Chapter 96: Utaite Lucy, Part 2

They say there’s nothing to do in the countryside.

But even the countryside has levels. Places with “City” in their name shouldn’t even be considered countryside.

It’s an insult to truly rural areas.

Daejeon.

Those who call Daejeon boring have never experienced true countryside living.

“I’m bored…”

A girl with a husky voice muttered, standing by the sea.

The sea breeze whipped at her shirt, revealing glimpses of her tanned skin against the white fabric underneath.

But there was no one around to tease her about it.

“I want to go to Sungsimdang…”

This was a rural backwater without even a single franchise bakery. There were more fishermen hauling in squid at dawn than teenage boys who might tease a girl about her tan.

“Sigh…”

Boredom in the countryside is amplified when that countryside is an island.

Trips to the mainland were rare; this wasn’t the kind of countryside where city folk came to complain about boredom.

“Should I just go home…?”

The girl, wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat, turned away from the western sea and started walking home.

After an hour of enjoying the sea breeze, her daily escape was over.

“I’ll eat, play with my phone, use the computer…”

Unlike boys, who could entertain themselves playing ball, this sensitive island girl had little to do outside besides enjoying the sea breeze.

“What song should I upload next week…”

Her hobby was uploading JPOP covers to YouTube. Her equipment was cheap, the illustrations low-budget, and her mixing and editing self-taught, resulting in subpar quality compared to major productions.

But despite the limitations, she had gained a small following, reaching 150,000 subscribers.

For this girl, the weekly ritual of communicating with her illustrator, choosing a song, recording, editing, mixing, endlessly tweaking until satisfied, uploading to YouTube, and checking the response was one of the few joys of island life.

This remote corner of Korea.

A small island off the eastern coast.

For this girl, living on Ulleungdo, her YouTube channel was a lifeline.

“Ji-woo, you’re home?”

“Yes, Mom. I’m going to record, so don’t disturb me.”

“Okay.”

Her hobby was considered healthy, earning her parents’ support, most notably, the soundproof booth in her room.

“Maybe ‘White Lotus’…”

tap, tap

Seo Ji-woo leaned back in her chair inside the booth, searching for the MR of the song that came to mind.

While she enjoyed managing her channel, she, like anyone else, felt the pressure of deadlines.

Unless she had a specific song in mind, she usually chose trending songs.

She selected an MR, did a test recording, checked the results, and tapped her foot to the rhythm.

Today, she planned to do a guide recording, mix it, and get a feel for the final product.

Frustrated by the slow mixing process, she was procrastinating when.

“Huh?”

She had a new email.

Her inbox was usually filled with spam, occasionally punctuated by emails from illustrators demanding payment. A message from an unknown sender was rare. And the sender was…

“H-Haru…!”

A well-known Vtuber.

Scarlet, who had just celebrated her first streaming anniversary.

The CEO and Mama of Scarlet’s agency.

The talented Vtuber, Haru.

[Hello. I’ve received your email.]

-If possible, I’d like to meet in person to discuss this further.

Please let me know where we should go… we’ll try our best to accommodate you.

She had to reply immediately. Despite her low-budget illustrations, Lucy, or rather Seo Ji-woo, had garnered 150,000 subscribers with her unique, boyish voice.

Haru wouldn’t let her slip away. This was her chance.

“I-I’ll come to you. Please, let me come to you. I don’t need travel expenses, please…”

A reason to leave the island. A plausible excuse to convince her parents.

She wasn’t sure if Haru was serious about signing her, but the email hinted at it strongly enough.

Convincing her parents to let her visit the mainland shouldn’t be too difficult.

“I wonder where she lives? Busan? I want to visit Haeundae if it’s Busan.

Sungsimdang in Daejeon. Grilled clams in Incheon. Seoul… Seoul… maybe a two-day trip…”

Ji-woo excitedly started planning her trip.

“So cold…”

Hayoon, wearing a warm, fluffy cardigan over her uniform, entered the heated club room.

“Hooo, hooo…”

She blew on her hands to warm them. As she was thawing out from the chilly autumn morning, she noticed the heater and looked up.

And there…

“You’re here.”

“Ugh, are you okay, senior? The weather is crazy.”

“Tell me about it… It was so hot yesterday; I didn’t bring a jacket and almost died…”

Hong Seo-hyun waved weakly. The weather was unpredictable – hot one minute, cold the next.

Cold in the morning, hot at lunch, and cold again in the evening.

November weather was a mess. The forecast predicted a steady drop in temperature from today until December, so it was time to prepare for winter.

“At least it’s warm in here. Those boys opened the windows in the classroom because they were hot. Are they insane?”

Hong Seo-hyun shuddered, recalling the frigid classroom, and explained why she had sought refuge in the club room. She wanted to stay there all day.

But.

“Aren’t most people just chilling in class now that they have jobs lined up?”

She still had to maintain appearances. She should be in class.

“Ah!”

“Wh-What…?”

“Right? That’s it, isn’t it?”

“Huh…?”

“Should I ask Mr. Park if I can stay in the club room? Everyone knows we have jobs, so they’re all sleeping in class. I can just stay here where it’s warm, right?”

What kind of ridiculous idea was this? Perhaps influenced by her year of streaming and the nonsensical banter with her viewers, Hong Seo-hyun suggested this absurd plan and headed to the faculty room to negotiate with Park Geun-soo.

Even the easygoing Mr. Park wouldn’t grant the already privileged Game Release Club yet another special treatment.

“G-Good luck…”

Hayoon offered a small cheer to Hong Seo-hyun’s retreating back and enjoyed the warmth of the heater, scrolling through her phone.

“Oh, an email?”

She noticed a reply to the email she sent yesterday, to Utaite Lucy. It was a standard recruitment offer.

I’ve read your email. We’d like to make a counteroffer. If possible, we’d like to meet. Please let us know where and when; we’ll do our best to accommodate you.

That’s what she remembered writing. The reply had arrived overnight. What did it say? With a hint of anticipation, she opened the email.

[I’ll come to you. Please send the address.]

A curt reply, the entire message contained in the subject line.

“Ugh, kids these days…”

Hayoon was speechless.

The impersonal response was unexpected and slightly disappointing.

She was baffled by Lucy’s behavior. She felt like an old lady, but…

“This is a bit rude, isn’t it…”

She felt strangely offended.