192 - Upki Girl

< ♡Today's Explosion at Hongten♡ > Oh, oh! After falsely accusing me, Riya swiftly sprinted down to the first floor. "Look at that, her foot's all healed. She could go back on stage, don’t you think?" No response followed. Yona was flipping through pictures of herself on the phone Riya left behind. "Yona, even if the manager didn't say anything, you know Riya's trying to pin this on me, right? I really didn't care if I saw it or not, but she insisted on finding it. Wait, this sounds funny. I mean, it’s not that I couldn’t care less, but why would I want to see a photo of you in a swimsuit... I mean, not that there’s anything wrong with your body, it’s just our relationship isn’t like that..." I never knew I could be so inarticulate. The gist was, "It’s all Riya’s fault, it's all her fault." "Hmm..." Yona flipped through the 12 photos with a serious expression and then went back through them in reverse order. Her expression was nostalgic. "Wow... only a year ago, but I look so young here." "Really? I think you look younger now." "No way, look at this." Yona showed me the photo I had earlier mentioned seemed nice— the one where she was reclining on a sunbed with her legs crossed... Hot! HOT! "See? I definitely look younger, right?" "Um... maybe? Your face seems to have more baby fat, or maybe it's the makeup..." Yona and I were sitting across from each other at a low table. She was almost leaning on the table, lost in nostalgia, flipping to the next picture. "Isn't this pose good?" "Yeah, it's nice..." "And this one?" "Yeah, that's good too." "This one?" "Looks nice." "There's no soul in your answer..." "No, really, they’re all good." I must be blushing. Feeling embarrassed, I attempted to take a sip of my coffee, only to spit out a few drops at the next picture. Startled, Yona quickly pulled the phone away. "Is he crazy?" What followed Yona's photos was a selfie storage from Riya’s phone—except it wasn’t a regular selfie, it was an after-shower reflection of Alia in the bathroom mirror, completely naked... From Yona’s expressions and mutterings, this wasn’t a single occurrence, and it seemed there were also photos of other members. "I can't believe this... what if she loses her phone? When did she take these?" Flushed with embarrassment, Yona shouted Riya’s name and ran down to the first floor. "Jin-riya! Come here!" Phew, my heart won’t calm down. What is it with today, starting with Seowon, that it seems like a day of nudity? But your honor, prosecutor, detective, I swear, I didn't do anything. "What's going on with Yona? Did Riya mess up again?" Eunbi came out, having finished drying her hair. "There were some risqué pictures on Riya’s phone." "Like bathroom selfies?" "What? How did you know?" "I have one with her, too. You didn’t see them, did you? Did you?" "What are you girls thinking? What if you lose your phone?" "Oh wow, I didn’t think of that. We should delete them." "Sigh..." [Mr. Kim Yoon-ho’s lifespan has reduced by two months.] [The God of Instinct is secretly curious about Alia's album.] The God of Instinct should mind his own business. Now's not the time for that. The nosy deity doesn’t even realize how serious this is. "But even if the photos were leaked, wouldn't it just make us more popular? I'm pretty confident!" "Shut up." "Got it." Downstairs, it seems like Riya’s getting reprimanded. Yona's raised voice, which is rare, and Seowon’s scolding tone echoed alternately. Upon inspection, there were over 50 photos in Riya’s risqué collection, all of which were deleted right there. [The God of Instinct is openly dejected.] Please, just let it go... I stayed on the second floor while the kids finished prepping to go out. Shortly after, a message from Riya arrived. Riya, Reformed [I heard you saw it too?] Me [Yona accidentally showed it to me] Riya, Reformed [Gotcha! Officer, he's here!] Me [Your honor, I'm innocent. It’s all Yona's doing] Riya, Reformed [I thought everything was deleted, but one’s left?] Me [Delete it] Riya, Reformed [A complete nude photo of Dynamic Honghong taken just after showering...] Huh? Heart pounding... Riya, Reformed [Rest assured, cautious Neogulman has already deleted it!] Me [LOL] Riya, Reformed [Fell for it again, huh, Mung-mung?] [The God of Instinct has placed a bounty of 6,974 coins for capturing Neogulman.] The God of Instinct has quite the indecency. *** "Hey, Jangwoo, you arrived? Yeah, we’re about to head out too." Jangwoo, who was there to pick up the recording team, had almost arrived. While seeing off the baseball team from the dorm entrance, the recording team’s faces were filled with regret. Even though both groups were headed for work, the vibe between the two was starkly different. "I want to go to the stadium, too. They say it’s fun to watch while having beer." "You don’t even have to know the rules; just cheering is fun too." "Alia, you’ve never been to a baseball game either." I’m not feeling great about this either. Despite the planned recording session, I felt a twinge of regret that Eunbi and Hong would have to rush back soon after. The weather was perfect, and there was no trace of the pesky dust that's been bothering us for days. A nice day out like this could do wonders for de-stressing everyone. After all, it's not like we're in a rush for recording or lacking practice for the Ripple Girls’ choreography. Wait a second, maybe we don’t have to stick to the original plan. Considering the average baseball game lasts about three hours, we could simply delay the recording by a bit. Since we’re recording at our office rather than using another studio, I’d just have to get the okay from the "Next-Door Composer" who’s directing, and the engineer. They’re both pretty understanding people. "Should we all just go and catch a game?" "Huh?" "We can just postpone the recording a little." Seowon looked at me as if it were a joke, utterly skeptical. "No way the manager would allow that." "No, I’m serious. You’ve all been cooped up inside too long. I’ll talk to Yeom and ask to delay the recording by three hours." "Are you for real?" "Yeah. It isn't a big deal, so why wouldn’t it be possible?" "Eeeek! Emperor God-god-god Mung-mung!" "Awesome!" They seemed even more surprised because I’m not usually impulsive. With the kids’ eager eyes on me, I dialed Yeom. —Hello? "Hey, Yeom. Would it be alright to push the recording by about three hours today?" —Why’s that? "The weather’s so great and there’s no dust today. I thought it’d be nice to take everyone out to a baseball game and let them relax a bit. They’ve just been practicing non-stop. Once we dive into the album, things will only get busier..." —Wow, you surprised me. I thought the kids were in trouble again. Well, there was a minor issue, but Neogulman handled it quickly. —Should we move the recording to the evening then? "That’d be great." —Alright, I’ll set it for 8 PM, leisurely. As soon as Yeom confirmed, the kids who’d been holding their breath burst into cheers. "Eeeek!" "Representative, we love you!" "Yeom God! Yeom God!" I informed Jangwoo about the schedule change, and the three from the recording team even changed outfits before joining us. The car ride to Jamsil was a celebration. We even did an impromptu live broadcast, with fans expressing excitement for Hong’s ceremonial first pitch, promising to watch live. About 40 minutes later, we arrived at Jamsil Sports Complex. Eunbi and Seowon, who’d never been to such a massive stadium, were wide-eyed and speechless at its vastness. "Wow, it’s really huge!" "If you perform here, it’d be amazing. Wouldn’t there be thousands of people?" "It seats 26,000 when full," Siwa, who had done her research for interviews, confidently answered. Now she wouldn’t fall for jokes about Jeju tangerines, a cleanup hitter named Ku Ja-cheol, or a trick play at No. 10. "Aren’t there performances during halftime?" "Yeah, there’s a cleaning time performance right after the 5th inning." "Let’s perform too!" "There’s another singer scheduled for the first pitch, so we can’t." "Can’t Upkey Girls perform just for free? I saw on YouTube some performers even went on the stage with cheerleaders." "Try that and you might get drop-kicked by security." "I suppose..." I thought they’d given up, but Eunbi boldly requested a cleaning time performance from the marketing team, speaking as casually as placing an order at a restaurant. "Can we perform during cool time?" "Cool time...?” Yona corrected, calling it cleaning time, and the representative laughed fondly. "Haha, other acts are already scheduled, but should I ask the cheerleading captain if you could do something as an event?" "Yes, please! We know all the recent girl group dances and can join the cheerleaders!" Siwa was thrilled, and the marketing and cheerleading teams happily agreed. After that, Siwa and Hong changed into uniforms provided by the team and headed to the indoor practice area. As they walked through the locker room hall, the promotion team VJ conducted a brief interview. "Eunbi, how do you feel about throwing the first pitch today?" "Wooaah! It’s my first time at a ballpark, and it’s amazing! It’s so cool and fun!" "Did you practice a lot?" "Yeah, I even got scouted for an amateur league! I'm going to hit Hong’s pitch out of the park! Look forward to beating oh-yeosa’s style!" She even knew terms like 'oh-yeosa' and 'bat throw,' Siwa really put in her study time. The VJ filming Eunbi was smiling warmly. Add one more to the light fandom! "Yeonhong, did you always like the Doosan team?" "Yes, I’ve been a fan since childhood and I feel the spirit of the bear running through me now. Here’s to Doosan’s V6!" Who said there’s no forgiveness for players who change teams? Siwa went further, adding, “Please call us Doogiegirl, the girl group raised by Doosan!” Their thorough capitalistic mindset made my heart swell. "Wah, awesome! It’s Cheolwoong!" "Manager, can you take a picture of us with Cheolwoong?" After taking a commemorative photo with the mascot at the entrance, we entered the practice field where some players were warming up. As Eunbi and Hong appeared, shy smiles spread across the players’ faces. The foreign pitcher helping with the pitching shouted "Great" to Hong repeatedly, and other observing players praised the efforts as top-notch. Eunhong combo lived up to the expectations with an impressive performance. Hong captured both skill and showmanship, drawing great enthusiasm from the crowd. Including Riya, the cheerleader dance time was also a fantastic fan service for the spectators, with fancams of each member getting edited and shared across various communities. Even to my eye, the kids' expressions and movements were so joyful and lively that it seemed destined to become a new favorite clip among Upkey Girls' fans. Throughout the game, Upkey Girls' name trended on search rankings. While their performances were a significant factor, nothing could compare to the influence of Doosan Group’s Chairman, Yong-man Park, who attended the game and noticed Hong and Eunbi’s ceremonial first pitches. Impressed, he posted a real-time comment on his social media with a clip of their pitch. "First pleasant live game of 2018! Historic pitch that defies belief, with a hitting bonus!" *** <‘Upkey Girl’ Yeonhong Stuns with Unprecedented Fastball Pitch, Surprising Even the Players> Girl group ‘Upkey Girl’s Yeonhong displayed an exceptional pitch. Yeonhong and Eunbi from Upkey Girls took part in the ceremonial first pitch and hit at the match between Doosan Bears and KIA Tigers at Jamsil Baseball Stadium. Instead of provocative outfits, Yeonhong appeared in a Doosan Bears home uniform. Unlike most female celebrities who pitch from in front of the mound, she took to the official 18.44m distance at the pitcher's mound. The fastball Yeonhong threw zoomed perfectly into the catcher’s mitt, eliciting cheers from the spectators and shock from the players. The speed was 109km/h, a record impressive even compared to male pitchers. Commentator Huh Gu-yeon praised it extensively, saying, "When considering all factors, it was a pitch worthy of being in the top 10 extraordinary pitches in Korea's first pitch history." —Yaurin: ♡Today's Explosion at Hongten♡ —Milgok Juice: The fun event was nice, but it’s been a while since I saw a solid first pitch like this. —Danmuji Blue: Meanwhile, the way Bithong’s uniform fit was stunning. It was far sexier and nicer than those who overtly reveal skin, haah haah! —wngh9910: The first pitch was truly exceptional, and the member doing an unexpected bat flip was hilarious. ㄴWelcomeLife: I lost it at the swing-and-miss bat flip. Looked like she hit a game-winning homer in the WBC finals or something, LOL. —retaker05: I bet they’ll get tons of offers for more baseball events and engagements, LOL. —jajaju: Seeing Eunbi’s moves in Ripple Girl, she’s truly one of a kind. Carefree, unashamed to mess up, she’s my number one among recent girl groups. Go Upkey Girls! —facbellum: Yu Hee-kwan: 109km???? —ExSeed: She’d be the number 1 starter if she joined Samsung. ㄴrudejr4614: Lotte too, please. <‘Upkey Girl’ Jin-riya’s Plucky Cheering with a Cast> —gmgh123: Wait, wasn’t Ripple Girl supposed to be out due to injury??? ㄴSoleConsumer: They stepped down from the Ripple Girl stage to avoid burdening the members, but this was an event, and they said they danced lightly to ensure rehabilitation wasn’t impacted. —f3042_wks9502: Even with light movements, her dance lines were clearly distinct. There's a reason she's the main dancer of Upkey Girls. <♡Today's Explosion at Hongten♡> End.