Chapter 18: Texting First
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 18: Texting First
[Unnies.]
I'd been so busy lately that we'd barely talked, but they were the only ones I had properly told about what happened with Taemin Oppa.
I couldn't tell anyone at university, of course, and my real-life friends were all busy with their own lives, so it felt strange to just dump the story of my confession and rejection on them out of the blue.
[Oh, what's this? Hey everyone~ Our idol has graced us with her presence~]
[fr lolololol Luka, long time no see?]
I sent a message on Voicecord to the unnies I'd played online games with since before I started streaming, then started typing again.
[I have something I'm worried about...]
I hadn't even finished typing, but the response was explosive.
[What is it? Luka, you found another guy already?]
[The secret private life of an idol lololololol]
[Hey, shut up. You're not letting Luka talk. What is it, Luka?]
Just reading the chat was noisy.
But that was exactly why I loved playing games with them.
Even though I wasn't good, it was always fun and hilarious.
I still enjoyed gaming, but for pure, unadulterated fun, nothing beat playing with them back in high school.
Even though we'd met online, we had been hanging out for years, and at times, I felt more comfortable with them than with my actual friends.
They were the ones who had encouraged me to start streaming in the first place.
Back then, I never imagined my channel would grow this much...
Naturally, they had watched all of my audition streams.
[This might take a while, is now a good time?]
[Seated.]
[Imagine a popcorn meme here]
[Ah, stop beating around the bush and give us the TL;DR.]
[You know that oppa I told you rejected me before...]
When I told them everything, from ending up in a group project with Taemin Oppa to our trip to the VR Experience Center, the chat exploded.
[No way, Luka. It's 100%. He's into you.]
Really...? Could that be it...?
[Huh? No way;; What feelings? It's obvious he's just playing you.]
My mood swung with every single message they sent.
There was one camp insisting he was definitely interested, and another claiming he was just a scumbag who liked to play with girls' hearts.
I hadn't even said anything else, but they were already at each other's throats until Hanbit unnie, the oldest, stepped in.
[So, Luka, what are you actually worried about?]
My problem... it was...
[I just want to know what he's thinking.]
[And if he does like you, would you date him?]
That was a difficult question.
To be honest, I hadn't even thought that far ahead.
[...I don't know.]
I just couldn't imagine it.
He'd rejected me so bluntly that it felt pointless to even entertain the fantasy that he might like me.
[No, Unnie! Guys like that always act like they own the world. You think they're stupid? They know they're handsome.]
[That's true, but hmm...]
The mention of handsome guys acting entitled made my eyes drift to the full-length mirror beside my bed.
If you were to put us on a scale of attractiveness, he'd definitely win by a landslide.
At least guys don't scream like a fan club whenever they see me.
[But I guess you'll have to wait and see? It's hard to judge based on meeting up just once.]
[Yeah, you'll be seeing him for the project anyway. Just feel him out a bit more.]
[lolololol Luka, if you're that curious, just text him first. You'll get your answer right away.]
...Text him first?
The mere thought of it was terrifying.
I was breaking out in a cold sweat just giving him that gift card to thank him for his help. But texting him for no reason...?
The hurdle felt impossibly high.
[Anyway, I'll let you know if anything happens. Thanks, unnies~]
I sent a message to wrap up the conversation and let out a deep sigh.
I'd brought it up hoping to get some clarity, but instead, my worries felt even heavier.
"Seriously, what is going on...?"
Fiddling with my phone, I stared at Taemin Oppa's messenger profile for a moment before starting to prepare for my stream.
*
[Hello~ everyone in the Pink Army!! This is your philosopherdol, Luka!! Wooo~]
[Some of you might have noticed my channel name has changed, but I've finally, officially become a member of the virtual idol group CLOSER!]
[A new avatar! A new stream setup! If you want to meet the new and improved Luka, a rookie idol from YM, tune in tonight at 10 PM!!!]
[See you then~ Bye~]
10 PM... Perfect.
After checking Luka's stream announcement, I mentally organized my to-do list.
"Taemin! Time to start closing up!"
"Yep!"
I cheered inwardly at the manager's words, shoved my phone in my pocket, and hurried to the restroom.
Normally, I would've dragged my feet and done a half-assed job, but not today.
All I could think about was finishing up quickly so I could go home and watch Luka's stream.
"Manager! All done!"
Having cleaned with the diligence of a private scrubbing the barracks, I stood before the counter for inspection.
"Whoa, you finished fast. Got somewhere to be?"
"Ah... yeah, I have something to do."
"Oh, really? I'll finish up here. You can go. Good work today."
"Thank you, sir!"
The manager must have been in a good mood, because he let me go without a fuss.
On days when he was in a foul mood, he'd often nitpick over trivial things and make me clean everything again.
It was 9:30, so by the time I finished showering, it would be time for Doah's stream.
As I rounded the corner up the hill, a familiar apartment building came into view.
...How strange.
The building next door, one I'd passed countless times without a second thought, suddenly felt different.
The thought that Luka was streaming from right there every day made my heart flutter, and I headed straight into my own apartment.
[9:50 PM]
The stream was scheduled for 10 PM, but it looked like Luka had gone live about ten minutes early.
[Luhai~]
[Luhai luhai!]
[Whoa! What's with the waiting screen???]
Just as the viewers were saying, Luka's waiting screen featured a new illustration.
On a light pink background was a drawing of an adorable little TV.
A cute, handwritten message was displayed on its screen.
[Transforming into an idol……]
What is this?
Did the company make this for her?
I wasn't sure where it came from, but it was incredibly cute.
The viewers were greeting each other while waiting for Luka, and right on the hour, the screen suddenly went pitch black as if it had bugged out.
The chat filled with question marks.
I wondered if my computer was acting up, but seeing the chat's reaction, I knew that wasn't it.
About ten seconds passed.
[Surprised? Hehehehe.]
The viewers feigned outrage at Luka's signature teasing tone.
Messages ranged from telling her to stop pulling stunts like that to outright cursing, all scrolling up the chat.
[Ayy~ But there's a reason I'm being so dramatic. So, are you all ready to meet an idol?]
She didn't usually build up this much hype...
She had clearly prepared something special.
[Tada!]
The frozen screen started to move.
[Whoa! What is this?]
[Gasp!]
[Luka cuteee Luka cuteee Luka cuteee Luka cuteee Luka cuteee Luka cuteee Luka cuteee Luka cuteee]
So... this is the power of money!
It wasn't that her old avatar was ugly.
I'd thought it was average, maybe a little on the cute side, but this...
Gone was the stiff, blocky pink hair.
Now, her movements were fluid and natural, as if they were tracking a real person's every motion.
Before, she'd had only a few fixed expressions, but not anymore.
Her face now moved freely, tracking her real facial muscles.
Luka's reaction was a single word.
[...Awesome, right!]
I couldn't agree more.
So this is what happens when a company with real capital gets involved.
The YM logo, like a seal of quality, was displayed in the top-left corner of the screen.
[So? Do I look more like an idol now?]
[yesss]
[I love you, Luka!]
[Wow... the quality is insane...]
Pleased by the reaction, Luka's avatar beamed.
[I was so surprised when I first got it. The staff had me try out all these features and even helped me set everything up.]
Doah calmly explained everything that had happened to her as Luka.
[And now for an important announcement! My streaming schedule is now fixed!]
[I have to stream at the times set by the company, and I'll also be doing a weekly collab stream with the other members!]
[This week, we have our debut showcase, so there's a group collab stream scheduled for Saturday!]
The moment she said that, I pulled out my phone and quickly jotted it down.
Luka's schedule was my schedule, after all.
[I'm still a little awkward with the other members, so I'm not sure how it'll go.]
Luka was the type of VTuber who never did collabs.
Whenever viewers asked, she'd explain that her solo streams were already short, leaving no time to socialize with others.
[Anyway, my official streams will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for four hours, give or take. The collabs will be on one of the weekend days!]
Now that she was a pro, I was happy about her longer stream hours, but also worried.
Could we even film for our project if we had to avoid Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays?
That's more than half the week unavailable...
Ah, whatever. I'll just say I'm busy, too.
[Well then, for today, let's just chill and play some games like we always do~]
Luka spent the next three hours excitedly playing rhythm and FPS games before ending the stream.
Phew... It had been a while since I'd watched such a fulfilling stream. I stretched my arms out wide.
Still, I was thinking how great it was that her schedule was fixed now...
[New message received. -Kim Doah]