Chapter 11
Crazy girl, not the time for that Even Returnees Can Be IdolsCrazy girl, not the time for that.
Even Returnees Can Be Idols
1
[Victory achieved.]
[21 points↑ Diamond 5 ]
Stretching out.
Thanks to a late-night gaming session after a long time, I was wide awake.
Today was the weekend.
A day off from work.
"Domi oppa, great job!"
"You too."
Ayu, who was next to me, exclaimed with excitement, and I smiled back and replied. Since we met in real life, Ayu had been calling me "oppa" comfortably when we were alone.
As long as we kept our personal conversations from leaking to others, there shouldn't be any problems.
"I'm at Platinum 1! Could I really be heading to Diamond now?!"
"You still have a long way to go. You have to break through the gatekeepers. And once you reach Diamond, that's when it gets real."
She's underestimating Diamond too much.
Even I, who reached Top Lane Grandmaster with 420 points, know that Diamond is hell.
"Ha, bring it on, Dia. Noona's coming to give you a kiss."
"Dia, you better run."
"There's a move I can make with oppa."
She sounds scary.
With a disgusted expression, I swung my arms and stretched my body lightly.
It had been a while since I played ranked games due to recent work at the company, so my body felt stiff.
'I should also get my main character back in action.'
Currently, I'm playing with my sub-character.
Thinking that I should also restore my main character's rank by the end of the day, I opened the chat room.
[Black Ayu: I'm Platinum 1! I'm soon heading to Diamond, Ayu!]
[Deathlight and Heartbeat: Congratulations.]
[KnowingHing: Really? You're going already? You'll be in Diamond soon.]
Just as Ayu started boasting, congratulatory messages came in one after another.
[Flower Rain: Are you playing with Domi oppa?]
At that moment, Flower Rain's message popped up.
She was the same age as Ayu and quite close to her. I wonder if she knows that Ayu is a girl.
[Black Ayu: Oops! Hyung is carrying the game. Hahaha, I'll buy you food again, Hyung.]
[Flower Rain: You're buying lunch again?]
At that moment, Ayu made a careless remark.
As I glared at Ayu with irritation, she suddenly realized her mistake and tapped her own head with her hand.
I might have to give her a smack with my fist later.
Ding!
While I was feeling displeased with Ayu, the chat room suddenly chimed.
Upon checking, I found a private message waiting for me.
[Flower Rain: Domi oppa, have you met Ayu?]
It was none other than Flower Rain's private message.
[DomiFasolo: I met Ayu recently.]
[Flower Rain: Why didn't you call me?]
[DomiFasolo: Huh? Well, we agreed to meet just the two of us.]
[Flower Rain: You should have called me!]
What's gotten into her all of a sudden?
[Flower Rain: I also want to see Ayu...]
Hmm.
Huh?
As I read the chat, my expression started to change subtly.
Something about Flower Rain's messages started to catch my attention.
She's the same age.
The friend Ayu spends the most time with when I'm not around.
And technically, just a game acquaintance.
Above all, these two get along really well.
'Well, they'd have to get along well, wouldn't they?'
I looked at Ayu with a sigh mixed expression.
She's a girl after all.
She's likely to understand or take care of her peers more than other boys.
[Flower Rain: When will we meet again?]
[DomiFasolo: Flower Rain. I'm asking out of curiosity.]
I hesitated for a moment while typing in the chat.
But if Ayu were a boy, would I have not known? Right now, I just couldn't ignore it.
Even though Flower Rain wasn't as close as Ayu, she was still an acquaintance I had known for a long time.
[DomiFasolo: Do you like Ayu?]
[Flower Rain has left the whisper chat room.]
I lost.
With a ringing sensation in my head, I stared blankly at the chat window that had just disappeared, seeing Ayu dancing the Black Star dance, saying it was the 'Dia Wish Dance.'
...Crazy girl, now is not the time for that.
"What should I do about this?"
If I tell Ayu herself, she'll probably just laugh and tease Flower Rain even more.
The problem is, Flower Rain seems quite sensitive from what I can see.
Along with the fact that I've revealed my own feelings, Flower Rain might get hurt and leave the guild.
'But even so...'
Just letting it go, Flower Rain seemed too pitiful.
"Ayu."
"Yeah?"
When Ayu stopped dancing and looked over, I casually turned off the chat room and asked naturally.
"Is there anyone in the guild who seems to have noticed that you're a girl?"
"Huh? Um, maybe Flower Rain?"
No, it's not her.
She's the least likely.
But thanks to her, I thought of a way to resolve any potential discord among guild members.
If Flower Rain finds out that Ayu is a girl, that should be the end of it.
"Flower Rain seemed a bit upset. Just because we had lunch together."
"Huh? But she's busy with work."
"Being busy is one thing. Feeling upset is another. You and Flower Rain are pretty close, right?"
"Really? Flower Rain is also a huge fan of Black Star. We're naturally close as fellow idol fans!"
"There are other feelings involved there."
Ayu seemed completely oblivious to that and giggled.
"So Flower Rain asked to be invited too. What should I do?"
"I don't see anything wrong with that, do you? Domi oppa has seen me. Oh, then how about the three of us go out later? It's almost midsummer. We could go to a valley or something. Hehe."
“Why do you laugh like you're about to drool?”
"I'm just excited about grilling meat."
Such a complex character with a variety of emotions.
And making summer plans with gaming friends.
"...I've always wondered, don't you have other friends?"
"Oppa?"
"I'll talk to Flower Rain and make plans!"
Before Ayu's eyes could become even more frightening, I quickly got up and left.
2
A few days later,
I sat at my desk in the office, tapping away at the keyboard with a tired expression.
I was working on materials for a meeting with the video editing team supported by the company for Ji-eun's YouTube video production.
'Work at the company is really intense.'
Taking a sip of the Americano I had received earlier in the day, I lightly stretched my neck.
Despite the demanding workload, I felt relieved knowing that things were progressing smoothly.
Since Ji-eun was actively participating in work that she was passionate about, I didn't have any major concerns.
[I'll try attending school a bit more. I feel like I'm losing.]
Ji-eun's face as she spoke assertively looked much brighter than before.
[If things really don't work out, can I throw a tantrum to Ha-chan oppa again?]
Throw a tantrum, huh.
Feeling a bit amused at the thought of having a younger sister now, I set down my Americano.
Yeah, for the sake of my newfound little sister, I should put in a bit more effort.
[Chat]
Just as I was about to reach for the keyboard again, I turned my head at the sound of a buzzing KakaoTalk notification.
Thinking it might be work-related, I checked the message, only to find it was from someone else.
[Flower Rain: Oppa, can you help me decide what to wear?]
Along with the message, photos started flooding in the chat room.
Although their faces weren't visible, all the women seemed to have the same body type, so it was probably all Flower Rain.
''So many clothes?''
No, more importantly, is she trying on everything for tomorrow? I wonder how sincere she really is.
Feeling sorry for Flower Rain, who would naturally be Broken up tomorrow, I picked out a few options with mixed emotions.
I'm not particularly knowledgeable about women's clothing, but it seemed like she wanted to hear a man's opinion.
[Flower Rain: What should I do? I don't think I can even sleep tonight.]
She seems to be expecting a lot.
I silently wished for her heart to be well resolved.
[Ayu: Oppa, here's today's pretty picture of Ayu. Save it.]
At that moment, Ayu happened to send a KakaoTalk message.
It contained a selfie of Ayu making a V sign with her and, and I quietly replied.
[Me: Why do you always take selfies at home?]
[Ayu: Because only you appreciate these kinds of pictures, oppa.]
[Me: You just don't go outside, that's all.]
Ayu's KakaoTalk was blowing up, so I quietly put my phone down.
No need to get caught up in someone else's speed and stay calm.
As I was lost in thought, before I knew it, it was time to leave work, so I shut down my computer and went outside.
"Oh, Mr. Ha-chan."
Just then, I saw a woman passing by.
Dressed in a suit with her trademark eye patch, it was none other than Orjia.
"Ms. Orjia, are you on your way home from work?"
"Yes."
Orjia was working at Rodria's company as part of her social adaptation.
Being quite an old-fashioned person, everything seemed unfamiliar to her, so she spent all her time learning about computers and smartphones.
While there were indeed many new changes in language and vocabulary compared to her time, Orjia used language magic to solve those issues.
The reason why she could communicate well despite being from the Joseon era became apparent when we first talked.
She had to learn it because if she couldn't do such basic things, it would be difficult to communicate with the people around her during dimensional battles. So, it was essential to learn.
"Are you getting used to using the phone now?"
"Do you use your cellphone well now?"
When I asked, Orjia took out her phone from her pocket and pressed a few buttons. Shortly after, my phone rang, and I answered the call.
"Do you think I've got the hang of it now?"
"You seem to be doing well."
AAs she responded while hearing both the phone and my voice in reality, she seemed to smile softly. Her adaptation to life on Earth made me feel proud in some way.
"Let me treat you to a meal sometime to celebrate."
The world of earning money in society is intimidating.
Just a while ago, I was mooching off Ayu for meals, but now I can afford to buy my own food.
Being a working adult is impressive.
"Thank you."
"Then would you like me to join in for the celebration?"
Just as I was about to treat Orjia to a meal, I was startled by a voice from behind. I turned my head to see Baek Seon-hyang standing there, smiling mischievously at Orjia and me.
"Is it not okay?"
"No, of course it's fine."
Later, I found out that Baek Seon-hyang was the CEO who founded Rodria's company herself.
Since I had no intention of doing anything to upset her, I immediately responded, and Baek Seon-hyang chuckled.
"It's just a joke. I felt bad for mooching off the employees for meals. Instead, let me treat both of you. You helped me out last time, but I didn't get the chance to repay you."
Although I received extra perks as a result.
However, it is not polite for the Chairman to buy meals for you.
More importantly, it could be an opportunity for Orjia to become closer with Baek Seon-hyang as well.
"I'll be counting on you."
"I've received your request."
With a playful tone, Baek Seon-hyang waved her hand and left for the elevator. She always seemed to exude a strong business aura, like a true career woman.
"Mr. Ha-chan, you should be careful."
"Huh? Be careful? About what?"
In that moment, Orjia suddenly spoke out of the blue.
Wondering what she meant by being careful, I tilted my head, and she responded with a distant expression, as if gazing at a faraway mountain.
Here's the English translation:
“You might get eaten before you know it.”
“Is it a dimensional beast targeting me?”
"Someone even more dangerous is targeting you."
Leaving behind cryptic words, Orjia departed.
Something even more dangerous?
... The landlord?