Chapter 57: Starlight (6)

Friday afternoon.

A time when the entire company quietly prepared to welcome the weekend.

I surveyed my surroundings like a spy on an important secret mission.

I moved along the blind spots of the CCTV.

Behind me, a man with a strong, shadow-like presence followed.

Chief Kang.

He was personally selected by Yoon Taesoo and assigned to me, a taciturn but undeniably skilled ace of the technical team.

Of course, being tight-lipped was a basic requirement.

His mission today was to assist my secret rehearsal and maintain perfect silence.

Naturally, a hefty bonus was promised.

“…No one’s around, right?”

“Yes, CEO-nim. The schedule for the underground studio at this time has been cleared.”

Chief Kang replied in a low voice.

‘He’s reliable.’

Finally, I arrived in front of the motion capture studio, my destination.

When I swiped the security card, the heavy soundproof door opened with a pleasant mechanical hum.

Along with the cool air, I could feel the heat emanating from the state-of-the-art equipment.

“Is everything ready?”

“Yes, CEO-nim. It’s all set up as you requested.”

Chief Kang pointed to the control room inside the studio.

Beyond the glass, complex equipment blinked with lights.

I placed the black bag I had brought with me on the floor.

Inside was a brand-new ‘item’ that had just arrived today.

It was my own dedicated suit for moving my avatar, specially commissioned from Yoon Taesoo.

“…Well then, let’s begin.”

I took a deep breath and opened the bag.

The slight feeling of excitement was still there.

Putting on the suit was still an ordeal.

Never mind the material that clung tightly to my body; all the sensors and cables made it difficult to put on properly by myself.

Chief Kang stood beside me, his face expressionless, concisely telling me which part to pull and where to fasten.

With his help, I finally managed to put on the suit.

“Seriously, why is this so uncomfortable?”

“It’s designed to be close-fitting for the precision of the high-performance sensors. You shouldn’t have any problems with movement.”

I pouted at Chief Kang’s mechanical reply.

It was now up to me to prove whether there were problems with movement or not.

On my head, I wore a piece of equipment that looked like a cap or a helmet.

Chief Kang went into the control room to prepare for system activation.

I walked to the center of the studio.

The special panels on the floor glowed faintly in response to my footsteps.

A moment later, the giant monitor screen in front lit up brightly, and Chief Kang’s voice came through the speakers.

[CEO-nim, the system is activated. I will make some adjustments. Please stand in a T-pose.]

I did as instructed, spreading my arms out to the sides and standing straight.

For a moment, complex lines appeared and disappeared around the avatar on the screen.

[Adjustment complete. Loading avatar.]

Finally, on the screen, the ‘Zelnaga Avatar’ I had ordered appeared.

A black suit with purple and gold accents.

Its face was hidden by a smooth mask, but it was a design that announced ‘Zelnaga’ at a glance.

A sleek and charismatic silhouette.

At least, it was when standing still.

“Oh… not bad, huh?”

A satisfied sound escaped me unintentionally.

‘Indeed, the avatar artists have good sense.’

[Commencing movement test. Please slowly raise your arms.]

I consciously raised my arms slowly.

The avatar on the screen smoothly followed my arms.

[Next is the walking test. Please walk forward slowly.]

Confidence swelled within me.

I pictured in my mind the fluid, natural, and elegant walk that the members usually showed on their broadcasts.

If possible, I imagined a more stylish, imposing entrance and took my first step.

Shoulders back, stride wide, gaze fixed forward.

However, my body enacted a reality completely different from the ideal image in my head.

Stumble.

“Uh, ugh!”

My body, against my will, momentarily lost balance and tilted heavily to the left.

Was it because I was conscious of the ‘cool walk’ I didn’t usually do?

Or was it because I was conscious of my movements being displayed on the large monitor?

The avatar on the screen also swayed precariously at the same angle, perfectly recreating the ridiculous motion of desperately flailing its arms to avoid falling.

That appearance looked so, so pathetic.

[CEO-nim, are you alright? Is there any problem…?]

Chief Kang’s voice came through, but I hastily cut him off.

“No! No problem! Just continue!”

It wasn’t the floor’s fault, nor the system’s.

This was purely… a problem with my own body and awkwardness.

[Understood. Please proceed.]

Chief Kang’s voice was still flat, but I was certain.

Beyond that glass, he was definitely laughing.

Or trying to hold back laughter.

I took another deep breath and started walking.

This time, I momentarily forgot about ‘style’ and focused solely on walking as I normally would.

One step at a time.

As naturally as possible.

But the avatar on the screen was still awkward.

There was a clear disconnect between what I thought was my ‘usual walk’ and my actual movements precisely captured by the system.

It felt like a robot that hadn’t been oiled for a long time, creaking.

‘Has my usual walk really been like this?’

I couldn’t believe it.

The multi-billion won equipment wouldn’t lie.

[CEO-nim, could you try to maintain a more consistent stride? And it would look more natural if you straightened your upper body a bit more. Your center of gravity is currently leaning back slightly.]

Chief Kang’s dry but accurate feedback flowed through the speakers.

‘Center of gravity? Me? Since when has my posture been so stooped?’

I corrected my posture as he advised and walked again.

It seemed a bit better than before, but still far from good.

I never imagined that the simple act of walking, which the members made look so effortless, could be this complex and difficult.

The practice time for ‘charades,’ the next item on the agenda, was even closer to a disaster.

[Commencing practice mode. First prompt: ‘Banana’.]

The name of the yellow fruit appeared clearly at the top of the monitor.

I confidently mimed peeling a banana and taking a delicious bite.

I used a wrist snap to realistically peel it, even adding a satisfied expression.

But the avatar on the screen… well, it looked less like peeling a banana and more like it was trying to crush something, its hands twisting violently.

It seemed the sensors had exaggeratedly captured the unnecessary force and slight hand tremors due to nervousness.

The timing of opening my mouth was also completely off, making me look like a fish gasping at empty air.

[Next prompt: ‘Swimming’.]

‘This time, I’ll show them properly.’

I got down on the floor and, with big, refreshing arm strokes, assumed my most confident freestyle posture.

Power in my shoulders and arms, dynamic strokes as if cutting through water.

The avatar on the screen… was flailing desperately.

And very awkwardly at that.

Its arms and legs were completely out of sync, and its joints seemed to bend at impossible angles.

It was like watching someone on the verge of drowning, struggling to be saved.

The cool, powerful strokes I had imagined were nowhere to be seen.

“Noooooo!”

Ultimately, I couldn’t hold back a groan mixed with a scream.

My appearance on the screen was beyond ridiculous; it was pathetic and even grotesque.

‘Is that really me? Do I really move like that?’

[CEO-nim? No system error detected. Is there perhaps another problem…?]

“No! It’s fine! It was just a small mistake!”

I hastily cut off Chief Kang.

It wasn’t a system error; my body was the problem.

But the same results continued in the following practice.

Eventually, I collapsed onto the floor.

All strength drained from my body.

Sweat poured down like rain.

The avatar on the screen also slumped down powerlessly, its head hanging.

[Would you like to take a short break?]

“…No. I’m fine.”

I replied, panting.

I couldn’t give up here.

The members definitely do this effortlessly.

Even while laughing and chatting.

There was no reason I couldn’t do it.

This was a matter of pride.

I stood up again.

The avatar on the screen stood up with me.

I felt a strange sense of camaraderie.

‘Yes, let’s try again. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s meant to be funny anyway.’

But at the very least, I had to be able to move as I intended.

I couldn’t trip while walking awkwardly or do a weird dance, could I?

I started again from the beginning.

My movements were much smaller and slower than before.

I paid attention to the movement of each finger.

This time, the avatar on the screen moved much more smoothly.

“Ooh!”

I let out a sound unintentionally.

[Next prompt: ‘Tree’.]

I spread my arms and stood straight to represent a tree.

It was better than before, but I still looked like a scarecrow battered by the wind.

“Ahem.”

Still, there was progress.

I was starting to get the hang of it.

The key was not to deliberately exaggerate, but to make only the necessary movements precisely.

I immersed myself in practice once more.

I fell, creaked, and repeated bizarre movements, but I could feel myself gradually improving.

Chief Kang still maintained his silence, but sometimes I thought I could feel a slight tremor from the control room.

It felt like he was holding back laughter.

I lost track of time practicing, and the inside of the suit became soaked with sweat.

I was out of breath.

But strangely, I felt refreshed.

It felt like the first time I had moved this much since my military days.

‘This is… quite fun too, isn’t it?’

Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I caught my breath for a moment.

Suddenly, I thought of the members.

They would be in a meeting right about now.

Chatting about tomorrow’s broadcast.

---

Meanwhile, at the Xelnaga Entertainment conference room.

“So, what should we decide for the penalty? Let’s choose from the ideas we’ve come up with.”

Yoon Sol carefully looked over the idea notebook Jungyeon was holding, her expression thoughtful.

Ajung’s earlier suggestion of a ‘couple dance with the CEO’ had been rejected due to Jungyeon’s strong opposition.

“Hmm… Then the loser does aegyo? You said earlier it would be cute if Yoon Sol unni did it!”

(TL note: Aegyo in Korean means a cute and endearing way of expressing affection.)

Ajung once again singled out Yoon Sol.

“Yes? I-I’m really not good at that kind of thing…”

Sol’s face turned red again.

However, she didn’t seem to dislike the idea.

“Or, how about the loser has to personally design a funny avatar for the next joint broadcast?”

Jungyeon proposed a new idea.

Just imagining a low-quality avatar, MS Paint level, already made them laugh.

“Oh! That sounds fun too! It would be hilarious if Jungyeon unni came in last!”

“Hey! Why me again!”

The meeting was proceeding in an unexpectedly wholesome and amicable manner.

Of course, the ‘CEO’ in their conversation was still a good subject for teasing and a topic for casual chat.

“But the CEO’s avatar, what do you think it will really look like? I’m so curious.”

Yoon Sol once again expressed her anticipation with sparkling eyes.

“Well… Wouldn’t he have made it incredibly cool? Like, all flashy with the CEO’s favorite purple and gold… and maybe like a dragon sculpted on his shoulder or something?”

Ajung once again let her imagination, detached from reality, run wild.

“Hey, what is he, a final game boss? He probably made it simple. Don’t you think?”

Jungyeon tried hard to act nonchalant, but she too was dying of curiosity about what Hajun’s avatar would look like.

---

I stretched to loosen my stiff body.

It wasn’t perfect yet, but it was much better than at the beginning.

At this rate, at least walking around during the actual broadcast shouldn’t be a problem.

As for the rest… well, it would work out somehow.

I took off the motion capture suit and changed back into comfortable clothes.

My sweat-soaked body felt much lighter.

Before leaving the studio, I spoke briefly to Chief Kang in the control room.

“Today’s events… you know about them, right?”

“Yes, CEO-nim. I saw nothing today.”

Chief Kang replied, still with an expressionless face.

He was a trustworthy fellow.

I nodded satisfactorily and left the studio.

Walking down the hallway, I pictured next week’s broadcast in my mind.

The members’ flustered expressions, the fans’ enthusiastic reactions, and at the center of it all, an awkward but dignified ‘Zelnaga.’

Just the thought of it made the corners of my lips rise slightly.

Yoo Jungyeon (Rinne)

Yoon Sol (Solar)