Hobbyist VTuber

---

Small cameras installed throughout the tidy workshop.

The [Infinite Challenge] staff were preparing for a shoot in the monitoring room right next to the workshop.

“Ah, so this is how observational entertainment is filmed… How fascinating.”

Arriving at Hwang Ji-hyuk’s workshop, Ha-eun looked around at the bustling scene with curiosity.

It wasn’t long before her assigned writer approached her and attached a recording microphone.

Thanks to having gone to the makeup shop early that morning for filming makeup, she didn’t have to do any further makeup.

To be precise, the makeup Ha-eun received was just a slight touch-up on her bangs and eyebrows.

“Yoon Si-hyuk will be arriving in about 15 minutes,” said PD Lee Seung-hwan, who was in charge of today’s filming for Ha-eun and Yoon Si-hyuk’s [Infinite Challenge Music Festival].

Listening closely to PD Lee’s words, Ha-eun ended up waiting for Yoon Si-hyuk inside the workshop with Hwang Ji-hyuk.

However, since PD Lee requested that their simple small talk be captured on camera,

“Hmm, why does your face look so stiff?”

“It’s my first time on broadcast, so I guess I’m just really nervous.”

“You’ll gradually get used to it. Or, do you want to wash your face right now?”

She started chatting with Hwang Ji-hyuk, who appeared even more nervous than during the live finale of [SIT ON THE MONEY].

Anyway, Hwang Ji-hyuk had to keep his composure for the song work between Ha-eun and Yoon Si-hyuk to proceed smoothly.

Since they needed to meet fairly often for the performance piece for the [Infinite Challenge Music Festival], she wanted to get the ball rolling on a good note.

Ha-eun asked Hwang Ji-hyuk to play the melodies they had previously sketched out.

Instead of sitting nervously, she felt it would help ease Hwang Ji-hyuk’s tension to draw his focus towards his main work.

“I heard you enjoy listening to Ji-hyuk’s songs, so you don’t have to worry too much.”

“Who? Si-hyuk?”

“Yeah. You said it fits your style perfectly.”

Thus, she continued to engage Hwang Ji-hyuk in conversation while enjoying the melodies at the sketch stage.

Each melody had a different vibe and emotion, allowing for a wide range of choices.

After that, rather than remaining still, Hwang Ji-hyuk began fiddling with the sound equipment in the workshop, gradually diminishing the signs of his tension.

Thanks to this, when Yoon Si-hyuk arrived at the workshop, he could greet him calmly as a veteran musician rather than a nervous entertainment newcomer.

“Hello, this is Hwang Ji-hyuk, whom you spoke to last time.”

“Ah, nice to meet you! I’m listening to your music.”

Right after a pleasant greeting between Yoon Si-hyuk and Hwang Ji-hyuk,

Yoon Si-hyuk approached Ha-eun, who was standing right next to Hwang Ji-hyuk, to express his joy upon seeing her.

“How long has it been since we last met on broadcast? About 7 or 8 years?”

“Yeah, I think it’s been about that long.”

“Wow, time really flies. I first saw you when you were just in elementary school and now you’re already in high school.”

His voice sounded a bit emotional as he continued.

“Even back in elementary school, you were pretty, but now you’re like a total queen. Those who are special from the start definitely stand out as they grow.”

“Thank you. Oh, by the way, congratulations on having a son!”

What followed was a long conversation about how they had been.

Since it was a reunion after a while, there was no shortage of exchanges between Ha-eun and Yoon Si-hyuk.

Thus, they reminisced about [Don’t Stop People] and listened to Yoon Si-hyuk’s personal thoughts about [The Moonlight Through the Clouds].

The first discussion about the performance piece for the [Infinite Challenge Music Festival] started soon after.

♬──♪──
♪─♪──♬♪♪

As Ha-eun and Yoon Si-hyuk began discussing things in earnest, the melodies filled the workshop.

After Hwang Ji-hyuk played all the melodies they had devised earlier, Ha-eun asked which melody he liked the best.

“Can I be honest?”

“Sure.”

“I like them all. I want to do all of them!”

Then came Yoon Si-hyuk’s not-so-inner monologue, “I’m really torn about this…”

After Yoon Si-hyuk asked to hear it just one more time, Hwang Ji-hyuk quickly moved his hands and played the sketch-stage melodies again.

Around 20 minutes later, they finally reached a conclusion.

“I personally think we should go with the second one. What do you think, Ha-eun?”

“I think that would be good. The tempo seems just right.”

To be frank, it didn’t really matter to her which melody Yoon Si-hyuk chose.

She was confident in her ability to handle any melody, and Yoon Si-hyuk also had some level of singing capability.

So, she wanted to decide on a melody as soon as possible and dedicate more time to subsequent stages.

Among them, the part she wanted to spend the most time on was the lyrics.

“I want to write something meaningful but not too ridiculous.”

In any case, [Infinite Challenge] is the most popular entertainment show in Korea.

The special broadcast [Infinite Challenge Music Festival] would undoubtedly attract significant attention from many people.

The performance venue, Gocheok Sky Dome, boasts a capacity of nearly 30,000 people.

That means close to 30,000 audience members live, along with countless [Infinite Challenge] viewers beyond the TV screen, would hear Ha-eun’s song.

“I want to avoid overly silly lyrics, if that’s alright with you?”

“Of course, that’s fine.”

She didn’t want to write lyrics that had too light a feel.

Personally, Ha-eun wanted to write lyrics reflecting her aspirations towards becoming a ‘great star.’

“To write lyrics, it’s crucial to establish an overarching theme first. How about we decide on a working title for the song?”

Hwang Ji-hyuk suggested that having a preliminary title would help in writing the lyrics more easily.

Ha-eun pondered for a moment, throwing around various words in her mind.

Of course, Yoon Si-hyuk, who was sitting directly opposite her, also suggested several ideas.

Eventually, Ha-eun’s suggestion aligned perfectly with Yoon Si-hyuk’s taste, leading to an immediate acceptance of her idea.

“What about ‘Trend’? It means a fad.”

“Trend? As in, you and I leading the world’s trends? That kind of feeling?”

“Uh, well… I guess that could be one way to look at it?”

“I like it! You have a great sense, Ha-eun.”

Thus, the temporary title for Ha-eun and Yoon Si-hyuk’s performance piece was officially decided to be ‘Trend.’

Afterward, they spent a few minutes fleshing out the melody Yoon Si-hyuk had chosen into the sketch’s next stage.

With Hwang Ji-hyuk still sitting in front of his sound equipment, bass, drums, and guitar sounds began to be added.

The melody was even more delicately refined due to the back-and-forth feedback from Ha-eun and Yoon Si-hyuk.

The second recording session for the [Infinite Challenge Music Festival] concluded about two hours later.

“Thank you all for your hard work. See you at the next recording.”

Looking satisfied with the smooth filming, PD Lee Seung-hwan said his thanks and withdrew from the workshop along with the other staff members.

The small cameras installed throughout the workshop were left in place for the next recording.

“I’ll invite you to the chat room, so if you think of any punchlines or good lyrics, feel free to let me know anytime.”

“Okay~.”

Having invited Yoon Si-hyuk into a chat room that only contained Ha-eun and Hwang Ji-hyuk, she said her goodbyes to him.

However, for Ha-eun,

“I have something I need to record personally, so can I use the recording studio for just a moment?”

She had to record the guide vocals for Lee Ye-na’s cover song, which was now in the final stage.

“Of course. I’ll watch over your recording.”

“Thank you.”

She needed to stay in Hwang Ji-hyuk’s workshop for another 30 minutes.

The issue arose when Hwang Ji-hyuk, who had been listening to Ha-eun’s singing outside the recording studio, unknowingly asked about the purpose of the recording.

Fortunately, he had no clue that Ha-eun was recording guide vocals for a VTuber cover song.

“Are you appearing on King of Mask Singer? Or Immortal Songs?”

“Ah, no. I’m just recording for a request from an older sister I know.”

Ha-eun couldn’t explain to him what exactly she was singing for a famous female singer.

She certainly couldn’t reveal that the song she had sung would ultimately be released as a cover song by VTuber Yuna from Fantasia.

*

Starting from the second recording of [Infinite Challenge Music Festival], Ha-eun’s daily life began to become busy again.

School was becoming a little more frequent, as she went home a few hours before the end of the school day to head to the filming set for [The Sunshine].

This was due to the timings of Kim Jung-hyun’s scenes in [The Sunshine] varying significantly between segments.

Sometimes it was set against the backdrop of late evening just before sunset, and other times it was during midday when the sun was at its peak.

Of course, she had no complaints since it was part of the process of creating what would later be termed a masterpiece.

No matter when they filmed, she gave her best performance as Kim Jung-hyun.

Consequently, filming for [The Sunshine] was progressing smoothly without any real delays.

The relatively quiet atmosphere of the early filming was nearly complete.

However, since Kim Jung-hyun, who had initially been a flat character, began to develop into a more three-dimensional character from the mid-point,

Ha-eun sought to meet with Hong Soo-eun, the screenwriter of [The Sunshine], for a more immersive performance.

“Though I already know what the scenes are like…”

What Ha-eun recalled from [The Sunshine] was, after all, just what she had accessed through the TV.

She could follow the dialogue and actions remembered in her mind precisely, but revealing the intent or meaning layered within those words and actions couldn’t be done.

Thus, she wanted to meet with Hong Soo-eun, the person who brought Kim Jung-hyun to life, to gather various insights.

She aimed to understand more clearly what choices lay within Kim Jung-hyun’s character.

When the day finally arrived for her meeting with Hong Soo-eun,

Holding a small gift for her, just as she had done on the day she first visited Ji Hye-min, she rang the doorbell.

– Creak.

“Ah, Ha-eun! I was waiting for you. Come on in.”

As Ha-eun stepped inside following Hong Soo-eun, a very tidy view of the house awaited her.

Despite the absence of any luxury goods or masterpieces, there was an air of sophistication everywhere.

Eventually, they reached Hong Soo-eun’s personal study.

A wooden table and black-painted wooden chairs emanated a tidy aura.

Just as Ha-eun was about to voice her various questions about Kim Jung-hyun that she had prepared,

“Oh, what’s that…?”

On top of Hong Soo-eun’s desk lay a notebook.

More precisely, the title [Goblin] written on the cover caught her eye.

In the end, the first question Ha-eun asked wasn’t about Kim Jung-hyun but rather about the notebook sitting on Hong Soo-eun’s desk.

As Ha-eun cautiously inquired about the notebook’s essence, Hong Soo-eun briefly picked it up and slowly began to speak.

What she heard thereafter were all details perfectly aligning with Ha-eun’s memories.

Meaning, the story contained within the notebook was also perfectly in line with Ha-eun’s recollections.

“The main female character is a high school student like you. Could you share a few insights from a high schooler’s perspective?”

Hong Soo-eun asked if she could help finish the still-in-progress story, to which Ha-eun nodded.

For Ha-eun, [Goblin] was one of the works she desperately wanted to be part of.

More than anything, the impact [Goblin] held in Ha-eun’s memory was nothing short of a social phenomenon.

Thus, she felt she needed to seize the opportunity presented by [Goblin] to achieve her dream of becoming a great star.

So ultimately, today’s goal of understanding Kim Jung-hyun from [The Sunshine] more deeply now had the additional aim of [Goblin].

As a result, Ha-eun’s return home also shifted to a few hours later than planned, but she didn’t mind.

She was determined not to miss the opportunities to engage with her role more profoundly and to unexpectedly encounter new chances.

Having already experienced death once, she knew better than anyone that opportunities do not come easily.