Chapter 18: Became the Older Brother of a Top Star

The Hongdae karaoke channel quickly grew thanks to its unique feature of not only busking but also performing live on the street for passersby. However, once it gained popularity, similar channels began to sprout up rapidly. As higher-quality channels emerged, the Hongdae karaoke channel naturally started to lose its prominence.

'Is there no one to apply now?'

Perhaps that's why the number of applicants, which had always been overwhelming, began to dwindle. Eventually, today, there was no one to apply, and the broadcast had to proceed without any performers.

Kim Yonggeun, the streamer of the Hongdae karaoke channel, glanced at the chat window.

- If this is going to happen, just end the broadcast!

- What are you doing without any applicants?

- If you're going to do this, just quit the broadcast.

The chat window was a mess, filled with all sorts of curses and criticisms.

Even covering with his own band had its limits. After all, people came here not to listen to his songs but to watch ordinary people perform live.

'Please, anyone!'

In a desperate situation, a voice of salvation was heard.

"Me!!"

A girl in a school uniform volunteered. There was also a boy standing next to her.

"Wow."

For a moment, he was speechless. He had never seen such a breathtaking beauty before. The boy next to her was no different. It was a level of visual appeal that made jealousy impossible, almost overwhelming.

"Hi! I'm Jeong Yuna!"

"·····Jeong Yuseong."

They were even siblings.

How could their parents have given birth to such an unbelievable pair of siblings?

- Wow, are they celebrities?

- Are they agency trainees??

- They're siblings? Really?

- I'm getting a shock.

- They're really, really beautiful and handsome.

- Crazy. Is this middle school beauty?

As expected, the chat window was exploding with comments.

"Wow, they're siblings, siblings."

"What kind of genes do they have?"

"Really, they're so beautiful."

The reactions from the audience were also intense.

It's fine.

I'm satisfied with this.

Honestly, singing?

I don't even expect these two beautiful people to sing well.

So, if we can just drag this out as long as possible...

"I know."

Just as he was thinking that,

"·····Huh?"

A heavenly voice, matching their dazzling appearance, began to flow.

This was the second unexpected thing.

"Wh-What is this?"

High-level guitar playing, followed by a beautiful voice.

Kim Yonggeun, who should have been hyping up the performance to engage the audience and improve the chat window's atmosphere, just stood there in a daze.

No, he couldn't do anything.

At that moment, he was not a streamer running the channel but just one of the audience members.

'What are these siblings?'

He had performed countless times before. He had met many ordinary people with special talents and created several legendary stages.

But the performance these two gave today was incomparable to any of those.

"Let's watch a performance."

"Is a singer here? They sing so well?"

Couples holding hands walking down the street,

Friends looking for entertainment,

Aspiring singers returning home after their busking today.

Drawn by the mysterious voice echoing through the entire street, people began to gather one by one.

A clear and beautiful voice can attract attention for a moment, but that interest doesn't last long. However, a voice that stimulates the human soul, conveying the story within the lyrics and notes, captivates people.

The song was "Dream" by Go Jin-cheol, a song about raising one's head towards a dream and the courage to move forward towards that dream. It seemed to be whispering, "Don't give in to trials, I'm cheering for you."

"I will always move forward. With you~."

The Hongdae street, filled with the sounds of people talking, the band's instruments, and other noises, was now completely filled with the sound of the guitar and Jeong Yuna's singing.

How can I describe this?

The song tasted strangely sweet.

"·····"

When the song ended,

as if nothing had been there from the beginning,

the street became eerily quiet.

"Thank you!"

Breaking the silence of the overwhelming wave of emotion, Yuna's grateful words echoed.

"Ah!"

Kim Yonggeun finally snapped out of it.

The same was true for the others.

People began to cheer, albeit a bit late.

"Wow, wow!"

"Wow!!"

Kim Yonggeun also clapped along with them.

As he did, he glanced around,

'When did so many people gather?'

The performance area was packed with people, as if all the people on the Hongdae street had gathered there.

The cheers they created were of a size he had never heard before.

"Wow, they're really amazing."

"The song was so sweet, it felt healing."

"Yeah, I even cried in the middle."

The enthusiastic reactions, the overwhelming cheers, and the continuous exclamations of amazement.

- It's a hit.

- Can they really have such a face and singing skills?

- It was a legendary stage.

- Please, an encore!!

- Wow, what did I just see? Are they really ordinary people?

- I should have seen this live!

The chat window reactions were similar.

Their silent screams seemed to be vividly conveyed.

'This is a big hit.'

Seeing this, Kim Yonggeun was certain.

'This is a huge hit!'

This stage would become the greatest legendary stage in the history of his channel.

* * *

"·····"

The tremor in his hand, which had plucked the guitar strings, did not stop.

It wasn't just because he had been pressing the stiff guitar strings.

'I lost my focus without even realizing it.'

He had heard that one can get lost in music, completely absorbed in it, to the point of not even knowing what they are doing.

Was that what I experienced?

"Thank you! Thank you!"

I watched Yuna bow and thank the cheering crowd.

From the moment the song started, I was completely absorbed in the lyrics and the song Yuna sang.

I was completely immersed in the aura emanating from her body.

And that aura colored the entire crowd.

"·····?"

But something surprising was happening.

The same aura began to rise from the crowd.

As if they were being assimilated by Yuna's aura, a pink aura like blooming flowers filled the street and the sky.

'Is this all because of Yuna's aura?'

It was a fascinating sight.

Today, I learned for the first time that someone's aura could be assimilated and spread like an infection.

I watched the auras filling the sky in awe.

"You play the guitar really well."

"·····Yes? Ah, yes. Thank you."

"You've been playing for a long time, haven't you? The way you hold the strings and control the tension when you strum is perfect."

The man who lent me the guitar had a gleam in his eyes.

"No, I just like the guitar."

"Ha-ha. Even with a cheap guitar, your playing would have sounded great. You seem young, but your skills are amazing. I got a good stimulus after a long time. Thank you."

I was the one who should be grateful.

Thanks to this person's aura, I was able to create such a beautiful performance.

"Brother."

I turned my head at Yuna's call.

She smiled and asked me,

"How was it?"

I raised my thumb without a word.

It was a perfect performance.

"You played the guitar well."

"Uh? Yes? Are you, are you leaving already?"

The MC, who had overheard the man's flustered words, shouted,

"No! You can't leave like this!"

Perhaps he didn't want to lose this momentum.

He was persistent.

"How can you just leave after setting our hearts on fire like this!"

"Oh. We're middle school students, so we need to go home quickly."

He then turned to the audience for help.

"Everyone. They're saying they're leaving. What should we do!?"

The people, who seemed to be very disappointed, tried to stop us.

"No!!"

"Encore!!"

"Sing one more song!"

If it had been just a few people, he might have let it go, but the many people gathered here were all shouting in unison, asking for one more song.

"Brother."

"Yes?"

"Can we do just one more?"

Yuna seemed to be really enjoying it.

She, who couldn't even hold the microphone properly earlier due to nervousness.

Sure.

If my sister wants it.

"Then we'll do just one more song."

"Wow-!!"

Hearing the boiling cheers of the crowd, I sat down again.

After pondering what song to play,

"Brother. How about that song? 'In This Street.'"

It was one of my favorite songs.

It was also a very famous song.

"Sure."

I picked up the guitar I had put down.

The crowd, which had cheered at the news of our encore, became quiet again, slowly and mournfully enjoying the guitar performance that began.

And Yuna's voice entered the accompaniment.

The familiar people, the missed people, even the hated people.

Will they remember me?

Will they listen to my voice again?

Just as I haven't forgotten you, will you not forget me?

Please, let me see you one more time.

Yuna's aura, which had momentarily subsided, was now spreading more widely, like calm ripples.

* * *

"Brother, today was amazing."

"Yuna, you were incredible too! I really cried a lot."

"Yep. Especially the last song was so sad."

Yuna's friends were still lingering, savoring the afterglow of the performance.

"Be careful on your way home."

"Okay~ Goodbye!"

"See you, brother!"

After sending the kids off, Yuna and I walked home, enjoying the night air.

"Hehe."

Yuna's smile didn't leave her face.

It seemed she really enjoyed today's performance.

"Did you have a lot of fun? Today's stage."

"Yes! It was so much fun. It was amazing to see people listen to our songs and enjoy them. Of course, I was also very nervous."

Actually, it was my first time performing on stage in front of so many people, so I was nervous and tense, but strangely, when Yuna's voice started, I forgot all about it.

"But I felt much less nervous because you were there. If I had done it alone, I probably wouldn't have been able to do it out of fear."

"I didn't expect you to suddenly raise your hand and say you'd do it. But, well..."

I smiled.

"It was fun. Thanks to you."

If it weren't for Yuna, it would have been a moment I might never have experienced in my life.

And through today's performance, I saw it.

The incredible potential this child possesses.

The talent to color a large crowd and assimilate them instantly.

That's why,

"Yuna."

"Yes?"

I felt even more eager.

"What do you think about performing in front of other people like today, regularly?"

I wanted to show her to as many people as possible.

"Um~. If it's a performance like today, it would be really fun."

I wanted to let people feel that beautiful and warm aura.

But,

"I don't think I can do it alone."

"Huh?"

This was an unexpected answer.

Why can't she do it?

Is there some other problem I don't know about...

"If you help me from behind like you did today, maybe."

"·····?"

"So, if there are more opportunities like this, we can do it together?"

Yuna smiled at me.

Chapter 19