Chapter 70

I don’t dislike singing.

No, I should say I like it.

It’s already been 12 years since I started learning to sing from Daulby.

I don’t think that during this long period of 12 years I’ve been forcefully learning something I didn’t like.

It was honestly a bit unexpected to debut as a rookie singer named Pinocchio.

But in the end, I’m just glad it all turned out well.

The music with the tag ‘feat. Pinocchio’ has been performing decently.

Debuting as a singer was definitely a good experience.

I also felt a clear sense of achievement as a singer.

However, despite rookie singer Pinocchio successfully debuting, I tried to keep Pinocchio’s true identity hidden.

If it were to be revealed that singer Pinocchio and actor Lee Ha-eun are the same person,

if people who finally learn Pinocchio’s true identity start focusing on my voice,

the likelihood of Diah’s true identity being revealed would naturally increase as well.

‘Surely, I will be found out someday… but it’s still too early.’

To be precise, my voice itself has already been exposed for a long time.

That’s why I tried to make my voice as different as possible when acting as an actor and when broadcasting as a virtual YouTuber.

One way or another, it’s better for virtual YouTuber Diah not to be revealed than to be exposed.

There may have been some virtual YouTubers that thrived after being exposed, but I thought any situation that led to exposure would be bad for a virtual YouTuber.

Fortunately, no one has seen through Diah’s identity so far.

So, I intended to continue balancing my work as actor Lee Ha-eun and virtual YouTuber Diah while keeping their voices separate.

I no longer wanted to provide any clues that would suggest Lee Ha-eun and Diah are the same person.

Therefore, when I first heard of a casting request coming in for singer Pinocchio rather than actor Lee Ha-eun, I intended to refuse outright.

But.

“Time is tight. The only one available right now is you, Ha-eun.”

Since I had heard a little about how desperate this finals was for the unknown rapper Hwang Ji-hyuk,

and realizing that I was the only one who could help that desperate person at the moment,

“…Let’s first go meet with the gentlemen. I think it’s better to talk about this in person.”

“Got it.”

In the end, I headed to Daulby’s studio instead of home.

Until now, my passive approach to singing activity had been purely due to my personal reasons.

Of course, that isn’t wrong or bad, but irrespective of that, I thought it wasn’t a significant reason to disregard someone else’s desperate situation.

Just as I was serious about my virtual YouTuber activities as Diah, Hwang Ji-hyuk must be serious about this [SIT ON THE MONEY] finals as well.

Of course, arguing about whose sincerity is greater is foolish.

‘…It’s a dilemma.’

I was able to compare what I would gain by helping Hwang Ji-hyuk and what I would gain by not helping him.

Thinking about it, even if Pinocchio’s identity were exposed, it wouldn’t necessarily mean that Diah’s identity would be revealed.

One way or another, I must separate the voices of virtual YouTuber Diah, actor Lee Ha-eun, and singer Pinocchio even more meticulously.

But I didn’t think giving up without trying was an option.

So, after weighing so many things continuously,

‘In the end, helping others is undeniably a good feeling. So, make sure to help those you can.’

‘…Yes.’

Only after recalling the promise I made with Chang Sung-ho did I gather my thoughts.

– Knock, knock.

“I’m here.”

I knocked on the studio door a couple of times.

It was right after I faced Lee Jun and Lee Geon-yeol, who looked a bit tense.

‘This feels like it happened before.’

The usual familiarity was completely gone, and they had a strangely awkward demeanor.

The air in the studio was a bit heavy as well.

To put it bluntly, it was suffocating.

If that’s the case, why did they even request a casting?

“Um, gentlemen. Am I scary?”

“Ah, it’s just… we were worried you might be upset.”

“It felt like we were begging someone who doesn’t want to sing.”

“I’m not angry. I didn’t think you were that desperate for a request.”

From my perspective, being awkward like this was less comfortable than being straightforward and laying everything out from the get-go.

I couldn’t tell them the real reason I was reluctant about singing activities, though.

“If I was going to refuse outright, I wouldn’t have come to the studio. So please tell me exactly what the situation is.”

What followed were stories about the first meeting between Hwang Ji-hyuk and Daulby.

After that, they recounted how Hwang Ji-hyuk was scouted to Daulby’s team all the way until they reached the finals of [SIT ON THE MONEY].

“He’s truly diligent. He has so much passion.”

“He has a charm that makes you want to help him.”

‘…I’m totally smitten.’

After hearing continuous praise and compliments about Hwang Ji-hyuk, the moment the topic regarding this finals was finally brought up.

Specifically, it was when I heard about the unavoidable circumstances that arose for the female singer who was originally scheduled to feature.

“So, what happens if I fill in for her as a featured artist?”

“What do you mean? Ji-hyuk will win.”

“…Is it really that simple?”

“When have we ever lied about something related to singing?”

The words from Lee Jun that if I helped, victory was guaranteed slipped from his mouth.

And sitting next to him, Lee Geon-yeol added,

“It’s going to be a more perfect final stage than any final stage of [SIT ON THE MONEY].”

Lee Jun said something similar to me.

What soon followed was a gaze filled only with expectations.

In the end, I couldn’t bring myself to say I wouldn’t do it.

However, because of the rules of [SIT ON THE MONEY],

since everyone including the featured artist had to perform live on stage,

‘…If that’s the case, what was the point of using a pseudonym?’

The fact that the identity of Pinocchio would inevitably come to light was undeniable.

Therefore,

“Please give Hwang Ji-hyuk a call.”

I contacted Hwang Ji-hyuk to confirm one last time if this finals was worth exposing Pinocchio’s identity.

One way or another, since this featuring required great courage from me, I wanted to weigh things thoroughly until the very end.

Not even five seconds passed before the call connected.

Initially, Lee Geon-yeol opened his mouth and started explaining briefly.

“Um, Ji-hyuk. I talked to Pinocchio, and…”

[ …Is it really difficult for you? ]

“No. It’s not that hard.”

[ Oh? S-She said she’d feature?! ]

“So, Ji-hyuk, you have to be very careful with your words. Depending on how you phrase it, she might agree or not.”

With that, the phone was swiftly handed to me in speaker mode.

“…Hello, this is Hwang Ji-hyuk. I’m Pinocchio.”

[ Oh, hello! This is Hwang Ji-hyuk!! ]

His voice was filled with enthusiasm.

Considering he hadn’t said anything yet, he seemed at a loss.

Anyway, I had to confirm certain things, so I asked about his determination regarding this finals.

“Do you think you can win?”

[ Ah, winning…? Of course, I want to, but to do that— ]

“Just say yes or no.”

[ …Yes. I can win. ]

His voice was steady.

After a moment of silence, I hesitated, then finally spoke.

“Keep your promise.”

I accepted the offer to feature.

Not long after, the speaker mode phone returned to its original owner, Lee Geon-yeol.

The issue was.

[ I’ll be there in five minutes, so please wait a moment!! ]

I heard the voice that signified the resumption of the recording for the finals song, which had been temporarily halted due to the unavoidable departure of the female artist.

The bigger problem was that the call ended before I could respond.

– Bang!

“Gasp, gasp…”

The rough breath of someone who had come rushing with all their might was the most serious issue now.

Then, as Hwang Ji-hyuk started looking around at the people gathered in the studio one by one,

he quickly passed by the familiar faces of Lee Geon-yeol and Lee Jun,

and the moment he made eye contact with me, the only unfamiliar face,

“…Um, brothers. What is Pinocchio’s real name?”

“Lee Ha-eun.”

“Is there another person with that name?”

“Impossible.”

“Then, is this really that person?”

“Yeah. This person is indeed that person.”

A sitcom-like conversation ensued in an instant.

Hwang Ji-hyuk’s mouth, which had slowly started to open, stayed shut for a long time.

***

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A clear voice.

With a perfectly steady breath that never wavered.

An agile display that freely shifted between chest voice and falsetto.

“How is it? Ha-eun sings well, right?”

“…I think I’m falling for her.”

“Whoa, but really, don’t fall in love. Ha-eun is still a high school student.”

Everything was so unbelievable from start to finish.

There was barely a trace of reality to be felt.

As if I might be dreaming, I unconsciously gave a light slap to my own palm.

Hwang Ji-hyuk’s cheek reddened slightly after being slapped without resistance.

That meant everything displayed before Hwang Ji-hyuk’s eyes was the truth.

I struggled to suppress the exhilaration that covered my entire body, which had come from countless splashes of cold water.

“The world is indeed unfair. How can she sing so well too?”

“Hey, even if she looks like this, she’s been practicing singing for over 10 years. She has been coming to our studio since she was in kindergarten.”

“Our Ha-eun received amazing education in that regard.”

The voices were clearly filled with pride and admiration toward Ha-eun.

Hwang Ji-hyuk let out a helpless laugh in response.

It was a funny situation.

It was a situation where I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Hey, Jun. Looks like Ji-hyuk really has a crush on Ha-eun.”

“His mouth is practically hitting his ears.”

“…It’s her voice he’s smitten with. Her voice.”

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