435: Chapter 488.

(The plot of the initial draft was a bit awkward, so it is currently being revised.)

(Previous revised segments are still being updated. Work schedule has shifted, making it late; unable to update content. Will update tomorrow night.)

(This chapter skips some content, which will be re-uploaded after revisions. If I'm fast, I'll finish it tonight; if slow, it will be updated tomorrow night.)

(Finally about to start getting abstract again and writing variety shows. I feel the emotional build-up isn't quite enough, but I need to ensure the protagonist's development while showing that other characters don't rely on him—they are the protagonists of their own lives. I'm almost developing a split personality from immersing myself.)

——

In November Seoul, cold sunlight spilled over the streets of Gangnam District. On the plaza in front of the Starship Entertainment building, a light-blue jelly-like creature was hopping around.

That was Tami—Jang Wonyoung's aquarius Lemm.

Its body was like flowing jelly, making a slight "guchu" sound with every bounce. The iconic mini water bottle atop its head shimmered with dazzling light in the sun—it was a scaled-down version of the 400,000 won premium water bottle specially customized by Jiang Zhiyu. Its surface was carved with mysterious patterns, and the diamond-encrusted water droplets refracted a rainbow halo in the light.

Tami hopped to the company entrance and stopped, its large mechanical eyes blinking as if confirming its location. Then it squatted there quietly, its tentacles hanging obediently by its sides, seemingly waiting for someone.

Passersby stopped to look.

"Oh my god! Is that a Lemm?"

"So cute! It's even got a water bottle on its head!"

"Is that Jang Wonyoung's Tami? I've seen it on Instagram!"

"What is it doing? Waiting for someone?"

People pulled out their phones to take photos. Shutter sounds clicked one after another; though the flashes were redundant in the sunlight, fans couldn't help but press the button.

Tami seemed to notice the gazes.

It tilted its head—an action just like a human tilting their head in confusion. Its large mechanical eyes blinked, the round pupils reflecting the surrounding crowd and light. That look was innocent and clueless, as if saying: "Are you looking at me?"

Suppressed screams erupted from the crowd.

"It tilted its head! So cute!"

"Help, I'm being charmed by a Lemm!"

"Jang Wonyoung's Tami is seriously so cute!!"

Tami seemed to understand the praise.

It suddenly bounced up and hopped toward the crowd—not a reckless crash, but landing lightly and squishily by the feet of the nearest fan. It then looked up, staring at the person with those round, mechanical eyes.

The fan froze completely.

"It... it came over..."

People nearby took photos frantically.

Tami blinked, and then a line of text suddenly appeared on its jelly-like, translucent body.

It was in Korean, neatly and clearly printed on its light blue body:

[여러분의 많은 응원 부탁드립니다. 우주녀 장원영을 응원해 주세요!]

No, it was Chinese, Japanese, and English, with the four languages flashing alternately.

[Please give lots of support to the universe female 1, Jang Wonyoung]

[Please support the universe female 1, Jang Wonyoung]

[universe female 1, please support Jang Wonyoung]

The text was even accompanied by a cute emoticon: [ദ്ദിᵔ.˛.ᵔ₎✧]

The crowd boiled over.

"Aaahhh! universe female 1!"

"Jang Wonyoung's Lemm is helping her promote!"

"This emoticon is so cute! Did Tami generate it itself or did Wonyoung set it?"

"Either way, it's so cute!"

Tami blinked; the text stayed on its body for a few seconds before slowly dissipating.

It tilted its head again, as if confirming the effect, then gave a satisfied hop—a light, elastic jump that traced a light blue arc in the sunlight.

Just then, a delivery scooter stopped at the company entrance.

The rider got off carrying a bag containing six cups of iced coffee.

Tami immediately hopped over.

Its movements were very practiced—first, it used its tentacles to carefully remove the water bottle from its head and hold it in its embrace, then it balanced the bag of coffee on its head. That bulky bag sat on its squishy head like a comical hat.

But it was steady.

Very steady.

Tami began hopping back, each step firm and powerful, the coffee on its head not moving an inch. It held the removed water bottle tightly in its embrace, tentacles wrapped around it for fear of it falling.

The fans watched as the little guy hopped away and disappeared into the Starship gates, only then reluctantly looking away.

Then, the trending topics hit.

#Tami Buying Coffee# Rank 8

#universe female 1 Jang Wonyoung# Rank 5

#Lemm Promotional Ambassador# Rank 12

The comment section was full of joy.

"Tami's professional skills are stronger than some idols!"

"Six cups of iced coffee and not a drop spilled—what kind of acrobat Lemm is this!"

"That head tilt killed me."

"Even Wonyoung's Lemm is so good at fan service; as expected of the universe female 1!"

Meanwhile, in the Starship Practice Room, the atmosphere was completely different.

The countdown to IVE's debut had entered its final stage, but the Practice Room wasn't as tense or busy as one might imagine—at least, not at this moment.

The year-end Comeback war had already begun.

The news of aespa's winter limited solo, with Kim Minjeong taking on the whole field alone, had just broken, and the trending topics exploded. ITZY's mini-album teaser views broke records, a certain boy group's Comeback concept photos were all over Twitter, and a major senior suddenly announced a song release, throwing everyone's schedules into chaos.

And the movie trailer for "the crab" had just gone online this morning; the shot of Im Yoona as a cold-faced mercenary had already been screenshotted into three thousand wallpapers.

Although Karina wasn't dominating the charts, her name was still on the trending list—the meme [Pig 51 Shelter] had completely gone viral.

Jang Wonyoung was slumped on the sofa in the Practice Room, looking like a puddle of melted ice cream.

She was wearing a loose hoodie, her hair tied in a casual bun with a few stray strands stuck to her cheeks. Tami wasn't with her—the little guy had gone out to get coffee, giving her a rare moment of peace.

But the so-called "peace" was only relative.

An Yujin and Kim Gaeul were sitting by the window, chatting. An Yujin held a magazine she'd found somewhere, flipping through it while talking to Kim Gaeul, who nodded or laughed occasionally.

Leeseo was curled up in a beanbag in the corner, holding Liz as they scrolled through short videos together. Liz's phone speaker wasn't loud, but the occasional laughter could still be heard clearly.

Rei was the most extreme—she was lying directly on the floor, the sunlight from the window falling right on her. Her eyes were closed and her hands were on her stomach; her breathing was steady, as if she had already fallen asleep.

But looking closely, the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned; she was clearly still awake.

Jang Wonyoung rolled over and buried her face in the sofa cushion, letting out a muffled wail.

"Ah—so annoying—"

An Yujin looked up at her: "What's wrong now?"

Jang Wonyoung lifted her head from the cushion, a red mark pressed into her face.

"Don't you guys think so?" She counted on her fingers, "aespa's winter solo, Kim Minjeong, just her! ITZY's mini-album! That boy group! That major senior! And Jiang Zhiyu's stupid movie—"

She paused, then said through gritted teeth: "It's definitely that bastard Jiang Zhiyu's conspiracy!"

Kim Gaeul couldn't help but laugh: "What does someone's movie promotion have to do with your debut?"

Jang Wonyoung said righteously: "Stealing the hype! There are only so many trending topics; he takes a few, others take a few, how many are left for me?"

An Yujin rolled her eyes: "Do you have that little confidence in yourself?"

Jang Wonyoung froze for a moment, then huffed: "Of course I have confidence! But that insidious and cunning guy Jiang Zhiyu, he definitely timed it perfectly to crash into us on purpose!"

Leeseo looked up at her and said faintly: "Unnie, have you ever considered that maybe they didn't think about you at all?"

Jang Wonyoung's face stiffened.

Liz let out a snort of laughter nearby, but quickly covered her mouth when Wonyoung glared at her.

Rei was still lying in the sun, but the curve of her lips was clearly deeper.

Kim Gaeul sighed and tried to comfort her: "Wonyoung, it's normal for debut dates to clash; we just need to do our best."

Jang Wonyoung buried her face back in the cushion: "I know—but it's just annoying—"

An Yujin shook her head and was about to say something when Leeseo suddenly cried out.

"Unnie!"

Jang Wonyoung didn't move.

Leeseo raised her voice: "Wonyoung Unnie! Tami is on the trending topics!"

The Practice Room went silent for a second.

Then Jang Wonyoung suddenly bounced up from the sofa.

"What?!"

The voice was so sharp and bright that even Rei, lying on the floor, was startled. Rei opened her eyes, looked at her, and closed them again.

Jang Wonyoung had already lunged to Leeseo's side and snatched the phone.

On the screen was the trending list.

#Tami Buying Coffee# Rank 8.

Jang Wonyoung's eyes lit up instantly.

"Aigoo~" Her voice became soft and sweet, and the curve of her lips couldn't be suppressed, "How can Tami be so good? It even gets me on the trending topics?"

Leeseo and Liz exchanged a look, both seeing helplessness in the other's eyes.

Jang Wonyoung held the phone, getting more smug the more she looked: "I'll have to teach it a lesson later; it's very tiring for me to be on the trending list all the time~"

Kim Gaeul looked at her expression and couldn't help but roll her eyes.

An Yujin sneered: "Wonyoung, don't get ahead of yourself just yet."

Jang Wonyoung didn't even look up: "What could possibly happen?"

She continued looking down the trending list.

Then, she saw Rank 5.

[universe female 1 Jang Wonyoung]

The corners of Jang Wonyoung's mouth turned up wildly.

"Aigoo~ this trending topic is a bit too direct~" She swayed her head, her tone full of unmaskable pride, "Even though I am the universe female 1, it's a bit embarrassing to say it so bluntly~"

Leeseo and Liz both thought to themselves: Where exactly are you embarrassed?

An Yujin finally couldn't take her attitude anymore.

"Wonyoung."

Jang Wonyoung looked up: "Yeah?"

An Yujin handed over her own phone.

On the screen was the full title of that trending topic.

[universe female 1 Jang Wonyoung Lemm Tami Promotion]

Clicking in, the hottest post was the video of Tami's head tilt. Below the video, Jang Wonyoung's fans and netizens were arguing in a mess.

But what An Yujin wanted her to see wasn't that.

It was the "Trend Analysis" of the topic.

Jang Wonyoung leaned over to look.

Then her smile froze on her face.

"Wonyoung, you really shouldn't celebrate too early."

Jang Wonyoung raised an eyebrow: "What could possibly happen?"

An Yujin pointed at her phone: "Scroll down a bit more."

Jang Wonyoung paused, then lowered her head to pick up the phone again.

Her finger slid across the screen.

Continuing down the trending list——

#Jang Wonyoung universe female 1# Rank 7

Jang Wonyoung blinked.

Wait.

Wasn't it Rank 12 just now?

How did it go up again?

She clicked in.

The first post was from "guardian of princess wonyoung."

The attached image was a crazily photoshopped picture—Jang Wonyoung with a water bottle on her head, the brilliant Milky Way behind her, holding a miniature solar system nebula in her hand. Her face wore that benevolent smile of one looking down upon all living beings. (Virgin Mary.jpg)

The caption read:

[universe female 1 Jang Wonyoung, well-deserved! No arguments accepted!]

A sea of comments lay below:

[Hahaha, here he goes again!]

[Guardian of Wonyoung, hasn't your account been banned yet?]

[I saw this picture last time, can you change it to a new one?]

[Can Wonyoung's fans please control this lunatic?]

[Can't control him, he's a lunatic himself!]

Jang Wonyoung's mouth twitched.

She scrolled down further.

[guardian of princess wonyoung]: Jang Wonyoung is not only number one in the universe, she's also the Korean Female 1, Asian Female 1, World Female 1, Solar System Female 1, Milky Way Female 1, and Andromeda Galaxy Female 1! Anyone who says she doesn't deserve it, I suggest you be reincarnated!

The comment section was even more lively:

[I'm dying of laughter, this lunatic is at it again!]

[What the hell is Andromeda Galaxy Female 1?]

[Jang Wonyoung: ??? Since when did I rule Andromeda?]

[Guardian of Wonyoung, you're an anti-fan of Jang Wonyoung, right? This is clearly killing her with praise!]

Jang Wonyoung's mouth twitched even more violently.

An Yujin looked at her and asked cautiously:

"Wonyoung, are you okay?"

Jang Wonyoung took a deep breath, then another.

Then, through gritted teeth, she squeezed out word by word:

"Jiang—Zhi—yu—!"

The voice echoed in the Practice Room.

Leeseo and Liz exchanged a look, both shrinking their necks at the same time.

Kim Gaeul lowered her head, pretending to look at her phone.

Rei was still lying in the sun with her eyes closed, but the corners of her mouth hooked up slightly.

An Yujin sighed, walked over, and patted Jang Wonyoung's shoulder:

"Wonyoung, calm down. You still have to film your debut teaser."

Jang Wonyoung turned her head to look at her, her eyes full of grievance:

"Tell me, how can I be calm? That lunatic photoshopped me into the universe female 1 again! Last time it was a star, this time it's the Andromeda Galaxy!"

An Yujin thought for a moment and said seriously:

"But it did get on the trending topics."

Jang Wonyoung opened her mouth to argue but found she couldn't say anything.

Because what she said was the truth.

It was on the trending topics.

Even if it was the "photoshopped" kind of trending topic, it was still trending.

She sat back on the sofa, clutching a cushion, and stared at the ceiling.

"Tami too..."

She suddenly remembered something and bounced up again.

"Tami went to get delivery today, was it also filmed by people?!"

Leeseo nodded: "Yes, Rank 8 on the trending list, I just showed you."

Jang Wonyoung covered her face.

"So, my Lemm is better at getting on the trending list than I am?"

The Practice Room went silent for a second.

Then everyone burst out laughing.

An Yujin laughed so hard she slapped her thigh, Kim Gaeul laughed until she couldn't straighten her back, Leeseo and Liz held onto each other trembling, and even Rei opened her eyes with a smile on her face.

Jang Wonyoung sat on the sofa, looking at her heartless teammates, both angry and amused.

"What are you laughing at! After debut, I'm going to get on more trending topics than Tami!"

An Yujin wiped her tears and said:

"Unnie, has your goal changed from 'beating other girl groups' to 'beating your own Lemm'?"

Jang Wonyoung froze for a moment.

Then she laughed as well.

After laughing, she sighed again.

"Whatever, as long as I can get on them."

She lay back on the sofa, covering her face with the cushion.

Her voice came out muffled from under the cushion:

"Whether it's universe female 1 or Tami's owner... anyway, on the day of debut, no one can stop me."

In the corner, Leeseo said softly:

"Unnie, the way you're talking right now really sounds like the universe female 1."

Jang Wonyoung suddenly whipped the cushion off and glared at her:

"Ya!"

Leeseo stuck out her tongue and hid behind Liz.

An Yujin shook her head with a smile and looked up at the clock on the wall.

There were only twenty-some days left until debut.