Chapter 166: Second Album Release!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 166: Second Album Release!
Ash Block was an incredibly busy man.
He was scrolling through his phone when he suddenly slapped his forehead as if something troublesome had come up.
A sigh that was half air, half sound escaped him.
"Taemin."
"Yes?"
"Hey, would it be okay to have our lesson at 10 tomorrow?"
"10 in the morning?"
"No, 10 at night. If that doesn't work, we can just postpone it."
"Uh..."
10 o'clock? 10 PM?
Are we starting a lesson at 10 PM like it's a late-night shift at a convenience store?
"What time would we finish then?"
"Midnight. I have to let you go before the last train, of course. What can you do?"
After a moment of thought, I stated my position clearly.
"But I wouldn't be able to watch Luka's stream then, so I don't think that'll work."
It was a force of nature I couldn't resist.
The teacher burst out laughing.
He looked at me as if he found the situation absurd, then nodded.
"Right. The stream is non-negotiable. My bad, I wasn't thinking."
"You're not messing with me, are you?"
"...I don't schedule lessons on days Leah is streaming, either."
The only reason I could even say something like this was because the teacher was also a huge fan of CLOSER.
If he knew nothing about this culture and couldn't understand it, how could I possibly skip a lesson to watch a stream?
"Then let's do it Friday afternoon. Phew. To be honest, a 10 PM lesson would be tiring for me, too."
"You mentioned you don't live in this building, right?"
"It's about a 15-minute drive from here."
"Hey. In that case, learn a bit more before you go. While you have the time. I'll give you an extra 30 minutes, so go home and review it on your own."
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
It might look like we were studying very diligently, but our lessons were half small talk, half serious mode.
He would usually take a song and break it down, teaching me the basic framework like chord progressions and instrumentation. But the stories he sprinkled in between were too sweet to ignore.
The story of a female idol who showed up for a recording session hungover and threw up all over the floor.
The time he worked on an anime OST and received a giant figure as a gift.
These were stories you could never hear unless you were an insider—no, unless you were the actual composer who worked on a specific track. I would listen, completely losing track of time.
"Teacher."
"Yeah?"
After hearing his recent story about accidentally adding an extra zero and donating a million won, I made a heartfelt suggestion.
"Have you ever thought about streaming?"
"What? You want me to stream?"
"Yeah. I... think you'd be really good at it."
"Hey. With a face like yours, are you in any position to be telling me that?"
"...What's wrong with my face?"
I figured I wouldn't be popular even if I streamed, since I'm not a good talker.
"Honestly, with that face, you could probably smoke all the top-tier male streamers out there."
"...Ah. You want me to be a male streamer?"
"What, were you planning on buying an avatar and using a voice changer to become a cute girl VTuber?"
It was a bittersweet story.
Because I knew that cases like the one he described actually existed.
"Nah, I just wouldn't do it. With my personality, how could I possibly stream?"
"Hey, otakus love that whole hikikomori VTuber concept. They eat that stuff up, calling it cute."
"...Anyway, I can't. No, I won't."
Not only did I lack the talent, but if I started streaming, when would I ever have time to watch Doah?
"Well, whatever. If you get good at making music, the financial ceiling is incredibly high, so just go home and do your homework, okay?"
"Haha..."
Of course, I was just taking my first steps, but music was a discipline that closely resembled math.
There were definitely parts that required memorization, like learning formulas. When you plugged them in, the notes would harmonize to create a beautiful melody.
"I'm gonna check it next time, you hear?"
"Yes. Thank you."
I bowed my head and left, then pulled out my phone to check the time.
"Whoa, shit. Hold on."
I need to hurry.
Or should I just take a taxi?
There was a good reason for my haste.
Normally, I would've just watched the stream on my phone, but not today.
Today was the day CLOSER's second album teaser was being released.
Doah would probably scold me if she heard, but I immediately hailed a taxi with an app.
After getting in and asking the driver to please hurry, I scanned the community forums.
Even with 30 minutes to go, the refresh rate of new posts was insane.
[Something big is coming.]
[CLOSER's 2nd album crumbs, a sneak peek.]
[Official MV release date announced, not just the teaser ㅇㅇ]
What? They really announced it?
"Ah... son of a bitch..."
I muttered the curse under my breath after getting hit with a meme image the moment I clicked the thread.
I broke out in a cold sweat when we got stuck in traffic near the Han River, but I ultimately managed to get home right on time.
Without even changing my clothes, I sat down reverently in front of my monitor.
[Ahem... ahem...!]
The CLOSER members had started their stream early to watch the teaser with their viewers.
Onscreen, Luka was grinning as she chatted with the audience.
[Ah, I'm so nervous. Right? Ah, the hype levels are way too high, everyone.]
But we had our reasons.
The performances CLOSER had shown us so far were a veritable feast of capital.
The quality of a virtual world built with money was directly proportional to the amount spent, so we couldn't help but have high expectations.
Would the thrill we felt during "Boundary" be repeated this time?
Soon, a countdown began. When I refreshed the official YM channel, the name [CLOSER] appeared in an incredibly stylish font.
[Let's gooo~]
[Kyah!]
[Luka-nim! I love you!]
The Pink Army was going wild before the video even started.
I was also furiously spamming an emote of a waving light stick.
[Well then... here we go...?]
Luka's avatar smiled brightly.
To let the viewers focus, Luka turned off her own avatar, held her breath, and played the roughly 30-second-long video.
The first to appear, accompanied by the clack-clack of heels, was a blonde-haired avatar.
That must be Jennifer.
As she opened a door and stepped inside, the other members appeared one by one in close-up shots.
The concept this time seemed to be students, as all the members were wearing the same school uniform.
Clover, smiling wistfully.
Fumurin, winking brightly.
Leah, holding out her hand.
And then, the final three seconds that captured the hearts of our Pink Army.
Her pink hair, bathed in sunlight, shone even more brightly.
Luka's eyes weren't shown.
But everyone knew what the mouth of her silhouetted avatar was trying to say.
[I love you]
The final scene was a group still shot.
As the video ended with the English spelling of CLOSER's name once again, the chat was flooded with cheers.
[So... how was it?]
Luka's avatar reappeared.
Her blushing face made it impossible for people to resist donating.
[AHHHHHH! LUKA-TAN I LOVE YOU! AHHHHHH!]
[Thank you for the 10,000 won dono~ Ah, the teaser came out so well. The atmosphere is amazing. Heh.]
Everyone was praising it, but to be honest, I was a little disappointed.
Her eyes.
There hadn't been a single shot showing the upper half of Luka's face.
Of course, it was great how she appeared at the end like the true heroine and mouthed those words.
Ah... but still, wouldn't it have been better if we could see her eyes...
[Kehehe. You'll all like it even more when the full version is officially released next week, right?]
It was a statement so obvious it didn't need to be said.
People were dying of happiness just from her five or six seconds of screen time; when the full version came out, not just the Pink Army but the whole world would be in an uproar.
In fact, English and Japanese comments were already being spotted here and there.
My girlfriend might actually be on her way to becoming world-class.
[Mhm, mhm. Right, right. Ah, the member who I thought was the best in this MV? Hmm... personally, for me, it was Leah. Leah was just... oof... solid. Yep.]
[Ahh~ Any more would be a spoiler, so later, later. Of course Luka-tan was cute too~ It'd be nice if I could wear the school uniform avatar from the teaser for you all soon.]
I rested my chin on my desk and stared intently at the screen.
What in the world is this 2D model in the corner of my monitor?
What is she that she can be this cute?
This creature, inhabiting the 2.5th dimension, was captivating more than ten thousand people.
[Ah, of course~ Luka-tan loves all of you in the Pink Army too~]
Luka said playfully with a bashful smile.
Her tone was much higher than when she told me she loved me.
I loved both versions so much that I couldn't take my eyes off her.
I thought that both Doah and Luka were just so lovely in their very existence.
Just when I thought the teaser review stream was proceeding smoothly...
[LobsterLuka has donated 5,000 won.]
[There's a rumor that Summer Records RKRO is Han Taemin. Is that true?]
Doah's avatar blinked with a dumbfounded expression.