‘Voice Actor Academy.’

    It was a place that Seoyeon had once attended together with Jiyeon. Of course, Seoyeon had dropped out halfway through to learn other things, but she had spent a considerable amount of time there.

    The same was true for Jiyeon; although she didn''t go there as often anymore, she would occasionally visit.

    ‘The Wizard.’

    Fortunately, after that broadcast, there had been no further appearances of the wizard on Ramiel''s stream. However, Ramiel did mention the wizard from time to time, which still made Seoyeon uneasy.

    ‘Who could it be?’

    If it’s someone from the Voice Actor Academy, is it someone I know? And judging by Ramiel’s behavior at the time, it didn’t seem like just a casual acquaintance...

    With that spark of curiosity in her heart.

    “Hello. My name is Han Dayoung.”

    And it wasn’t hard to meet the person in question. The first thought that crossed Seoyeon’s mind was:

    ‘She’s tall.’

    She was at least a head taller than me. And in other aspects as well.

    ‘Not as tall as my mom, though.’

    But still very tall. She looked to be at least three or four years older than us, meaning she was likely a university student.

    ‘An idol who also studied vocal music?’

    I stopped my idle staring and quickly searched my memory. There was no relevant information.

    This meant that the woman in front of me, Han Dayoung, hadn’t been active in the entertainment industry. It seemed she had only worked as a VTuber. However, no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t recall anything from the VTuber world. If it wasn’t related to the entertainment industry, it just didn’t come to mind easily.

    “You can speak casually if you want,” she said. “Oh, really?” “......”

    Although she said it was okay to speak casually, I didn’t expect her to drop formalities immediately. In any case, Han Dayoung stuck close to Lee Jiyeon, gently patting her head.

    “Jiyeon’s such a troublesome personality. I thought she was lying when she said you two have been friends since childhood.”

    Han Dayoung said this while winking at me. Was she showing off?

    “Oh, unnie,” Jiyeon said, giving Dayoung a sullen look. It was a refreshing sight.

    It felt a bit odd to say this, but Jiyeon usually took care of me. Because of that, seeing her being treated like a child was something I hadn’t witnessed since she was little.

    “Shall we go inside and talk? You said you came for the song, right?” “Yes.” “Alright, I hope I can be of help.”

    With a bright smile, she really gave off the vibe of a mature, older sister. Now that I looked closer, she had a very gentle and pleasant demeanor.

    As we entered the academy, we had a brief conversation.

    First, it was confirmed that Han Dayoung had indeed helped Jiyeon start her VTuber activities. However, Jiyeon didn’t mention being Ramiel or Dayoung being the wizard.

    “Jiyeon’s been busy lately, asking me for help with various things.” “Well, I did get a lot of help from unnie,” Jiyeon said, glancing at me. Her expression was one of rare timidity, as if she was feeling embarrassed...

    “Oh my, Jiyeon, are you embarrassed?” “No, I’m not!” “Oh, really.”

    As she said that, Dayoung hugged Jiyeon tightly. The sight was very endearing. Jiyeon didn’t seem to mind it either.

    Then followed a conversation only the two of them understood. It seemed to be about preparations for VTubing, but I didn’t care about that. I wasn’t particularly interested in hearing the details about Ramiel’s red pill.

    However...

    “......”

    How should I put it? I felt a strange emotion.

    ‘She’s my friend.’

    Recently, I had become closer to the class president, but still, Jiyeon was the only one I could confidently call my friend. Yet here she was, talking about things that only she and Dayoung knew.@@@@

    “......”

    My mouth twitched involuntarily. It was a feeling I had experienced before.

    When Ramiel was in the wizard’s arms.

    “Come on, unnie, stop it.”

    Yes, that was the moment when my heart burned with anger. My hands trembled slightly.

    Jealousy!

    It was an emotion unfamiliar to me, something I had only used in my performance as Cha Seo-ah. And now, with the new role I was challenging myself with, Jo Ha-rin, I suppose she would feel the same emotion.

    ‘So, this is what that feels like.’

    No, Jo Ha-rin probably felt it even more intensely. According to the character''s background, Jo Ha-rin had an unrequited love for the male protagonist, Kim Si-hwan. I could imagine the feelings she would have had watching Kim Si-hwan and Song So-ha’s sweet moments.

    Annoyance.

    Seoyeon had never really understood what it meant to be annoyed, but now she did.

    “Ju Seoyeon.” “...What?”

    When I replied curtly, Jiyeon tilted her head in confusion before suddenly laughing.

    Seoyeon’s acting.

    And everything she had prepared for this audition.

    One week ago, at the audition.

    「I’ll do it! I want to do it!」

    With a lively wave of her hand, the girl ran around the audition room. She was like a puppy, specifically a retriever, that’s the exact impression she gave.

    ‘Can a person’s atmosphere change this much?’

    The judges each had similar thoughts. Before the audition started, she had seemed so cold. But once the acting began, she was overflowing with liveliness.

    But Jungwoo noticed.

    ‘Deserted Island.’

    She’s using the emotions she felt on that deserted island.

    He recognized it immediately. Back then, Seoyeon had roamed the jungle with that exact same energy.

    Along with the lively acting of Jo Ha-rin:

    「Why... why not me...?」

    Her voice was sorrowful, but the jealousy in it was unmistakable. She had taken some of the emotions she used for Cha Seo-ah in The Chaser and applied them to Jo Ha-rin’s performance.

    The judges all nodded in agreement. It was different from any acting they had seen at the audition so far.

    ‘There really is a big difference between idols and actors.’

    ‘The gap is significant.’

    When you only watch one person’s performance, you don’t notice, but when you compare them back-to-back, the difference is stark.

    “Ah, Seoyeon, have you memorized the lines for the role of Song So-ha as well? If it’s okay, we’d like to see it.” “The role of Song So-ha?”

    Seoyeon nodded casually. She had memorized the entire script, of course.

    And when she performed as Song So-ha...

    ‘Wow, both are really good.’

    It was better than any of the idols or actors who had auditioned for the role of Song So-ha so far.

    “Then, could we hear you sing one last time? You know, this drama revolves around an idol audition, so singing is essential.” “Of course, I’m ready.”

    Seoyeon responded with confidence. The judges let out a brief sound of admiration, but it didn’t last long.

    “...Ahem.” “Ah, thank you for your efforts, Seoyeon.”

    The atmosphere became tense. She wasn’t terrible at singing, but she wasn’t great either. There was a vague feeling of unease. Her acting was excellent, but her singing left much to be desired.

    “Seoyeon.”

    At that moment, Park Jungwoo, who had been silent, spoke up. All eyes turned to him.

    Was he going to point something out? Given his history, the judges expected it.

    ‘Or maybe he’s going to defend her because they’re acquaintances.’

    If that were the case, it would be problematic...

    Everyone waited for Jungwoo’s next words with those thoughts in mind.

    “You can dance, right?” “Huh?”

    His tone was filled with confidence.

    ‘She wouldn’t audition focusing only on her weaknesses.’

    She must know that her singing isn’t her strong suit. ...Though she seemed oddly confident about it, I’m sure...

    “As an idol, singing isn’t everything. You need to be able to dance too. Can you show us?”

    Dance.

    Everyone looked at Jungwoo in surprise. An actor dancing? It wasn’t common to hear of actors who could sing well, let alone dance.

    “Yes.”

    Seoyeon nodded at Jungwoo’s suggestion.

    “I can do it.”

    Her eyes glinted red. Jungwoo nodded at her and signaled to the staff.

    The same song they had heard several times at the audition began to play. Seoyeon entrusted herself to the rhythm, calmly closing her eyes.

    One, two.

    It was as if she was counting the beat.

    Then slowly, her eyes opened.

    And with the music, she began to dance.