Chapter 70: The Condition
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 70: The Condition
[Whoa... the quality on this is insane, for real.]
[I know, right? My jaw was on the floor the whole time.]
[I know this sounds a bit crude, but this is fucking amazing.]
There was a good reason why the Closer Voicecord chat was buzzing.
It was the day the music video was revealed to the members for the first time.
[Our team told us they poured their heart and soul into producing it. They worked especially hard to make the avatar movements as smooth as possible.]
Manager unnie was right on the money.
This... wasn't something you could just whip up.
It was the product of sheer labor.
To be more precise, it was a video made by working people to the bone.
[By the way, can we use these stage outfits as our personal avatars too?]
Fumurin! Nice one!
I'd been wondering about that.
I cheered inwardly at our youngest member's sharp question.
[Yes, yes! We'll be officially distributing them to you all during your first collab stream after the album is released.]
[You'll probably receive all three sets of outfits that appeared in the video!]
[Awesome! Thank you!]
[Thank you!]
So this is what success feels like.
I couldn't even begin to imagine how much it would cost to buy such meticulously crafted avatars one by one with my own money.
Compared to my early streaming days with just a static 2D model, I felt like I was getting the princess treatment now.
[Ah, I was so jealous of Luka's off-the-shoulder outfit.]
Clover unnie's comment made me feel good for no reason, even though I hadn't done anything.
[Oh yeah, that one did turn out really well.]
[Agree. It's the best one out of the casual outfits, right?]
Yes, yes. Praise me more.
[It's because it's Luka that it looks good.]
Leah, who had been silent until now, made her presence known.
[I don't think it would suit me.]
...Is that a compliment? She said it suited me, so it must be a compliment, right?
I still found Leah so hard to read.
If they ever told us to do a collab stream, just the two of us, I think I'd die of awkwardness.
[Thanksies.]
[If there's anything else you need, or if you have any requests for content creation, please let us know anytime.]
To be honest, the things I and the other members did on stream were more or less set.
Chatting with viewers.
Playing all sorts of different games.
And since we were singers and idols, singing.
If we ever wanted to try a new game, the company paid for it, so I didn't really need anything.
[In that case, could we maybe...]
What's this? Why is she hesitating like that?
Clover unnie was usually so articulate when she needed something, so her trailing off only amplified my anticipation.
[...get support for full-body trackers?]
Oh. That's a bold ask.
Full-trackers.
Or full-body trackers, to be precise.
While VR headsets and controllers only capture basic movements, full-body trackers are devices that map your entire body's motion.
Naturally, they came with a four-figure price tag.
It was definitely too expensive to ask for as casually as you'd ask for some tteokbokki.
[Hmm. We were actually planning to discuss this after the first album's release.]
It seemed the company had already been talking about it.
[It's possible... that each of you might be assigned your own studio. It's not 100 percent confirmed, but it's in the works.]
[A studio?]
[One of the things we're planning for Closer is a VR variety show, so we were already discussing how full-body trackers would be essential.]
[Wow. Really?]
At the mention of a studio, I blinked stupidly.
That means I'm getting my own personal office.
The studio apartment I was currently streaming from wasn't that small.
It was at least a little bigger than my boyfriend's place.
Still, I thought it would be difficult to move my whole body around freely.
This sudden news about studios sent the members into a second wave of excitement.
[Whoa! So you're preparing one for each of us?]
[Our Metaverse Team is currently looking into it.]
This was a moment that called for the Pink Army emote of getting bonked on the head.
It all came so suddenly that I could hardly believe it.
[It's not set in stone yet, so please don't get your hopes up too high. For now, we'd appreciate it if you'd focus on your individual streams.]
[Ah! I love you, Unnie!]
Jennifer unnie kicked things off, and the other members began to express their own overflowing love for the company.
[We love you!]
[This is amazing. Thank you so much T_T]
[We pledge our loyalty!!!]
I thought to myself that I really had to give it my all on stream today.
“It's totally awesome, right?”
“Yeah, it really is.”
The ice cream chain we always went to, right next to the bus stop.
Doah was sucking on her spoon, a testament to how much she'd enjoyed the ice cream.
“Want another one?”
“No? I'm not that hungry.”
Mine still had a little left, so I slid the cup toward her. My girlfriend glanced around for a moment before picking up her spoon again.
“But it's still just a possibility, right? It might not happen.”
“Who knows? But the fact that they're talking about it like that probably means they'll do it, don't you think?”
A studio set up near her apartment.
Big companies really are on another level, I thought.
It meant they'd cover the rent and the security deposit.
And the equipment they were providing wasn't cheap, either.
For someone like me, who'd been so broke I couldn't even afford a VR headset, it was an unimaginable luxury.
“Are they giving you a separate computer too?”
“I haven't asked about that yet.”
“If you need help moving, just call me.”
The fact that it was for my girlfriend was reason enough to help, but if I thought of it as being for Luka's full-body tracker streams, I was confident I could carry a computer back and forth as many times as needed.
“Thanks.”
Doah smiled happily and held her spoon out to my mouth.
The sweet taste of chocolate spread through my mouth.
Once we finished off the rest of my ice cream, we cleaned up our trash and headed outside.
Mid-November.
With the release of Closer's debut album just around the corner, Doah's schedule seemed to have gotten even busier.
She was streaming on a more flexible schedule, and she said she had a lot more work to do related to the Closer album as well.
“Hooo...”
Doah lifted her chin from her scarf and let out a warm breath.
It turned into a white puff of air and vanished.
The trees, now bare after shedding all their leaves, told us that winter was approaching.
I naturally took Doah's hand and led it into my coat pocket.
Sharing body heat just by holding hands wasn't quite enough anymore.
“Oppa.”
“Yeah?”
Doah stopped walking as we made our way up the slope.
“I was thinking of making a pledge to the Pink Army for when the song comes out. What do you think would be good?”
“Hmm.”
This was a question that required a careful answer, not just a random suggestion.
A pledge for Luka's chart performance.
My mind was consumed with the thought that it had to be something amazing, something she wouldn't normally do on stream.
And since I was her boyfriend...
...Doah would surely give my opinion a little more weight.
“Do you have anything in mind?”
I figured it was best to ask her thoughts first.
“Well... you know, those workout games.”
“Oh, you mean that fitness one?”
It was a suggestion the Pink Army had been clamoring for, but one that Luka had vehemently refused.
“I think pledging to do that wouldn't be a bad idea. What do you think?”
It certainly wasn't bad.
But it was just not bad.
It fell far short of satisfying the Pink Army's darkest desires.
“...Is a horror game out of the question?”
When I brought up another piece of content the Pink Army had been begging for, Doah shot me a look of displeasure.
“You saw me nearly pass out at that VR Experience Center, and you can still say that?”
“...Sorry.”
I knew instantly it was time to back down.
I'd reached a point where I could gauge Doah's mood just by the twitch of her eyebrow.
But that didn't change the fact that a horror game was an excellent choice.
As one of the many members of the Pink Army, the thought of seeing the sly, cute Luka dazed with fear was simply irresistible.
“Haaah... I know a lot of people want a horror game, but the problem is I'm such a coward. To be honest, it's scary while I'm playing, but it's even worse after I turn off the stream and I'm all alone. It's terrifying.”
I was just about to think of another option.
Wait a minute.
So, if she's not alone, it's possible?
If the hard part was being alone after playing the horror game, then I figured there might be a solution.
“Then, Doah.”
“Yes?”
“What if, after you play the horror game...”
Right. It's just a 'what if.'
There's no harm in asking.
I had no intention of forcing her if she said no.
“...you weren't alone? Would that be okay?”
Doah's eyes trembled.