“What, you’re alone? Did everyone go to the shoot?”
After finishing the shoot and entering the dorm, I stared at Kim Seoyun with bright, expectant eyes, harboring a small hope rather than waiting for an answer.
“Unnie… by any chance…”
I knew this very well from seeing myself in the mirror countless times.
At this moment, there was absolutely no way anyone could look at me and not fall for me.
“Not today, and not next time either.”
But Kim Seoyun, how could you look at this face and still make such a cold, bothered expression?
“Yeah… That’s just like Seoyun unnie… When has she ever been kind to her younger sister even once… Our Doha really lucked out meeting her unnie… Sigh…”
In the end, overcome with sorrow, I had no choice but to sit down in a corner and quietly scribble away at my composition notebook once more.
“Hah.”
Seoyun unnie looked as though she was about to say something, then merely opened and closed her mouth a few times before slamming the door shut and going inside.
“…What? Is she actually mad?”
She wasn’t the kind of person to get angry over something like this.
“Just because I teased her a little.”
If she really was angry, I’d make it up to her tomorrow.
More importantly, how the hell was I supposed to brag about it?
“Now that things have come to this, should I really ask U-a unnie or Naeun unnie?”
Chiyo unnie would be secretly delighted if I asked her and would do it proudly enough, but honestly, I was a little worried.
Who knew what kind of nonsense she might add?
“Then should I just do what Kim Seoyun said and upload it myself on social media? Tagging that video…?”
But I couldn’t exactly do that.
“It wouldn’t look right. I have to be someone who’s cool about everything…”
An idea struck me!
“I could just make this person do it…?!”
[Sera unnie: Yeah, yeah! I’ll ask our manager to get me booked on a show!]
Whether it was our group or not, as long as the result was good.
Of course, that never happened.
[Me: Unnie, cancel, cancel]
[Sera unnie: (dejected cat emoji)]
The next day, on the way to work for a music show, Manager Yeongho told me the whole story again.
“Seoyun got carried away while talking and ended up saying all sorts of things, haha.”
As my reward, I simply hugged Seoyun unnie, who was 165 centimeters tall and fit snugly in my arms.
“So you were upset yesterday because your pride was hurt? Seoyun unnie, honestly~ You like me too much for your own good~”
“Get lost.”
“How is it? Super soft, right? Jealous?”
“Let go if you don’t want to get beaten to death.”
“Even if you pretend to hate me, my charm won’t let you be… Ow! Hey, are you seriously hitting me?”
“If you come within thirty centimeters of me, I’ll hit you.”
Why did she hit me in the chest, of all places?
Even my mom only hits my back.
And her palms were seriously stinging.
* * *
After Seoyun’s shoot, while Doha was being teased throughout their promotions and getting smacked with Seoyun’s palm again and again,
the Aers were flooding the community with posts like mad.
─I told you I was right about Doha!! Doha said she made the album concept!!!
└Ugh, the gross way they talk gives away that they’re a newbie so badly
└For real, newbie, listen and learn? If that were really Lee Doha, she would’ve come looking for praise already, chattering away with her mouth wide open.
└They would’ve changed their username from ProducerLeeDoha to AlbumDirectorLeeDoha ages ago lol
The preview for Seoyun’s episode had gone up almost immediately, since it had been scheduled for broadcast so quickly as the hottest guest appearance.
[There was a rumor that one of the members had handled everything from the proposal to the album concept.]
[(Beeeep-)]
In truth, the preview hadn’t revealed a single thing, so there was no reason for a debate to break out.
─Then what is Seoyun talking about there?
└Is this the first time the show’s used bait?
└That review video becoming a trending video was a first in history, so of course it’s going to be a hot topic lol
All of this had happened because it was unusual for a controversy to be circulating around Doha while Doha herself kept her mouth shut and restrained herself.
─Just wait until the broadcast day…!
└Ugh, that way of talking
And then, at last, the day of the full broadcast arrived.
======================
Doha brought in a proposal all by herself last year.
.
.
.
In general, we try to give each member the parts they want to sing, but usually Doha assigns them according to the points she wants to highlight and the vocal tones that fit them. She even pays attention to the scales. She listens to their voices normally and knows which member has what range… It’s just that sometimes she’ll start spouting nonsense about what note someone’s snoring is in.
.
.
======================
The truth of the YouTuber’s mere speculation was finally revealed.
─I told you I was right about Doha!! Doha planned the album!!!
└Wow, that’s the speech pattern of a true veteran
└I knew there was something unusual about this person!
└Ah, right or wrong, I’m blocking them. What kind of mental illness is that way of talking…
As though venting years of frustration, the fans surged forth, and only after one full broadcast slot had passed did they finally begin openly obsessing over Doha’s new revelation.
[Lee Doha planned the entire album ㄷㄷ]
[The album’s hidden concept in the lyrics written by Lee Doha]
[Experts had already sensed Lee Doha’s genius]
[Lee Doha laughs when the members answer her and gets depressed when they don’t respond enthusiasticallyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ.jpg]
[Kim Seoyun explains Debonair’s part-distribution process (feat. Seoyun’s snoring ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ)]
Naturally, this wasn’t limited to the fan community. It spread across every kind of internet community.
And whenever the atmosphere turned this festive, there was one channel fans always stopped by at least once.
The social media accounts of famous fansite masters.
Dorahee @Dol_Ahyee
─Our Doha might actually be the kind of cool girl who waits until Seoyun unnie confirms that the speculation is true, then comes to Bubble, confidently uploads a V-sign selfie, and leaves without saying a word
Bae Hayoung was one such account owner.
Dorahee @Dol_Ahyee
─(Photo) What the heck, why is this actually real?
Once again, living up to her title as Doha’s most passionate fansite master, Bae Hayoung’s prediction had landed perfectly.
Dorahee @Dol_Ahyee
─But now that I think about it, she doesn’t seem like a cool girl. She came because she couldn’t stand waiting to be praised, everyone hurry up and tell her she’s a genius
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Of course, the significance of a terrestrial broadcast didn’t lie solely in the revelation of the truth.
The existing TV audience—generally middle-aged people who were unfamiliar with entertainment-industry news and didn’t use online communities, and, more broadly, even the elderly—had come to recognize Debonair in a new light.
This was especially apparent in some of the comments on clips from the full broadcast uploaded to YouTube.
========================
[Seoyun, the main vocalist of the trending idol group Debonair, talks about the album’s producer! Who could it be?! | Wednesdays Are Fun]
─These girls have been catching my eye and ear repeatedly since last year. I enjoyed their year-end stage so much! I’ll have to listen to the album they made themselves.
─I feel like I can tell how much Seoyun cares for her younger sister. She seems very sociable.^^ I couldn’t help thinking she resembles a puppy, but is that just my opinion?
─A friend. named. Lee Doha. I truly. felt. that she was. a blessing. to the nation. It seems. an extraordinary. talent. has appeared.
─The more I learn about them, the more charming these idols become♡♡♡ I hope they continue working as wonderful singers in the future.
─It’s lovely to see such a young person, despite being in her fifth year, approaching things with the attitude of a rookie. I hope she will always set a good example for herself and others…
========================
They had already been familiar with Doha and Seoyun’s faces, since their recognition had been high ever since Saven. Still, it was encouraging that this was the first time many of them had properly heard about the activities of the group Debonair.
And as always, this chain of events inevitably manifested in tangible results.
* * *
“A coffee commercial?”
“That’s right, Doha. A coffee commercial! Do you know how incredible this is? Unlike liquor models, who change frequently, coffee models can stick with a brand for ten years once they start, you know?”
Even while heading to a photo shoot for an individual schedule, I had suddenly received news of yet another new commercial.
“Not only is it difficult to find a model who matches a coffee brand’s image, but it also takes a long time to make consumers recognize and establish the image of both the model and the brand. That’s why coffee models are chosen only after an incredible amount of deliberation, you see?”
“Oh~”
Manager Yeongho was passionately expounding on the matter, excited as though it were his own business.
His enthusiasm put me in a good mood, but honestly, I wasn’t particularly interested in the commercial itself.
“Even so, I’m not going to do it.”
“Why, why? No, Doha, even the director says you should do this.”
“No, but what does someone who can’t drink coffee because it makes her sick have to do with a coffee ad…? You know that better than anyone, Manager.”
“…That’s true.”
“You saw me drinking an energy drink just now, didn’t you?”
I waved the beverage can at Manager Yeongho. But he still seemed to have come prepared to persuade me.
“The advertisers don’t know my age?”
Even if you put everything else aside, a coffee commercial for a nineteen-year-old was a little much.
I could understand if it were another ion drink commercial like the one I’d shot before.
“Doha, you’re underestimating yourself too much.”
“…I am?”
That was the first time I’d heard anyone say that.
Was I actually a much more impressive person than I thought?
“Among idols, Doha has overwhelmingly high recognition among the older generations. On top of that, you play the piano incredibly well. What does age have to do with that sophisticated image? You match coffee perfectly!”
“That may be true too…”
Even as I acknowledged his point and gazed out the window, Manager Yeongho spoke to me again, more cautiously this time.
“Doha, and this time, even the director really wants you to… Hmm?”
Sigh… Fine. If the director wanted it that badly, it was probably the right thing to do.
“I’ll decide after looking over the detailed contract. But I’ll try to lean toward accepting it.”
“Sure, sure.”
I nodded at Manager Yeongho, then took out my phone and opened Instagram.
More importantly, it was about time I uploaded a photo in one of my stage outfits…
“Ah. No, never mind.”
“What do you mean, never mind?”
“Let’s do the coffee commercial later.”
“…Ah, no, why, why!?”
The first criterion I had set for myself.
My follower count had somehow surpassed twenty-five million.
Clearly, it was a sign that I was getting a response overseas.
Right now…
“Doha, what about, uh, Lira!”
“Pardon?”
“Right, Lira! Lira can’t—no, she can’t do a coffee commercial either?!”
“……”
Should I… do it?