Complete Private Just Meet Me at the 아파트 ₍ᵤₕ, ᵤₕ₋ₕᵤₕ, ᵤₕ₋ₕᵤₕ₎

[Luthien]

 SOMEWHERE IN CALIFORNIA

 @Lune

Moving always sucked, she knew that from personal experience, so she was quick and eager to volunteer and help when her unnie arrived. The quiet fear that this was all just a lie sometimes nagged in the back of her mind, silenced when the blonde pinched her cheek until a quiet "Oww…" escaped her lips.

If this was all a dream, she didn’t want to wake up.

"There… yeah, I think this looks good here." Val took a step back as she looked over her work so far, having busied herself on unpacking some of Dayeon’s belongings and arranging them neatly into a bookcase. Overall the apartment was still pretty bare and lacking in the furniture department, a problem that Ari and her unnie had headed out to rectify.

They hadn’t wanted to pick stuff out for Dayeon without her input… after all this place was meant to be hers, and they wanted the idol to decorate it to her own tastes.

"Right, time for the kitchen then." Thankfully this part didn’t need much when it came to furniture, and the couple had already taken the time to equip it with most essentials, but there was still enough space leftover to store anything Dayeon had brought from her old place…

 

[Eva]

Ekaterina Alexandrova

‎
‎

The Korean super idol had her look into something, or rather someone, a few weeks ago. Keeping tabs on her in-game counterpart, of course Ekaterina knew what it was all about. It didn't take too long before she found significant leads and valuable information that she verified herself.

It also happened that Dayeon told her that she was going to move to California. Her long-lost brother and his girlfriend got her a place or something, the details were something she'd rather just hear from the person itself. That and the information regarding the Japanese girl was the purpose of the surprise visit.

Bringing a paper bag with Matcha Made in Heaven logo on it containing at least six cups of different kinds of drinks while holding and sipping a cup of matcha latte herself, Ekaterina walked out of the car into the lobby elevator, pressing the button to the floor where Dayeon was supposed to reside.

The elevator dinged, and the woman left the elevator, slowly but surely making her way through the corridor that was neatly decorated, before stopping in front of the door. Pressing the bell button on the intercom to the side of the apartment door, she stood still, waiting.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

She had taken her time to neatly accommodate everything in the kitchen and, as a fellow foodie, always making sure to keep in mind practicality and efficiency as Val found proper places for things. It was easy to lose track of time as Spotify kept her company, the app cycling through various songs and genres to fill the silence that would’ve otherwise reigned.

A tune familiar to many was currently playing, the unmistakable voices of LiSA and Felix as ReawakeR resonated through the speakers. Val hummed along to the tune, her voice occasionally joining with the chorus and the lyrics she could sing along to.

"Coming~!" The intercom’s ring is loud enough to cut through the musical spell, a response automatically slipping from her lips as the last of the cutlery is placed away before she heads for the door. The thought of glancing through the peephole before opening doesn’t even cross Val’s mind, thinking the pair of siblings must have their hands busy with whatever they might’ve purchased on the other side.

"That was faster than I thought—" The lone figure standing on the other side with a sizeable order of drinks is certainly unexpected, the momentary confusion highlighted in Val’s face by her furrowed eyebrows, before the reason behind the faint familiarity of the stranger’s features finally clicked into place. "—K-Katya?!"

@Eva

 

[Eva]

Ekaterina Alexandrova

‎
‎

"Coming~!"

The white-haired woman's brows rose after hearing the voice behind the door that definitely wasn't Dayeon's. It didn't take long before the door opened. "That was faster than I thought—" A blonde was the one opening the door instead. "—K-Katya?!"

"Ekaterina." Unfazed, she nodded slightly, 'correcting' Valeria. Even though that was how she was called and promoted during the Slime Girls days, now it's a name reserved for family and friends. "Dayeon's friend, Valeria, I presume?" Katya knew for sure this was the Valeria, but saying that with certainty would make her sound really creepy.

Perhaps a surprise visit wasn't the best idea. She didn't know when Dayeon would be back or not, but at least today, Ekaterina had plenty of time.

Without any other voice coming from inside the room, she quickly concluded. "I take that she's not home." What could be heard instead was a recognizable piece of a song. "Reawaker, a classic. Great fourth-gen collaboration. Mostly good anime. You have good taste." She commented nonchalantly.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"Ekaterina." The correction came swiftly and without a missed beat, although it took Valeria an extra second to catch it. "R-Right, sorry."

A nod confirmed that Ekaterina had her name correct, the giddy flutter in her chest impossible to ignore as she offered the ex-idol a nervous smile. The thought of any of the Slime Girls actually knowing about her was something that had never occurred to her younger self as she’d enjoyed their music, and the thought of her unnie speaking about her to the other members actually flustered her a bit.

ReawakeR finally came to a close, giving way to the melodic tunes of Senbonzakura brought to life by a violinist, and snapping the blonde from her own thoughts. "Please, come in." The door was held open as Valeria stepped back to grant access into Dayeon’s new apartment, motioning towards the section of the kitchen island with barstools.

"Make yourself at home, Ekaterina." It was the only seating currently available, mainly because Valeria had insisted on getting them ahead of time. "Dee and her brother went shopping a lil’ while ago."

@Eva

 

[Eva]

Ekaterina Alexandrova

‎
‎

"Hm." The woman took a step inside the apartment room, scanning from left to right. The place wasn't complete yet, there was one or two basic furniture but that's it; no decor, the floors and the walls were plain.

As Valeria motioned her towards the kitchen island stool, she nodded and made her way there as the violin cover of a vocaloid song filled the room.

"You can take one, I brought a few drinks." Placing the paper bag on top of the kitchen island, Ekaterina brought the boba tea cups one by one. Brown sugar milk tea, matcha latte, hazelnut latte, sour plum green tea, and others. "Leave the one with the less sugar label for Dayeon." She pointed to a lone cup of classic milk tea with pearls.

The last thing she brought out of the paper bag wasn't a drink, but a folder that seemingly contained documents or some sort. The Russian didn't say anything about it and just placed it to the side.

Ekaterina took a seat gracefully on the barstool, still looking around the largely unfinished living space. "How long have they been away?" There was no urgency in the tone, but it was pretty clear that she was here to talk about something with Dayeon.

"I am still not used to the notion that she has a brother." Taking a sip of the matcha latte, she turned to Val, knowing she was the girlfriend to this brother. "A few years back, all she talked about in the dorm was that she has no family left."

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

The door was closed after Ekaterina had stepped inside, before the blonde had joined the lead singer of the Slime Girls in the kitchen. Hands quietly reached for the phone on the counter, the screen unlocked with ease before her fingers quickly tapped a message out to her unnie.

　

 [ Dee ]

　

No rush, but you have another guest waiting for you back at the apt ​

　

And she brought drinks~​

​

"Will do then," she accepted the invitation, a nod given to the silver haired woman as she singled out a particular cup, as Val took a moment to weigh out her options. Her usual go to in any bubble tea place was always matcha latte, and she’d been about to reach for the drink here too… until an unexpected contender appeared.

Eyes danced back and forth between the two, until a selection was finally made as she picked up the cup of sour plum green tea. "Thanks for the treat~" The folder and documents it carried caught her attention as Ekaterina placed them to the side, though she kept her curiosity bottled up.

"Mmm, I think about an hour by now…?" She hadn’t checked the time when Ari and Dee had stepped out, so her guess was just a well-educated guess. A sip of the contents in her cup has the blonde scrunching her face soon after, the sharp tartness hitting her taste buds stronger than expected. "This is pretty good."

Their conversation naturally turned to the unexpected younger brother that had popped into Dayeon’s life, a faint chuckle escaping Valeria as she remembers the turn of events that led to that discovery. "Not gonna lie, it was quite the surprise for all of us." She had teased Ari with so many different Reddit stories as they’d waited for the results to come back, but she has never expected for them to live through one themselves.

"I’m glad they found each other though…"The playful mirth in her voice was laced with something more this time around, a bitter sweetness lingering around the corners of her smile as she remembered the day she first met her own grandparents. "Can’t wait to hear about all the foolishness they get into as they make up for lost time~"

@Eva

 

[Eva]

Ekaterina Alexandrova

‎
‎

The message was delivered quickly, but Dayeon didn't immediately reply; the idol might have been too busy to look at her phone.

It took some time for Val to pick her drink of choice, torn between the matcha latte and the sour plum green tea. After the blonde picked the latter and expressed her gratitude, Ekaterina nodded in return.

"Mmm, I think about an hour by now…?"

"That so?" She got up from the barstool, slowly walking around to look at the room. "No need to rush them. I might not stay for long as I have other business in the city." It'll be a shame not to be able to discuss in person the thing that Dayeon asked her to look into, but there was another important matter to handle in California.

"Can’t wait to hear about all the foolishness they get into as they make up for lost time~"

"I'm sure she'll be happy." The stoic tone coming off her lips was weird; it didn't sound sincere, yet it was definitely not sarcastic in nature at all. It's as if she was merely expressing a future event with absolute certainty.

Her steps stopped as she came close to a wooden cabinet, where all the albums and EPs that Slime Girls had released over the years were displayed. When it's actually unusual for artists to collect and store their own merchandise, Dayeon was obviously the more melancholic one out of the five; even though she was the one who called for the disbandment, it hurt her the most.

She examined the many physical albums one by one, not a single dirt on them. Suddenly, she turned to Valeria, knowing that she was a massive fan of the group. "Which one of our works is your favorite?"

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

There was no response from the idol, not that Valeria had been expecting one any time soon. Signal could be spotty in some of the stores around here at times, and her unnie’s attention was probably focused on the various furniture selections she’d have to take for her new apartment.

"I sent her a message, maybe they’ll be back before you have to head out?" It would be a shame for the two to miss one another after Ekaterina had come all the way here, and Valeria highly doubted it had been just to deliver some drinks—delicious as they were. Her eyes were drawn towards the folder as the ex-singer slowly walked around the room, highly curious of the contents within…

"I'm sure she'll be happy."

She had always noticed the idol’s words and tone of voice never seemed to quite match, but a look at Ekaterina's face showed no hint of sarcasm that Valeria could detect as she spoke. Despite her amazing talent when it came to song and dance Katya had never been able to shake off the cool and almost ice-like personality—or perhaps that had also been planned by the Slime Girls’ manager—that almost felt like a complete polar opposite to Dayeon.

Meeting her now made Valeria understand why her unnie had been chosen as the leader of the group instead, and the various rumors spread throughout the internet when the group’s disbandment had been announced. Despite holding no evidence to support their claims many of the fans had tried to blame Katya in one way or another for it but, as Val watched the silver haired idol peruse the collection Dee kept of their work, she couldn’t help but wonder if Ekaterina had cared for their group more than the singer had allowed herself to show.

"Which one of our works is your favorite?"
"...!?"

The unexpected question had caused to choke on her current sip, and a small coughing fit had followed as her body attempted to clear the airway from the unwanted intrusion. "T-That’s… mmm, it’s really hard to pick just one y’know?" Her words weren’t just empty flattery, their work had been quite varied even for k-pop standards, and that’s without taking into account their various collabs too.

"Let’s see…" Her brows furrowed as the blonde gave the question an honest thought, before a memory she’d almost forgotten surfaced. "Well, this one wasn’t exactly my favorite, buuut it was how I first discovered Slime Girls."

Her hand picked the phone back up, a quick swipe unlocking the screen with ease as Valeria placed her drink down for the time being. It wasn’t long before she found a particular short from quite a while ago, featuring a well known violinist adding her own spin to one of the Slime Girls’s known songs.

"It was a simple clip, but that was the first time I heard one of your songs." The phone had been flipped over so Ekaterina could see the reel in question, before Valeria had gone back to looking for a particular song.

"Don’t Count On It was the first collab you guys did with Lindsey Stirling." It was impossible to mistake that violin intro for anyone else, Stirling's unique style always stood out from others, as the song began to play in the background. "And it was the first song by the Slime Girls that I learned to play in my violin~"

@Eva

 

[Eva]

Ekaterina Alexandrova

‎
‎

"I sent her a message, maybe they’ll be back before you have to head out?"

"Perhaps. I'll be going in thirty minutes, so we'll see." As much as she wanted to stay, the other business was much more important. Not only to her but perhaps literally everyone.

"T-That’s… mmm, it’s really hard to pick just one y’know?"

She shrugged stoicly while continuing to browse the displayed albums. "Ah," It was then that Valeria showed her phone towards the white-haired woman, and a familiar violin intro played. Her fingers quickly shuffled through the albums, and she pulled a thin one shaped like a book with the white-blue streak on the cover out to show it to Val.

"Here, Don't Count On It."

It was the title track of the EP [Beyond: Winter], the fourth in the collab-filled pentalogy that Slime Girls released during their third year. Each one had a different concept designed by a designated member, and the Winter was hers. The title was written in cursive italics on the album cover, with the label that says 'feat. Lindsey Stirling'.

Dayeon's copy even had the violinist's autograph on it in golden ink.

"I wrote that one," As if reminiscing while listening as the opening lyrics finally added to the violin instrumental, Ekaterina put her hand on her chin. "Lindsey and I worked closely for two weeks, we ended up rearranging half of the track with her input." It was inspired by Vivaldi's works, but then they went slightly electronic, adding a unique touch to the song. "The original demo was vastly different."

The woman closed her eyes, slightly humming while making small gestures like she was playing the solo violin part during the dance break.

"I'm flattered and all, but if that one wasn't your favorite, then which one?"

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

She nodded as Ekaterina pulled the corresponding EP from Dayeon’s collection, listening to the behind the scenes memories shared by its singer. "That definitely sounds like Lindsey." The violinist was well known for her creative inputs in collabs, though those skills extended far beyond just melodies.

"Let me guess," she began, a smile on her lips as she spoke. "She was also heavily involved in the costumes and choreography that made it to the official MV, right?"

It was impossible to think otherwise and, from what she’d just heard and the final version of Don’t Count On It released, it seemed that both artists had complimented one another almost perfectly. If Valeria hadn’t already known of Arwen’s existence then she would’ve sworn it had been made just for the MV too.

Eventually the final tunes of the song faded away, the opportunity quickly captured by Ekaterina to redirect their focus back to her original question. "I’m almost tempted to say it’s that one… but that would be a biased and unfair answer considering how much I love Lindsey and her work." Amazing as the song and its MV were in capturing both Katya’s and Lindsey’s styles, it wasn't something made by the Slime Girls without direct outside influence.

"Mmm, if I had to pick one…" Her attention turned back to Spotify, carefully browsing through the discography collection of their group… before she finally paused on a particular one. "It’d have to be this one."

The musical notes that filled the space were reminiscent of the style found in Dreamcatcher's Jazz Bar and IU's Modern Times along with Friday and Crayon (크레파스) from the Epilogue album, and Valeria had always wondered if they had truly been the inspiration behind Moonlit Blues (달의 광선) when it had been released.

@Eva

 

[Eva]

Ekaterina Alexandrova

‎
‎

"Hm. Our company basically gave them free reign on things, even on budgets." The two project leading artists handpicked props, costumes, themes, and even the locations. "It's also a great process to see how people unfamiliar with the stuff handle things."

The violinist's take on a K-pop style choreo and the MV itself was interesting. A lot of music videos tried to tell too many stories at once with abundant cuts, but here, they just let the lyrics and choreography speak for themselves. The camera moving slowly as the dance break was delivered in one take was a fresh breath of air.

"That would be a biased and unfair answer considering how much I love Lindsey and her work."

"Nothing wrong with that." Ekaterina shook her head slightly, while turning back to browse the shelf of albums. "Taste is subjective, quality is absolute. Being biased is a proof of identity." It's better than the people who jump into bandwagons or hate-trains without forming their own opinions.

"It’d have to be this one."

"Ah," It didn't take long before the woman found the exact album, shaped like an old-time vinyl record album. In fact, the limited edition had an actual working vinyl record inside it.

"I actually don't mind losing to that one. After all, our Xiao Long is a composer-producer second to none." One thing that prevented her from reaching the same greatness as her Chinese bandmate was her inability to perceive emotion, which is why she never bothered to pretend that she was good at it. "Dayeon wrote it as an homage to her favorite idol, IU. Perhaps she put too many references in the MV, but some people just miss things completely."

Bringing out her phone to check the time, she then looked at Luthien in the eyes without saying anything while the song continued to play in the background, as if she were peering deep inside her thoughts, to find out what kind of person the blonde was through seemingly innocent questions

"You sure know your music well."

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"Oh, for real?" She was surprised to learn of the unexpected freedom their label afforded them when it came to their solo collabs with other artists, an impressed whistle escaping the blonde before she continued. "Color me surprised… though that explains why they all felt like the most accurate representation for each one of you."

Perhaps it’s why Ekaterina’s commonly known personality in the group had clashed greatly with the first impression of Katya she’d received through Don’t Count On It. Granted, the idol’s tone and responses certainly came out as cold and indifferent at first glance, but it wasn’t hard to see the netizens' idea of Katya being uncaring was far from the mark… or, at least, that’s what Valeria had always thought.

"She really is, her work is always so vibrant and full of life." The disbandment of the Slime Girls had caused a storm of its own when the news had broken out on the internet, but she had been glad to see the Chinese idol continue to pursue music in her own way.

"I knew it." A chuckle escaped her as Ekaterina confirmed something Val had always suspected, another sip of her drink taken as she listened to the silver haired woman. "Honestly, I’m surprised some fans still argue about that to this day."

Ah, there it is… The piercing stare behind Ekaterina’s gaze was something she’d often read about in articles and online comments, often captured in pictures and videos whenever the idol made a presence… but even those failed to do justice to the real deal.

"N-now you know through which song I discovered the Slime Girls, and my favorite one out of the bunch…" It almost felt like the woman was trying to see into the very depth of her soul, an unnerving experience to say the least, and as the song came to a close Val used the opportunity to shift the conversation away from the unease she felt. "So it’s only fair I get to ask a question of my own, right?"

She gave Ekaterina just enough time to confirm the idol wasn’t against it before continuing. "Which one is your favorite?"

@Eva

 

[Eva]

Ekaterina Alexandrova

‎
‎

"Hm," She nodded. It seemed like Dayeon was not lying when she said that this Valeria was indeed a big fan, where she could recognize the characteristics and the style of each piece and attribute it to the members. Perhaps she even had better ears than the Korean.

The blonde stuttered, signaling that she might be uncomfortable with the intense stare. The white-haired woman broke eye contact to walk and grab her matcha latte before hearing Valeria's question.

Ekaterina shrugged before nodding. Why not? "My favorite..." She quickly stopped as she realized something. "... Never have thought about it. A moment."

Her heels clacked across the floor as she made her way back to the album shelf. "I have no opinion on my own work other than 'it could be better,' So it rules those out." Ekaterina's fingers shuffled through the albums quickly, having known all of the tracks inside each. "And if adoration is not based on quality, then I'd say..."

One album with a particular purple and black cover was pulled out, and she then let her phone come into contact with the corner of the album, letting the NFC sticker send the data to immediately open the music streaming app and immediately play the song: Eden.
The song, which was in the genre of electronic, synthpop, and future bass, was unlike any of their other tracks, and people weren't open to it. Some said it was too experimental and weird, while others called it a bizarre mess. The title track didn't flop, but the numbers were certainly the lowest of all their work.

"She said that she wanted to prove that everyone can write songs, well, whether she actually proved it or not, that's not up to me."

She closed her eyes as if she was enjoying the mishmash of melody. "The song is simple, it's chaotic, and it's written for me." It's about being human and embracing imperfection. Although she couldn't comprehend it, Ekaterina could see what Dayeon was trying to tell her through the song. "It doesn't pretend to be more than it is, and that is enough reason for me to make this my favorite." After all, it was Dayeon's persistence through her apparent lack of talent that got Ekaterina's eye.

The woman listened to the song for a while before her eyes wandered to check her watch once again.

"It's a shame, but I think it is time for me to leave."

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

The only acknowledgement had been a soft nod, but it had been confirmation enough for Valeria to ask a question of her own. To her surprise it had momentarily stumped the silver haired idol, apparently the thought hadn’t crossed her mind until now.

"No rush, I’m curious to see what it’ll be~" Ekaterina was afforded all the time she needed to mull that thought over, the silence only broken by the clack of heels against the tiles as the woman barely older than Val herself walked back to the collection of albums in the shelf.

"Mmm, that’s fair." Ekaterina’s feeling towards her own work was something Val could understand and relate to, the blonde nodding softly as she finished the rest of her drink. "As the saying goes, we tend to be our own worst critics."

Her choice was made as a black cover was pulled out from the bunch, one that Valeria couldn’t fully make out from her seat—though easily recognized once the song began playing.

"Eden, huh?" It was an interesting choice, and not one Valeria would’ve thought Ekaterina would pick out of the entire discography. She still remembered hearing it for the first time, the uniqueness of its intro quite jarring against everything else the Slime Girls had worked on before.

"It certainly broke through the established aesthetic with a loud bang." While the track hadn’t been an outright failure it had certainly lacked the numbers that other works easily racked up. "Not gonna lie, I wasn’t sure what to make of it at first."

Having sought the track directly it’d been the only one on queue in her Spotify that day and, distracted by work of her own, it had looped over and over in the background for a good couple of hours. The intro's discordant sounds had faded away by the fifth playback, and by the end of it all Valeria had been absently humming along to the song as she wrapped up the last video edits of her own work.

"It’s written for you…?" The confusion she felt at that unexpected lore drop colored her voice, one eyebrow carefully arched high in a silent question, before an earnest smile crossed her lips in agreement to Ekaterina’s reasoning. It was hard to be objective when it came to your favorite things… but that itself wasn't exactly a bad thing.

"Already…? Damn, time really does fly by." A look at her phone’s screen confirmed as such, and the lack of any new notifications probably meant her unnie was still quite busy. "I can only assume Dee has her hands tied up right now, though I was hoping you wouldn’t miss each other."

A glance was given towards the folder Ekaterina had brought along with the drinks, before her attention turned back to the idol herself. "Anything you want me to tell her when she’s back?"

@Eva

 

[Eva]

Ekaterina Alexandrova

‎
‎

"Not gonna lie, I wasn’t sure what to make of it at first."

"Certainly. Although from an artist's perspective, isn't it great to try and create what you want without thinking too much about the commercial reception?" If life could be that great. But every corporation is the same in the end.

"It’s written for you…?"

Ekaterina replied with a single nod before continuing without any elaboration at all. "I believe that is what people call 'guilty pleasure.' It didn't have to be good." She turned toward Val, shrugging while uttering a fact with a delivery that could be a joke. "In fact, it wasn't."

Knowing her, it wasn't a joke. Even if she doesn't feel any emotion to resonate with the song on a personal level, the woman could tell how much was put toward this piece that was directed toward her. "Bad at expressing things. Isn't that just Dayeon?"

"Anything you want me to tell her when she’s back?"

The song stopped, and she put the album back where it was, before slowly turning towards the apartment door. "Well, don't worry, there's always another day." Grabbing the matcha cup before she leaves, the white-haired woman gestured to the counter."Just tell her to check the folder's contents when she arrives."

Ekaterina's delicate hand grabbed the hilt, but paused as she added. "And also," She looked at the blonde stoically for the last time before leaving. "You can call me Katya." The door was open, and then the clicking sound of her heels gradually faded.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

Ekaterina didn’t elaborate, and Valeria was smart enough to not pry further about the matter—focusing instead on the topic at hand. "Yeah, it’d be nice if more labels allowed their artists to take more risks." There was no doubt this behavior had led to the boom of artists operating on their lonesome, a feat now possible thanks to the myriad of tools available nowadays compared to a few decades before.

"It didn't have to be good. In fact, it wasn't." Joke or not there was truth behind those words, a soft nod given by the blonde as she added her own thoughts. "But it was different, and it caught the attention of people at the time."

At the time of its release it had been hard to find a discourse in the kpop world that didn’t include that song in one way or another and, while it was not exactly popular in its own right, it had certainly aided in getting the Slime Girls name further out there than before.

"Bad at expressing things. Isn't that just Dayeon?"
"Hah, you’re definitely not wrong there."

She couldn't help the scoffed chuckle that escaped upon hearing those words, taking a moment to finish off her own chosen drink as Ekaterina placed the album back in its spot and prepared to leave. A nod was given as the silver haired woman gestured towards the folder atop the kitchen island. "Will do~ "

Her hands wrapped around the carton drink carrier, intending to place the remaining drinks away in the fridge so Dee and Ari could enjoy them later, when Ekaterina’s voice caused Val to glance at the front door.

"You can call me Katya." It took a second for the meaning behind those words to process, before a wide smile was given by the blonde as she called after the retreating idol. "See ya around, Katya!"

It would be a little while longer before the phone buzzed against the countertop, the name of her unnie flashing on the screen before Val unlocked the device to read the message and replied back.

　

 [ Dee ]

　

No rush, but you have another guest waiting for you back at the apt ​

　

And she brought drinks~​

Sorry, Ikea's pretty packed with people. Just finished paying the stuff with Ari, will be home probs in 15. Guest still there?

　

　

Just missed her, Katya left about 15 mins ago​

　

Left you a folder with some docs inside, and said she’d catch up with you another day​

​

@Eva

 

[Lune]

Dayeon Song

‎
‎

Just minutes after Val received the message, noise came from outside the door. Seconds later, the lock was opened, and the face of a crimson-haired Korean idol appeared. "Pheeew," She stumbled inside while exhaling, quickly turning toward Val. "We'll just unpack the furniture later. Leaving those in the car for now."

Searching for the drinks that Katya left, she went to check the fridge. "The place was really swarming with people." Knowing just which one was meant for her, Dayeon took the Milk Tea with less sugar. "Pearl milk tea!" Quickly poking in a straw and drinking a mouthful, she exhaled in relief as she smiled.

"I'm alive again..." The woman made her way around the kitchen island. "Shame I couldn't meet Katya. Well, always next time. Let's see what this folder thingy is."

Inside it were several pages, which Dayeon quickly skimmed over before going back to the first one. "Hmmm," She placed one page on the kitchen island, sliding it for the blonde to see. "Val, look at this."

The document included a detailed profile of an individual named Mitsuki Shirayuki from Kyoto Prefecture. The picture attached to it showed a rather familiar face of a young, long-haired girl, albeit with black hair instead of white, wearing a middle-school uniform.

Among all the data on the piece of paper, one stood out.

Date of Death, five years ago.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

She’d made it a point to busy herself with something, anything really, to keep her curious nature from taking a peep inside the folder Katya had dropped off—and when she’d ran out of things to do, and had been preparing herself for a YouTube rabbit hole adventure, she heard the front door lock open moments before her unnie stumbled back into her new apartment.

"I take it IKEA was busy today?" The look on Dayeon’s face told her as much, a quiet chuckle escaping the blonde as she watched her unnie beelined for the fridge as she confirmed IKEA continued to deliver the sardines in a can experience.

"Hadn’t tried that place yet, their sour plum green tea is really good~" Pop went the straw as Dayeon poked it through the protective cover, the idol revitalized from her furniture adventure through the magic of milk tea and pearls.

"Yeah, Katya almost said the same thing as she headed out." It was amusing to spot similarities between the two women, especially when they’d seemed like such polar opposites throughout most of the Slime Girls’promotions.

The mystery folder was gently pushed towards Dayeon as she rounded the kitchen island, her gaze focused more on her unnie’s expression than the contents within as she tried to guess what might be inside. "Thought you’d never ask—" Her eyes almost sparkled with excitement as one of the pages was handed over, but the grin on her face quickly disappeared as she caught sight of the attached picture.

"T-That’s…" The unmistakable face that stared back at the camera caused her voice to catch in her throat, a far cry from what Val had guessed might be within the unsuspecting folder. She had thought that perhaps Katya had dropped off some ideas or whatnot for whatever new project Dayeon might’ve been working on… the last thing Val would’ve expected was a picture of Ryujin with long black hair.

"Wait, hold up—" Surprising as this is there’s another more shocking revelation as Val puts two and two together, a baffled expression on her face as she stared directly into Dee’s eyes. "Katya is the investigator friend you were talking about?!"

It would’ve been the last person Val would’ve thought about… and yet it made sense the more she mulled over that new piece of information.

@Lune

 

[Lune]

Dayeon Song

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In a pretty short time, Dayeon drank all the boba tea, which is both impressive and concerning. "Yeah, everyone was there for the sale."

After Valeria pieced together the information, the idol took back the page to read it in more detail. "We saw this coming, but still..." A long exhale came out of her nose as she slightly shook her head. "I'm not mentioning this to her anytime soon, but at the very least we know now."

"Well, less of an investigator, more like someone with too much power and resources on her hands."

Shrugging, the red-haired woman turned to the blonde. "You met her. Didn't she give off those 'infinite wealth' vibes? For all I know, she could secretly be Batwoman." The tone that Dayeon spoke in sounded like she was less joking and more convinced of this conspiracy theory of hers.

The one page that contained Mitsuki Shirayuki's profile was so detailed that the idol wondered what was on the other pages. But when she put her eyes on the rest, they looked like some sort of contract. Before Dayeon could read anything, her phone's message notification rang.

Pulling the small iPhone out, she read the message. "... Check the news?" Quickly looking up the latest news, her eyes opened wide as soon as she read the topmost headline. With no words, she showed it to Val.

Ekaterina 'Katya' Alexandrova secured the rights to Slime Girls, announces a reunion project.

"What the fuck?"

@Luthien