Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Slim Gold's Variety Show
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"Um... how long do I have to keep this up?"
"Until I'm satisfied?"
Mile said that as she rested her chin on my shoulder.
She's smaller than me, but being in her arms like this felt awfully uncomfortable anyway.
It wasn't like my heart was racing or I felt embarrassed just because I was in an adult woman's embrace.
After all, I'd been living in this woman's body for quite some time now, so I was plenty used to it.
No reason to blush about it anymore.
"More importantly, when's the delivery coming?"
"It's peak dinner time, so it'll take a bit."
"Yeah? Can I watch some TV?"
"Sure, go ahead."
The living room had a massive TV that Dad—Kim Bu Jang—had splurged on, so I turned that on.
"But when are your parents coming back?"
"They went on a long trip, so probably the day after tomorrow."
Since we'd sent them off on vacation with some extra spending money, they were probably having a blast with their hotel staycation.
"Hmm, should I just crash here then?"
Anna hesitated for a moment upon hearing they'd be back the day after tomorrow, then casually suggested it.
"I don't mind. We can just lay out blankets in the living room."
"Really? I was just tossing it out there."
"Might as well since we're having dinner anyway. Everyone should just stay over."
The delivery was running late anyway, and it beat trudging home late at night. They could sleep here and head out in the morning.
Some of the members lived pretty far, so it was a practical suggestion.
"Yeah? Then let's do it for real."
"After this, let's all hit the convenience store and grab some stuff."
"Whoa, feels like an MT trip."
And just like that, the whole group decided to stay over, and we gathered peacefully to watch TV.
"Nothing good on."
Maybe it was the awkward time slot, but there weren't any channels worth watching, so as Haru flipped through them looking for something, she spoke up.
"Wanna play some board games then?"
"Board games?"
"Yeah, I brought some."
Haru dashed to the living room and came back with a big stack of board games.
"I tried them at a board game cafe with friends before, and they were fun."
"That's a lot, huh?"
"We've got a lot of people!"
I thought more people might mean we couldn't play as many, but Haru probably knew board games better than I did.
"Alright, I'll explain the rules."
The board games Haru brought ranged from famous ones I'd played a few times in my life to ones I'd never even heard of—quite the variety.
"What first?"
"Let's start with something familiar? Something quick to finish."
We played board games until the delivery arrived, and it was surprisingly fun. Of course, no one could beat Kim Suhyun, with 42 years of life experience in knowledge and intuition.
"Miro, why are you so good at this?"
"Have you played this before?"
"Born with it."
"Ugh."
I was absolutely dominating the other members—except for Haru, who was pretty familiar with them—just like farming newbies, when the delivery finally showed up right on cue.
"It's here!"
"Boksil, go away!"
"Shouldn't we give Boksil a snack?"
"She already ate."
We noisily took the delivery from the driver and spread it out in the living room.
"Whoa, try this."
"This is insane."
It was my first delivery order since coming back home, and it tasted amazing. I'd never realized delivery food was this good. When you order it all the time, you don't appreciate it, but after a break, nothing beats it.
As I stuffed my face with whatever was in front of me, Roa sidled up quietly.
"Miro."
"Yeah?"
"But why'd you fail the guitar mission?"
Ah, she was wondering about that?
As a band member who looked like she could play guitar, Roa was naturally curious why I hadn't completed even one song in a month.
"Oh, it got stuck around 90%."
"Such a shame. You almost finished it?"
"Yeah. The song was kinda tough."
That much was true.
It stalled at 90%, and I hadn't practiced more after that.
"I wanna see you play it."
"Should I? We have a guitar here."
"Yeah, I saw it in your room earlier."
She noticed that? It was tucked in a corner.
Well, I had been in the room for about four hours, so of course she'd see everything.
"Alright, I'll grab it after we eat."
"Yeah, I'll play too."
"For real?"
"Yeah."
Roa playing guitar... now that piqued my interest.
What if she's surprisingly terrible? That'd be hilarious.
We finished most of the delivery, and I brought the guitar from my room. Roa narrowed her eyes and glared at it.
"What's up?"
"I didn't get a good look earlier, but it's super cheap, huh?"
"You can tell?"
"Of course. When you're making money, you buy good gear."
"Haha, it's just my beginner one. Planning to upgrade."
I realized it for real when I tried Kang Hyeok's guitar in Hyun-su's studio last time. Gear makes a huge difference in music.
Just as I was about to play...
"Hey, isn't that guy blowing up lately?"
The voices came from the rest of the members, still eating dinner on the other side of the living room, away from me and Roa.
"I saw him on Shorts too."
"He's so handsome."
"Eek, sis, he's a minor."
"Oh? Never mind."
Anna freaked out at the word "minor" and took it back.
Yeah, at Anna's age, she'd be sensitive about that.
But who was making them go nuts?
I twisted around to look. An interview was just starting, and a man sat in a chair.
A handsome young guy with lush blond hair and a slightly sharp impression...
"Miro, you know him? Slim Gold. We talked about him before."
"Oh... yeah?"
Why was Hyun-su here? No, wait.
I quickly checked the variety show's name.
It was one of the hot observational shows lately.
A popular one that filmed celebrities' daily lives.
Talk about timing...
Hyun-su had mentioned it aired this week, but I didn't know it was tonight.
I'm the type who doesn't even watch my own NerTube videos because they're embarrassing.
No way I'd check the schedule and watch live.
On TV, Hyun-su was interviewed about the album production process, and the panels chimed in one by one.
[Slim Gold, you must be super popular at school.]
[What? Haha, nah, not that much.]
[Hahaha! I bet it is though?]
[For real, I'm not popular. I don't have many friends?]
"Whoa, the kid's humble."
"Yeah? From what I've heard, he's super nice too."
Anna commented while watching, and Maho—who often listened to Slim Gold's songs—replied right away.
Nice, sure, but humble...? Not sure about that.
[Alright, let's see how he spends a typical day.]
The screen shifted.
It cut straight from the studio to Hyun-su's workspace.
[You live here?]
[Yeah, when I'm working, I usually crash at the studio.]
Inside the studio, Hyun-su and the band members were chatting away.
Seeing people I knew in real life on screen felt weird.
And around now, I figured I should stop watching.
I didn't know how much I'd feature, but wouldn't my face show up soon?
"Hmm, I have a channel I need to check. Mind if I change it?"
I set the guitar down and casually walked inside to grab the remote, but Haru blocked my hand with a smack.
"Whoa, whoa, what're you changing to? It's not even news time."
"Huh? Well..."
Didn't expect her to stop me. Was she actually into this?
I glanced around, feeling that vibe, but all five girls were staring at my hand.
"Uh... never mind..."
Come to think of it, Hyun-su was a young, handsome rising singer.
These girls couldn't help but be interested.
Well, I'd figured I'd see it eventually since it was on TV, but tonight?
Since it was already happening, I sat back down relaxed and watched Hyun-su's daily routine.
On TV, the band members stepped out to grab food, and the screen transitioned.
From Hyun-su's studio to the street right outside.
The back of a woman entering the building was caught on camera.
"Whoa, girlfriend?"
"Nah, no way. He needs fans right now; he wouldn't go public."
"She's a band girl."
"What do you take band girls for?"
I listened to the members' chatter, checking what got edited in or out. When I'd gone, there were tons of staff outside the studio, but angles and editing made the street look empty.
[Oh? Who's that?]
[Whoa, even from the back, she looks like a celeb.]
The panels reacted to the young woman who appeared after Ayoung, then it cut back to the studio where the woman's back was shown pulling on a hat deep over her head from the coat rack.
The conversation before she put on the hat was fully edited out.
Then, the fully hatted woman sat next to Hyun-su, chatting with him.
And right around when that much aired...
I looked around again.
The heads that had been glued to the TV all turned my way.
I even felt Roa's gaze from behind.
Kinda pressuring.
Then.
Haru, who had been staring me down, suddenly jumped up and dashed to the living room side.
Wondering what was up, I looked over to see her grab a hat in seconds and plop it right on my head.
"You, you?!"
I calmly replied to the totally shocked Haru.
"Hmm. Want me to get an autograph?"
The living room flipped upside down in an instant.