Chapter 12: Kkotbi
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 12: Kkotbi
The next day, I was out on the street again, just like last time.
Dressed casually in a t-shirt and jeans, I stared at my phone and scratched my cheek.
“The editing team is all set, so I guess all that’s left is to start filming.”
Just as I was thinking I should talk to Ji-eun again about what she wanted to film for her first video…
A white hand suddenly appeared in front of my phone, and I turned my head.
Ahyu was standing there, her hat pulled down low. She saw me and gave a bashful smile.
“Were you just staring at your phone, waiting for me to call?”
“No.”
“So quick to deny it.”
Ahyu slid her mask down with one hand and glanced around.
“Come to think of it, this place is a bit out of the way.”
“I chose it to suit Kkotbi.”
“Not that I mind, though.”
Just as she said, the place felt less like a busy street like Hongdae and more like a small shopping arcade in a residential area.
It wasn't a place with a lot to do, but it wasn't exactly empty either.
Ahyu, who doesn't like drawing a lot of attention, would probably be comfortable here, but I was also wondering why Kkotbi chose a place like this.
Just then, I saw a car heading our way.
The car had tinted black windows, and even to me, who knows nothing about cars, it looked pretty expensive.
“Is that car coming over here?”
As Ahyu tilted her head, the car stopped near us.
We both found ourselves staring blankly at the car for some reason. A moment later, the door opened with a clunk.
A woman stepped out, wearing a jacket over a floral, off-the-shoulder dress.
She was of average height with a slender figure you'd expect from an idol. Her face was completely hidden by sunglasses, a mask, and a beret pulled down low, but I knew exactly who was behind that getup.
‘Kkotbi?’
Seeing her even more covered up than Ahyu, I was a little taken aback. She started walking toward us in her sandals.
Then, she looked our way from behind her sunglasses and slowly tilted her head.
And just as I expected, she pulled out her phone and sent a text.
[ Kkotbi: Oppa, is that you? ]
It really was Kkotbi.
When I nodded before I could even reply, her expression brightened.
“Domi-oppa! You look much better in person.”
Her voice was incredibly pleasant.
For a polite compliment, it was still nice to hear.
“Is that so.”
In reality, I couldn't say anything back because I couldn't even see Kkotbi's face behind her sunglasses and mask.
After greeting me, Kkotbi glanced to the side.
She seemed curious about Ahyu standing next to me.
Well, of course.
As far as she knew, Ahyu was a guy like me.
Seeing an unfamiliar girl standing there instead was a natural reaction.
The moment I was about to open my mouth to explain…
Ahyu suddenly started tugging hard on my collar.
“Ah, ahh, ugh.”
“Huh?”
What’s with her?
I could understand Kkotbi reacting this way to seeing Ahyu, but I hadn't expected Ahyu to be the one freaking out, so I tilted my head.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“What’s wrong?! This person is…”
“W-Wait a minute.”
Just as Ahyu was about to shout, a flustered Kkotbi cut her off.
Ahyu turned to Kkotbi with trembling eyes, and Kkotbi pointed to a restaurant next to us.
“Could we go inside and talk first?”
“Ah, yes, yes.”
This was the first time I'd ever seen Ahyu so flustered.
Not sure what was going on, I got swept up in the mood and quietly followed them into a barbecue restaurant with private rooms.
Even after we entered the room, Ahyu kept her mouth shut. Kkotbi looked back and forth between us before cautiously asking.
“Um, Domi-oppa, didn't you say Ahyu was coming today?”
At that, Ahyu flinched.
Looks like she's aware that this mess is her fault for hiding her gender.
And that Kkotbi still hasn't realized she's a girl.
Seeing Ahyu hesitate, unable to answer…
I figured I had no choice but to explain it myself, so I opened my mouth to speak for her.
“The person next to me…”
“Ahyu Oppa couldn't make it because something came up!”
Just as I was about to explain, Ahyu suddenly cut me off and shouted.
I stared wide-eyed at her absurd behavior as she, breaking out in a cold sweat, jabbed me in the ribs with her elbow.
Ow, that hurts.
“Oh, so, this person is…”
“I'm his younger sister! I came in his place!”
What is she doing all of a sudden?
I looked at Ahyu with an expression of complete confusion, and she shot me a glare before turning away.
I felt a strange, unspoken pressure.
“I see…”
Kkotbi's face fell with visible disappointment.
Of course she would be.
She came here today to meet Ahyu, the person she has a crush on.
I didn't know why Ahyu was acting this way, but I felt bad for Kkotbi, so I gave Ahyu a light chop on the head where Kkotbi couldn't see and said.
“Well, anyway, since that's the situation… let's at least eat first.”
“Ah, right. Um, Oppa, it seems his sister has already figured it out, but… you can't be too shocked either, okay?”
I blinked.
What am I supposed to be shocked about?
Seeing my confused expression, Kkotbi took a deep breath and removed her mask and sunglasses.
And in that moment, I understood everything.
Beneath her hat, peach-colored hair tied in twintails cascaded down to her waist.
Her eyes, the same color as her hair as if she were wearing contacts, and a cute face that would capture anyone's attention at first glance.
It was the face of the person I'd seen in the countless photos Ahyu, a die-hard idol fan, had sent me.
A woman who looked exactly like the character Ahyu had customized in Lord of Academy.
Blackstar Yua
The idol, Blackstar Yua, was right there.
And as I grasped the full situation, my head suddenly started to throb.
‘Wait, is this okay? Is this even allowed?’
Ahyu being a returnee, I could accept that.
Returnees are people too, so of course they might want to play games.
Besides, I already knew her, and the fact that she's a returnee doesn't change anything between us now.
But Kkotbi… no, Blackstar Yua?
Blackstar has five songs that have charted on Billboard.
In Korea, every song they release hits number one. Blackstar is a group with nationwide popularity.
And Blackstar Yua was Kkotbi?
A member of our guild?
And another returnee, just like Ahyu?
‘Even I'm starting to feel like I want to deny reality.’
But right now, in front of me, Yua was here as Kkotbi.
And one by one, Kkotbi's past actions started coming to mind, more than enough to justify the fact that she was Blackstar Yua.
「Kkotbi, how do you know all this stuff? Even I, a huge fan, check for new song announcements and Blackstar-related posts every day!」
「Yeah, I know someone who works in the industry. But like I always say, you can't tell anyone else, okay?」
「Of course I won't! I love you, Kkotbi!」
「Ahyu, you say things like that so easily.」
Memories of conversations between Ahyu and Kkotbi surfaced, and everything started to click into place.
「Oppa, what should I do? Something came up and I have to go abroad unexpectedly. I'm so sorry. I'll make up for the raid next time, I promise!」
Right, that was the day Blackstar's new song blew up and hit the Billboard charts.
So that's why she had to go.
‘Holy shit. Kkotbi was really Blackstar Yua.’
The moment all these memories clicked together, I felt a chill run down my spine.
I mean, come on.
The person I was playing games with was actually a celebrity, an idol.
Who would have ever imagined?
‘But the real problem is…’
I glanced over at Ahyu.
Ahyu had just realized that Kkotbi was the very idol who inspired her nickname, her favorite idol, Blackstar Yua.
The problem was, she had been fawning over Yua right in front of Kkotbi this whole time, and they had become very close.
Because Kkotbi had repeatedly given her inside information about Blackstar Yua.
Back then, she must have just thought Kkotbi was another passionate fan.
On top of that, Kkotbi had a crush on Ahyu, who she thought was a guy, and when she came to meet him today…
‘This idiot next to me is so embarrassed about all the fangirling and other things she did right in front of Yua that she's now pretending to be his little sister.’
It's one thing to be a fan in private, but to get caught having done all that fangirling right in front of your favorite idol…
‘Oof, even I would find that hard to handle.’
Even for someone as mentally tough as Ahyu, this must be difficult to endure.
‘More importantly, she was wearing sunglasses and a mask.’
Did she recognize her just from her body type?
This girl really is a true Blackstar stan.
“I-I-I'm a really big fan, Unni!”
Since when are they close enough for her to call her Unni?
Besides, you're the same age.
‘No, if you include her life as Cheon Hong-ryeon…’
How many years older would she be?
“Ah, thank you. I guess you know me because you're Ahyu's little sister.”
“No! I know you because I… I like you!”
My head was starting to spin. With a feeling of, ‘Alright, I'm staying out of this,’ I just focused on grilling the meat.
###
As Ahyu and Kkotbi, who were already friendly, were deep in conversation…
I popped a piece of meat into my mouth, the thought, ‘There's a celebrity sitting in front of me,’ hitting me anew.
A moment ago, I was too flustered to really care that Kkotbi was Yua, but now, sitting right in front of me, was a world-famous celebrity.
A gaming friend I'd known for years, at that.
‘Blackstar Yua.’
Acknowledging the fact that Kkotbi was Yua, I chewed my meat slowly.
What I knew about Yua wasn't just from being friends with her die-hard fan, Ahyu.
More than anything, it was the fact that she was a returnee.
That's right.
Yua was our country's first returnee to become a celebrity.
Not all returnees go into hiding, but someone like Yua, who pursued a full-fledged career as a celebrity, was a first in our country.
Times have changed, and these days there are returnees who are Instagram celebs or YouTubers.
But even so, the public perception of returnees was still not very good.
And the one who helped break that perception was none other than Blackstar Yua.
Classification: Fantasy · 29
She had been a bard in a world called Elysium, and after returning to Earth, she began a career in music.
As a result, she opened a new era of K-Pop and rose to the ranks of global stardom.
‘She was well-regarded among other returnees, too.’
That was probably part of the reason Ahyu liked her so much.
Then, as I watched the brightly chatting Kkotbi, I tilted my head slightly.
I don't know… I never noticed it in the game, but I got a slightly artificial feeling from Kkotbi's expression.
A forced smile?
No, it was more like a smile that she herself didn't seem to realize was fabricated.
I wasn't sure what it was, but even though I got that feeling, I knew Kkotbi wasn't doing it maliciously, so I kept quiet.
Like I said, it felt strongly like something she wasn't even aware of.
‘I'm probably just being too sensitive.’
She's juggling her work as an idol and her duties as a returnee hunter.
Her days must be exhausting, so it could just be accumulated fatigue showing through without her knowing.
In that case, the least I can do is help her relax today.
‘More importantly.’
I picked up another piece of meat and put it in my mouth.
First Ahyu, the Heavenly Demon Cheon Hong-ryeon, and now Kkotbi, Blackstar Yua.
‘Why are there so many returnees in our guild?’
Unless you work in a related field, you might go your whole life without meeting more than one or two returnees. Yet, by some coincidence, there were two of them right here around me.
It was a pretty absurd coincidence.
‘Does our guild have some kind of power to attract returnees?’
A guild that calls to returnees. Give me a break.
“Oppa, Oppa, why are you only eating? Say something!”
Just then, Ahyu, who had finally relaxed, excitedly started slapping my back.
Her slaps had some sting to them, so I quickly swallowed the meat in my mouth and grabbed her wrist.
“That hurts, you punk. I was just eating because I was hungry.”
“That's right. I wanted to talk with you too, Domi-oppa.”
Ahyu and Kkotbi were very close, but my relationship with Kkotbi was good, too.
We'd gotten close after I, in my meddlesome way, helped her out when she was a newbie just starting the game.
After that, the three of us had pulled quite a few all-nighters playing together.
‘The reason she got so busy in the middle was probably because it coincided with her explosive rise in popularity.’
It was kind of fun meeting in real life, learning her profession, and seeing all the pieces fall into place.
Is this why people have offline meetups?
‘Though I doubt most meetups turn out like this.’
I mean, I have Blackstar Yua in front of me and a girl to my right who's pretty enough to make people turn their heads, just like Yua.
Should I consider myself blessed?
Maybe because I'd been getting involved with so many women lately, my expression was ambiguous.
I guess a good thing is a good thing.