Chapter 144: Synergy Effect
Chapter 144: Synergy Effect
Princess Shupi elegantly scooped up the ice cream drenched in red oil with a silver spoon.
Then her eyes widened, and she lifted her thumb in a clear thumbs-up.
[Wow! Surprisingly good! (Wow! It’s surprisingly delicious!)]
Koreans who saw the video reacted in confusion.
Wow, holy shitㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Even a British princess ate it?
No, the royal family has lots of good food and chefs, so why is she eating something like that..?
Surprising fact) Mint chocolate was a dessert born in the British royal family
For real?
Well, I guess the British liked weird food from the start;;
If they created mint choco then they’re definitely people with good taste yeah
This is becoming a global trend?
└ Ryu Sunho spread poison across the world
Do I need to buy Only One stock..? People say it’s sold out everywhere at convenience stores
I never imagined it would spread all the way to the UK either.
Since things had blown up this far anyway, I checked what the local UK reaction looked like.
What is this combo? What did you pour over ice cream?
This isn’t a prank, right?
└ No, I tried it because of Princess Shupi, and it’s weirdly addictive
└ Yeah. It’s sweet and spicy. Like a very Korean flavor, I guess? I like it
└ Oh, is this trending in Korea? Then I should try it once
I heard Han Jusin… I mean, Ryu made this dessert. Maybe that’s why Princess Shupi tried it
└ After trying it, my review is… Ryu is either a genius or a madman
Princess Shupi’s ripple effect was powerful, just as expected.
Everyone was shocked, but they still tried it, judged it, and argued about it.
I was watching the flood of testimonial review comments coming in live when—
Ding!
The system window flashed and appeared.
【Ripple Effect Achievement Unlocked!】
【Goal Achieved: Ripple Effect 40 reached!】
Oh?
I’d been half in doubt, but it looked like Ripple Effect rose through promotional content too.
Good news.
This pushed Ripple Effect into the 40s.
And a reward came in.
【Reward Granted: Stat Point +1】
【A new Aura is formed.】
Now I had 6 stat points.
And a new aura formed on top of that.
【Aura Formed: LV.4 Aura That Assigns Meaning】
【Even if you don’t bother explaining, people will find plausible reasons on their own and assign meaning.】
【Effect: Mentions and attention toward your words and actions naturally increase.】
…Huh?
As I read the description, my brow furrowed slightly.
Assigns meaning…
At a glance, it sounded good.
But if you thought about it carefully, it was pretty burdensome and dangerous.
A celebrity lived off public attention, so getting attention was good—but that attention was like a rugby ball that could bounce anywhere.
You’d seen it often, hadn’t you?
A celebrity said something with no special meaning, and netizens overinterpreted it, creating controversy or spreading baseless speculation.
The term “Gung-ye-jil” didn’t come out for no reason.
So it meant that something I did casually could be interpreted positively, but it could also easily cause misunderstandings.
When I checked, it wasn’t something I could toggle on and off like the “Aura That Touches Emotions.”
It was an aura that could become a double-edged sword.
Just as the thought crossed my mind that this could get exhausting—
Pop—!
A popup window appeared with flashy fireworks effects.
【Synergy Effect Activated!】
【Current Favorability is 70 or higher.】
【Correcting the direction of LV.4 Aura That Assigns Meaning.】
【Additional Effect: Your words and actions are interpreted in a positive direction by the majority of the public.】
…!
Wait.
That changed everything.
It meant that whatever I did, people would interpret it positively.
The phrase “the majority” of the public bothered me a little, but it meant that aside from a tiny minority of malicious haters, public opinion would flow in my favor.
For a celebrity, that was the best shield and weapon.
In that case—
A pretty good aura… no, an insane aura formed.
“Tsk.”
A tongue-click sounded.
It came from reporter Ahn Gihun as he watched a video of Ryu Sunho on his monitor.
Ryu Sunho sprinkling chili oil over ice cream and eating it.
Countless people copying him.
“He’ll do anything.”
Reporter Ahn Gihun let out a sneer through twisted lips.
He felt disgusted.
It went beyond simple dislike—his stomach turned with a nausea-deep revulsion.
To be fair, Ahn Gihun didn’t start out with a personal grudge against Ryu Sunho.
At first, it was only the caution of an established journalist.
Because he was someone who believed in the unseen hierarchy and order of the entertainment industry.
A belief that an actor should build their inner strength by rolling in the dirt on Daehangno theater stages or the independent film circuit, then seep into the public slowly—moving from bit parts to supporting roles.
A firm philosophy that evaluation and praise only followed after years had accumulated.
When people with no foundation ran around, the whole scene became shallow.
Whenever that order collapsed, the dignity of the entertainment world fell, and the public got fooled by shells.
So when Ryu Sunho appeared like a comet and received sudden attention, the sharp words he used were, in his mind, part of his professional calling.
In time, the bubble would pop, and the value of him having pointed out the wrong flow early would rise even higher.
But.
Ryu Sunho kept proving himself and kept growing without failure.
Ratings, buzz, acting skill, even overseas reactions.
In the end, Ryu Sunho was overtaking the established actors Ahn Gihun had once acknowledged as real.
The journalist’s judgment and standards—his pride—were being thoroughly denied.
That was when the texture of his emotions began to change.
No. I’m not wrong.
His criticism toward Ryu Sunho grew sharper, but the justification grew blurrier.
Even if it felt forced, the power of yellow journalism was always strong, and some people still sided with his opinion.
Every time the public mood became a mud pit and suspicion and condemnation spread toward Ryu Sunho, Ahn Gihun felt relief.
Yeah. This is the reaction we should be seeing. Unless the world has gone crazy.
The reporter’s cool-headedness was already gone.
It was hatred molded from personal inferiority and anxiety.
“If I can’t attack with facts, I can attack with interpretation, right?”
He was a reporter more skilled than anyone at twisting and interpreting phenomena.
That was how he even won the title of “drama specialist reporter,” wasn’t it?
And right then, he found a pretext to latch onto.
How dare he treat food like a toy? A public figure using influence like this?
He began writing a column, wrapping his disgust in plausible logic.
[Celebrity playing around with food—Is that really ‘pleasant’?]
The logic was that he was wasting food and encouraging provocative weird food, which could instill wrong eating habits in teenagers.
On the surface, he pretended to worry about proper food culture, but inside, the intent was to shave Ryu Sunho down into “a frivolous celebrity.”
Between his sentences, he planted subtle devices to lead readers into criticizing Ryu Sunho.
Tap-tap-tap—
The relentless typing echoed.
Then—
Tap!
With a satisfied smile, he posted the column.
This should be enough. That arrogant nose of his will get knocked down.
He was sure the public would hesitate at least once.
But.
Ahn Gihun overlooked something.
That the public’s gaze on Ryu Sunho was nothing like the warped lens of his crooked glasses.
Less than ten minutes after the article went up, the comment section began pouring with reactions he didn’t expect.
?? Reporter, did you get indigestion while eating? Why are you mad by yourself?
So you only eat nutritious rice and kimchi, right?^^ I’ll believe you never eat things like cheese-kimchi pancakes! ^^7
Fuck ㅋㅋㅋㅋ You’re really throwing a tantrum over anything;; A boomer has arrived?
Why is this a problem? Everyone’s eating it fine, and it’s not like it’s creating food waste
I checked this reporter’s past articles and he keeps subtly trashing anything Ryu Sunho appears in. What’s his deal? Does he have a grudge?
└ He’s kinda well-known in the drama scene, but he suddenly seems like he lost itㅋㅋㅋ Did Ryu Sunho catch some weakness on him?
Bang!
“Are these people insane?!”
People didn’t side with Ahn Gihun’s article.
They started criticizing the reporter who wrote it instead.
With favorability toward Ryu Sunho already firmly built, forced logic didn’t work.
And then—
Ring ring ring!!
The office phone in Ahn Gihun’s newsroom began ringing nonstop.
Angry voices erupted from each receiver.
The content was roughly like this.
Why are you picking fights with an innocent actor? Do you seriously have nothing better to do?
Desk? Are you not disciplining this reporter? You’re putting out this outdated garbage in an era like this?
Tell that reporter Ahn Gihun clearly. Write articles properly after you actually check things.
The employees who took those calls and had nowhere to send them looked at Ahn Gihun with icy eyes.
Cold sweat ran down Ahn Gihun’s spine.
“…Ha.”
The arrow he fired, bewitched and blazing, was coming back like a boomerang.
Wednesday night, 9:50 p.m.
Korea looked like it had fallen into shutdown mode.
Downtown streets weren’t just quiet—they were dead silent, and catching a taxi was like grabbing a star from the sky.
It was because everyone, as if by agreement, had disappeared home—or to wherever there was a TV.
“Driver, could you go a little faster? It starts at ten.”
“Ma’am, I’m in a hurry too. I have to go home and watch it as well.”
A strange scene unfolded, driver and passenger united in purpose as they sped down the road.
Delivery apps had their servers crash from an order surge.
Bars and restaurants were no different.
Normally they would have been loud, but tonight everyone was looking in the same direction.
The wall-mounted TV.
It was the broadcast of Doctor Princess Episode 17.
“Boss, one more bottle of soju—”
“Shh! Be quiet! I can’t hear the dialogue!”
“Ah, right. Sorry.”
A bizarre situation where a customer tried to order and got stopped by another table.
As a result, orders were exchanged with eye signals and gestures.
As the drama progressed, everyone in the restaurant held their breath.
“Wow… insane. Look at Han Jusin’s eyes.”
“He’s going into the operating room right there? He’s really nuts.”
“Please… save her, please…”
Alicia Yoon, thrown into danger after getting entangled in the conspiracy of the forces that led the terror.
And Han Jusin, struggling desperately to save lives.
People stared blankly at the screen with chopsticks still in their hands.
They didn’t notice the beer foam dying down, or the side dishes getting cold.
They were overwhelmed by Ryu Sunho’s acting, crying with him and raging with him.
And a little while later.
11:10 p.m.
The live broadcast ended.
“Ah…!”
Sighs and cheers burst out at the same time everywhere.
The immersion was insane.
Internet community servers lagged under traffic overload, and SNS real-time trends were plastered with Doctor Princess keywords.
At the same time, JTBN network staff clutched their heads.
“Ah, fuck…!”
[Nationwide ratings 49.8%]
0.2%.
They failed to cross the 50% wall by only 0.2%.
But their expressions weren’t that bleak.
Because they still had one shot left.
“Tomorrow. The real thing is tomorrow.”
Everyone’s attention converged on one point.
Would Doctor Princess step onto the legendary 50% peak?
Korea’s eyes and ears were waiting for tomorrow night.