Chapter 54 : Hwa Ha-na-yeon

Finally, the interviews with 30 candidates were over.

After the interviews, we were reviewing the 10 shortlisted ones.

We were to select the 2nd generation members from these 10.

“Boss, I’m really drawn to this one.”

“Not drawn to, you mean interested in, right? Let’s see… Number 17? Hmm… yeah, they were definitely decent.”

And so, with our passionate discussion, the night wore on.

We had finalized three people and were debating over the last one.

Thud—

“No, no, boss, I’m telling you, we have to pick this person.”

“Hmm… but it’s a bit iffy. They clearly looked like a first-timer on camera, seemed tense, and didn’t look confident.”

“But they’re versatile, right? You agree?”

“That’s true, but…”

“Ah, I don’t know. Let’s leave it to Nammi. Nammi, what do you think?”

Inaring handed me two documents and asked.

I was also unsure.

The person the boss recommended was one of the four I selected from 40 candidates.

On the other hand, the person Inaring recommended definitely didn’t show their best during the interview due to nervousness.

They had clearly prepared a lot but didn’t present it well because of anxiety.

Nammi thought hard.

“……”

Then, as if deciding, Nammi reached out for the document of candidate number 27, the one Inaring had handed over.

Nammi spoke.

“I agree with Inaring’s opinion, boss.”

“Can I ask why?”

“I think this person realized who the four of us were.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yes. That’s probably why they were nervous.”

“Ah, I see…”

“And—”

“And?”

Nammi recalled the interview with candidate number 27, whom Inaring had selected.

They definitely didn’t show everything because of nerves, but still gave their all in the preparation.

That desperation might’ve been why Inaring chose her.

I also felt a similar emotion.

Nammi said,

“I felt passion.”

“Passion?”

“Yes. I feel like if we pick the person Inaring chose, she’ll be diligent, even if it’s unfortunate for the person the boss and I selected.”

From just one interview, you could get a good sense of candidate 27’s style.

That shows how much effort she put into preparing.

“Hmm… Okay, then let’s go with a majority vote.”

The boss looked toward Karin.

Karin said,

“No one hates a diligent worker.”

Thud—

Karin reached out for candidate 27.

Nodding, the boss said,

“Alright. Decision made. Let’s go with these four.”

And so, the four selected were:

(Aruru) Yoon Mina

(Sena) Oh Semi

(Ludia) Jung Jinha

(Naeun) Lim Haeun

They became the second generation of Blue Art.

The boss said the results would be announced a week after the interviews.

In the meantime, I practiced singing with the boss at the studio and was able to reach a satisfactory level.

And now—

“Nammi.”

“Yes?”

“The original song is ready.”

“Oh!”

Nammi’s original song was finally complete!

“Want to listen?”

“Yes!”

I listened to the song… and it was…

“Boss.”

“Hm?”

“Isn’t this rap?”

After all the vocal practice, it just sounded like rap.

“Hey, are you listening properly? Yes, there are rap parts, but more accurately, it’s rock.”

“Rock?”

“Even more accurately, J-rock.”

“Oh, yeah… It definitely had a Japanese music vibe.”

“Right? What do you think? Like it?”

“Yeah, it sounds good, but… can I sing it?”

The difficulty… it’s just… hmm… seems really hard.

But the boss said,

“No, I think you can do it.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I chose this song believing you could. Be confident.”

“Hmm… if you say so, I’ll try.”

“Great. Then let’s get started right now.”

“Okay.”

We headed to the recording studio.

Before recording, the boss said,

“It sounds hard because a lot of complex elements are mixed in, but it’s actually easy to sing. There aren’t many high notes.”

“Yeah, I noticed. There were a lot of repeating phrases too.”

“Right? Mingmaeng, who wrote and composed it, paid a lot of attention after hearing your voice. They said your voice was so nice that they

wanted to make it stand out.”

And so the song was born—

A catchy tune titled UP UP UP.

It probably referenced “Nammi-up,” something our Ritmies often say.

“Alright, ready?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s start.”

With the backing track playing, Nammi’s song began.

The boss had said this before:

Sing with a bit more confidence.

And thanks to days of practice, I got used to singing.

I had gained confidence.

So—

I began to sing with all my effort and confidence.

After the vocal practice ended,

The boss spoke with a satisfied expression.

“Wow… I think that was your best performance yet.”

“Really?”

“Of course. I could see the results of your effort.”

Of course, it wasn’t perfect on the first try.

After a few attempts, the boss finally approved and the recording was complete.

It took five whole hours.

Honestly, it was a bit rough on my throat, but manageable since there weren’t any high notes.

The boss said,

“Take a break from streaming today. A VTuber’s voice is their life. Got it?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, let’s go home. I’ll give you a ride.”

Oh, it’s been a while since I got a ride from the boss.

Usually, employee Hong Song-ah gave me rides.

And so, I headed home in the boss’s car.

After finishing the recording, I felt a surge of emotions.

Am I a real singer now?

That’s how I felt.

The boss said,

“You’ve worked so hard, Nammi. Take a good rest—even take a break from streaming if you need to, okay?”

“Okay.”

With a week of tasks done, I felt I’d finally have a bit of breathing room next week.

Although I wasn’t completely done with the voice dubbing for the new Volboard hero, Hacker.

Still, I smiled all the way home, proud and content.

“Mom, I’m home.”

“Oh, Nammi, welcome. Good timing. You haven’t had dinner yet, right?”

“Not yet.”

“Then come sit down quickly. Your sister is here too.”

At that moment—

Nammi’s expression froze.

“Who’s here?”

“Your sister.”

Our family’s eldest, Ha Nayeon.

My older sister had stopped by the family home after a long time.

My sister—or is it more appropriate to say “unnie” now?

Anyway, my sister is an elite beyond comparison.

She took after our professor father’s intelligence, got into Seoul National University, passed the bar, and became known as the second brainiac of the Ha family.

Her success came from strict self-discipline.

An almost harsh level of discipline.

That level of perfectionism influenced me too, and I was taught under her stern guidance.

But my achievements never met her standards, so she was even stricter.

That’s why I was scared of her.

To be honest, she’s hard to deal with.

I wanted to eat dinner alone in my room like usual, but with her visiting, I couldn’t.

So I sat at the table Mom had set.

A quiet, awkward dinner began.

“Eat up.”

“Thank you for the meal.”

The usual, quiet Ha family dinner began.

Thankfully, Dad was busy tonight and would be home late.

If he were here too, it’d be unbearable.

My sister, or unnie, ate silently.

Then Mom smiled and spoke to her.

“Nayeon, is work going well? Not too tough?”

“Yes. It’s not too hard.”

“Still, health comes first, okay?”

“Yes.”

My ever-stoic sister replied bluntly, as usual.

Then Mom turned to me.

“Nammi, how’s your work going these days?”

And the one who reacted—was none other than my sister, Ha Nayeon.

For the first time, she widened her eyes and looked directly at me.

“Work?”

“Ah, you didn’t know? Nammi’s so busy lately, she’s never home.”

“What kind of work?”

Her gaze fixed on me.

I broke into a cold sweat and answered timidly.

“………”

“Streaming?”

“Internet streaming…”

Hearing that, she just stared at me, unreadable expression and all.

Was the scolding about to start again?

That’s what I expected after all those years of nagging.

But contrary to my expectations—

“Do your best.”

“Huh? O-Okay.”

My sister gave me a small cheer instead.

I was stunned.

I really thought she’d start scolding me.

But after that, she said nothing more and continued eating.

I also kept eating in silence.

“Ah, right.”

Just then, Mom remembered something and said,

“Nammi, you said you wanted to install a soundproof booth, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yes.”

“But aren’t those really expensive?”

“It’s okay… I have money.”

“Hehe, really?”

Then—

“Need an allowance?”

“Huh? Wha?”

My sister spoke to me.

“How much is the booth?”

“Ah, no, it’s fine. I have money…”

“Even if you have it, you should save it. How much is it?”

“A-about 1.5 million won…”

It’s a lot, but I could afford it.

Streaming had brought in some money.

But my sister didn’t know that.

So I thought the nagging was about to begin again.

But instead—

“Alright. I’ll buy it for you. Just keep working hard.”

“…?”

No nagging, just a nod.

At this point, I was confused.

‘Who is this?’

Was she really the sister I knew?