Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Chuseok and the End-of-Year Concert
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The cicadas' cries of summer, the sweltering heat and humidity, and the periodic downpours of monsoon rains that grated on everyone's nerves were now completely gone.
Stepping outside, people were no longer in short sleeves but bundled up in all sorts of coats, and the leaves were turning deeper colors one by one, as if dressing up to match the season. Autumn had arrived.
And with autumn came a nationwide event.
"Chuseok is coming up soon."
"Oh, yeah, it is."
Chuseok, of course.
The season of national family gatherings was upon them.
That meant all sorts of relatives would soon swarm our house.
Ever since Kim Bu Jang bought a house in Seoul with a yard, it had naturally become the spot for family reunions.
My cousins would be descending soon.
Back when I was a guy, I'd have to cram all the cousins into my room and deal with them like Lü Bu at the Battle of Hulao Gate. But Kim Suhyun's memories as a girl were a bit different.
Forget playing with them—she could just shoot them a single glare and tell them not to come in, and none of them dared enter the room.
This face really was a cheat code. Without it, she never could have protected all those goods in her room.
There was a twinge of regret at how looks-obsessed society was, mixed with a bit of satisfaction that she was reaping the benefits of it.
"Play with the kids a little this Chuseok."
But it looked like she wouldn't get that free pass this time.
"Huh? No thanks."
"This damn Ji-ji-bae holes up in her room every time relatives come over and won't come out. It's embarrassing for me."
Was it, really?
If you had a daughter with my looks, wouldn't you be bragging about her to the whole neighborhood?
Forget that—Mrs. Jang and Kim Bu Jang both had my photo as their KakaoTalk profile pics, and now they couldn't show their faces?
"My existence might be a bit too much for the young cousins, don't you think?"
"Do you even know how old they are?"
"What do you mean? There are middle schoolers, high schoolers, and even toddlers."
Our family Chuseok gatherings brought together relatives from both Kim Bu Jang's side and Mrs. Jang's side.
So the kids ranged across all age groups.
"Oh dear, you're right. Anyway, you're an adult now, so look after them a bit. Last year you didn't even come down because you were 'independent.'"
I definitely came down last year... Oh, right, girl Kim Suhyun didn't.
She really holed up at home too much.
"Fine, I'll play with them."
"Really?"
"What, you want me to fake it?"
Even though I looked like this, back in my guy days, I'd played with the cousins plenty.
Plus, I entertained thousands of viewers every day now—what were a few cousins compared to that?
"What's gotten into you? Normally, you'd weasel out of it, Ji-ji-bae."
...Was my image that bad?
No, this was girl Kim Suhyun's karma, not mine.
Everything except her face, voice, drawing skills, and minor gaming talent was a total mess.
"How hard can it be? Leave the kids to me and go gamble illegally with the aunts."
"Who's gonna get arrested? As long as we don't mention Go-Stop."
"But we bet money, right?"
"Anything under 500 won is fine."
"Really?"
"I don't know. Your dad said so."
"Oh?"
Whatever, if Kim Bu Jang said it, it must be true.
"Anyway, you're taking care of the cousins, right? No running away later."
"Don't worry. Where would I even run to?"
"True. All you do is hole up in your room."
...That was a bit harsh.
But where could I go...?
Hmm...
"Look at you, speechless. You really got nowhere?"
"Ah, no, I do."
Maho's place?
It was close, and she'd probably let me in...
No. Chuseok—she might be heading down to her hometown too.
Then what...
"Ugh, whatever. I'm going to my room."
"Aigoo, did I hurt your feelings?"
"How old do you think I am?"
As if I'd sulk. This was a tactical retreat.
I'd pick up the argument again once I had more friends.
With that, I shut myself in my room and flopped onto the bed.
A gentle breeze blew through the open window, announcing that full autumn had arrived.
They said autumn was the season for reading and fine food... Should I read a book? Or go on a gourmet tour?
Come to think of it, maybe I should learn some Japanese.
Time was dragging a bit, and learning a foreign language was always helpful.
The difficulty was lower than other languages, and it'd be super useful for streaming, so it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot.
Still sprawled on the bed, I grabbed my phone and searched for Japanese textbooks.
Since I was earning money just from streaming at home, I might as well splurge on stuff like this.
I wasn't raking in astronomical sums, but more hit my bank account than for a regular person, so textbooks were no burden at all.
Now that I thought about it, I hadn't spent much since moving back home.
When I was living alone, there were all sorts of expenses like delivery food.
But now, even when Mrs. Jang was out, I whipped up meals on my own.
I felt like such a domesticated woman.
"This one looks good."
I bought a Japanese textbook with lots of good reviews.
Since I was just learning the basics, a popular one should do the trick.
But with Chuseok coming up...
I didn't have the usual worries others did.
Back as a guy, I was a prestigious university engineering student—my parents' shoulders practically touched the sky during Chuseok.
And in girl Kim Suhyun's memories...
She was basically Lü Bu incarnate.
Who could argue with this face?
They just figured she'd eat well and live well on her own, without interfering.
Though holing up in her room and not talking much probably helped too.
Being too distant from relatives felt off, so I'd act friendly this Chuseok.
Give the cousin kids some pocket money and play with them.
"Alright."
Having deeply pondered Chuseok, I sat down at my computer desk.
Should I take a break from streaming for Chuseok?
There was still time, but if I was going to, better announce it early.
The Mirodan probably wouldn't have time to watch anyway—they'd be getting thrashed by relatives.
I'd take the break and play with the cousins.
First, I logged into the Fan Cafe and started drafting a scheduled hiatus notice.
If I half-assed it like last time, it'd backfire, so I put some effort in.
Hmm... But it was just "Chuseok family visit, no stream"—did it need to be long?
Just stick to the facts, who-what-when-where-why-how.
As I formatted the notice properly, my phone on the desk buzzed.
Who could it be?
Probably the Manager or Hyejeong.
Since it was Hyejeong last time, this must be the Manager.
Sure enough, it was him.
Wondering what news he had, I picked up.
"Hello?"
[Hello, Miro-nim. I hope you're doing well.]
"Yeah, things are peaceful lately."
[That's truly a relief.]
What was this? Unusually formal.
When someone suddenly got polite who wasn't before, it was one of two things.
Either they had to apologize to me, or they needed a favor.
"I'm not doing it."
[Pardon?]
"I don't know what it is, but can't we just not?"
[Heavens, your intuition is sharp, Miro-nim.]
Damn, nailed it.
His reaction screamed "favor" over "apology."
"So, what is it? If it's a 2nd Gen meeting, I'm out right now."
[Last time didn't go so... well.]
"...That was an accident."
That 2nd Gen meeting still sent chills down my spine.
2nd Gen debuts already scared me. Were us seniors getting sidelined?
[No, it's not 2nd Gen-related. If anything, it's good news.]
"Oh? What? Third album already?"
[No plans for that... It's something else.]
No plans? They planned the second one super fast.
The Six must be getting complacent.
Well, things had gone well after the second album, and the other members had grown too.
"So, what then?"
[There's a little over three months until year-end, right?]
"Yeah, about 100 days."
[It's the Heavenly Realm Project's first year-end since forming. Wouldn't it be a shame to let it pass without anything?]
"Why the long preamble? What are you asking?"
After the initial big push, The Six had mostly left me alone.
They didn't meddle with streams, just provided avatars and songs from behind the scenes. What were they up to now?
[Well, there's a proposal for a live concert at year-end.]
"A live?"
Was that possible? Concert? Not offline, surely.
[Yes, an online live stream where all members perform live to cap off the year.]
It sounded great in theory... but was it feasible?
"What if we mess up?"
[Of course, it's pre-recorded live.]
"Then it's not really live...?"
[The industry counts it as live.]
Really? Now that I thought about it, the homeland did that too.
In the virtual world full of potential mishaps, doing a major concert fully live might be too risky.
What if there's a program glitch?
"I'm not sure if it's doable, but it sounds fun."
It did look entertaining.
All members together on stage.
Even Miro 24 Hours had been a huge high— a concert would be through the roof, whatever happened.
[You all sing well, and more importantly...]
We did all sing well, but why the pause? What was he getting at?
"More importantly?"
[Do you dance at all?]
...Dance?
As if I could.
"Can't we do MMD for that...?"
[Unfortunately, MMD doesn't count as live... Upper management has already planned dance lessons. We'll provide the instructor, space, meals, snacks—everything. Just show up and practice regularly.]
Whoa, just bring my body? That must cost a fortune.
No, wait— they already planned it? Then why call it a "proposal"?
"Is this really a proposal?"
[As I said, sharp as ever. Technically, it's in your contract. But doesn't 'proposal' sound nicer?]
"What the...!"
What kind of shady contract was this...!
No matter how many times I thought about it, girl Kim Suhyun's physical abilities were trash.
Holed up drawing and otaku-ing— of course her body's weak.
Weaker than an average active woman's, even.
And now dance?
Tell this creaky body to dance?
That was as good as telling me to die.
Better this world than rolling in shit?
No needless risks to my pride.
Survival first.
"Aaagh! Do the dance with MMD!"
I flopped back down.
Who knew I'd throw a tantrum at my age.
[But you're good at it, why...?!]
I ignored the Manager's panicked voice over the line.
No way. Pass.
I couldn't dance.