Chapter 116: I Met Verdia-chan in Real Life!

Ｒｅ​ａｄ ｏ​ｎ​ Ｋ​ａｔＲｅａｄｉｎｇＣａｆｅ

Finally, today arrived after two days.

Just the thought of meeting Verdia-chan already makes my heart race.

When I first met the members, my heart raced because I was going to see my favorite.

But this time, it’s because Verdia-chan is the first VTuber friend I’ve made privately, outside of the members.

I’m also very curious about what she’ll look like.

I sent her a real-life photo just in case we might confuse each other.

But Verdia-chan didn’t send me a photo, which makes me even more curious.

Verdia-chan said, “You’ll be so surprised by how pretty I am when we meet.”

Just how pretty is she?

More than anything, I’m amazed that she’s so confident about her appearance.

Is this what they call the American mindset?

***************

Squish— squish—

While waiting for Verdia-chan, I idly step on the snow piled at my feet, making crunching sounds.

The sky, which was so quiet on Christmas Day, has been snowing since last night, and now there’s quite a bit of snow.

Hehe.

I should make a snowman when I get home later.

I’ve made one in the VR world before, but it’s not the same as the fun of making a real snowman.

I hope the snow doesn’t melt before then.

Like a meerkat, I keep looking around.

By the way, I’m glad it’s not too cold today.

If it were too cold, it would have been hard to go around with Verdia-chan.

Especially since I don’t have a car or anything.

I was worried I might inconvenience Verdia-chan, but thankfully, that’s not the case.

“…Huh?”

While fiddling with my phone to double-check the restaurant I looked up earlier, something suddenly caught my eye and then disappeared.

What was that? Did I see wrong?

I thought I saw Jia unnie’s golden hair fluttering over there.

And someone wearing the coat Ra-hee unnie often wears…

Ah, it must be my imagination.

Why would Jia unnie and Ra-hee unnie be here?

When we chatted this morning, they said, “We have a lot of work today, so we’re staying home.”

Actually, in that sense, it’s a bit disappointing.

Since Yuna’s favorite is Verdia-chan, I wanted to bring her along so the three of us could hang out.

But she said she was busy today and declined.

Well, it’s a busy time for everyone.

Even though Christmas is over, the New Year is coming up.

So, there’s probably a lot to prepare.

Even Chae-yoon unnie has been showing strong determination, saying things will change starting from the New Year.

She’s been working out hard, even signing up for a gym recently.

It’s like a kind of practice run, I guess.

What kind of content should I prepare for the New Year?

As I was lost in thought, pondering these things, suddenly…

“Lulu, right?”

“Huh…?!”

A woman’s voice suddenly came from behind me.

Her speech felt a bit awkward, but I didn’t have the luxury to think about that.

Because what she said was so shocking.

What, what?

How does she know I’m Lulu?!

I, I can’t be found out…!

“Ah, no…! I don’t know any VTubers like that! I’ve never met one…!”

I can’t reveal my secret identity, so I just turn my head back and vigorously shake my hands in denial.

But after saying that, I realized…

Shouldn’t I have said, “Who’s that?” instead of “No”?

A normal person wouldn’t even know what a VTuber is.

Am I really about to have my secret identity exposed to the public? I panicked.

Pfft! Pffhahaha…!

“……?”

Suddenly, I heard a faint laugh.

Reflexively, I turned my head, and there she was….

【Wow! Did I surprise you? I guess I went a bit too far with the joke. Sorry.】

While speaking in English with a somewhat familiar accent, the woman stood there, striking a pose as if she were trying to scare a child.

Silver hair, blue eyes, and snow-white skin.

Her appearance was so otherworldly, like something out of a manga or novel, that I couldn’t help but stare, blinking in a daze.

Wow, she’s so pretty.

Of course, our members are also not lacking in looks, but…

How should I put it? She doesn’t feel like someone from the real world.

Huh, wait…?

Her voice… I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere before…

No way?

“V-Verdia-chan…?!”

【That’s right. You figured it out? This is the first time we’re meeting in person. Nice to meet you.】

When I cautiously uttered her name, half in disbelief, she nodded coolly, and I couldn’t believe what was happening.

This beautiful, pure-looking woman is the same Verdia-chan who loves to joke around and is so lively?

【Let me introduce myself properly. I’m Verdia, a VTuber named Linnea Lindstrom. Finally meeting you, Lulu.】

【N-Nice to meet you too. Ah, you can call me Da-jeong. Jeong Da-jeong.】

【Da-jeong? Oh, I know that word. In Korean, it means ‘friendly,’ right?】

【Yes, that’s right.】

Verdia-chan, I heard she was learning Korean.

She must be really serious about it.

She even understood the meaning behind the word in my name.

【It’s a name that suits Lulu so well. Ah, by the way, you can call me Linne. All my close friends call me that.】

【Okay, Linne-chan.】

【Pfft! That’s so Japanese. But it’s cute, so okay.】

Ah, right.

I’ve been so used to calling her Verdia-chan that I accidentally added “-chan” to Linne.

Thankfully, she doesn’t seem to mind.

【By the way, Da-jeong, you’re much cuter than in the photos. I want to put you on my bed and hug you every day.】

【Th-Thank you.】

I still feel a bit resistant to being called cute, but since it’s a compliment from Verdia—no, Linne-chan—I decided to take it gratefully.

【By the way, Linne-chan, you’re so pretty too. Is your hair naturally like that?】

【Yes. Actually, I’m from Sweden. Over there, it’s not uncommon to have natural silver hair.】

【Wow…】

I thought Linne-chan’s name sounded a bit unique.

I had no idea she was from Sweden.

Natural silver hair… that’s amazing.

To me, silver hair always felt like something out of a manga or novel, but it actually exists naturally in real life.

【Ah, by the way, there’s something I’ve been wanting to do when I meet you. Can I do it now?】

【Huh? Something you want to do?】

What could it be?

I have a slightly ominous feeling, but Linne-chan wouldn’t do anything weird in public.

So, after hesitating for a moment, I nodded.

【Okay, go ahead.】

【Really?! Then I won’t hold back…!】

Hug—

As if she really meant it when she said she wouldn’t hold back, she spread her arms and hugged me tightly.

Despite it being the middle of winter with snow falling heavily, her warmth was incredibly comforting.

I’ve never been hugged so tightly by anyone outside of the members, CEO, or So-eun unnie, so it felt really fresh, and I was momentarily stunned.

Linne-chan also had a unique perfume scent.

Even though I don’t usually like perfumes, hers was so charming—a mix of peach and freesia.

【I finally met my favorite…! It feels like a dream!】

【Hehe, I know. Meeting Linne-chan feels like a dream to me too.】

After sharing the joy of our first real-life meeting for a while, we finally headed to the restaurant I had looked up earlier.

＊＊＊＊＊

‘I almost got caught.’

The four members of Blue LUV all let out sighs of relief, patting their chests.

That’s right.

Today, they had secretly followed Da-jeong to spy on her first real-life meeting with an outsider, keeping it a secret from her.

To a third party, it might just look like ordinary stalking, a crime scene.

But the four members gathered here had their own rationalizations.

This was purely out of concern for Da-jeong.

It wasn’t some sinister group gathered to monitor her, fearing their cute youngest member might be taken away.

After all, Da-jeong had said in the group chat.

This was almost her first time meeting someone privately in real life, outside of the company.

They were just here to check on her out of concern, with no other motives.

If asked why they kept it a secret from Da-jeong, they would all answer that there were adult reasons.

“Is Da-jeong still looking this way?”

“No, she just met someone and isn’t looking here anymore.”

“Is that person Verdia, the one Yuna and Da-jeong mentioned?”

“Looks like it. Wow, her hair is silver. Is it dyed?”

After chattering behind a building pillar, they realized Da-jeong wasn’t looking their way anymore and peeked out again in unison.

There, a mysterious woman approached Da-jeong, chatting warmly with her before they hugged.

“Da-jeong is being NTR’d…!”

Yuna shuddered in despair at the sight.

It didn’t matter if the person hugging Da-jeong was her favorite or not.

In Yuna’s mental hierarchy of relationships, while Verdia might be at the top as her favorite, above that, hidden in the clouds, was Da-jeong.

There are some things you just can’t give up, no matter how much you love someone else.

For Yuna, that thing was Da-jeong.

“Yuna, calm down. She’s just meeting a close friend.”

“There’s NTR in friendships too, unnie…!”

“……”

Jia, as the eldest, tried to comfort Yuna, but she was already drowning in despair, spouting nonsense.

The scene was like something out of a sitcom, leaving Jia at a loss for words.

It was clear that Yuna, who’s weak to the cold, had spent too much time in the snow and was momentarily out of her mind.

Jia decided to think that way and forced herself to look away.

“Gasp! Are they taking a taxi to leave?!”

“What do we do? Should we hurry and catch a taxi to follow them?!”

As the two got into a taxi, Chae-yoon and Yuna panicked, suggesting they quickly catch another taxi.

But Ra-hee gestured for them to calm down and smiled confidently.

“Don’t worry. I came prepared for this.”

“Prepared?”

She proudly showed them her phone screen, displaying a one-on-one chat with Da-jeong.

The conversation went like this:

[Me] – Da-jeong

[Me] – So, did you finalize your date plan for tomorrow?

[Me] – Just in case, should I take a look?

[Cutest Youngest♥] – Hehe

[Cutest Youngest♥] – Don’t worry!

[Cutest Youngest♥] – (Screenshot of notes)

[Cutest Youngest♥] – I’ve planned everything down to the time!

[Me] – Wow

[Me] – Da-jeong, you’re so thorough!!

[Me] – So, you’re following this plan tomorrow?

[Cutie Youngest♥] – That’s the plan!

[Cutie Youngest♥] – Verdia-chan said she’s leaving everything to me!

[Me] – I see

[Me] – Have fun tomorrow

[Me] – (Fox waving emoji)

[Cutie Youngest♥] – Yes! Thank you, unnie!

That’s right.

Ra-hee had planned to tail Da-jeong from the start.

She had subtly extracted Da-jeong’s plans for the day through leading questions.

“Wow! Unnie, you’re a genius…?!”

“So, since it’s exactly 1 PM now, according to Da-jeong’s plan…”

“Right, she’s definitely going to the place I suggested. She’ll have lunch there, and there are plenty of places to hang out nearby.”

“Great, let’s follow her there!”

While Chae-yoon and Yuna were in awe of the thorough plan, Jia, who felt something was off, wore a troubled expression.

‘Aren’t we just stalkers at this point?’

It was impressive that she only realized this now, but it was too late to go back.

And Yuna’s words, tugging at her hesitating heart, sealed the deal.

“Unnie! Hurry! What if Da-jeong’s favorite spot gets taken by Verdia-chan?!”

“……!”

That was the one thing no one could give up.

The official title of Da-jeong’s favorite, the Oshi position.

If Da-jeong grew closer to Verdia after today and handed that crown to her?

‘That can’t happen.’

I don’t even want to imagine it.

So, Jia set aside her conscience for a moment and got into the taxi with the other members.