“Haah… this is more exhausting than I thought…”
I let out a short sigh and took a sip of bottled water.
Two hours had passed since the Little World Audition began.
During that time, I had conducted auditions for over forty participants.
Among the participants were trainees from major entertainment companies, winners of nationwide audition programs, and even popular music YouTubers known for their singing content.
The audition process was simple.
First, each contestant would sing their representative or prepared song.
This was to check their basic vocal skills.
Second, they would sing ‘Little World.’
This was to determine if they suited the song.
But so far, no participant had truly moved me.
Only one remaining team was left—a two-member girl group.
Knock knock~!
At that moment, the meeting room door opened with a light knock.
“Creator! The last audition participants are entering now!”
Guided by a MonsterBox staff member, the two-member girl group, probably just newly adults, entered.
Thanks to their flashy hairstyles and loud outfits, their first impression was definitely memorable.
The last participants greeted us cheerfully with bright smiles.
“Hello! We are…!”
“Girls more beautiful than the stars in the night sky…!”
Lost in thought, I didn’t catch the name of their idol group.
Regardless of their name, what mattered was their singing ability.
Team Leader Lee Eojin whispered to me, “They’re a rookie two-member girl group who debuted recently.”
After their introductions, the girls began singing their prepared representative song.
“In our hearts full of happiness~ united as one~ now we’re stars~”
“─Beyond the horizon, beyond the rainbow, let’s fly to the sky~ Happy Happy Happy Star~”
A melody that felt like a recycled cliché, repeating again and again—completely colorless, scentless, and tasteless.
…No, to be honest, just the lyrics alone made me cringe.
It might sound harsh, but that was the worst moment of today’s audition.
The reaction from the viewers of Creator TV wasn’t much different.
- Aaaah! My ears are rotting!
- Wow… beat, rhythm, soul… all just awful…
- They totally turned the audition stage upside down!
- Hahaha, what’s up with that choreography…
- They can’t even sync their choreography;;
- You… cannot go with us…
- Apung! Attack! Body slam!
What was worst was that the two singing girls showed not even a speck of enthusiasm.
They felt like leaves drifting aimlessly down a raging river, going wherever fate took them.
‘…It’s probably like, if it works out, great. If not, well, the chances were slim anyway, so no big deal.’
That had to be their exact mindset going into the audition.
How do I know?
Because that used to be the reflection staring back at me in the mirror just a few months ago.
Perhaps realizing that even their own response was lukewarm, one of the two girls suddenly approached me.
Then, without warning, she grabbed my hand tightly.
I couldn’t help but frown, showing my displeasure.
Still, the last audition participant shamelessly started acting cute.
“Composerrr~ We really loved that song~”
“
No lie, we listen to it at least once an hour~ If you really give us a song……”
With a whiny tone, the two-member girl group blinked relentlessly.
At that moment, a very unpleasant breath began to issue forth.
“Grrek! Grrek! Grrek!”
Judge(?) Apung was pounding the table furiously with his front paws, scolding, “What are you trying to do?”
He then sniffed around the girls, growling in dissatisfaction.
Meanwhile, the two-member girl group finally noticed Apung’s presence and started freaking out.
“Eek! A bug! Disgusting—!”
“Insecticide! Where’s the insecticide?! Manager—!”
Since I never intended to have them sing ‘Little World,’ and fearing they might try to feed Apung insecticide, I quickly had them escorted out.
“Thank you for your effort. Please be careful on your way home.”
In the end, the last audition participants rushed out, pale as ghosts.
I slumped limply on the table and muttered.
“To think there wouldn’t be a single person…”
There was not a single participant I could rate as passing by my standards.
I might seem harsh and strict, but I had no intention of compromising half-heartedly.
Little World, especially Rivera, held a special meaning for me.
The holy ground of Rivera was home to good, faithful believers who served me.
I didn’t want to entrust Rivera’s songs to just anyone.
“Grrek grrek—”
Not a single participant passed Apung’s Scouter either.
Apung’s Scouter expressed affectionate gestures toward kind and pure people but breathed harshly at those with impure intentions.
Every audition participant, without exception, had to endure Apung’s growling.
‘…That means no one came here with pure intentions.’
Well, how many people out there would come to an audition with purely sincere motives?
Noticing my lack of energy, Apung wandered around me with a whining noise.
He probably thought things went wrong because he mercilessly rejected them all.
“Apung, you only fulfilled your duty faithfully. You did well.”
I gently patted his back, and Apung shivered lightly.
At that moment, Team Leader Lee Eojin handed me a folder with a smile.
“Creator, thank you so much for enduring the interviews! This contains the profiles of today’s audition participants. You can review them again at your leisure.”
The folder neatly organized the profiles of today’s audition participants.
I flipped through the pages and let out another short sigh.
‘In the end, I have to choose from these… Hm? This is…’
While flipping through the papers, one profile photo suddenly caught my eye.
A strangely familiar face.
A vague memory seemed to stir somewhere in my mind.
I immediately picked up the profile sheet.
[Profile]
- Real Name: Moon Ari
- Stage Name: Ari
- Gender: Female
- Age: 20
- Agency: G.O.D Entertainment (2016.09~)
‘…Moon Ari?’
As I alternated between the photo and the name, an old memory came clearly to mind.
She was one of the few acquaintances left in my very brief school days.
“Team Leader Lee Eojin, didn’t this person not come to today’s audition?”
When I asked, Team Leader Lee looked visibly flustered.
“Uh… huh?! Ah, sorry. It seems her profile was accidentally included even though it should have been set aside. You don’t need to look at that profile.”
“…Why is that?”
Lee Eojin scratched his cheek and smiled awkwardly.
“Well… we got a call from her agency this morning. She said she was quitting her singing career and would not be attending today’s audition.”
“Hmm…”
Seeing my interest, Lee Eojin quickly began sharing related information.
“Actually, I looked into it a bit. Ari apparently signed with G.O.D Entertainment when she was around 15 and has been a singer since then. Let me see, here’s a video…”
Lee Eojin found a video on MuTube and showed it to me.
The channel was Ari TV.
It was a street busking video.
Soon, a young girl lightly strummed a brown acoustic guitar and began to sing.
“─Hold on to the lost ship~ Lead it to the shore~ Sing a song of hope~ There’s still time~ Please reach out your hand~”
Her eyes were filled with longing, a faint smile graced her lips, and her voice carried sincerity.
Even through the video, I could feel how genuinely she sang.
Her beautiful tone, perfect rhythm, and clear volume had me immersed in the music before I knew it.
A warm feeling that seemed to gently soothe deeply hidden wounds inside.
This was exactly the emotion I had been hoping to find in the audition participants.
She sings well.
Unintentionally, the words slipped from my heart.
Team Leader Lee Eojin smiled bitterly.
“She seems talented. According to records, she had a debut stage, but no videos of that can be found anywhere. After that, she hasn’t had a proper stage appearance. Her agency is small, and apparently they don’t have good connections with broadcasters. Haha… The entertainment industry isn’t exactly easy, you know?”
As he said that, Lee Eojin tried to take back the profile sheet quietly.
But I held onto it firmly and said,
“…Where can I meet this girl? Could you arrange contact?”
Reading the sincerity in my eyes, Lee Eojin nodded.
Then he called the agency listed on the profile.
“Hello. This is Team Leader Lee Eojin from MonsterBox Marketing Department. Yes, I wanted to speak with her. Uh-huh… Ah… She’s out right now? For a busking performance? Ah, okay, understood!”
After ending the call, Lee Eojin looked at me and said,
“She usually does busking performances for promotion on weekends. She’s preparing for a show near Hongdae right now.”
I smiled.
“Team Leader Lee Eojin, are you busy?”
“Finished work for today. Plenty of time.”
“…Then shall we go judge the last participant of the Little World Audition?”
Lee Eojin’s eyes sparkled as he nodded vigorously.
“Sounds good! If we started, we have to finish!”
On a weekend evening in Hongdae, among the bustling crowd, a girl adjusted her microphone, carrying a large guitar.
Lee Eojin, Apung, and I watched the last candidate of the Little World Audition from beneath a distant tree.
The girl wore a black sweatshirt and denim shorts.
Her glossy jet-black hair draped long over one shoulder.
Though she was twenty, her youthful face and petite frame made her look very young.
After she finished preparing, the girl spoke brightly.
- [Hello, I’m Ari from G.O.D Entertainment! This is my last busking performance. Oh! Someone came to see me again today after last week! Nice to see you! Thank you so much~!]
Only about seven or eight people were watching Moon Ari’s busking.
Among them, three or four were agency staff helping out.
The rest of the passersby glanced briefly and hurried along.
- [The first song is ‘One More Step,’ which I wrote this time. Since it’s the last, I’ll give it my all~!]
Moon Ari lightly strummed her guitar and began playing.
As her gentle voice flowed through the amplifier, the soft melody began.
“The bus has already left the station~ Past sadness is erased under the lights~ I will take one more step~ Even if I can’t go back~ I will follow the light~”
In that instant, it was like a cold splash of ice water jolted me awake.
Her wistful and sweet voice perfectly embodied the quiet, melancholic mood of the song.
At the same time, the thought that flashed through my mind was clear.
‘…I found her. The one to sing Little World!’
Her eyes sparkled like the Milky Way, filled with sadness and longing.
Moon Ari subtly glanced at the passersby and continued singing.
Team Leader Lee Eojin widened his eyes and murmured.
‘So this is how it is… Creator, she’s exactly the musician we’ve been looking for. Do you know her?’
At Lee Eojin’s question, I quietly nodded.
Moon Ari.
A friend from my brief middle school days.
The only one who had reached out a hand to me when I was floundering in a dark swamp back then…
“…A friend. A very old friend.”
With those words, Lee Eojin and I once again immersed ourselves in Moon Ari’s music.
Meanwhile, Apung, who had been sitting on my shoulder, didn’t take his eyes off Ari for even a moment.
Then.
Pa-aaah!
Apung suddenly radiated a dazzling emerald light I had never seen before and joyfully flew up.