I Became a Member of My Favorite Group! - Chapter 38

The sudden news from Da-jeong left everyone in shock.

It wasn’t just Kang Ha-neul—the viewers were equally stunned.

• Holy crap
• This is seriously bad
• It’s not just a water leak Wow

The ceiling collapsing? Unbelievable.

For the viewers who had just heard about Da-jeong’s unfortunate circumstances, their hearts were breaking.

No matter how old the house was, it was still Da-jeong’s only place of refuge.

And now, even that had been destroyed.

『B-but at least I moved the computer in time, so it’s fine. If I buy a new desk tomorrow, I can stream from the living room.』

Perhaps sensing everyone’s reactions, Da-jeong, who had been sniffling for a while, tried to comfort Kang Ha-neul and the viewers instead.

But to Kang Ha-neul, her words were nothing short of absurd.

“What do you mean, stream? Forget about streaming! Are you hurt?”

『N-no. Thankfully, I was in the living room when it collapsed…』

“Sigh…”

Was it just the room and not the entire house?

If so, that was at least some consolation.

A computer could always be replaced if it broke, but if Da-jeong had gotten hurt, Kang Ha-neul wouldn’t have been able to sleep tonight.

『I’m really sorry, CEO…』

Amid the brief silence, Da-jeong’s apology followed.

Kang Ha-neul felt a surge of frustration.

Not anger toward Da-jeong, of course.

It was more like resentment toward the heavens for being so unfair to this poor girl.

And at the same time, it pained her to see Da-jeong acting as if this were her fault, even in such an unfair situation.

“No, why are you apologizing? This isn’t your fault, Lulu.”

『But… I promised to work hard on streaming… I feel so bad toward you and the Cherries… Hic!』

• ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ (Crying)
• Lulu-chan ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
• Don’t feel sorry for this…
• Damn, even I’m sad listening to this…

The chat turned into a sea of tears at Da-jeong’s heartbreaking apology.

Even though she must have been the most shocked by the sudden accident, she still felt sorry toward her fans first.

Her kind-hearted nature was both touching and heartbreaking.

In a way, it was very much like Da-jeong.

She wasn’t sad about her house collapsing—she was more upset about not being able to keep her promise to Kang Ha-neul and the viewers.

“Lulu, stop crying! Snap out of it! Let’s put our heads together and figure out a solution. Can you come out now?”

While calming Da-jeong down, Kang Ha-neul decided to act quickly.

Though it was a sorry thing to say, part of her thought this might actually be a good thing.

It gave her a perfect excuse to provide Da-jeong with a new place to live.

『Yes…』

“Then I’ll head out right now. Call a taxi and come over. The other members are probably done streaming by now, so let’s all gather and brainstorm.”

Da-jeong was the one who streamed the latest at Blue LUV.

So by now, the other members would have already finished their streams and be resting.

Though she felt bad for disturbing their rest, Kang Ha-neul decided to gather the members and come up with a plan.

『I’m sorry… I’m causing trouble for you and the members because of me…』

“Tsk! I told you not to apologize. It’s fine, just trust me.”

• Kyaa
• I’m dying 
• Seriously so cool
• I’ll protect my employees Wow

The chat exploded with admiration for Kang Ha-neul’s cool and decisive actions.

Long-time viewers of her stream knew that, for all her quirks, Kang Ha-neul was someone who took great care of those around her.

『U-um, CEO. Can I clean up the room a bit before I leave? There’s so much water, I think I need to borrow a basin from the neighbor…』

“Sure, clean up and come out. It’ll take me some time to get there anyway.”

The other members wouldn’t be able to come out immediately either, so they’d need some time.

Understanding this, Kang Ha-neul nodded gently and ended the call.

Click-

“Guys, I’m going to end the stream early today. I’ll finish the rest tomorrow. Sorry.”

She immediately apologized to the viewers.

She hadn’t even been gaming for long before she had to end the stream.

• No problem
• It’s fine, just take care of Lulu
• Leave this to us and go!
• CEO Kang really is busy now that she’s a CEO LOLOL

The viewers unanimously gave their approval.

Some even urged her to stop apologizing and just hurry up and go.

[‘CloudDanJeongFund’ donated 1,000,000 won!]

• Give this to Lulu-chan

Just before ending the stream, a large donation came in, and Kang Ha-neul smiled wryly and nodded.

Even though there was no camera to show her reaction to the viewers.

“Got it, I’ll give it to her. You can see her reaction on Lulu-chan’s stream later.”

Then, after turning off her computer, she quickly left the house.

She brushed off her family’s questions about where she was going so late at night with vague answers.

＊＊＊＊＊

The place Kang Ha-neul gathered the members was a café near the city center.

It was open 24 hours, which was good in case their discussion ran long.

Most importantly, it had private rooms, making it a perfect spot to avoid prying eyes.

As Kang Ha-neul fiddled with her hands, trying to calm her nerves while waiting for the coffee she’d ordered,

“CEO!”

“Oh, you’re all here?”

Compared to Da-jeong, who lived far away and was delayed by cleaning up her room, the other members arrived earlier.

Including So-eun, the manager, five people entered the room at once, quickly filling it up.

“Sorry for calling you all out so late. You were probably resting.”

“No, it’s fine. But is it true that Da-jeong’s house collapsed?”

“Yeah, apparently the ceiling of her room caved in. I saw the photos she sent…”

Answering Jia’s question, Kang Ha-neul showed the members the photos Da-jeong had sent earlier.

The pictures showed a bedroom in such a dire state that it was almost embarrassing to even call it a room anymore, with the ceiling completely collapsed.

“What is this…?”

“How does a house even collapse like that?”

“It rained a lot earlier, so that’s probably why.”

“Even so…”

The members collectively expressed their shock at the devastating scene.

What on earth was this?

What was even more absurd was that, even if the ceiling hadn’t collapsed, the room looked like it was in terrible condition.

“Da-jeong should be here soon. Before she arrives, I wanted to discuss something with you all…”

“Discuss?”

Yuna tilted her head and asked.

Bringing up a discussion before Da-jeong even arrived made it sound like there was something they needed to talk about without her.

“Even if we find her a new place to live, given her personality, I doubt she’ll accept it.”

“Ah…”

“Come on, Da-jeong wouldn’t do that, would she? Her house is in that state.”

“Right, CEO. Da-jeong would know it’s impossible to keep living there.”

While So-eun, the manager, looked a bit taken aback by Kang Ha-neul’s subtle remark, the other members had a slightly different reaction.

Even considering Da-jeong’s personality, they couldn’t imagine her being stubborn about staying in such a harsh environment.

But when Kang Ha-neul responded, their expressions hardened.

“Apparently, that’s not the case. When I talked to Da-jeong earlier, I told her I’d find her a new place to live, but she said she’d just fix the ceiling with the contract money she received and keep living there, streaming from the living room for now.”

“What?!”

“No way… What’s the point of fixing a house like that…?”

As sad as it was to say, some things just weren’t worth fixing.

If the building was that old, even if they called in professionals to repair it, the same thing would likely happen again soon.

What she needed wasn’t remodeling—it was moving out.

“So, that’s why I’m asking. Do any of you have a good way to convince her?”

“Convince her?”

“That’s tough…”

“Da-jeong really hates relying on others…”

Even the members, who initially thought it might be easy to persuade her, found it hard to come up with ideas after hearing Kang Ha-neul’s words.

They knew better than anyone how much Da-jeong disliked burdening others, almost to the point of being obsessive about it.

“Um, CEO. If no one else has any ideas, can I suggest something?”

“Sure. Go ahead, So-eun.”

Just as no one could come up with a good solution, So-eun cautiously raised her hand and asked to speak.

She had thought of a surefire way to convince even someone as stubborn as Da-jeong.

“The problem is that Da-jeong is reluctant to accept help and hates being a burden, right?”

“Exactly.”

“Then what if we use that against her and dangle something she’d really like as bait?”

“Bait?”

Kang Ha-neul looked puzzled at the unexpected word.

Plus, the idea of using Da-jeong’s personality against her didn’t quite click.

“First, what does Da-jeong love the most?”

“That would be us, her members.”

“Right. The most precious thing to Da-jeong is none other than Blue LUV.”

As So-eun nodded confidently, Kang Ha-neul felt a sudden chill.

Could it be…?

“…You’re not suggesting we threaten to kick her out of the group if she doesn’t move, are you?”

“CEO, what kind of person do you think I am…?”

“Ahem, sorry.”

It was a fleeting, dark thought, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

If So-eun had suggested something like that, Kang Ha-neul would’ve immediately scolded her.

How could anyone say something so cruel to someone whose heart was already as broken as their home?

“What I’m suggesting is this…”

Gesturing for the members to gather closer, So-eun began to explain her carefully planned strategy.

As they listened, everyone’s eyes gradually widened.

It was a solid plan.

Most importantly, it was a way to persuade Da-jeong without making her feel burdened, and it was very convincing.

There probably wasn’t a better idea than this.

“Oh, this is good! It feels a bit like tricking an innocent kid, but…”

“There’s such a thing as a good lie, you know. I think it’s fine in this case, CEO!”

“Right. Even if she finds out, Da-jeong would understand.”

As everyone finally nodded in agreement, a faint smile appeared on So-eun’s lips.

There was no need to seek further approval.

This reaction alone confirmed that no one would oppose the plan.

“Alright, then when Da-jeong gets here, everyone better act your part.”

And so, the curtain was about to rise on what they called the “Da-jeong Rescue Operation.”