Chapter 78: D-Day
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 78: D-Day
There was one thing that hadn't changed, even though I was dating Doah.
[Girls are overwhelming.]
And that was true even if they didn't have any romantic feelings for me.
Because Doah had overslept, I arrived alone and was waiting with just Minji for the rest of our group members.
“Taemin oppa.”
“Yeah.”
“That thing. On your neck.”
Her sly smile made my hand instinctively go to the bandage on my neck.
“How’d that happen?”
“A cat scratched me.”
“But Oppa, you live alone. Do you have a cat?”
...Had I told her I lived alone?
I couldn't remember the details, but I just shook my head.
“No. I was playing with a stray and touched it the wrong way.”
“Ooooh, I see~”
Her attitude, as if she knew the truth but was letting it slide, was incredibly annoying, but the real show hadn't even started yet.
Because Doah's left collarbone was practically wallpapered with large bandages.
Junseok was the next to arrive.
As he took out his laptop, he saw my wound and said one thing.
“...You two did it?”
His comment came out of nowhere, and I felt my breath catch in my throat.
Seriously... Junseok...
I glared up at him with contempt, signaling him to stop.
And not long after, Doah arrived.
Her neck was wrapped tightly in a dark navy scarf.
When she took off her coat but didn't unwind the scarf, Minji asked, looking puzzled.
“Doah. Aren’t you hot?”
“Ah. I think I’m coming down with a cold.”
“Oh my god. Shouldn’t you go to the hospital?”
Sigh. Maybe I should have just said I was sick and wrapped a scarf around my neck, too.
No, wait. If we both showed up with scarves on, that would have looked ridiculous in its own way.
November was already drawing to a close.
There were less than thirty days until the final exams, the moment of ultimate liberation.
In three weeks, the four of us wouldn't have to meet like this anymore.
For some reason, the professor still hadn't shown up even after ten minutes, and we could only clasp our hands together and pray for the class to be canceled.
“Ah, seriously, Professor. I love you! Please don’t come for another five minutes!”
Doah chuckled at Minji’s desperate prayer.
“Is there a set rule for this? Like, twenty minutes?”
“I don’t know. I think usually if it’s over thirty minutes, the class rep calls it.”
But our sliver of hope was crushed by the professor rushing in. Doah and I couldn't hide our sorrow, looking like a pair of crying Pink Army emotes.
“Oh, my. I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize the meeting would run this long. Where did we leave off last time?”
In the end, the professor taught the entire class, and some groups even had to stay behind for feedback.
“Good thing we finished early.”
As Junseok packed his things, the rest of us nodded in agreement.
“There’s one more team after us. They’re not going to be able to leave for a while.”
It would probably take them at least thirty minutes.
“Let’s go.”
Doah tugged on my collar, so I grabbed my bag and stood up. Our group left the classroom.
“Oppa. I have to go to the restroom.”
“Oh? Me too!”
Minji followed right behind Doah.
Watching them, I was reminded that girls were creatures with many hard-to-understand quirks.
I mean, why go to the restroom together?
Don't you use separate stalls anyway?
I was leaning against the wall in the hallway with my arms crossed when...
“...Let’s go, quickly.”
Doah burst out of the restroom, her face so red she almost looked sick. Right behind her was Minji, a huge grin plastered on her face.
“Huh? What’s the rush?”
I asked, wondering if something had happened, but Doah just grabbed my wrist and pulled me along without answering.
“Oppa! Get home safe~ You too, Doah~”
Doah paid no mind to Minji’s cheerful farewell, forging ahead.
She led me to the student cafeteria.
“What’s going on?”
I asked, worried. Doah glared at me with a pout.
“It’s all your fault, Oppa.”
“What is?”
“Ugh, I don’t know. It’s all your fault.”
I scratched my head, picked up a tray, and found a seat by the window.
Doah was still wearing her scarf, wrapped as tightly as a locked door.
As she chewed her food with her lips sealed shut, I brought up the huge event waiting for us.
“It’s almost time, huh?”
“What is?”
“December 1st.”
She would know what I meant without any further explanation.
“You’re right.”
The day CLOSER’s first music video would be released to the world was only two days away.
The Pink Army was busy hyping it up on the community forums, and I was right there with them.
“How are the other members reacting?”
My special privilege.
The ability to get a little peek into the internal affairs of the CLOSER members.
Doah tilted her chin slightly as if to ask what I was curious about.
“Everyone’s super excited. Is there a specific member’s reaction you want to know about?”
“No, not really.”
Honestly, I was only cheering for CLOSER because Luka was a member. If she had been eliminated, I wouldn't have given a damn whether they debuted or not.
“Hmm... well, the youngest is going crazy counting down the days, and the unnies are pretty much the same.”
“Ah, I’m so excited too. Especially hearing you say that.”
Even if I didn't know Doah was Luka, I would have been waiting for this day all by myself.
“Oppa.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m just saying this just in case...”
Hesitation tinged the end of her sentence.
Was she worried about something?
“I’m really just asking, just in case.”
Seriously. This isn't a stream, so why are you building up the suspense?
Watching Doah drag it out felt like I had a mouthful of dry sweet potatoes.
“Yeah. What is it?”
“...Don’t donate.”
Her voice was a barely audible whisper.
When I heard what she said, I felt a sharp pang in my heart.
Ah, seriously. Isn't she just too cute? Kim Doah.
Wanting to tease her more, I said something I didn't mean.
“Ah, but I saved up about 200,000 won from my part-time job to donate...”
As soon as she heard the number 200,000, Doah’s round eyes widened.
“What! Why would you donate that!”
“Because I want to. Why?”
“You just try it. I’ll permanently ban you on the spot.”
Faced with the referee’s merciless red card, I had no choice but to raise my hands in surrender.
“Hey, I’m kidding. I’ve spent most of my savings lately, so I can’t afford to do that anyway.”
“Then don’t you dare spend even 1,000 won. I’m going to check that day.”
...But Luka-tan, if I don't donate, you won't read my comments!
The chances of Luka reading a regular chat message were like finding a pearl on a sandy beach.
Isn't 1,000 won okay?
When I pouted to show my displeasure, Doah pointed her spoon at me as if it were a knife.
“Promise me, now.”
“...If you promise to read my chat.”
“Ugh, how can I make a ridiculous promise like that when I don’t know when your chat will even show up?”
She won't even do that for me?
Even compromise had its limits.
Telling me not to act like a fan was basically a death sentence for my other self.
“Then I’m going to donate 300,000 won!”
In the end, after nagging me throughout the entire meal, Doah permitted me to donate a grand total of 5,000 won.
I had a habit of ordering chicken only on special occasions.
Part of it was because ordering for one always left an awkward amount, but mostly it was because it just tasted better on a special day.
And today, I had beer ready to go with the chicken.
The chat on the official YM Entertainment channel was already bustling, packed with all sorts of CLOSER fans.
[Heck yeah! 20 minutes left!]
[Ah, Murinㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[Ready to cry my eyes out listening to Leah-tan’s vocals.]
[Let's go JENIFFERRRRRRR!]
Even the waiting screen was incredibly well-made; the illustration was so high-quality it was breathtaking.
It would have cost an astronomical amount for an indie VTuber to prepare something like this, but the power of a large corporation's capital was on full display, making everything perfect.
As I read people's gushing comments and occasionally typed in the chat, the remaining time ticked down to one minute.
When the countdown finished, the screen slowly faded to black.
[Luka-tan! You're the best! Luka-tan! You're the best! Luka-tan! You're the best! Luka-tan! You're the best! Luka-tan! You're the best! Luka-tan! You're the best! Luka-tan! You're the best! Luka-tan! You're the best! Luka-tan! You're the best!]
It wasn't even my debut, so why was I so nervous?
I spammed supportive messages so she wouldn't lose heart, then finally cracked open a can of beer with a satisfying hiss.
As the carbonation escaped, the screen pulled the fans into a place filled with a thick, cloud-like, dark navy mist.
And there, beyond that digital space that couldn't exist in reality.
My favorite pink-haired idol, smiling so lovingly.
She was waiting for me.
[I love you!!!!! Luka-tan!!!!!!]
For some reason, the words I could never say to Doah came so easily here.