161 - I Unknowingly Rejected My Favorite

EP.161 #161. RKRO It was like a dream. The sweetness felt as though it might dissolve away at any moment. Even after Doa and Yoonjae left, I found myself repeatedly refreshing the winner's page. RKRO The abbreviated initials of Lucario's English spelling. According to the announcement, approximately 400 people participated in this contest. Even considering errors, it was by no means a small number. There were a total of 6 winners. 1 Grand Prize winner. 1 Best Prize. 3 Excellence Awards. 1 Special Award. If ranked, I might have placed around 5th. A dizzying sense of accomplishment surged through me to the point of brain-tingling excitement. “Wow, I'm seriously awesome!” Overwhelmed with excitement, I muttered to myself. Is this really happening? Wow, is this actually happening? Diving onto my bed, I started to let loose with excitement I couldn't show when my friends were around. “Wow, Han Taemin. You. Are. Awesome. This is epic.” Such an embarrassing fanboy side—I wouldn't want Doa or Yoonjae to see this. Alone, I kicked off the blankets and burst into laughter as I eagerly awaited Doa's stream. According to the message she sent earlier, the collaboration this weekend would involve a listening session for the selected music entries. I felt both happy and nervous at the same time. Though Luka would undoubtedly give positive feedback, I hoped others would enjoy it as well. Ah, what if they just pretend to like it to spare my feelings? They wouldn't, right? -Bzzz The phone vibrated with an incoming call from an unknown number. Ordinarily, I’d consider ignoring it, but not today. After all, it could be company-related. I swallowed nervously, then swiped to answer the call. [Hello?] A young woman's voice came through the phone. [Yes, hello.] [Is this by any chance RKRO, who participated in the Closer Album Project?] Could this be real? I took a deep breath to steady myself and cleared my voice. [Ah, yes, that’s me.] [Thank you for confirming! I’m Yuna Choi from the YM Virtual Team. First, congratulations on winning! The reason I’m calling today is...] Fortunately, it seemed she didn't recognize me as the rookie Han Taemin, who briefly worked at YM. She simply relayed information about the music and the project. Could I appear in the Closer collaboration this weekend for an interview? I was to read and sign an agreement online before proceeding with future guidelines. [Thank you... very much.] [Do you have any questions or need clarification on anything?] There didn’t seem to be anything particularly complex, but out of curiosity, I asked a question. [Uh... I was wondering... will I need to visit the head office?] I’d rather not. Not only did I lack fond memories, but encountering those I worked with would be awkward. [No, there shouldn't be any need for you to visit the office!] There was something slightly off about the way she provided guidance. [All recording and directing involving Closer members will be handled by YM engineers.] I wasn’t exactly eager to face them, though I’d already met three of them in person. There was Clover, who seemed tailor-made for a kindergarten teacher role. Humooring, with the piercing that gave off MZ freshman vibes. And, of course, my girlfriend, Kim Doa, aka Luka. Lea had done musicals, so her photos were already circulating. The one face I hadn’t seen was Jennifer's, but honestly, I wasn’t too curious. Especially since I wasn’t fond of her for criticizing Luka—her streams were not to my taste. Though they were in the same group, her streams felt entirely different in atmosphere. Hers was more like the sunny side. [Alright, understood.] [I’ll send the link on the day of the collaboration, so please connect and wait through that!] [Yup!] [Thank you! Have a great day~] The call ended, and I stared at the red screen indicating disconnection. Looking up at the ceiling while sprawled out on the floor, I felt undeniably tense. It wasn’t just about listening to music and sharing impressions—it was an interview. Imagining domestic top-tier virtual YouTubers posing questions to me publicly made my body tremble. In some ways, it might be even more challenging than a Q&A session...? * * * Thursday evening. In preparation for Saturday’s collaboration, all Closer members were gathered in the voice chat channel. The manager was busy and asked everyone to wait for a bit. The members were eagerly chatting about the fan-submitted album. [Wow, the winning songs are all amazing.] Jennifer seemed particularly pleased, dropping hints of potentially claiming parts for certain songs. [But Ash Block is on another level, huh?] Muring’s affection for the first-place entry showed no signs of fading. She was messaging me privately yesterday, urging me to listen. She insisted I’d be a fan, no doubt about it. I acknowledged her comments, but I already had my pick. And it wasn’t about to change. [That contestant was almost guaranteed first place from the start. The pro vibe was overwhelmingly evident~] Despite Roba’s soothing voice, her meaning was clear. [Which one did Lea like the most?] Though conversing wasn’t awkward anymore, Lea remained quiet. Noticing her silence, I gently asked her opinion. [I liked that one.] [That one?] [Summer Records was my favorite.] Wow! I had been feeling a bit down due to the lack of mention of my brother's song, so Lea's comment brought a wide smile to my face. [Wow! That's my favorite song too!] Sensing my chance, I immediately jumped into enthusiastic agreement mode. Great. Great. This way, it doesn’t come off as forced promotion, and it’s a natural way to give it some attention. If Lea were beside me, I would have ruffled her hair affectionately. [Ah! Right! Summer Records is truly amazing! It totally embodies the summer vibe!] [The lyrics are incredible too. They make you feel nostalgic, creating memories you didn’t even have.] [Absolutely, I agree.] I couldn't help but feel proud, even though it wasn't my song. Yes, yes, keep the praise coming, everyone! I had contributed a bit to the lyrics, so I felt I had a small stake in the recognition. [I wonder what kind of person creates songs like this.] Lea's near-mumbling comment almost drew an unwitting response from me. [Hmm... who knows...?] [I was interested in composing too, and seeing songs like this makes it seem really cool.] It really is cool! You'd find him cooler if you saw his face! Ugh... Is Han Taemin now spreading pheromones without even showing his face? [Sorry for being late!] A chiming sound announced the manager's arrival, who apologized for the delay. [No worries~ We were just chatting~] [Right. Doesn’t it feel like this upcoming album is going to be a huge hit?] [It’s thanks to all of you having amazing fans.] After a brief small talk, we moved on to the important details we needed to know. A PowerPoint file was distributed with key points for each song that we should address. [Go through them one by one, but the order will follow the ranking of the awards.] The first-place winner would go first, and my brother seemed to be fourth. [Let’s move on to RKRO’s song, then?] Characteristics of the song, reasons for the award, individual members' impressions, and specific questions for the composer were listed. Seeing a file so meticulously compiled about my brother felt strange. [This person isn't a professional composer, right?] [No, as far as I know, they're just a regular viewer.] Lea, who had been silent until now, finally asked a question. [That's really impressive...] [Off the record, Summer Records was actually a nominee for the Best Prize.] Aaaah! So close! It meant there would have been an opportunity to make a music video if it had won the Best Prize! Unable to hide my disappointment, I stared at the monitor with a pout. [We really debated over it for a long time, but it barely missed out. Still, I think it’s among the top-tier tracks in the collection.] Should I tell my brother about this? Would it be better to keep it a secret? I couldn't quite predict whether he would be pleased or disappointed. [Anyhow, please make sure you're all familiar with the content for Saturday's participation!] [Got it!!!] ...Should I play a little prank on our precious Lucario during the interview? Having always been the one on the receiving end of his teasing in chat, the thought of finally getting back at him made me laugh mischievously.