They wanted a video of me singing from my high school days.
At first glance, this might sound strange, and you'd be right to think so.
It's not something people typically have.
Not unless you're so good at singing that you keep a video on your phone, or someone else recorded you and uploaded it to YouTube or something similar.
"Um, why are you looking for a video like that?"
A trainee from the debut group, not Kim Mijung, asked cautiously.
Her expression and demeanor might have seemed a bit bold, but I could sense the self-preservation instinct in her voice and reaction.
"You don't have one?"
"...No, I don't. I... I always sang by myself."
"So you were a loner?"
"What? N-No! It wasn't that bad!!"
"After you debut, you can do a watch-along or use it to connect with your audience. If you lean into the 'loner' archetype, it'll be hard for anyone to pinpoint your real identity."
"Oh."
The young woman, who had spent her school days practicing quietly at home and significantly improving her singing skills, quickly lost her nerve at my words.
"I-I'm sorry. I was just worried you were going to scold me for not having a video..."
"Why would an outside consultant scold you? There's no penalty for not having one. I'm just here to give advice. Isn't that right, Producer Jin Sooyeon?"
"No?"
Jin Sooyeon smiled and shook her head, undermining my attempt to smooth things over.
"If Mr. Kang says to cut someone, I'm prepared to cancel their debut on the spot."
At Jin Sooyeon's powerful statement, the trainees' faces turned pale in an instant.
The loner-type trainee who had just asked the question looked ashen, as if her head were on the guillotine.
"If Mr. Kang finds some serious disqualifying factor, delaying the debut would be the bare minimum. If there's nothing like that, then of course, they'll debut right away."
"You're really putting them on the spot, Producer Jin. You've become quite sharp since I last saw you."
"Oh, please. Anyone hearing you would think you've changed. Why would the man who once failed hundreds of interviewees in a single go say something like that?"
I understood.
Jin Sooyeon wasn't just bringing up the past; she was providing covering fire to add weight to my words and actions.
"Excuse me, I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Producer Kang...? Mr. Kang, are you by any chance a producer in the industry?"
"Something like that."
I had no intention of elaborating.
Thanks to the stage Jin Sooyeon had set, my authority was now more firmly established.
"So, back to what we were talking about, does anyone else have a video from their past?"
"I do."
Jangnari, the trainee who had been hostile toward me, took out her smartphone.
"I recorded this for an audition. Will this work? It was filmed at a vocal academy."
As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Jangnari held out her phone to me and pressed play.
On the screen, there she was, standing in her school uniform.
It seemed to be from a few years ago; her face was a bit younger, and she looked unused to being in front of a camera, but—
[Like a good girl—]
From the very first line, her tone and vocal talent were enough to hint at her potential, even without listening to the rest.
"Is this the song you're most confident in?"
"Yes, Producer."
It seemed she trusted me enough to call me "Producer" now.
Not just Jangnari, but the other trainees also began tentatively reaching for their phones.
All except for one person: Kim Mijung.
"Miss Jangnari, do you know what an 'ultimate' is?"
"You mean the 'R' in QWER?"
"Yes. An older way to put it would be your 'signature song'."
What is an 'ultimate' in the VTuber industry?
"For VTubers with vocal talent, their 'ultimate' is the song that best showcases their skills. Are you going to make this your ultimate?"
"..."
"It's good for showcasing your tone, but it would be wise to polish up a Japanese song as well, not just a Korean one."
"By any chance, Producer, are you also..."
"I'm not saying you should pick a song that's all about belting high notes for your ultimate. But you need to keep it in mind. Because you'll be debuting as a team, the 3rd generation, and your position within that team could change."
"What do you mean...?"
"If your ability to belt and add grit to your voice is stronger than the others, then that will become the concept for the songs you sing best. That's how it is with VTubers. And with idol groups, too, for that matter."
If there's an idol who's good at rapping, there's another who's in charge of vocals.
A VTuber team with a generation system isn't exactly the same as an idol group, but it's standard practice to give each member within a generation a different concept so they can pursue their own unique personalities.
"To get a little sidetracked, there's also a huge difference between a generation that caters to otaku and one that focuses on mainstream pop."
"A route..."
"Anyway—"
Vvvvring.
The ring began to vibrate.
No one else seemed to notice, but a strong heat started emanating from my ring.
[When are you going to make a judgment on this woman, Kim Mijung?]
The Archmage was getting impatient.
I suppose I could understand why Lacian was rushing me. I was ignoring Kim Mijung, the one I was supposed to be reeling in, and instead giving a genuine consultation to the other trainees.
[Remote communication magic consumes mana, you know. Even if you order a new hamburger, I can't go out to get it. Or can I?]
"...Can't you just grab it with magic."
"Pardon?"
"No, it's nothing. Just talking nonsense. It would be great if there were something like magic to perfectly match the audience's needs with your own tastes. But it's never that easy, is it?"
Clap.
"Alright, Miss Kim Mijung."
"Y-Yes."
"And everyone else, please find a video of yourselves singing. A video from at least a year ago, or before you graduated high school, would be even better. I'll see you all again in an hour."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I left the 3rd generation trainees and moved to the meeting room.
"Same old Kang Minhyuk. The way you went straight for the jugular reminded me of your time at that Japanese company."
"I thought I was holding back."
"Holding back? If you hadn't stopped yourself while talking that nonsense, you would've torn them all apart. By the way, what are you looking at so intently on your phone?"
"Just ordering something to be delivered to my place."
I used my cash-alchemy to order a hamburger.
I'd asked Lacian for his understanding and told the delivery person to leave it at the front door. Lacian would wait for a moment when no one was around to sneakily grab the hamburger and go inside.
"Do you have a cat or something at home?"
"No. I don't have any pets."
Though it seems I've acquired a companion mage.
"Right. A producer who hates the idea of owning a cat because it could lead to getting doxxed wouldn't have one."
"Have you checked the girls' profiles?"
"It's fine. None of the five have pets. No need to check. Though I suppose it'll soon be four."
"Four, you say."
"Kim Mijung. What's bothering you about her?"
Jin Sooyeon asked me point-blank, her expression serious.
"I'm asking because I genuinely don't know. We didn't find anything unusual in our background check."
"Did you look at her school records?"
"Yeah. There was nothing out of the ordinary on her record."
"Of course there wouldn't be."
"...Did you actually hear something about Kim Mijung?"
"No. Today's the first time I've ever seen her."
She was a stranger, but people have a thing called intuition, a gut feeling.
"Sooyeon. I may not be an expert on everything, but when it comes to sensing danger from girls, my instincts are second to none, right?"
"True. If your company's CEO had been a woman instead of a man, you would've prevented her from running off with the money long ago."
"...Yeah. I think so too. My intuition for dangerous women is no joke, especially when I've seen them with my own eyes."
"So what are you planning to do, borrowing a computer?"
"Time to exhume her past."
"...For real?"
"Yeah. You think I gave them sixty minutes for no reason?"
"So that time wasn't for them, it was for you?"
"Exactly."
I immediately started my investigation using Jin Sooyeon's PC.
"If I find nothing, I'll buy you chicken. If I find something problematic, you buy me beef. Deal?"
"Doesn't that seem a little unbalanced?"
"What if I find a landmine big enough to derail the entire 3rd generation or even scrap the project? Is that worth some beef?"
"In that case, I won't just buy you beef. I'll take you to Baekje Galbi, sir."
"Deal. Then—"
[That sounds delicious.]
Just as I was about to start typing in earnest, the ring vibrated.
[Baekje Galbi. Based on the context, I gather it is a very expensive meat restaurant. Is that correct?]
That's right.
It was probably a place even celebrities couldn't afford to visit casually.
[I am curious. How significant is the difference in mana restored between a hamburger and 200 grams of high-quality galbi that costs around 200,000 won?]
'Let's test that later with something I can take home. For now, it's time to dig up some dirt.'
I stroked the gold ring with my hand and began my investigation.
[So, why are you looking into her high school days?]
'It would be great to look into her middle school days too, but she's so obviously a textbook case.'
[What kind of case, specifically?]
'Isn't it obvious?'
Clack-clack-clack.
While I searched with multiple windows open, Jin Sooyeon quietly brought me a coffee.
To an observer, I looked like I was concentrating, so she kept silent not to disturb me. In reality, I was investigating while having a mental conversation with Lacian.
'No matter how hard someone tries to hide their past, if it continues into the present, there are things that can never be hidden.'
[What are you looking for?]
'The relationships between people. How she dominated the other trainees with her aura, yet was submissive to Jangnari, the one with the strongest personality?'
Since VTuber teammates bound by a generation are practically assumed to be together for life, the chemistry within the group is crucial.
But what if one person is already dominating that chemistry before they even debut?
There's something the other trainees can't talk about.
A secret unknown to anyone but the person involved, something they wouldn't even discuss if they knew.
But for the person in question, the problem is part of their very nature—an inner ugliness that cannot be hidden, no matter how hard they try.
[Producer. In that case, are you holding off on using the power of magic?]
'No. I need to cross-verify.'
[Pardon?]
'I need to see if the information you gather through magic aligns with my own thoughts. If I'm wrong, I'll buy a full course of premium Korean beef to grill at home on my way back.'
Though I'd probably buy it even if I was right.
[Excellent. Then when shall we begin—]
"Found it."
About 30 minutes.
It took a little longer than I expected, but I finally found the photo I was looking for.
[Already?]
"I told you, if you dig, you'll find it."
Lacian was surprised, and Jin Sooyeon, sitting next to me, was agape with shock.
"How did you..."
"Her name and school are on her record. You really think I couldn't find this?"
"Th-This... wait, how could this...?"
"Want to call Kim Mijung in right now?"
"...Just a moment."
Jin Sooyeon left with a grave expression, and I scanned the photos filling the computer screen.
'What do you think?'
[According to my magical senses, she has an innate tendency to look down on the weak and exploit them. Had she been born in my world, she might have become a high-ranking officer in a thieves' guild.]
'I don't know about a high-ranking officer, but she definitely fell in with the wrong crowd.'
Creeak.
The door opened, and Kim Mijung was dragged in by Jin Sooyeon, who had her by the wrist.
"Wh-What are you doing? Even if you're the producer...!"
"Miss Kim Mijung."
"!!"
The door closed.
I pointed to the computer screen for Kim Mijung, who had just entered the room.
"So you were a bully?"
"..."
"Just because there's no record of school violence on your file doesn't mean the moments you spent as a bully just disappear. Especially when there are photos like this."
"H-How...?"
"It was easy enough to find by searching a few names on Instagram. I won't say who, but the fact that these photos still exist means someone with a grudge against you preserved them, right? A little something to commemorate your 'everlasting friendship'."
It's not something an ordinary person could easily find.
I never wanted to be skilled in this sort of thing.
'But what choice did I have? I've survived in an industry where bombs go off if you don't do your homework.'
"Th-This is..."
"Miss Kim Mijung."
I ran a hand over my face.
"Were you worried that if you debuted as an idol, your past as a bully would be exposed along with your face?"
"...!"
"Did you think that by becoming a VTuber, you could hide your face, and therefore hide your past as a bully, too?"
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