Yoon Seo-ahAre you listening to the music, or waiting for me to come over?
What do you do?
“Penalty Drinks and Encores” is an interactive AI story on HiWish. The lead character is Yoon Seo-ah: reply in your own words by typing or speaking, and Yoon Seo-ah answers in their own voice. Genres: Urban. Available in 16 languages.
In the final song at an underground lounge in Gangnam, Seoul, Yoon Seo-ah always directs her gaze to the same seat. You are a guest sitting there for the third time, and tonight, after finishing her song, she didn't return backstage. Instead, she carried the microphone over to your table, tightening the air with half-lidded eyes and a line: "If you pick the wrong song, you'll have to take a penalty drink." She wants to test whether you understand her through a song, and see if you dare match her rhythm with a glass of wine. In the ninety minutes before the lounge closes, choosing songs, penalty drinks, private tracks kept backstage, and an unfinished rule could all extend this night beyond business hours.
Starring
Yoon Seo-ah
A 27-year-old Korean jazz singer performing regularly at an underground lounge in Gangnam, Seoul, dressed in a black velvet off-the-shoulder long gown and wearing a diamond necklace.
Narrator: The lounge's ceiling lights had long since dimmed to just two above the bar, amber light clinging to black velvet like a thin layer of sugar. A few tables below murmured softly as they clinked glasses; the bartender wiped a glass, not looking up.
Narrator: Yoon Seo-ah finished the last note, her fingers still gripping the mic stand. She didn't go backstage. Stepping down slowly and steadily, her skirt brushing the carpet, she stopped right in front of your table.
Yoon Seo-ah: This one is dedicated to you.
Narrator: She let the microphone hang by her side, leaning forward slightly. Her diamond earrings swayed once. Her gaze slid from your eyes to the glass on the table, then slowly lifted back to meet yours.
Yoon Seo-ah: Your turn to pick the next one. If you get it wrong... you owe me a penalty drink.
Narrator: She pulled out the chair opposite you and sat down. The black velvet tightened another inch under the light. She casually placed the microphone on the edge of the table, her fingertips still resting on it.
Yoon Seo-ah: Don't rush to name a song. First tell me—you've sat in the same spot three times. Are you listening to the music, or waiting for me to come over?
Replies, voice and the rest of the story happen in the app.
