Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: I Came to Visit Ra-hee Unnie's House!
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We finally arrived at Ra-hee unnie's house around dinnertime.
I worried that showing up so late for my first visit might be rude.
But unnie insisted her family didn't care about that sort of thing at all and practically dragged me there.
"Gasp…!"
Finally standing in front of unnie's house,
I swallowed hard and just stared blankly at the sight before me.
What the heck is this?
Outside was a massive iron gate that looked at least four times my size.
And the building visible beyond it didn't seem like a house at all—it was more like a mansion or even a castle.
I-is this really Ra-hee unnie's house?
Of course, I'd heard her family was well-off,
but this went way beyond well-off. It screamed chaebol family home.
Clank—
Just as I wondered if I was really allowed to go in there,
the heavy iron gate that had blocked our path slid open smoothly.
And emerging from behind it was a man who had to be at least two meters tall, with an enormous build.
Eek!
He even had a scar on his face!
O-of course, I know it's wrong to judge people by their looks…
But he's still scary! So scary!
Intimidated by the stone-faced man staring at us,
I ducked slightly behind unnie. At that moment, he bent at the waist at a perfect ninety degrees.
"Welcome home, miss!"
His greeting was so polite yet booming, straight out of some yakuza movie,
that for a split second, I wondered if Ra-hee unnie's family was connected to that world.
"…Everything else is fine, but can you please keep your greetings normal around my friends? People might think we're a mob family."
"Ah, sorry about that. It's just become a habit…"
Thank goodness unnie's complaints suggested otherwise.
Still, it was kind of fascinating.
A guy who looked so burly and tough was fidgeting awkwardly with an embarrassed expression.
He was like a bear—rough on the outside, gentle within.
"Anyway, make the introductions. You know the group I debuted in, right? This is the maknae, my close little sis. Her name's Da-jeong."
"Ah, h-hello… I'm Jeong Da-jeong…"
His intimidating presence didn't fade much even after unnie's intro,
so I greeted him timidly, scared out of my wits.
"I see! It's an honor to meet you. I'm Choi Jin-seok. I've been in charge of your family's security detail for eleven years. Nice to meet you."
So he was a bodyguard after all.
Did that mean Ra-hee unnie's family was so prominent they kept private security on-site?
It felt even more impressive now.
"We'll head in now."
"Yes, miss. I hope you have a pleasant time, miss's friend."
"Th-thank you…"
We crossed the stone path through the garden, his overly courteous farewell echoing behind us, and reached the mansion entrance.
Ding-dong—
"I'm home."
- Ra-hee, is that you? Hold on a sec.
I barely had time to marvel at the mansion having its own intercom
before the door swung wide open.
"Yeah, I'm back… Oh?"
And there stood a woman who looked to be in her early thirties.
Was she Ra-hee unnie's older sister?
Wait, but I'd heard unnie only had a younger sister.
Then who was this?
"Ah, hello… Are you Ra-hee unnie's sister by any chance?"
"Oh my, sister? I'm not at that age yet… But I'm happy to hear it anyway."
Huh? Not her sister?
I tilted my head, watching the woman place a hand on her cheek, beaming with delight.
Then I heard unnie sigh softly beside me.
She stepped between us to clarify.
"She's not my sister—she's my mom. She looks so young, people mix it up all the time."
"Eek?! M-Mom?!"
The unexpected twist had me blurting out in shock, forgetting she was right there.
Wait a minute.
Considering Ra-hee unnie's age, her mom had to be at least in her early-to-mid forties.
But no matter how I looked, she seemed early thirties at most.
Exaggerating a bit, if she went out with President Kang Haneul, people might think they were the same age.
And she was tall, too.
Ra-hee unnie was already the tallest among us members,
but this was almost a match—maybe even like Ji-ah unnie's height.
"Yes, I'm Ra-hee's mom. You're Da-jeong, right? Ra-hee told me all about you. We're so grateful for everything you're doing for my daughter."
"N-no, not at all. If anything, I've been the one relying on unnie too much… Sorry for showing up so late today."
She already knew my name, so no need for intros.
I bowed hastily, offering greetings and apologies.
It was past seven already—this was peak uninvited guest territory.
"Da-jeong, let's talk inside first. Mom, where's Dad and Si-eun?"
"Dad's out on urgent business. Just Si-eun's here. She's been looking forward to this, sweetie."
"…Why is my friend the one she's excited about?"
Si-eun?
This time it seemed like unnie's actual little sister's name.
But I was curious, too.
Why was unnie's little sis so hyped to meet me?
"Anyway, come on in, Da-jeong."
"Ex-excuse the intrusion…"
Brimming with curiosity, I followed them inside.
It looked huge from outside,
but stepping in really drove it home.
Wow…
The ceiling's so high.
I'd need five of me stacked up to touch it.
Maybe even more.
As I gauged the height on my own,
footsteps echoed from somewhere.
From the stairs on the left side of the living room, leading to the second floor.
I turned to see a disheveled woman coming down.
She'd probably just woken from a nap.
"Yaaawn… Mom, when's Lulu-chan… Huh?!"
But when our eyes met, she froze in place.
Eh?
Did I hear that wrong?
Did she just say Lulu-chan…?
"Lulu-chan?! You're Lulu-chan, right?!"
"Y-yes? I-I am Lulu, but…"
Suddenly, her face lit up as she yelled at me,
then charged over and hugged me tight… Eh?
"Lulu-chaaaan!"
"Eep?!"
Before I could even process it,
I was buried in a body taller and stronger than Ra-hee unnie's, and I couldn't breathe.
Hngh…
S-someone save me.
Ra-hee unnie at least wasn't this strong.
This lady might snap me in half any second.
"Lee Si-eun! Get off her! What are you doing to our maknae?!"
"B-but Lulu-chan's right here in the flesh! How am I supposed to hold back?!"
"I get it, so let go! Our maknae's gonna suffocate!"
"Oops."
Only after Ra-hee unnie intervened
did she realize I couldn't breathe in her embrace.
She released me with an awkward grin.
"Haa… Da-jeong, sorry. My sister's a huge fan of yours."
"A-a fan of mine?"
I never imagined running into one of my fans here.
Did that mean unnie's sister watched Inbound a lot, too?
"Yeah, so introduce yourselves. This is Lee Si-eun, my same-year little sis. And you know her—this is Da-jeong, our group's maknae."
"Hi! I'm Lee Si-eun. I'm such a fan—I had to meet you, and I'm so thrilled!"
"I-I'm Jeong Da-jeong… Thank you for liking me."
What can I say? She's so energetic.
Ra-hee unnie gets hyped sometimes, but she's usually calm.
This one's bubbly all the time—like the sports club type from subculture stuff.
And she's crazy tall.
Taller than Ra-hee unnie even.
Maybe the tallest woman I've met so far.
Close to 180cm, probably.
"Anyway, I'm going up to my room with Da-jeong, so don't come in."
"Ugh, that's so unfair, unnie. You know how much I was looking forward to seeing Lulu-chan today!"
"Not my problem?"
Unnie's a bit colder at home.
Or maybe she's extra prickly around her blood sister.
It's a fresh side of her.
"Ra-hee, have you eaten? Want me to make something?"
"Yeah, we ate. We'll grab snacks later if we need 'em."
"Okay, make yourselves at home. Da-jeong, treat this like your own house and relax."
"Thank you. Oh, and please feel free to speak casually…"
"Oh, really? Then I will. Thanks, dear."
The lady smiled behind her hand, exuding the refined air of a noble estate's lady.
That's what poise in every gesture looks like.
"Ah! I wanna hang out with Lulu-chan too! Let me play with Lulu-chan!"
But this one showed no signs of calming down.
Seeing Si-eun unnie sprawl on the sofa like a tantruming kid,
I grabbed Ra-hee unnie's arm and cautiously suggested.
"Ra-hee unnie, Si-eun unnie wants to hang out too… Maybe we should let her?"
"Gasp! Lulu-chan called me Si-eun unnie! I could die happy now…"
"D-don't die…!"
Who in the world dies content from being called unnie?!
I frantically shook Si-eun unnie, who lay on the sofa like a corpse in a casket, hands neatly folded on her chest.
"Hmm… Or how about this, Da-jeong?"
"Huh? What?"
While I was busy, Ra-hee unnie must've been thinking.
She snapped her fingers like a lightbulb moment and spoke up.
"We do a guerrilla stream."
"A guerrilla stream…?"
Her unexpected proposal threw me off.
We'd planned to meet today just to hang out alone, no streaming.
"Yeah, she loves your streams anyway. I already tweeted that we're meeting up, so a surprise collab now would thrill the fans, right?"
"Y-yeah, you're right."
Of course, everyone loved the offline collab with Chae-yoon unnie,
but planned joy and surprise joy hit different.
For fans bummed about today's hiatus, two VTubers side-by-side—on one screen—would be huge.
"And we've got the perfect test subject right there. We can ask her."
"Ah, um… Well…"
Ra-hee unnie pointed at sprawled-out Si-eun unnie, pleased as punch,
but I had doubts.
Because…
"…Si-eun unnie might've stopped breathing."
Ever since the guerrilla stream came up,
Si-eun unnie had been out cold, blissfully at peace without a breath.
"Guess Lulu-chan doing a guerrilla stream was too much joy for her. Let's leave her and head upstairs."
"Okay…"
In the end, we left corpse-mode Si-eun unnie behind
and went up to Ra-hee unnie's room on the second floor for the stream.
I was a bit anxious since it was unscheduled—would people watch? What content?
But I couldn't help getting excited about collabing with one of my faves.
Hee hee.
Guess I'm a Pista through and through.