Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Da-jeong is Plucky!
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Kang Haneul's story delivered a shock to the members far beyond what they'd imagined.
It was only natural.
They could somewhat brush off the tragic loss of her parents as heartbreaking but surmountable.
But how destitute must her life have been to push her into such desperate straits?
'So that's how it was.'
Amid all this, one person nodded calmly, seemingly unfazed—the only one.
That was Han Ji-ah.
She had chatted a bit with Da-jeong during her audition interview, so she'd had a vague inkling.
She already knew about her parents passing away from that conversation.
'Her bag looked so worn out.'
Even now, thinking back to the fanny pack Da-jeong had carried made her heart sink.
Whether Da-jeong knew and brought it anyway was unclear.
But the faint mold on the buckle.
The patches that should have been black but had faded to white.
Every little detail lent credibility to Kang Haneul's words.
"Ah, then... maybe...?"
"Ra-hee, did something come to mind?"
The heavy conversation paused for a moment.
Ra-hee clapped her hands, muttering as if something had clicked.
All eyes turned to her.
"Yeah, actually, back at the restaurant, Da-jeong was hanging back hesitantly. I glanced over wondering what was up, and she was looking around at everyone before dropping her head."
"Dropping her head?"
Kang Haneul's expression darkened at the ominous detail.
"Yeah, she looked totally drained. I thought something might be wrong, so I held out my hand and said, 'Da-jeong, come on.' But she followed with this gloomy look."
"Why would she do that?"
"My guess is..."
Chae-yoon cautiously raised her hand toward the puzzled Kang Haneul.
"S-She was probably intimidated since it was her first time somewhere like that? The restaurant President took her to was super fancy."
"Ah..."
A reasonable theory drew a soft sigh from Kang Haneul.
It made perfect sense.
Of course, from Kang Haneul's perspective, she'd chosen that grand place to treat Da-jeong to the best, priciest, tastiest food.
But for Da-jeong, experiencing such a spot for the first time, feeling overwhelmed wasn't strange at all.
"I think that fits too. Plus, the customers there were all dressed so glamorously..."
"Come to think of it, Da-jeong did glance at her own outfit for a second."
"...I see."
Yuna's words were followed by Ra-hee's testimony.
Only then did Kang Haneul realize her mistake, her face falling in dismay.
That faint shadow crossing Da-jeong's face when she'd promised to bring her back to a place like this—it might have been for this reason.
After more back-and-forth speculation.
Kang Haneul and the members reached a simple conclusion.
Puzzling it out among themselves wouldn't help much right now.
The priority was letting Da-jeong open up and learning her full story before discussing further.
There was no guarantee she'd welcome unasked-for help.
Sometimes, casual pity or sympathy hurt worse than outright criticism.
"Sorry to ask this of you girls, but please look after Da-jeong. I'll help from inside and out, but as president, she might feel awkward around me."
From what Kang Haneul had observed today, it was clear.
As company head and employee, Da-jeong kept a slight distance.
That's why Kang Haneul had arranged this gathering, borrowing the members' hands.
"Don't worry, President. As her same-age friend, I'll take good care of her."
"We'll do our best as big sisters too."
"Right? How could we not help such a cute kid?"
"We'll text often and get close before debut."
Kang Haneul smiled contentedly at their reliable responses.
They were about to debut together—such a hassle of a request could easily annoy them.
Yet they all promised to cherish Da-jeong without hesitation. It was truly touching.
"Great, thanks. And if you girls ever need anything, come to your president anytime. Got it?"
"Yes!"
Watching the four answer in unison, Kang Haneul ended the meeting.
Blue LUV seemed far more amazing and kind-hearted than she'd worried.
Huff, huff... So tiring.
Walking flat ground is fine, but why is climbing this hill such a killer?
Ever since becoming a woman, nothing scares me more than the trek home.
Still, President kindly put me in a taxi, so I got to the base easily.
But the hill was too steep—the driver couldn't go all the way up.
Taxi fare must've been insane. Hope it's okay.
Once I have money, first thing: pay President back.
"Ow..."
Thud.
She collapsed onto the bed with a grandma-like groan.
No, no distractions—rest first.
Today's events left my mind fuzzy.
Drenched in sweat, I should shower, but after a quick nap...
Ding-
"...Huh?"
I lifted my face from the pillow at the sudden phone alert.
Spam text?
My foggy mind cleared as I blinked at the screen: a group chat.
For the first time, my notifications—usually just spam—showed real conversation.
With none other than our members.
Oh, right.
The unread count disappears when you read it, showing you've seen it.
I barely used chat back in my part-time days—only texts—so I'd forgotten.
No response from me with the count gone; they must think I'm not here.
Reply quick...!
Not entirely true—I'd used it a few times as a guy when necessary.
But later, no need, so I deleted it. Practically a newbie.
And never since becoming a woman.
Not lying, okay.
Oh no.
Stickers are essential for cool kids' chats.
Do they think I'm a total loser with no stickers?
Our sweet Blues wouldn't, but I fidgeted anxiously anyway.
Huh?
What's all this?
Sudden barrage of alerts—I thought it was a glitch.
But checking: stickers from the members.
Not even coordinated—they all just happened to sync up.
So funny and heartwarming, I let out a silly giggle.
Added them all per Yuna's instructions, then tested each one the members sent.
Ra-hee unnie came back with something wild out of nowhere.
Panicking, I checked my sticker—gasp.
Picked the cutest one without reading the text.
Apology sent, and Yuna burst out laughing for some reason.
Ra-hee unnie followed up.
How'd it turn into this?
I love the Blues more than anything!
But saying it outright is embarrassing.
Not saying it might sulk Ra-hee unnie, though.
Surrendered and confessed to Ra-hee unnie.
Her pouty vibe flipped instantly, spamming hearts.
Feels like I fell into a trap.
Meanwhile, Yuna wasn't thrilled with how Chae-yoon, Ji-ah, and I addressed each other.
Her bossy tone conjured an image of her scolding face.
Poor Ji-ah got dragged in; nickname debate reignited.
Passing the buck to me, huh.
Naughty Blues.
Okay, not really.
Short debate, but calling Ra-hee unnie and Yuna casually while using '-ssi' for the other two felt uneven. Unnie for all.
Updated contacts too.
Back in chat, their joyful messages warmed me.
Just calling them unnie, and they're this thrilled.
Our members are all such good people... Huh?
Oh, cockroach.
Coming out more lately.
Chat buzzing, but cockroach first.
Roll up tissue... Hiya!
Smack!
Heh, where you gonna run, pest?
I've caught plenty.
Flushed it down the toilet.
Back to brag about my feat.
Brief silence, then...
Why the freakout?
Worried I can't handle it?
I'm not a kid.
Used to be grossed out, but roaches? Pros now.
Rats are faster, miss more often.
Not scary though.
Snakes that could bite and kill? Scarier.
Victory report, but their reactions are weird.
Think I'm pretending to be tough?
Really fine.
Rats and roaches don't faze me anymore.
They're too worried.