Chapter 220
Chapter 220
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 220
Chapter Title: I Met the Juniors!
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After wrapping up our monumental first anniversary broadcast...
Time flew by in a flash, and before I knew it, the air outside had turned into full-blown autumn.
Ugh, but even so, autumn feels way too short.
Back in the day, September meant fall was here.
Just recently, it didn't even feel like autumn—it was straight-up regular summer weather.
It wasn't until late September or early October that I'd go, "Huh? Is this fall?"
Guess that's what they mean when they say the Earth's hurting.
And knowing that, I still ran the AC all summer long... I feel so ashamed.
"Tofu, Mom's heading out!"
"Nyaang."
Anyway, since autumn's here, I threw on a slightly thinner jacket today.
Said bye to Tofu and hurried out the door.
Just popping into the office real quick.
It's not like I had any big business at the company or anything.
I just hadn't seen the President or So-eun unnie lately, so I figured I'd drop by and say hi.
Maybe grab a meal together.
I'd already heard those two were at the office.
Alright, time to head out then?
The company was peaceful as ever.
We never had a ton of staff to begin with.
Whenever I visit, this quiet atmosphere always welcomes me.
Is the President in her office, maybe?
Or in the meeting room for work?
I could ask the other employees, but...
Don't wanna interrupt anyone, so I'll just look around myself.
With the coffee carrier from the cafe up front dangling from my wrist...
I wandered the halls searching for the President.
Hmm, not here...
Not here either...
I peeked through the small glass windows on each door.
But no sign of the President anywhere.
It felt like she was playing hide-and-seek or something.
"Hohoho, looking for someone... perhaps?"
"Huh?"
I was on my tiptoes, straining to spot any trace of her, when...
This unfamiliar woman appeared and spoke to me.
She had this shy vibe that kinda reminded me of myself a bit.
Not that I'd say that to her face—it might be rude.
"Ah, yeah. I'm looking for the President."
"Th-the President? Sh-she should be... over there at the end of the hall..."
She stammered a bit but kindly pointed to the room at the far end of the corridor.
Oh, that's the media room.
It's got all the equipment for practice broadcasts and everything.
We haven't really been in there much lately, though.
No wonder I couldn't find her.
"Really? Thank you so much."
"N-no, no problem."
She waved it off with an awkward smile and clammed up after that.
But she didn't just tell me and leave.
She seemed worried about me, fidgeting and twisting her body while stealing glances.
Hmm.
Guess I should say something?
"By the way, are you new here? I don't think I've seen you before..."
"Y-yes...! That's right. Been here just a few months."
"Ah, got it."
She's a newbie, huh.
No wonder I didn't recognize her—I know all the staff by face.
Probably hired more ahead of the second gen recruits to handle the extra workload.
"Um..."
"Yes?"
Anyway, we'd exchanged greetings, and I was about to head off to find the President when...
She hesitantly spoke up again.
"S-sorry, but... have we met somewhere before? Your voice sounds familiar..."
"Hmm... I don't think so."
"R-right? Must be my mistake. Sorry."
N-no need to apologize.
She seems to say "sorry" a lot.
Almost feels like looking at a mirror of my past self.
"If you're heading to see the President, wanna go together? I was on my way there anyway..."
"Oh, sure!"
Somehow our destinations matched up, so we headed to the media room together amid the awkward silence.
It wasn't a long walk, but we didn't exchange a single word.
Guess we're both the type who struggles to speak up first.
Sigh, sorry.
If only I were a bit more of a mood-maker like Yuna...
Sorry for being such an introverted shut-in Uparupa.
With those internal apologies, we reached the door.
I was about to reach for a knock when...
*Click-*
"I-I'm back..."
"...Huh?"
The woman next to me suddenly grabbed the handle without knocking and pulled it open.
I startled a bit and took a step back.
And "I'm back"?
Was she just with the President until now?
"Oh, welcome back?"
"Y-yes... Um, President, there's someone in the hall looking for you, so I brought her..."
The President's voice came from inside soon after.
The woman answered and stepped aside to reveal me.
With the obstacle gone, the President and I could see each other.
"Someone looking for me? Who... Oh?"
"Ehehe... It's me, President."
I shyly waved and bobbed my head.
That's when I noticed the others I hadn't seen, fixated on the President.
So-eun unnie was there as usual by her side, but...
What really caught my eye was...
"D-Da-jeong?"
"Huh, Jiwon...?"
Jiwon was here too, for some reason.
Of course, as second gen, it wasn't weird for her to be with the President, but...
Huh? Wait a sec.
Jiwon's second gen, and she's here...
Does that mean the woman who guided me and the one at the end of the chairs are...?
"Come on in, Da-jeong. Since you're here, chat with the juniors for a bit."
"J-juniors...?!"
"Yeah, these are the second gen. First time seeing them in person, right?"
As if nailing down my wild guesses, the President kept going.
I was so shocked I nearly dropped the coffee in my hand.
This unexpected meeting with the second gen had just gone down.
Turns out today was their practice broadcast day.
They say fortune favors the bold—or in this case, my surprise office visit lined up perfectly.
The President even said, "Wasn't planning on introducing you yet," with a bemused look.
Woo...
Feels like I accidentally stirred up trouble again.
But she said it's fine, so it should be okay, right?
"Alright, introduce yourselves. You've already met Jiwon, yeah?"
"Yeah..."
I exchanged casual greetings with the familiar face.
Then I turned to the next one, who was staring at me with sparkling eyes.
Whoa, her hair is super flashy.
Mint-colored, I guess?
First time seeing someone dye their hair like that in real life.
"And this is Song Da-yoon, a year older than you."
"Kyaha! Nice to meet you, sunbae-nim! I'm Song Da-yoon! Your older-by-a-year junior—take good care of me!"
"N-nice to meet you too..."
Her bright mint hair matched her super outgoing personality perfectly.
Even Yuna or Chae-yoon unnie might have a hard time keeping up.
She seems like stars burst out every time she talks.
Bet she'd score 100% E on an MBTI test.
"And over there is Im Ha-yul, a year younger than you. She'll be Blue LUV's new maknae."
"I-I'm Im Ha-yul. Please take care of me."
"Gasp...!"
For the final intro, my eyes went wide.
The maknae! The maknae!
Does this mean Yuna and I are finally free from maknae duties?!
It's not like I hated being the baby, but I've always wanted a cute little sis, and now!
"Don't get too excited about a new maknae, though. In my eyes, you'll still end up playing the baby role anyway, Da-jeong."
"Wh-what makes you say that?! I can totally pull off big sis too!"
"Nah, you can't."
The President dashed cold water on my hopeful fantasies.
I protested with my puffed-up dreams, but...
She just firmly shook her head.
Woo, so mean.
O-okay, Ha-yul's taller than me and more big-sis-like, sure.
But I'm strictly a year older!
In this Confucian society, a year's gap is huge!
"So, what do you all think? Skipping Jiwon since you've met—how's it feel meeting Virtual YouTuber Lulu in the flesh?"
"It's insane. Sunbae-nim, you're not just cute on stream—you're ridiculously cute IRL too?"
"Y-yeah. You're cute."
"D-don't call me cute...!"
Da-yoon smacked her hands together, dropping "daebak"s left and right with her rough speech.
Ha-yul nodded stiffly like a wooden doll, but clearly.
But to me, it didn't feel like a compliment at all.
It's just 'cause I'm small!
They're teasing me about my height!
Too much on a first meeting...!
"Hey, since you're here, how about sticking around to watch the juniors' practice broadcast? Give 'em some senior advice."
"M-me?"
As I vented inwardly and outwardly, the President made an unexpected proposal.
I'd heard about the practice stream today, but me spectating?
Sure, watching's fine, but advice?
I'm no expert, that sounds too much.
"Ooh, daebak...! We get advice from Lulu sunbae-nim?"
"Advice from Da-jeong? We'd be grateful."
"I-I'm nervous too... but I'd love to hear it from sunbae-nim."
But seeing the juniors' eyes sparkle with expectation...
I couldn't bring myself to refuse.
Heck, it even sparked motivation I didn't know I had.
Yeah! I'm the senior!
Giving advice that's good for their growth—that's a senior's role!
Wait, flesh-and-blood advice?
Whatever! Today, I'll build my cool senior image!
"I might not be much help, but... if you'll have me."
"Yesssss!"
"Alright, who first? Ha-yul?"
"Y-yeah...! I'll go. Unnie."
I accepted, and Da-yoon let out a whoop.
Jiwon and Ha-yul discussed among themselves.
Surprisingly, the one with the least confidence, Ha-yul, went first.
They're already on casual terms with each other, huh.
Makes sense—the President always emphasized that.
Start with casual speech to build bonds, she said.
Meanwhile, I'm still not casual with the unnies.
Ha-yul calls Jiwon so casually.
Feels like I'm getting left behind...!
"Um... c-can I start? President."
"Go ahead. So-eun will help from the side."
Lost in weird inferiority complex vibes...
Ha-yul had already sat at the computer, slipping on her headphones.
She looked super nervous—I wanted to cheer "You got this!" in my head.
"Hehe, seeing Ha-yul takes me back to my early days."
"Hmm... yeah?"
I sat next to the President to watch together.
I shared my first impressions of Ha-yul.
But the President's reaction felt kinda off.
Some reluctant vibe in her reply.
"Hope she pushes through. She'll gain confidence with practice."
"...Yeah, I thought the same at first."
"Pardon?"
I was about to ask what she meant when...
"The boss has arrived! Bow down, you lot!"
"...Huh?"
This guttural roar echoed from where Ha-yul sat.
I whipped my head around.
There was a beast snarling at the camera like it wanted to devour it.
The dissonance was so strong, I wondered if I was hallucinating.
All I could do was blurt out something dumb.
...Ha-yul?