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Chapter 38 - CHAPTER 38

After

Even though Soo-hyun had gone live pretty late, the online community immediately lit up as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

[Mi-ro stream ON lol]

Knew it, lol

Streaming at this hour?

Yeah, this is usually when she's ending, but she just started

Thought she wasn't coming on tonight

And yet she did? Feels good, man ㅋㅋ

[Mi-ro's drunk lol]

Listen to that slurred speech

Mi-ro's wasted?

Yup. If you're not watching right now, you're missing half your life

Hm… is it really that good?

Don't watch then, dumbass lol

Running over there immediately ㅋㅋ

[Mi-ro: had drinks with guys at a company dinner]

"But skipped the afterparty to stream."

Damn, what a queen ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Starting today, I'm a fan for life ㅋㅋ

The Great Mi-ro

This chick actually gets streaming, fr

Wait, so she really drank with guys?

Yeah, some part-time gig she wrapped up, had a dinner for it

So Mi-ro's still a virgin?

Yup, virgin confirmed

Skipping afterparty? Nah, sounds like she's just an awkward loner no one invited lol

Lmao what are you on, does her voice sound like a fat nerd's to you?

Bro please, touch some grass. What do you think you'll find in your PC screen?

Lol you're on DC Inside talking about life? Irony ㅋㅋ

[Mi-ro: Can't I just coast tonight?]

"No? Then fine, I'll think of something to do."

Why's she so cute today lol

Something about tonight feels different…

My brain is about to explode

[Mi-ro Q&A time, boys lol]

Let's gooo

Don't pull dumb shit, you'll get her sued

Sued for what?

You ever even watch her stream? Look at the on-screen warning, moron

Wait what the fuck

What do you mean what—just shut up and ask normal questions, idiot

Why you talking like that…?

Your mom

[Mi-ro: Boyfriend? That's your question?]

"Ask something real. Of course I don't."

Now this is VTubing—sexy as hell ㅋㅋ

Did she actually say it like that??

More or less, yeah

Damn, Mi-ro's so straightforward

She was no-filter before, but with booze it's flowing nonstop

[Mi-ro <— just a JOAT, hit like]

Lol she really turned the 100k event into an impromptu drunk Q&A

This bitch thinks streaming's a game??

Honestly, whether it's at 100k or now, same difference

Kinda satisfying that the YouTube-only normies got shut out, lol

Agreed ㅋㅋ

Proof that live viewers are the real winners

Classic Mi-ro

[If you're grateful to those dinner guys, hit like ㅋㅋ]

Seriously, "the dudes who had first-round drinks with Mi-ro" <— thanks for delivering her to us drunk and ready to stream.

GOAT.

Fr…

Won't forget this…

Much appreciated

[Mi-ro: Company's great]

"It's normal they take a cut, but they give back just as much. I'm satisfied."

Wow, I thought Mi-ro would complain, but she's surprisingly compliant lol

Basically, they leave her alone and handle everything, so she's fine

Yeah, with her personality, she's just happy the boring stuff's taken care of

Fact: Mi-ro's YouTube is fully managed by the company, she doesn't touch it

For real? I heard the others review edits at least

Mi-ro just doesn't care. Trusts the company to handle it

So the company isn't the one skimming—Mi-ro is lol

[Who the hell asked that question?]

(Question that made Mi-ro rage-quit the Q&A)

Ask a sensitive thing, she flips the table lol

People get cocky when Mi-ro indulges them

Booze makes her go even more no-filter

Still, solid content, worth a like ㅋㅋ

ㅇㄷㄴㅂㅌ lol

Damn, I still had questions left

Like what?

Asked if she was a virgin

Bro, she saved your ass. Be grateful, idiot

For real, you dodged a bullet

Wait, is she ending stream like this?

[Mi-ro's karaoke stream just dropped lol]

This stream is stacked, hit like ㅋㅋ

For real? Karaoke?

Yup, she's starting now

Didn't she never do one before?

This is the first time

[The most fucked dudes right now…]

(Pic of some guy asleep)

The poor souls who went home to pass out after Friday night drinks lol

You missed this?? Tragic ㅋㅋ

True lol

Unemployed viewers ALL KILL~

Cheers ㅋㅋㅋ

[But why's she singing a ballad??]

Thought it'd be J-pop, but damn

She's killing it though

You can feel the soul…

Her voice just steamrolls everything

[Mi-ro <— tf is this chick?]

Why's her karaoke song the same as mine? Got goosebumps

Absolute S-tier pick ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Ballads hit so good ㅋㅋ

She should've just sung Japanese songs

Typical weeb ㅋㅋ

Even VTuber fans gatekeep among themselves lol

Middle fingers up

Same taste as me too, lol

[Mi-ro <— top tier confirmed, hit like]

Anna for musicals.

Maho for J-pop.

Roa for K-pop.

And above them all: Mi-ro for ballads.

I'm a Tom fan, but I agree…

Maho-stan here, respect.

Roa fanboy, but yeah…

Wait, "Roa fanboys" is their name?? lmao

As a Haru stan, I refuse—

Nobody cares, loser ㅋㅋ

[Is it even okay to sing that loud this late?]

Does Mi-ro have a soundproof booth?

Nah, but I heard her place is soundproofed well

Dude, with her screaming like that, no way it's just regular walls

With Mi-ro's voice, it's not noise—it's art

If Mi-ro lived upstairs, I'd shut up and just listen

[Breaking: downstairs neighbor came up lol]

Rip ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Of course they came, who wouldn't at this hour

Look, they're pounding on the door, mad as hell

[??? what just happened?]

Why'd he just leave?

Why'd the guy apologize?

Why'd he say it sounded good?

Why'd he walk away??

Bro wtf, how did his rage evaporate the second she opened the door?

Seriously why tho?

This is killing me lol

[Someone clipped the noise complaint]

(Door pounding, guy yelling)

(Mi-ro startled, runs to the door)

(Their conversation)

How does this make sense? Mi-ro was the one at fault, but the guy backed down??

Holy shit, now I have to know what she looks like

She must be insanely pretty

C'mon, no matter how pretty, people still get mad at 3am noise

Unless he was just some 120kg fatty who panicked

Nah, if it was that, he'd swing first instead of apologizing

[Current clown.jpg]

"Downstairs noise guy"

If you were just gonna apologize and leave, why come up at all, dumbass?

Thanks to you, Mi-ro ended stream early, you prick.

For real, fuck that guy

Ugh… it was so good too

[If this guy's the GOAT, hit like ㅋㅋ]

"Downstairs noise guy" <— thanks to him, we learned Mi-ro's the blue pill.

I'm now a permanent Mi-ro supporter.

For real, respect.

"Don't be fooled, man, that was all shilled."

"Shilled my ass."

"I dunno, man."

When I opened my eyes, the sun was already high in the sky.

"Ugh…"

Clutching my splitting head and burning stomach, I dragged myself out of bed.

At least I'd washed my face before crashing—that was one small mercy.

Like any modern human, the first thing I reached for was my phone. But the battery had died, so I just plugged it into the charger and left it.

Heading to the kitchen for water, I saw the stack of empty beer cans by the sink.

And with that came the memories of last night.

"Aghhh!"

What the hell had I done?

Streaming drunk was one thing, but singing my lungs out at 3am?

If someone reported me, I'd have no excuse.

And worse—someone had actually come upstairs to complain.

…Yeah, I'd definitely need to apologize properly.

Maybe in the afternoon, I could buy something and bring it down as a peace offering.

But first—hangover cure.

Couldn't do anything with this stomach on fire.

So I made myself a classic hangover ramen, eggs cracked in, green onions chopped up. As it boiled, I switched my phone back on.

"Oh god…"

Notifications poured in instantly.

First, texts from Ah-young and Hyun-soo asking if I got home safe. Then messages from my manager that had come in during the drunk stream. And finally, more from the other members, who'd woken up to the news of my antics.

I replied to each of them one by one while slurping down ramen, then dumped the dishes in the sink and collapsed back into bed, thinking through what needed doing.

"Groceries… apologize to the downstairs neighbor…"

Yeah, I had to head out.

Even though the heat made me want to stay inside, I forced myself up and went out.

I picked up groceries at the mart, then stopped by a bakery for a small cake.

By the time I got home, I was drenched in sweat, so I cooled off in front of the AC for a bit before taking the cake and heading down.

Knock, knock—very cautiously, I tapped on the door.

Since it was still afternoon, I half-expected no one to be home, but thankfully, the door opened.

"Who's—ah."

"About last night… I'm so sorry. I'd been drinking."

"Oh, no, no… it's fine. It wasn't that loud, really. Ha ha…"

Flustered by my sudden appearance, the man awkwardly accepted the cake I shoved into his arms. I bowed and apologized again before scurrying back upstairs.

"…Well, that's everything done, right?"

Groceries, apology delivered.

All that was left was some housework, but that could wait.

I dove straight onto my bed.

Time to relax and maybe read that alt-history novel I'd just started—

Bzzzz—

Just then, my phone buzzed.

Of course, it was my manager.

Huh? She hadn't sounded upset in her earlier texts, but now… Had I said something reckless on stream last night?

Feeling a little nervous, I answered.

"…Hello?"

[Ah, yes, Mi-ro.]

Her voice was calm. That was a good sign.

"Yes."

[I watched your stream last night.]

"Ha ha… did you?"

[Honestly, I was a bit on edge, but you wrapped it up without trouble. That's a relief.]

The "on edge" part stabbed at me, but hey, no harm done in the end, right?

"Ha ha… you stayed up watching that late?"

[Of course. Once I started, I couldn't sleep until it ended.]

"Because it was entertaining?"

[That too, I suppose.]

I didn't press further. If I did, I'd just embarrass myself.

"So, what's this about?"

[It's about the new song.]

A new song?

They'd been checking in with us regularly for input, so I figured this was just another one of those times.

"Mm, I don't have any new thoughts right now."

[That's fine. This is actually a request from the composer.]

"The composer?"

It was the same one who'd written Celestial Project's first album—an industry giant, famous enough that people wondered why he was even working with VTubers.

[He wants to meet with each member one by one to discuss the track. And he specifically requested you first.]

"…Excuse me?"

[You met him during recording, didn't you? Go again, have a chat. I think it'll lead to great results.]

"Uh… when exactly?"

[He said tomorrow or the day after, afternoon would be best. I told him you're usually flexible.]

Why would you say that? That makes me sound like I don't have a life.

"Tomorrow or the day after, huh?"

[Problem with your schedule?]

"…No, I'm free."

As much as I hated to admit it, I really didn't have anything planned.

So the next day, I found myself heading to the studio.

"Hot, hot, hot…"

It was the same building I'd come to with Maho before. Inside, the composer was already waiting.

"Hello."

"Been a while. Come in."

Months had passed since our first meeting, but he looked the same: thin, long hair, unshaven chin.

"Please, have a seat."

This time, he led me into the recording room itself—though it had sofas and a table as well.

I sat where he pointed, and he pulled a chair across from me, placing a notebook on the table.

"I asked you here today because there are a few things I want to know for the composition process."

Expression still flat as ever, he started asking questions:

What kind of songs I liked, what vocal range I was most confident in, what kind of songs I wanted to sing.

Clearly, these were all for reference.

But then, after hesitating for a moment, he asked another.

"That comment about your singing lacking individuality—what did you mean?"

Individuality?

What was he talking about?

Thinking back, I remembered when my manager first asked for my opinion. I'd passed along something Hyun-soo had said, softened a bit.

Was that what stuck with him?

"Ah, that… I had a singer friend listen, and that's what they said…"

It felt like I was badmouthing a great song, so I quickly prepared to throw Hyun-soo under the bus.

Not that it was throwing him under, really. He had said it.

"Slim Gold, right?"

But before I could, the composer himself did it for me.

"…What?"

"That was him, wasn't it?"

"How did you know?"

"He… featured once, didn't he?"

"Oh."

I hadn't expected anyone to recognize him.

But of course—a pro like this would.

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