Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Da-jeong Is a Lucky Charm!
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It had been a while since all the members had gathered together.
Just that fact alone made it impossible for me to hide my excitement.
Hop- hop-
While getting out of the car and heading into the company building, I bounced along on both feet like some kind of hopping zombie.
Honestly, up until that point, I hadn't even realized it.
The fact that I was walking around like such a fool.
"Pfft. Da-jeong, what's got you in such a good mood?"
"Huh? M-me?"
"Yeah, you were hopping around so cutely."
Ra-hee unnie mimicked my exact movements from moments ago, as if to say, 'Like this?'
She looked just like a ten-year-old kid.
Was that really how I was walking?
I could hardly believe it, but Ra-hee unnie wouldn't make up something that didn't happen.
Thanks to her, my face turned beet red, and I switched back to more demure steps as we entered the company.
Ra-hee unnie called out from behind me, 'It was so cute—can you do it some more?' but...
No, even in front of Ra-hee unnie, I couldn't.
Actually, especially not in front of Ra-hee unnie.
It was just too embarrassing.
"Ra-hee and Da-jeong, come on in."
When we arrived at the conference room where we'd all met before, the President, who was standing in the hallway, greeted us warmly.
I knew she was a really nice person, but the moment I thought of her as the President, my body stiffened up and my voice trembled.
"H-hi, President..."
"Hello. Are we late by any chance?"
"The others are already here, but it's fine. They all just arrived too."
She beckoned us inside with a 'Let's go in,' and I scurried up to follow her lead...
Suddenly—
"Eep?!"
"Before that, let me give our cute maknae just one hug!"
Out of nowhere, the President pulled me into a tight embrace.
My face got buried right into her chest, and the intense skinship made my eyes spin like crazy.
By the way, President, Yuna's the maknae too, same as me...?
Oh, had she already hugged Yuna, so I was next on the list?
If that was the case, it wasn't that hard to understand.
"Alright, is everyone here now?"
"President, maybe put Da-jeong down first before we talk."
"Oh, right."
Ra-hee unnie extended a saving hand toward the President, who flung open the door but still wouldn't let me go.
Phew, I almost died...
Squeeze—
"Okay, Da-jeong, sit next to unnie."
"Mmph...!"
The moment I was freed from the President's arms and gulped down some sweet fresh air...
This time, Ra-hee unnie pulled me into her own embrace and sat down on a chair.
Why were all our members so into skinship, not just the President?
If we were all girls, it'd be one thing, but as a guy, it was dangerous in all sorts of ways.
"Okay, today I called you all here because the samples are ready for the avatars that Da-jeong came up with before. We handed them off to the illustrators, and now we can start practicing for broadcasts using these."
I'd been wondering why we were meeting today.
As if reading my mind, the President placed a tablet PC on the table and explained.
The samples were ready already?
It'd only been two weeks...
"Whoa, already?"
"That's super fast."
"Doesn't that kind of thing usually take forever?"
I wasn't the only one surprised—the members reacted one after another with wide-eyed wonder.
I'd heard that even outsourcing a single illustration could take ages.
How had they managed to create full avatars in such a short time?
"That's thanks to you, Da-jeong."
"Huh? M-me?"
As my questions deepened...
The President suddenly pointed at me with a smile, startling me.
What had I even done?
I hadn't done anything.
"The truth is, when we were assigning the avatars, Da-jeong gave her opinion on which illustrator would be best for each one."
"Really, Da-jeong?"
"Uh, yeah..."
I nodded dazedly at Yuna, whose eyes were wide like a rabbit's in surprise.
It wasn't something I needed to hide, after all.
On the day the members' avatar sketches were first shown...
While the members were briefly in the bathroom, leaving just me and the President alone, I'd quietly shared my thoughts.
What I'd drawn were just rough sketches at best.
To capture the members' charms as I remembered them, we absolutely needed the touch of the original illustrators.
So I'd suggested right there: this avatar to that illustrator, that one to this one.
I laid out who would be perfect for each avatar I'd shown.
Of course, the President had said she couldn't commit for sure, since there were processes like checking the illustrators' portfolios and schedules.
But she'd do her best to follow my suggestions unless there were major issues.
So the outcome had still been up in the air, but it looked like she'd successfully assigned them to those exact illustrators.
"It was amazing. The illustrators you recommended not only delivered top quality, but they all happened to have empty schedules."
"No way, really?"
Whoa, this was news to me.
I knew which illustrators had taken them on, but not these behind-the-scenes details.
I hadn't even suggested it with their availability in mind.
But it really was just a coincidence, huh.
How could every single illustrator be free at the same time?
"Yeah, that's how we got this turnaround. They're still just rough samples, but getting to this level in two weeks is no small feat. Your concepts helped a ton too, Da-jeong."
'Da-jeong's a real treasure, a treasure,' the President said, showering me with praise.
All the members' eyes turned to me, followed by a smattering of applause.
Ugh, so embarrassing.
If it were praise for my actual skills, it'd be different.
But this was basically freeloading off my future knowledge.
"Da-jeong, you're weak to compliments, huh?"
Ra-hee unnie approached my flushed face and patted my head as she spoke.
Her deeply satisfied smile made me feel like she was treating me like a kid, which was mortifying.
"A-a little. I wasn't really used to getting praised."
"...I see."
Ra-hee unnie looked momentarily surprised by my words.
But she quickly calmed her expression and nodded as if it made sense.
Then she grabbed my head and gently leaned it against her shoulder.
Unlike nearly suffocating in her chest earlier, this felt oddly comfortable.
"Anyway, now that that's settled, let's take a look at the avatars. You're all dying to see them, right?"
"Yes!"
As the President pointed at the tablet PC and spoke, we all answered in unison.
Even though I'd seen the members' avatars every day, I was just as excited.
These were debuting to the world in this reality for the first time.
The members' anticipation rubbed off on me, making me tense up too.
What if—just maybe—they didn't match what I remembered?
Of course, I'd brainwash myself into loving them either way!
Especially since they were our Blues!
Still, if I had one wish, it'd be for them to come out exactly as I remembered.
"First up, Yuna's avatar."
"Me first? Awesome!"
"Yuna's is gonna be super cute, I bet."
The first one was our maknae, Yuna.
Age-wise, I was the same, but I was more excited for the others' anyway, so no complaints.
Tap—
Without any buildup, the President tapped the tablet screen with her fingertip.
A massive illustration filled the display, like a screenshot of the avatar, and everyone's eyes went wide.
"Whoa, so cute."
"It really captures Yuna's vibe, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, it even has that tomboyish feel."
"Eek, am I a tomboy, unnie?"
Yuna pouted a bit at Chae-yoon unnie's comment, but she didn't seem upset.
The members weren't the only ones amazed—I was too.
Snow-white hair and blue eyes.
A fluttering Japanese outfit that looked like a modified shrine maiden garb.
Yet it wasn't just mysteriously ethereal like a traditional snow girl; as Chae-yoon unnie said, the mischievous expression was incredibly charming.
Wow, it was exactly the Yukiko I remembered.
She'd called it a sample, but there wasn't a hint of that.
I'd believe it was the final version.
"We added the hairpins just like you said, Da-jeong. Super cute, right?"
"Yes, so cute...!"
I nodded so hard my neck might snap, grinning like an idiot with a 'Hehe.'
I couldn't help it—I was that happy.
My remembered Yukiko had come to life perfectly.
"Next is Chae-yoon's. The illustrator put a ton of effort into the outfit, apparently."
Up next was a character with slightly tanned skin and fiery red hair that was utterly captivating.
Her outfit consisted of leather and light armor, like something a fantasy assassin would wear.
It was Chae-yoon unnie as I remembered her—Lilith's avatar.
"It's got this really sexy vibe."
"Her healthy appeal really stands out... so cool."
"But healthy? Out of all of us, isn't Chae-yoon unnie the laziest? She never exercises."
"L-lazy...?!"
Chae-yoon unnie tried to protest Yuna's blunt truth bomb, but...
Yeah, I couldn't defend her either.
The original Lilith was notoriously lazy, always getting scolded by viewers.
She'd boast on stream, 'I cleaned my desk today!' and no one would buy it.
Anyway, this avatar matched my memory perfectly too.
Especially the pattern engraved on the dagger—it was spot-on.
Come to think of it, whenever Lilith banned toxic chat users, that dagger pattern would glow.
I wanted to see it in action as soon as possible.
"Next is Ra-hee. She's a vampire. Pretty, right?"
This avatar had navy-blue hair and red eyes that added a seductive allure.
As the only Blue LUV member with somewhat revealing clothes, her see-through dress was breathtakingly beautiful.
This was Ra-hee unnie—Lucrezia.
I usually called her Lucretia, so the full name felt a bit unfamiliar.
"Ooh, super sultry."
"Ra-hee does have that alluring vibe."
"They really nailed the atmosphere."
"Yeah, I love it. Especially how historically accurate it feels."
Squeeze—
As the praise rolled in...
Ra-hee unnie proudly groped her own chest with a confident grin.
I instantly knew what she meant by 'historically accurate.'
Ugh, yeah.
Lucretia's were exceptionally impressive.
That's why fanart always emphasized her sexy charm.
I knew it in my head.
But the visual shock of what I'd just witnessed left me stunned for a moment.
Uwaaah, unnie...!
Idols can't do that...!
Put your hands down! Your hands!
"Now it's our eldest unnie Ji-ah's turn? I bet this one's got the most work poured into it."
While I was internally freaking out...
The President minimized the Lucrezia avatar on screen and continued.
Ji-ah unnie's eyes went wide.
"My avatar...?"
"Yeah, we made separate goddess and hero versions, just like you said, Da-jeong. That doubled the workload, so the hero one's not even fully colored yet."
Still, she clicked a file to show it anyway.
I could faintly hear Ji-ah unnie gulping...
"Whoaaa...!"
"Insane, it's gorgeous..."
"She looks like she belongs in a whole different world."
Exclamations erupted from everyone except me.
Ji-ah unnie's—Ellin's—avatar was just that stunning.
Even I, who'd seen it endlessly, gasped despite knowing what to expect.
Her pale golden blonde hair cascaded from her shoulders to her waist, exuding a holy aura.
The ancient Greek-inspired outfit evoked a literal goddess, adding serene and pure charm.
Wow, so beautiful.
This was Ellin!
"The hero version's roughly like this. Might even like this one more?"
"I love both. They're too pretty."
After checking the armored hero version too, Ji-ah unnie stomped her feet happily.
It was so unlike our calmest member, showing just how thrilled she was.
So cute.
"Alright, now the moment everyone's been waiting for—Da-jeong's turn?"
"Eek? Oh, y-yes...!"
While I was lost in admiration...
The President's smile as she turned to me, the last in line, ramped up my tension.
This was the only avatar among today's reveals that was completely unknown to me.
"We stuck as closely as possible to the concept you described. If you don't like it, just say so, okay?"
"Yes...!"
Honestly, I didn't care what my avatar looked like—I had no plans to reject it.
Still, knowing this could be my other face from now on made me a little excited.
I wondered what it'd be like.
"Dududu...!"
The President moved her hand toward the tablet in time with Yuna's drumroll sound effects.
I gulped as I watched unconsciously.
Tap—
With that tiny sound, new light filled the screen.
Finally, my avatar appeared, and everyone's eyes shot open wide.
Including mine.