Chapter 155: Her Situation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 155: Her Situation
Yoonje was more serious about music than I could have ever imagined.
[Hey. Is it better to put this in here like this? Or should I just cut it to a single note?]
I doubted such questions meant much to me, someone who couldn't even finger a single chord, but I just went with my gut.
I made my choices based on what sounded good from a layman's perspective.
[I think the second one is better. But could you add a little more gain? Is that what it's called? I think it’d be good if that staticky sound was a bit louder.]
[kk, got it. I’ll redo it and send it over.]
Maybe it was because I’d signed a mountain of autographs for him, but the guitar recording was proceeding at lightning speed.
The other parts, the drums and bass, still needed to be added.
But from what I heard, I could handle that with the app I was already using.
In fact, I already had a basic version of the drum track I’d made myself.
Vzzzt.
I thought it was Yoonje again and wondered what else he needed.
But this time, it wasn't my composition assistant, but our dear idol, who I hoped would be my vocalist.
[Oppa.]
[Yeah?]
[Do you have any plans on the 13th?]
The 13th... the 13th...
After checking my calendar, I sent a reply.
[Nope. Why?]
Besides the song I was working on, I wasn't really doing anything.
When I ran out of money, I'd pick up a short-term part-time job, and my rent was covered by the allowance I got from my parents.
[Ah. There was some talk about going on a double date...]
The way she trailed off made me feel uneasy.
[...With who?]
That was the most important question, really.
If the Fumurin couple wanted a round two, I was fully prepared to politely decline.
Or was I? Still, considering everything Doah had done for me, maybe I should go.
I pretended to test the waters, but I had a feeling I’d have to go in the end.
The reply that came back, however, strayed far from the expected path. The person she mentioned was quite surprising.
[Clover unnie said she wants to see us with her boyfriend?]
...Clover?
I usually only kept up with Doah's streams, but I occasionally watched clips of the other members.
When I watched highlight compilations, videos of their chemistry with Doah would naturally pop up in my algorithm.
[All of a sudden?]
[Yeah. She seemed really desperate...]
I could understand her wanting to meet Doah, but why would she be desperate enough to drag me along too?
[Does she know who I am?]
[No. I don't think so? Only Murin knows, and she told me she absolutely didn't say a word.]
The words, You never know, almost slipped out, but I barely managed to control myself.
Besides, it felt wrong to be overly suspicious.
[Okay... Hmm... I get it. I'll go.]
[Yay! Thank you! Thank you~]
As soon as she got my permission, Doah vanished.
Jeez. Is this how it is now? Just state your business and leave?
I thought it was a little cold, but I was busy at the moment anyway.
Still, my days were far more enjoyable now than when I was taking acting classes.
With music, the more I tinkered with it, the more I could see the quality improve.
And it was fun to analyze other songs on the side.
I found myself trying to identify which instruments were used and learning what kind of post-processing was needed to create certain effects.
“Trill-lill-li~ lill-li~”
Working alone like this really suited my personality.
Ugh. I can't believe I let myself get dragged onto that crowded film set.
No matter how many times I thought about it, acting just wasn't for me.
After arranging a few melody candidates to send to Yoonje, I flopped onto my bed.
[Clover]
A name I had never searched for before.
I started watching her videos one by one, in no particular order.
She was the epitome of the calm, older-sister type you'd only see in manga.
Unlike the playful Luka or Murin, her gentle nature seemed to radiate through the screen from the moment she started interacting with her viewers.
A boyfriend of a person like this...
What kind of guy would he be?
I wasn't particularly interested, but I was a little curious.
“Ah! Oppa! What am I going to do with you, showing up so late!”
I told him I’d made reservations and that he couldn't be late.
But it seemed my boyfriend had decided to oversleep on a day like today.
“Sorry, sorry. But I really don't know why my alarm didn't go off.”
“Aish! Hurry up.”
Grabbing his wrist like I was dragging livestock, I hauled him to the bus stop.
Once I had him seated next to me, I began a thorough inspection.
“Let me see your face.”
“Ah. Okay.”
...They say no amount of styling can beat natural good looks, and it's true.
He hadn't put anything on his face and his hair was only half-dry, but my boyfriend's superior genes were still showing off his handsomeness.
After casually running my hand through his hair to fix it, I decided to go over our cover story one more time.
“Where did we meet?”
“A school group project.”
“What is Han Taemin up to these days?”
“Looking for an internship.”
“And if the topic of your entertainment career comes up?”
“I left because my vision didn't align with the company's.”
Looks like he remembered everything we talked about on the phone.
We got off the bus and followed the directions on my phone to the restaurant Clover unnie had told us about.
Just like in the pictures, it was an incredibly high-end place.
As we went inside, a staff member asked for the reservation name.
“Shin Seojeong.”
I thought her real name suited her personality perfectly.
“This way, please.”
We followed the staff member inside, where a table was set with dishes in front of a grill.
“Whoa...”
It seemed like it was the first time for both of us to be so overwhelmed by the atmosphere.
“So, where's Clover-ssi?”
We weren't that early ourselves, but unnie hadn't left a single message.
I was sure she would have been here first.
“Just a second. I'll try calling her.”
All I could hear was the ringing tone.
Unnie didn't pick up.
“Wow. Don't tell me this is a no-show?”
When Oppa said it jokingly, I poked him in the side with my index finger.
“No way, right? This isn't some online marketplace scam. We have to see each other all the time.”
After about five minutes, a staff member came over and asked when the rest of our party would be arriving, and I started to get really anxious.
“Try calling her again.”
I nodded at Oppa's suggestion and took out my phone.
Screech.
Just then, the door slid open.
Waiting for us was...
“Ah... I'm sorry... I'm so late...”
“Oh... Unnie...!”
It was Clover unnie, her eyes completely red as she walked in.
Her boyfriend, who I thought would be with her, was nowhere in sight.
“What's wrong? Did something happen?”
“Ah... I'm sorry... Ah. I really didn't want to be like this on the day we're meeting for the first time.”
Her slender fingers picked up a tissue and dabbed at the corners of her eyes.
“...I just got dumped.”
“What?”
At the completely unexpected answer, Taemin oppa and I stared at each other, dumbfounded.
“S-Suddenly?”
“No. It wasn't exactly sudden, but...”
Just then, a staff member came in to ask if we were ready to order. Unnie avoided my question and ordered some food instead.
“I'm late with my introductions. Hello. I'm Clover. My name is Shin Seojeong.”
“Hello... Um... I'm Han Taemin, Doah's boyfriend.”
“I'm so sorry. I really wanted to treat you both to a delicious meal with Luka, but I ended up ruining the mood like this.”
“Ah. No! It's okay... I mean. It's really fine.”
This didn't feel like the right time to be eating.
“Unnie. Are you sure you're okay to eat with us? Wouldn't it be better to go home and rest?”
“N-No, no. How could I, after inviting you all out? Besides, if I'm alone right now...”
Clover unnie's gaze drifted toward the window.
“I think I'd be really depressed.”
I hadn't heard the full story yet, but I already thought that boyfriend of hers was incredibly rude.
If Taemin oppa had done that to me, I'd be jumping up and down with rage.
As I thought, the problem was that unnie was just too gentle.
“Unnie. Should we have a drink?”
I usually held back when Oppa was around, but it felt necessary given the atmosphere.
“...Should we?”
“Order whatever you feel like, unnie!”
We decided not to go too hard and started with beer.
I gave Oppa a stern warning to drink in moderation and not get drunk.
“Haa... That's refreshing...”
Unnie wiped away the white foam with her fingertip.
Looking back and forth between me and Taemin oppa, she gave a smile that was wistful just to look at.
“How long have you two been together?”
“We're coming up on six months...”
“That's the best time.”
Although unnie was actually older, her tone made it feel like she was talking to a much younger child.
“Unnie, you said you were with him for five years?”
“Yeah. It was our fourth anniversary just the other day. So it's our fifth year together.”
“Wow. But how could he do that?”
To break up with her so soon after their anniversary.
And to do it like this, of all ways.
“I know. I don't know how he could be so heartless.”
I couldn't even begin to imagine what that must feel like.
“Doah. Taemin-ssi. If you don't mind, would you be willing to listen to my story today?”
Her words were so painfully real.
I couldn't offer her a single proper word of comfort.