Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Debut is Right Around the Corner!
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My steps toward the company are always a joy.
If I said that in front of your average office workers, they'd probably freak out.
At least for me, the company is a far cry from the image most people have.
But today, my footsteps feel even lighter than usual as I head there.
Of course they do.
Today is the day our Blues' PV video drops.
"Hmph, hmph~."
Humming a little tune, I arrived at the company.
I timed it just right, because there was Chae-yoon unnie, coming from up ahead.
The moment I spotted her, I waved enthusiastically, thrilled to see her.
"Unnieee!"
"Oh? Da-jeong! You're early."
"Hehe, the PV's coming out today, so I'm too excited."
"You too, Da-jeong? Truth be told, I didn't sleep a wink last night. What am I gonna do on debut day?"
Chae-yoon unnie ruffled my hair with a wry smile.
Why do all my members get this urge to pat my head whenever they see me?
Even Yuna, who's the same age as me.
It's not that I hate it, but it makes me feel like a kid, which is kinda weird.
"Ha, debut's only four days away now."
"Yeah. Lately, every day feels like it's dragging on forever."
"Same here. I almost want to just rip the Band-Aid off and debut already..."
Chae-yoon unnie nodded in agreement and held the door open for me.
Truth be told, my reasons are a bit different from what unnie said.
I'm not really nervous about my own debut.
It's just that thinking of it as the Blues' debut fills me with so much anticipation that time crawls.
I wish people could experience our Blues' charm even a second sooner.
"What brings you two in together today?"
As we headed up to the third floor for the meeting room, we ran into the Manager carrying something in the hallway.
Looking closely, it was one of those carriers used to haul multiple drinks from a cafe.
Five cups in total—probably for us?
"Ah, So-eun unnie. I told you to drop the formal talk."
While I bowed my head politely, Chae-yoon unnie voiced her complaint.
We've known her for over a month now, but she still insists on that stiff speech. Guess it bugs unnie.
Honestly, it bothers me a little too.
She's five years older than me, after all.
But I've been trying not to mind, figuring she has her reasons...
Chae-yoon unnie sure doesn't hold back.
"This is just more comfortable for me. Besides..."
The Manager's gaze shifted to me as she responded to Chae-yoon unnie's gripe.
Oh no, did she not see my greeting?
Does she think I'm rude?
"Ah, hello, Manager..."
Just to be safe, I bowed again and greeted her.
Then, the Manager, who had been staring right through me, dropped a casual line.
"If we're splitting hairs, shouldn't Da-jeong be at fault too for not calling me unnie?"
"That's because you only use formal speech—it feels awkward. Right, Da-jeong?"
"Eh?"
Suddenly turning the arrow on me?
I've never found the Manager uncomfortable, though.
Sure, her constant formality creates a bit of distance, but...
Speech is personal freedom, after all.
The real reason I don't call her unnie is we haven't settled on nicknames yet.
"Um, Manager... Would you prefer if I called you unnie?"
"It's not about preference. Everyone else calls me unnie except the President, so it feels a bit left out."
For the first time, the ever-stoic Manager pouted her lips.
Whoa, so that's it.
Yeah, from her view, it might feel like discrimination.
Even if the President is an exception as the boss.
"Then... should I call you unnie from now on?"
"Oh, I'd love that. Since we're on the topic, could you try it once?"
Eh? R-right now?
It's not hard to say, but...
With Chae-yoon unnie watching, it feels kinda embarrassing.
"S-So-eun... unnie...?"
But she asked so nicely, I couldn't refuse.
Fidgeting with my hands from the embarrassment, I averted my eyes as I said the new title.
Smooth—smooth—
So-eun unnie patted my head with her empty hand, as if to say 'good girl.'
Her face was blooming with a bright smile.
Seeing that made me happy too.
At some point, I caught myself grinning like an idiot: 'Hehe...'
That's when.
"What are you all doing out there? Hurry up and come in."
The President suddenly appeared from the open meeting room door.
Spotting us huddled in the hallway, she voiced her confusion.
Startled, we scurried into the meeting room.
"Coffee's here."
"Hi all!"
So-eun unnie and Chae-yoon unnie entered in turn.
I followed excitedly, looking forward to seeing the members...
Grab—
"Da-jeong? Where do you think you're going all prim and proper?"
Suddenly, the President hugged me from behind with a menacing tone.
Is this even a hug?
The grip on her arms is like a hunter clamping down on prey...!
"D-Did I do something wrong...?"
More importantly, why is the President doing this to me? I shrank back and asked.
"Hey now, trying to play cute and slip away slyly!"
"Y-Yes...?!"
But she thought it was an act and growled, raising her voice.
I wasn't acting cute, though...!
"You know exactly what mischief you pulled three days ago—confess your sins!"
"Th-Three days ago...?"
What happened three days ago?
That day, I think Yuna and I were gaming alone.
We paused briefly for some business...
...Huh? Wait a sec.
Come to think of it, what was that business?
I was chatting with the President on Discord, and then on stream...
"...Ah."
That memory surfaced, and a gasp escaped me.
No way...?
"Hehe, you remember now? My little maknae."
Crunch. The arms around me tightened.
I swear I could see the veins on the President's forehead bulging clearer.
"P-President. That was for the stream..."
"Oh? So my maknae was looking out for my stream appeal too?"
"Y-Yes! So I had no choice... hehe..."
I didn't tease her just for fun, after all.
She seems to get that.
Feeling the grip loosen a bit, I started to relax—
"...Eh?"
The President grabbed my shoulders, spun me around,
Thud—
slapped her hands down on them,
and met my eyes before speaking.
"Then show me some aegyo on debut day, and I'll forgive you."
"A-Aegyo? I don't do that stuff..."
As a former guy, how could I possibly pull off aegyo!
President, how could you give me this trial...!
"This is for stream appeal too. You get it, right? My maknae."
"...Yes."
I tried to resist, but her emphasis on 'stream appeal' shut me down.
Refusing here would be obvious trouble.
Teasing me for stream appeal, but you can't do aegyo?
That'd be indefensible.
In the end, four days before debut,
I despaired at the mission to do cringy aegyo in front of viewers.
...Too late to run now, huh?
After the commotion died down,
we gathered around the computers to watch the PV video.
The finally released avatars and visuals were perfect—totally satisfying.
Especially the comments; the reactions are pretty great.
Way different from when the Blue Project announcement first dropped.
Huh... I might actually like this stuff?
"Just die please..." won't fly, huh?
Kang Haneul gaslit them hard with that tension...
Fr lol the maknae and her back-and-forth was gold
Yep, everyone seems excited.
Some negative comments linger, but I believe the Blues can change that.
I've seen this landscape before, after all.
"How're the reactions? Not bad?"
The President, back from the bathroom, asked as we stared intently at the screens.
We nodded vigorously in unison, like we'd been waiting.
The buzz was beyond expectations.
"Yes! They're loving it. Everyone's hyped."
"The comments are making me even more nervous."
"Of course they are. My babies are so cute. No need to stress—just prove it."
The President nodded approvingly with a satisfied 'Mm-hm.'
Then she called us over: 'Gather up.'
To the big table, and spoke.
"As you all know, debut stream in four days."
"All five of us debuting one by one throughout the day, right?"
Yuna raised her hand right after, asking.
Virtual groups usually debut that way, spaced out.
But the President shook her head.
"Hmm. Actually, the Manager and I discussed that. Five's a lot, and cramming them in one day might split the viewers."
"True."
Ji-ah unnie agreed, clearly sharing the concern.
"So, we're spreading the debut streams over three days."
"Three days?"
"Yeah. Two, two, one. Seems balanced."
Fair enough.
Viewers can ease into each member that way.
Blue LUV did it like that too—two per day over two days, spaced out.
"So the last one's got a solo spotlight?"
"Kinda. But it could feel like pressure too."
Depends on perspective.
I'd see it as an advantage, personally.
Time to prep after watching the others' debuts.
"So, we're voting on this. Who do you think would shine best solo? Point it out."
Ugh, tough call.
Solo spotlight...
For flashiness, maybe Ra-hee unnie or Ji-ah unnie...
But Yuna's cuteness and energy are top-tier too.
Chae-yoon unnie's killer vocals and girl crush vibe go without saying.
"Got it."
"Decided."
"Me too!"
"No contest here."
While I racked my brain,
the others looked calm, decisions made.
"Alright. On one, two, three—pick. Ready? One, two, three..."
"P-President! Wait...!"
Thinking we'd all decided, she started counting immediately.
As I frantically tried to stop her—
Snap—
"...Eh?"
Four hands converged on me in perfect sync.
Even the President wore an 'I knew it' smirk.
What the—?
Am I the only one lost here?
Why me...!
"Great. Da-jeong for the solo debut on the last day."
"What...?!"
Before I could protest,
she wrote my name in the last blank on the schedule.
Wait—!
Solo debut for me? What's going on, everyone!?