Chapter 81
Looking back, the decision to become a faceless Japanese singer named Mikansei could only be described as impulsive.
I also had little expectation that it would produce any meaningful results.
So I ran the Mikansei channel independently without informing the company.
It wasn't an action that violated my contract.
The one tied to the company was the singer-songwriter Seo Siyeon.
Whatever activities I pursued under a separate alter ego, the company had no right to interfere as long as I remained faithful to my main job.
But my relationship with Blue Sky Entertainment was rather unusual.
In practice, I handled all the musical aspects to the point that the company couldn't function without me, while I also relied on the company for my schooling and everyday life.
That was why leaving Lee Ha-jun unaware of what I had been doing for nearly half a year was somewhat improper.
I had intentionally kept it hidden at first, but now that Mikansei had gained some name recognition and settled into a steady trajectory, I needed to consult Lee Ha-jun and sort out our contractual arrangements.
“Hmm. I figured as much.”
“…What? Why aren't you surprised?”
“No… Since Siyeon isn't someone who can go without music, I figured you must be doing music somewhere…”
He took a sip of instant coffee before continuing.
“To be honest, the name Seo Siyeon is bound to carry a tremendous burden… That's why I didn't pressure you to return, either.”
“…Some of that is true.”
As I mentioned before, returning as Seo Siyeon was honestly frightening.
I had flown far too high.
An achievement attained through a convergence of good fortune and coincidence.
Paradoxically, that unrealistic achievement was strangling me.
“I can't put it off forever. I'll return next year.”
“…? Really?”
“Yes. But even if I continue my entertainment activities… I'll think a little more about releasing an album. I can make music under the name Mikansei, too.”
If Mikansei had failed miserably, I probably would have returned under the name Seo Siyeon around the middle of this year.
Since I wasn't particularly artistic by nature, I had no motivation to make music if no one was listening.
Returning under the name Seo Siyeon might be a little burdensome, but there would definitely be plenty of listeners.
But unexpectedly, Mikansei had achieved quite a significant success.
It was proof that my music worked even without the name Seo Siyeon attached to it, but it was also evidence that I had secured a new audience for myself.
‘Hehe… Everyone still thinks we're two different people, right?’
If even Blooming hadn't noticed, it would probably be difficult for ordinary people to figure it out.
Even if they did notice, it would probably only be after I began making full-fledged broadcast appearances and exposed Seo Siyeon's voice to the public.
It might even be difficult to figure out then. If I used a different singing style, ordinary people might have trouble believing we were the same person.
“In any case… Mikansei. We don't have any connections in Japan's broadcasting industry.”
“I'm not the kind of artist who appears on broadcasts anyway, so it doesn't matter. Just take care of the complicated financial issues, and that's enough.”
“Then let's set up an office in Japan.”
I mulled over what Lee Ha-jun had said for a moment.
An office in Japan…
Actually, it was something I had been considering, too.
Not specifically because of Mikansei, but because of Blooming's growth.
There were obvious limits to how far a band could grow domestically. So someday, Blooming would have to aim for growth in Japan.
Fortunately, we had a foundation in Haruka and NOIRIS, which put us in a more advantageous position for entering Japan than other Korean bands.
In fact, Blooming already had a modest fandom in Japan.
Their performance at the WMA had also become a topic of conversation in Japan, and people had helped them go viral by calling them Haruka's colleagues.
That was why I had been planning to establish an office in Japan someday, settle in there, and make a serious attempt at breaking into the Japanese market.
Now that Blooming had become adults as well, it seemed like the time had come for serious discussions.
“It should be fine even if it's a little early.”
Well, everything after this was the adults' business.
Establishing a corporation, finding an office and staff… Those complicated matters weren't something I needed to worry about.
I only had to do what I was good at.
As expected, that was music.
* * *
Before I knew it, more than a year had passed since I had appeared on a Korean variety show.
Six months after I stopped activities, I had cut off all appearances the moment my voice started changing, so it had been quite a while since I had shown myself to the public.
Of course, this year I had still tagged along with the orphanage kids to throw the first pitch at a baseball game, but aside from that, I hadn't done a single individual activity as Seo Siyeon.
Naturally, Seo Siyeon's solo fans were furious by now.
It was only natural, since their singer had disappeared without a word for an entire year.
Honestly, what if my favorite singer had failed to show their face anywhere for a year except for one first pitch?
I'd have completely lost my mind.
Maybe I'd even leave the fandom.
As proof, the comments under my most recent post—a New Year's greeting photo of me wearing hanbok—were a complete disaster.
More than ten thousand comments had piled up over the course of a whole year.
Most of them consisted of my fandom's affection-tinged complaints and grievances.
“Hmm. Should I post a photo or something?”
To be honest, I also felt sorry for the fans waiting for me.
Because I had said I would return after a year, then broken my promise.
I could insist that I had resumed activities under a different name, but even I knew I should have returned as Seo Siyeon.
I could make excuses by bringing up the state of mind and social atmosphere that had caused it all, but the fact remained that I had broken my own promise to return after a year.
“Hmm. Should I film a Reel and upload it?”
Come to think of it, Yoo Seol-ha had recently started living on her own.
She had only just finished the CSAT (though she hadn't studied even a little) and become a free woman, then immediately moved out and found herself a place in an apartment building in Seoul.
And, as was typical of a woman in her twenties living alone, she had immediately brought home a pet.
Usually, people adopted a dog or cat, but Yoo Seol-ha was a little different.
As soon as she started living alone, she adopted a parrot.
When I asked why, she said she had raised a lot of birds at her parents' house.
The last time I saw a photo of it, it had looked quite cute.
It was even a lovebird.
There was a song called “Lovebird” on one of my full-length albums from the past.
“Lovebird” was a ballad with an acoustic-style, lyrical melody.
If I put the lovebird from Yoo Seol-ha's place on my shoulder and played “Lovebird” on the guitar… Wouldn't that make a pretty picture?
“…So that's why you came all the way here?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“I took a taxi. The driver recognized me.”
“I suppose he would…”
I had contacted her in advance, but apparently she hadn't checked it, probably because she had been taking a nap.
As proof, she was rubbing her eyes while wearing pajamas with KuXmi on them. It was hard not to notice a certain prominently protruding part.
“Wow, those boobs are huge.”
“…They are kind of big, aren't they?”
“I don't think ‘kind of’ covers it.”
I did pursue physical beauty as a woman, in my own way, but I didn't particularly want to be as well-endowed as Yoo Seol-ha.
Yoo Seol-ha had been a high school sophomore when I first met her.
She had continued to grow little by little as she went through the process of becoming an adult.
Her height stayed the same, but strangely, only one particular area kept growing. She seemed troubled by her own overly developed body, but commercially, having a body like that was a huge advantage.
There were even rumors that Waterbomb was already eyeing her for a booking now that she was an adult… Yoo Seol-ha was gradually making a name for herself in that field.
I soon shifted my gaze from Yoo Seol-ha's breasts to the birdcage in the corner of the living room.
-Chirp!
“Wow… It's cute.”
“Hehe. Jack is cute, isn't he?”
“Is he male? His name is Jack. It sounds like a pirate captain's name.”
“Yeah. Females are relatively fierce. If you want a bird that's easy to raise, a male is the way to go.”
“…I see.”
The sky-blue-feathered parrot had a quite adorable appearance, even to me.
It was all fluffy and round, almost like cotton candy, and seemed like the sort of bird that would receive plenty of love from people.
When Yoo Seol-ha opened the cage door, it flew toward me, chirping, and gently settled on my shoulder.
“Oh.”
“Hehe. I guess he likes Siyeon!”
When I held out my hand, the bird climbed onto my palm.
“It's really cute…”
Small animals like this really are cute.
Cute enough to make me think I might raise one myself someday.