Virtual YouTuber.

Rabin from Summer Girl had never heard of such a term before.

How could anyone host a broadcast using a 3D avatar?

At first, she thought it was some kind of joke, but was this really a thing?

“I actually knew about it,” said Soeun, another member of Summer Girl.

“Really??”

Rabin was taken aback by Soeun’s words. Am I falling behind the times?

Still, she couldn’t voice her complaints because the person quietly watching from beside them was just too intimidating. Wasn't this my own agency? Where were the bodyguards, or the security? Were they slacking off?

“Unni.”

“What?”

“Do you think the security guard could fold a 500-won coin in half?”

“...No, probably not.”

“Then shouldn’t they have let us know?”

“Isn’t this a lawful country?”

Despite all these frustrations, there was nothing Rabin could do but sit quietly and listen to the session. If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve just gone to vocal training.

This is all Cha Nahyi’s fault.

Just because she’s got a pretty face, sings well, and dances perfectly, does she have to be good at acting too? She really has everything. Rabin ground her teeth in frustration.

The reason Summer Girl had half-assed their OST work was also largely because of Rabin. She didn't want the group to become even more reliant on Cha Nahyi, further cementing the image that Summer Girl was piggybacking off her fame.

To others, it might sound like a case of sour grapes, but Rabin’s pride mattered more. I am Summer Girl! Without me, there is no Summer Girl!

She didn’t want to add another achievement to Cha Nahyi’s already impressive career with this OST, so she resisted as much as possible, but now, she was at her limit.

“We’ve checked the song, and the difficulty level isn’t too high.”

While Rabin was lost in her thoughts, the teacher, Elchevette, continued speaking. Rabin wanted to look away or block her ears, but if she did, Seoyeon might flick that 500-won coin in her hand at her.

But wait a second.

She’s actually teaching really well.

Unlike Rabin, the other members of Summer Girl were quietly impressed. The way Elchevette explained the emotions behind the song, the vocal techniques—she was providing incredibly detailed guidance.

Of course, they were singers, so they could sing well if they needed to. But when it came to singing new songs, practice was always necessary.

That’s what a vocal trainer was for, and teacher Elchevette was doing an excellent job. In fact…

“You heard that, right? This is the kind of feel we’re going for. Soeun, your part needs to be a bit more playful.”

She even sang well. No, she sang really well.

Rabin started feeling confused.

How is she this good at singing?

Wasn’t she just someone who messes around with an avatar for fun? Really, Rabin didn’t want to admit this, but—

“She sings better than you, unni.”

“Hey, you...!”

Rabin glared at Soeun, who had clearly been waiting for the perfect moment to stir the pot. She nearly cursed but managed to hold it back.

No way was she going to let herself be told she was worse than this. Now she had to deal with hearing that not only Cha Nahyi but this...thing was better than her too.

“Rabin.”

Of course, the flicker of anger inside Rabin was immediately extinguished by Seoyeon’s quiet voice.

“Yes, yes.”

“That’s not acceptable.”

“It’s...not?”

Seoyeon looked at the startled Rabin seriously.

“There’s a person inside that monitor.”

“...”

“Isn’t there?”

“Of course there is, yes.”

Rabin glanced at Elchevette, who was staring blankly back at her from the screen.

...If only.

I’d like to smash that monitor and put an end to all of this, but Seoyeon was right next to her, and that scared her more.

Why is she being so nice today? It’s scarier this way.

As Rabin grumbled to herself, she could feel Seoyeon’s gaze on her. Those slightly glowing red eyes. Rabin’s attention shifted to the 500-won coin in Seoyeon’s hand. It was still intact, but the thought that if that coin folded, she’d be folded along with it crossed her mind.

Rabin’s body trembled.

Why is she like this?

Seoyeon, for her part, sensed Rabin’s unease. After all, every little movement she made seemed to make Rabin flinch, and if she so much as yawned, Rabin would jump out of her skin.

Even someone as oblivious as Seoyeon couldn’t miss it by now.

What did I do?

It felt like she was being treated like some kind of violent person. Seoyeon’s face naturally scrunched into a frown.

Today, Seoyeon was actually being very kind. This wasn’t just about Ramiel—this was her righteous duty of spreading awareness about VTubers.

Sure, I got mad at them that time, but that was because of how they were treating Nahyi. Seoyeon didn’t usually lose her temper easily; she had a pretty even disposition.

“I don’t know if watching something like that will really help...”

“...Something like that?”

Seoyeon’s eyes narrowed. Rabin instinctively realized she’d just stepped on a landmine!

“N-no, I’ll work hard now!”

“Yes, I invited her because she’s busy and it wasn’t easy to get her here. You’ll need to put in the effort.”

“I-I see... She must be a really important person.”

For the first time, Rabin began to question her career as an idol. Clapping along for someone inside a monitor, she felt herself becoming more and more detached from reality.

I shouldn’t have driven out that vocal trainer.

Rabin deeply regretted her tantrum toward the agency’s representative. Maybe this is a nightmare? None of it made sense.

How does it make sense for a high school girl to fold a 500-won coin in half? But she didn’t have the courage to check if this was all just a dream.

And so, the vocal training session continued in earnest. Any resistance Rabin might have put up was quickly squashed by Seoyeon folding and unfolding the coin in her hand. So Rabin quietly endured two hours of training.

“Good, good. Let’s stop here for today.”

Today?

The words struck terror into Rabin.

Wait, it doesn’t end today?

She looked at Seoyeon, who nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“We’ll continue until you can sing the OST properly, right? I heard you don’t have another vocal trainer lined up…”

With that, everyone’s eyes turned to Rabin—the one responsible for the situation.

Rabin didn’t care about their stares. She needed to figure out how to end this nightmare.

I need to find a vocal trainer right away!!

When was the last time Rabin had been this desperate? Even during her trainee days, she hadn’t been this anxious.

After all, she was the niece of Hoyon Entertainment’s CEO, and her debut had been guaranteed from the start.

I’ll ban that beast from entering with her brute strength.

Do I even need a vocal trainer? If I can just block Joo Seoyeon, everything will be fine!

Rabin believed in the rule of law in her country. Surely, they could handle one rampaging creature.

But—

“Rabin!!”

Rabin was startled by the sight of Hoyon Entertainment’s CEO, Shin Taekjun, running toward her with a big smile. Her uncle was not a man who smiled easily. He only grinned like that when the company made a significant profit.

Did Summer Girl’s new song sell well?

Thinking that made Rabin feel a bit better. The song had a lot of her vocal parts, after all.

If it did well, she could finally bring down Cha Nahyi a notch!

“Did the album sell well?”

“No.”

His answer was so immediate that Rabin wondered if she’d misheard. Well, I guess I already knew. The song hadn’t even charted.

It was just wishful thinking. Really.

“But more importantly—”

“More importantly?”

What could be more important?

“When did you and Joo Seoyeon become friends? Manager Lim told me! He said Joo Seoyeon came to help us today!”

“Well, that’s…”

It was true that she came to help. And it was true that the vocal trainer in the monitor had unexpected talent.

“Keep her close.”

“...What?”

“I mean Joo Seoyeon. You know how well she’s doing these days, right? Our Rabin is finally doing something for the team!!”

At this point, there was no denying it. Rabin couldn't say "She only came because she’s friends with Cha Nahyi." That would be too humiliating.

Now, she understood why Manager Lim hadn’t stopped Seoyeon earlier.

“The company’s in a bit of a pinch lately, you know? We need to keep her close.”

“Yes, of course.”

In fact, Hoyon Entertainment was doing quite well financially. Their sister group, Winteress, had been a massive hit back in the day.

But then half of the members, who were Chinese, left for China, and the remaining Korean members slacked off.

So Hoyon tried to recreate Winteress’s success by pumping out girl groups like a factory, and the result was Summer Girl. Well, they still had plenty of money left.

The problem was, the opportunities to bring in more money were drying up.

But now…

I can’t ask for a new vocal trainer. If they hired one, Seoyeon would stop coming.

Why is this happening to me?

It was all Cha Nahyi’s fault. Not that Rabin could do anything to her now.

After all, she didn’t want to be beaten to death with a 500-won coin. And so, Summer Girl—

“...We’ll do our best.”

“Yes! Let’s work hard today!”

—ended up being trained by someone in a monitor. Seoyeon watched them with a satisfied smile.

“?”

Meanwhile, Cha Nahyi, who had just returned, stared at the scene in confusion. She had no idea what had happened.

_______________

 

Thanks to the magician’s help, it seemed like Summer Girl’s OST preparation was going smoothly. Especially with Rabin unexpectedly taking an active role, Seoyeon was in a very good mood.

Nahyi unni even thanked me.

Rabin had been so eager to ask when the magician would be coming again, she almost asked every time they met. Shouldn't the magician be grateful to me for this?

After all, idols had become her fans.

Maybe I can arrange a collaboration later?

Seoyeon had never heard of idols appearing on a VTuber stream before, but it wasn’t impossible, was it?

Or maybe Summer Girl could become VTubers themselves.

There had been individual cases of idols becoming VTubers, but never an entire group. A group of ultra-skilled VTubers debuting!

That way, the magician would grow in popularity, and Ramiel would benefit too, growing into a large corporation in no time...

...

No, that might be too much.

Seoyeon smiled slightly as she daydreamed. It would be nice if they just grew as big as they were in their previous life.

Too big and they might not even notice my Super Chats anymore...

At that point, Seoyeon calmed herself down. Surely, it won’t get that far.

Thanks to this, I feel much more relaxed now.

Seoyeon was on her way to meet the cast of Sky Garden for the first time. Until now, she had only met the director and the producers, but now she would meet the entire main cast.

Why is everything moving so fast?

This meant they were fully prepared. As long as the actors were ready, they could start filming immediately.

Come to think of it, who are the cast members of Sky Garden?

If none of the actors had been changed, except for Cha Nahyi, she didn’t know anyone else. There were more actors of her age in this production compared to Dream Future.

“Seoyeon, over here.”

As Seoyeon entered, she saw Cha Nahyi waving her over. Thankfully, there’s someone I know.

She was walking over when suddenly—

?

Seoyeon felt something strange. She sensed an intense gaze.

It came from the young actors who had already arrived.

Hmm.

Narrowing her eyes slightly, Seoyeon scanned the room. The young actors’ stares only seemed to intensify.

Most of them were hostile.

Now that I think about it, didn’t Jo Seohui mention something like this?

The younger the actors, the more intense the competition. That’s why Jo Seohui always acted confidently and flamboyantly.

“If you’re too modest, they’ll look down on you. Remember that.”

Being young meant emotions could run high. Now, Seoyeon understood what Jo Seohui had meant.