Chapter 105: Career Path
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 105: Career Path
“That’s what she said.”
After Doah finished explaining, I idly spun the business card in my hand.
Was it made of some high-quality material?
Even though I felt like I’d spun it pretty hard, there wasn’t a single crease on it.
“...Really?”
“Yeah. It seems she really likes you, Oppa.”
After the semester ended, the time we used to spend at school was suddenly empty, so we started visiting each other's apartments often during the day.
Of course, we enjoyed going out on dates, but both Doah and I were fundamentally people who felt more comfortable staying indoors.
If the weather warmed up, we might have gone to a park, but it was still the middle of winter, with a biting cold wind.
“So, what do you think about contacting her?”
“Hmm...”
I pretended to hesitate, but the answer was already decided.
I wasn’t interested.
Really, not at all.
They could call it a great opportunity or whatever, but that was for people who actually wanted to work in that industry.
For now, just like this.
I just wanted to enjoy my winter break, peeling and eating tangerines with Doah.
It was obvious I'd get busy if I took the offer. Doah was already busy, so if I got busy too, when would we even see each other?
“...You don't like the idea?”
When I didn't answer, Doah looked a little dejected and watched my expression.
“No. It's just... how should I put it.”
But it's not like I could criticize the Closer manager who works with Doah.
Inwardly, the thought ‘Why are you being so annoying?’ was spinning in my head, but Doah seemed to think well of her manager, so I couldn't bring myself to say it out loud.
“Then, Oppa.”
Her upper body, which had been sitting next to mine, slowly leaned over onto my lap.
She rested her head on my thighs.
When I looked down to meet her eyes, a shadow the size of my face fell over her head.
“What do you want to do?”
“What do I want to do?”
“Like, what you want to do in the future? Your career path, I guess?”
A career path...
I'd thought about it seriously before, but I'd never come to a conclusion.
I just had a vague idea that if I kept going to school like this, I'd probably aim for a job at a broadcasting station.
After I got out of the military, I thought I should get my act together and looked into it, but at the time, I hadn't even started my second year, so it was safe to say I knew almost nothing.
Of course, even now that my second year was over, it's not like I'd learned anything significant.
When on earth was I ever going to figure things out?
“I'll just stay in school a bit longer and decide around next year.”
I felt anxious, but not impatient.
After all, I still had two more years left as a student.
“Wouldn't it be better to try different things while you're still in school?”
Doah said, fidgeting with the hem of my t-shirt.
“Later on, you might want to do it but can't because you have to get a job.”
Would that really happen?
Would a future where I wanted to become something like a celebrity ever come?
At least for the current me, it was an idea I couldn't accept.
Still, you never know.
And the reason I'd even started thinking this way was largely thanks to the owner of these soft cheeks.
The credit went to Miss Kim Doah.
“Ugh. Why’d you keep pullin’ ‘em?”
And here she was, with cheeks that stretched out like mozzarella.
Doah turned her head from side to side as if to say ‘stop.’
She was so cute I couldn't stop smiling.
“What do you want to be in the future?”
“Me?”
I didn't want this to turn into a career counseling session just for me, so I saw my chance and launched a counterattack.
“Were you planning to be a VTuber for a thousand years?”
I didn't think so.
Because before she passed the Closer audition, Luka-tan often didn't stream properly, saying she was busy with her real life.
“Umm... I guess so. A thousand years would be impossible, right? Probably?”
As her small lips pursed, this time I poked her cheeks.
“But I've definitely typed in chat telling you to do it for a thousand years.”
“...Really?”
“Yeah. If you quit streaming, what would I do with my life?”
“There are lots of VTubers. Even besides Closer, there are plenty of other cute ones.”
Her attitude, as if she were stating the obvious, actually made me flare up.
“No, Doah. Does it make any sense to compare you to the rest?”
“No, but objectively, it's not like I was number one in viewer count or anything.”
Being number one in viewers also meant having a more mainstream appeal.
And Luka's streams were, to be honest, a bit far from the mainstream.
They had a sort of niche, otaku sensibility...
“You were number one to me.”
“I'd rather be number one as Doah, not Luka.”
Doah was always like this.
Whenever I sincerely said things like ‘Luka is great’ or ‘Luka is the best,’ she would always break the mood by bringing up her real name.
“You're number one, too.”
“Too? Did you just say ‘too’?”
Ah, come on. Seriously.
As I narrowed my eyes at her as if to say ‘stop it,’ Doah pulled my neck down for a quick kiss.
...Dangerous.
Ever since that day, physical affection had become a catalyst that kept making me have naughty thoughts.
“Hmm. I probably would have tried to become a broadcast PD, maybe? After being a VTuber?”
“Really?”
“I like just lying around at home watching comics and movies all the time, and I like dramas too.”
It was a standard, textbook answer you'd often hear in our department.
“But Closer is doing so well these days, so I'm not sure anymore. We've gotten way more popular than I ever imagined.”
This probably applied to real-life idols too, but groups formed through auditions start their careers with a large fandom already in place.
With the members' original fans, new fans from the audition, and people coming in from the music charts, the members' streams these days were getting over 10,000 viewers as a baseline.
“The company said it would be for one year, but don't you think they'll extend it?”
I doubted they'd need to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Disbanding a group this popular after just one year seemed like it would be a loss for YM Entertainment, too.
“I hope so.”
“The members talk about it a lot, too. Like, ‘Ah, please, let's stay together for a long, long time.’”
“Are things okay with Jennifer?”
She seemed to be having a hard time after that whole ‘Oppa’ incident.
“Of course. It was a little awkward back then, but we've been talking a lot again. And if we kept acting awkward using that as an excuse, it could cause rumors during a collab stream.”
[Evidence of Discord Between Jennifer and Luka]
If something like that got posted on the fan cafe, it would just blow up.
Knowing full well how much the trolls on those communities live for forcing these kinds of narratives, I could immediately sympathize with her.
“Still, I'm glad you two are on good terms again.”
“We were always on good terms~”
Twisting her body to sit up, Doah then flopped down backward on the bed.
“Ah, I don't want to stream.”
“You have to.”
How many fans were waiting for you? You couldn't just not do it.
Including me, of course.
“I just want to lie here and roll around all day.”
As if to emphasize the ‘rolling around’ part, Doah grabbed the blanket and rolled over.
Since it was a small single bed, she rolled a little more than halfway before being abruptly stopped by the blanket.
“Nope. You're streaming.”
“Pink Army~ Listen to me~ You're not going to ignore what your Luka-nim says, are you?”
Since I couldn't see her face, Doah openly protested in her Luka voice.
“Hey. You have a vacation coming up soon anyway.”
The official vacation period for the Closer members was set for the second week of January.
The fact that they all got a scheduled break at the same time made them seem no different from real idols.
According to Doah, they were getting their vacation the week before because they had to do a Lunar New Year special during the actual holiday.
How we should spend the one week we were given.
I hadn't planned it out yet.
If I had to add something to my bucket list, it would probably be going to that lamb skewer place Doah wanted to try.
“...Want to go on a trip?”
Doah might have just thrown the words out there, but the moment I heard them, my heart started pounding like crazy.
Because a ‘trip’ implied sleeping together.
And sleeping together meant...
Feeling my face flush, I turned my back to Doah for no reason.
“Uh... where do you want to go?”
If she was just saying it, I could let it slide, but if she was serious, I was ready to start planning right away.
“A ski resort. I want to go to one.”
Her answer was completely unexpected.
I'd never been to one either, so I figured if we actually went, it would be a trip full of adventure.
“What do you think? Is it a bad idea?”
“I'm looking up resorts right now.”
I sighed after checking the reservation schedules and seeing they were already full, probably because it was peak season.
“Well... if it doesn't work out, it can't be helped.”
I'm going because I really want to ski.
I'm going to make beautiful memories with Doah.
I repeatedly typed ‘ski resort’ into the search bar and frantically scoured for a place to stay.