Chapter 107: The Meeting
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 107: The Meeting
“Really?”
When they first contacted me, I acted like I was going to refuse no matter what.
Even though he’d already finished his drink, Oppa was chewing restlessly on the paper straw.
“Yeah. I'm just going to hear them out.”
“Hmm... Well. Listen to what they have to say and then decide.”
From the way he spoke, it seemed they hadn't discussed any detailed conditions yet.
That's why I didn't think it was my place to say whether his decision was good or bad.
He was literally just going to listen to their explanation.
If anything, I thought it was a good thing that he was showing interest in a new field.
“It's a huge company, so I doubt they'd try to scam a newcomer, but you never know.”
“Hey. If you're going to say that, you should be more careful. You signed a contract with them too.”
“I was careful, okay? And I talked it over with the other members, so we went through it meticulously.”
“Alright, alright. I'll be careful.”
He must have thought I was nagging him again, because he patted my head as if to tell me to stop talking.
“Ah! Anyway, about the ski resort.”
Our first trip together, one I'd finally worked up the courage to plan with him.
As someone who loved the snow, my heart was already pounding just at the mention of it.
When we get there, I'll go sledding with Oppa and build a snowman.
“Yes!”
“So, I looked up a couple of places.”
He tapped on his phone and sent me two links.
“This one is a little closer, but it's smaller. This other one is bigger, but it's farther away.”
In short, they both had their pros and cons.
“Hmm... What about the price?”
“The one that's farther away is a bit more expensive, of course.”
After carefully looking through the websites, I made my decision.
“Let's go to the farther one!”
“The farther one?”
“Yep.”
My thinking was, since it was the first time for both of us, we should go all out.
“Then what about the dates? Same as we talked about before?”
“Yeah. I'll make the reservation.”
It was a vacation, and I didn't know when I'd get another one.
Of course, there was a high chance I'd get another break after our second album promotions, but for now, there was no telling when that would be.
“Okay. You do that and then tell me how much to send you.”
“Okay.”
I said okay, but I had no intention of taking his money.
At most, maybe just enough for transportation?
Considering the pay I was about to get, I could definitely afford to cover this much.
The thought of Oppa's surprised and happy face brought a silly grin to my lips.
“Why are you smiling like that?”
Just before a drop of drool could fall from my mouth, Oppa wiped my lips with his finger.
“Ah. You could've just told me.”
“What were you thinking about to make you grin so widely?”
“It's a secret.”
The reason was a secret, and I didn't really want to tell him I was imagining his reaction.
“Ughh...”
Oppa raised his arms high and stretched.
“What are you going to stream today?”
“I don't know.”
If I streamed three to four times a week, there were things I had to do for at least two of those streams.
For collabs, I didn't have to worry about content, and if there was a sponsorship or a request from the company, I'd just do that.
Realistically, I only had control over one, maybe two, streams a week.
“...Is a VRWorld stream after so long a bad idea?”
“Excuse me, Mr. Han Taemin. What do you mean, 'after so long'?”
I couldn't believe he was saying that when the New Year's special wasn't even that long ago.
And I even went on a one-on-one date with him in the game.
It was hard to look favorably on his obsession with the VR Luka.
“No... I mean... we haven't played VRWorld much lately.”
“The collab was less than a week ago.”
“That was a collab, not a solo stream...”
I let out a dry laugh at my boyfriend's strange way of counting and gave a half-hearted nod.
“Ah... yes... I understand...”
“Are you really going to do it?”
He should've looked at me with those eyes when I said we were going to the ski resort.
I made a fist and smacked him on the head.
“Nope! I'm not doing it!”
“Hey. If you're not going to do it, at least don't hit me.”
“No? You like being hit by me, don't you? You're the one who's always asking me to step on you in the chat.”
As I playfully punched his shoulder and head over and over, Oppa just giggled.
“Ah~ such a sweet reward~ Luka-tan~”
“Ugh... seriously... I can't with you...”
A guy this handsome was rare, but a guy who failed to live up to his looks this badly was probably even rarer.
“Doah.”
He called my name softly.
“Luka's going to get even more popular, right?”
I thought it was a rather random question.
“Well... yeah? I think so?”
The company and the members all predicted that as long as we didn't get caught up in another huge controversy, our fanbase would just keep growing.
“I hope she becomes more successful.”
The atmosphere had changed so suddenly from just a moment ago that I poked him in the side.
“What's with you all of a sudden? Why are you being so serious?”
“Ah, it's nothing. And it's not like I said anything weird. Why?”
I felt a little uneasy, but I shook my head as if to tell him not to worry.
“Oppa, don't worry. She's going to be a huge success, so you just worry about renewing your subscription! Got it?”
“...I will!”
I wished the vacation would start sooner.
Ever since winter break started, sleeping in had become a habit, but not today.
“Hoo.”
I took a short breath and stood in front of the mirror.
I'd shaved cleanly and even diligently applied the toner and lotion I rarely used.
After all, today was the day I had to meet the people from YM.
It would be a lie to say I wasn't nervous.
A major agency had come flocking to recruit me; how many people would be composed enough not to be intimidated by that?
I, who struggled just to talk to a junior younger than me, was filled with self-doubt.
Vzzzzzt—
I flinched at the vibration of my phone, but thankfully, it wasn't them.
[Oh. Doah.]
[Oppa. Have you left yet?]
[No, not yet. Why?]
[What do you mean, why? I just wanted to call and wish you luck.]
Hearing Doah's voice seemed to calm my nerves.
Right. I'm doing this for Luka.
The moment I thought of it as something I was doing for Doah, my complicated thoughts began to fade.
[I'll do my best.]
[Or, Oppa, do you want to stop by my place after you're done?]
[Do you have time?]
[Ah, yeah. I have some work to do, but it's just stuff I can do on my computer at home, so it should be fine.]
[Then I'll call you when I'm finished.]
[Okay. I love you, Oppa.]
I don't know if something good happened to her today, but Doah on the other end of the line was unbelievably lovely.
[I love you too, Doah.]
After hanging up, I carefully buttoned my shirt.
Dressed in a white shirt and a black jacket, I thought I looked pretty decent myself.
Does this make me look a bit like a celebrity?
It was funny to try and look cool in front of industry professionals, but showing up in a tracksuit and slippers was out of the question.
I put on my coat, left my apartment, and headed down to a well-known coffee chain near the bus stop.
I opened the glass door and glanced around, and the manager I'd met before waved at me from a table in the back.
“Taemin-ssi! Welcome!”
I arrived at the table, bowing my head awkwardly.
A man in a suit I'd never seen before was waiting for me.
He looked to be in his mid-to-late thirties...
“Hello. I'm Lee Seongho, the team leader of YM’s casting team.”
“Ah... yes... Hello...”
“Taemin-ssi, if there's anything you'd like to drink, just let me know! I'll go get it for you right away.”
“In that case, I'll have an Iced Americano...”
“Got it! Please, talk amongst yourselves~”
When the manager left, it was just the two of us men.
My throat was parched, and I eagerly waited for my drink to arrive.
“Just as Yeji-ssi said, you have excellent features.”
The team leader's eyes scanned my face back and forth like a hawk sizing up its prey.
“She certainly has a good eye. I can see why we used to work together.”
“Thank you.”
“Taemin-ssi, I also got a slice of cake in case you wanted a snack. Please, have some.”
The manager handed me the coffee and pushed the cake toward me.
I bowed my head slightly as I took the coffee and took a long, hard sip.
This whole situation was so uncomfortable I thought I was going to lose my mind.
“So... what specifically did you want to talk about...”
As I signaled that I was ready to listen, the team leader took a tablet out of his bag and began his explanation.
He explained what kind of support they could offer if I signed an exclusive contract, how the profits would be split, and so on.
I felt like if I asked about every single term I didn't understand, the conversation would never move forward.
So, aside from the absolutely essential parts, I just nodded along vaguely.
“Do you have any questions about what I've explained so far, or is there anything you don't understand?”
It sounded just like a professor after a lecture.
I sensed that it was finally time to ask the question I most wanted to ask.
“Um, if I were to accept this offer...”
Right. This is why I came here.
I have to achieve my goal before I leave.
“How much support can Doah... no, Luka, receive...?”
One corner of the team leader's mouth curled upwards.