episode_0013

In the brief three minutes given, I loosened my throat once and finished setting up the guitar. The interview resumed.

“What song have you prepared, No. 96?”

Cha Hyobin quickly stood up, assuming a singing posture.

“I’ve prepared a dance track that I like. Honestly, I’m not good at singing, but I’ll be overflowing with confidence. Please listen attentively.”

“Yes. Understood.”

Her unaccompanied, non-microphone singing began. It was truly a performance brimming with confidence. Was that all there was to it? How did the interviewer take it? What should I do? That person Camomile’s expression doesn’t look good again.

“Well done. Your solid voice coming from your vocal range and confidence is charming, but it’s quite disappointing. I believe that even YouTubers should know how to sing at least a bit… Unfortunately, it seems you don’t meet that standard.”

“Ugh. Yes. I am aware that I have many shortcomings. Thank you for the evaluation.”

Ye-seul’s feedback that followed was mostly encouraging.

“My overall assessment aligns with Camomile’s, but that doesn’t mean we’ll disqualify you just because you couldn’t sing as a YouTuber. Don’t be too discouraged. Show us what you’ve got in the next round.”

“Yes. I’m really confident about this. It’s a dance. I recorded the accompaniment on my phone, can I play it?”

“Yes. Unaccompanied singing is only for songs.”

“Yes. Just a moment…”

As if selecting a song on her phone, she continued speaking while swiping the screen with her finger.

“A word, since it’s an interview, let’s add some spice to appeal to yourself. When I persuaded my parents after graduating high school without going to college that I would try dancing, I received their approval by dancing this way and got their okay.”

“Oh… Can we expect something good?”

“Yes. I dance very impressively. I will make up for the failed singing just now.”

She played the song and placed her phone on the chair.

Ding dong!

With a fast beat, her dance began. While singing and dancing may feel similar, they are truly different. Even though I am confident in singing, I can’t dance well. Similarly, although she couldn’t sing well, she danced impressively as she had put effort into it earlier.

“Wow! That was impressive.”

The admiration that didn’t come out while singing burst out after the dance ended.

“If you showed me this dance earlier, I would have asked even my parents to dance for 1-2 years.”

“Haha. Thank you. This is a dance to showcase my skills and there are dances that have become hot topics in communities and online platforms. I will show those too.”

Continuing to play different songs, she showcased various dances. It somewhat resembled a variety show. No, her dancing skills were beyond that.

“Even a sexy dance like this. Whenever a new dance trend emerges, I quickly learn and showcase it on broadcasts. Wouldn’t that be fun? Showing myself dancing like this as a YouTuber.”

“That’s nice. But why did you mention becoming a YouTuber?”

“Because being a YouTuber is the future, right? Haha. To be a bit serious…”

She wiped away the sweat that had gathered with a towel she had brought in advance.

“I find it more enjoyable to dance as a virtual character rather than as myself. Studying motions and how they are expressed is also very interesting. So… my dream of being a dancer has slightly shifted to a virtual dancer, and this has become my new dream. I really want to achieve this dream here in Linnues.”

“Yes, well done. After watching your dance, my impression has completely changed.”

“Oh. Thank you.”

Next, the unaccompanied singing and talent show of No. 97 and No. 98 began. Their skills were average, but perhaps Camomile had been listening to such songs continuously for five days, feeling fatigued, as they evaluated them expressionlessly and harshly.

“Thank you for your performance. Number 98, while not as bad as Number 97, didn’t leave a strong impression. It seems like more effort is needed.”

Unfortunately, it appears that both individuals failed to score well in singing and chess competitions. Naturally, this will make the next turn even more tense.

“Number 99.”

“Yes!”

“Don’t be too nervous. When you’re ready, please sing the first verse of a freestyle song without accompaniment.”

“Umm… Hoo-ahhh.”

After taking a deep breath, she suddenly stood up, giving off a slightly childish vibe taller than her seated height. In any case, her expression seemed determined. Do well. Fighting.

“The song I’ve prepared is a rock ballad…”

Surprised by the unexpected song choice. It must be a challenging song to sing. Surprisingly, she seems to sing well despite appearances. One should not judge people solely by their outward appearance. However, from the very first note of the intro, her voice starts wavering.

“Wooah…”

Not singing well. Nevertheless, she must continue till the end. Don’t give up. Fight through it! Struggling through the intro, now comes the highlight part. Her pitch becomes unstable, leading to her voice cracking. A potential disaster. How will she handle this?

“Everyone, together!!”

Gasp.

Singing all together without accompaniment? Amidst everyone hesitating, I joined in lightly to prevent a catastrophe. Listening closely, even Number 96 at the far end was singing along.

“Haah… I’m sorry.”

The song ended.

She seemed resigned to thinking the outcome was a failure. Camomile, who had been cold throughout, softened her tone slightly, perhaps feeling apologetic compared to earlier.

“No, well done. But in terms of singing ability, why choose a difficult rock ballad?”

“It’s because the viewers really enjoy it, regardless of singing skills…”

“Hmm~ Choosing with the viewers in mind. That’s fine. I’ll take note of this.”

“Oh, really? Thank you!”

Next, her impersonation talent continued. Earlier in the waiting room, she mentioned being good at imitating game character voices. Her voice was nasal and full of aegyo, likely imitating similar characters. Exciting to see.

“I can’t dance well, play instruments, draw, or sing well. However, my ability to imitate characters is top-notch. Allow me to demonstrate.”

She exceeded my expectations. Instead of just one character, she began sequentially impersonating various characters from anime and games.

“Finale. Bang bang!”

With her subculture prowess, the atmosphere instantly changed.

“Oh… Well done.”

“You remembered all of them.”

“How many characters were there?”

“Exactly 21 characters. Thank you!”

“But seriously, do you not know any obscure comics?”

“No.”

As Ye-seul threw out various comic titles with an intrigued expression, Cha, like a goalkeeper blocking shots, effortlessly revealed details about each protagonist, plot, and current popularity.

“Oh… Wow. You know all the comics that were popular when I was young.”

“Yes! I really love comics. Any more?”

“Alright, I understand. Please take a seat.”

“Okay!”

Despite initial nerves, Number 99 showcased a dramatic turnaround by incorporating her interests. For some reason, I felt as delighted as if it were my own success.

“And finally… Oh, it’s not meant to be burdensome. Number 100, you are the last in the 5-day audition.”

“Is that so? Thank you for the honor.”

“The seat of honor, indeed, and so everyone will evaluate the final performance more critically than ever.”

Camomile’s words seemed intimidating, but instead, they made me smile broadly.

“Yes. I appreciate that. Let’s begin.”

The talent show I prepared is an electric guitar performance. Before that, I plan to sing a song without any accompaniment, one that is often mistaken for a children’s song even appearing in elementary school textbooks.

I confidently chose to sing this rather than showcase my rock skills because everyone seems to expect rock from me, and I want to show a vibe of “I can do this well too.” It will be in line with the image I presented during the mock broadcast.

Mockpick.

As always, if successful, they praise it as an unexpected move, but if it fails, it’s all sighs and criticism. However, I always enjoy these high-risk, high-return situations.

***

Before the audition started.

Camomile grew gradually tired over the four-day interview period. Ye-seul noticed this and asked with concern,

“You’ve been through a lot, right? Since you came, I’ll support you doubly… Just hang in there a little longer. Today is the last day.”

“Oh no, going through interviews isn’t that tough. It’s nice to work with Ye-seul unni after a long time, brings back good memories. But…”

“But?”

“It’s just that since it’s before the audition, lately, it’s all the same vocalization learned from similar academies, showing off roughly calculated fatal tones in song selections. It’s so unbearable to listen to, really drives me crazy.”

“Ahaha…”

Understanding what she meant, Ye-seul nodded with a knowing expression.

“Of course, since it’s not about selecting singers but YouTubers, you don’t have to sing that well. Then show some talent for online broadcasting or something. This is just too much…”

Out of nearly 400 interviewees, only two seemed promising. Only one person truly impressed with their singing. They had 50,000 subscribers and ran a utaite channel.

“Maybe we’ll find another gem today. That Kwon Seo-ah person. If she shows up.”

“She sings well in her videos, but singing acapella live might be different. I’ll keep my expectations reasonable for now.”

And so, the final day of interviews began, with numbers ranging from 80 to 95. There didn’t seem to be anyone outstanding.

“Now, from number 96 to 100. The last ones. Let’s see how that Kwon Seo-ah Ye-seul mentioned is.”

As the last candidate entered, Camomile was momentarily surprised by Kwon Seo-ah’s appearance. Even thinking about her in photos seemed unbelievable, but in person, she was even more beautiful.

“Hello. I’m Kwon Seo-ah, 27 years old, who led the indie band Scarlet as the leader and vocalist…”

Kwon Seo-ah proceeded to introduce herself.

Her diction was good, and her voice was captivating. She almost let slip the word ‘pass’ unintentionally but held back, instead asking with a slightly displeased expression,

“Why did you decide to become a YouTuber?”

Her subsequent answer was ‘because she was too pretty.’ The astonishing part was that you couldn’t deny her statement. Her confident and bright smile seemed to seep into you.

In her mock broadcast, she even took on the role of a teacher looking after kids, trying to exude that kind of aura. For a moment, it felt like my mind was about to explode with disbelief, but I held back and asked,

“But wouldn’t portraying such a concept as a YouTuber attract malicious viewers, the so-called trolls?”

I had almost blurted out in disbelief just now. However, her response to this question was incredibly satisfying.

“…I have a strong mentality.”

As she mentioned in the interview, she lost her parents in an accident at birth and started a challenging music career. Yet, she remained unbroken. A mentality worth emulating.

And soon after, her song finally began. What song would she sing? What life story would she share?

“…?!”

Wait, she’s singing a children’s song? Well, to be precise, it’s not a children’s song but a popular song that appears in elementary school textbooks. She sang it so well that I was quite taken aback.

Singing without accompaniment, without a microphone, the voice reverberates through the interview room. The lyrics seem to casually spill out about one’s own life for some reason.

Even after the song ends, a strong impression lingers. Selecting YouTubers based solely on singing ability isn’t the norm, but not choosing such a talented singer would be absurd. Observing broadcasts and even mock shows, it’s clear you possess a talent that could make most internet broadcasters pale in comparison.

Among 1000 applicants, Camomile uttered a word she had never spoken before during interviews.

“Accepted.”