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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 Doubly.

In these lengthy 12 years, I certainly don’t think I’ve been forced to learn something I don’t like.

Honestly, debuting as a newcomer singer named Pinocchio was a bit unexpected.

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

The revenue from the songs tagged ‘feat. Pinocchio’ has also been quite good.

Debuting as a singer was definitely a rewarding experience.

I could clearly feel the sense of achievement as a singer.

However, despite the successful debut of newcomer singer Pinocchio,

I was trying to keep Pinocchio’s true identity a secret.

If it were to become known that singer Pinocchio and actress Lee Ha-eun are the same person,

And if people who eventually learned about Pinocchio’s true identity began to focus on my voice,

The possibility of Dia’s true identity being revealed would inevitably increase.

“Surely, I’ll be found out someday… but now is not the time.”

Strictly speaking, my voice had been exposed long ago.

The effort to make my voice as different as possible when acting as an actress versus when streaming as a VTuber was for that reason.

In the end, it was far better for the VTuber’s ‘red pill’ to remain hidden rather than exposed.

While there might not be VTubers who have succeeded after their red pill was revealed, I thought that the very situation of the red pill being disclosed was not good for a VTuber.

Fortunately, no one has pierced through to Dia’s identity so far.

So, I planned to continue separating the voices of ‘actress Lee Ha-eun’ and ‘VTuber Dia’ while balancing my acting and VTuber work.

I didn’t want to provide any clues that actress Lee Ha-eun and singer Pinocchio were the same person.

Thus, when I first heard that the request for booking came to singer Pinocchio instead of actress Lee Ha-eun, I intended to refuse outright.

However.

“The situation is urgent. Right now, Ha-eun is the only one we can contact.”

Hearing how desperate the unknown rapper Hwang Ji-hyuk was for this finals,

And realizing that I was the only one who could help such a desperate person,

“…Let’s go meet with the uncles first. I think we need to talk face to face about this.”

“Got it.”

In the end, we headed to Doubly’s studio instead of home.

The passive attitude towards my singing activities was purely due to my personal reasons.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong or bad about that, but it didn’t seem like a significant enough reason to coldly dismiss someone else’s earnest circumstances.

Just as I was serious about my VTuber activities as Dia, Hwang Ji-hyuk must also be serious about this <SIT ON THE MONEY> finals.

Though it seemed foolish to compare whose seriousness was greater.

“…It’s a tough decision.”

I could compare what I would gain by helping Hwang Ji-hyuk and what I would achieve by not helping him.

Thinking it over, Pinocchio’s identity being revealed didn’t necessarily mean that Dia’s red pill would automatically be disclosed.

Regardless, I had to separate VTuber Dia’s voice, actress Lee Ha-eun’s voice, and singer Pinocchio’s voice even more thoroughly.

But giving up before trying didn’t seem right.

Thus, while weighing many things,

‘Helping others is inherently a pleasant thing. So, Ha-eun, make sure to help those you can.’

‘…Yes.’

Only after recalling the promise I made with Jang Seong-ho did I gather my thoughts.

-Knock, knock.

“I’m here.”

I knocked on the studio door twice.

It was right after that when I was greeted with the somewhat tense expressions of Lee Joon and Lee Geon-yeol.

‘This feels familiar, but…’

Their demeanor was somewhat awkward, stripped of the usual familiarity.

The atmosphere in the studio felt a bit heavy.

To put it bluntly, it was downright suffocating.

If that’s the case, then why did they even send the booking request?

“Um, uncles. Am I scary to you?”

“Ah, well… we were worried you might be angry.”

“Feels like we’re forcing a shy kid to sing.”

“I’m not angry. I didn’t even think your request was that much of a burden.”

From my perspective, it was easier for me to have everything laid out honestly rather than have them awkwardly look at me like that.

Although I couldn’t talk about my reasons for being hesitant about my singing activities.

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

Then they shared the story about when Hwang Ji-hyuk and Doubly first met.

After that, they talked about how Hwang Ji-hyuk was scouted to Doubly’s team and the journey that led up to the finals of <SIT ON THE MONEY>.

“He’s really diligent. Full of passion.”

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

‘…I’m totally falling for him.’

After continuing to hear praises and evaluations about Hwang Ji-hyuk, the discussion finally shifted to the finals.

Specifically, it was the moment I got a brief update on the unavoidable circumstances that prevented the originally scheduled female singer from participating in featuring.

“So then, what happens if I feature in her place?”

“What do you mean? Ji-hyuk will win.”

“…Is it really that certain?”

“Have we ever lied about singing?”

The claim that helping them meant victory was casually made by Lee Joon.

And beside him, Lee Geon-yeol chimed in.

“It’ll be the most perfect finals stage of <SIT ON THE MONEY>.”

He echoed Lee Joon’s sentiments to me.

What I faced now were only expectant gazes.

Ultimately, I couldn’t bring myself to say I wouldn’t do it.

However, according to the rules of <SIT ON THE MONEY>, all members, including the featuring singer, had to perform live on stage.

‘…Then what’s the point of using a pseudonym?’

It seemed Pinocchio’s identity was destined to be revealed.

Therefore.

“Please call Hwang Ji-hyuk.”

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

Regardless, this featuring needed significant courage from me, so I planned to weigh my options as thoroughly as possible.

Less than 5 seconds later, the call was connected.

First, Lee Geon-yeol opened his mouth to provide a rough overview.

“Uh, Ji-hyuk. I spoke with Pinocchio…”

[ …It’s tough, right? ]

“No. It’s not that difficult.”

[ Oh? Huh, she said she’ll feature?! ]

“That means, Ji-hyuk, you really need to choose your words wisely. Depending on how you phrase it, she might or might not feature.”

And just like that, the speaker phone mode was handed to me.

“…Hello, Hwang Ji-hyuk. This is Pinocchio.”

[ Ah, hello! I’m Hwang Ji-hyuk!! ]

His voice was filled with vigor.

To be fair, he seemed unsure even though he had yet to say anything.

Anyway, since I needed to confirm, I asked about his resolve for the upcoming finals.

“Do you think you can win?”

[ Ah, win…? Of course, I want to, but to do that ─ ]

“Please answer with a yes or no.”

[ …Yes. I can win. ]

His voice was steady.

After pondering for a moment, I finally opened my mouth after some deep consideration.

“Promise me you’ll keep your word.”

I eventually accepted the offer to feature.

Before long, the speakerphone returned to its original owner, Lee Geon-yeol.

The issue was.

[ I’ll be there in 5 minutes, so please wait a moment!! ]

A voice meaning that the recording for the final song, which had temporarily been halted due to the female singer’s unavoidable absence, would be starting again today.

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

-Bang!

“Gasp, gasp…”

The serious issue was that heavily labored breath, a clear sign of someone who had sprinted, now stood right in front of me.

As Huang Ji-hyuk began to scan the faces of everyone gathered in the studio.

So, after quickly passing by the familiar faces of Lee Geon-yeol and Lee Joon,

At that moment, when his eyes met mine, the only unfamiliar face,

“Um, hey guys. Is Pinocchio’s name?”

“Lee Ha-eun.”

“Same name?”

“Impossible.”

“Then, is she really that person?”

“Yup. She is that person.”

A sitcom-like conversation unfolded in an instant.

The familiar face of Hwang Ji-hyuk slowly began to open his mouth, and appeared to be in shock, taking a while to close it.

*

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「──────♪」

A clear and serene timbre.

A breath that never faltered even once.

The smooth ability to transition between chest voice and falsetto.

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

“…I think I’m falling for her.”

“Whoa, but you can’t really fall for her. Ha-eun is still a high school student.”

It was all an unbelievable spectacle.

There was not a shred of reality in sight.

Thinking I might be dreaming, I unconsciously smacked my palm against my cheek.

The slight redness that bloomed on Hwang Ji-hyuk’s cheek was a sign that everything laid bare before him was, in fact, reality.

At that moment, I forcefully suppressed the exhilaration that threatened to engulf me.

“What an unfair world. How can someone sing so well?”

“Hey, don’t be deceived by looks. She’s been practicing singing for over ten years. She’s been coming in and out of our studio since kindergarten.”

“Our Ha-eun has undergone some serious gifted education.”

Their voices overflowed with pride and admiration for Ha-eun.

Feeling that, Hwang Ji-hyuk also let out a helpless laugh.

It was a funny situation.

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

“Hey, Joon. I think Ji-hyuk is really falling for Ha-eun.”

“His lips are curling up to his ears.”

“…I’m falling for her voice. Her voice.”