Chapter 10: ...I'll Do It.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 10: ...I'll Do It.
Wednesday morning.
Today was the day I would be assisting Doah... no, the great Luka-nim herself.
I was still reeling from the afterglow of yesterday.
The results of the audition, announced live, had viewers and candidates alike on the edge of their seats. Luka had managed to pass, catching the very last train to success.
As the Pink Army flooded the chat with emotional messages, Luka let out a genuine curse, the kind she usually reserved for her personal streams.
[Oh. Fuck.]
The camera zoomed in on her pink-ponytail avatar.
The host froze as if time had stopped.
The whole situation, right down to the camera work, was comedy gold.
If this had been a regular broadcast, it would have been edited out for sure. But thanks to the nature of live streaming, Luka’s profanity hit the viewers’ eardrums completely unfiltered.
[Ah... It seems Luka-ssi is very happy! Please give her your support!]
The host’s comment came a beat too late.
The other candidates burst into laughter.
Finally, Luka covered her face with both hands—whether out of embarrassment or emotion, it was hard to tell. A clip of that moment was now trending, drawing a ton of attention.
In just one day, the 30-second clip had already racked up nearly 300,000 views.
The comment section was a sight to behold.
[Wow... so now we're getting a fuckdol, huh.]
[No, but isn't it hilarious how real her reaction was? lolololol]
[The host's brain freezing is the best part lol]
Honestly, even though I’d watched it live, I must have replayed the clip at least ten times.
Seriously, Luka-tan. Why did you have to swear so perfectly?
Of course, some people reacted negatively to the swearing, but the general consensus was that it was either cute or refreshingly real.
I’m definitely going to laugh when I see Doah’s face.
Can I really keep it together?
My heart swelled with pride, but I also had a strong urge to tease her.
But that was out of the question.
Streamers and VTubers who don't reveal their faces tend to be extremely wary of their identities being exposed.
There have been actual cases where they had to take a break or even quit streaming after being threatened with doxxing.
I believed that a true fan’s duty was to pretend not to know, for the sake of the streamer’s career.
I wasn't some brat who would blackmail her with a taunt like, "Haha, I know who you are." I had no intention of doing anything of the sort.
Just cheering her on from the sidelines was enough to make me happy.
Opening the door, I stepped into the classroom and once again began searching for the scattered members of my group.
The easiest way was to look for the back of our group leader Junseok’s head.
His hair was light brown and permed into tight curls.
It didn't take long to spot his unique hairstyle.
"Hey, Junseok."
"Oh, Taemin, you're here."
Doah and Minji were nowhere to be seen.
"Where are the girls?"
"They went to the restroom. They were here, though."
Junseok gestured with his chin toward the inner seats, where the girls' bags and jackets lay.
"I see."
"Ah, this semester-long group project is such bullshit."
I took off my coat and nodded in agreement.
"It is a pain."
"Seriously. Why couldn't they just have it for the first half of the semester?"
While I agreed with his sentiment, I had to dispute the outcome.
After all, it was this project that let me meet Luka in real life.
To Junseok, it might just be another group project, but to me, it was a small piece of happiness.
"Well, it's better than having two different group projects in the same semester."
Just as Junseok and I were finishing our idle chat, the girls returned.
"Oh! Hi, Taemin Oppa!"
Minji greeted me with a bright smile.
"Hey, hi."
"Hello."
Doah gave a slight bow and scurried to her seat.
She was definitely uncomfortable around me.
The sudden realization that I was disliked by Luka-tan stung, but it was karma.
What could I do? I was the one who rejected her.
Still, the fact that the girl who had blurted out "fuck" yesterday was sitting right next to me made it incredibly difficult to keep a straight face.
"...Something good happen?"
Did he see my face?
"Ah, I just remembered something funny I saw yesterday."
When Junseok asked with a "what's with you" look, I scratched my head awkwardly and made an excuse.
"But your expression just now was a little pervy."
Junseok pointed out with a smirk, and I smacked my lips in embarrassment.
I wanted to grin like an idiot, show him the clip of Luka-tan, and ask, "Isn't this fucking cute?" but that would just be outing her.
Besides, I was committed to my so-called social facade.
It was impossible for me to do something like that while faithfully pretending to be a normal person.
It wasn't that I'd never tried revealing I was an otaku.
I'd done it once, thinking people might bother me less, but it backfired. Instead, they tried to persuade me to change.
"There are so many better things in the world, you shouldn't be like that," and so on.
I felt they were just spouting whatever suited them.
I had opened up hoping for understanding, but they tried to change me. I wanted to avoid that whole process from now on.
"Alright, everyone. Good morning."
Soon, the professor came in, and the class began.
The first hour was a lecture. The second was for checking on the progress of each group.
Junseok showed us the presentation he had prepared to show the professor.
"What do you think? Look okay?"
"Yeah, it's really clean."
"I totally agree. Junseok Oppa, you're the king of organizing, aren't you?"
Doah, sitting beside me, nodded repeatedly in agreement.
"Hmm... but I'm not sure if this is the direction the professor was talking about."
"True, last time he did say he wanted to see a bit more."
The professor had certainly implied last time that he had a specific direction in mind for the project.
All we could do was wait and hope our strategy would be well-received.
"Shall we take a look at this group?"
The professor began his rounds and approached our table.
"Yes, our group, last time we..."
Junseok was a master of packaging.
How could he explain our vague conversations so eloquently?
He was practically creating something out of nothing.
But the professor's expression wasn't bright.
"Hmm... I don't think targeting the MZ generation works quite like that."
He was a professor for a reason.
The explanation that had sounded so perfect to me was being dismantled, piece by piece.
"So if you're going to use this as your strategy, going this way would be much more logical and eye-catching. Also, your preliminary research is still too weak."
Our group was instantly stunned into silence.
"Yes..."
"From what I see, this group might be a little pressed for time, but I think it would be best to go back to the beginning and start over with the target analysis."
Minji and Doah's faces crumpled.
And I was sure mine didn't look much different.
A reset... A reset...!!!
It was heartbreaking to see nearly two weeks of effort turn to dust.
Or maybe I should be glad it didn't happen in the third week?
No matter how hard I tried to spin it positively, the sting of disappointment was unavoidable.
"Today is Wednesday, so by Friday, I want you to create a new presentation based on the advice I've given you today."
We had only two days.
The color drained from my group members' faces.
"My email address is in the syllabus. Use that, include your student numbers and names, and send it to me. I'll give you feedback over the weekend. That should get you caught up with the other groups."
"Yes, thank you."
We said thank you, but none of us felt grateful.
"Hoo..."
The storm had passed.
Junseok rubbed his face with his hands and spoke in a dejected voice.
"...So that's what he said, huh?"
"Ugh... this is so unfair..." Minji grumbled, looking completely defeated.
"It's not like we can just not do it... He said he's going to check it specifically..."
It was true that some professors were like that.
The ones who were a little too passionate about their classes.
Couldn't he just relax on the weekend? Why did he have to check our work then...
"Um..."
Doah, the quietest among us, spoke up.
"Yeah, Doah? What is it?"
"I'm going to be really busy today and tomorrow, so I don't think I'll be able to participate..."
Even though she had warned us last week, her tone was dripping with apology.
"But the deadline is Friday. Doesn't that mean you realistically can't do anything?"
Doah flinched at Junseok's blunt question.
"...Yes."
"What's the reason?"
The reason Doah was busy today and tomorrow.
It was...
"It's for a personal reason... I'm sorry..."
"But Doah, even if it's personal, I think it's a problem to not participate at all. You should at least give us a brief explanation so the rest of us can understand."
...How could Doah possibly say it?
That she was actually a VTuber, and she was facing the final, crucial audition to become an idol.
Doah's pupils trembled, unable to hide her distress.
"Doah. A minimal explanation, at least."
She was cornered and needed an excuse, but Doah didn't seem to have the knack for it.
"...I'll do it."
I knew it wasn't good manners to interrupt someone.
But I believed that sometimes, a breach of etiquette was necessary.
"I'll cover Doah's part, Junseok."
Leave this to me, Luka-tan.
...Doah's dark brown eyes grew even wider.