From RenaP to RenaPpi (3)
The broadcast explosion came all too suddenly.
It started on the day of her first singing stream.
"Ah! Hello everyone!"
She'd finally succeeded in grabbing some attention with her title, as one or two viewers trickled in just ten minutes after going live and started chatting.
"Yes! Of course! Request anything! If I know it, I'll sing it right away, and if I don't, I'll listen once and give it a shot!"
Hearing that, a viewer pulled out the name of a song beloved by otakus.
It was originally a Vocaloid track, so the high notes were insanely tough for a human voice.
The silver lining? She was somewhat versed in subculture herself, so she recognized it instantly. If she hadn't been into that scene, she probably never would've become a virtual streamer in the first place.
"Ah! I know that one! I'll sing it right now! Hang on a sec while I search for the MR... Ahem."
And with that, her song began.
She pierced the high notes effortlessly, her voice cruising the melody like a highway at full speed.
Viewers had climbed to seven. She'd already tied her all-time record!
The difference? Back then, those seven had dipped in and out so fast they barely registered. Now, all seven were glued to her song.
As the song wrapped up, she checked the viewer count.
Twelve. New record!
"Thank you so, so much for listening!"
After her grateful sign-off, the chat finally started picking up steam, slow but steady.
She stared at the chat in disbelief.
Me, getting this much attention!
"Ah, no! Not reincarnated... I've only been streaming a little over 100 days! I was born on the sun and came down to Earth for a quick tour!"
Huh? The reactions are pretty good.
Truth be told, she couldn't tell if this was good yet. Up until now, viewers bolted the second she tried any real talk, lore or otherwise.
Then came the second donation of her life.
NyamNyam donated 1,000 KRW!
"Song requester here. It was great."
"Ah...!!!"
Her second donation ever! Her sun-like eyes sparkled as she beamed.
"NyamNyam! Thank you so much! 1,000 KRW!! Wow! I'm over the moon!!!"
Her pure joy broadcast through the mic, and viewers hit twenty.
The chat was warming up. A pretty avatar belting out tunes perfectly, then gushing over a measly 1,000 KRW punch? Adorable.
Hakko streamers were a dime a dozen like that—which was exactly why some folks hunted them down.
The real mystery was how zero viewers had stuck around for her first 100 days.
Spotting the request mid-thanks, she replied quick.
"Ah, yes! Of course! It's a song stream today—request whatever you want!"
For the next two hours, she fielded requests. Luckily, they stuck to famous otaku faves she knew cold, so she nailed them all.
Peak viewers that day? Seventy-eight.
After 100 days, her first real, proper stream.
Not long after, clips from those moments flooded the net:
They racked up millions of views on Nutube each, spreading RenaPpi's name like wildfire based on that night's setlist.
Even as buzz built from that legendary stream, one thought dominated RenaPpi's mind—then and now.
Jit-leus was right...!
Off-stream, her face flushed with uncontainable excitement.
She could still hear that voice so vividly. The first to notice her when no one else did. The words tossed to her as she teetered on giving up everything.
"Why not try singing instead, RenaP?"
"I think a song stream could get you word-of-mouth traction."
"How about RenaPpi? Ppi. It's cute."
"Who knows? Maybe after 100 days of grinding in obscurity, it'll finally pay off."
"Everything he said came true...!"
She blurted it out, emotions overflowing.
How could she not? Sure, it was just her first song stream, and it might be a fluke peak. But going from zero to seventy-eight viewers? Monumental success.
She talks, chat responds. She jokes, lols roll in. The thrill of being watched.
And the one who'd guided her precisely when no one cared—spotting her strengths.
That day, she'd nearly quit for good, sobbing her heart out.
But someone reached out. Gave advice, game recs, brainstormed her name.
"Jit-leus...!"
She wanted to show him. Brag about the song stream crowds, thank him. Gloat that he called her name cute.
Above all, fulfill that 1.65 million KRW donation request, whatever it took. Repay him somehow.
So she kept streaming.
Maybe in a few days, Jit-leus will drop by?
*
RenaPpi's rise was legendary in itself.
One week post-song stream, she trended in virtual streamer communities as the "[VTuber Who Sings Any Otaku Banger]."
Average viewers jumped from hundreds to thousands within a month.
Partly thanks to a few clips exploding via site algorithms. Mostly from big streamers giving her shoutouts mid-broadcast.
When's Jit-leus coming back?
As "fans" emerged, she coined a fan name: SandGrains. Pulled from her lore—"Sun blazing, sand grains sparkling"—and her sparkling sun-eyes made it stick.
Money started flowing for real. Time for a new avatar.
One reason: Jit-leus had insisted she upgrade it.
Soon enough, her 200th day debut anniversary stream arrived.
Unlike the 100-day one, thousands poured in. From Jit-leus's sole companionship to 8,000 viewers celebrating with her—a mid-tier powerhouse.
Yet her eyes still scanned for him.
Jit-leus... not today either? It's my 200th stream day...
Fans cheering her milestone was nice.
But she craved his congrats. To show him the results.
The one who'd pulled her from the swamp. Donated 1.65 million KRW with zero strings. Chatted two hours when no one else would.
By then, she'd clocked "[Subway-Old-Man-Denture-Stealer]" as a troll pattern targeting a specific streamer—and collabed with them ASAP.
Just one hope: Spot Jit-leus.
If he rocked that nickname, maybe he was a fan?
The collab happened smoothly. She was a rising star; the streamer was already a viewer.
But the chat was full of "[TraditionalMarketPublicDocumentForgeryMaster]", "[PrioritySeatAbsoluteStrongman]", "[ApartmentMgmtJamminKidPhoneGuardian]"—no Jit-leus.
The chem exploded anyway, boosting her even more.
Still, unsatisfying. It wasn't for growth; it was to find him. Failed? Pointless.
Jit-leus...!
Despite her success, she streamed on. New challenges? Bring 'em.
Climb higher, achieve more—maybe he'd return. Just hoping he'd notice.
To tell him: You grabbed my hand back then, and that's why I soared this high.
But nearly a year passed.
She formed Infinite Noir with like-minded streamers.
Became a cultural icon no young Korean could miss.
Even at her dream solo concert...
The one person she endlessly sought—[Subway-Old-Man-Denture-Stealer]—never showed.