I Became a Member of My Favorite Group! - Chapter 13

The first thought that crossed my mind when I saw the avatar was simple.

‘Is that really me?’

The quality of the avatar was just that high, even the other members were speechless for a moment, only letting out amazed “Wow”s.

It seemed like they had commissioned an incredibly talented illustrator.

Though it didn’t quite suit me with an adorable pose and making a heart, With messy, unkempt pink hair and sky-blue eyes that looked like they were copied straight from me. The outfit, as per my request for something simple, was overalls.

The doll sitting on my head was probably an axolotl.

After all, the motif for my avatar was an axolotl.

Why an axolotl, you ask? Well…

There were plenty of conventional options.

Like a dog or a cat, but the CEO had told me to think about the avatar as “the version of myself I want to be,” so I gave it some thought.

I didn’t want to be a dog because I was bitten by one as a kid.

And if you asked if I wanted to be a cat, I didn’t like how lonely that seemed.

Then, the axolotl came to mind.

When I was younger, I got some kind of cultural experience voucher from the government, and that was the first time I ever went to an aquarium.

That’s where I saw an axolotl, and I thought its dumb yet cute appearance was oddly charming.

I also envied how freely it swam in the water.

So, thinking it would probably get rejected anyway, I timidly told the CEO, “I want to be an axolotl.”

After staring at me for a while, the CEO burst out laughing and said, “Alright.”

At first, I thought I’d misheard.

---

“I was worried it might look creepy since it’s an axolotl, but it’s just super cute!”

Yuna, who had been staring at the avatar for a while, said with sparkling eyes.

Somehow, she seemed even happier than when her own avatar was revealed.

Honestly, I’m a bit flustered too. Is it okay to have my avatar be this cute?

“Well, it’s an axolotl, but it’s a humanized axolotl.”

“I like the doll on her head too. It’s so cute to imagine Da-jeong hugging a doll like that at home.”

“N-no, I don’t have any dolls at home, unnie…”

I waved my hands in shock as Jia unnie said something terrifying.

Of course, I know it’s silly to divide things by gender, but still, a cute doll like that doesn’t really suit a guy’s room. I’m a proper man, you know.

Well, I was a man.

By the way, I never requested anything about a doll.

Did the avatar creator or the company add that concept on their own?

It’s cute, but it doesn’t feel like it suits me.

“Um, CEO.”

I made up my mind and cautiously spoke to the CEO.

The members’ gazes turned to me as well.

“Hmm?”

“I’m sorry, but… can we remove the doll on my head?”

“We can, but… why?”

After the CEO asked for a reason, the members chimed in with, “Yeah, why? It’s so cute.”

Well, I know it’s cute.

That’s exactly why I want to remove it.

“It’s too cute, and I don’t think it suits me.”

“Huh…? What do you mean?”

The CEO asked, clearly not understanding.

The members also tilted their heads, looking at me like I’d said something strange.

Huh? Did I say something wrong?

Worried I might have misspoken, I shrunk back and spoke again.

“I-I’m not cute. So, I don’t think something like this doll suits me.”

“You’re… not cute?”

“Yes.”

I nodded quickly, clenching my fists.

The CEO tilted her head even further.

“The way you’re saying that is cute, though.”

“…Huh?”

Cute?

What’s cute about me?

Hearing that for the first time, I blinked in confusion.

Could the CEO have seen a different Jeong Da-jeong in her dreams?

Otherwise, I can’t make sense of this.

“Ask the members. I bet they’ll all say you’re cute. I’m not the weird one here.”

“Huh? Th-that can’t be…”

I blinked and turned my head, only to see the members surrounding me.

Not believing it, I approached Jia unnie first.

She seemed like the least likely to lie.

“Unnie, right? I’m not cute…”

“Uh, yeah…? I think you’re plenty cute…”

What is this?

Jia unnie, are you secretly good at lying?

I trusted you! I trusted you!

“Da-jeong, do you not like being called cute?”

As I hung my head in despair, Chae-yoon unnie approached and asked.

“It’s not that I don’t like it. It’s just… it doesn’t suit me, so it feels awkward…”

Of course, it’s a compliment, so it’s not like it feels bad, although as someone who used to be a guy, hearing that makes me feel itchy inside.

It’s like I want to scream, “Ahhh!”

“S-so, saying ‘cute’ is forbidden! At least in front of me… Hng?!”

I tried to declare it with a dignified tone, raising my hand when suddenly something filled my vision again and I couldn’t breathe.

Is this déjà vu?

“Da-jeong, are you doing this on purpose? Are you teasing your unnies because you know it makes you cuter?”

“N-no, I’m not…!”

What part of what I just said was teasing?

I struggled to escape Ra-hee unnie’s grip, but she didn’t seem to have any intention of letting me go.

No!

I haven’t even seen our Blue Angels debut yet—I can’t die like this!

“Phew!”

Luckily, I managed to break free when her grip loosened.

I almost shook hands with the Grim Reaper.

“Can’t we shrink Da-jeong down and carry her around in our pockets?”

“Modern technology isn’t that advanced yet…

I walked over to the chair and sat down, teasing Ra-hee unnie, who was seriously pondering something strange.

“Da-jeong looks cute even when she’s just sitting.”

“Ugh, please save me…”

Chae-yoon unnie, sitting cross-legged in front of me, started teasing me again by calling me “cute.” Now, with no energy left to resist, I melted like a slime and slumped over the table, whining.

“Sniff, sniff…”

Then, a sweet scent wafted into my nose.

Wait, this smell feels familiar…

“Want some snacks, Da-jeong?”

“…Huh!”

As if to prove my sense of smell wasn’t wrong.

When I cautiously opened my eyes, Yuna was holding out a chocolate snack in front of me, unwrapped.

It was the same snack I had eaten nearly ten of in the waiting room during the interview.

“I’ll feed you, say ‘ah~’.”

“Ah, ah~.”

When I fed Ra-hee unnie the sweet potato candy earlier, I didn’t think much of it, but now that I’m the one being fed, it feels a bit awkward. Maybe it’s because the setup feels like a baby bird being fed by its mother, but the snack is innocent, so okay.

Crunch—

“Is it good?”

“Hehe, yeah. It’s delicious. This is my favorite snack.”

“Wow, really?”

Yuna looked surprised, as if she hadn’t expected that when she just handed it to me.

I nodded, still slumped over the table, savoring the taste of the snack.

“Yeah, but it’s too expensive, so I can’t buy it often.”

That’s the only downside.

This perfect combination of sweetness and crunchiness is heavenly, but a box with only eight pieces costs a whopping 5,000 won.

So, back when I was working part-time, I could only afford to buy it on days when I decided to splurge.

“…I see. Then eat a lot! There’s plenty here.”

‘I’ll unwrap another one for you,’ Yuna said, peeling off the wrapper and bringing another snack to my mouth.

Is it okay to indulge in such an expensive snack like this?

Besides, this money probably came straight from the CEO’s pocket.

“Hurry up, my arm’s getting tired.”

“Uh, okay.”

I couldn’t keep Yuna waiting, so I decided to eat just one more.

Thinking about it now, I’m amazed at how I managed to eat nearly ten of these expensive snacks during the interview.

Maybe I was just too excited to eat them after so long, but they’re just too delicious, so what can I do?

It’s all this snack’s fault for being so good, yeah.

In the end, like a smoker trying to quit, I couldn’t stop at two and secretly hoped for a third snack.

“Y-Yuna.”

“Huh? What’s up, unnie?”

“Can I have one too?”

“You want some too? Here, take it.”

“Th-thanks.”

Suddenly, a conversation started between Jia unnie and Yuna, and another snack was pushed in front of me, but for some reason the hand holding the snack looked a bit different from before.

The fingers were slightly longer, and there was even subtle nail art.

“D-Da-jeong. Say ‘ah~’.”

“…Huh?”

Turns out, the person offering the snack had switched to Jia unnie.

She looked down at me with expectant eyes, mimicking Yuna’s actions.

It felt like feeding a cute animal.

Not that Jia unnie would think of me as an animal, but still.

For now, I’ll just eat without overthinking it.

Crunch—

“How is it…? Is it good?”

“Yes!”

“R-really? Hehe…”

I nodded at the obvious question, wondering if I even needed to answer.

Then, I felt Jia unnie’s hand gently patting my head, accompanied by an uncharacteristically eerie laugh.

Wait, shouldn’t we be practicing for the broadcast instead of doing this?

Hmm, the CEO is just watching us without saying anything, so it should be fine, right?

I’ll just take a little break for now.