045. Enchanting Voice (2)
“I told you to drop the formal speech too. If you do not want to call me hyung, then just speak casually. I am not that uptight.”
“I would expect that. You are a guy who lived abroad for a long time. Mr. Yeonwoo, do not call him hyung.”
Even in the middle of this, the two of them were too busy bickering.
Well, the more he watched, the less bad it looked. They were squabbling, but somehow that only made them look closer instead.
Is this what friends are like?
There was a kind of ease to them that only came from a relationship that had lasted a long time. If the two of them ever found out he was thinking this, they would deny it desperately.
But to Yeonwoo’s eyes, they just looked like irreplaceable friends. They traded barbs back and forth, but it was obvious at a glance that neither of them truly hated or loathed the other.
‘Come to think of it… is Lee Juha the first person I have ever actually called a friend?’
It was half a relationship forced on him, but when he thought back on it, it did not seem that bad.
He remembered always drifting alone like duckweed because of the specialness that set him apart from everyone else. Even looking back over his life so far, there had never been a relationship like that.
Kwon Sunghyun was the first person who did not recoil in disgust or revulsion even after learning about my abilities. In the first place, he does not seem to care much about that side of things.
In a way, Kwon Sunghyun was the first. The first person, other than the people around Yeonwoo who already knew him, to treat him without any prejudice.
The people who came to his mother’s shrine were one thing. Even Han Suhan, the very first person whose request he fulfilled, had not treated Yeonwoo as an equal, but almost like he was serving some honored guest.
But Kwon Sunghyun was a little different. When Yeonwoo was with him, it felt like he could understand what “ordinary” was, rather than “special.”
[The winning side is my side. Of course I am on our Actor’s side. Actor, fighting. Only the winner gets to have Yeonwoo!]
Putting aside the child spirit babbling nonsense, the only people who could treat him this casually were probably these two.
Kwon Sunghyun aside, he had no idea what Juha had done to max out his affection level already.
In any case, there was only one thing Yeonwoo needed to do now.
He had to clean up this mess.
The strange thing was this.
“Both of you, stop.”
The moment Yeonwoo spoke, both men shut their mouths at the same time.
Juha had even been in the middle of speaking.
After a brief, odd silence, Lee Juha rubbed his forearm all over.
“Damn. I just got goosebumps. The moment I heard that, I forgot everything I was about to say. So what I heard yesterday really was not my imagination.”
“Yesterday?”
“Yeonwoo was on our radio yesterday, right. When he did that closing line at the end, his voice was killer.”
Apparently displeased with the crude phrasing, Kwon Sunghyun frowned. Whether he did or not, Juha kept talking.
“He told us to sleep well, and I got this strong feeling, so the moment I got home I lay down. You know I have insomnia too, right?”
“If you mean how you used to get irritable because you could not sleep, it would be harder not to remember.”
“Wow, you are still milking something from when we were kids. Anyway, that special thing was… I fell asleep.”
“What?”
“After I heard Yeonwoo’s voice yesterday, I figured I had nothing to lose and lay down on the bed. And I was dead asleep in three seconds. Is that not completely amazing? Want me to tell you something even crazier?”
“What is it?”
Even Kwon Sunghyun, who was colder than usual, asked while pretending not to care, clearly pricking up his ears the moment the topic turned to Yeonwoo.
“Our radio message board today was complete chaos.”
Juha said,
“The listeners who were listening to our show, right. The moment the radio ended, every single one of them passed out cold.”
“It is well known that a lot of our listeners have insomnia. But they all just knocked right out. Is that not amazing?”
Juha once again thrust out his thick, muscular forearm.
“Look at this. Goosebumps again. It has been a really long time since I slept that deeply too, so when I woke up I was seriously shocked. But when I checked the board, there were not just one or two people saying they had the exact same experience as me. Damn. If that is not a special experience, then what is it? Hm?”
At the way Juha finished as if boasting, Kwon Sunghyun’s brow furrowed.
Even so, he did not snap at him to stop lying or exaggerating.
That was only natural.
“…It is special.”
Because Kwon Sunghyun was the one who had experienced Yeonwoo’s specialness more directly than anyone.
But somehow his expression seemed gloomy. Why did he suddenly remind Yeonwoo of an abandoned puppy?
“Right? And that voice, it felt kind of similar to just now when Yeonwoo said we should both stop. How should I put it? A tone you could not refuse? Like you had to listen? Like there was some kind of force behind it, but at the same time it was infinitely gentle, like it was coaxing you?”
“I cannot understand a single thing you are saying.”
Was it because he was a musician? It was such vague, floating, hard-to-grasp explanation. Seeing that neither Kwon Sunghyun nor Yeonwoo seemed to understand at all, Juha let out a sigh and said,
“What I mean is, it sounded like a voice that would make exactly what it said come true.”
Can that even happen?
That is what an ordinary person would say.
But…
[Yeonwoo, I think that really worked. It really seems like it produced an effect similar to a true word. Hm? What is that. Looking at your face, did you already know?]
Of course, Yeonwoo had already guessed as much.
[Congratulations! You have secured a large amount of lifespans.]
[Would you like to harvest the lifespans?]
[Congratulations! A large amount of lifespans…]
If it had not worked, then another wave of large quantities of lifespan would not have suddenly come pouring in.
The familiar dinging notification sound that had not stopped ringing since the moment he opened his eyes that morning.
‘I thought it might, and it worked.’
The notification windows floating thickly before his eyes had already told him that.
Lifespans are still coming in because of the drama’s effect. But there is only one reason they would suddenly rush in all at once like this.
Yesterday’s gamble had paid off.
Of course, it had been a gamble where he had expected a certain amount of success.
Maybe because it had been a hit drama that recorded ratings close to fifty percent.
Even after the drama ended, reruns and replays were still bringing in lifespans at a nice steady pace.
But never like this, never exploding all at once like a bomb after the finale.
This is the first time since the drama. Maybe because it was radio… the amount is less than I expected, but still.
Even so, for a late-night radio show, he had gathered four months’ worth of lifespan in one sweep.
Even measured against the number of listeners, the efficiency was not bad at all.
Most likely because it had exerted exactly the right kind of influence on people who desperately needed sleep.
Influence.
It really was a word with limitless potential.
He had made his move because he sensed the potential, but he had not expected it to work this well.
“What is this? Why are you both reacting so calmly?”
Juha, who had been making a fuss all by himself, now looked aggrieved because Yeonwoo and Kwon Sunghyun both seemed so composed.
“If you have decided to be friends with Mr. Yeonwoo, you should get used to it.”
“Huh?”
“Because the word ‘special’ will keep becoming something new.”
“There he goes again, saying something only he understands. Just because he is a genius. He is still impossibly lofty. Would it kill you to let me in on it too instead of being the only one who gets it?”
“Why would I do that?”
Juha grumbled, but Kwon Sunghyun lightly ignored him as if some dog were barking somewhere.
Ignored, Juha muttered under his breath, then said to Yeonwoo,
“Oh, right, Yeonwoo. Our writer asked if you would come on again.”
“Pardon?”
“She says your voice is like a drug. Is that not amazing? And do you know what is really impressive? That nickname was not made by our writer noona, the listeners gave it to you. It is actually really rare for a first-time guest to walk away with a nickname, but she was praising you like crazy, saying you were amazing. Of course, I agreed with that too.”
The compliments just kept flowing, bright and cheerful.
The remarkable thing was that there was not a shred of jealousy or malice anywhere in them. It was all pure goodwill.
[This guy really is strange too. I feel stupid for being on guard against him. Then again, he is someone our Actor has kept around for a long time, so it is not like he could be a weird person.]
He was odd enough that it was no surprise he was Kwon Sunghyun’s friend. But to think they would be alike even in this.
Should I call this good luck, or not?
Yeonwoo knew better than anyone how difficult it was to meet people of this type.
Envy. Jealousy. Greed.
It was hard for anyone living in this world to remain untouched by feelings like those.
How many people could see someone else doing well and not feel bitterness?
It was also a perfectly natural human instinct to be wary of, and reject, what was unfamiliar and not ordinary.
But Yeonwoo, who was sensitive to malice and to the negative emotions of people, could tell.
He could not feel any of that at all from Lee Juha.
If he were not this kind of person in the first place, then even if I wanted the extra ability stat, I never would have granted such a cringeworthy wish as friendship.
To begin with, he never would have even thought to ask whether Juha had a wish.
“She wants you to come on again. Interested? I had fun doing a broadcast with you too, so I would like it if you came on again. It is absolutely not because I want another perfect night’s sleep. You know that, right?”
[It is obviously because he wants another perfect night’s sleep.]
“Absolutely not, so do not misunderstand, okay?”
[That is exactly what it is. But why is he this bright? Seriously. I was going to make him get sleep paralysis for bothering our Actor, but now I have lost the energy even to say anything…]
“So? Interested?”
If Yeonwoo did not answer, it looked like Juha would just keep pestering him.
“Well… I will think about it for now.”
“I told you to speak casually. Writer nuna was seriously getting anxious. She was in a full panic that someone else might snatch you away because of yesterday’s show. That is why I came running over like this. Well, also because I was so amazed that I slept like a baby. But.”
Juha cut himself off for a moment.
“If it is a hassle, then you do not have to come out. Writer noona will be disappointed, but my friend comes before the broadcast. Right?”
Then he grinned.
“Normally… would it not be the other way around?”
“That is true, but it would also be weird to drag someone out by force when they do not feel like it. Right? I did my part and tried hard to persuade you, so deciding is your part, Yeonwoo.”
The answer that came back was plain and simple.
“Of course, I would like it more if you came. Ah. Or do you just want to come to my place?”
“Pardon?”
The conversation had suddenly gone in a strange direction.
“Wait.”
Kwon Sunghyun, who had been quietly listening to the talk about the booking, frowned and spoke up.
Regardless, Juha looked around the place as he continued,
“My house is really big, you know? I can just give you a whole floor. You can live there and all you have to do is tell me to sleep well once at night. No need to pay rent or any other miscellaneous expenses.”
“Lee Juha. Are you in your right mind?”
“That is what I should be asking. Hey, Mr. Kwon. Spend some money. Why are you leaving Yeonwoo in a cramped place like this? Does it make sense not to even have one studio?”
“…?”
No, why is the fire suddenly spreading over there?
“Mr. Kwon, discovering Yeonwoo was great, really great. But if you dug up a raw gem this incredible, you should take good care of him. How can you leave him sitting around like this? What are you saving all that money for? Do you pile it up and swim on top of it? Do you not realize a voice like Yeonwoo’s needs to be heard by the whole world? How does it make sense to leave him stuck in a place like this without even one studio?”
A place like this?
The splendid officetel Yeonwoo had thought was more than luxurious enough turned into “a place like this” in a single instant.
It had been more than spacious enough for someone living alone. It was not even a studio apartment. It was a fully furnished officetel of well over thirty pyeong, with a separate dressing room and bedroom.
And yet.
“That is only if Mr. Yeonwoo accepts.”
Kwon Sunghyun answered quietly.
But judging by the crease between his brows, he was definitely pissed off. Yeonwoo had pretended not to hear several times when he had subtly brought the matter up before, and it seemed he had kept that tucked away in his heart.
“Huh? Yeonwoo. You are not with his agency?”
Juha asked in exaggerated shock.
“Yes, well…”
Now the topic had shifted to agencies. It was impossible to follow how the conversation kept changing course.
Kwon Sunghyun, who was already sensitive about Yeonwoo’s agency situation, had the crease between his brows deepen even more.
“Then want to come to my agency? I do not know what direction you will head in, but you definitely need to do music, no matter what. That side I can back properly. I can fully set you up with equipment and make you an amazing studio…”
Oof!
A heavy, sharp sound rang out.
Juha, who had been happily rattling on, lurched hard.
“Mr. Kwon. Did you just kick me? You did?”
“You kept spewing nonsense.”
Kwon Sunghyun’s smiling face was extremely bright.
He did not look at all like someone who had just viciously kicked another man in the shin.
“You should keep the nonsense to a reasonable level. Right, Lee Juha?”
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