Chapter 42: I Became the Older Brother of a Top Star

"Ah! Hello! I'm a fan!"

Yuna, flustered, stood up first and greeted politely.

In response, Ryu Jae-won quickly shook his hand.

"If I'm in the way, I'm really sorry."

Ryu Jae-won must be around forty now.

Given the age difference, he might have started speaking informally, but true to his nickname as a gentleman, he was very polite to us.

"Hello, I'm Jung Yun-seong."

"Ah, yes. Nice to meet you. This is the second time I'm seeing you in person, not on a screen."

Ryu Jae-won's success wasn't just due to his unique singing ability; his charming smile also played a big role. Even now, his youthful appearance belied his age, and he must have been a sensation when he was younger.

"Thank you. I heard you recommended us to the PD to appear on the show?"

"Is there anything to recommend? Were the songs you just sang all original compositions?"

"Yes! That's right. My brother composed all of them!"

"Is that so? Then the song you just sang was also created by Jung Yun-seong?"

"Yes, that's right."

Ryu Jae-won let out a short exclamation and nodded.

"I feel like I've disturbed you. I should have just listened quietly."

"Oh, no. It's an honor for us to have a senior like you listen."

"Is that so? Calling me a senior makes me feel suddenly old. Well, I am quite old, actually. Haha."

Yuna's friendliness left Ryu Jae-won no choice.

"And please speak more casually. We feel uncomfortable."

"Hmm. Should I...?"

We had only met for about ten minutes, but thanks to Yuna, we already felt comfortable with each other.

"Jae-won, are you not releasing another album? It's been three years, hasn't it?"

"Ah, Yuna. Calling me 'oppa'... If others hear, they'll think I'm old."

"It's fine. I can't call a senior like you 'uncle' or 'aunt,' can I?"

"True. Calling me 'uncle' or 'aunt' would make me feel sad."

Calling a senior 'oppa' also felt strange, but...

Knock knock.

At that moment, a broadcast staff member knocked and entered.

"Oh, you're all here. The recording will start soon."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Hehe. We'll wait at the front."

"We'll go right away!"

Yuna stood up first and urged us to follow.

"Let's hurry. The seniors are waiting."

Watching Yuna leave, Ryu Jae-won chuckled.

"Yuna has a real talent for making people feel at ease."

"Yes, she's such a bright kid."

I agreed wholeheartedly.

It's hard to imagine how much she must have suffered in her previous life, being so bright and sociable but unable to express herself.

"Let's do well today. Don't be too nervous."

"Okay."

Ryu Jae-won smiled gently and patted my shoulder.

We followed the staff and waited for the MC's introduction.

"Let's introduce today's guests. The prince of ballads, Ryu Jae-won. And the internet sensation, the temporary siblings, Jung Yun-seong and Jung Yuna!"

"Wow-!"

As expected, the audience clapped and cheered as the staff raised the sign.

It's a familiar scene.

I've seen many live and recorded broadcasts during my time as a manager, and it's common to see staff members enthusiastically encouraging the audience.

"Hello, I'm Ryu Jae-won."

"I'm Jung Yun-seong."

Even though I've been to many places, this was my first time on a live recording, so I was very nervous.

If I hadn't pulled myself together, my voice would have cracked.

In contrast, Yuna,

"Hello, everyone~! I'm Jung Yuna!"

waved and smiled at the audience.

There were quite a few older audience members, and they looked at Yuna with motherly and fatherly smiles.

Perhaps because of this,

"It's great to meet you all."

"Yes, it feels like a dream to be here. I've been following this program faithfully."

"Really? Our channel's students don't usually watch it."

"No, my friends watch it a lot."

The conversation started naturally with Yuna, not Ryu Jae-won. It wasn't a deep or meaningful conversation, but the show was going well.

Ryu Jae-won, the audience, and the MCs were all in a good mood.

"What about you, Yun-seong? How do you feel about being on the show today?"

I was the only one who hadn't spoken.

I should have said something, but I just kept my mouth shut.

I didn't know what to say.

But then,

'That's... '

Auras were rising from the two MCs.

They seemed to recognize me and poked me in the side.

As if saying, "Why aren't you speaking?"

Both were former composers but now more like veteran MCs, so I slowly absorbed their auras.

Then,

"Indeed, watching a broadcast is very different from being on the set. I'm also nervous because I admire many of the people here."

The words flowed smoothly.

"Really? You don't seem nervous at all."

"No, my hands are sweating, and my head feels like it's going white. I'm really nervous."

I made a shivering gesture, and the audience reacted.

"Aww, so cute."

"Yeah, she speaks so nicely."

Time passed quickly as the MCs, Yuna, and I exchanged banter.

The PD was signaling from a distance, worried about the time.

"Oh, we need to move on, but our cute siblings have made us late. Still, isn't it great, everyone? Just looking at them makes me smile. Don't you agree?"

"Yes~!"

"They're so cute!"

The MC laughed and continued.

"Let's hear some music. It's the identity of our show, right, Jae-won?"

"Yes, I've been laughing and chatting so much. I'll sing a song."

"What song are you prepared to sing?"

"It's my debut song, 'Fortune.'"

The MCs and the audience gasped in unison.

"Ah! Fortune. That's a great song."

"It's the song that put Ryu Jae-won where he is today. Let's hear it."

The applause continued, and the band started playing, changing the atmosphere.

As expected, a pro is a pro.

He had been laughing and joking just a moment ago, but now he was a ballad singer, capturing the emotion and immersing himself in the song.

A blue aura was emanating from his body.

His aura was indeed impressive, befitting a star.

His stable and smooth voice, like honey dripping, was perfectly suited for ballads.

His voice and singing skills, loved by all, hadn't diminished with age.

"Wow-. Indeed, Ryu Jae-won."

"Always great to hear."

The MCs exclaimed in admiration when his song ended.

Yuna was clapping enthusiastically, moved.

"Jae-won, you're really on today."

"Now the siblings have to sing. How will they handle it after such a powerful performance? Haha."

The audience was still under the spell of Ryu Jae-won's song and his aura.

Reversing the mood would be difficult.

"Let's hear the siblings' song now."

"What song have they prepared?"

"We've prepared our first original song, 'Chicken'!"

"Wow~! I was really surprised when I first heard that song. I didn't think a song about chicken could be so good."

"As a composer, I learned a lot. I realized that even a simple theme can create such a song."

Ryu Jae-won added,

"I also ordered a lot of chicken after hearing that song."

"Haha. I bet many of the audience members here did too."

"Let's hear it."

The staff quickly set up the stage.

Although our performance might seem modest after Ryu Jae-won's, it didn't matter.

We had our own secret weapon.

Yuna followed my signal and carefully took out the secret weapon.

# # #

"That sibling duo really has a presence on camera."

"Right? I was worried they'd just tremble and not say a word."

It's a common mistake for first-time performers.

Some make verbal and physical mistakes, and some even cry.

Luckily, this was a recorded show, so any issues could be fixed.

I was prepared for the worst with the siblings, but-

"They seem like veterans."

Yuna is naturally bright, but Jung Yun-seong was a pleasant surprise.

I thought he was quiet and reserved, but he handled the MCs well and kept the conversation flowing smoothly.

"Still, this is a bit much."

The problem was Ryu Jae-won's performance.

"Did we mess up the order?"

We thought his skills might have declined after a long break, but we were wrong.

His performance exceeded expectations.

His stage presence and control were befitting a top artist.

The audience was completely captivated.

This meant the viewers would also be swept away and wouldn't pay attention to other songs.

"We need to edit this carefully."

It would be better to have the siblings perform first and then Ryu Jae-won.

Otherwise, the siblings would look too pitiful...

"Huh?"

"What?"

Something unexpected happened.

Yuna, who had brought maracas, started shaking them in her small hands to the rhythm of Jung Yun-seong's guitar.

"Wow~!"

"Hahaha!"

The MCs and the audience were swept away by her cuteness.

They laughed genuinely, not just because they were told to.

The siblings, with their lively guitar and maracas, filled the speakers with their clear voices.

The audience was clapping to the rhythm, and Yuna, with her cute facial expressions, was encouraging them.

The ballad atmosphere created by Ryu Jae-won was completely reversed.

"Ah-"

The PD, who should have been focused on finding editing points, realized he was already swaying to the beat.

Not just the PD, but all the staff in the studio were doing the same.

"I underestimated them."

At first, I was worried about the siblings following Ryu Jae-won and felt sorry for them.

Now, I was worried about Ryu Jae-won, who was clapping with a fatherly smile.