Chapter 93: Christmas
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 93: Christmas
“Hooo~ hmm hmm hmm~ da da da da~”
It was a combination that made me hum a tune.
Pizza and beer.
For someone living alone, pizza has a lot of perks.
First, it's incredibly easy to clean up.
Unlike other delivery foods that come with a mountain of containers and side dishes destined to become food waste, I thought pizza was overwhelmingly convenient.
As soon as I opened the box, the classic, greasy aroma wafted up.
Yep. Pepperoni is the king of pizzas.
Gulping, I grabbed a plate, put two slices on it, and sat down in front of my computer.
The waiting screen was already bustling.
I wasn't the only internet goblin cooped up in my room, waiting for the Closer group collab.
No. The scale was too large to be described so simply.
With over 10,000 people waiting, you could hardly call it a small crowd.
The viewers were all screaming the names of their favorite members.
[Fumurin, come outtttttt!]
[So hyped for Luka-tan's Christmas outfit for real]
[How can anyone wait for Leah's carol lol]
Normally, I would've been typing in chat and having fun too, but right now, I was busy eating pizza.
As the rich, savory flavor of the cheese filled my mouth, I thought, this is the life, and took a swig of beer. Just as I was finishing my first slice, the stream began.
-Jingle jingle jingle-
Along with the sound of bells, a familiar Christmas carol rang out.
An illustration of everyone gathered in front of a Christmas tree slowly faded out, and the five members of Closer appeared!
[Hello, everyone~]
At the leader Jennifer's call, the Closer members lined up in a row.
They said they were rehearsing earlier, and it seemed like they were practicing to get these kinds of things perfectly synchronized.
[Okay, everyone! Let's greet them!]
At their energetic leader's shout, the Closer members stretched their hands forward and waved.
[One step closer! We are Closer! Woohoo~]
The chat had already been going wild for a while.
It was similar during their usual collab streams, but the chat's firepower was even stronger today because of the Closer members' new outfits.
It was because every single one of their outfits suited them so well.
They were all wearing red, Santa-like outfits, but with a few cutouts here and there, they seemed designed to reflect the shady desires of the viewers.
[Wow! Thank you all so much for spending Christmas with us!]
Fumurin, the youngest, brought her face close to the camera and yelled.
[Hey! I wanna do that too!]
The one who jumped out next was Luka-tan, with her hair in pigtails.
[Noonaaaaaa!]
[Luka-tan, I love you!!!]
[cuteee!]
Hah. Seriously.
Taking a sip of beer, I could feel a pleased smile spreading across my face.
How can she be so cute?
An off-the-shoulder Santa outfit and pigtails? How could anyone resist that?
Luka was a true vixen, setting the hearts of us otakus on fire.
[Pink Army~ Hiiiiii~]
Luka burst out laughing.
As she started playing around with the camera, the other members crowded in behind her and started interacting with the chat too.
[Hey, let's take a picture!]
When Clover went to pull Luka's arm, Luka pretended to be naturally pulled along.
She's not even really pulling, but she's playing along so well.
Imagining Doah, wearing a headset and hopping around by herself in the studio, made me laugh.
I wonder if she has the heat on. It was a bit cold when I visited earlier today.
I found myself worrying for no reason.
[One, two, three!]
With a click, the members all crowded together to take a picture as if they were real high school girls.
Whenever their favorite member got a close-up, their fandoms would erupt in a chaotic welcome.
[Leah-ssi. How are you feeling today?]
Luka, who had taken over the main camera, started interviewing Leah.
[I'm happy so many people are watching... thank you... it's a happy end to the year.]
[Then how about an acrostic poem with 'Seong-tan-jeol' (Christmas)?]
Knowing that Leah had zero sense for things like this, Luka asked her on purpose, and people playfully booed, calling her malicious.
[Seong!]
[Seong... My personality isn't that great.]
Oh. She's actually doing it.
I thought she'd just laugh and say she couldn't do it, but Leah was painstakingly trying to squeeze something out of her brain.
The green-haired avatar's pupils trembled.
[Tan!]
[Tan... I don't have toned abs either...]
Everyone was waiting in anticipation to see what on earth she would say next.
[Jeol!]
As Luka called out the last syllable with a face full of expectation, Leah...
[I will give you a jeol (a deep bow)!]
Leah promptly dropped to the floor and bowed deeply.
The members and viewers all burst out laughing, finding it both absurd and cute.
[Wow~ Luka unnie! Did you just make Leah unnie bow?]
Fumurin, who had snatched the camera, now tried to interview Luka.
[Luka unnie.]
[Yes, Fumurin-chan.]
[Do you know Santa Claus's real name?]
[Ah~ Of course~ I definitely know.]
[Ooh~]
Fumurin reacted with interest and asked again.
[In that case, what is Santa's esteemed name...?]
[His name is.]
Luka continued, her tone like that of a saintess calling upon the name of a holy god.
[...The Pink Army!]
At those words, the Pink Army showed off their fierce firepower.
[RudolphLuka has donated 200,000 won!]
[Luka-tan! I'm Santaaaaa!]
It wasn't a small amount, so the members all gathered around to react.
[Ah~ RudolphLuka-nim! So much~~ I've been living a good life so I could get a present from the real Santa Claus. I'm finally being rewarded!]
Seeing Luka blush and gently sway her shoulders, the Pink Army poured in even more donations.
[Uhm... is there nothing for the rest of us...?]
As Clover slyly slid in to encourage donations, the official Closer channel exploded into a donation frenzy.
After the free-talk session, which included a short war between the fandoms, a vast stage map unfolded.
A virtual space that felt like a real year-end concert venue appeared before my eyes.
Unlike before, the five members were now in stage outfits and performed their debut song, 'Boundary,' live.
There was no choreography like in the music video, but the mere fact that they were singing it live together was enough to leave the fans deeply moved.
Doah seemed so unconfident about her singing, but she sang her part very well and with confidence.
And the main vocal line was, of course, flawless.
Leah, with her overwhelming presence, and Clover, with her stable high notes.
After finishing the Closer song, the members took turns performing a solo stage.
Fumurin sang a cute Japanese song.
Clover, a winter-themed ballad.
Jennifer sang a Christmas pop song, and Leah sang a drama OST.
Finally, it was Luka's turn.
But why didn't she tell me about this?
She'd only said it would be something like a concert and hadn't told me at all what song she would be singing.
[Ah, ah. Can you hear me? The song I've prepared for all of you is!]
A hidden stage that even I, her boyfriend, didn't know about.
[A song by our YM sunbaes! Woohoo!]
The stage went dark, and then a soft pink light filled it.
She was being cheered on by over ten thousand people.
I started to wonder if the girl on that stage was really the same person who was eating jajangmyeon with me this afternoon.
This afternoon, we were both just a couple of pathetic losers.
[I won't stop!]
[Hoo!]
She made a gun shape with her hand and ended the stage with a final wink. I felt a sharp pang in my heart, as if I'd really been shot.
Haaah... Now this is Christmas!
All those social butterflies out and about are the real losers!
I joined the ranks of the viewers and passionately screamed Luka's name.
After each member had their turn, a parade of group cover songs followed.
To emphasize the Christmas theme, the stage was lined with yellow lights and Christmas trees, and the members gathered around a bonfire to sing the carols they had prepared.
[Everyone, we hope you all have a happy Christmas~]
With Jennifer's closing words, the Closer members waved.
A collab stream that lasted a full five hours.
The clock was already pointing to 1 AM.
[Well, that's all the time we have for today, but tomorrow! Each member has their own solo stream prepared, so please be sure to tune in! Bye~]
[See you tomorrow, everyone~]
[Pink Army, byeee!]
And with Luka's bright laugh as the final sound, the Christmas collab stream ended.
Feeling quite tired from sitting for so long, I flopped back onto my bed.
Still no message from Doah.
She must be busy cleaning up at the studio right now.
We were supposed to meet after the stream. I wonder what time we'll be able to see each other.
About ten minutes later, a text from Doah finally arrived.
[Oppa. Can we maybe meet at two?]
[It's a little past one now. That late?]
[I have some things to pack up and organize.]
It was late, but...
[Alright. Where should we meet at two, then?]
I figured the only options were her place or mine.
[The park.]
[...Seriously?]
[Yes. I want to meet at the park.]
I thought it would be cold, but if that's what Doah wanted, I had no intention of stopping her.
[Okay, then. I'll head out there at two.]
[Okay! Thank you!]
After hanging up, I rummaged through my closet and pulled out some clothes to wear.
Should I just go in jeans and a padded jacket? But it's Christmas, so maybe I should dress up a little.
After much deliberation, I decided to wear a coat.
I figured we wouldn't be outside for that long anyway.
I lay in bed watching some videos, then at 1:50, I put on my shoes and headed out.
“...It's snowing.”
The snow was falling in soft flurries, a perfect description for the night.
It drifted gently under the orange glow of the streetlights.
The weather was better than I'd expected. I walked down the slope toward the park where we'd agreed to meet.
When I get there, I'll tell her she worked hard and give her a hug.
Since it was Christmas, I wanted to say something to cheer her up after all her hard work.
I planned to get there a little early and wait for her, but...
There she was, standing so demurely.
She was already there, waiting for me.