Chapter 69: Running to the Edge of the Sky (6)

“Hmm… what if we slightly heighten the emotion right before the chorus?”

The rooftop of the goshiwon had become a familiar place.

Yoon Ha-yeon, seated at an old plastic desk tucked into one corner, gently suggested while tapping her pen against the sheet music.

But Yoo Seo-yeon shook her head.

“No. I like it just the way it is.”

Her tone was firm, almost like she was stopping her.

“I feel the flow is perfect as it is… If we add or change anything, I think the emotional line might fall apart.”

She remembered the powerful resonance she felt when she first heard the song.

She didn’t want to ruin that.

It felt like adding paint to an already complete picture.

Any effort beyond this point would likely do more harm than good.

Yoon Ha-yeon fell into brief thought.

‘It doesn’t seem like she has any formal training…’

Yoo Seo-yeon, surprisingly, had nearly zero technical knowledge of music.

But it felt like she understood music.

Beyond theory or technique, she possessed an incredible intuitive grasp of a song’s essence.

She had instinct.

‘Well… even though it’s a song I wrote, her voice fits it perfectly.’

Yoon Ha-yeon nodded in agreement.

“Alright, then let’s not rearrange it and keep it as is.”

As a composer, she felt a small pang of regret,

But it was right to respect the person who could deliver the song most perfectly.

Instead, she chose to focus on other aspects.

“But Seo-yeon, your mood and emotional expression are honestly beyond what I imagined. I can only admire it.”

Yoon Ha-yeon was never one to fake praise when it came to music.

She genuinely meant her compliment.

“It’s just… if your vocal projection improved just a little more, I think it could give more impact to other songs you might sing.”

It was a gentle suggestion.

Yoo Seo-yeon’s voice was clear and pure,

But there were moments where it felt a little too soft to truly deliver explosive climaxes.

“Your tone is naturally beautiful, so it’s not a big issue…”

In fact, the atmosphere was more important for this particular song.

Power or volume didn’t matter much.

It was more important to sing with subtlety and precision.

Still, she wouldn’t be singing soft songs forever.

If she wanted to broaden her musical spectrum, some training was necessary.

‘It would be a shame to leave this talent undeveloped.’

Outside of the concert, Yoon Ha-yeon felt a desire to help refine the raw gem that was Yoo Seo-yeon.

There were plenty of vocalists better than her,

But she could definitely teach the basics.

Smiling, Yoon Ha-yeon said,

“Have you ever tried diaphragmatic breathing? It’s a basic technique, but mastering it stabilizes your voice and adds strength.”

Yoo Seo-yeon blinked.

‘I know about danjeon breathing.’

(TL note: Danjeon breathing, also known as Dantian breathing, is a breathwork technique focused on the lower abdomen, specifically the Dantian (or Dan-Jun) energy center)

She had read about it in martial arts novels.

Gathering qi, circulating it through the body to grow stronger, heal illnesses, even regrow hair.

“I’ve only heard of it…”

Thanks to those novels, she had heard of diaphragm breathing too,

But she didn’t know exactly what it was or how it worked.

She also had no idea how it related to singing.

“Okay, put strength into your lower belly… take a deep breath in… and exhale slowly…”

And so, under Yoon Ha-yeon’s simple demonstration, Yoo Seo-yeon began her training in diaphragmatic breathing.

But it wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

“Huff… Huff… This is… harder than I thought.”

Yoo Seo-yeon panted, quickly running out of breath.

It was obvious she hadn’t exercised in a while.

It couldn’t be helped.

In the past, she had to work out to survive.

Now, her body was so healthy that she didn’t need to.

She didn’t gain weight, digested everything easily,

And never got sick.

A body perfectly optimized for a shut-in lifestyle.

There was no real need to exercise.

Of course, being healthy didn’t mean she had stamina.

Just like now, she ran out of breath quickly.

“Hehe. So there is something you’re bad at, Seo-yeon.”

Though she looked so comfortable while singing,

She was completely hopeless with basic vocal training—which was kind of cute.

Smiling, Yoon Ha-yeon patiently guided her again.

“Everyone struggles at first. But if you keep at it, you’ll get the hang of it soon.”

After a short breather, Yoon Ha-yeon asked curiously,

“By the way, Seo-yeon. Are you really only going to sing one song at the concert?”

Usually, performers prepared at least two or three songs.

And this song had a quiet tone.

It suited Yoo Seo-yeon’s voice perfectly, but it lacked the punch of a more powerful number.

For someone preparing to debut as a streamer, a flashier song might stand out more.

Yoo Seo-yeon nodded.

“Yeah. With so many performers, each person won’t get much stage time. Probably two or three songs at most…”

It wasn’t a solo concert, and there wasn’t the time or environment to perform multiple songs.

More importantly,

“This one song is enough. Rather than adding more, I think focusing entirely on this one song is better.”

She didn’t have the bandwidth to prepare others,

But above all, she was confident in this song.

It was a great song.

She didn’t need anything else.

Yoon Ha-yeon felt a lump in her throat at Yoo Seo-yeon’s words.

This song, which might have never seen the light of day,

Was now being cherished and brought to life by this girl with everything she had.

Yoon Ha-yeon smiled warmly and whispered softly,

“Thank you, Seo-yeon.”

“S-So, let’s wrap up breathing practice here…”

“We can’t do that. One more time…”

“Ughhhh…”

---

That evening, after having her stomach tortured,

Yoo Seo-yeon finished getting ready for bed and dove onto her spiritual home—her bed.

A cheerful notification sound rang from her phone, followed by a small pop-up.

[Soopjijik]

Yoo Seo-yeon’s eyes widened slightly.

A message from the platform admin.

She pressed on it, and a concise message appeared.

[Broadcast Review Result for Yoo Seo-yeon]

[Final approval has been completed. Congratulations!]

[Barring any disqualifying incidents, you may begin streaming at the time listed below.]

[Streaming available from…]

“…!”

Yoo Seo-yeon quietly gasped.

As if perfectly timed, her streaming start date aligned with the day of the finale concert.

“…It’s done.”

She muttered softly.

She had submitted her streaming review long ago, but hadn’t heard anything.

Worried they’d forgotten, she had inquired several times, only to receive generic responses.

Now, at last, she was approved to begin.

Her small fist clenched without her realizing.

‘But seriously… why that exact day?’

It felt a little too convenient.

‘A bit… artificial?’

Of course, it could just be coincidence.

There didn’t seem to be any particular reason to time it this way.

‘Well, it doesn’t really matter.’

First, she needed to tell the person who most needed to know.

She messaged Raidel—Kim Ha-yoon.

Before long, her phone buzzed again.

“Seo-yeon! Congrats! You passed the review?”

Kim Ha-yoon’s excited voice burst through the speaker.

“Yeah. Just confirmed it.”

Yoo Seo-yeon replied calmly.

“Wow, that’s crazy! How did it get approved right on concert day? People said approvals are super delayed right now!”

Kim Ha-yoon sounded amazed.

With so much going on with the Pixelwars streamer server,

New streamer applications had reportedly been backlogged.

As a seasoned internet broadcaster, Ha-yoon kept up with this stuff easily.

Everyone had assumed Yoo Seo-yeon’s debut would come after the server ended.

Yet she got approved during the busiest time.

Even Ha-yoon didn’t know the reason.

‘Well, no complaints.’

Early is good.

“So! You’re gonna start streaming that day, right? With the concert stage as your debut? Perfect, right?”

Her tone made it sound like the question already had an answer.

“Yeah. I think that’s probably best.”

‘No reason to delay it.’

Yoo Seo-yeon added quietly.

“If I knew this would happen… I should’ve made a VTuber model ahead of time.”

“You can prep that later!”

Kim Ha-yoon’s voice grew even more energized.

“If you need help with anything while getting ready, just ask. Oh, and…”

She suddenly remembered something.

“I was going to call you anyway. Did you see the concert lineup and performance order yet?”

“I know who’s performing, but not the order…”

The lineup had been released early on.

Some invited singers had been announced early for promotion purposes.

But the actual performance order hadn’t been finalized.

‘I figured I’d be somewhere in the middle.’

She wasn’t a pro vocalist or a famous singing streamer,

So she assumed she’d be placed somewhere in the early to mid section.

But Kim Ha-yoon said something completely unexpected.

“Seo-yeon, you’re closing the concert. You’re the final act.”