Chapter 3: Vote

“Ah… what should I say?”

The interviewer closed her eyes, crossing her arms with a troubled expression.

“Could you do it one more time?”

“Ah, yes.”

As she requested, I performed the same acting I had just shown.

Again, her expression wasn’t good.

“Hmm, just as I thought….”

She spun her pen and continued the interview.

“I can definitely tell. You’re more suited for voice acting than acting. That’s a huge advantage.”

“Thank you.”

Fortunately, her reaction wasn’t bad.

My past efforts hadn’t been in vain.

“By any chance, have you ever said or done anything controversial on SNS or in the past…?”

“Oh, of course. I was preparing for voice acting, so of course not.”

“Do you like games?”

“Yes, especially League of Legends.”

As the word ‘Lol’ came out of my mouth, the interviewer seemed interested and continued the conversation.

“Oh, what’s your highest rank?”

I had been playing Lol for over 10 years now, and in my 20s, I was flying among the pros.

Of course, I declined a bit as I got older….

“I’ve been in the top page of Challenger before.”

“Really? What’s your username?”

“…G2 Baps.”

“Understood. You can leave now.”

I made sure to be polite when leaving as well.

There should be a good result, right…?

The way back home was incredibly chilly, perhaps because the sun had set.

It was my first time wearing a skirt instead of pants, and I couldn’t bear the cold on my legs.

“A-achoo! Ugh….”

Ding–

[Lumi Live 2nd Round Pass and Future Information…]

In the rattling subway, I let out a sigh of relief.

Right, after performing so passionately, there’s no way I would fail.

[The 3rd round will proceed with YouTube video votes…]

?

No way, wasn’t it supposed to be decided only within the company?

During the 1st and 2nd generations, they were selected by the company’s internal decision….

[To ensure fairness of the vote, only the vocals submitted in the 1st round application will be used…]

Ah…

If I had known this, I would have followed the trends.

Did I sing an old song for nothing…?

I calmed my confused mind, lightly tapped my cheeks, and came to my senses.

Regretting it now is like spilled milk.

All I could do was pray and wait….

Walking along the dark night street, a delicious smell wafted from the chicken restaurant in front of my house.

I turned on my phone and checked the balance in my bank account.

The 5,000,000 won my uncle had sent me… I used some to buy a suit, but still.

One chicken should be fine.

Tonight is chicken night…!

***

“Ugh….”

Whether the chicken was bad or I wasn’t feeling well.

I had been vomiting all day since dawn.

My head hurt, my body was shaking… did I get indigestion?

Even after emptying my stomach, the vomiting wouldn’t stop.

“Ugh….”

I pulled myself together, turned on my phone, and went to the Lumi Live YouTube channel.

[Lumi Live 3rd Generation Candidate Videos]

“Ugh… blegh….”

With a trembling hand, I diligently watched the videos.

The participants seemed to be referred to by number.

Wow… is the first person a traditional Korean music major?

Their singing style is very unique.

There were a total of 8 candidates who passed the 2nd round.

It was exactly a 2 to 1 competition ratio.

This is doable…!

I watched the videos and left the comment section open.

-Thumbs up if you’re voting for #1, you Lumi booger ㅋㅋ
ㄴThumbs down, thumbs down
ㄴ Isn’t that kid someone with a past life? I can tell by the unique singing style
ㄴ Honestly, isn’t #3 the best singer?

I carefully watched the comment section, checking the public opinion.

Who is #3, that the comment has so many thumbs up?

…

It was me?

-Lemon, how old is this song? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ Honestly, the taste is gone ㅋㅋ
ㄴ Old-timers must be happy and voting for it
ㄴ #3 must be really old ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ Seriously ㅋㅋ I’m guessing she’s in her 30s

…How do they know so well?

My original age was in my 30s.

Though I’m currently a vibrant ’02 liner.

Everyone else except me sang the latest trendy JPOP, but I was the only one singing a song from 6 years ago.

However, perhaps because of that? Those nostalgic for the past actually left favorable reviews.

-The voice of #3 is truly overwhelming
ㄴ The real Emperor #3 sings damn well
ㄴ Seriously ㅋㅋ

Letting out a sigh of relief, I headed to the hospital.

In this state, let alone daily life, I couldn’t even stand up.

“What’s your name?”

“Lee Eunseo, born March 5th, 2002….”

“Yes, please wait a moment.”

An internal medicine clinic, quiet during the weekday afternoon.

It’s a relief I don’t have to wait long….

“Ugh….”

Barely holding back the vomit that was coming up, I waited for my turn.

“Ms. Lee Eunseo, please go into Examination Room 2.”

Knock knock-

“Hello….”

Seeing my complexion, the doctor said in surprise.

“What’s wrong?”

“Uh, I think I got indigestion and have been vomiting since dawn….”

After hearing my symptoms, the doctor put on a stethoscope.

“Could you lift your clothes a little?”

“Ah, yes.”

…It’s embarrassing. Extremely embarrassing.

Even though it’s medical treatment, showing my body to a man is just too embarrassing….

To hide my red cheeks, I slightly turned my head and avoided his gaze.

“Your bowel sounds aren’t very good either. Would you like to get an IV drip? It seems like you might be dehydrated as well.”

“How much does the IV drip cost?”

“Hmm, it’s about 50,000 won. But since you’re likely dehydrated, it would be better to get it.”

“…Please do.”

50,000 won is a large sum, but if it can make me feel better in this condition, I can pay any amount.

Lying in the IV room, I waited for the nurse to come in.

“Could you roll up your sleeve?”

Fortunately, the nurse was a woman.

With a more relaxed mind, I went to roll up my sleeve…

Huh?

Maybe because my clothes were thick, even when I rolled up my sleeve, it kept falling down.

“It might be better to just take one arm out of the sleeve.”

“…Yes.”

I exposed one shoulder and my bra line, but since it was in front of a female nurse, it wasn’t as embarrassing as before.

“If you’re tired, you can sleep a bit~”

“Yes, thank you.”

After she left, I looked at the comments on the YouTube video again.

Public opinion can flip in an instant.

…But everyone is singing so well.

I felt a slight sense of crisis.

What if I don’t make it into the top 4?

-Because of #3, #2 and #4 look like mere fodder
ㄴ Seriously ㅋㅋ It’s not that they sing badly
ㄴ What’s with that voice? Did they bring in a real singer?

However, after looking at a few comments, a smile blossomed naturally.

People really like this voice.

But I shouldn’t rely only on YouTube to gauge public opinion.

I felt that the YouTube comments weren’t enough, so I immediately accessed the Lumi Live gallery.

On the first page of the gallery, there was a flood of insincere posts without a topic and provocative content.

[Who the heck is #3 noonaㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

Her voice is seriously broken
If she streams alone, she’ll sweep everything ㅋㅋ

-Gotta praise the Great Emperor Lumi’s CEO, right?
-Seriously ㅋㅋ Her voice is from another world;;

[Is the song LEMON just for nostalgia?]

Honestly, old-timers, thumbs up for good taste
-Thumbs up 와바박 ㅋㅋ
ㄴ Didn’t an ajumma come? Why is she singing an old song?
ㄴ Caught a high schooler
-But honestly, if you listen to it, it becomes addictive;; Why does it suit this so well?
ㄴ #3 completely dominates with her skill. She’s setting a strong standard for the kids these days ㅋㅋ

As I scrolled down, there were quite a few favorable reviews directed at me, but the unique ridicule and provocative posts of this place also stood out.

I had to keep in mind that anything could be turned upside down here in an instant.

[It’s certain that #3 is in her 30s?]

From the song selection to the singing style, she just seems like an ajumma
-Seriously ㅋㅋ #3 is definitely old, her old-school vibe is off the charts ㅋㅋ
ㄴ Seriously ㅋㅋ I’m guessing she’s in her mid-30s
ㄴ But it’s okay if she’s old, she’s dominating everything with her voice

[Really looking forward to #3 getting picked]

She sings really well, but anyway, once she’s picked, that’s when it starts ㅋㅋㅋ
She seems to have a somewhat impatient personality?

-Seriously ㅋㅋ Tyrannical broadcasting is confirmed reservation ㅇㅈ?
ㄴ People like #3 noona: quiet at first, explode after 3 months ㅋ

I expected this.

They didn’t even know I was a man, and the situation was a mess of light ridicule and speculation.

There were countless comments that crossed the line, characteristic of online communities.

Posts supporting me and comments refuting them.

In particular, the fans of #2 and #4 seemed to have a strong tendency to bash me.

-Honestly, #3 is also a failure ㅋㅋ Just pick #2
ㄴ What’s with #2; #3 completely dominates with her voice tone
ㄴ Pick #4, you bastards

‘Sigh, looking at this just makes me more anxious….’

This place was a space where sincerity and mockery were intertwined.

I put down my phone for a moment and took a deep breath.

Anyway, there was nothing I could do right now.

After doing this and that, I received the IV drip for about an hour.

“You’re finished~ You can pay and leave~”

“Thank you.”

It was my first time getting an IV drip, and it seemed to be effective.

The headache that felt like it would break was somewhat gone, and my stomach felt much better.

I’ll never eat chicken again.

Buzz–

Someone started calling me on my way out of the hospital.

Was there someone who would call at this hour…?

[Voice Actor Sung Sihyun]

Ah. It was my teacher.

I hadn’t seen him since the final preparation.

…

Perhaps he contacted me first because I hadn’t contacted him after failing the final round…?

With a trembling heart, I answered the phone.

“Yes, Teacher.”

“Oh, Eunseo. What’s wrong with your voice? Are you sick?”

My teacher deduced my physical condition from just one word.

This is why he’s a voice actor.

“Ah, I got a bit of indigestion and went to the hospital.”

“Oh, really? Are you feeling better now?”

“Yes, much better after getting an IV drip.”

“That’s a relief. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something. It’s some work as an indie voice actor, do you want to try it?”

Indie voice actor work, mentioned by my teacher.

People who don’t pass the open recruitment are usually called indie voice actors.

…My teacher knew I hadn’t passed.

Well, the list of successful candidates comes out.

“Really? Where should I meet you?”

“Hmm… let’s meet at a cafe near the academy. I’ll send you the address.”

“Yes! Thank you!!”

Even when I was a man, I had appeared as a voice in several commercials and CMs.

The amount I received each time was quite good, so it was worth doing.

The work wasn’t that difficult either, and I could do it relatively easily because of my experience.

With a fluttering heart, I went to take the subway.

Anticipating my first voice acting work since becoming a woman.