The Strange Senior
Somehow I'd managed to get hired, but there was nothing for me to do right away.
Apparently the second-generation members would gather later for some orientation training or whatever.
Even that wasn't happening immediately—it was scheduled for a few weeks down the line…
In the meantime, they were installing a soundproof booth and all the various equipment needed for streaming…
One hundred percent company-provided, into the place next door that I was going to move into.
So on a certain day, while packing up what little belongings I had and killing time with nothing better to do—
"…CEO?"
"…Yeah, Sihyun."
A call came out of the blue from a very important person.
"What's going on? Did something come up for us?"
"No, it's not that…"
As for the one taking the call, I was perfectly at ease.
That was thanks to the conversations of the past few days…
I'd gotten used to a boss-and-employee dynamic that felt more like close older and younger sisters.
Apparently it looked better on stream if we seemed close to each other.
Of course I couldn't get too familiar—I still had to show a proper measure of respect from my side.
No matter how unusual this workplace was…
It was still a business, after all. A business.
…Except.
"Among your seniors… Ichihana Ren—do you remember her?"
"I remember, yeah? You only told me her streamer name, though."
"She says she wants to see you…"
"…Me?"
The CEO was one thing, but an out-of-nowhere appearance from a founding senior of the company…
Was clearly outside my expectations.
"…Why?"
"I don't know. I'd like to know myself…"
Ichihana Ren.
The pioneer who had boldly set foot into the fledgling company Lunabis, and…
…at the same time, the one who had wrung the most tears out of Kang Yura.
She was well known for pulling some stunt the moment you thought things had settled down…
And if you had to guess the cause of any clip of the CEO losing her temper, nine times out of ten it was this person.
Her sense for the line was solid enough that she had never caused any real controversy so far, but…
"She kept throwing a tantrum, demanding I give her your address…"
"…Did you tell her?"
"…I only told her the name of the café nearby. The one where we met."
"Ah, that should be fine."
…As mentioned, those antics were the problem if anything was a problem.
We might be becoming senior and junior, but still…
Showing up at someone's house out of the blue when we had never even met?
That was definitely not a normal mindset.
"Want to… meet her?"
"Hmm…"
"Of course there's no real downside for you if you don't. What do you want to do?"
Kang Yura knew that much herself, so her tone was especially careful, but…
The answer I was going to give was pretty obvious, looking back.
"I should meet her, of course."
…Even if I refused, she was the type who would latch on eventually anyway.
It felt a little wrong to put it like this, but better to get it out of the way early.
"…Sorry about that."
"It's fine. It's a good chance to get our faces familiar with each other."
"I'm really sorry. I'll make it up to you somehow later."
"Whoa, CEO. You owe me one now?"
"Ugh…"
While I was at it, I piled a little guilt onto the CEO as well.
I had no intention of tormenting her the way a certain someone would.
But today's favor would come back as leverage someday…
At this price, it was more than enough of a win for me.
…Except for one thing here.
"So, when is she coming?"
"Now."
"…Excuse me?"
"She's already there."
…As I'd said earlier, those damn antics were the problem.
After telling Jia I was stepping out for a bit, I dressed myself decently and headed for the nearby café…
And before long, I found myself face-to-face with a certain woman.
An oversized hoodie topped with a ball cap—a thoroughly casual look.
Long dark-brown hair and a dog-like face were her defining features, and she…
Was slurping at a strawberry latte while waiting for someone.
…So that's Ichihana Ren.
A major senior in the industry, and now my immediate upperclassman.
…From the outside, she looked perfectly normal.
And with that face, she went around doing all that nonsense on stream?
It just didn't match. Was this why people went on about Red Pills…?
…Well, she was pretty, at least.
"You're my senior, right?"
"…Hm?"
I set the observations aside for now.
The description I'd been given beforehand matched perfectly, so…
After ordering a drink from the part-timer, I sat down naturally across from her.
"I'm Yu Sihyun. I just joined the company."
Even if the method was a little bizarre…
This was, unofficially or not, a meeting with a senior, so…
I steadied the calm in my heart and put on proper manners—
"Wooow…"
But the composure I had so carefully held onto…
"Hey. Wanna be my girlfriend?"
"…What?"
"I said, wanna be?"
…shattered into pieces in a matter of seconds.