Reaction: "Do It for Me."

Modern people don't watch TV programs much. This tendency is especially pronounced among the younger generation.

There were many reasons for this, but a significant portion of the blame fell on the simple fact that TV shows just weren't that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠entertaining anymore. Unlike the old days when television accounted for more than half of people's leisure time, there were now far more things to enjoy. Why would anyone bother watching a TV program when there were so many more interesting options available?

As content diversified, people began pursuing a wider variety of media. Vtube, internet broadcasts, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and games were prime examples.

Yet even in an era when TV programs had fallen to the ground in prestige, there was one thing that still drew people to broadcast networks. That thing was streamer Kayak's entry into terrestrial television.

Of course, those who already watched Kayak's streams tuned in. But there were also people who never watched her broadcasts yet came out of curiosity after hearing she'd appeared on TV — people from various communities who couldn't resist checking it out.

This was one of the effects PD Park Suhyeok had been counting on. A transfusion of new viewers. Admittedly, it was only a handful at best, but even that was something to be grateful for.

Kayak had her own dedicated fanbase, and at the same time, she was a remarkably appealing character to the existing Midnight Talk audience.

Even people who had never watched Midnight Talk before were drawn to the full episode after seeing just the preview clip.

The sight of a silver-haired, blue-eyed beauty speaking fluent Korean and chatting with the panelists was simply fascinating.

And then there were those who tuned in just because they heard the "Bosingak Camilla Girl" was appearing.

All these factors combined, and Midnight Talk achieved the remarkable feat of breaking through the 1% viewership barrier.

"That's it!"

It was only 1%, but for a program that had consistently recorded 0.8% and 0.9%, never managing to cross the 1% threshold, this was significant. Dozens of programs had been canceled for failing to break through that wall of despair known as 1%.

That was why PD Park Suhyeok clenched his fist as he checked the ratings.

Meanwhile, the ripple effects of Kayak's appearance didn't stop there.

In today's era, Vtube — perhaps even more influential than terrestrial TV — was where the real impact was felt. The videos uploaded there went absolutely viral.

A ten-minute highlight reel edited to capture the essence of the episode, and a short-form clip trimmed to hook viewers within the first minute, perfectly aligned with current trends.

All of these videos saw their view counts skyrocket, landing on the trending list. The editing team that uploaded them couldn't stop grinning ear to ear.

But the undisputed champion was the video featuring Kayak. More specifically, the short clip of Kayak swaying through her dance moves before getting roasted by Kyucheol standing beside her.

The video's massive popularity on Vtube wasn't just about high view counts. As the short clip of Kayak learning the dance from Subi went viral, the Midkiss song featured in it began to be rediscovered.

As a result, a track that had been released eight months prior and had already fallen off the charts experienced the bizarre phenomenon of re-entering the music rankings.

Some Vtubers even uploaded covers of the dance along with the song, which helped raise awareness of Midkiss among the public — people started realizing, "Oh, there's a group like this."

This was exactly the kind of result Subi had longed for while appearing on variety shows. Compared to the complete lack of response she'd gotten from previous appearances with her members, this Midnight Talk appearance could safely be called a huge success.

The members threw a party at their dorm, and Subi even received praise from the company president. Of course, it wasn't really Subi's doing — she'd just gotten caught up in the wave next to Kayak — but that's just how the world worked, wasn't it?

That was why Subi had randomly called Kayak, sobbing with gratitude. Kayak, who had been resting, was left sweating nervously upon receiving a call from a crying woman.

And so, Kayak's first foray into terrestrial television was nothing short of a success.

Should it be called a glamorous debut? It was merely a one-time guest appearance, but she had also received a love call from PD Park Suhyeok.

Besides that, after the broadcast, she received countless messages from PDs of various programs asking, "Hey, are you thinking about coming on our show?"

Even Kayak's regular fans, who watched her streams, couldn't fully grasp the situation, but they could tell things were moving in an unusual direction. After all, their friends, family members, and acquaintances were one by one starting to show interest in Kayak and learn about her.

It was an overwhelming amount of attention for a mere Vtuber and streamer to receive.

While clueless fans cheered at Kayak's rising status, the majority of hardcore fans were actually wary of the situation. They worried she might end up transitioning to terrestrial television entirely.

There were plenty of cases of streamers growing too big and moving to terrestrial TV. It wasn't impossible, but if that happened, there would be the downside of her personal broadcasts becoming as rare as ant urine.

Getting too big was a problem in itself. Some radical fans argued that it was time to launch a "My Little Kayak" project, but it was far too late for that.

All they could hope for was that Kayak would keep her Twish broadcasts running consistently. They fiercely attacked the new viewers who had come in through Midnight Talk.

And so, while the internet world was in absolute chaos…

Kayak finished her break and turned on her stream.

"Nice to see you all, it's been a while. Did everyone enjoy the broadcast? I watched Midnight Talk and thought it was fun, so I came to watch the live stream too… Thank you for coming all the way to the live stream."

Kayak looked exactly as usual. Her somewhat drowsy expression made it impossible to believe she was the center of all the buzz.

After exchanging a simple greeting with viewers she hadn't seen in a while, Kayak began playing a video. It was the full replay of the latest Midnight Talk episode, uploaded just a few hours ago.

"Don't misunderstand — I paid for this. I didn't get it illegally. It's the full version, but I'm not going to watch all of it… I also got permission from the PD. Today I'll just watch this and share some stories as we go. I know you all are curious."

It wasn't as crowded as when she first revealed her face, but quite a few people had gathered. Yet Kayak didn't seem to mind at all.

Whether she was used to this many viewers by now or was just naturally thick-skinned, she spoke slowly and steadily in front of tens of thousands of people.

"The PD said people reacted really well to this scene. I don't really know what's funny about it. Is it really that funny that I'm just standing there alone? The ad-libs are funny, just looking at the faces is funny, um… yeah. Thank you."

She played the scene from the beginning of the self-introductions, where Kayak stood alone and everyone burst out laughing. She replayed it, quietly voicing her grievance. She said she'd become a target ever since. The viewers listened intently, wondering if there was such a behind-the-scenes story.

"And then I learned the dance from Subi. Did you guys get along with Subi… yeah, she told me from the waiting room to feel comfortable talking. There aren't many young people like that these days. She was very polite and I really liked her."

The next scene showed all the panelists learning the dance from Subi together. The camera panned across the panelists before settling on Kayak.

"I was working really hard here. This was the first time I've ever danced in my life. I don't even know if I'm doing it right. Dancing looks easy, but it's harder than you think. I respect idols and dancers who dance. 'You dance well?' 'Your dance lines are pretty.' Um, yeah. Thank you. 'Can you show us what you learned?' No way, why would I."

The chat was flooded with requests for her to show the dance she'd learned on the show.

It was a flood. Everyone started making the same request, centered around one person. People of different ages and genders rarely united like this.

But there was no way Kayak would easily give in to the viewers' requests.

As she turned her head with an indifferent expression and the viewers kept demanding she do it, a standoff ensued.

A massive donation flew in. Kayak furrowed her brow as she checked the amount and message.

"Thank you, ChineseTycoon, for the ₩1 million donation… Aren't you that person from the ASMR stream? I appreciate the ₩1 million, but not this time."

However, the viewer who sent the donation didn't back down.

If there was something money couldn't buy, maybe the amount just wasn't enough?

The viewer known as ChineseTycoon faithfully followed the proverb befitting their username.

"Wait, wait! Stop donating. Stop! Hold on. Are you trying to buy me with money!"

The one who lost the chicken game was Kayak. She had been unmoving, as if to say "keep going," but when ₩1 million came in rapid succession multiple times, she flustered and waved her hands in panic.

And then, with a hesitant expression, she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠began to lightly touch her camera.

"I'll only dance for a short time, about 30 seconds… I didn't learn much anyway, so I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠can't do it for long…"

The Midkiss song began to play softly as background music through Vtube.

Kayak, her face flushed, slowly began to move her body.

To put it bluntly, it was a legendary broadcast for the ages.

Viewers, anticipating that the replay would disappear, hurried to save the video.