[Hello! This is Baek Ye-rin!]
As Baek Ye-rin greeted with a bright voice, a huge cheer flowed out from the video on the phone.
It was a live-cut video of her college festival.
I smiled warmly as I watched it.
“Hmm. Wasn’t the makeup and outfit on this day legendary?”
Why does Baek Ye-rin’s presence keep getting stronger day by day…?
She really was the overwhelmingly top choice for college festival bookings right now.
“So it’s another Baek Ye-rin video?”
Just then, Kim Tae-hwan approached with an exasperated expression.
“Yeah. Do you want to watch?”
“Watch the live-cut video of the woman who’s my rival? Oh, never mind.”
…
According to the current 1 million Nertuber sir.
This guy’s channel has been growing rapidly and he received the gold button just two days ago. That means he officially became a large Nertuber with 1 million subscribers.
At this growth rate, he’ll probably hit 1.5 million by next year.
And in my opinion, that number isn’t exaggerated at all.
Kim Tae-hwan, you bastard…
“Sings pretty well, doesn’t she.”
I had this thought while listening to Tae-E’s songs from my previous life – he definitely has a different approach.
There’s something completely different in the way he interprets songs, almost like he’s rewriting the genre to his liking.
And I heard he’s never even attended a vocal academy, just sings by his own instincts.
Simply put, he’s incredibly talented.
The explosive growth of his channel is likely due to the combination of “child prodigy” + “middle schooler”.
Which is why…
“Suddenly, you’re starting to seem unlucky.”
“Hmm? Not someone who should be talking, given you’ve been studying Baek Ye-rin’s videos all day. Come to think of it, this is quite surprising.”
“What?”
“Based on my memory, you weren’t the type to obsess over celebrities like this. Have I misunderstood you all this time? Or has someone else taken over your body?”
“Took the words right out of the scenario. And anyway, besides you, who in this world isn’t a fan of Baek Ye-rin these days?”
“But you’re way too extreme. You’ll probably faint if you ever meet Baek Ye-rin in person, right?”
Kim Tae-hwan smirked as he said this.
Though from my perspective, there wasn’t really anything to laugh about.
…
“In my past life, I almost did.”
Somehow, I toughed it out to achieve the dream I couldn’t reach before.
But lately, it’s been really tough.
Living in the same house and seeing Baek Ye-rin every day feels like an immense luxury for me.
Especially a few days ago when we ended up sleeping in the same bed – I almost died from the shock.
The conclusion is that I didn’t sleep a wink that night due to nervousness.
At that moment, Kim Tae-hwan continued with a knowing smile.
“Though I shouldn’t be talking. I’m also deeply into someone.”
“…”
“Shit.”
“Why you cursing all of a sudden?”
“Nothing but shit.”
I was about to land a solid punch to that guy’s face.
Because the person he’s deeply attached to is none other than Ha-on.
Which is my stage name, fucking hell.
“Ah~ the application notice for this year’s RT Entertainment audition just came out. I think I’ll apply. Though it’s a bit earlier than I expected…”
Suddenly, Kim Tae-hwan started pondering seriously about applying for RT Entertainment’s audition.
I smiled faintly and said:
“You’ll probably fail at the first document screening.”
“Haha! Seriously, that was good. Best joke I’ve heard recently.”
Apparently, he genuinely thought my comment was a joke and burst out laughing.
Sigh…
Watching his overly confident demeanor, I’m actually kind of looking forward to seeing his insane reaction when the results come out.
*
The RT Entertainment audition is scheduled exactly three weeks from now.
Which means I have nothing particular to do in the meantime.
So I thought I’d lock myself in my room and focus on composing for a change.
My last released song was “Your Photograph,” and while I’ve written a few songs since then, none of them quite satisfied me.
No matter who I am, it’s impossible to keep producing hit songs in such a short time.
If that were possible, I would have already finished Baek Ye-rin’s fourth album with time to spare…
Though creating an album itself is definitely within reach.
Just that the quality of the songs might drop compared to before, which is the most crucial issue for me.
Until now, Baek Ye-rin has shown an almost perfect career trajectory.
And I don’t want to do anything that might tarnish her career in any way.
There’s one problem though…
“…”
“?”
Someone had come to interrupt me.
I suddenly felt someone’s gaze from the doorway.
Upon closer inspection, the door was slightly ajar, with someone peering in through the gap.
…It was my sister.
And she clearly looked restless.
But I know better.
‘This is acting.’
The person who usually barges in without knocking and always has something to say wouldn’t suddenly behave like this.
It clearly means she wants something from me.
And I already have a rough idea what it is, so I sighed and asked:
“Is this about ‘Cantabile’?”
“Hmm… Did I give myself away?”
With an unusually awkward smile, my sister walked into my room.
And without asking, she sat on my bed, saying:
“You definitely asked me this last year, right? If I could sing well. And now, I finally feel confident enough to say I can.”
…
That seems about right.
Last year, when we talked about ‘Cantabile’, she suddenly went to mom and asked to quit vocal lessons.
In just two months, she conquered the vocal academy and promptly applied to Seolhwa High School’s Practical Music Department.
She easily passed the notoriously competitive entrance exam and became the top student there, proving her singing ability.
Moreover, as a perfectionist in piano, applying that personality to singing would naturally result in excellent skills.
However, I have something else on my mind that I’m more curious about.
“Why so keen on singing ‘Cantabile’? What’s your reason?”
This is something I never got to ask last time.
Why is she so interested in ‘Cantabile’?
Clearly, in my previous life…
“-Not bad.
-Really?
-Have you ever seen me lie about music?
-That is true.
-Still, I do feel a bit disappointed.
-What, what part?!
-Well, it’s not your fault. Anyway, I do feel somewhat relieved.
-Huh? Relieved?
-Ah, just talking to myself. Anyway, if you’re going to do it, work hard like you are now. I’m cheering for you in my own way.”
It seemed pretty simple back then, didn’t it?
…Or not.
Maybe I’ve been underestimating my sister all this time.
“I’ll show you on stage. The reason why I want to sing that song.”
Seeing her confident response to my question, I couldn’t help but think that.
Wait, what?
“Stage? What stage suddenly?”
“It’s like this. There’s going to be a performance practice soon and I’ve been assigned to the final stage. But unfortunately…”
Here’s a quick summary:
A dropout in the composition major meant one student had to prepare alone.
According to the major professor, the solo student could use the “acquaintance privilege.”
And coincidentally, Ryu Se-ah had a composing brother far superior to any current students.
Three-line summary complete.
“What if I refuse this ‘acquaintance privilege’?”
“Then I’d have to sing a common cover song on the stage everyone’s looking forward to as the final performance. And everyone, including the teacher, would be so disappointed in me as the top student… waaah.”
…
The tears were fake, but that smile…
Crazy sister.
Do I feel the same way when I talk to Kang Beom-jun?
No, no, that’s different.
I’m absolutely not that bad. Yeah, whatever.
Anyway, I have no particular reason to agree with my sister’s request.
But at the same time, I’m in a position where I can’t ignore her charm.
The reason I became so skilled at piano is entirely thanks to my sister’s help.
In a way, she was my first teacher. Thinking of this as a chance to repay her kindness, it’s not that difficult a task.
So…
“Let’s go to RT Entertainment together in a day or two. Let me check out that confidence in your singing first.”
“What does that mean?”
“You want to sing Cantabile, right? The melody seems fine, so you can keep that. But the lyrics need to be rewritten.”
“Yes! Let’s do that!”
My sister nodded with a genuinely happy smile.
Looking at that smile, I naturally thought:
Once wouldn’t hurt, right?
Just once.
There’s no way I’ll get another chance to work with my sister again, right?
