Chapter 38: Yoo In-na Raises Her Voice

It is industry convention for actors to voluntarily participate in promotional roadshows. However, there is a fundamental difference between the promotional models for voice actors and film actors; the former need only record a brief promotional video to fulfill their obligations. For instance, after attending the premiere, Im Yoona and Kim Taeyeon recorded a joint video and were not involved in any further promotion for *Despicable Me 2*.

Kang Jae-hoon’s active participation in the promotion, however, was a matter of mutual benefit. Although there was no extra pay, frequent exposure increased his search ranking on streaming platforms. More importantly, this cost-free cooperation helped build a good reputation with the producers—after all, if a newcomer is willing to follow through with the entire promotional tour for a fee of one million won, there is no reason not to prioritize this hardworking young man for the next Korean-dubbed animation project from Universal Pictures.

The distributor for *Despicable Me 2* in Korea was CJ. After discussions between Kim Dae-won, the director, and the CJ marketing team, it was decided that Kang Jae-hoon would appear on KBS’s late-night radio program, *Yoo In-na’s Volume Up*. This program held the undisputed top spot for late-night listenership and covered a wide range of age groups, making it the perfect fit.

At 7:30 that evening, Kim Dae-won picked up Kang Jae-hoon in Seongsu-dong and headed to the KBS television station in Yeouido.

"Give her this when you meet." He pulled a gift bag from the passenger seat and handed it to the back seat.

Kang Jae-hoon glanced at the box—inside was a microphone covered in rhinestones.

"I checked; Yoo In-na wanted to be a singer when she first debuted."

"Oh... is this reimbursed by the production team?"

"It’s coming out of your salary."

"..."

The air conditioning in the KBS radio corridor was more bone-chilling than that at SBS. Following the director’s signal, Kang Jae-hoon pushed open the door to Studio 3. Yoo In-na was adjusting her headset in front of a makeup mirror.

"Yoo In-na-ssi, the guest has arrived."

Yoo In-na stood up from her swivel chair: "Nice to meet you, Kang Jae-hoon-ssi."

"It's an honor, Sunbae. This is a gift for you." He bowed and handed over the box.

"Oh my, you’re too kind!" When Yoo In-na opened the box, her eyes widened suddenly. The rhinestone-encrusted microphone shimmered under the overhead lights, and her eyes curved into two crescents: "PD-nim, it seems today’s guest is trying to bribe the host."

Suppressed laughter erupted from the control booth.

"Thank you, I’ll gladly accept this thoughtful gift." Yoo In-na placed the box gently on the mixing console and gestured for him to sit: "Relax, just talk as if you’re chatting with a friend."

"Understood, Sunbae."

Looking at the busy production team through the glass, Kang Jae-hoon suddenly remembered how Im Yoona had used that same gentle tone to say "relax" at the premiere.

Five minutes later, the director in the control room signaled a five-second countdown. Yoo In-na gave her headset a final adjustment. The countdown light turned solid red.

Yoo In-na’s voice flowed into the microphone like melting honey: "Late-night stars, this is KBS 89.1MHz, *Volume Up*."

She turned her head toward Kang Jae-hoon: "There’s a scent of mint in the studio tonight because we have a guest whose voice is like summer ice water—Kang Jae-hoon-ssi, welcome!"

Kang Jae-hoon cleared his throat into the mic: "Hello everyone, I am Kang Jae-hoon, a student on my way to becoming a capable actor."

"The hottest animated movie recently is undoubtedly *Despicable Me 2*, which has already broken the Korean box office record for animated films. As the Korean voice of Gru, could you briefly introduce the story to our stars?"

"Of course." Kang Jae-hoon adjusted the distance to the microphone: "In this installment, Gru turns over a new leaf to join the Anti-Villain League, teams up with Lucy to stop a new villain’s world-ending plan, and incidentally..." he paused for half a second, "...deals with his eldest daughter's teenage emotional struggles."

"Speaking of daughters, Kim Taeyeon-ssi and Im Yoona-ssi voiced the daughters, right?"

"Yes."

"So, do you have any fun stories to share from working with them?"

"Because the recording tracks were separated, we didn't actually work together very often." Kang Jae-hoon suddenly looked reminiscent: "Though there was one small incident that left a deep impression."

"Oh? What was that?"

"During a recording break, I saw Kim Taeyeon-ssi caught stealing fried chicken, being dragged out of the studio by her manager by the scruff of her neck..." He suddenly stopped: "Is... is this okay to say?"

Yoo In-na covered the lower half of her face with her script, the laugh lines at the corners of her eyes deepening: "Now the whole country knows that Kim Taeyeon-ssi was sneaking fried chicken during her comeback period."

"Can we edit this part out?"

Yoo In-na pointed to the camera on the wall: "This is a fully visible live broadcast."

The studio fell silent for three seconds. Suppressed laughter came from the control room.

Yoo In-na didn't let the awkwardness linger. She looked at her script and spoke into the microphone: "Moving on, if you have anything you’d like to say to Kang Jae-hoon-ssi, or any questions, please send them via text to..."

After introducing the interactive method, Yoo In-na turned to Kang Jae-hoon: "We’re going to play a song while we wait for messages. Is there any song you’d like to hear, Kang Jae-hoon-ssi?"

"The song that’s been topping the Billboard charts recently, 'Happy'."

The PD pressed play, and the theme song from *Despicable Me 2* flowed from the console. As the music faded, Yoo In-na scanned the messages selected by the director: "A listener ending in 7743 asks—I heard Kang Jae-hoon-ssi can imitate an elderly person’s voice. Could you recreate my father’s voice? He passed away last week..."

Kang Jae-hoon exchanged a look with Yoo In-na for two seconds: "What was his accent?"

"Gyeongsang-do accent."

"One moment." Kang Jae-hoon quickly retrieved the *Dialect Handbook* Kim Dae-won had given him from his backpack, flipping to the Gyeongsang-do section.

Ten seconds later, he closed the handbook and swallowed. When he spoke again, a gravelly Gyeongsang-do dialect with a rough, raspy finish spilled from the mic:

"Young-joo-ah—" He deliberately emphasized the vibrato on the word "ah."

The director cut in the OST from *Reply 1997* as background music. The guitar intro and the dialect wove together in a haunting resonance:

"No matter how high the cost of living in Seoul is, you have to eat well. Dad’s bankbook is in the third iron box in the closet, the password is Young-joo’s birthday..."

In an instant, the real-time message board flooded with a waterfall of comments:

[I have goosebumps!]
[Dad’s bankbook password is Young-joo’s birthday, oh god T T]
[Is this really a voice a 24-year-old can make?!]
[A person from North Gyeongsang working overtime in Gangnam has soaked their keyboard with tears]
...

"Jae-hoon-ssi, can we re-record this for the family?"

"Of course." Kang Jae-hoon switched back to his normal voice, "My condolences."

A staff member suddenly handed over a new message card. Yoo In-na scanned the messy handwriting, her pupils dilated slightly, and she gestured a question toward the director behind the glass. Seeing the director give an "allow" signal, she pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth and took a deep breath:

"The next message comes from a listener ending in 3091—I want to hear Jae-hoon Oppa use a gentle boyfriend voice to say romantic words to In-na Unnie."

"It seems our stars want to hear something sweet." Yoo In-na turned to Kang Jae-hoon, "Do you mind, Jae-hoon-ssi?"

"I wouldn't say mind, it's just..." He traced the edge of the script with his fingertip, "Is there a script for reference?"

"Feel free to improvise."

"Please give me twenty seconds."

While waiting, Yoo In-na skillfully transitioned: "Stars, you can start guessing how Jae-hoon-ssi will confess his love~"

Twenty seconds later, he raised his hand to signal he was ready.

"Oh? Kang Jae-hoon-ssi is ready, so let’s begin."

Yoo In-na rested her chin on her hand, waiting for his performance. Kang Jae-hoon focused his gaze on the fire extinguisher behind her to keep from laughing.

"In-na-ssi—"

He dropped his voice into a low register, as if coated in snow, the very arc of his throat moving with a gentle rhythm:

"When the first snow covers Namsan Tower... would you like to have dinner with me?"

The wire of Yoo In-na’s headset shook as her shoulders trembled with laughter: "Mr. Boyfriend, you’ll lose points for using a question for a first-snow confession."

Seeing the PD frantically signaling to "continue," Kang Jae-hoon bit the bullet and adjusted his tone: "Let’s go eat now."

"Too aggressive." She feigned a stern expression, though the smile leaked through her lashes.

"Will you have dinner with me?" Kang Jae-hoon’s voice was laced with a hint of hesitation.

"Another question." Yoo In-na shook her head while twirling her pen.

Kang Jae-hoon stared at the metal reflection of the fire extinguisher, suddenly remembering Lee Sung-kyung’s arched brow when she was being sharp-tongued:

"I’ve ordered ginseng chicken soup for two—" He drew out the tail of his sentence, "But the doctor says eating alone is bad for the stomach."

Yoo In-na nodded with an expression of "he's finally learned": "You may graduate."

The real-time message board in the control room was suddenly submerged in pink heart symbols:

[Help, I’m twisting like a pretzel in bed!]
[We are all Yoo In-na tonight!]
[Why do I inexplicably ship them?]
...

The director signaled "continue" from behind the glass. Yoo In-na understood and cleared her throat:

"If you stars are satisfied with Jae-hoon-ssi’s vocal performance, please send a cheering text to... to participate in customizing our volume."

In a shared apartment, dark sweat stains marred the yoga mat as the countdown for a three-minute plank had 15 seconds remaining. Just then, the radio playing through the phone suddenly burst with a low, tingling male voice:

"When the first snow covers Namsan Tower... would you like to have dinner with me?"

Lee Sung-kyung’s elbows went soft, and her chin nearly hit the floor. She propped herself up, grabbed her phone, and tapped into the live stream. The comment pool was being painted into a pink swamp by [Ahhh, my ears are pregnant].

"Cheesy."

Lee Sung-kyung’s thumb hovered over the send button for three seconds before she typed [The vocal acting is okay], and the moment she sent it, she added another message: [But the lines are old-fashioned].

Inside the studio, Yoo In-na scanned the real-time board, her fingertip hovering over a comment—[What kind of actor only knows how to flirt with his voice?]

"A listener asks, Jae-hoon-ssi, can you improvise something more... hardcore?"

"Hardcore? Can I do movie lines?"

"Of course."

Kang Jae-hoon closed his eyes for three seconds, and when he opened them, his pupils were shrouded in gloom:

"In those days... there was no GPS, no DNA testing." His throat moved, bringing out a low, raspy Gyeonggi-do dialect: "The police had to rely on their feet and their instincts to solve cases."

The air conditioner in the control room hummed; Yoo In-na rubbed her forearm unconsciously.

"Just like now—" Kang Jae-hoon slammed the table, the dull thud mixing with a sudden, rising roar: "What are you looking at! Is the answer on my face!"

The sound waves made the pop filter tremble slightly.

Yoo In-na felt goosebumps rise on the back of her neck: "Is this... *Memories of Murder*?"

"Yes."

Kang Jae-hoon switched back to his clear tone and pulled a tissue to wipe the spit off the microphone mesh: "The interrogation scene by Song Kang-ho-sunbae in *Memories of Murder*; I improvised some of the lines."

The data screen in the control room showed the listenership peak breaking its historical record. The message board paused for two seconds before exploding:

[My hair is standing on end, help]
[Someone check on him, that didn't look like acting]
[Did Song Kang-ho just show up?!]
...

Behind the glass, the PD suddenly held up a whiteboard: [Commercial Break].

Yoo In-na rolled her script into a tube and tapped her palm: "Stars, wait a moment, we’ll be right back for something even more exciting—"

The moment the commercial music started, the director rushed into the studio:

"Listenership just broke the show's record! For the rest of the time, just improvise!"

"Improvise?"

"Yes, what other tones are you good at?" The director looked at Kang Jae-hoon as if he were a hidden treasure.

"A high-pitched cutesy voice?"

Yoo In-na’s lashes blinked rapidly: "Please begin your performance."

Kang Jae-hoon cleared his throat, tightening his vocal cords to replicate the scene from the movie where Gru forbids his youngest daughter from eating ice cream:

"Sweetie~ give the ice cream back to Daddy~" The thin, high-pitched falsetto mixed with sticky bubble sounds, "Or the fairy godmother will turn you into a pumpkin~"

The air in the studio froze for two seconds. Yoo In-na suddenly covered her mouth, letting out a muffled "pfft."

"Anything more normal?"

Kang Jae-hoon instantly straightened his back, a bass-heavy boom rolling over the remaining sweetness: "Even if I am a beast, do I not have the right to survive?"

"*Oldboy*?"

"Yes."

"Alright, let’s do a reenactment of classic movies."

"Understood."

Three minutes later, the director signaled a five-second countdown.

"Stars, thanks for waiting. Welcome back to *Volume Up*. Next is the 'Vocal Cinema' special segment."

Kang Jae-hoon adjusted the microphone angle, his Adam's apple moving slightly. The real-time curve in the control room climbed again the moment he opened his mouth—

"Even if I am a beast—"

Kang Jae-hoon’s version of "Oh Dae-su" crashed into the pop filter, the scent of blood carried by his vibrating throat making the temperature in the control room drop three degrees.

"Why, even though it's my first time here, does it feel like I've been here before?"

When switching to *Peppermint Candy*, Kang Jae-hoon’s voice suddenly became as thin as a cicada’s wing. The brokenness of a middle-aged man mixed with the auditory hallucination of a train whistle left a heavy cloud on Yoo In-na’s brow.

"..."

"Tonight, stars, you witnessed a miracle of the vocal cords. Thank you, Jae-hoon-ssi, for the brilliant performance—"

The "off-air" light turned on, and Kang Jae-hoon bowed ninety degrees to the staff. Applause erupted from the control room, mixed with the data analyst’s cheers of "We broke the station record."

When Yoo In-na climbed into the van clutching the microphone gift box, Lee Ji-eun was curled up in the back seat scrolling on her phone. The car stereo flowed with the demo of *Red Shoes*, the drum beats tapping lightly against the windows.

"Been waiting long?"

"Just got here."

Lee Ji-eun shook a plastic convenience store bag: "I just went to buy some fish-shaped buns; they’re still warm."

"Thanks."

Yoo In-na took a bun and bit into the crispy edge: "I met an incredible new actor today."

"How incredible?"

"He acted out seven classic movies with just his vocal cords. The production team gave him a standing ovation."

Lee Ji-eun leaned forward and turned off the music: "Acting with vocal cords?"

"The part from *Peppermint Candy* made me want to cry."

"Unnie, your empathy is still as strong as ever."

The headlights swept over the corner ahead, where Kim Dae-won and Kang Jae-hoon were walking quickly toward Parking Lot Exit B.

Lee Ji-eun pointed toward them: "Is that him?"

Yoo In-na squinted to identify the figures: "Yes, his name is Kang Jae-hoon."

"He's quite tall."

The van started slowly. As they passed Kang Jae-hoon, Lee Ji-eun rolled down the window.

The summer night breeze rushed in, mingled with the cold air from the radio station basement, carrying half a sentence from Kang Jae-hoon: "Are you really taking it out of my salary?"