Chapter 178: Leah
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 178: Leah
“Taemin! Make sure you’re back by 4:30, okay?”
“Yes, yes.”
“Luka-ssi, Fumurin-ssi, you both worked hard today! I’ll be in touch.”
After the two members of CLOSER said their goodbyes, the director headed straight for the smoking area, and the three of us left the building and entered a nearby cafe.
“Wow. Taemin oppa. It’s been a while~”
As if making up for all the laughter she’d held back earlier, Fumurin cackled, looking back and forth between me and Doah.
“Ah, Gahee. Stop laughing now.”
Doah smacked her on the thigh with a loud thwack, looking completely fed up.
“No, but signing an autograph while eating… It was just too funny.”
She clutched her stomach, sputtering with laughter.
Honestly, if I were just an observer, it would’ve been… no, not just a little. It would’ve been hilarious.
“Anyway, Gahee-ssi, and you too, Doah, you both worked hard today.”
“Aah… Oppa… I really… I just can’t hit the high notes…”
Having watched her entire arduous recording process, I knew better than anyone that Doah had given it her all.
“Let’s go see a vocal coach.”
“No, Oppa. I took lessons for a while, remember? Because everyone kept saying I couldn’t sing.”
“But from what the director was saying, I think you need to go back.”
I wasn’t sure if it was because the director had gaslit her, but it seemed like Doah wouldn’t make any progress at this rate.
“Hmph…”
Doah looked up at me with her big, round eyes.
Fumurin, as if annoyed by the sight of us, scrunched up her face.
“Ugh… I should just take a picture of this and post it on the fan cafe.”
The moment she heard that, Doah immediately retaliated.
“Yeah? Then I’ll leak our entire chat history.”
“Why? What’s in there?”
I knew the CLOSER members texted each other often, but I had no idea what they talked about.
“Ah, Oppa. You have no idea how cheeky Murin is.”
“Kim Luka! Don’t you dare! Ah, Unnieee!”
The two virtual idols tried to cover each other’s mouths.
Still, I thought it was nice that they had this bickering chemistry in real life, too.
They often acted like real sisters during their collab streams, and it would be a little creepy if that was all just for business, wouldn't it?
Of course, when it came to acting like they didn’t have boyfriends, both of them were already beyond professionals.
“Try this. The cake is good.”
The cafe I’d brought them to was one the director had recommended, a hot spot for trainees.
He’d told me about it a long time ago, but this was my first time actually coming here.
They said you could often spot famous celebrities or trainees if you sat here, but honestly, I couldn’t care less.
For someone like me who’d already experienced something similar, it wasn’t anything special.
If anything, I was more worried that some weirdos might hit on me, thinking I was a trainee.
“Mmm~ This is really good~”
Just as you’d expect from a streamer, Fumurin’s reaction was truly top-notch.
“I’m so jealous of you, Unnie. Your boyfriend must take you to places like this all the time.”
“Ah… right… yeah…”
I couldn’t exactly ruin a compliment, so I played along, but we both knew it was a lie.
Because, at our core, we were extreme introverts who loved being at home.
“Aah~ But I have to go home and record again. Aaaaaargh!”
“I know. Still, I think it was better to get feedback right on the spot.”
It certainly seemed more effective than getting feedback over text.
Whenever there was a part they struggled with, the director would demonstrate it himself, and he gave clear guidance on where and how he wanted them to sing.
“Leah unnie will do well, right?”
“Of course. She’s probably recorded way more than we have.”
As the topic shifted to Leah, I asked some questions of my own.
“So, what’s Leah-ssi’s personality… like in real life?”
When I was talking with Doah, I made it a point to never bring up other streamers or girls.
The slightest interest and it’s, “Are you going to switch to her now? Are you tired of Luka?”
Her reactions were always like that, so I was hesitant to ask.
But today, it was a legitimate question.
And I genuinely felt it was necessary information.
“Leah unnie? Hmm… Do you watch her streams, Oppa?”
“No, I’ve barely seen any, aside from the collabs.”
“She’s, um… really quiet. Of course, that might be because we’ve never met face-to-face, but even when we talk amongst ourselves, she’s super quiet.”
“…Really?”
Even Doah seemed to have no intention of picking a fight today, as she freely shared information.
“Leah is very calm. The way she talks, the way she streams, it’s all got this… late-night radio vibe?”
“Oh! That’s it! Unnie, that’s a perfect analogy. Late-night radio is exactly right.”
I hadn’t listened to the radio late at night very often, but I could guess what they meant.
“I see.”
“But when it comes to music or work, she’s really passionate.”
“Right. She’s usually quiet, but the moment music comes up, she talks a mile a minute.”
Their description made me feel, for the first time, like I was truly about to collaborate with a professional singer.
Well, she did say she was originally preparing for a career in musicals.
In terms of professionalism, she was likely my senior, as I had been learning for less than a year.
“Anyway, okay. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll keep it in mind later.”
“Eh? Oppa, are you leaving already?”
“You two were going to hang out, right? I have to go back and finish the work the director gave me.”
“Ah, Oppa. Then we’ll hang out for a bit before we head in. Don’t worry about us, you can go first.”
Her thoughtful words made me happy, and I wanted to give her a quick kiss, but I settled for patting her head.
“Okay. Text me.”
“You too, Oppa.”
Leaving only my empty coffee cup behind, I left the cafe and went back up to the studio.
The director was snoring away with a sleep mask on.
It was a sight I hadn’t been used to at first, but now it was familiar.
“Where did he save them…”
I named the files that Luka and Fumurin had just recorded, version by version, then put on my headset to listen to them again with the instrumental track.
Hmm. There were definitely some parts that could be better.
I’ll have to tell Doah when she gets home.
As I was lost in my work, scribbling notes, the director must have woken up, because he tapped me on the shoulder.
“Oh, you’re up?”
“Yeah. Hey, it’s almost five o’clock already.”
“You’re right.”
We’d eaten around two, so five o’clock had arrived in a flash.
“Ah, why am I so nervous about seeing Leah-ssi?”
“Come on, Director. At your age, you’re getting nervous over something like this?”
“Hey. It’d be weird not to be nervous when you’re working with an artist you admire. Come to think of it…”
The director stared at me suspiciously.
“What… why?”
“You were always going on and on about Luka, so why do you look so calm seeing her in person?”
…Because I see her every day.
The truth was my secret alone.
“It’s just… you know that feeling when you’re so nervous you actually become calm?”
“Aha… I knew it.”
The director clapped his hands as if he’d expected as much.
“Want me to give you some advice?”
“Ah… yes… well… that would be nice.”
Getting relationship advice from this man seemed utterly pointless.
“Listen carefully.”
Knock, knock, knock.
“Hey. You get it.”
The director, who had just straightened his back like a star instructor, frantically pushed me toward the door.
“Huh…?”
“I’m just gonna go take something for my nerves. Can you entertain our guest for a bit?”
“What?”
The director scurried into the next room.
With a reluctant expression, I grabbed the doorknob.
“Ah… hello…”
A sharp, jet-black bob.
A maturity quite different from her avatar.
She looked exactly like the “Leah red pill” photo I’d seen somewhere before.
“Um… are you Ash Block-nim?”
She asked me like a girl making a confession. I gestured for her to come inside and offered her a seat on the sofa.
“Uh… I’m not… I’m not Director Ash Block. I’m Han Taemin, his assistant.”
“Ah… I see.”
For someone like me who was terrible at small talk, this situation was torture.
The silence was unbearable.
“Just a moment.”
I ran into the next room and practically dragged the director out.
“Hey, Taemin, I’m not mentally prepared yet.”
“Director, we have a guest. Aren’t we going to work?”
You’re a grown man, why are you acting like this! Seriously!
“Ah… ah, hello! I’m Ash Block!”
The director scratched his head while extending his other hand for a handshake.
“Ah, yes. I’m Leah.”
Leah awkwardly took his hand.
“So… before we start recording.”
“Yes.”
“Would it be okay if I got just one autograph?”
Leah stared at me, dumbfounded.
Her bright eyes seemed to ask if this was normal, but instead of answering, I just pulled out a sheet of A4 paper.
“Please, if you would!”
If Luka wasn’t Doah, I probably would’ve been just like that during an in-person meeting, wouldn’t I?
An unpleasant shiver went down my spine.