Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Chapter 60
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Da-jeong, Stolen Away
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After finishing our shopping, both of our hands were stuffed full of shopping bags.
This felt less like shopping and more like we'd just fought a war.
"Da-jeong's completely wiped out? Did I make her try on too many things?"
"H-haa... I'm fine..."
Before heading to unnie's place, we'd stopped at a dessert shop for a quick break.
Unlike me, who was panting like I might collapse any second,
unnie looked perfectly energetic as she gazed at me with a satisfied smile.
How could she possibly have so much energy left?
She hadn't just picked out clothes for me either—she'd tried on plenty herself, which should've worn her out too.
At this point, I was starting to think we might be different species.
"Your fresh fruit parfait and mixed parfait are ready."
"Gasp...!"
Just as my entire body was desperately crying out for sugar,
the shop staff approached with a tray holding two tall, transparent glass cups.
The overwhelming visual hit me so hard I accidentally swallowed wrong.
That's right.
It was the mysterious food that showed up all the time in anime—parfait.
And today was the day I finally got to try one for real.
Man, it looks insanely good.
The layers of pristine white fresh cream looked sweet beyond words,
separated by colorful syrups and chunks of fruit.
And on top, chocolate and matcha ice cream.
"Unnie...! Look at this. It's got ice cream and tons of fruit piled on top."
"Yeah, it does look delicious. This is your first parfait, right, Da-jeong?"
"Y-yeah...!"
Even as I answered unnie with my face all flushed,
my eyes stayed glued to the parfait.
Where do I even start?
The ice cream on top, maybe?
No, better to dig into the cream and fruit first.
Gasp—or go for the surprise factor and start with the cookie stuck in the ice cream?
"Should we take pics and brag to the others? This place is actually a pretty famous parfait spot."
"Yes! Hehe, they'll all be so jealous, right?"
"Yeah, but I doubt it'll be the parfait they're jealous of."
"Huh?"
If not the parfait, then what?
Oh, maybe that we're off resting without streaming?
Yeah, that'd definitely make them jealous.
Click—
Guess everyone wanted parfait after all.
Makes sense—it's got that irresistible visual appeal for girls.
Just looking at it fills you with happiness.
Oh, right.
The members don't know why Ra-hee unnie and I met up alone.
Wouldn't want them getting the wrong idea, so I should explain...
...Huh?
"R-Ra-hee unnie...?!"
"Yeah? What's up?"
"'What's up?' isn't gonna cut it...! Th-they might get the wrong idea about us...!"
"Psh, it's just a joke. They'll know it's fake."
I-is that so?
It's true...?
The members trust me way more than I thought.
Glad there's no misunderstanding.
"But Da-jeong, wouldn't it be boring if it just ends lamely like this?"
"B-boring?"
I was just starting to relax with a sigh of relief,
when Ra-hee unnie glanced at her phone and tossed out some cryptic words.
I tilted my head, and she smirked, tapping away at her screen.
"Yeah, it'd be way more fun if you backed me up here, like 'Yeah, that's right, I said that.' What do you think?"
Th-that's impossible...!"
Is Ra-hee unnie trying to embarrass me?!
They're already bummed we went without them!
No way am I pouring fuel on the fire—let alone jumping right into it!
"You really won't?"
"N-no! Not even for you, Ra-hee unnie...!"
"Aw, too bad..."
I firmly refused,
and surprisingly, Ra-hee unnie backed off easily.
Thinking that was the end of it, I closed my phone and reached for my spoon—
"Guess I'll have to use that then."
"Huh?"
Unnie said it like some scheming anime villain pulling out their secret weapon.
She tapped her phone a few more times and showed me a screenshot of the group chat.
"Wh-what's this?"
"Curious? Read it yourself. It's a chat between the President and me."
"The President...?"
Why show me her chat with the President?
Puzzled but with a growing sense of dread, I took her phone with trembling hands.
Careful not to miss a word, I read every message.
"...?!"
My mind blanked out the second I read the start.
No way... right?
I told myself there was no way, but my hands shook as I scrolled down.
Meanwhile, Ra-hee unnie's smile across the table seemed to deepen—was that my imagination?
That final laugh in the last message.
The moment I saw it, my heart sank.
I could perfectly picture Ra-hee unnie smirking with anticipation, plotting how to "deal" with her traitorous subordinate.
"So, Da-jeong, what do you think? To me, it looks like our Da-jeong didn't want to meet unnie and wanted to delay the move..."
"Unnie...! That's not what it means!"
Cold sweat trickled down my spine as I frantically waved my hands to explain.
"Oh, not what it means? So unnie misunderstood?"
"Y-yes! Total misunderstanding! I wasn't scared to meet you alone or anything—there's no way...!"
"Hmm, I see... I never said anything that extreme, but that's how you saw it, Da-jeong?"
"Hic?!"
I denied it too vehemently and ended up making it worse.
Ra-hee unnie eyed me with narrowed eyes, and I let out a hiccup.
As I racked my brain for a way out,
"Well, if you really want to clear up the misunderstanding, maybe show some sincerity..."
"Sin-sincerity?"
Ra-hee unnie crossed one leg and toyed with a strand of hair, mumbling like she was talking to herself.
It felt strangely familiar,
but right now, turning her around was priority one, so I listened closely.
"Yeah, it'd make me happy if our Da-jeong let everyone know I'm the best."
"Everyone...? N-no way?!"
A flicker of confusion hit me, but I quickly realized what she wanted.
Goosebumps exploded across my arms at the sheer deviousness of it.
"Well, maknae's answer?"
"..."
Ra-hee unnie held out her hand with an innocent smile.
I just dropped my head with a thud.
Sob sob.
Unnies, Yuna... sorry.
But I have no choice.
Please know this isn't entirely my will.
Ji-ah checked the group chat right in the middle of her stream.
Ra-hee and Da-jeong on a date, just the two of them.
She was already jealous enough that she ended up tattling to her viewers.
"Guys, I just got a message from Luke and Lulu-chan... Isn't that too much?"
Ji-ah—no, Ellin—muttered in a grumpy tone out of nowhere,
and the viewers all spammed question marks.
At least explain the situation first to get some sympathy—what kind of genius move was this?
"No, they went shopping just the two of them and now parfait too. I like parfaits..."
The sympathetic viewers didn't help Ji-ah's mood much.
Truth be told, the parfait was just an excuse—not that important.
She was simply burning with envy that Da-jeong got to spend fun alone time with her.
She could pick out cute clothes for Da-jeong too, take her to tasty dessert spots!
She'd been dying of regret for having the least contact with Da-jeong lately among the members!
And now this salt-rub? Even sweet-natured Ji-ah couldn't help but get mad.
At least one silver lining in this chat:
'Ra-hee was probably trying to tease us, but it backfired.'
Ra-hee tried to troll the members with a fake story at the end,
but thanks to their rock-solid trust in Da-jeong, she got hoisted by her own petard.
No more messages after that—she must've taken the L and shut off her phone.
Clinging to that comfort, Ji-ah was about to resume her stream normally—
Ding—
'Hm?'
Another group chat notification.
She was on a break anyway, grabbing a drink, so she checked it again.
A new photo popped up—
The problem was what it showed...
Followed by lines straight out of some niche doujinshi,
the group chat—minus the two blissfully dating—fell into total panic.
Was it really true, not just Ra-hee's manipulation?
If so, what was the point of living anymore?
Such thoughts began filling Ji-ah's head.
Meanwhile, Ra-hee savored her victory like a triumphant queen,
mocking the losers with her final words before going silent.
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