I Became a Member of My Favorite Group! - Chapter 26
Drunk Da-jeong is Dangerous!The day after my long-awaited and somewhat successful debut broadcast,
I finished a quick shower and left the house.
It was to celebrate the end of the debut broadcasts with the members.
Originally, we were supposed to do it yesterday, but Ra-hee unnie had something come up, so we postponed it by a day.
A one-day delay didn’t matter much to me.
“Thank you. Have a good day!”
The meetup was at 11, but I left the house at 10:50, so I had no choice but to take a taxi.
Of course, it’s a waste of precious money,
But the members’ time is more valuable to me.
“Huff, huff…!”
As soon as I got out at the chicken place Jia unnie sent me the address for, I ran as fast as I could.
“Welcome.”
“Ah, hello…”
Leaving the welcoming staff behind, I looked around.
It was the weekend, so there were quite a few people out for late-night snacks.
Where could the members be?
“Da-jeong! Over here, over here!”
“Ah…!”
While I was crouching like a shrimp among the bustling staff,
I saw someone waving happily at me from a corner seat.
It was none other than Chae-yoon unnie.
“S-Sorry I’m late. I was tidying up a bit…”
“You’re not even late. It’s fine, come sit.”
Chae-yoon unnie brushed it off with her usual easygoing smile and gestured for me to sit.
Then, Ra-hee unnie tilted her head with a mischievous smile and spoke up.
“If you’re really sorry, why don’t you sit next to me?”
“Hmph! Ra-hee unnie, you’ve been trying to monopolize Da-jeong for a while now, haven’t you?”
Yuna’s complaint followed immediately.
I have no idea what they’re fighting over,
But to ease Ra-hee unnie’s anger a little, I quietly moved to sit next to her.
“Ah, there’s a seat here too…”
Jia unnie muttered regretfully, but it was too late to move now.
By the way, why is everyone trying to get me to sit next to them?
A small question popped into my mind.
Squeeze—
“Our Da-jeong, you worked hard yesterday. You did much better than I expected.”
“R-Really? Hehe… I’m glad.”
As soon as I sat down, Ra-hee unnie hugged me and didn’t hold back on the praise.
Honestly, I was a bit suffocated by Ra-hee unnie’s overwhelming chest,
But hearing her praise made me feel so good that it didn’t matter.
“Here’s your chicken.”
While I was enjoying the warmth of Ra-hee unnie’s hug,
The staff brought over a tray full of chicken and beer.
They must’ve ordered it before I arrived.
“Da-jeong, do you like chicken?”
As I unconsciously opened my mouth at the sight of the garlic-covered chicken,
Jia unnie, who had been watching me intently, asked about my food preferences.
I immediately nodded.
“Yes, I like it. Sometimes, when I get dining support vouchers, I buy chicken with them.”
“Dining support vouchers?”
It must’ve been an unfamiliar term.
Jia unnie blinked and tilted her head.
“They’re vouchers given by the district office. You can use them at certain restaurants to buy food. They give them out once every quarter… and there’s a chicken place near my house that accepts them.”
“There’s something like that?”
“Yes, and they give you 50,000 won, so I could buy a whole chicken once a month.”
The chicken place didn’t deliver, but they sold at a reasonable price.
With 50,000 won, I could buy four chickens and still have change left.
But if I wanted seasoned chicken, 50,000 won wasn’t enough for four, so I always got fried chicken.
It was still delicious, though.
“I-I see. I’m sure the chicken here is good too. It’s really famous on social media. Go ahead and try it.”
“Da-jeong, dip it in this sauce and add some garlic. It’s even better.”
“Really? Then I’ll try it that way.”
Following Jia unnie’s suggestion and Yuna’s recipe recommendation, I decided to try it.
It seemed too big to eat in one bite, so I cut it a little…
Added some garlic, dipped it in the sauce, and took a bite.
Crunch—
“Mmm…?!”
An involuntary sound escaped me as a wave of flavor hit me.
The crispiness of the fried coating, even with the sauce.
The sharpness of the garlic and the sweet-spicy flavor of the sauce.
Everything was fantastic.
It made the fried chicken I’d been eating until now seem like child’s play.
“Hehe, it’s so delicious…!”
Overwhelmed with happiness, I couldn’t help but laugh like a fool.
It felt childish to be so happy over food, but…
What can I do? It’s just too good.
“I’m glad you like it. Eat up, Da-jeong. Okay? Let me know if you want more.”
“Yes, unnie.”
Ra-hee unnie wiped the sauce off my mouth and patted my shoulder.
I felt like a little kid, but I didn’t have time to care.
The chicken in front of me was more important.
“By the way, Da-jeong, have you ever had alcohol? We ordered some beer.”
“Just once. After I turned 20. I was curious, so I tried it, but…”
“You didn’t like it?”
“…Yeah, honestly, it was really bad.”
I’ve heard a lot about chicken and beer, but I honestly don’t get why people drink it.
I still can’t forget the taste of the beer I tried when I turned 20.
Pairing something like that with this delicious chicken? People’s taste buds must be broken.
“We also have fruit wine. Should we order that? It’s sweet and tasty.”
“Fruit wine?”
While I was focused on the chicken, ignoring the beer glass in front of me,
Chae-yoon unnie pointed at the menu and asked curiously.
Fruit wine?
Isn’t it all just alcohol anyway?
“It doesn’t really taste like alcohol, just like fruit. Want to try it?”
“If it’s like that… I’ll try it.”
Everyone’s drinking beer, so it’d be awkward if I didn’t.
And if it doesn’t taste like alcohol, it should be fine, right?
I nodded.
I’ll just treat it like a drink.
“Alright. Then I’ll order an apple beer for you.”
“Okay!”
As Chae-yoon unnie quickly called a passing staff member, a sudden sense of unease washed over me.
Surely I won’t get drunk and make a mistake, right?
Well, if I start feeling drunk, I’ll just stop.
And since it’s alcohol, it probably won’t taste good anyway, so I won’t want more.
Yeah, that’s it.
＊＊＊＊＊
What on earth is happening?
All the members of Blue Love, except Da-jeong, were thinking the same thing.
The scene unfolding before their eyes was hard to believe.
“Hehehe… I’m drinking…”
Da-jeong, who had been gulping down the half-finished beer, melted like a slime.
As she let out a dazed laugh in that state, the four members exchanged glances.
Finally, Jia, the eldest, stepped up.
“D-Da-jeong? You seem a bit drunk, so maybe you should stop…”
She quietly moved the beer glass out of Da-jeong’s sight.
As she patted Da-jeong’s back and spoke in a soothing tone,
“Huh? Hehe, Jia unnie…”
Squeeze—
“D-Da-jeong…?!”
Da-jeong, with a dazed look in her eyes, suddenly hugged Jia.
Caught off guard by the unexpected attack, Jia widened her eyes and looked down at Da-jeong in her arms.
The Da-jeong she knew would never initiate such actions.
“Hehe, I really like Jia unnie… I love all the Blue Love members…”
“Hng…!”
Jia clutched her chest at Da-jeong’s adorable, sleep-talking-like muttering.
How could such an innocent and cute creature exist?
If UNESCO knew about this girl, they’d probably designate her as a World Heritage Site immediately.
That’s how overwhelming her cuteness was.
“Unnie, let’s settle the bill first and then take care of Da-jeong.”
“Okay, I’ll just go to the bathroom real quick.”
“Ah, me too.”
The other members, who had been watching the scene with envious eyes, finally snapped out of it and started preparing to leave.
When we first arrived, it was only around 11 PM.
But now, it was already past 1 AM, nearing 2.
At some point, the chicken became an afterthought, and we ended up chatting and laughing so much that time flew by.
The restaurant was starting to wind down, so we figured it was time to leave.
“Da-jeong, sorry, but unnie needs to grab her bag and coat real quick.”
“Okaaay…”
Jia, who had been holding Da-jeong, wasn’t much different.
Carefully setting the youngest down, she went to grab her bag and coat from the corner.
“Hmm…?”
In the meantime, Da-jeong, still dazed, noticed a light shining through her half-closed eyes.
It was her phone, sitting on the table.
Did someone text her?
Even in her drunken state, that thought crossed her mind, so she immediately unlocked her phone to check the notifications.
There, she saw the number “152” next to a red play button icon on an app.
“What’s this…!”
Annoyed, thinking it was mocking her height, Da-jeong clicked on the app and pressed the bell-shaped button next to the number.
Soon, comments from her clipping channel started pouring in.
- Owner! When’s the Lulu-chan video coming?
- It’s been a day, and it’s still not up. Is this for real?
- Forget your health, we need the video…
- I’ll stay up all night waiting…? Should I just camp here?
Most of the comments were about waiting for the edited version of Lulu’s, aka Da-jeong’s, debut broadcast.
But Da-jeong, who had no intention of editing her own debut broadcast, felt irritated seeing those comments.
Even though she would’ve normally brushed them off without a second thought.
This just goes to show how dangerous alcohol can be.
“Ugh…!”
Pouting cutely, Da-jeong furiously tapped her finger on the screen.
She moved her finger to the three dots next to the comments waiting for Lulu’s debut video.
[Delete/Block Comment]
Tap—
She pressed the delete button on the first message that popped up.
[Are you sure you want to delete this comment?]
Tap—
Then, she clicked “Yes” on the confirmation message.
Without a second thought, Da-jeong deleted one comment, but her finger didn’t stop there.
It was time for a bloodbath.
“Da-jeong, let’s head out now. Unnie will help you.”
“Okaaay…”
By the time Jia, finally done packing, came back to help Da-jeong out of the restaurant, Da-jeong’s finger finally stopped.
“Snore…”
“Da-jeong’s finally asleep.”
“We should probably let her stay at our place tonight.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea.”
After her little purge, Da-jeong fell fast asleep in Jia’s arms.
The other members discussed where Da-jeong would stay for the night before getting into their respective taxis.
This all happened a day after the monumental event of all Blue Love members making their debut.