LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 70
What on Earth is this? I walked into the workshop under the gaze of a confused man.
“What are you suddenly saying?”
“Aha ha… just joking.”
I chuckled awkwardly at Hyeon-su’s teasing. Having been on air a lot lately, it had become a habit to spout nonsense.
“So, who are you…?”
As I casually entered, the man, looking a bit flustered, asked me.
Hmm, what should I say?
I felt tempted to play another joke. Kang-hyeok’s guitar caught my eye.
“Oh, I’m the band’s guitarist.”
Saying this, I casually picked up Kang-hyeok’s guitar.
“Excuse me? Isn’t that Hyung’s guitar?”
Hyung? Looks like he’s a bit friendly with the folks here.
“We’re currently arguing over the guitar.”
“Oh, I see…”
Looking behind the man, Kang-hyeok approached with a baffled expression.
“What do you mean ‘arguing’? Can you even play a full track?”
“Now I can. Shall we go busking instead?”
“Busking? You need to know at least five songs for that.”
Ah. Now that I think about it, I won’t just sing one song.
“…Should I play lip-sync guitar instead? With the track playing.”
“Are you out of your mind?”
Wasn’t that a decent idea?
It shouldn’t warrant that kind of response.
Setting the guitar down and ending the jest, I asked the question that had been nagging me.
“By the way, who’s this person over here?”
Who on Earth is this guy? A celebrity, probably?
“I’m Lee Hyun-jun from BeastZ.”
“Are you an idol?”
“Yes.”
As expected, he was an idol. Considering his glamorous appearance, it made sense. I now noticed his hair also had a black base with a white bridge.
“I thought so.”
“Oh, really?”
“You look fabulous, don’t you?”
I spoke the thought that popped into my head, and he gave me a surprised expression.
“You’re quite honest, aren’t you?”
“I just said what came to mind.”
He may not look flashy in terms of clothing, but his appearance is indeed striking. Or is it that the disparity between his looks and his attire makes him seem even more glamorous?
“Don’t you think I look familiar?”
I smiled awkwardly at Hyun-jun’s question. Well… I didn’t even recognize Moon Chang-sik, so how could I recognize a male idol?
“That… I’m not sure. I don’t really watch TV.”
“Ha… that’s just typical, isn’t it?”
Why is he sighing like that?
Is he an idol that isn’t popular?
From my perspective, he looked like he could easily fit into the top tier of idols, but has the standard been raised that much lately?
“Um… hang in there. One day, you’ll shine.”
Well, what comfort could I really offer? But I figured I should at least say this much.
“Really? Ah, haha.”
But strangely, he laughed after hearing my words.
What’s this? Did I just make a faux pas in Season 21241?
“I’m actually quite popular.”
“Excuse me?”
“I sold over a million copies of my album this time.”
“Wait, over a million?”
Not just one hundred thousand views on YouTube, but a million album copies?
If one album costs ten thousand won… no, is it really that much?
“Oh, I don’t really listen to idol songs, so I didn’t know.”
I quickly backtracked.
What have I said to a popular idol?
“That’s okay. In fact, male idols don’t have as much mainstream appeal these days, do they? If you’re not globally famous, those who aren’t interested won’t know.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Honestly, when I think of idols nowadays, I only think of female idols.
While female idols cater to mainstream popularity, it seems like male idols dive deeper into niche markets?
They’re practically an elite few, I’d say.
“Anyway, who exactly are you? You don’t seem to be Hyeon-su’s girlfriend… and you’re not just a regular guitarist, either.”
“Ah, haha… my name is Kim Soo-hyun, but honestly, I don’t have a job right now, so it’s hard to introduce myself.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m unemployed, so I came here for a visit.”
I said this as I plopped down on the visible sofa.
Speaking of which, should I just tell them I’m a Vtuber? Or would that just make it sound like I’m unemployed?
If I said I was an internet broadcaster, they’d likely ask for my channel name.
Well, Vtuber Miro sounds like…
Hmm… being just unemployed sounds better.
“Oh, so you’re not working at the moment?”
Is it a bit embarrassing to have such an unemployed image?
Oh, now that I think about it, I do have something that could be considered work.
Before I possessed this body, that had been the primary source of income for female Kim Soo-hyun.
“I do pen for some freelance art commissions to earn some pocket money.”
“Art?”
“Yes, I draw well.”
“Oh… I sometimes receive portraits from fans.”
“Oh, really? Should I draw one for you?”
“Is that okay?”
Of course, it’s fine. It wouldn’t be hard to draw one.
“What? Draw me too!”
At that moment, Ah-young, who had been listening to our conversation, raised her hand.
“Sure. How long do you think it’ll take?”
“Then count me in too. You need to pay for borrowing my guitar.”
Even Kang-hyeok chimed in, “Hmm… since it’s come to this.”
“Alright, I’ll draw all of you, so line up one by one.”
Why not just draw all of them anyway?
“Is that really okay?”
“Of course! Just hand me a pen and notebook, Hyeon-su.”
After receiving the pen and notebook from a concerned Hyeon-su, I decided to draw Hyun-jun first.
“Fans say my face is hard to draw. What do you think?”
“It’s less about being hard and more about being a hassle. You have piercings and a bridge in your hair.”
Well, it might be a hassle, but the more unique the characteristics, the better they turn out when I stylize them.
So, I took the opportunity to show off my skills after a long while, scribbling away with a ballpoint pen.
According to the memories of female Kim Soo-hyun, I used to draw like this a lot in school.
I remember, but no nostalgia hits me. Since I’m not the one who did it.
With that strange feeling, once I finished, the drawing turned out quite good.
Even I was satisfied with the result.
Definitely, because he has numerous distinctive features, he came out well when I expressed him as a character.
“Hmm, I think this is good enough.”
“Oh, I’m looking forward to it.”
Hyun-jun took my drawing with an excited expression, and his eyes widened in surprise.
“Did you just draw this? For real?”
“Good, right? I doubt many fans have received such quality.”
“No, this is really well done!”
Apparently, Hyun-jun didn’t expect much from my drawing.
But what should I do now? I’m a professional among professionals!
“Wow, is this really drawn by you, Soo-hyun?”
In the meantime, Ah-young, who had been elsewhere, returned and was astonished by my drawing.
Ah, it feels great to show my true abilities after a long time!
Ahh- Miro, who is clumsy with singing and guitar, is nowhere to be found here.
What remains is only the professional artist, KSH.
So, hurriedly, I sketched Ah-young, and then finally, Kang-hyeok, whom I had been wanting to draw.
Once I finished drawing all the remaining band members and Hyeon-su, the sun outside had already set.
“It’s already dinner time?”
I hadn’t realized how time flew by while I was engrossed in drawing each person.
“What, you really lost track of time? You were seriously focused, huh?”
“I haven’t held a pen in a while.”
Now that I think about it, it has been quite some time since I last drew.
Unknowingly, I’ve had a lot going on.
But now that I’ve released my second single, I’ve got some leisure time, so I should be able to spend it drawing.
“Eh- with those skills? That’s a shame.”
“What? I do draw regularly, just not recently.”
Would I ever be crazy enough to stop drawing?
This is my excellent asset.
Plus, I’m human too; I tend to be a bit greedy, you know?
Even if I sit still, my drawing ability would still be good enough, but still, I want to draw even better.
I should set a time to practice sometime.
As I watched Hyeon-su and the band members happily gazing at the portraits I had drawn, Hyun-jun, who had been working hard on some song challenge or whatever on the side, came over.
“Um, hey.”
“Yes?”
He brought over one of my portraits, carefully stored away, and said,
“Can I post this on Instagram? It feels a waste to keep it to myself.”
“Um…”
Can I? I pondered for a moment before nodding my head.
“Well, it seems alright.”
Since they wouldn’t even know who drew it, and even if they did, it would just be free promotion for me, right?
“But keep it a secret who drew it. I don’t mind if the fans find out, but…”
“Hmm… I think it’s doable.”
He seemed a bit worried about actually posting it, but I chuckled softly.
“Really, what could happen? I’ve seen celebrities post random things on Instagram, haven’t you?”
And those often turn into controversies, but this is just a portrait.
It’s not like it would cause a controversy.
“Then I’ll just say a friend drew it after visiting a friend’s workshop.”
“Yeah, that’d be great.”
After finishing my conversation with Hyun-jun, it was now dinner time, and as I was preparing to leave, Hyeon-su approached me.
“Dinner time, huh? Ready to go?”
“Yeah, I need to head back early.”
“We haven’t had dinner together yet.”
“If I’m not there, Mrs. Jang will have to eat alone.”
Unbeknownst to me, Mrs. Jang had been quite happy that I was home and could join her for dinner.
I don’t know when I’ll be going out again, but I tend to have dinner together.
“By the way, how did you get close to that idol?”
This was a question I wanted to ask earlier but couldn’t because I was busy drawing.
What would Hyeon-su have in common with an idol?
“Ah- I met him on a variety show, and it turns out we’re both from the same middle school.”
“Middle school?”
“Yes, after chatting a bit, we got close, and so he came to shoot a challenge video today.”
“I saw that. He dances really well.”
“Are you teasing me?”
At Hyeon-su’s words, I shrugged.
Well, nobody would excel in dance next to an idol.
“Still, he’d probably dance better than me.”
“You can’t dance?”
“Not at all, I’m just not good at physical activities.”
Saying this, I weakly swung my arms.
“I have zero muscle.”
I, Soo-hyun, am just made of flesh and bones.
“Hey, shouldn’t you exercise a bit?”
“You shouldn’t talk, should you?”
Hyeon-su’s stage name is Slim Gold, right? His physique is far from robust.
He seems even leaner than the idols who are managing themselves.
“True. Oh, can I post your portrait on Instagram too?”
“I don’t mind, but do you have an Instagram?”
“Yes, I sometimes post with band members. It’s quite popular.”
“Oh, then can you just post this whole gallery?”
He pointed to the row of portraits hanging together.
I drew it, but they came out rather well, I must say.
“Yes, after the last variety show, people have started liking the band members.”
For sure, these people are fun, and on top of that, with a genius high school singer and amazing band members, their chaotic daily life is a fantastic theme.
This would surely sell well even as a movie. It’s no wonder people should be interested.
“What about me?”
“Uh, there are still people looking for you, but it’s a tough question to answer. What should I say?”
“Yeah, good luck.”
“Excuse me?”
“Ah, today was fun, and next time I’ll practice a new guitar piece and come back!”
That day ended with excitement, just drawing in Hyeon-su’s workshop before heading home.
Though the idea of posting it on Instagram lingered in the back of my mind, would anything actually happen?
By the way, a lot happened today, but it all seems like light-hearted banter.
Since I wouldn’t have anything else to chat about today, I might as well quickly get to Civilization.
Carrying the audience, which was heated due to the unprecedented success of the second album, into Civilization?
This, this should be exciting. I need to turn on the broadcast quickly.