People are obsessed with a singer’s vocal performance, more specifically, live performances.
And there is an eternal answer to this obsession.
The mountains are mountains, and the waters are waters. In other words, a great singer is simply someone who can sing well.
However, not all singers beloved by the public are virtuosos.
There have certainly been singers who, despite lacking in singing or live performance skills, have captivated audiences through beautiful lyrics, a unique aura, and performances that left people in awe.
But when Baek Ye-rin’s stage was unveiled to the world, people once again realized:
In the face of overwhelming vocal and live performance prowess, everything else becomes meaningless.
Thus, the world was once again set ablaze with excitement.
[Is this really a middle schooler’s live performance? It’s truly shocking. How can a middle schooler sing like this in a live setting?]
└It’s because she’s a genius. There’s a reason she debuted with her third album.
└Monster rookie singer with three albums already, wow.
└These terms just don’t seem to fit together.
[Apparently, she’s only been formally learning to sing for half a year.]
└What?? She’s only been learning for half a year? I went to vocal school for half a year and I didn’t improve that much.
└Give up. lol
└Actually, this isn’t something you can learn. Baek Ye-rin was born with this talent.
[Baek Ye-rin’s festival performance video is legendary too. It’s number two on the real-time trending videos on the video platform, so check it out.]
└Right, that was before she began formal vocal training.
└What kind of battles do they have at Sky Middle School’s festivals…
└If RT Entertainment can hold their laughter until this is revealed, that’d be a feat.
└Got it.
└What’s at the top of the real-time trending videos then?
└Of course, it’s the MusicSave Baek Ye-rin stage video.
└Right.
[To this extent, it really makes you curious. Everyone who hears Baek Ye-rin’s live performance speaks highly of her, making you want to hear her in person. In that sense, RT Entertainment should hurry up and organize a Baek Ye-rin concert.]
└Tickets for that concert are going to be fiercely competitive.
└Black-market tickets might cost hundreds.
[While Baek Ye-rin’s live skills are impressive, this is all possible because of Ha-on’s songs.]
└Here we go again, lol.
└Who’s Ha-on?
└He’s the composer behind all the songs on Baek Ye-rin’s album. But his real identity is going to stay a secret.
└That guy’s a beast too, haha.
└It’d be great if Ha-on was a woman. Just imagining it is thrilling.
└?
Currently, the internet is buzzing with all sorts of discussions. Thankfully, most are centered around Baek Ye-rin’s sensational performances and the curiosity they inspire.
With everyone’s attention squarely on her, the interest in my affairs has started to wane.
Still, there are occasionally posts about me, like the last one I saw…
“GRAAH! Baek Ye-rin! Everyone in the world might love you, but I don’t!!!”
Could it be him?
Kim Tae-hwan erupted with an absurd cry.
It was a reaction akin to the villainess witnessing the hero and heroine fall in love in a romance fantasy.
In short, his appeal was beyond measure.
I sighed and decided to play along.
“Are you freaking out because your favorite, Ha-on, is being overshadowed by Baek Ye-rin?”
“Not at all? He’s still mentioned among experts.”
“Still, Ha-on must have his own plans. It’s not like we can just ask him, can we?”
“But I can?”
“What?”
The conversation flowed naturally, but the content was strange.
How does he plan to ask Ha-on?
How?
Could it be… him…
‘Did he figure out my true identity?’
I was suddenly covered in goosebumps.
Kim Tae-Hwan has always had an uncanny sense.
But this isn’t something that could be brushed off as a good hunch.
If he really did uncover my true identity…
Hmm. On second thought, nothing would really change.
I smiled and continued the conversation.
“How do you plan to ask Ha-on?”
“I’m going to become a singer.”
“What? Really? A singer…?”
There was a brief silence.
Then, as if it were the most normal thing in the world, Kim Tae-hwan added:
“I’ll become famous enough that Ha-on would want to contact me as a singer. It’s simple.”
He nodded, clearly believing it to be a sound plan.
It’s like…
We’ve had this exact conversation before…
And it wasn’t just a feeling.
“Hey, I’m going to be a composer.”
“Oh, that’s a new one.”
“I’m serious.”
“Not that it doesn’t sound like a joke because of your serious expression. So, why this sudden decision? You’ve never really studied music, right?”
“I just want Baek Ye-rin to sing my songs.”
“Wait, is that it?”
“Yeah. That’s all.”
“Woah… You’re crazy.”
We were in opposite positions now. I once shared my dream with Kim Tae-hwan.
And instead of mocking me, he simply called me crazy.
“In fact, he helped me a lot.”
Providing feedback on my songs from a normal person’s perspective.
Buying me breakfast, lunch, dinner when I was struggling as an unknown songwriter.
On second thought, he’s truly a good friend.
So I won’t mock his dream either.
Though…
“Do you even have good singing skills?”
I was simply curious about his real singing ability.
Every time we’d suggest going to a karaoke bar, he’d come up with excuses about it being weird for two guys to go.
During music class, he’d control his strength for his friends’ self-esteem.
But as his long-time friend, I know that Kim Tae-hwan wasn’t someone to throw out becoming a singer without solid reason.
“Wow… You didn’t know?”
For some reason, Kim Tae-hwan sighed.
Then he handed me his phone.
His screen was on a YouTuber’s channel that I happened to know.
In my previous life, this YouTuber had been active under the same name.
Currently, he has 300,000 subscribers, but eventually, he’ll have 5 million.
This famous cover-song YouTuber, [Tae-E].
Possessing a high, clear tenor, his vocal range is so broad that he can effortlessly handle songs usually sung by females. Most importantly, his genre-less voice is his strong suit.
Ironically, no one knows Tae-E’s true face.
Because this was his hobby, he chose to keep his face hidden and only wanted people to listen to his music.
But…
“Because I am Tae-E.”
“Huh?”
“If you can’t believe me, check out my recent video. I covered ‘Rewind’ and it’s doing well in terms of views.”
It seems this life’s Tae-E has changed his approach to achieve his goals.
As he said, all of his recent videos reveal his face.
And in those videos, Kim Tae-hwan is singing with the voice I remembered as Tae-E’s.
Seems that some people’s speaking voice differs greatly from their singing voice; apparently, one such person was right next to me all along.
“Oh, a 300K YouTuber! Are you subscribed to your own channel?”
“KYAA~ Thank you so much, Teacher! Love for students!”
At that moment, Kim Tae-hwan exchanged greetings with a passing teacher in a very familiar manner.
Upon reflection, Kim Tae-hwan had been unusually popular at school recently. I was too busy with Baek Ye-rin to notice why, but now it was like someone had slipped him a red potion.
Now I understood why he was so interested in music news.
“Something about the melody feels slightly off here… If you fix this part, I might want to sing it too…”
And I realized why his feedback in my previous life had been so useful.
Even though it was just a hobby, he had been part of the music world to some extent.
Now that I knew all the truths, my head was spinning a bit.
Tae-E revealed his face to gain fame, which he never intended to in the past…
“I’m going to attend Seolhwa High School.”
My sister, who once gave up music, has decided to return to it.
It’s probably the butterfly effect of me traveling back in time.
But that’s okay.
“Welcome!”
Because I’ve returned to the past, I’m able to see Baek Ye-rin’s smile up close like this.
When I visited the representative’s office at RT Entertainment, she welcomed me with her usual cheerful expression.
Looking at her smile, all my杂 thoughts vanished instantly.
Well… that’s fine.
Somehow, things will work out.
I’ve decided to just focus on moving forward with Baek Ye-rin.
In that sense, the immediate task at hand is…
“Will you come over to my place tomorrow?”
…?
Huh?
