Chapter 193: Reuniting With Them
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 193: Reuniting With Them
Wow… To think a day like this would come…
Even the Director, who was usually quite talkative, was unusually quiet today.
“What time is it?”
“2:50.”
“Ten minutes left.”
As I fidgeted with my fingers in anticipation, I instinctively knew they had arrived.
A familiar voice echoed from the hallway.
Among the chatter, I could hear the voice of my girlfriend, Doah.
Knock, knock, knock.
The Director gave a slight nod, and I took a deep breath before opening the door.
“Welcome!”
The members of CLOSER radiated the energy of a group of high school girls on a field trip.
Surprisingly, all of them had come to our office today to record their third album on the same day.
“Waaaaah~”
“Hello, Ashblock~”
“Whoa! Lucario… no, what was it now? I heard you got a new name.”
“Hey. Mini. Mini.”
“Ah, right. Mini!”
“Ah, yes. Hello.”
There were four faces I recognized.
And one I was seeing for the first time.
You could definitely tell Jennifer was Korean-American. It was in her accent, and her style had the air of a student who’d studied abroad.
In any case, I could feel even in person that her vibe was slightly different from the typical Korean sensibility.
“Have you all been well?”
The Director simply seemed to be enjoying the situation, wearing a smile like a grandfather on a holiday.
“Yes! We loved the song!”
“Hahaha. We really pulled an all-nighter making it.”
The Director placed a hand on my shoulder and suddenly began an impromptu praise party that wasn’t in the script.
“Our Mini here pulled off something huge this time. Almost this entire song came from him.”
Compliments about my looks never fazed me, but whenever my music was praised like this, my face felt like it was burning up.
Not missing that moment, Doah flashed a smirk.
Her expression seemed to say, ‘You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?’ and it made my eyes dart around, unsure of where to look.
Ugh… stop teasing me, Kim Doah.
“Jennifer, this is your first time here, right?”
“Ah, yes! It’s a pleasure to be here.”
“What do you think, now that you’re here?”
“Um… the building is so cool! The girls kept telling me how great this place was.”
“Weren’t there some who left after getting scolded? Really?”
The Director let out a hearty laugh, his gaze shifting to Fumurin.
“Ahahaha. I’ll be sure to leave on time today~ Yep, yep. I practiced the song really hard, you know?”
“Alright. So, who would like to go first?”
The order wasn’t set, so we asked for their preference.
Suddenly, a silent battle of wits began.
It was Doah who fired the first shot.
“Hmm~ Murin-tan~ Shouldn’t the youngest go first at times like this?”
“The unnies need to get us off to a good start to get the producers fired up~”
“But… isn’t the youngest today Nipper, since it’s her first time?”
“Hey. Leah. You go first.”
“Me…? You want me to go first?”
The members of CLOSER passed the responsibility to one another.
Seeing this scene in person was a new kind of fun.
So this is really how they act.
Doah had shown me their group chat from time to time, but this felt different.
They stood there chattering for about five minutes, and when they couldn't reach a decision, it seemed they even resorted to a ladder game app.
“Aargh!”
“Yes!”
“Ah, nice~”
“Haaah… Unbelievable…”
“Why am I after Leah?”
It was a moment where joy and sorrow crossed paths.
The first one to go in was Clover.
“Ahem… ahem…! I’ll do my best.”
With a bright smile and a slight nod, she entered the recording booth.
“Would the rest of you like to wait here? Or in a separate, empty meeting room?”
I thought another silent battle was about to begin, but Jennifer, the leader of the group, quickly gathered their opinions.
“We’ll step out to protect each other’s privacy.”
“Alright, then. When it’s your turn, I’ll have Mini come and get you.”
The girls filed out of the room.
Suddenly, with just two men left, the usual quiet returned to the studio.
“Alright, Clover! Are you ready?”
“Ah. Ah. Yep! I’m ready!”
Since it wasn’t her first time, there was much less to explain, which made things easier.
“Then shall we begin?”
The recording started, and the Director handed me his card.
“Go get the CLOSER members something to drink.”
“I can get something for myself too, right?”
“Buy one for me too.”
“Okay~”
I had gotten quite used to offering ideas during the songwriting process, but the Director was much better when it came to directing the recording itself.
He was great at explaining what he wanted in a way that was intuitive and easy to understand, and he could immediately pinpoint what was needed.
Knock, knock, knock.
I knocked and entered the meeting room. The four of them, who had been chatting away, fixed their eyes on me.
“…Is she done already?”
Jennifer, who was next in line, asked with wide eyes.
“No. Um… I was heading to the cafe and wanted to see if you’d like me to get you any drinks. They have pretty much everything, so just let me know what you want.”
“Oh! In that case, I’ll have an Iced Americano!”
“Me too~”
“I’ll have a Green Tea Latte, please!”
Of course, I already knew Doah’s pick.
Jotting down the orders on my phone, I turned my head toward Leah, who hadn’t answered yet.
“Um… since I’m last anyway, would it be okay if I went with you to choose?”
“…Pardon?”
It wasn’t a strange request, but my eye began to twitch.
Fumurin covered her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter.
Jennifer blinked, not understanding the context.
And then…
I heard the sound of a gulp as saliva went down a throat.
“Ah~ Come to think of it, I should go pick mine out myself too.”
Doah jumped in the moment I hesitated to answer.
“Why? You don’t want a Green Tea Latte?”
When Leah asked her, Doah shrugged nonchalantly.
“No, I just want to see what else they have before I decide.”
“Really? Then should we all just go together?”
“Nah. Murin and Nipper-unnie don’t have to go. We can just get what they asked for.”
The cafe expedition team was decided: the three of us. Doah and Leah followed me to the cafe across the street.
“Leah, what are you getting?”
“Me… hmm… I’m thinking about getting a lemon tea.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. I try to avoid coffee before recording.”
That made sense.
Since I wasn’t a singer, I realized I hadn’t been very considerate.
“I’ll have a Green Tea Latte!”
Doah came right up to me, acting cute as she stood by my side.
“Ah, yes. Then, should I order a lemon tea for you, Leah?”
“Yes, that would be great.”
After I paid and got the pager, the two of them sat down by the window and started talking.
“Oh? Did you get that recently?”
Doah’s eyes were fixed on my finger.
“Sorry? Ah, this ring?”
“Yes. It’s so pretty!”
Wondering if she was really doing this so openly, I glanced at Doah’s hand, but the couple’s ring she usually wore was nowhere to be seen.
“Is it from your girlfriend?”
She gave me her signature eye-smile, but I knew instantly that this was a test.
“Ah, yes. It was a gift.”
“Whoa~ Awesome~ Your girlfriend has amazing taste~ Right, Leah?”
Her lips were smiling, but her expression was a little complicated.
“I know, right? It’s gorgeous. Is that… a luxury brand…?”
“Hey, isn’t that the one! The one that celebrity promoted!”
Just then, the pager buzzed. As I headed to the counter, I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead.
She came here today with a plan.
No, wait. There’s no way she could have predicted the three of us would go out for coffee like this.
She could have at least given me a heads-up.
How could she be the only one so perfectly prepared?
When we returned with the drinks, the second batter, Jennifer, was in the booth, and Clover, who had finished her recording, had taken her place in the meeting room.
“Ooh. Who picked this out for me? You get a gold star.”
“Aww, Unnie, you know I know your taste~”
Doah gave Clover a wink, and Clover playfully squished Doah’s cheeks.
I thought she only did that for me.
Seeing it like this felt strange.
“Are you all going out for a company dinner after this?”
I’d heard from Doah that they were, but I had nothing else to say, so I feigned ignorance and brought it up.
“We are! This is actually the first time all of us have gotten together~”
Fumurin shook her head from side to side excitedly, and Clover, as if infected, started shaking her head too.
“I see. Did you make a reservation at a restaurant nearby?”
“Yes! Leah told us to go back to that place where Ashblock treated her, so we’re going there.”
Ah, that place.
I knew exactly where she meant as soon as she said it.
“That place is delicious. I recommend the crab cream pasta.”
I was about to head back to the studio, so I told them I’d come get them when it was time and left the meeting room.
Someone followed me out right away. It was, of course, my girlfriend.
Luka-tan.
“Nice ring, Mini-ssi.”
Kim Doah said, looking pleased with herself.
I let out a small laugh and replied in a business-like tone.
“My girlfriend has good taste.”
She’s unbelievable. Really.