165 - Upki Girl

< It's Been a While Since We Were Alone Together > ――――――― From: Junwoo's Mom Hello, I'm the mother of Oh Junwoo, who is in 9th grade. Before I tell you about Junwoo being a fan of Eunbit, I should explain how I came to apply for this event. Last year, there was a parent-teacher conference. It was mentioned that Junwoo is quite reserved and lacks social skills, making it difficult for him to get along with classmates. He used to be a lively child but became introverted and more irritable after starting middle school. I thought it was just a phase of adolescence, so I didn't think much of it. However, the fact that even his homeroom teacher was concerned meant there was likely an issue. Raising him alone without a father, I realized I might have neglected him due to my busy schedule, so I made efforts to get closer to Junwoo. But we were more distant than I initially thought; it was difficult for either of us to hold a conversation for more than five minutes. When asked if something was bothering him, he'd say no, and answers about school life were short before he went to his room to play games on his phone. When he was in elementary school, he was quite talkative and sometimes a bit clingy, but now he rarely initiated conversations unless necessary. Recently, however, Junwoo approached me first, asking what gifts girls like. I initially thought he had a girlfriend, which evoked mixed emotions of joy and disappointment, but he told me it was a gift for an idol member he likes. Yes, that member is Eunbit^^ (We didn’t make it to the fan signing due to unforeseen circumstancesㅠㅠ) It was surprising that he, who wasn't interested in celebrities, took a liking to an idol, and since he shared this with me, we spent evenings discussing Upkick Girl and watching their broadcasts together. I heard that having an interest in celebrities is called "fangirling" these days. I've also followed Lee Seunghwan in the past, so it wasn't unfamiliar to meㅎㅎ Thanks to Junwoo, I naturally became a fan of Upkick Girl too and joined their fan café, and with this event, I decided to apply. Coincidentally, February 14th is my son’s birthday, so if we win, it would be an unforgettable gift for Junwoo*^^* P.S. Junwoo is also a member of the café, so I apologize for sending this story through a direct message. ――――――― “Hold on, Junwoo, Nuna is almost there.” "Hmm, this is the address, but..." By the fair outcome of a draw, I ended up as the manager for Eunbit’s Valentine's Day event. Seo Won paired with Yeom, Yona with Chief Kim Sang-in, Hong with Junior PD Juhyung, and Riyah with Jangwoo (originally Hong but changed) each formed teams to visit their fans and deliver chocolates. To surprise Junwoo, we first visited the workplace of Junwoo’s mom to devise our plan. “Ma’am, we’re in front of the Cheongwoo Building. Where should we go from here?” ―Oh, you’re here? Please come up to RoomZoom on the 7th floor. “Alright, understood.” Apparently, she works at a gym desk, so we went up there. “Aren’t they here?” “Oh my, you’re here. Hello, I’m Junwoo’s mom.” Judging by her yoga attire and the ambiance, she's likely a yoga instructor. She was sitting with about ten female members, enjoying some fruit and chatting, perhaps having just finished a class. There were male members exercising here and there, and just like in a broadcast, Eunbit greeted them enthusiastically. “Hello, I’m Eunbit of the rookie girl group Upkick Girl! It’s a pleasure to meet you!” “Oh my, she’s so pretty.” “Standing beside her must be the manager.” “Come over here.” Following Junwoo’s mom’s guidance, Eunbit and I moved to where they were. The members seemed aware of Junwoo’s story. Ranging from early 30s to their 60s, the "Zoomma Squad" warmly welcomed us and engaged in light conversation. The younger moms, in their 30s to 40s with young children, were quite familiar with current idol culture, and many knew about Upkick Girl. “You are so pretty. You look even better in person.” “Thank you!” “I enjoy watching Replay Girl. It’s so cool.” “Thank you!” “Have some of this. Oh, you can’t eat just anything, right? Should we ask the manager?” “No, fruit is fine. Eunbit, if you want to eat, feel free.” “Then, I’ll have a strawberry...” “Here, have this. Here’s a fork.” “Thank you, I’ll enjoy it!” ―Chomp chomp chomp From the looks of it, you’d think she’s been starving. She said she’d only have one but ended up devouring them. “Oh my, even the way you eat is so pretty.” “Just like your personality on TV.” “Thank you!” Like little girls seeing an adorable puppy for the first time, the members, regardless of age, couldn’t stop expressing admiration and curiosity towards Eunbit. Eunbit, a holder of Charm-Charm fruit powers, comfortably settled in and chatted sociably. “How old are you?” “I turned 20 this year.” “Oh~ such a lovely age.” “Yes, look at her. Huh? Her skin is different from ours, no matter how much us oldies work out, we can’t keep up.” “No way, you have beautiful skin too, I feel like I should call you sister!” “Aww, I have a 23-year-old son, what sister? But thank you for saying that.” “No way? A 23-year-old son? That’s a lie! You look like you could be dating a 23-year-old!” “Oh my goodness! Listen to her talk, hahaha!” “HAHAHA!” The lively laughter of the women filled the gym, causing the men there to chuckle along. Interestingly, none of the men initially recognized Eunbit, but once they overheard the conversation, they realized she was an idol. Some started looking her up on their phones or took photos from a distance. "My kids are all about Yuktan Defense these days; it's driving me crazy." "Ah, the Yuktan Defense seniors are impressive. Our members are fans too." "Have you ever been on a show together?" "Yes. We saw them during a pre-recording for a music show, and they were really impressive. By the way, is it alright if I have a banana?" "Must be hungry. Want some soy milk too?" "Yes, please. Thank you." ―Munch, munch, sip, sip “But what kind of lip tint do you use? My daughter’s just entering 5th grade and insists on wearing makeup. I haven’t worn any in years and have no idea about kids' cosmetics these days.” “Oh, I can’t remember the brand. I’m not really into makeup either, so I just use what my group members use. But I think there are specific kid-friendly cosmetics available now.” “Yeah, I’ve heard about that.” “Really? They have cosmetics just for kids?” “Yes, since kids have sensitive skin, adult products can cause issues for them.” “When you think about it, having a son is easier, right?” “Hah, try raising a son. You wouldn't believe how much they spend on game items or whatever…” Eunbit empathized strongly with one woman’s sentiment. "Right! My younger brother always asks me for money to buy character skins; it's so annoying!" "Right, skins! I hear they cost thousands of won each, right?" "They seem to release new ones every other day. This time, it's a Valentine's Day package!" "Yeah, yeah! I bet my Hoseok plays the same game!" Speaking of Valentine’s, we need to go deliver Junwoo's chocolates. It looked like Junwoo's mom forgot the main purpose as she got deeply involved in the conversation with Eunbit and the other women. "But can I have more melon?" "Don't ask, just eat as much as you like." "Eunbit, were you really that hungry? It's rare to see you eating so much fruit..." "Right? I usually don’t eat much fruit, but today I’m really craving it." An older woman serving a cup of melon scolded me slightly. "Must be they're not feeding her enough at the company." "No, they take care of our diet. The kids eat better than I do." “It’s such a demanding age. It must be tough.” “Nowadays, idols are often underweight, and that’s so unhealthy.” “Got any rice cakes? Want some?” No, I wish you would listen when I'm talking. Our trainees are fed with balanced nutrition and calorie counts—it’s almost like a royal diet, really... “If you're craving certain foods, it means your body needs those nutrients. My second child rarely eats vegetables, but sometimes he craves them.” “Our husband loves mixed-grain rice, so we eat it a lot. But our Janganko detests it, so I make two kinds of rice.” "Same with my Hoseok. If it's not white rice, he won't eat. So I just buy instant rice for him." What is this... Listening to these women, it’s like every conversation leads back to their kids. I wonder if our Sing Sing Girl group is like this when she’s outside too... The topic shifted to instant rice, and Hoseok’s mom advocated its convenience as if she were a CJ company promoter. Eunbit, acting like the main MC, eagerly provided reactions, while Junwoo’s mom, ecstatic to be the hostess of this gathering, clapped delightedly as if she were an audience member. “Junwoo’s mother, we have another event lined up, so we should…” “Oh, right. Silly me. Just a moment, let me call Junwoo.” Junwoo, currently home alone during his break, was ready to receive a special visit from Eunbit, who would personally ring the doorbell to deliver chocolates and a gift. The chosen gift for Junwoo, a known gamer, was a console gaming system. We bid farewell to the gym members and the instructor by taking a commemorative group photo. “I’ll record the video, edit it, and send it to you via the app.” “Please do. Thanks.” “Junwoo is going to love it.” “Manager, if you do something like this again, let us know. I need to do something for my Hoseok too.” “If you join Upkick Girl’s fan cafe, you’ll get information on events and fan signings, so please join.” “I should. But Hoseok seems more into pro-gamers than idols…” “Alright, we’ll take our leave then.” I cut off the conversation before diving into more Hoseok tales and entered the elevator quickly. “Whew… After hearing so much about that Hoseok, I feel like he’s an old buddy,” I sighed. “Hahahaha!” “You chat with the moms like that.” “It’s fun. I enjoy meeting people and hearing their stories.” “You should be a reporter.” “Great idea! Sign me up.” “Before you become a reporter, check the strawberry seeds stuck in your teeth first.” “Pfft, do I have strawberry seeds stuck?” “One might think it’s your first time having a strawberry.” “Help me, get it out.” Eunbit checked the mirror and turned to me, grinning, with the seed still visible. “Pull it out yourself before you lose a tooth in the process.” “Why are you always so harsh with me! If it were Uni or Riyah, you’d be all caring and gentle.” “Yeah, right. I’d have them singing the blues about it.” "Please, like if Yona unni asked you to remove a seed, you'd say, 'Oh dear, our Yonleader got a cute little strawberry seed stuck!' and help her out." "Yona wouldn't make such a request in the first place." “Straw...berry... seed... please...” "What did you just say, you little turtle? Did you just curse?" "Strawberry seed. I was asking you to remove it." "Man, you're really being a pain." "Pain? You're calling a lady a pain?!" "The love... thing." "Hehe, your sense of humor is something else." "Ugh... Fine, open your mouth, you little rascal..." "Eee~" "Sigh, I can't believe I'm doing this." "EEE~~" I grasped her smooth chin with my left hand to hold it steady. As I used my thumb's nail, now slightly grown out, to dislodge the strawberry seed stuck between her front teeth, the sweet fragrance of strawberry, melon, and banana wafted from her mouth. Her lips, painted in crimson tint, glistened like ripe plums, and her light gray colored lenses revealed eyes that seemed to pledge allegiance, as if offering her very life... Gulp. As she swallowed, so did I, and the moment seemed to stretch on. Then suddenly, without warning, she closed her eyes tight and extended her neck toward me, seemingly caught up in the moment. Just then, I briefly recalled Sing Sing Girl’s playful comment that if I didn't find a spouse soon, I might as well bring Eunbit home... ―Ding dong! Startled by the sound of the elevator arriving at the basement level, I quickly pushed her chin back firmly with my hand. "Cut it out with the nonsense." "Buh-huh. All I was doing was letting you know..." "It was nothing worthwhile. Be glad my elbow didn’t connect with your face." Letting go of her chin, I stepped out of the elevator first and strode toward the car. Soft footsteps followed me. "Come on, you were a bit flustered, weren't you? Just admit it, you were a little swept up, right?" "Fine, I was." "Woohoo!" "I got a thrill thinking about the sensation of my elbow meeting your face." "Ha, trying to cover up your embarrassment. Don't I look pretty today? I even styled my hair in twin tails like someone special. It suits me so well that I was surprised.” "Our Eunbit always looks beautiful. The sky can't even compete." "Am I not a femme fatale?" "Yes, you are, for sure. Guys fall for you at first sight — no wonder you're called the entrance fairy of Upkick Girl." "Tch... You're just saying that." ―Beep ―Clunk! "Get in." "Nope, I want the front seat." "Oh, dear me, how could Miss Femme Fatale sit in the perilous front seat?" Ignoring my open invitation to the backseat, Eunbit insisted on riding shotgun. After closing her door, I got into the driver's seat, started the engine, and input the address Junwoo’s mom provided into the GPS. "200 meters... it's just up ahead?" "Manager, shouldn’t you help me with the seatbelt?" "Why are you being so clingy today?" "Oh, come on." "What!" "It's been a while since it was just the two of us." "Phuhahaha!" Geez, I really lost it there laughing. "Hey! If anyone saw us, they'd think something's going on when it's just us two!" "Listen here, Kim Yun-ho, you never know what might happen. For your information, I was ranked number one in Sing Sing Girl's future daughter-in-law contest. Understand?" "Aww, you're really cute. I admit it. Buckle up so I can drive." "Yes, sir." Driving towards Junwoo’s, or rather Hoseok’s, I quickly reviewed the plan. "I’ll pose as the delivery guy to get the door open, then you jump out from behind. Okay?" "Okay, okay." "Should we light the birthday cake candles?" "Yeah, definitely. It adds to the mood if we sing the birthday song with candles." "Our Hoseok—no, Junwoo, will be over the moon." "Yeah, it's Junwoo, not Hoseok. That mom left quite an impression." Arriving at Junwoo's residence two minutes later, we found it was on the third floor of a five-story building. Cake and gifts in hand, Eunbit and I climbed to the front door. "Shh..." "Okay." As we stood in the quiet stairwell, lighting the candles, we heard voices carrying clearly from inside, even though there were only two apartments per floor. "Sounds like he has friends over." Junwoo's mom had mentioned that Junwoo rarely left the house during break, preferring to game alone. He hadn’t mentioned friends when we called. "Hehe. This is going to be so fun." While Eunbit seemed eager to surprise Junwoo in front of his friends, I couldn't shake a different gut feeling. "Eunbit, be quiet for a moment." "Why, what’s up?" Drawing from my years at all-boys schools, I recognized a certain tone, that distinctive sneer boys use when bullying. From the sounds inside, someone was getting picked on. Pressing myself to the door to concentrate, I heard: ―Oh Junwoo, you damn bastard, want to die? Why are there no ramen packets? ―Um… I'll go buy some now… ―Why not get moving already? ―No jacket; it's your penalty. ―Okay… Footsteps pounded towards the entrance. Clink— In the open door’s frame appeared Junwoo, wearing only short sleeves.