Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Members Over-Immerse in RP
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"Then how about we hear some aegyo from our baby?"
Evangelion said it with a grin that was starting to creep Jang Gyeon-u out a little.
Gyeon-u recoiled in horror.
"We're not even streaming! Why aegyo?!"
"We're practicing starting now."
Evangelion's demand was for aegyo.
It was a common mission that popped up when watching female streamers.
But this was real life—not a stream! Why make such a demand?!
Jang Gyeon-u's face turned beet red.
"The composer's here too."
'Evangelion, nice one!'
Hong Seon-yul's heart pounded.
If he could witness the music goddess, the muse herself, doing aegyo, his inspiration would overflow even more.
"That's right. Can't give it away for free. How about we sneak off over there and do it?"
"Is this the right conversation?!"
"If you're doing it, hurry up. This was a key moment in the match."
"Even you, Rang?!"
Wang Rang seemed annoyed that the badminton game had been interrupted mid-flow.
Unable to stay still, she started circling around Evangelion and Gyeon-u.
'ADHD?'
Rang looked young, but not elementary-school level. Still, her inability to stay put and constant running around was enough to bring attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to mind.
Hong Seon-yul unknowingly had irreverent thoughts, unaware that his opponent was a wolf goddess over 10,000 years old.
'If I had a little sister like her at home, I'd give her the whole universe.'
But she was too pretty a girl to dismiss as just hyperactive.
'Why do a face like that as a Vtuber?!'
No matter how he thought about it, these people doing virtual stuff felt like a waste of their looks.
But as an outsider, it wasn't a question Hong Seon-yul could ask.
"Unni, eeeeng~."
The KEYS members were using casual speech with each other on the president's orders.
But Evangelion's vibe and attitude made her feel much more like an older sister than Gyeon-u.
Her age was still a secret, though.
Still, Gyeon-u thought of her as 'unni' deep down.
She didn't say crazy things like "treat me like a guy even with these huge tits on my head," but her mental gender was separate from that anyway.
So for Gyeon-u to call Evangelion "unni" took real resolve.
It was her best shot at aegyo.
"Not that short whine. You know what I want."
Evangelion kept grinning, while Gyeon-u's face crumpled more and more.
"Just give permission already. Do you really, really, really have to make me do that?"
Some might say:
What's the big deal? It's just a little aegyo. You gonna die?
Will it wear out or something?
But Gyeon-u had no tolerance for that stuff. Doing it for real felt like it might actually kill her.
"Yep!"
But somehow.
With Evangelion in the position of power right now.
"Composer, plug your ears please."
Aaah, all this was for permission on the second original song release.
I'm that serious about singing, Gyeon-u reminded herself.
"Yep, plugging my ears."
It was a lie.
Seon-yul pretended to cover his ears and look away, but actually left them slightly open and peeked at Gyeon-u with sidelong glances.
How could he miss out on top-tier beauty aegyo?
They were colleagues making songs together, but that didn't mean he couldn't look.
"Unniii! Uta wants a cheeseburger pleeease! ......"
With her back to Seon-yul and facing Evangelion, he couldn't see Gyeon-u's expression.
But her shoulders were trembling visibly.
It felt like the emotional arc of a national humiliation, forced to sign away sovereignty on a treaty.
This aegyo template still had its back half left.
But Gyeon-u couldn't bring herself to finish it and suddenly bolted running!
And Evangelion chased after her!
"Why are you following?!"
"'Cause you're running away!"
"That was enough already! Waaah!"
Evangelion, who had beaten down demon lords, could catch a normal person like Gyeon-u in one second flat.
But her running away was too cute, so she deliberately dragged the chase out for over a minute.
Finally, exhausted from full sprint, Gyeon-u crouched down on her knees.
"Huff....... Huff......"
"Gotcha!"
"Sniff."
Post-nut clarity hit Jang Gyeon-u—what was she doing?—and dizziness made her tear up.
Evangelion was startled.
She hadn't expected tears over something like this.
"That bad?! Sorry, mister! Ice cream on me! There, there."
"You think I'm in elementary school? Sniff."
"Do whatever you want, Gyeon-u! Two songs, three, a hundred—I'll allow it! Boo hoo hoo."
"You're the worst."
Gyeon-u was already way too sulky for just the initial request to fix things.
Evangelion ended up offering one more negotiation card.
Unaware of what results this might bring later...
"I'll grant any one wish you want! So stop crying."
The two stopped by the park restroom to wipe away Gyeon-u's tear stains and returned.
There, Seon-yul was half-dead from playing badminton against Wang Rang with his poor stamina.
"Do some exercise normally! Useless with stamina like that!"
'Argh! Losing to a girl!'
Seon-yul had never been good at sports in his life.
His lifestyle was close to a shut-in otaku.
Maybe a bit of a weirdo.
Even so, getting crushed by a girl whose fist was smaller than his was humiliating.
"Got permission, so next."
"W-Wait, let's rest a bit."
Gyeon-u and Seon-yul's adventure wasn't easy.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The next member they found was Yun Byeol.
She was reading in the public library.
Gyeon-u found her in the silent reading room—chatting forbidden—and silently gestured for her to come out to the garden.
'She's a total baby? Elementary schooler?'
Unlike Gyeon-u, who was used to seeing Yun Byeol often, Seon-yul couldn't help but be shocked at first sight.
A member who looked this young?
Unless the group concept was that, they wouldn't work with elementary kids, so at least high school...
'Does she wear that outfit even outside?'
And something else bugged Gyeon-u a lot.
Yun Byeol looked perfectly dressed in matching training clothes top and bottom.
But back at the office and the side room next door, she always had a bunny girl outfit under those.
No matter how you looked at her tiny frame and outrageous clothes, it screamed crime. The initial shock hadn't faded.
'Her tastes, man.'
And it was odd that someone who looked like that was holed up in a library reading physical books.
E-books were so advanced these days—why come all the way to the library for paper ones?
Sure, library books were free, but it didn't seem like modern kids' tastes.
"Byeol-ah, I want to release two debut original songs, but the president said it wouldn't be fair to the other members, so get their permission."
Byeol just blinked her big eyes at Gyeon-u's explanation—no verbal reply.
For a moment, Gyeon-u wondered if she hadn't understood.
She thought of her as an adult member, but her appearance kept suggesting a kid around 10.
Plus, she claimed to be 0 years old.
Really a weird kid.
"I'll cover production costs from my salary. Not using company money. The composer's passionate too, and I don't want to scrap either song. So, can you give permission?"
"Inochi mijikashi, uta-se yo otome."
"What?"
The sudden Japanese caught Gyeon-u off-guard—her superficial Japanese skills couldn't parse it.
Luckily, Yun Byeol repeated it in Korean.
"Life is short, so sing, girl."
Communication wasn't clicking.
Or was it?
Gyeon-u asked once more.
"You'll give permission, right?"
Nod.
This time, Byeol agreed with action instead of words.
"Looks like... success. Composer."
"Seems so, singer."
It might look like simple talk, but complex emotions hid here.
*Call me oppa without drawing lines,* Seon-yul thought, but obviously couldn't say it, so he mirrored with "singer" for "composer."
But Gyeon-u felt good hearing it.
She really was a singer now.
Releasing songs and calling herself one wasn't hard, but these days were fun every single day.
She didn't know the future, but scraping by as a delivery rider had been hell for her, even if others didn't get it.
"Let's do our best together!"
"I'll give it my all."
Messaged the president: All members' permission secured.
Officially, Gyeon-u was set for two original debut songs.
That meant double the workload!
Gyeon-u had thought her surprisingly lax routine could use some busyness, but she didn't know yet.
That debut would bring even more busyness as it neared.
Especially with two songs—she'd be way busier!
But it wasn't tough busyness.
It was joyful, passionate immersion in what she loved.
Gyeon-u felt it.
Her life now was fuller and more beautiful than ever.