Chapter 161
Chapter 161
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: Da-jeong Finally Got a New Phone Too!
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Sudden news of Ra-hee's move.
And not just any move—it was to become neighbors with Da-jeong, whom all the Blue LUV members adored like a little lovebug. The rest of the members jumped up in an instant.
The target of their uproar and demands for explanation wasn't even Ra-hee herself.
It was Kang Haneul.
And for good reason—she couldn't possibly have been in the dark about news like this.
Yet she hadn't breathed a word about it during the last meeting.
That's why everyone started protesting. Thanks to them, the group chat with Kang Haneul and manager So-eun was suddenly ablaze.
"Haa, these kids, seriously..."
Kang Haneul felt a throbbing headache as she confirmed it.
She got out of bed, sat at her computer desk, and hammered away at the keyboard.
Kang Haneul had plenty to say too.
It wasn't like she'd hidden it on her own initiative.
Ra-hee herself had requested it, so there was no choice.
Besides, it wasn't like there'd been no signs at all.
She'd been asking the members for a while if they'd consider moving out of their current places to somewhere near Da-jeong's.
But unfortunately, each had their own reasons for turning it down.
Ji-ah, for instance—her dad was away on business, so she couldn't leave her mom alone.
Chae-yoon had a lease left on her current place, and couldn't come to an agreement with the landlord, so she had to see it out.
Yuna was such a wild child at home that her parents wouldn't let her live alone anytime soon.
So they'd started with Ra-hee, whose arrangements were all sorted. If they grilled her now for prioritizing Ra-hee, as president, how could she not get fired up?
Somehow, she felt herself starting to sound more like her mom as time went on.
Kang Haneul scolded them harshly.
But their responses were enough to make her feel awkward.
She'd almost become the bad boss who didn't even check her employees' schedules properly.
Kang Haneul awkwardly played it off, pretending to soothe the members.
These days, the girls handled everything so well on their own that she trusted them and didn't check—
She tried to rationalize it in her head, even if it didn't quite hold up.
Anyway, the conversation wrapped up on a good note, fortunately.
Just as the mood was settling...
The group chat burst into flames again thanks to the sudden troll crashing the party.
Watching it all, Kang Haneul gave up and shut down her computer.
"Haa..."
The deep sigh she let out was packed with all the exhaustion of raising five daughters.
About a week later, this morning.
Thunk- Rrrrr-
The place next door was pretty noisy from early on.
Even in my soundproofed studio, I could faintly hear it.
It wasn't a family fight spilling over.
Or a newborn crying pitifully.
Or a dog barking loudly from the morning.
It was just the bustle from a new neighbor moving in.
In this day and age, not many people care much who moves in next door.
But I had to peek at the neighbor's place from my front door the whole time the move went on until afternoon.
And for good reason...
"Now we're neighbors with our maknae, huh? Take care of me."
"Sure, take care of you too, unnie..."
The person moving in next door was none other than our group's second eldest, Ra-hee unnie.
Seeing her come to my place with her signature elegant, refined aura to say hello felt surreal.
Like, 'This kind of person is my neighbor now?'
To me, Ra-hee unnie had always felt like someone from another world.
Even working in the same group, it felt a bit unreal at times.
Now that we were literally living in the same building, that sense of unreality only grew fainter—or rather, more distant.
Yeah, but still, compared to the huge mansion she used to live in.
Knowing she'd be living in an ordinary family home like this made her feel a tiny bit more approachable...
"Miss, we've called the cleaning crew, so why don't you and Miss Da-jeong head to a café and relax for a bit? We'll finish up and leave."
"Yeah, thanks for that."
...Or so I thought, what an idiot I am.
Yeah, unnie really is from a different world than me.
Better not get any funny ideas—just stay quiet.
I watched the three burly guys head into unnie's place.
Then I snapped out of it at the slight tug on my hand.
Turning, Ra-hee unnie was gazing at me with a seductive, vampire-like smile.
"So, since we have time now, shall we go get new phones?"
"Huh? Ph-phone?"
"Yeah, remember our promise? We'd get new ones together after I moved."
"Oh."
Right, we did make that promise.
I'd forgotten amid the shock of her sudden move announcement.
Good thing I'd already showered, so no big deal to head out right away...
But wouldn't unnie be tired from the move? Even if the movers handled the heavy lifting.
"I'm fine... but unnie, aren't you tired?"
"Nah, I'm good. How could I be tired going on a date with our maknae?"
"Ehehe..."
The word "date" made my face flush with embarrassment.
Anyway, if unnie's okay with it, I don't mind.
It's an off-day for me today anyway.
Shall I go have some fun with Ra-hee unnie for the first time in a while?
"Then I'll just quickly change and come out!"
"Yeah, no rush—take your time."
"Okay!"
Unnie said that, but with my one-track mind of not wanting to keep her waiting even a second longer.
I grabbed some clothes and threw them on in a flash, darting out of the house.
I don't have many clothes anyway, so no agonizing choices. Yep.
The place Ra-hee unnie and I headed to after leaving the house.
Was a cell phone store she recommended.
Unlike the small local shops near home.
This one was huge and spotless, inspiring trust.
Even Ra-hee unnie's go-to phone stores are on another level.
That said, no customers in sight.
It's not an off-peak time either.
Just coincidence?
"Welcome... Mi— I mean, customers."
The staff greeted us with a 90-degree bow as soon as we entered.
It felt less like a phone store and more like a luxury department store.
Not that I've been to one, but anyway.
Did the staff just hastily change how they addressed Ra-hee unnie...?
Nah, probably my imagination.
"Any specific models you're looking for?"
"Yes, actually—we're thinking iPhone 12 Pro. For me and my little sister here."
"Of course. The iPhone 12 Pro samples are over this way..."
Meanwhile, when Ra-hee unnie called me her little sister and gently pulled my hand.
It made me feel pretty good.
Too shy to say it, though.
That said, I had no plans to get an iPhone 12 Pro.
I just came to browse and decide.
"Uh, unnie. I'm okay with something else..."
"Oh? Does Da-jeong like a different phone? Got one in mind?"
"N-no, not really, but... that one's kinda pricey..."
I wanted something cheap and decent enough.
Perfectly adequate.
So it felt a bit burdensome, and I voiced mild hesitation.
Ra-hee unnie pondered briefly, then draped an arm around my shoulders.
"If it's the price worrying you, don't sweat it—just pick what you like. Why do you think I brought you here? It's cheaper than other places."
"Huh? R-really?"
"Yep."
Her confident shoulder shrug.
Left me stunned for a sec, then I accidentally met eyes with the pretty staff lady nearby.
She gave an awkward smile and nodded.
Oh, I get it.
Places exist where you can score phones cheaper.
I've heard of them.
But even if cheaper, it's not a huge difference, right? Hope it's okay...
"This is the iPhone 12 Pro. Not too big, so it's great for women."
"Wow, true."
Yeah, it does look pretty nice.
My hands are small, but it doesn't feel huge.
Plus, Virtual YouTubers do a lot, so iPhones are convenient, I'd heard.
But price is still the issue.
The plain iPhone 12 I saw yesterday was around 1.5 million won.
The Pro was nearly 1.7 million.
And with add-ons, it could hit 2 million.
Hmm, even if it's great, 2 million for a phone is a bit much...
I hardly use it beyond watching videos anyway.
I don't even play phone games.
"Uuu..."
I glared at it, wrestling with worries.
Ra-hee unnie, who'd been watching me quietly, suddenly called the staff.
"A-young... I mean, miss. I heard that long-time use of old phones gets better discounts—is that right?"
"Pardon? Oh, yes, yes...! That's correct."
"See, my little sister's old phone is pretty ancient. About 5 years? What's the trade-in for that?"
"Ah, yes. Let me check for you. Have a seat here?"
They exchanged some jargon-filled talk I couldn't follow.
And suddenly, I was sitting at a table with Ra-hee unnie.
"Could I see your ID for a moment?"
"Oh, sure. Here."
"Thank you."
The staff took my ID, frantically typed on the keyboard.
Whispered something to her colleague next to her.
After a while, the tablet PC in front of us filled with numbers.
"Right now, the iPhone 12 Pro lists at about 1.68 million won. For you, Miss Jeong Da-jeong, you've used an L6 model for over 5 years, so high discount rate, plus the new subsidy policy... you could get it for around 100,000 won."
"Huh?! T-ten... 100,000 won...?"
The staff explained the details in depth.
But hearing the result, a chihuahua-like yelp escaped me.
T-Ten... 100,000 won?
Wasn't it 1.68 million or whatever?
How the heck does it drop to 100,000?
"See? I told you, Da-jeong. Once you come and look, it's surprisingly cheap, right?"
"Y-yeah... Guess I didn't know, unnie."
Ra-hee unnie winked at me amid my confusion.
I nodded vigorously, flustered.
So that's why unnie insisted on coming in person...
Way different from online prices.
Different? More like worlds apart.
Of course, I'd heard some stores lure with "cheap" phones but rip you off on plans later.
But no way this place Ra-hee unnie brought me to is like that.
"So, shall we go with this?"
"Y-yes... Looks good."
"Great. Since unnie introduced you here, let's match colors as a couple set?"
Thanks to unnie, I got such a great phone so cheaply.
Her request seemed so trivial by comparison.
I couldn't help giggling.
"Hehe, sure. Let's do purple, unnie's favorite."
"How'd you know I wanted purple?"
"'Cause it's unnie's favorite color."
Rub rub-
As if it were obvious, she brought her face close.
And nuzzled me.
The staff was right there, so a bit embarrassing, but it felt nice.
I knew it was her way of showing affection.
"Oh, and this is the new wireless earbuds out with the iPhone 12—as a freebie."
"Da-jeong, freebies too. You needed wireless earbuds, right? Perfect timing."
"Wow...! Yes!"
And so, with generous freebies to boot.
We happily snagged our matching couple phones and left the store satisfied.