What is this? The feeling of a sore throat.’
Sua rubbed her throat with her palm. Luckily, her throat was fine, but why did it feel so overworked? And for some reason, she was craving fried chicken.
She soon shook her head.
‘This isn’t the time.’
She had to sing immediately to check her skills.
As Sua prepared to use the recording app—
─♩♪♬
A call came in. The caller was Go Eun-bi.
‘A call related to the talent show, I guess?’
Apparently, she was extremely anxious to know what decision Sua had made. She couldn’t have waited to hear. With no particular thoughts, Sua was about to answer the call when a good idea struck her.
‘…Thinking about it, Eun-bi is someone I can relax around.’
Since they had already seen each other at their worst, there was no harm in showing off. Thus, Sua’s choice was—
“While walking down alleys with you—”
Singing as soon as she answered the call.
Sua believed that Eun-bi would respond in some way to the song. If she gave feedback about her talent being good enough for the talent show, Sua would participate.
However,—
“…Is that a new ringtone?”
Eun-bi said that and promptly ended the call.
Afterward, a few text messages arrived.
[ Sender: Go Eun-bi ]
▷ I’ll send a message since you didn’t answer my call.
▷ How’s the talent show thing going??
▷ And also, whose song is that ringtone?
▷ It’s new to me, but the voice is incredible, no joke.
Sua concluded,
“…This is amazing, right?”
Her singing skills had truly become extraordinary.
The next day.
Sua returned to filming “Lies, Lies, Lies.” Even though Lim Soo-hee’s character dies in the plot, all the filming for her parts hasn’t finished yet.
Because Seo Yeon-joo will later recall Soo-hee, Sua came to film those scenes.
However, the filming set felt different from before.
‘What is it?’
Sua tilted her head.
Everyone was whispering about her. Then Kim Yu-han quickly spoke up.
─At least none of the glances are negative. In fact, their looks are closer to expectation now. Though why, I’m still unsure.
‘Well, at least it’s not a bad thing.’
Still, Sua’s brain hadn’t fully recovered, so Kim Yu-han was helping with most basic judgments. Kim, the best!
In any case, the reason behind the whispers stemmed from Yeon-joo’s words. After filming the climax scene, Yeon-joo had told everyone she spoke to about how Sua gave her interpretation.
‘Sua offered an interpretation of the climax scene.’
‘It’s amazing….’
‘If Yeon-joo’s claim is true, Sua essentially saved this work, right? Truly a saint….’
Thus, filming began with everyone’s expectations pinned on her.
.
.
.
.
.
A scene where Seo Yeon-joo recalls the past.
The first drinking session between Yeon-joo and Sua after they became adults. Due to not knowing her limits, Yeon-joo ends up very drunk and spills her innermost thoughts.
『Soo-hee, I will truly succeed. I will lead a life that everyone envies. I will become the “brat who’s so successful it’s sickening.” It will definitely happen…』
Sua gazed deeply at Yeon-joo.
『Uh-huh.』
Her heavy lips parted.
『Got it. I’ll make you like that.』
Though Yeon-joo was drunk, Sua wasn’t. Those subtle emotions were quietly admired by the crew.
‘Did Sua always articulate so clearly?’
‘…Even Sua, who was originally a good actress, seems changed. Her voice now feels richer with emotion?’
‘The depth of sincerity is incredible…’
In the meantime, Sua escorted Yeon-joo home. Watching the unconscious Yeon-joo, she murmured.
『…Be happy. Park Si-yeon.』
Her wistful gaze finally moved some of the crew to comment—it was admiration they couldn’t contain.
“She didn’t even have a long line, yet it’s incredibly poignant. Did she put extra effort into this flashback?”
“It’s proof of her careful study of each line. We’ve heard stories, but actually seeing it is insane.”
“Where does she learn such acting?”
“Through self-study. She started as a hobby, after all.”
Everyone’s eyes widened upon hearing someone say,
“…A hobby?”
“Yes. Besides acting, she tries out everything as a hobby, and reportedly excels at all of it. It’s like some ecosystem-disrupting species that came from overseas.”
To Sua, this was a story to scratch her head over, but there was someone who heard it with the utmost pride. You know who. Mystic’s Director, Kim I-seo.
As Kim I-seo’s shoulders rose tall as a spire, a sudden call interrupted.
“…Hmm?”
Kim I-seo’s eyes widened upon seeing the caller ID.
