171 - Upki Girl

< A Gust of Wind Blows > Could it have been a mistake to gradually reduce the medication as her symptoms improved? Despite having excellent motor skills, Liya was helpless against this cursed dizziness. Her equilibrium shattered as her vision spun like a washing machine drum starting up. "Whoa!" —Thump! Jang-woo, who was about to sit on the floor, flung himself forward and hugged Liya under her arms. Although she managed not to topple forward, Aliya collapsed onto the narrow floor like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Everyone at Humming Humming, including the members of Upkick Girl, knew about Liya’s congenital anemia. Her symptoms were known to flare up when she was mentally, physically exhausted, or in stressful situations. Accordingly, they always had a protocol ready. Although the so-called protocol usually involved requesting an ambulance from Liya's designated hospital and then notifying Cassie. If she could still communicate, they could handle it according to her wishes. Fortunately, she hadn't lost consciousness. As Jang-woo pulled out his phone, he asked: "Should I call an ambulance?" "I want to go outside for some fresh air... I’m feeling stuffy and dizzy..." "Can you stand up?" "No. I have no strength. Just carry me..." After saying that, Liya tightly shut her eyes. Her complexion had noticeably paled. She was gripped by such intense fear that she broke her self-imposed "Liyarule (no touch from men except Myuno)." Although Jang-woo didn't know it was claustrophobia, seeing her shut eyes suggested something in the house triggered Liya's trauma. He promptly carried her to the Maybach parked on the first floor. As he descended the stairs, Liya clung tensely to his back. It wasn't until they were met by the chilly air and the sound of the car door opening that her tension eased. Squinting, she asked: "Are we outside...?" "Yes, please have a seat." "Sigh... I haven't felt this awful in a long time... The house was so cramped, with all the furniture crammed together—it was terrifying." "Would you like some water?" "No, I'm fine... Where's my phone?" "Oh, I have it. Here you go." Upon receiving her phone, Liya held down the number 1 on the keypad, emphasizing to Jang-woo: "Don’t tell Cassie about today. I just managed to lower my meds; she’ll raise them again if she finds out." "If your health is deteriorating, shouldn’t you increase them...?" "Then since it's all your fault, do you want to take Aliya's meds instead?" Jang-woo thought to himself: If she's making unreasonable demands, she must be okay. "Should I not tell Yoon-ho either?" "No, you should tell Jam Jam. I'm calling him now." —Hello. "Lukoko, are you still at the police station?" —Yeah, just finished giving my statement and stepped into the lobby. "I almost died, you know." —Why? "The house we visited for the event was so cramped it really pressured me. I barely survived." —...What are you talking about? Let me speak to Jang-woo. "Forget it. Just stay close to me for now. Jang-woo alone isn’t enough." —Put Jang-woo on... "Okay. I'm fine now. See you. Hurry over. Bye." After Liya hung up, Jang-woo playfully inquired: "What does Lukoko mean?" "Never mind. Oh, right. I have to give chocolates to a struggling college student who dreams of self-support through education. Just tell them to come down here." "Yes, I’ll call them." Liya's Valentine’s gift-giving eventually took place outside. Whether or not he was truly poor, from Liya’s perspective, 21-year-old Kim Jung-min, a desperately impoverished student living on his own, received a far greater gift than chocolates. He was included in the Oskal Hotel Welfare Foundation’s student support list. This was possible because he met the GPA cut-off. If he wished, he could also participate in a career program for disabled individuals aiming to work at Oskal Hotel after graduation. If accepted, additional support funds would be provided. Thus, it was not a unilateral support or charity but a future talent development system beneficial to the hotel. "Liya has an eye for people. I think Jung-min will be a good employee. They say there are no bad Upkick Girl fans. Just continue as you are." "Thank you." "Thank your Oppa-bah member sibling and our Upkick Girl sisters. Today’s opportunity is thanks to them." Jang-woo thought, 'What’s with this elder's way of speaking?' She was already standing with her hands behind her back like a big shot. "So, Jung-min, you must join Upkick Girl’s fandom today and sign up for the cafe." "Yes, I’ll definitely do that." "And we’ll have someone help you move to a place with an elevator." "Uh? Oh... Thank you, but you don’t have to go that far." "Study one more line instead of trudging up to the 5th floor; it’s a deep message, so just say okay." "Oh... Thank you..." Before they knew it, a relationship had already formed without their awareness. Listening in on their conversation, Jang-woo turned his head aside to stifle his laughter. Thus, the chocolate delivery by the five members of Upkick Girl wrapped up, leaving behind both tumultuous events and cherished memories. The immediate aftermath began hitting the TV and online media the following morning. *** 7 AM. Confirming that the morning news program had started, I headed down to the basement to wake the trainees. "Rise and shine! Strong and vigorous morning! The broadcast has begun!" "Whoa! Everyone up..." —Thud! "Ahh!" "Hey, hey, do you think that'll bring the ceiling down? You have to hit it harder. Are you okay?" "It hurts!" Silver, who had been sleeping on the top bunk, tried to get up energetically and ended up hitting her head against the ceiling. The rest of the four sluggishly pulled themselves out from under their blankets. Ah... Yona's in her underwear again. I've let it slide before, but not today. Turning my head away, I gave a word of warning. "Yona. Either wear pants or at least give me a heads-up if you aren’t. You know I come to wake you guys up. Are you trying to be defiant?" "What’s the big deal, we’re family..." "No, even family doesn't walk around in just underwear." "It seems like she enjoys your reaction, doesn’t she, Iyona?" Seowon grumbled as she threw a blanket over Yona, clearly not pleased. Yona, yawning widely, responded dryly. "Yaaawn... It’s a misunderstanding. I really can't sleep if I wear pants." "Then how did you manage when you first started living in the dorm?" "Back then, I'd take them off to sleep and put them on under the blanket when you came to wake us." "That’s true, Aliya confirmed that part." "Then why don’t you do that now?" "Because we're family." "Can you wander around in your underwear in front of your dad too?" I caught the slight flicker in Yona’s eyes. Seowon had managed to derail her usual defense. Still... "I didn’t mean it that way, but if that’s how you felt, I’ll hold back from now on." Yona can be sly. Once she admits, Seowon can't push further. She's definitely the cleverest of the bunch. As we lived together in the dorm, we started seeing or altering our compatibility with one another, which was quite entertaining to observe. Despite seeming like the toughest, Seowon ended up getting teased and bullied from all sides. Gathered in front of the living room TV, we were ready to watch the morning show, “Live Morning Garden.” It’s a program run with expert panels including lawyers, journalists, and university professors. The incident involving Yoo-jun, which was filed and reported at the police station yesterday, had already made public waves. —It's time to report yesterday's incidents. Let’s find out what happened with the materials prepared by reporter Jeong Joo-in. The news began with the male MC’s opening. Silver, who was part of the direct interview, clapped her hands like a seal excitedly. "Oh, it’s happening!" "Lu-koko, turn up the volume." "The remote’s right in front of you, isn’t it?" "It’s only right when Lu-koko cranks up the volume." "Don’t talk nonsense." —Do you remember the Miryang middle school girl assault case that fueled national outrage? Barely having recovered from that shock, yet another case of middle school violence has occurred, evoking much sorrow. The news reported that the more shocking fact was the crime was perpetrated in the victim's home, on their birthday. The victim had already written countless letters of farewell, indicating a severely unstable situation. —So how did this event get reported to the police, reporter Jeong Joo-in? —Yes, the potential tragedy was averted thanks to the wit of a current girl group member and her manager. —A girl group member? —Indeed, take a look at the exclusive footage obtained by our Morning Garden coverage team. The footage I captured with the action cam appeared on screen. Yoo-jun and the perpetrators’ faces were, of course, blurred, but footage of the interview Silver and I did at the police station aired openly. The broadcast even showed me subduing the punk, throwing him down after Silver was grabbed by the wrist. "Ooh~ Manager~" "Lu-koko, not bad." "Impressive." "Guys, I don’t know what you think of me, but I’m not the type to just get pushed around." "What? But didn’t you get beaten by Hong?" Regardless, that was a one-shot that raised my status a bit. The kids were feeling my biceps and shoulders... "Hey, hey, why are you slipping a hand into my pocket! Who is it!?" "It’s Hong." "No, it’s Seowon! I only thought about it!" "Alright, everyone clear out! Let me watch my interview!" <Upkick Girl Manager Kim Yoon-ho> —Something felt off from the start. It gave the sense of school violence. Protecting Hoseok (alias) was the first priority... "The manager doesn’t look great on camera." "Hey, for a bare face, isn’t it decent?" "Oooh! I'm on! Everyone be quiet!" The segment concluded with Silver’s hopeful interview. <Upkick Girl Member Yoo Silver> —I’d love to not stop here but also to actively take part in a school violence prevention campaign. If we are appointed as ambassadors, we’d be active until the day school violence disappears from the world. I earnestly want it! Please allow us! "Silver, you should’ve addressed them as Chief or Commissioner, not 'Captain.'" "I don’t understand those ranks." "Yoo Silver. Why do you read general knowledge books?" "Haven’t you considered that this is the result even after reading them?" "W-what..." "Seowon, she's beyond arguing." While the kids bantered, I checked the internet's real-time reactions. True to what reporter Kim Chorong had said, the incident of school violence tied to a girl group drew a hot response. "Silver, congrats on trending #1. Upkick Girl trending #2." Upkick Girl was also climbing the ranks in current affairs news concerning school violence. With the buzz from this alone, the entire day seemed set to be lively, especially with Yoo-jun’s mother sending a handwritten thank-you letter to Upkick Girl and the Valentine’s Day event reviews and self-captured videos from other members being shared... Had there been just a couple of stories, they might have slipped under the radar, but with numerous heartwarming episodes and tales emerging simultaneously, February 15th's real-time search results, entertainment news, and social media were practically a celebratory Upkick Girl festival. —(Inc)Goblin: Yesterday, an Upkick Girl member personally brought chocolates to our office, lol. —Mochimoshi: Our math tutor is a 42-year-old single, and Hongi patted him on the back, lol. —youdrrain: Are they some government-produced project girl group? They seem to be involved everywhere—military, police, society. Next thing you know, they’ll run for Seoul Mayor. —pangu12: The world’s top three troublemakers. Kindaichi, Conan, Ssi-ba-kkobuk... —AliyaIsTruth: This is the good deed Aliya did for my brother... . . . The three syllables "Upkick Girl" stuck to the top of the trending searches like a lingering spirit the following day. This was because the episode of Replay Girl Sports Day, which they attended like a swarm of locusts, had aired. In just two days, the fan cafe's membership swelled by 2.5 times. <End of A Gust of Wind Blows>