Chapter 156: Da-jeong Isn’t a Fool!

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Because of my foolish mistake, Chae-yoon unnie and I postponed our outing to today, Thursday, to see the birthday celebration billboard.

Chae-yoon unnie said it was fine and insisted we just go on Wednesday, calling me overly dramatic. But CEO Kang told us to delay it by a day instead. And I… needed to be scolded a little.

Ugh…

At least we hadn’t announced any break, so changing the date wouldn’t tip anyone off. If we had, people would’ve guessed, “Ah, they must be going to see the billboard that day.”

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

“Wallet? Check. Portable charger? Check…”

Before leaving, I gave my bag one last check. Unlike the others, I don’t carry much—no makeup or extra things—so my bag is always light and roomy.

And I’ve always preferred waist bags. The others, even Yuna, often carry stylish handbags, but I like my plain, rugged waist bag best.

Plus, it’s practical!

It can even fit a small water bottle and with all the compartments, it’s easy to keep things organized.

“Tofu, Mommy’s leaving now. Eat well, okay?”

“Nyaaa…”

As I finished packing and said goodbye to Tofu, her meow sounded weaker than usual.

I’ve heard cats don’t get lonely easily, but that doesn’t seem to apply to Tofu. Every time I leave, she looks so sad it makes me feel guilty.

Is this what they call a “dog-like cat”?

“Sorry, I’ll play with you when I get back. Don’t sulk too much, okay?”

“Nyaaa!”

No matter how much I coaxed her, it didn’t work. Tofu turned her head away with an indignant meow.

Ugh, I’m sorry, Tofu…

I’d take you with me if I could, but it’s not possible. I’ll make it up to you with treats and playtime later!

“Okay, I’m leaving now!”

“Miyaaa…”

Still, my Tofu is the sweetest. Even when she’s sulking, she sees me off.

The best cat in the world!

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

The meeting spot, after Tofu’s farewell, was roughly halfway between Chae-yoon unnie’s place and mine. From there, we’d head to Hongdae Station together, where the billboard was displayed.

“Da-jeong!”

“Ah, unnie!”

As expected, unnie arrived a little late.

N-not that I assumed she’d be late just because she’s always late! It was just a feeling. Yeah, I’d never think something like that about unnie. Of course not.

“Unnie, over here. I got you coffee.”

“Wait, you bought coffee while waiting? Ugh, now I feel even worse…”

“Hehe, it’s fine. I was just hanging out at the café anyway.”

Half-truth, half-lie. I was at the café while waiting for the coffee, but I left as soon as it was ready—too many people inside made me uncomfortable.

“Then I’ll treat you to a nice meal! What do you want?”

Handing her the coffee, unnie looked so apologetic as she thumped her chest and vowed to treat me to something good. Despite being older, she was so cute I couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m fine with anything. Let’s eat what unnie wants.”

“No way! We’ll decide after seeing the billboard. There are lots of good places near Hongdae Station.”

“Okay, sounds good.”

It is almost unnie’s birthday, after all and this outing is to celebrate that. I was planning to let her pick from the start.

Or, well, I could just suggest something she likes later. Unnie’s tastes lean toward the masculine side—like tonkatsu.

Actually, she’d probably enjoy any meat dish.

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

[Screen doors opening.]

“Wow… I was surprised when I heard the billboard was in Hongdae Station this time.”

“Huh? Why? Is Hongdae different?”

The subway was fairly empty when we boarded. Maybe realizing no one was listening, Chae-yoon unnie glanced around before speaking softly.

“I heard from the CEO—stations with higher foot traffic charge more for billboard ads.”

“Oh… I didn’t know that.”

I’ve seen plenty of birthday billboards for Blue LUV members, but I never thought about the cost. I didn’t even consider prices would vary.

Well, it makes sense. Putting a billboard in Times Square versus some rural town would naturally have different demand.

Anyway, it just shows how hard the fans worked, our Star Pieces really are the best!

“Hey, Da-jeong.”

“Yes, unnie?”

“People know we’re going to see the billboard, right?”

“Y-yeah…?”

Unnie lowered her voice, and my chest tightened. After all, I was the reason it got out.

“We changed the date, but I’ve been thinking… it might not be enough.”

“Huh?! N-not enough?”

“Yeah. It’s unlikely, but what if something happens like the CEO said?”

“R-right…”

As unnie explained, I found myself nodding along.

“And if someone is trying to find us at the scene, would they really believe we’d go on Wednesday just because we said so?”

“Y-you mean…?”

“There might be people waiting the entire time the billboard’s up.”

“That far?!”

Come on, no one would go that far… right?

The billboard’s up for a whole week, not just a day or two.

But then again, I can’t dismiss it entirely. In Japan—the birthplace of VTubers—there are far worse cases.

I don’t want to think that the Star Pieces would have those kinds of fans, but… unnie has a point. Still, what can we do?

“So, I have an idea.”

“W-what is it…?”

“Fans would recognize our voices, so we just change them near the billboard.”

“Whoa…! Unnie, you’re a genius!”

“Hehe, right?”

Yeah, that makes sense. Fans know our voices but not our real appearances. Change the voice, and they’d have no way to tell.

“And there’s an even better method!”

“There’s more?”

“Yep—changing our speech patterns.”

“Huh? S-speech patterns?”

This time, I couldn’t hide my confusion.

Speech patterns?

Well, that would be ideal, but… is it even easy to change?

Unless I deliberately talk like an idiot, my usual habits will slip out.

“For example, I won’t call you anything relating to our youngest or reference to you being a member—just your name. And I’ll use standard speech as much as possible.”

“O-oh. Since unnie’s dialect slips in sometimes, that alone would help.”

Now that she explained, it sounded plausible. Chae-yoon unnie’s speech is the most distinct among us, with her regional quirks.

But the problem isn’t unnie—it’s me. What do I even have to change? My speech isn’t particularly unique.

“For you, Da-jeong, there’s a perfect solution: formal speech.”

“F-formal speech…?”

“Yeah, the Star Pieces already know you use formal speech with us all the time, right?”

“Right…”

It’s been brought up often enough in streams. Ra-hee unnie even complained on air once, saying it made her feel like I was too distant or intimidated by them.

Luckily, I cleared things up—it’s not like that. But either way, the Star Pieces know my formal speech is just a habit.

“So when we get there, drop the formal speech. Say something like, ‘Chae-yoon unnie, come on let’s go take a picture?’ How’s that?”

“Th-that’s too much…! S-suddenly switching to casual speech?!”

Unnie’s idea does make sense, but the problem is… I’m not ready to casually drop honorifics out of nowhere.

It’s not like the age gap is huge, and some might say casual speech isn’t a big deal. But after nearly a year of speaking formally, it’s harder to switch now. If I’d done it from the start, maybe—but not like this.

“C’mon, just close your eyes and go for it! Like, ‘Chae-yoon unnie, let’s eat this,’ or ‘Unnie, I love you.’”

“……”

…What kind of example was that?

I mean, it’s not weird, but did she have to use that phrasing?

Then it hit me—why do we even need to talk there at all? Unnie could do all the talking, and I’d just nod or shake my head. It’s not like we’re spending the whole day at Hongdae Station.

We’re just seeing the billboard, snapping a few pics, and leaving.

Wait, now that I think about it… this feels off. Like we’re missing the point.

Unnie’s worried about us being recognized as Blue LUV, right? But if we don’t speak, there’s nothing to recognize. Tone, speech patterns—none of it matters if we stay quiet.

“Um, unnie… Can I ask something?”

“Hm? What?”

“Do I really need to talk much? We’re just going to look around and leave. Is all this overthinking necessary…?”

When I voiced my doubts, unnie blinked at me for a long moment… then suddenly looked away and started scrolling on her phone.

…What’s that reaction? That’s the face of someone pretending they definitely didn’t just get caught.

“…Unnie. Did you come up with this ridiculous plan just to hear me speak casually?”

“……Ahem. Oh? Da-jeong, we’re getting off at the next stop. Let me look up some restaurants—what do you wanna eat?”

“UNNIE!!”

My suspicion was right. She blatantly changed the subject, eyes glued to her phone like her life depended on it.

Watching her refuse to even look at me, I sighed and leaned in to whisper in her ear:

“…Dummy. You could’ve just asked. Chae-yoon unnie is a dummy. I won’t talk to you anymore. Hmph.”

—Snap!

Unnie’s head whipped toward me so fast I thought her neck would crack. Her eyes practically bulged as she desperately begged:

“W-wait, Da-jeong?! Say that again—just once! Let me record it—!”

“NO WAY!”

Obviously, I refused.

Hmph.