Chapter 21: Showcase!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 21: Showcase!
Joining a new group always came with a certain awkwardness.
A Voicecord channel had been created for the members of Closer.
[Wooo! It’s so nice to meet you all!]
Jennifer unnie, our de facto leader, was the first to break the ice.
[Hiii~~]
That was Fumurin, the group's youngest and our designated cute one.
[I look forward to working with you all!]
And Clover unnie, who I already knew, with her distinctly mature vibe.
[Hello.]
Leah, the main vocalist with a voice to die for.
[This is Luka~ Please take care of me~]
And then there was watashi, Luka, the one in charge of the otaku fans.
Looking at us all together, I thought we were a really well-balanced group.
A major agency really is on another level.
Any candidates with even a hint of controversy had been cleanly cut, and each of us had our own unique color that didn't overlap with anyone else's.
[Ah, I’ve been dying to talk to you all since we passed, but they only just made the channel ㅠㅠ]
[I know, right? Our showcase is this weekend, and I was worried it would be super awkward, haha.]
We weren't total strangers, but we were still distant, so the messages that went back and forth felt more forced than friendly.
[Did you guys hear? Biya is composing our debut song!]
At Jennifer unnie's words, I quickly searched for 'Biya' online.
Who the hell is that?
I couldn't hide my surprise when I saw the search results.
They were a composer who had worked on a ton of super-hit songs for YM Entertainment's actual idols.
[That’s insane. Wow… I get to work with a star composer…?]
[I guess I just need to do my part well. Sob]
Just like the group's youngest, Fumurin immediately started to worry.
As we were chatting, a notification announced that someone new had joined the channel.
[Hello. My name is Park Jinah, and I’ll be your manager starting today!]
She was different from the person who had been contacting me about Closer activities until now.
[I’ll be supporting your idol activities for the next year, so please feel free to contact me about anything at any time.]
I have a manager.
Not just a mod who manages the chat during streams, but a real manager, the kind actual celebrities have. I couldn't help but be seized by a strange feeling.
Kim Doah, are you really becoming an idol?
We might be virtual idols who don't show our faces, but the people helping our group were bona fide professionals from the entertainment industry.
[First, as you saw in this week’s notice, the first thing on our schedule is the debut showcase, right?]
The manager explained, step-by-step, how the showcase would proceed.
[Reporters will also be logging in with their own avatars to join us for a Q&A session.]
[Actual reporters?]
[Yes. Major newspapers have expressed interest in participating, so please prepare by referring to the list of potential questions I sent you!]
...Is this for real?
They want me, someone who can't even speak properly in front of a professor, to talk in front of reporters.
It hadn't even started, but I felt like the tension was already draining the life out of me.
Still, what a relief it was that I wouldn't have to show my face.
With the shield of my avatar, I was invincible.
My attack power more than doubles, right?
Of course, that was only limited to my stream viewers, but right now, this cute, pink-haired avatar was all I had to rely on.
[Um… are there any set model answers we should use? Or answers the company wants us to give?]
Leah, looking worried, immediately asked the manager.
[There won’t be any malicious questions that are difficult to answer or meant to slander you. Just speak honestly and naturally, and if possible, it would be great if you could mix in some wit!]
[If you’re worried while preparing your answers or want me to look them over, just contact me privately, and I’ll help you out!]
I had never met the manager in person, but it felt like a reliable, elite, glasses-wearing unnie who was amazing at her studies was watching over us.
[Alright, that’s all for today’s briefing. Feel free to chat amongst yourselves! Oh, and for your reference, there will be questions about first impressions, so I’m looking forward to some fun chemistry between you all!]
As soon as the manager's icon switched to offline, the members started freaking out even more.
[Mom! I’m gonna be on the news~]
[No way. This is actually insane.]
[…I think I need to start writing my answers now, so I’m gonna go!]
The members who had downloaded the list of potential questions all seemed to agree it was time to log off and prepare.
After opening the PDF file, I felt the same way.
“Ugh… when am I going to prepare all this?”
For me, who found it hard enough to present in front of 30 people, my first worry was just how many people would be watching our showcase.
[Doah. Did your sibling say you could borrow it?]
The detective emoji Junseok sent with his message had its elbows on a desk, hands clasped together.
Was the interrogation-like pose meant to emphasize the seriousness of the situation?
[Yes! They said they haven’t been using it much lately, so I can borrow it until the end of the semester!]
[Oh, really? Are you sure they don’t want anything for it?]
[Uh… they just asked me to buy them a coffee, so I sent a gift card.]
I watched this fictional story flow through the airwaves with a knowing expression.
Still, Luka-tan.
You're not trying to make a business out of your own group members.
If this were a stream, Luka would have definitely cashed in.
She probably would have been shouting, ‘Found it! The thread of monetization!’ with her avatar’s mouth wide open.
[Okay. In that case, Doah, could you try logging into VRWorld with it first? I heard it might not run depending on your computer’s specs.]
Knowing the whole truth, I could only find the situation amusing.
Junseok, my friend. Her computer specs are insane…
The computer Luka had been using was already pretty high-spec, but after she passed the audition and the corporation got fully involved, her new specs were in a league of their own.
She’d told me an ultra, ultra-high-spec computer—not for home use—had been delivered to her house.
Luka had already bragged on her last stream that she was now using her old computer for broadcasting and the new one as her main rig.
[Ah… okay. I’ll install it and let you know.]
[Sounds good. Just try it out sometime this weekend and get back to me before Monday!]
[Okay!]
He said 'this weekend,' but Saturday was already almost over.
It might seem like a tight deadline, but from Doah's perspective, all she had to do was say she installed it and it ran fine. That was it.
What a freebie. A total piece of cake.
Closer's showcase was scheduled to start at 8 PM tonight.
On the official YM channel, the waiting screen was already up, even though the show wouldn't start for another 30 minutes.
Naturally, the chat was a playground for the viewers.
Nothing was being broadcast on screen, but those who were already fans of Closer were having a great time entertaining themselves.
[Ugh… the wait is killing me.]
[So fucking hyped for Fumurin. Her avatar is insane.]
[Leah isn’t much of a talker, though, so I hope she does well.]
[Their debut! I’m dying~~~]
It was nothing less than a collective monologue of otakus.
I put on some music and waited for the live stream to begin.
At 8 PM sharp, the waiting screen slowly faded out.
Viewers who expected to be taken straight to something like a showcase venue were suddenly met with epic BGM and spammed the chat with question marks.
[Jennifer Noona~~~~~]
[I love you, Luka-tan! I love you, Luka-tan! I love you, Luka-tan! I love you, Luka-tan! I love you, Luka-tan! I love you, Luka-tan! I love you, Luka-tan!]
[The visuals are insane…]
A video that felt a bit like an anime opening began to play.
After an initial group shot, each member got their own close-up.
Their names were written in English against a signature color background that matched their avatar's hair.
You could tell how much effort went into the avatars; the frills on the ends of their magical-girl-like dresses fluttered vividly.
Naturally, Luka's signature color was pink.
Against a light pink background, Luka had her hand raised high, pointing her index finger toward the sky.
Hah… Cute. So cute.
Smiling fondly, I spammed heart emojis, eager to see the interview.
When the short, two-minute-long introduction video ended, the screen transitioned to a space that looked like a small stage.
[Hello, everyone~!]
A male avatar wearing sunglasses began to host with an energetic voice.
[The virtual idols who will lead YM's next generation! Let’s welcome Closer!]
Dung dung dung dung
As a trendy beat began to play, the wall behind the stage split in two.
“Wow...”
Seeing Luka with a wide grin on her face, I couldn't help but break into a huge smile.