Chapter 138: Surprisingly, three people who are new to each other, Part 1

With their debut about two months away, Hayoon summoned Seo Ji-woo.

Or rather, she sent a message suggesting that Seo Ji-woo might want to visit Seoul soon.

“Kyaha, just as I thought.”

Seo Ji-woo had a hunch.

Her utaite channel, “Lucy,” had recently surpassed 200,000 subscribers.

The key to this growth was their swap cover: Seo Ji-woo covered Scarlet’s original song, “Crimson Sky,” and Scarlet covered Lucy’s original song, “Azure Sea.”

The mutual promotion boosted both of their YouTube channels.

They had celebrated the 200,000 subscriber milestone with a three-hour phone call, but it wasn’t enough.

Seo Ji-woo wanted to see Hayoon in person, and Hayoon’s message seemed perfectly timed.

“Bring it on.”

Excited to see her friend, Seo Ji-woo opened three websites simultaneously to check ferry schedules to the mainland, bus routes to the KTX station, and KTX tickets to Seoul.

Ding!

A series of notifications went off.

“Huh?”

Hayoon didn’t usually send rapid-fire messages.

There were occasional exceptions, usually during personal conversations, where she would send bursts of messages like:

–What are you doing?
–Have you eaten lunch?
–I had pork cutlet today.
–Our class was last in the lunch line, so it was all cold.

However, Hayoon usually waited for Seo Ji-woo’s replies before sending more messages.

Such a flurry of notifications was unusual.

Seo Ji-woo checked her phone.

Baek-seol: Confirmed.
Jo A-yeong: Jo A-yeong.

“Who are you?”

She had been added to a group chat with strangers. Scrolling up, she saw:

[This is the group chat for Trinity, BGG Company’s virtual idol unit.

The three of you, whose debuts have been confirmed, have been invited to this chat two months before your debut for a briefing regarding the four songs you will perform.

The meeting is scheduled for October 8th.
As your CEO, senior Vtuber, and industry colleague, I will also be treating you to dinner to foster future collaborations.

Please attend without feeling pressured.
The briefing will be a short two hours, followed by a more casual social gathering.

Again, please don’t feel pressured to attend.
Let’s work hard together until the formal language of this announcement evolves into casual banter.

This announcement, written in a cynical, businesslike tone, was unlike Hayoon’s usual style.

Seo Ji-woo, having rarely seen this side of Hayoon, blinked in surprise.

“What’s with the ‘treating’ part? Is she covering travel expenses?”

Half surprised by Hayoon’s unexpected demeanor, and half confused by the message itself, Seo Ji-woo scratched her head and decided to focus on the main point.

“So, her message about visiting Seoul soon was about introducing me to the other debuting members and having dinner together?”

Even though she rarely read long messages, Seo Ji-woo could quickly grasp the key information.

She just missed the details.

“Ah, right, right. October 8th. The specific time is… 4 PM?”

She reread the message; the time and meeting place were at the bottom.

4 PM was a bit tricky…

“I can’t make it at that time.”

Getting from Ulleungdo to Seoul by 4 PM on the same day, without a car, would be difficult.

She was contemplating her options when, as if on cue, her phone rang. It was Hayoon.

–Ji-woo.

“Hey, Hayoon.”

–Did you see the group chat message?

“Yeah, of course. How did you know I saw it?”

–The notification numbers disappeared.

“Huh? Oh…!”

Seo Ji-woo realized how Hayoon knew and sighed.

–You won’t be able to make it on Saturday at that time, so book your travel for Friday, even if it’s late. If it’s going to be too late, let me know, and I’ll pick you up with my parents.”

“Really? Can I stay at your place again?”

–Of course. I’ll take care of you. If I wasn’t planning to, I wouldn’t have contacted you in the first place.

“Woohoo! The best! Hayoon!”

Hayoon readily agreed to let her stay over.

–Oh, and there’s something else I need to talk to you about in person, so you really have to come. Okay?

“Of course! I’ll definitely be there. Don’t worry, Hayoon!”

Overjoyed, Seo Ji-woo giggled excitedly, calling Hayoon’s name repeatedly.

The prospect of another sleepover at her friend’s house filled her with delight.

A few days after creating the group chat for Trinity, BGG Company’s second generation Vtuber unit, Hayoon sat in a chair inside Hong Seo-hyun’s recording booth, with Hong Seo-hyun sitting on her lap.

Hayoon muffled a scream against Hong Seo-hyun’s back.

“Mmmmmm…”

The muffled scream sounded more like a mumble.

The reason for Hayoon’s behavior was simple.

“I’m sorry…”

It was guilt.

“I tried to find a way, but I just couldn’t squeeze in another original song…”

She had failed to secure a year-end original song for Hong Seo-hyun, or rather, Scarlet.

More accurately, the proposal had been rejected.

BGG Company was operating on a tight budget, and prioritizing an original song for Scarlet, who already had a substantial fanbase and a recently released original song, “Crimson Sky,” wasn’t feasible. However…

“I’m really sorry…”

Despite the rational reasons, Hayoon felt immense guilt.

She had promised to take care of Hong Seo-hyun, and now, having brought her into the Vtuber world, she couldn’t provide her with the best weapon to shine on the biggest stage.

As CEO, leader, planner, and most importantly, as a close friend, Hayoon felt a deep sense of failure.

“Oh, no, it’s not a big deal…”

Hong Seo-hyun was flustered.

She hadn’t expected Hayoon to be this apologetic, nor was she particularly disappointed.

She had already received a great song, “Crimson Sky,” and Hayoon was planning another one? Her cheeks flushed with gratitude.

Original songs were expensive, and this showed how much Hayoon cared.

“Hmm, hmm…”

Hayoon couldn’t see it, but Hong Seo-hyun was smirking.

Hayoon, emboldened, pressed on.

“Hayoon.”

“Yes… Unnie…”

“Are you really that sorry?”

“Of course, I am…”

“Then, will you do me a favor?”

“What kind of favor?”

Hayoon rarely felt this guilty. For the sake of company morale, it was best to resolve this.

“Can you… put your tongue in again…?”

“Oh, my god! Unnie!”

“Oh, you can’t…?”

“It’s not that I can’t, but…”

Wet sounds echoed within the small recording booth.

Thirty minutes later, Hayoon emerged.

October 7th finally arrived.

A KTX train pulled into Seoul Station.

The doors hissed open, and a slightly tanned island girl stepped out with a grin.

“Change of clothes, check. Extra underwear, check. Charger, check. Wallet, check. Okay, I’ve got everything.”

A mysterious woman with a constant smile.

Seo Ji-woo rode the escalator and briskly walked through the familiar Seoul Station.

It had been a while since she was last in Seoul; being back felt comforting, like returning home.

The air was noticeably more polluted compared to Ulleungdo, but… she could endure it for the sake of seeing her friend.

“Sleepover at Hayoon’s tonight. Hehehe.”

The memories of her previous sleepover at Hayoon’s, despite some complaints, were precious.

She headed towards the parking lot where Hayoon was waiting, eager to recreate those memories.