Chapter 28: Why she doesn’t sing

(Concept) [Is there really Okay okay in the Kotori Twitter mama tag?.jpg]
(Concept) [Kotori fanart.jpg]
(Concept) [She’s skilled enough to be a mama, but I feel shy about drawing fanart..]
(Concept) [Drew fanart for the first time.jpg]
(Concept) [My first Kotori fanart.jpg]
(Concept) [Just kidding LOL fanart.jpg]
(Concept) [Ughh.. Drew a plump Kotori.jpg]
(Concept) [Insanely cute Kotori.jpg]
(Concept) [Bring me something even younger!.jpg]

“These crazy bastards…”

The night right before debut.

I entered the Bellus gallery as usual to do some moderation and let out a sigh.

She hasn’t even debuted yet, so why the hell is there this much fanart already?

Let’s set aside the shocking revelation that there are this many secret “plump lovers” in Korea—but once word got out through the newly created Twitter account that I was the one who designed Kotori, the amount of attention was insane.

Nearly half of the first page of popular posts in the Bellus gallery was plastered with stuff about me.

“It’s getting kind of overwhelming.”

My fellow members are way more talented and passionate than I am—I’m just here trying to become friends with Haruka.

But now I’m soaking up all this attention before even debuting, and honestly, it’s starting to scare me a little.

…Honestly, the fact that I’m taking over all the talk in what’s supposed to be a gallery for the whole of Bellus—it kind of feels like I’m racking up some bad karma.

I even had to block a few people who were obviously being shady—hyping only me up excessively just to make me look bad and stack dislike points.

Anyway, just staring at the gallery was starting to make me feel sick, so I opened Twitter and clicked on my fanart tag—and it was absolutely flooded.

And every single one of them was good enough that I couldn’t just ignore it.

I tried to ignore my blushing cheeks as I went through, liking and retweeting everything, then started snooping on the other members’ accounts.

“Looks like everyone’s already having fun.”

Unlike me, who hadn’t posted anything and was just silently liking and retweeting, the other members were already actively engaging with the “Rainbows” (fans) on Twitter.

And since a new member was actively tweeting, the Rainbows were showering them with attention and excitement.

“Didn’t expect Hoshino to be trying this hard…”

And among them, the one who really stood out was Hoshino.

Hoshino @hoshino
Mama! Thank you!
I love you 🤍🤍
(Retweet of Hoshino mama’s celebratory fanart)

Hoshino @hoshino
Hoshino just woke up
What are the Rainbows doing?
(Hoshino fanart)

Hoshino @hoshino
There are so many beautiful fanarts!
I’m gonna save all of them 🤍

Hoshino @hoshino
Hoshino is going to wash up now… hehe
What’s everyone up to?

Unlike her nearly perfect conversational tone, her grammar was still awkward, leading to some weird word choices—like with Garunya Maona.

Then there was Sumire-mama, posting and recommending songs she liked like a true utaite.

And Hoshino, chatting away with fans way more than Azusa ever did—she had already posted nearly double what Azusa had.

But what really threw me off was that the tone in her posts was the complete opposite of how she normally talked around us.

Was she always this enthusiastic?

Well, actually… yeah, she kind of was.

Even back during training camp, no one could match her dedication to self-discipline, VTubing, and streaming.

Still, knowing her real personality, it felt like she was wearing a costume that didn’t fit—like how Azusa used to sound before she changed her singing style.

Being a VTuber means acting nonstop during streams, but still… was she really so desperate to VTube that she’d go as far as using such an out-of-character tone?

Either way, I decided not to bring it up in the group chat and instead quietly went back to the gallery to repost all her tweets.

“Hehe. I can’t resist a good goroshi (flood).”

…Wait, is Azusa’s speech pattern rubbing off on me? Must be my imagination.

Anyway, while reposting Hoshino’s cringy rampage tweets and the shy interactions of the other members with their new fans, I was getting tons of likes…

But honestly, it wasn’t as fun as it used to be.

“……”

It’s already been three months since I came into this body.

From interviews to preparing pre-debut cover songs, we’d had such a dense, packed schedule that now, just sitting in my room and gallery-hopping was starting to feel boring.

The finished cover song would be played during the debut stream.

Helpers for managing my MeTuber stuff had already been hired thanks to Kim Kanghyun and Ari-nim.

All other preparations for debut were complete, so now the only thing left was the first stream itself.

“Whew… I feel weird.”

Now that the debut is right in front of me, I feel strange.

I don’t know if it’s nerves, or excitement, or just a lack of a sense of reality.

Since I didn’t have any grand dreams about being a VTuber, I thought I’d be chill and indifferent—but here I am.

“No, wait… come to think of it, I actually have another reason to work hard as a VTuber.”

I quietly opened the new smartphone I had just bought.

And as I looked back at the first DMs I exchanged with my wife Haruka, I remembered the moment she told me why she no longer sings.

Haruka’s condition isn’t really a secret in the company.

It’s just that because of how serious it is, everyone pretends not to know—but there’s no staff member at HQ who’s truly unaware of it.

At the time, only we newly added 2nd-gen members didn’t know yet—but there was no way we’d stay in the dark forever.

We found out about Haruka’s condition on the evening of the day we all went to the amusement park—a memory now over a month old.

It started casually.

“So why doesn’t Seoyoon-senpai sing anymore?”
“I have vocal cord nodules.”
“????????????”

But the impact was anything but casual.

Azusa (Lee Hyemi), who never knows how to read the room, casually asked Haruka the question over dinner at the dorm.

And Haruka responded like it was no big deal.

It was the question I’d always wanted to ask Haruka myself, but I’d been holding back, trying to be sensitive.

For singers, vocal cord issues are a deeply sensitive topic.

I had been mulling over how to ask it gently—and she just… answered it so easily.

“I’ve had them a few times before, but this time it hit me really hard.”
“Huh?”

‘I thought I was born with strong vocal cords, so I assumed I’d recover quickly this time too, but it’s taking a while. I might not even get my old voice back…’

‘Gasp.’

Apparently, the severity of vocal cord nodules varies, and so does the degree of recovery.

She said that unless surgery is absolutely necessary, doctors usually avoid it to prevent side effects, instead only assisting with recovery.

But even for Haruka, who had overcome vocal issues three times before, this time was serious.

The doctor had even told her not to speak at all for several months.

Still, she was a VTuber and couldn’t stay inactive for that long, so she had to talk to stream.

As a result, her recovery kept getting delayed, and she ended up unable to sing for several months.

For someone praised as the best vocalist among VTubers, this situation must be incredibly hard.

Though she spoke calmly, her expression looked somewhat hollow, and as her fan, my heart grew heavy.

Maybe that’s why…

—I agreed with CEO Kim Kang-hyun’s plan.

“Kim Kang-hyun told me to get Haruka’s permission first…”

As I stared at the screen of my brand-new smartphone, bought with the signing bonus, my fingers trembled slightly.

Even if I agreed with Kim Kang-hyun’s plan, what I was about to say to Haruka could seriously hurt her pride.

As someone who used to be Kanari, I never wanted to hurt her.

But…

Me – [Haruka-senpai]

After much typing and deleting, I finally sent the first message.

Once sent, I got so nervous I could even hear my own breathing in my ears, so I took a deep breath.

– KakaoTalk ping –

MyWifeHehehe – [Yes?]

“……!”

Me – [This is sudden but…]
[Would it be okay if…]

I barely had time to react to how quickly she replied before my fingers froze mid-type.

The next part of my message… was going to be a bit sensitive.

But my clever wife seemed to have already guessed why I reached out.

MyWifeHehehe – [Yes?]
[Ahh]
[You contacted me because of the conversation with the CEO, right?]
[Did what I said before bother you that much? hehe]

As expected, my wife is sharp…

But wait, Kim Kang-hyun already talked to her?

That makes things easier.

Me – [Yes]
[I want to be someone Haruka-senpai can lean on..!!]
[(chick character doing a fighting pose sticker)]

After sending the emoticon—which I had never used before—I hesitated a bit.

I chose it because it looked like a canary, but maybe it felt a little out of place…

As I awkwardly tapped my old mattress with my feet, her reply came quickly.

MyWifeHehehe – [I already wrapped things up with the CEO]
[If it’s something Belus needs]
[Then it’s the right thing to do]
[But…]

Me – [Yes..?]

MyWifeHehehe – [I heard you’re doing “The Night Sky of Tomorrow’s Patrol Unit” as your debut cover]
[Can you really handle it?]

Her reply was pretty provocative.

But I wasn’t offended.

If anything, it was me who should be cautious around her.

Kim Kang-hyun’s plan ever since he saw my vocal test—

It was for me to temporarily take Haruka’s place while she recovered from her vocal issues.

After a month of lessons with trainer Lee Jia, my singing had improved significantly.

While I still couldn’t compare to Haruka’s level, it was true that Usou’s talent was real.

So Kim Kang-hyun saw potential in me, and came up with a strategy to shift the attention of worried fans—and disruptive trolls—toward me instead.

In truth, Belus was in a precarious state despite how fine it looked on the outside.

It was only natural, since Haruka—the symbol of Belus and its top vocalist—wasn’t singing.

As a group aiming to be virtual idols, a 3D concert was a must.

But with Haruka, who had even done solo concerts, unable to sing, fans were growing increasingly anxious.

There were other members in the first generation who could sing, but I shared an almost identical style, expression, and vocal tone with Haruka.

That’s why Kim Kang-hyun chose me.

And so, the first phase of the “Haruka Replacement Project” was covering “The Night Sky of Tomorrow’s Patrol Unit,” the song most associated with her.

There couldn’t be a more effective way to shift the attention of fans and trolls in one swoop.

“But still…”

Maybe, from her perspective, someone like me trying to lighten her burden was completely unnecessary.

No—definitely.

Still, I boldly decided to take her place temporarily, as her fan Kanari… and her future husband.

I was finally given Usou’s talent, and if I could sing in her place until she recovered that overwhelming aura she once had, maybe I could help her even just a little.

Plus, it would support the ultimate plan Kim Kang-hyun had shared with me—returning Haruka in perfect form for the year-end 3D group concert.

Me – [I’ll give it my best..!!]
[(chick character with clenched fists sticker)]

MyWifeHehehe – [LOL]
[Then]
[I’ll look forward to it]

“……!”

My wife gave me her blessing!

Silently cheering, I repeatedly slammed my phone onto my pillow.

And a moment later, when I saw the extra message she added, I couldn’t stop a smile from spreading across my face.

MyWifeHehehe – [Oh, by the way]
[That emoticon looks just like Kanari—so cute hehe]
[(chick character winking sticker)]
[I saved it]

“Heheheheheh.”

Flap flap—

Blushing, I covered my face with both hands and started shaking my legs excitedly.

And so, with my debut, I temporarily began singing in her place.