Chapter 157
Chapter 157
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 157
Chapter Title: Red Pill Explosion?!
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Hongdae Station was packed with people.
Even the subway interior, which had been somewhat quiet at first,
was soon buzzing by the time we arrived near Hongdae.
"Whoa, there are so many people here..."
I've been riding the subway pretty often lately to get to and from the company,
but this place felt different right from the air, and it made me a little intimidated.
Come to think of it, had I ever been anywhere this crowded before?
The station near Big Sis Ji-ah's place wasn't this packed.
The one near the company was the same.
"Huh? Has our maknae never been to Hongdae before?"
"Nope, hehe..."
"Then where do you usually hang out? Sinchon? Insadong?"
"I, I haven't been there either. I hardly ever go out to begin with..."
The day I visited Big Sis Ji-ah's place not long ago
was pretty much a rare exception.
I almost never leave the house.
The only regular outing I have is stopping by the company.
Even meetings have been mostly on Discord lately,
so I barely have any reason to go in.
Today's outing is my first in nearly ten days.
"Really? If you ever want to go out and have fun, just tell your big sis. I know some good spots, you know."
"That's 'cause you're a total social butterfly, unnie."
"Pfft, Yuna's the real social butterfly. I just like wandering around."
We're calling that a social butterfly trait, unnie.
Stuff like this really shows your MBTI type.
As the only two Es in our group,
Yuna and Big Sis Chae-yoon love going out and meeting people.
The Is like me, Big Sis Ra-hee, and Big Sis Ji-ah prefer staying home.
Of course, even among us,
Big Sis Ra-hee is relatively outgoing,
Big Sis Ji-ah goes out as needed for workouts or the gym,
and then there's me, holed up in my room every day.
Even fellow Is come in all levels, though.
Actually, no—I'm just lazy.
Almost rationalized it there.
"Oh, Da-jeong. Is that it?"
"Looks like it. Whoa, it's so pretty...!"
As we crossed through the station,
I followed Big Sis Chae-yoon's pointing finger
and spotted a massive vertical digital billboard in the center, just shy of 3 meters tall.
There was Lilith's face,
along with the pretty message 'Celebrating the most shining you of the year.'
and a sparkling background that looked extra polished—it stole my gaze for a moment.
"Unnie, stand in front! I'll take your picture!"
"Sure, thanks!"
At my urging, she trotted right over
and struck a pose with V-signs on both hands in front of the billboard.
I smiled warmly at the sight and reached for my phone...
"Ah."
Then I froze upon seeing my slightly cracked screen.
This was the so-called free phone I got back when the phone subsidy came in.
It's precious to me since the monthly bill is low,
but naturally, it comes with some flaws.
I've used it for over four years now, so it's slow,
and the camera quality is terrible.
It felt kinda bad to photograph unnie with this.
Even when I posted food pics in the group chat before,
they said they looked a bit blurry.
But it still works fine, so replacing it feels wasteful...
"Um, unnie. Sorry, but could I borrow your phone for a sec? It'd be better to use that..."
"My phone? Here."
"Thank youuu."
After a brief dilemma, I took her phone
and framed her in the shot.
"Okay, say cheese?"
"Cheeeese."
Unnie beamed at my cue, looking absolutely stunning.
None of our members are anything less than pretty, of course.
But Big Sis Chae-yoon's unique tomboyish, androgynous charm gave off a distinct vibe.
Click— click—
After a few more shots with different poses,
I figured that was enough and turned to hand the phone back.
That's when...
"Maknae, you come stand too. Let's take one together."
"Huh? M-me too?"
Her unexpected invitation caught me off guard.
I'd only come as the photographer.
It hadn't crossed my mind that I'd be in the pics.
"What's the point if it's just me? We gotta do it together."
"B-but if we do selfie mode, the billboard won't show, right...?"
"Then we can ask someone else?"
Oh, right, that works.
I've never tried it myself,
but I've heard it's common at amusement parks.
So, maybe ask a kind-looking passerby?
We can't risk getting recognized as Blue LUV,
so someone who seems totally disconnected from our world...
Oh, there's one.
"Um, excuse meee..."
"...Yes?"
A woman approaching the billboard just in time,
so I cautiously went up and spoke to her.
Her eyes widened briefly upon seeing me.
Eh? W-why's that?
Does she think I'm one of those weird religious solicitors?
I need to explain quick...!
"S-sorry, but could you take a quick picture for us? Just one is fine!"
"Uh, well..."
Was it too rude after all?
Or does she need to transfer trains soon?
The woman, briefly flustered by my request,
seemed to mull it over, eyes darting,
then nodded after a moment.
"Sure, no problem. Want to go stand?"
"Whoa, really...?! Hehe, thank youuu. Just use this!"
"Got it."
I handed her Big Sis Chae-yoon's phone and hurried back.
Then stood next to unnie in front of the billboard,
both throwing up V-signs together.
Click—
The shutter sounded,
and thinking 'that should do it,' I started toward her.
But right then...
"Um, how about half-heart shapes this time? It'd come out so cute..."
"H-heart?"
Suddenly, she was coaching poses
and gesturing for us to try another shot.
"Ooh, that'd be cute! Let's do it?"
"Uh, if you're okay with it, unnie."
The unforeseen situation left me a bit flustered,
but with Big Sis Chae-yoon's eyes sparkling in approval,
I had no choice but to return and form half-hearts with her.
Ugh, this pose feels kinda embarrassing in public,
but if unnie wants it...
"Uh... l-last, how about arms wide for a big heart?"
"A-another one?"
Why's this lady so into our photoshoot?
I only asked for one shot.
She's super nice, sure, but her enthusiasm is next-level.
Anyone would think she's with us.
Her name was Jang Ji-won.
Not long ago, she'd tweeted her first-ever hate comment in her life and gotten spotted by Lulu,
but instead of backlash, Lulu had comforted her—which turned her into a die-hard fan.
She called herself a Lulu stan, but these days she was just a Pista through and through.
No bias; she loved all the members equally.
They say late-blooming fandoms hit hardest.
She'd even caught nearly every recent collab stream live.
She was all-in on Blue LUV.
'Gotta get that billboard cert shot and brag to the out-of-town Pistas.'
That's why she'd headed to Hongdae Station to see Lilith's birthday billboard.
She'd planned to come yesterday when it went up,
but a last-minute part-time help shift got in the way.
Back in the day, she'd have been pissed at real life derailing her plans.
But lately, with some mental breathing room, she could laugh it off.
She truly believed it was all thanks to meeting Lulu.
Without that, she'd still be rotting in her room with no job or dreams,
wasting days without hope.
Even starting that little part-time gig was all because of Lulu.
"There it is...!"
As usual, she'd been watching Lulu's Mityube vids on her phone,
then looked up to see the Lilith birthday billboard at the end of her gaze.
She quickened her pace the instant she spotted it.
'Snap a pic quick, then off to official Lilith grub.'
She mentally recapped her day's plan.
(Lilith's "official" meal set being the one she often mentioned on stream: two varieties.)
Fancy name aside, it was just spicy pork or pork cutlet.
Today's pick: spicy pork.
She got cutlets sometimes,
but had never bought spicy pork separately—curiosity won.
Plus, she'd heard there was a famous spicy pork rice place nearby.
'Hm?'
As she approached the billboard, a woman stood in front.
Another cert-shot seeker? A fellow Pista or maybe Black Moon Squad?
'Pretty.'
Whatever her deal, she was undeniably gorgeous.
Her style wasn't particularly unique,
but her hairstyle caught the eye.
Black hair with just the tips dyed white,
like a gradient etched in.
'Total opposite of my type.'
Her vibe screamed social butterfly,
so Jang Ji-won instinctively held back from approaching.
She'd wait till the woman moved, then take her turn.
But then...
"Um, excuse meee..."
"...Yes?"
A voice suddenly close by jolted her.
Jang Ji-won turned and froze.
'Wait, that voice...?'
For some reason, the nearby voice
matched perfectly the one she'd just had in her earbuds.
Sure, mic vs. real voice can differ,
so not 100% certain.
But purely by sound, sync rate 100%—goosebumps.
"S-sorry, but could you take a quick picture for us? Just one is fine!"
"Uh, well..."
As she hesitated, that signature dragging tone,
the way she stretched the end for emphasis—
it felt like Lulu herself stood before her. Jang Ji-won panic-froze for ages.
'D-didn't she say on Wednesday she'd come with Lilith? Did they change schedules just for this?'
A bit confused since it didn't match the schedule she'd heard,
she somehow pulled herself together and nodded.
"Sure, no problem. Want to go stand?"
"Whoa, really...?! Hehe, thank youuu. Just use this!"
"Got it."
She took the phone and framed the two.
"She'll take it?"
"Yeah, unnie!"
Overhearing that casually, she was certain.
The one before her was Lulu.
And next to her, Lilith.
Lilith had barely any dialect,
but her slightly low-for-a-girl voice gave it away.
Every Pista knew Lulu used polite speech for her unnies even IRL.
'No, calm down. Play dumb. Forget I saw them here. Erase those faces from my mind.'
But fighting the recognition,
no—vowing to wipe it the moment they left, she gripped the trembling phone.
Click—!
The shutter rang out,
and the girl presumed to be Lulu hurried over.
She'd only asked for one from the start, naturally.
Yet she couldn't hand it over right away.
This memory had to be forgotten for the Blues' sake.
Still, the urge to savor this moment longer crept up.
Besides, their faces were too perfect for just a V-sign.
With visuals magazine-ready,
putting the camera down felt like such a waste.
"Um, how about half-heart shapes this time? It'd come out so cute..."
"H-heart?"
So she set her conscience aside for now
and started suggesting other poses.
She vowed never to speak of today,
zipping her lips tight.
Just one promise she couldn't keep: forgetting this moment.
Humans can't process negatives, or so some dubious trivia vid had claimed.
It flashed through her mind.