I Became a Member of My Favorite Group! - Chapter 20

The walk to the company is always enjoyable.

If I said this in front of ordinary office workers, they’d probably freak out.

But for me, the company is a place that’s very different from the image most people have of it.

Today, in particular, my steps toward the company feel especially light.

Of course they are.

Today is the day our Blue LUV’s PV video is released.

“Hmm, hmm~”

Humming a tune, I arrived at the company.

I must have arrived at just the right time because I see Chae-yoon unnie approaching from ahead.

As soon as I spotted her, I waved enthusiastically.

“Unnie!”

“Oh? Da-jeong! You’re here early.”

“Hehe, I’m just so excited about the PV.”

“You too? I couldn’t sleep at all last night. I wonder how I’ll survive the actual debut day.”

Chae-yoon unnie smiled wryly and patted my head.

Why do all our members go crazy over patting my head whenever they see me?

Even Yuna, who’s the same age as me.

It’s not that I dislike it, but it feels like I’m being treated like a kid, which is a bit weird.

“Sigh, debut is only four days away now.”

“Right. These days feel like they’re dragging by so slowly.”

“Same. I just want to debut already, like ‘better to get the beating over with’…”

Nodding in agreement with my words, Chae-yoon unnie opened the door for me.

---

Actually, my reason is a bit different from what unnie said.

I’m not that nervous about my debut.

It’s just that thinking about Blue LUV’s debut makes time feel slower because of the anticipation.

I wish people could experience the charm of our Blue LUV as soon as possible.

“What brings you two here together today?”

---

As we headed to the third floor where the meeting room was, we ran into the manager carrying something in the hallway.

Upon closer look, it was a carrier for multiple drinks, like the ones used at cafes.

Seeing that there were five cups, I wondered if she had prepared them for us.

“Ah, So-eun unnie. I told you to drop the formalities.”

Unlike me, who bowed my head politely, Chae-yoon unnie voiced her dissatisfaction.

It’s been over a month since we’ve known each other, but the manager’s stiff tone still doesn’t sit well with her.

Honestly, it bothers me a bit too.

She’s five years older than me, after all.

But I’ve been trying not to pay too much attention, thinking the manager must have her reasons….

Chae-yoon unnie is really bold.

“I’m just more comfortable this way. Besides….”

The manager’s gaze shifted toward me as she responded to Chae-yoon unnie’s complaint.

Ah, did she not see me greeting her?

Does she think I’m being rude?

“Ah, hello, Manager-nim….”

Just in case, I bowed again and greeted her.

Then, the manager, who had been staring at me intently, casually remarked,

“If we’re pointing out mistakes, doesn’t Da-jeong-ssi also have a fault for not calling me unnie?”

“That’s because you only use formal speech, so it’s awkward. Right, Da-jeong?”

“Huh?”

Why is the arrow suddenly being pointed at me?

I’ve never really felt uncomfortable with the manager.

Sure, her constant use of formal speech creates a bit of distance, but….

Speech style is a personal choice, after all.

The only reason I don’t call the manager “unnie” is because we haven’t settled on titles yet.

“Um… Manager-nim, would you prefer if I called you unnie?”

“It’s not so much about preference, but it feels a bit disappointing when everyone else calls me unnie except you.”

The manager, who’s usually expressionless, pouted for the first time.

Oh, I see.

I can see how that might feel like favoritism from her perspective.

As the manager said, the CEO is an exception since she’s the CEO.

“Then should I call you unnie from now on…?”

“Oh, that would be nice. Since we’re on the topic, could you call me that once?”

Huh? R-right now?

It’s not hard to call her that, but….

With Chae-yoon unnie watching, it feels strangely embarrassing.

“So… So-eun unnie…?”

But since the manager—no, So-eun unnie—is asking so earnestly, I can’t refuse.

Fidgeting with my hands and squinting my eyes, I finally let the new title slip out.

Pat pat—

Then, So-eun unnie patted my head with her free hand, as if saying, “Good job.”

Her face was now beaming with a bright smile.

Seeing her like that made me happy too.

Before I knew it, I found myself grinning like an idiot, going, “Hehe….”

At that moment.

“What are you guys doing there? Hurry up and come in.”

Suddenly, the CEO appeared from behind the open meeting room door.

Spotting us huddled in the hallway, she expressed her confusion.

Startled, we quickly rushed into the meeting room.

“The coffee’s here.”

“Hi, everyone!”

So-eun unnie and Chae-yoon unnie entered the meeting room in order.

Excited to meet the other members, I was about to step in when—

Whoosh—

“Da-jeong? Where do you think you’re going?”

Suddenly, the CEO hugged me from behind and spoke in a chilling tone.

Wait, is this even a hug?

The strength in her arms feels more like a hunter catching prey…?!

“D-did I do something wrong…?”

Not understanding why the CEO was acting like this, I shrunk back and asked.

“Oh, you’re acting all cute and trying to sneak past me!”

“W-what…?!”

But the CEO seemed to think I was acting, raising her voice and growling at me.

Wait, I wasn’t acting cute…?!

“Do you remember what you did three days ago? You’ve confessed your own crime!”

“T-three days ago…?”

What happened three days ago?

I think I was playing games with Yuna that day.

I had to stop for a bit because of something, but….

…Huh? Wait.

Now that I think about it, what was that “something”?

I remember talking to the CEO on Discord and then on stream….

“…Ah.”

As the memory came back, a sigh escaped my lips.

No way…?

“Hehe, you remember now, don’t you? Our maknae.”

Crack— The strength in the arms wrapped around me gradually increased.

I could almost see the veins popping on the CEO’s forehead.

“C-CEO, that was for the stream….”

“Ah, so our maknae was looking out for my stream angle?”

“Y-yes! That’s why I had no choice… hehe….”

It’s not like I did it just because I wanted to tease the CEO.

I’m glad the CEO understood that.

As I felt the strength in her arms loosen slightly, I was about to express my relief when—

“…Huh?”

The CEO grabbed my shoulders and turned me around.

---

Thud—

She placed her hands on my shoulders as if slapping them.

Then, at eye level, she opened her mouth.

“Then, on debut day, if you show me just one aegyo, I’ll let it slide.”

“A-aegyo? I don’t really do that kind of thing….”

There’s no way I, who used to be a guy, can pull off aegyo!

CEO, why are you putting me through this trial…!

“This is all for the sake of the stream angle. You know what I mean, right? Our maknae.”

“…Yes.”

I tried to resist somehow, but the CEO’s emphasis on “stream angle” crushed any chance of that.

If I refuse here, it’s obvious what’s going to happen.

You’re willing to tease the CEO for the stream angle, but you can’t even do aegyo?

If you’re going to act like this, it’s a no-brainer.

In the end, four days before debut.

I was devastated by the fact that I had been given the task of pulling off awkward aegyo in front of viewers.

…Is it too late to run away now?

＊＊＊＊＊

After the commotion died down.

We huddled around the computer to watch the PV video.

From the finally revealed avatars to the visuals, everything was perfect and incredibly satisfying.

Especially when I checked the comments on the video, the reactions were quite positive.

It felt completely different from when the initial Blue Project announcement video was released.

• Suddenly, I’m really looking forward to this. Cloud squad, thumbs up! LOLOLOL
  ㄴ It’s fine, LOLOLOL
  ㄴ Huh… I might actually like this kind of thing?
  ㄴ Ha-neul said the members all have different personalities. I’m so curious.
• I can’t believe I’m watching VTubers now because of this girl…
  ㄴ Hey, let’s go, Mubara! This is going to be lit!
  ㄴ Just die already… I shouldn’t say that, right?
  ㄴ But honestly, it seems pretty good, LOLOL.
• LOLOLOL, when the recruitment video came out, I was like, “Why am I even watching this?” But now all the Cloud Team members are suddenly hyped. It’s so funny, LOLOL.
  ㄴ How much gaslighting did Kang Ha-neul do…
  ㄴ After watching the recent video, it’s hard not to be excited, LOLOL.
  ㄴ For real, LOL. The maknae and her back-and-forth were insane.
  ㄴ She seems to really understand stream angles, LOL.

Yeah, it seems like everyone’s really looking forward to it.

Of course, there are still some negative opinions, but I believe Blue LUV can change that.

After all, I’ve already seen this kind of scenery before.

“How’s the reaction? Is it good?”

The CEO, who had just returned from the restroom, asked us as we stared intently at the computer.

As if we’d been waiting for this, we all nodded vigorously at the same time.

It was a reaction we hadn’t even expected.

“Yes! It’s really good. Everyone seems to be looking forward to it.”

“Reading the comments is making me even more nervous.”

“Of course they should. My kids are so cute. And there’s no need to be nervous. Just prove yourselves.”

The CEO made a satisfied expression, going, “Mhm.”

Then, she gathered us around a large table and said, “First, as you all know, we’ll be doing the debut stream in four days.”

“All five of us will debut with time intervals throughout the day, right?”

Yuna raised her hand and asked as soon as the CEO finished speaking.

When virtual groups debut with multiple members, it’s usually done that way.

But the CEO shook her head as if to say no.

“Hmm. Actually, I discussed this with the manager. Since there are five of you, it might be a bit much, and debuting all of you in one day might split the viewers.”

“That’s true.”

Jia unnie also seemed to share the concern, nodding in agreement.

“So, I’m thinking of spreading the debut stream over three days.”

“Three days?”

“Yeah. Two, two, one. That seems just right, doesn’t it?”

That makes sense.

From the viewers’ perspective, it would be easier to get to know the members one by one.

When Blue LUV debuted, they also split the debut over two days, with two members debuting each day with time intervals.

“So, the last member gets the solo spotlight, right?”

“In a way, yes. But on the flip side, it could also be more pressure.”

It depends on how you look at it.

If it were me, I might consider it an advantage.

Because I’d have more time to prepare after watching the other members’ debut videos.

“So, I’m thinking of deciding this part by vote. Which member do you think would be perfect for the solo spotlight? Can you point them out?”

Ugh, this is tough.

A solo spotlight?

If we’re talking about flashiness, Ra-hee unnie or Jia unnie might be the best fit….

But Yuna’s cuteness and energy are just as impressive.

And Chae-yoon unnie’s outstanding vocals and girl-crush charm are undeniable.

“Yes.”

“I’ve decided.”

“Me too!”

“This seems like there’s no disagreement, right?”

Unlike me, who was racking my brain over the decision.

The other members already seemed to have made up their minds, wearing calm expressions.

“Alright. Then on the count of three, point. Got it? One, two, three….”

“W-wait, CEO! Hold on…!”

Thinking everyone had already decided, the CEO immediately started counting.

Just as I was about to frantically stop her.

Snap—

“…Huh?”

As if they had planned it.

All four hands pointed at me in unison.

Even the CEO looked like she had anticipated this, wearing a “I knew it” expression.

W-what?

Am I the only one who doesn’t understand this situation?

Why me…?!

“Alright, then the solo debut member on the last day will be Da-jeong.”

“Wha…?!”

Before I could even protest.

The CEO wrote my name in the last blank space on the schedule.

Wait a minute…!

Me? Solo debut? What is this? Everyone!