Chapter 58

– Ah, ah. Second-year Condi Class 3 student Hong Seohyun, please come to the Game Publishing Club room. I’ll repeat that. Second-year Condi Class 3 student Hong Seohyun, please come to the Game Publishing Club room.

Shudder.

At a time that was neither too late nor too early, as Hong Seohyun was unpacking her bag after schooling, her body shuddered slightly.

It was only to be expected.

“Huh?”

“Uh, I think someone called you.”

“But where is the Game Publishing Club?”

“Was there even such a club?”

Hong Seohyun is just a regular student. She’s not as radically serious as Hayoon, nor does she bury herself in her own work like Arin. But if one had to say, she’s the quiet type who goes about school without making much noise. And it was to this quiet her that the eyes of almost every student sitting in the classroom reached.

‘Did I do something wrong…?’

Even if one tries not to show it, an inherently introverted person can’t help but feel suffocated. After all, the atmosphere where everyone in one space stares at you is something even extroverted people often can’t withstand.

‘If it’s the Game Publishing Club, isn’t it the place from last time’s contest…? Is it just about winning a prize? No, if it were just a prize, they wouldn’t bother using the PA system…’

Hong Seohyun grumbled to herself as she stepped into the hallway. Then, she tried to find the location of the Game Publishing Club’s room, but…

“Where even is that place…?”

Upon thinking about it, Hong Seohyun didn’t even know such a room existed. Given her routine of school, home; school, home, it was unlikely she’d take interest in anything other than her own classroom and major classes. Ultimately, she had no choice but to stop a passing teacher to ask.

“Excuse me, teacher?”

“Yes? Is there something you need?”

“Um, I was wondering… Do you happen to know where the Game Publishing Club room is?”

“Aha, I’m aware. I’m the advisor there.”

As fate would have it, this person was none other than Park Geon-su.

“Oh, you’re the advisor…?”

Hong Seohyun responded with a somewhat stiff expression to Park Geon-su’s bright smile. Her intent was simply to ask for the location and be on her way. However, our Mr. Park clearly adored female students who listened well and obediently…

He couldn’t simply pass by a student asking for the club’s location.

“Follow me, it’s just down this end.”

“But if it’s just the end of the corridor, I can go there directly…”

“Tsk, our student guests deserve a proper welcome.”

“Ah…”

While it might seem like he didn’t notice the student’s discomfort…

He wasn’t a bad person; he was just extremely overly friendly. After offering to guide her, he didn’t say or joke about anything unnecessary. And with that…

Having reached the Game Publishing Club’s room located at the end of the second-year hallway, Park Geon-su simply opened the door and entered after leaving behind a short sentence.

“And here we are.”

Inside, they were awaited by…

“…”

A black-haired student with a sharp perm who seemed to understand the situation vaguely well.

“Hey, hey! Hello!”

A cheerful student with brown hair greeting brightly.

“Teacher, we were about to start the interview. What will you do?”

A male student subtly hinting that he’d prefer Mr. Park to leave.

In total, three club members had welcomed Hong Seohyun.

“Hey, hey, I didn’t come here to observe interviews. I was just passing by when this student asked me where our club room was.”

“Indeed, you’re the epitome of a great teacher who inspires students.”

“Yeah, such a bright and capable student. Make sure to treat her well and if you accept her as a new member, get her student ID and name for me.”

“Understood, teacher.”

And the male student swiftly and skillfully calmed Park Geon-su. Indeed, Park Geon-su, perhaps feeling a bit overwhelmed by the imposing young man, left after hearing a few good words and headed straight to the faculty office…

“Um… Hello?”

Hong Seohyun broke the awkward silence with a greeting. She honestly felt a little tense.

After a moment of quiet, the black-haired perm girl finally spoke.

“Hello, senior. We’re the Game Publishing Club. By the way, we were deeply moved by your singing and would like to offer you a great opportunity.”

“Uh, a great opportunity?”

“Yes, this might be a long conversation. Could you please sit down?”

“Ah, yes, yes…”

Expertly handling Hong Seohyun, the girl pulled a chair from where the three of them had been sitting and offered it to her. It was a classic 3 vs 1 interview setup.

Hong Seohyun swallowed dryly out of sheer nervousness.

“First, let me introduce myself. I’m Min Hae-yun, and at the Game Club, I handle the illustrations and various planning. I’m a first-year student, so feel free to call me by my name.”

Starting with Min Hae-yun, the interview panel’s introduction time passed.

“…”

“Second-year class Condi 3 Video major, Hong Seohyun.”

As her own turn came to introduce herself after the introductions by Arin and Jin Ho, Hong Seohyun came across as rather stiff compared to the three who introduced themselves so casually.

It was natural.

Hong Seohyun had simply applied for the competition just to sing some songs for her assignments, with the mindset that any win would be good enough. She hadn’t anticipated being caught in such an interview atmosphere.

“As you might know, seniors who placed in upper positions in this contest will proceed to discuss a vocal contract with our Game Publishing Club. This is considered an interview for that process.”

“Co… contract?”

This reaction was also natural. Hong Seohyun wasn’t meticulous enough to read the small print about vocal contracts at the bottom of the contest poster that Min Hae-yun had carefully placed. She hadn’t yet made the habit of saving with Ctrl+S, often losing hours of work when her notebook displayed the Blue Screen of Death.

“Yes, of course, the contract isn’t mandatory. It’s just a preferential option. If you don’t wish to pursue the contract, feel free to leave as you please.”

“R-right…”

While Hong Seohyun relaxed upon learning that the contract wasn’t mandatory, Hae-yun confirmed something upon observing her reaction.

‘Such an easy mark.’

This woman clearly embodied the quintessential easy target. Hae-yun thought if maneuvered skillfully, even if she couldn’t bring her in as a club member, she could still use her as a vocal slave.

“Senior, your Korean cover songs were truly excellent. Are you the one who writes original lyrics?”

“I… well, I like Japanese songs, so I use machine translation and sometimes manually adjust the syllables…”

“Please speak more casually. Jin Ho here is a third-year but not authoritarian, so you can use informal language sometimes.”

“Can… can I? Oh, alright?”

“Of course.”

“Then, nice to meet you?”

There it was. This person truly had an innocent air about her.

“Since you adjust the lyrics to fit the syllables, I imagine you have a good understanding of music?”

“Well, I mostly do this through self-study, just for the covers… and even then, I refer to sheet music and spend hours on it…”

“Even so, just knowing how is impressive. I’m hopeless with both Japanese and English. If you can write covers, surely you can also freestyle?”

“Well, not to that extent… hehe…”

When Hae-yun complimented her a little, Hong Seohyun’s previously dull daily routine face lit up like a firefly, flitting around with joy. Normally, all she got at school were remarks about her video editing skills, but compliments about singing or cover songs or Japanese skill were rare.

In this moment, Hong Seohyun felt like she’d stumbled into paradise.

“You’ve got an amazing voice. Skill-wise, maybe not up to pro levels yet, but your voice alone could rival the pros.”

“Thank you so much!”

Jin Ho, who had been silent for a while, added one subtle compliment upon realizing Hae-yun’s plan.

“Anyway… We from the Game Publishing Club would like to propose… you join our club.”

“Join? But I don’t have any expertise in game development…”

“Are you kidding? There’s no way!”

This was the moment to deliver the decisive blow. Hae-yun naturally stood up beside Hong Seohyun, naturally placed her hand on her shoulder, and gently massaged it while whispering. Whispering with complete and utter charm.

“To create games, we need to make PVs too, and we need someone to sing our theme songs. Given you major in video editing with outstanding vocal skills…”

By this point, there was no need to finish the sentence.

The person who needed her. The person who wanted her voice.

As Hae-yun’s intent sunk in, Hong Seohyun’s previously wavering eyes gradually sharpened with resolve to respond to Hae-yun’s request.

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