Chapter 172: You're My Dream Now.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 172: You're My Dream Now.
[Did everyone enjoy the video?]
Ah. They did a fantastic job with this avatar.
I’m sure every member of the Pink Army felt the same way.
Her eyes seemed a little rounder in this avatar.
She always had more of a puppy-like vibe than a cat-like one, but this time, she truly radiated the harmless aura of an innocent student.
[How was it? The song is amazing, right!]
Her voice was brimming with excitement, and the Pink Army responded with a flood of emotes.
[Luka-tan is the best! Luka-tan is the best! Luka-tan is the best! Luka-tan is the best! Luka-tan is the best! Luka-tan is the best! Luka-tan is the best! Luka-tan is the best! Luka-tan is the best! Luka-tan is the best! Luka-tan is the best!]
[Haaa... Kim Luka. You’re really something else...]
[I love you! Luka unnie!]
[I LOVE YOU♥♥♥♥]
In a way, it was a classic idol concept.
The members of CLOSER, dressed in school uniforms, dancing on a school stage.
Luka, suggesting we watch it again together, pulled up the official music video on the channel.
[Now, I’ll go through it scene by scene and tell you some behind-the-scenes stories. Watch this.]
Luka played it through once more, reacting along with us, then started pausing at different scenes to spill the details.
[So, this part where I’m playing basketball? I actually filmed that in the studio.]
The thought of her hopping around in all that gear made me chuckle.
Knowing the real Luka, and knowing what that studio was like, I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
She must have struggled so much with her short stature.
[They told me to act like I got hit by the basketball. You guys have probably never tried it, but it’s really hard to get the timing right.]
I could imagine it would be difficult for Doah, who was no action star.
[The director kept telling me to shake my head more like this, but I’d shake it a beat too late, and the ball would miss.]
Luka couldn’t hold back her laughter as she told the story.
[Yeah. Right. And this scene.]
Luka paused the video on a scene where they were all dancing on a grassy field. She cleared her throat.
[This choreography was actually done with a computer. We didn’t dance it ourselves.]
[But Jennifer unnie said we should make a Shorts video together and told us to practice it.]
These were stories she’d never even told me.
The Pink Army was losing their minds, devouring the flood of new stories and content.
[So I did practice it at home by myself.]
...She could have shown me.
Did she have to keep even this a secret?
A slight feeling of resentment welled up inside me, but she had said she wanted to keep it a secret.
[Ah. My hands aren’t tracked right now so I can’t show you, but I’ll show you once I have the gear on later.]
[I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned this, but I’m a terrible dancer.]
It was true. She had a soft body without a single trace of muscle.
She didn’t exercise at all, either.
The fact that she was just like me in that regard made me feel good for some reason.
If Doah had been a die-hard sports fan, I...
Ah... that would have been tough.
I don’t think it would have been grounds for a breakup, but I would have likely been dragged outside on the verge of tears every time.
I was the type of person who felt physically strained after being outside for more than three hours.
[Oh. And this is just something I heard from Clover unnie.]
The stories poured out of her like a dam had burst.
I wondered how badly she had wanted to talk about all this.
Seeing her chatter away so eagerly, it was amazing she had managed to hold it all in until now.
[So... um... you’ll all give our second album lots of love, right?]
The avatar winked with its pink eyes.
Haaa... seriously...
I love you, Kim Luka.
I could completely understand why countless fans confessed their love to her.
You’d have to be weird not to fall for this.
People could mock VTuber fans all they want, but I knew for a fact that if you sat them down and showed them just one hour of her clips, they’d be drooling.
[A chart promise? Ah. I hate horror games. I’m never doing that.]
[No, guys. Just think about the chaos that happened last time I played a horror game. Okay?]
[I told you it wasn’t me who said that~ But no matter how many times I said it, you all just insisted, ‘Nope~ That was Oppa~’]
[Let’s do something other than horror this time.]
Although it wasn’t directly my fault, I was involved in the incident, so I let out a bitter smile.
...Haa. To be fair, I was the one who said ‘Oppa’ about half the time.
My only regret from that day was that I shouldn’t have followed her.
[Ah. Right. Then I’ll do that thing you guys asked for.]
Luka seemed to be searching for something online before pulling up a video clip.
It was a sexy dance clip that had set Shorts on fire for a while, though it was a bit dated now.
[This. If we make it into the top 5, I’ll do it. For real.]
As soon as she said that, a few newbies started asking if she would turn on her camera.
They still don’t get it.
Luka must have seen those chats because she shook her head.
[No. This is Luka! Guys! What do you mean, turn on my camera!]
The die-hard Pink Army members immediately took up their bats to shut them down.
Acting as self-appointed vigilantes, they spammed the emote of a bat bonking someone on the head.
[I’ll do it with full-body tracking.]
[Won’t the company say something? They might, but if we get to 5th place, I think they’ll be okay with it? I don’t know~]
[Anyway, everyone, top 5! If we hit the top 5, I’ll do it!]
[Then please listen to the song a lot, and please continue to give us, CLOSER, lots of love~ Byeeee~]
Hoo... Guess it’s time to stream for a bit.
I stretched my arms wide, then immediately went to a music streaming site.
On infinite loop for one song, of course.
“Leah was insane this time.”
It had been over thirty minutes since I arrived at the studio, but we still hadn’t talked about our lesson at all.
“But since Luka got the ending shot, isn’t she the main character this time?”
My teacher still didn’t know I was Luka’s boyfriend, so he tended to be a bit harsh in his comments.
Or perhaps “blunt” was a more fitting word than “harsh.”
“Hey. Let’s be honest, musically, Luka is just a background decoration. A prop. You know how every idol group has that one member who’s just there as a filler?”
Luka... a prop...?
“Ahahaha.”
He was my teacher, so there was nothing I could do.
Anger simmered deep inside me, but I forced myself to maintain a neutral expression.
“Come on. She’s not a prop. What kind of prop gets this much screen time?”
“In idol groups, the visual members always get a lot of screen time. You think they’re the center because they can sing?”
My teacher, Ash Block, who had extensive experience working with idols, was busy explaining CLOSER by comparing them to idol groups.
“Anyway, for the winning song from the contest, I told YM I’d direct it myself, so I’ll probably be able to assign the parts.”
“Is... that possible...?”
He hadn’t mentioned anything like that to me.
“Hey. I’ve got the experience, Taemin. My name carries enough weight to make that kind of demand.”
I... I want to be that kind of person too!
Directing a CLOSER song. What an incredible privilege that was.
To be granted the authority to have Doah sing the parts I wanted her to sing—to me, that was a power akin to that of a god.
“Then you’ll be there for the recording too...”
No way. Would the company allow that?
There was no way YM would approve of a VTuber’s red pill...
“Ah. The recording, I’m not sure. We’ll probably do it offline if anyone wants to, but otherwise, they’ll likely record from their homes and I’ll give feedback online.”
“...I see.”
I guess it was too much to hope for.
“Why? You want to see what the CLOSER members look like?” my teacher asked, looking at me with a smug expression.
...I’ve already seen more than half of them in person.
I had to protect their confidentiality, so I clamped my hand over my mouth to stop myself from saying anything.
“Should I tell them I’ll direct your song too, Taemin? Want to join in?”
“Yes...?”
He said it as casually as suggesting we go grab spicy pork for lunch.
“I mean, if I offer, they’d probably be happy to have me. If you, the original composer, are okay with it, we could give it a shot.”
I dropped to my knees. From this day forward, I decided to worship him not as a teacher, but as a god.
“Ooh... aall hail the great Ash Block...! Oooooooh!”
My teacher found my antics hilarious and burst out laughing, extending a hand to help me up.
“But you can’t bail on me, you hear? Taemin?”
“I’ll sign a lifetime contract if you want.”
If I could just keep growing here and become like my teacher...
His messy hair, his dark stubble.
His stretched-out t-shirt and three-stripe slippers.
None of his appearance mattered.
Only the ability to create this incredible situation made him shine so brightly.
“Alright! Then I’ll go talk to them tomorrow! Now, let’s start the lesson!”
“Yes!”
From this day on, you’re my dream, Ash Block.