Celebrity Neighbor: My girlfriend is a big star?
Chapter 53. The Five Gather

Chapter 53: 53. The Five Gather

"Doesn’t this mean anything?"

Bae Juhyun frowned. If this meant nothing, then why was Liu Xin’an blushing?

And it wasn’t due to alcohol; the blush started from his ears.

Any adult would understand what a blush beginning at the ears signifies, right?

"... So, Juhyun, are you planning to confess?"

Kang Seulgi muttered while chewing on squid strips, speaking into the phone to Bae Juhyun on the other end.

This question stunned Bae Juhyun. After a while, she looked troubled.

People can be greedy, perhaps.

Before knowing if Liu Xin’an liked her, she only hoped to know what kind of feelings he had for her.

And now, having confirmed that he did have feelings for her, she started becoming greedy.

Confessing is tough, especially for someone like her, who rarely interacts with the opposite sex since high school.

A few days ago, her grand ambitions quickly faded, replaced by hesitation.

If possible, it would be better if Liu Xin’an confessed first.

After all, she was still a woman!

Her silence was noticed by Kang Seulgi on the other end of the phone.

As a considerate younger sister who wished Bae Juhyun would quickly find love to change her mood, Kang Seulgi started being helpful once again.

"Anyway, I think a guy as excellent as Liu Xin’an surely isn’t lacking in suitors. If you don’t make a move, someone else might snatch him away, and then you’d better not cry."

Bae Juhyun frowned even further, her beautiful face wrinkling up.

Just imagining such a scenario made her feel dizzy.

"I will confess! Soon!"

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"Then I’ll be waiting for your good news, Juhyun."

"Just wait!"

———

Big words indeed.

But putting them into action was incredibly challenging for Bae Juhyun.

Her heavy thoughts were noticed the next day by Son Seungwan.

This spirited younger sister, returning from an injury, sneaked up behind Bae Juhyun, who was lost in thought sitting by the wall, and tackled her from behind before she could react.

"Juhyun!"

"Ah!"

Bae Juhyun lived up to her nickname "Bae Shock" given by the fans, her piercing soprano making even Son Seungwan, the main vocalist of Red Velvet, feel ashamed.

"You scared me to death, Seungwan!"

"Hehe, Juhyun, what are you thinking about? You look so troubled."

Bae Juhyun hesitated for a moment, then quickly forced a smile.

For now, she didn’t want to share her situation with Liu Xin’an with all the members.

Not because she wasn’t close with them, but mainly because... she knew these younger sisters’ personalities too well.

Red Velvet had five members, and the most reliable one was indeed their eldest sister and leader, Bae Juhyun herself.

As for the younger ones, well, they were far less reliable.

To be precise, they loved to goof around?

If her feelings for Liu Xin’an were exposed, she believed that Liu Xin’an’s doorbell would never stop ringing in the near future.

These younger sisters would find all sorts of ways to meet Liu Xin’an, curious about the man who won her heart.

That would be too weird, and she absolutely couldn’t let that happen!

"Just deciding what to have for lunch."

Hearing Bae Juhyun’s obviously evasive response, Son Seungwan raised an eyebrow and flashed a wicked smile before hooking her arm around Bae Juhyun’s neck.

"Come on, spill it out! Are you hiding something from us?!"

"What nonsense are you thinking about, come join the practice."

"Tsk."

They were going to perform three songs at the family concert, plus a short segment to greet the fans.

Three songs weren’t difficult, but for them, who hadn’t performed on stage in a long time, beyond excitement, there was some nervousness as well.

And naturally, the most nervous one was Bae Juhyun, who always felt she was the weak link of the group.

Practice until it became muscle memory. No matter how nervous she got on stage, at least she wouldn’t make any mistakes.

After another morning of sweating it out, the five members of Red Velvet sat in the corner of the practice room with takeout ordered by Bae Juhyun in front of them.

Park Sooyoung, who had been busy filming on set, finally finished her hectic drama schedule and plunged straight into the equally busy practice.

And this lunch, well, could be said to be thanks to Park Sooyoung.

"Thanks so much, Sooyoung."

With a flat, emotionless voice, Kang Seulgi thanked Park Sooyoung, stuffing a rice wrap into her mouth and chewing with her cheeks puffed out.

Park Sooyoung laughed in anger, reaching out to pinch the face of Kang Seulgi, who by seniority was considered her elder sister, only for Kang Seulgi to nimbly dodge.

This lunch was a treat from Juhyun! These girls shamelessly ate it!

"Stop it, stop it. Did you finish writing your script?"

The scripts for their greetings to fans at the family concert had to be written by them personally, as they represented their heartfelt emotions—no ghostwriting allowed.

Of course, they had to be reviewed by their manager afterward.

"I’ll write it tonight. Juhyun, are you coming back with us tonight?"

Kim Yerin brushed her long hair back, smiling as she answered and asked Bae Juhyun, who had been staying at home recently.

"Uh..."

Now Bae Juhyun felt conflicted. Normally, when a younger sister returned from work, she would go to the dorm to keep her company.

But now...

Maybe Kang Seulgi’s warning yesterday gave her a sense of urgency. She wanted to define her relationship with Liu Xin’an sooner rather than later, instead of dragging it out ambiguously like this.

Bae Juhyun’s hesitation was unusual. But knowing why she hesitated, Kang Seulgi hugged Bae Juhyun’s arm and suggested,

"Let’s all go to Juhyun’s place! Last time we stayed over at Juhyun’s!"

"Ah!! That night when you guys posted all the delicious food photos, it was so unfair. I was so exhausted!"

Park Sooyoung suddenly remembered that night when the girls posted mouth-watering food pictures, and she felt a wave of sadness.

She had been so tired that day that she could barely summon the energy to eat. When she saw those food pictures from her sisters, she nearly threw her phone in frustration.

"Juhyun will treat us to a big meal, right~?"

With an impish grin, Kang Seulgi teased Bae Juhyun, who was caught in a tight spot.

Bae Juhyun responded with a wry smile. Money wasn’t the problem, but she had been spending a lot these days.

She had just spent millions yesterday... and became Liu Xin’an’s top supporter.

Come to think of it, Liu Xin’an hadn’t even thanked his top fan today?! So irresponsible.

She decided she’d press (or reward) Liu Xin’an more tonight.

"Of course, I’ll treat Sooyoung. You guys can buy what you want."

"Hey~ that’s not fair!"

"Juhyun, you’re biased!"

"Yes, I’m biased," Bae Juhyun nodded naturally, leaning in closer to Park Sooyoung, earning a pleased smile from her.

The girls had a lively lunch, and then it was back to practice for the afternoon - only less than a month to go... they needed to step it up.

——

The time slowly approached evening.

Hard at work, Liu Xin’an was completely unaware of the liveliness next door.

He held a controller, focusing intently on the game on screen.

It was already early December, a month highly anticipated by players in Liu Xin’an’s gaming community.

Because on the tenth of this month, "Cyberpunk 2077," a much-delayed and eagerly awaited blockbuster, would finally release.

As one of the top streamers in his area in China, Liu Xin’an had naturally received early access to the game.

He was now exploring the beautifully designed Night City.

But honestly... the game hadn’t quite lived up to his expectations.

As a veteran gamer, Liu Xin’an had high hopes for the game.

But after playing it...

Honestly, it felt like he had been scammed by false advertising.

The game wasn’t bad per se, but it fell significantly short compared to the massive hype.

Within just over an hour of gameplay, he experienced at least four in-game bugs.

Two were manageable, but the other two completely froze the game, requiring a forced shutdown and restart.

The initial excitement and anticipation were gradually worn down by the frequent bugs, making Liu Xin’an lose patience.

Finally, after encountering yet another bug, Liu Xin’an’s stiff expression relaxed.

It implied he gave up or resigned himself.

"Honestly... unless they fix the bugs, I really recommend delaying the release further. This is unacceptable. My main quest NPC got run over by a passing car, and now my game’s stuck?"

"Pretty disappointing. I’ve been looking forward to this for years, but now..."

Liu Xin’an wanted to call the game unfinished, but it was technically complete enough; just far below the initial promises.

"Forget it, I can’t keep playing this. Go watch other streamers, everyone, this is giving me a headache."

Liu Xin’an was a genuinely passionate gamer.

He could tolerate a game, but not with so many bugs.

Rather than lying to his audience about the game’s quality, he chose to forgo the opportunity to ride its hype.

Thankfully, his fans understood his temperament and didn’t blame him, filling the chat with jokes like "give our money back."

After closing the game, Liu Xin’an opened his Steam library, but finding no titles he felt like playing, he finally decided...

"Let’s wrap up today’s stream here. Go check out other streamers."

Stretching and leaning back in his gaming chair, Liu Xin’an ended the broadcast with a click.

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