Chapter 8: A Voice Meant for Sleep

“Uh?”

Their timing crossed.
Flustered, Seon-yul tapped at the screen, but the message had already been sent and couldn’t be canceled.

[BraveSeal777: I’m sorry….]

Absurdly enough, BraveSeal777 immediately tucked his tail and apologized.
Realizing he’d misunderstood, Seon-yul hurriedly typed back with an embarrassed expression.

[No, it’s my mistake. I thought you were joking. Please send the script, and I’ll calculate the quote for you.]

[BraveSeal777: Ah… yes…!]

Soon after, BraveSeal777 sent over the file.
Just as stated on the sales page, the script matched the specified font size and line spacing exactly.
The volume was… so large that it made Seon-yul wonder whether it was even possible to record all of it through home recording.
Even considering that it was for non-commercial use and therefore cheaper, the price would still be substantial.
But with money urgently needed, he couldn’t afford to refuse.

[BraveSeal777: I’m sorry it’s so long…]

When Seon-yul didn’t reply right away because he was tapping away at the calculator, BraveSeal777 apologized once more.
That excessively submissive attitude oddly irritated Seon-yul.
Even if this client was better than the problematic ones he’d dealt with before, someone lowering themselves this much didn’t sit well with him either.

[It’s fine. You said it’s for non-commercial use, correct?]

[BraveSeal777: Yes… but the cost doesn’t matter… You can charge me the commercial-use rate if you want…]

[No. I’ll follow the standard policy.]

[BraveSeal777: Ah… I’m sorry…]

“…He keeps apologizing.”

Since the long first message, BraveSeal777 kept ending every sentence with trailing dots, which also bothered him.
After thinking for a while, Seon-yul quoted a lower price than what he’d originally planned to charge.

Non-commercial use usually meant personal possession or school assignments.
Knowing that an individual—unless they were a company—wouldn’t easily pay such a large sum at once, Seon-yul expected BraveSeal777 to hesitate or decline after seeing the price.

[BraveSeal777: How should I make the payment…? It’s my first time using the site…]

But unexpectedly, he accepted without complaint.
That reaction struck Seon-yul as a bit strange, and he grew curious about the purpose of the recording.

[May I ask you one thing?]

[BraveSeal777: Yes..!]

[I’d like to know what you plan to use the recording for.]

[BraveSeal777: I have insomnia… It’s for sleeping…]

The answer came out without hesitation, making Seon-yul wonder if he’d been suspicious for no reason.
Right—how miserable it was not being able to sleep.
Seon-yul sent a transaction request.
A moment later, a notification popped up confirming the payment.

[By when would you like it?]

[BraveSeal777: Whenever you have time…]

Seon-yul’s eyebrow twitched.
Spending this much money and then saying “whenever you have time”?
BraveSeal777 had to be a complete pushover.
Though he felt a bit stifled, he swallowed it down and checked tomorrow’s weather.
Fortunately, it said the rain would stop tonight.

[I’ll record it and send it to you by the day after tomorrow.]

[BraveSeal777: Huh…? But the volume is so large…]

[Do you have a preferred tone or mood?]

[BraveSeal777: Just like usual…]

[As if speaking casually?]

[BraveSeal777: Yes…]

[I’ll record a sample tomorrow morning and send it first. Please check if it’s okay to proceed that way.]

[BraveSeal777: Yes……]

And with that, the conversation with BraveSeal777 ended.
Why did his throat feel tight even though he’d just earned money?
Seon-yul took water from the fridge and gulped it down.

“I won’t have to go to work tomorrow.”

It was unexpected income.
Even after FrMon took its thirty percent commission, it was far more profitable than working daily shifts at the logistics center for several days.
The only downside was the sheer volume—he’d have to split the recording across tomorrow and the day after.

“…Thank goodness.”

He could rest until his ankle fully healed.
His heart felt lighter.
Tomorrow had felt daunting, but now all he could think about was hoping the rain would stop quickly so he could set up a proper recording environment.

**********

“Huff, huff…!”

Seung-ju trembled all over, gasping for breath.
Even after the conversation ended, the tension lingered for a long time.
He’d never imagined he’d end up talking with him for so long.
And at such an absurdly low price, he’d get to hear that voice even more…!

“Screenshot—screen capture…!”

Not knowing how to capture the computer screen, he fumbled around before eventually opening the app on his phone and saving the entire conversation with Seon-yul from start to finish.
As he reread it, he realized that compared to Seon-yul’s crisp replies, he himself looked foolish.
That wasn’t surprising—he hadn’t really talked to anyone in years.
Even though the conversation with Seon-yul had been through a messenger and not face-to-face, the awkwardness and embarrassment were unavoidable.

‘When the sample arrives tomorrow, we’ll have to talk again….’

He didn’t want to look this stupid tomorrow too.
After spending so many years alone without communicating with anyone, words clogged in his throat, and vocabulary spun chaotically in his head.
When Seon-yul said he’d deliver the recordings by the day after tomorrow, Seung-ju remembered that he’d once suffered from vocal nodules and wanted to tell him not to push himself—but all he managed were short replies: yes, yes, yes.

[For those who need conversation, I’ll be your friend. – AI Friend SamSam]

To express himself properly, Seung-ju began practicing conversation with an AI.

********

[BraveSeal777: Hello, Voice Actor. I like how you speak comfortably, as if talking to a friend. Please proceed just like this.]

[Understood.]

[BraveSeal777: Oh, and I forgot to mention this yesterday, but you can give me the recording by next week. Since it’s for personal use, it’s not urgent. Please take your time and don’t strain your throat.]

“…What is this?”

After sending the sample recording the next day, BraveSeal777 replied as if he were a completely different person.
He was still kind either way, but his tone was… different.
Just yesterday, talking with him had felt suffocating, like eating dry sweet potatoes—but overnight, something had changed.
Seon-yul tilted his head in confusion.

[Yes, understood. I’ll send it as soon as it’s recorded^^]

[BraveSeal777: ㄴ]

[Excuse me?]

[BraveSeal777: Yes]

[BraveSeal777: I’m sorry.. It was a typo…..]

“Was I imagining things?”

BraveSeal777 was back to his original self.
After exchanging only short messages over two days, it was hard to pin down what kind of person he was.

‘Whatever. It’s not like I’ll be dealing with him often. And I’ll quit FrMon soon anyway.’

He’d registered as a seller on the freelance market because he urgently needed money, but hiding behind a screen didn’t suit him.
Even if it wasn’t illegal, the industry frowned upon it, calling it market disruption.
He already knew he was treated like an invisible man in the industry, and he understood he couldn’t drag this on for long.

Seon-yul sat in front of the microphone to record BraveSeal777’s request.
The script he’d transferred to his tablet PC was messy with red handwritten notes.
Unless it was a particularly difficult word, he rarely misread, but the sheer volume meant he had to internalize the content the night before.
Maintaining the same tone and pace over a long time was another challenge.
After swallowing a mouthful of water, Seon-yul opened his mouth.

[BraveSeal777 Commission – Final Version.mp3]

The next day, Seon-yul sent him the final recording.
Upon receiving the nearly two-hour-long file, BraveSeal777 sent several typo-filled messages again—probably a habit when he was flustered or excited.
He babbled heartfelt praise, saying it was a voice that resonated in his chest and moved him deeply.
Feeling pleased yet embarrassed, Seon-yul sent back an awkward smiling emoji.

[★★★★★ (5 stars)

I was truly moved when I received the result.

I commissioned this as a sleep audio file, and even without me asking, you adjusted your pronunciation so that harsh and tense sounds didn’t pop out.

I could feel how sincerely you acted out every single syllable. I became completely immersed and, for the first time in a long while, fell asleep comfortably.

Thank you for completing such a large volume of work so quickly.

I’ll commission you again next time. Please take care not to catch a cold during the seasonal change, and stay healthy.]

“…What the.”

Seon-yul couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from lifting as he read the five-star review left by BraveSeal777.

**********

As soon as his injured ligament recovered, the Chinese restaurant he’d applied to contacted him.
After a brief interview with the manager, Seon-yul was hired as a kitchen assistant for the evening shift.

The manager’s snake-like gaze as he looked him over during the interview was unpleasant, but fortunately, the kitchen staff were all decent people.
Most of the work involved prepping ingredients and washing dishes, so he rarely had to deal with customers.

Working evenings at the Chinese restaurant on weekdays and going to the logistics warehouse on weekends wouldn’t be comfortable, but it would cover his living expenses.

He kept his daytime hours free in case recording requests came in, but that left his mornings open…

Being fired from the convenience store and losing his morning shifts was a bit of a shame.
Seon-yul thought he should look for another morning job.