Resume Blunder
A few days had passed since the issue with my junior's sore throat. Just as she'd said herself, it wasn't that serious, and every time we met, I could feel her voice getting better day by day. At some point, I even had the illusion that it sounded more vibrant than her usual tone.
Thanks to that, our presentation prep was going smoothly. That alone was great news, but something else was lifting my spirits even higher.
When Rie's hiatus dragged on longer than expected, my mood sank in a way that surprised even me. The throat lozenges I'd given her seemed to work well, and I was counting down the days to her return, wishing I could at least hand her more in person.
You might think I'm overreacting, but for hakko streamers like her, sudden deaths—streams that just vanish—are part of daily life. Of course, I had zero doubts about her, but I'd crossed too many corpses already.
But that was the old story now. Ding!
Rie hiatus ended!
Returning tomorrow!
The alarm from Rie's broadcast board announced one fact: Rie was free from withdrawal. In other words, her hiatus was over. And she was coming back tomorrow.
Classes weren't over yet, so I couldn't react big, but my heart was pounding like I wanted to shout it out loud. With the audition not far off, her timing was perfect. It was the ideal moment to imprint herself on more people and get used to streaming.
Any longer, and my heart would've shriveled up from Rie withdrawal. Her return crammed my schedule even fuller.
Rie needed to submit her resume soon for the academy audition deadline, and that included a video submission. From the ad details, I could guess the rest of the audition info.
During her hiatus, with time on my hands, I'd hunted for something to do. That's when the video requirement hit me like a bolt, filling my empty slots with editing work.
On top of presentation prep, studying editing and compiling Rie's highlight clips meant pulling near-all-nighters. But I finished a version that even I didn't find awkward.
I focused on her high-energy moments and singing parts. I tried to highlight her charm as much as possible, but I had no clue if it was truly successful. I even doubted if it captured all her appeal.
So I sent it off thinking of it as just a fan-made video, with a simple "Good luck on the audition!"
With Rie stuff wrapped up, only the presentation remained. I clicked Han Seol's number from the group project exchange.
We exchanged businesslike messages now and then. The idea of texting her personally felt impossible. If I did, she'd probably read and ignore, or straight-up tell me not to contact her.
Her stiff tone made it seem plausible. No, probable.
While I spaced out, an email pinged with a file attachment.
Resume for submission? Why was the filename "resume"? Suspicious, I clicked it. Our prep materials were neatly organized inside.
Looked like she'd just renamed the file... Planning early job hunting or something? The contents were what I wanted anyway, so no issue.
As I skimmed to tweak details, another ping. This time from Rie.
Gratitude seeped through her formal tone. Feeling oddly proud, I set aside the junior's file and typed back. Ignoring her outright felt rude. And this was just a fan video—no big deal.
She kept insisting on thanks and demanding my account number like she had to repay me. No interest in that, I gave the clichéd "Just using it well is thanks enough" and closed her email tab.
The constant pings were chaotic, but they quieted after a bit. Getting a reaction to my fan work felt thrilling, like my whole body was trembling.
In the sudden quiet of my room, I savored the afterglow of Rie's emails. Smacking my lips in satisfaction, my mood soaring—then pings again.
What? Still asking for my account? Uneasy, I opened it. Sender: Han Seol, whom I'd totally forgotten.
She seemed to think she'd sent it to the completely wrong person—desperation oozed from the text. So rushed she hadn't even checked the contents. Smirking at her typos, I typed.
Then—rrring! My phone buzzed beside the laptop. Caller: Han Seol.
I'd figured she'd never call me, but she must've been that panicked.
"D-did you open it? You didn't see everything, did you...?"
"Yeah. Prep looks good."
"....Please... keep it secret...."
"It's just a resume—why keep it secret? What's weird about it?"
"....A-are you doing this on purpose...?"
"What're you talking about... You aren't crying, are you?"
A sniffle came through the speaker. What kind of weird resume was this? Wanted to tease more, but her choked voice hit my limit, so I came clean.
Seeing an emotionless girl go dramatic was straight-up scary.
"...The file's fine, no worries..."
"...."
"Just the filename changed. Contents are the presentation stuff... Yeah, you did well."
Forcing cheer into my voice as the mood sank, she finally seemed to check—sighing in relief.
"Ah... Thank you..."
Curious about the resume that sparked such a freakout, but I dropped it. Everyone has secrets. We're not close—just senior-junior thrown together by chance. No right to pry.
She shifted to presentation talk once I didn't bring it up. Our first call ended awkwardly but somehow.
After syncing with Han Seol, presentation prep wrapped safely. Lately, I'd been grinding too hard. But after long trials comes sweet reward.
So I jumped into the Leo Rel inner war Jinseong mentioned. Voices overlapped as I joined the group chat.
"Yo, you fucker, you're here."
"Bastard. Fucking asshole."
"...?"
Timing was suspicious. Why the sudden cursing?
"Suhyeon Yoo, you fucking prick, your group project members are stacked?"
My classmate Lee Gyujin started it, Jinseong piling on.
"Minji, Ji Hye, even Han Seol? Ah, just building a harem?"
"What the hell, you crazies."
"If you're doing that, hey?! Include me too!"
They were salty about my group. Unfair, though—the leftover spot was Minji's group, and these guys dodged liberal arts classes anyway.
"Fine, Minji and Ji Hye make sense—they like you. But how'd you snag Han Seol? Face really conquers all? Fucking unfair world. Everything's face-based plausibility, huh?"
"Calm down, psycho. Not close with her."
"Not close my ass... Gyujin saw you two alone at a cafe!"
"Had to prep together, stopped by briefly."
"Then you get close, hold hands, do everything, right?!"
Never imagined group chat for head-clearing would turn into this shitshow. Sighed through a 10-minute explanation.
"....Even the great Suhyeon Yoo struggles with Han Seol, huh...."
"Told you. Not me, Gyujin."
"You're the one freaking—why bitch at me? Who got shot down trying for her number first year?"
"Shut your trap."
"....She's that popular?"
Jinseong sighed before answering my innocent question.
"...You really don't know Han Seol?"
"She was mega-famous freshman year. Guys lined up. Kim Jinseong here was one—cut in 3 seconds, no cap."
"....5 seconds. Anyway, prettiest face on campus."
"....Yo, then why do Ji Hye and Minji hate her so much?"
Curiosity peaked. Minji aside, quiet Ji Hye occasionally dissed her?
"Oh, that? Her rep with girls is trash. Something like... stole a classmate's boyfriend."
If true, explained Ji Hye's attitude— she's sociable, close to most classmates. Victim could've been a friend.
But Han Seol, who avoids guys and barely mingles? Hard to picture her pulling that. More likely she'd curse out any flirter.
"If true, why'd you hit on her?"
"Pretty face forgives all."
"....Dumbass."
No point listening to these idiots. Rumor truth didn't matter to me. Nothing I could do either way.
From what I'd seen, it was probably misunderstanding-born gossip. All I could do was see her as she is.