As she watched the two chatting freely despite having been given a warning once, Woo-ah appeared somewhat unsettled.
[Do-hee: I heard it was a blind date, but a dog really showed up.]
[Seo-yoon: Hahaha, then I guess you must be a cow?]
─This is really chaotic from the start.
─They’re each other’s counters, hilarious!
─So that’s what they mean when they say blind dates are for dogs and cows, huh?
└I’ve never tried it…
└Actually, I haven’t either…
└ㅠㅠ Let’s do our best, everyone!
Still, Woo-ah had anticipated this much. After all, Do-hee and Seo-yoon were both experienced, so the likelihood of them behaving recklessly was high.
[Woo-ah: But seriously, both of you are really good at making the show entertaining.]
Just one mildly threatening comment is enough.
[Woo-ah: I should learn from you both and show my sister and Do-hee this exact style during my self-content time!]
The two’s eyes gleamed with excitement.
[Do-hee: Ahem.]
[Seo-yoon: Oh! This is a blind date, right?]
[Do-hee: No, it’s an organic carrot trading…]
[Seo-yoon: You do look like a rabbit, though.]
─Organic carrot trading, lol!
Of course, one might wonder if they were really in their right minds.
[Do-hee: First, please sit down; your legs must be tired.]
[Seo-yoon: Yeah, yeah.]
But at least for Woo-ah, who knew the two well, it felt sufficient.
[Woo-ah: Since you’re here, let’s start with some drinks.]
[Do-hee: You must be thirsty, right? Shall we order some drinks?]
[Seo-yoon: Yes, it’s a bit hot today, after all.]
[Do-hee: So that’s why your face is a little red? I thought you had a day drink before coming! Almost ordered you hangover soup, haha!]
[Seo-yoon: How can you be this boring? Your first impression is really bad!]
[Do-hee: Sorry, my mistake~ Hah!]
At this point, it seemed like they were somewhat accepting Woo-ah’s manipulation.
─It’s so chaotic, lol!
─Are they really listening? Hahaha!
─Why does Woo-ah look so satisfied?
[Finally, the blind date of the two women began in earnest.]
Woo-ah relayed her command to engage in some serious small talk, and Seo-yoon politely asked as she set down her cheerful hat.
[Seo-yoon: What’s your name?]
[Do-hee: I’m Do-hee Lee. And you?]
[Seo-yoon: I’m Seo-yoon Kim.]
[Do-hee: Your name is pretty too.]
[Seo-yoon: Oh my.]
What a strangely normal conversation was unfolding.
This is exactly what Woo-ah wanted.
[Do-hee: How old do you think I look?]
[Woo-ah: People say asking a question with a question is the worst.]
[Seo-yoon: You’re the worst here.]
[Do-hee: Huh? All of a sudden?]
─Why does Woo-ah look so happy? Hahaha!
─Why is she enjoying this so much? Haha!
The two seem to be controlling their exaggerated personas. They slip in their desired comments intermittently.
[Do-hee: I’m 19 years old. How about you, Seo-yoon?]
[Woo-ah: One year younger. 18 years old, with a lisp.]
[Seo-yoon: One year younger. 18 lisp!]
[Woo-ah: Call them old on the outside.]
[Do-hee: Wow, you do look older.]
[Seo-yoon: What?]
Even Do-hee and Seo-yoon couldn’t separate themselves. It’s hard to tell if it’s something they say directly or if Woo-ah is prompting them.
─Is Jiwoo talking to herself, lol!
─Seo-yoon looks particularly cute today. Is she mine?
[Woo-ah: How can you suddenly use informal language when we just met?]
[Seo-yoon: When did you start talking informally?]
Confusion arises.
[Woo-ah: You said you’re 18.]
[Do-hee: You said you’re 18.]
[Seo-yoon: Jiwoo, aren’t you going to stop? I really got confused because that sounded like something Do-hee would say.]
[Woo-ah: Oh.]
[Do-hee: Oh.]
After throwing out those lines a few times, Woo-ah, satisfied with herself, seemed to have finished her prepared repertoire and gave orders to the two through the intercom.
[Woo-ah: Now you two just chat about whatever you want. (Refreshing)]
But once given the freedom, the two fell into silence again.
[Do-hee: Um…]
[Seo-yoon: Hmm.]
[First time seeing these two together]
They couldn’t meet each other’s eyes while looking out the window.
This was their first blind date.
─Why is it suddenly awkward? LOL
─Did you guys actually come out for a blind date?
[Woo-ah: Why is this so frustrating? Let’s talk about hobbies. Hobbies.]
[Do-hee: Ah, um, what are your hobbies?]
[Seo-yoon: Hobbies. Yes.]
Even so, the duo, capable of quick responses in given situations, managed.
For a moment, their eyes met.
Tender feelings passed between them.
[Do-hee: Do you perhaps enjoy flower arranging, tea ceremonies, or calligraphy?]
[Seo-yoon: Oh my, how did you know? Do you have the same hobby?]
[Do-hee: Yes, you seem to have a similar vibe, so I thought your hobbies might be alike!]
[Seo-yoon: Oh my!]
[Do-hee: Haha!]
[Both lost in their thoughts]
─Just when I thought they were normal, here comes the nonsense again.
─Where did Do-hee learn that laugh? LOL
─Oh my, this is happening.
At times when their hearts aligned, the duo, the “Duo-do,” cherished and flattered each other more than anyone else.
[Do-hee: Your eyes, being so round and puppy-like, are super cute and adorable, and your features are so clear, you’re even pretty!]
[Seo-yoon: Oh, if someone saw you, they’d think you were a fancy doll!]
Woo-ah frowned.
She was satisfied, but…
This feeling, this feeling wasn’t it.
*
Na-eun was sitting.
Do-hee was standing awkwardly.
[Na-eun: You never listen to the older sisters.]
[Do-hee: Me?]
The one really feeling uneasy was Na-eun.
[Woo-ah: What do you mean, so disrespectful?]
[Na-eun: Wh-what do you mean, disrespectful?]
[Do-hee: Wow, you’re coming on strong.]
[Very pleased CEO Woo-ah]
Criticism from usually sweet Na-eun.
Who knew she wasn’t just a debonaire member?
Feeling satisfaction like a hidden mastermind.
This was the first glimpse of Woo-ah’s slightly mischievous personality being revealed.
*
Meanwhile, at the same time,
Lira was happily strolling through her office building.
As she said, it was indeed her office.
Just recently, after finishing her 7-year contract with Coral Blue, she had established her own company.
While she thought of recruiting singers later to expand, for now, it was still a one-person company.
Of course, she still planned to work with her team at H 하루 Entertainment.
She had no intention of giving up on Coral Blue.
“Someone has arrived at the counter.”
“Customer? Ah, please take them to my studio.”
Since it had already been a month since she started her company, not many people were coming to visit, even if they were sending flower arrangements.
The guest couldn’t help but be sure of who it was.
“How much does something like this cost…?”
“About 60,000.”
Later, this is the person she’d definitely want to recruit into her company.
“Oh, you scared me!”
Do-hee Lee, muttering while leaning against the back of the sofa, suddenly jerked her head away, surprised by her own voice.
“Thank you for the hip-hop license, Unnie!”
“If you talk nonsense, I’ll kick you out.”
“I’m just joking.”
Lira, finding the conversation tedious, plopped down onto the couch.
The sofa was soft yet supportive for her posture.
“But why is the sofa so cheap? 60,000?”
“Is it cheap? It’s not exactly expensive.”
Do-hee squinted her eyes and looked over.
“…You mean dollars?”
“Would it be won then?”
No matter what, Lira replied nonchalantly.
“…80 million?”
You could see it in her eyes.
“I got scolded by my mom for spending 200 million on a grand piano… and now this…”
Do-hee slapped the faux leather of the sofa with her palm, clearly curious if this was a waste of money.
“It is a bit extravagant.”
She admitted it easily.
It wasn’t bought for performance, after all.
It was just luxury furniture arranged to deflate others’ spirits.
The interior cost for this 20-pyeong studio was roughly the price of a small villa.
“But whenever I go to foreign artists’ studios, it’s usually more than this, not less.”
She’s seen cases exceeding hundreds of billions.
“So is this the norm when you play in the world…”
Is she finally admitting the play style is different now?
She felt a sense of satisfaction in the choice of needlessly expensive furniture.
Lira laughed lightly and placed her hand on Do-hee’s thigh.
“Didn’t you get quite a bit in royalties this time? I heard SAME was charting at 109 on the Billboard.”
“Oh, that’s still being settled… How did you find out about that, Unnie?”
Feigning to cover her mouth, Do-hee suddenly broke into a grin.
“You were secretly keeping an eye on it, huh? Watching the Billboard charts to see how far it goes, hehe.”
“……”
A thought of wanting to slap her crossed her mind.
“Well then, you must have seen our Self-Content too, right?”
“Why would I ever watch that?”
“…Forget I said anything.”
Lira retorted, but the truth was she had seen it.
Even now, it occasionally came up in her algorithm.
She just hadn’t seen the latest episode—only the older ones. Just the older ones.
Anyway, Lira narrowed her brow in irritation, quickly wiping the expression away as she spoke.
“Forget that, put on a song if you’re here. You said you wanted to get feedback. Neither of us has much time.”
“Oh, right, right.”
There was no avoiding the annoyance in her tone, but thanks to that, perceptive Do-hee quickly took out her phone to connect it to the studio’s computer.
In the meantime, there’s something about her unadorned clear phone case that seemed so Do-hee.
“This song is entirely thanks to you, Unnie, because you gave me the hip-hop license…”
“If you’re going to talk nonsense, just zip it.”
“…Whoa.”
This was all her own karma.
Her own karma for getting a bit too curious and sending a message to Do-hee earlier because she found her interesting from their first meeting.
‘But I never acted too comfortably around her.’
Whether it was Do-hee’s true nature or a personality shaped by her abilities and confidence, who knows?
Was her personality shaped like that based on her instincts?
Meanwhile, seeing Do-hee Lee flinch at her harsh words, Lira let out a sigh.
“I’m sorry, I got a bit annoyed for a moment. I’ve been stressed lately with starting a company…”
It was definitely excessive.
She usually tries to avoid swearing since she believes dignity and intelligence come from one’s words.
No matter how annoying Do-hee Lee is—.
“Well, that can happen, you know? I totally understand~”
“Just keep your mouth shut.”
“Huh…”
There aren’t many people who can induce such mood swings in Lira’s life, so it’s quite surprising.
“Ugh, ugh.”
But even so, Do-hee isn’t entirely unlikable.
When told to shut up, she mumbled as if ventriloquizing while pointing at the computer.
“Ugh, ugh!”
“Just play it already, I get it.”
“Hehe.”
Due to her playful nature, it’s also kind of cute.
‘Cute… me?’
Lira watched Do-hee click the mouse with a fleeting thought, just like last time.
Indeed, Do-hee’s appearance was undeniably cute.
Unlike Lira, who looked so cold, Do-hee brilliantly exuded both cuteness and beauty…
“Okay, here comes the world premiere~?”
Before Lira could get lost in her thoughts, Do-hee playfully shouted and started playing the song.
“I only roughly wrote the lyrics, and it’s not finished yet, so I just brought the beat!”
Suddenly, Lira found herself focused on the melody and beat that filled the previously chaotic room.
The sound of a DJ quickly spinning an LP, scratch sounds.
The core rhythm made up of kick and snare.
Emotions layered with the bass.
“Oh, I guess the reaction isn’t bad?”
It was a composition that Lira wouldn’t have thought Do-hee made if she hadn’t brought it.
Traditional 90s old-school boom bap, East Coast hip-hop.
“Did you write this all by yourself?”
This genre had no connection to the tracks Do-hee had shown so far.
“Isn’t Lira certified with a second-class hip-hop license?”
Still, it sounded like real hip-hop that wouldn’t feel out of place even to local American listeners.
Do-hee was again cheerfully spouting nonsense, but as reasonable results streamed out, Lira’s mind became complicated.
“Where did you get the inspiration for this?”
“Oh~ I mentioned I’ve been listening to hip-hop lately. I started with Coral Blue’s songs and listened to some old-school foreign hip-hop, but I tried to make it a bit more stylish with a modern feel. So I was also thinking about the drum beats~ Ah, the lyrics are a jackpot; the draft is amazing. Oh! Right, unni, you haven’t seen our self-content yet?”
Excitedly chattering, Do-hee suddenly perked up the corners of her mouth and grabbed her phone.
“This is the preview of this week’s self-content. You might see something here?”
Without realizing it, Lira found her gaze on the screen that Do-hee presented.
It was a fast-paced video of debonaire members seemingly going on blind dates, with a trailer appearing at the end.
And the caption displayed on top.
‘Do-hee’s Inspiration Camp?’
[Do-hee: If I provide inspiration, why should you ask me to provide it, unni? Inspiration~]
[Seo-yoon: That’s nonsense again, seriously.]
Even she thought it sounded like nonsense.
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