Chapter 244
Chapter 244
Fanfare erupted from the translucent pop-up that appeared.
[Successful Meeting!]
You have successfully met with ‘400,000’ spectators!
!Time Limit: Met (Success)
!Status Effect: ‘Death if Not Spectators’ removed!
With a single free online concert, I had cleared the status effect that required me to reach 400,000 spectators.
It made sense.
The number of votes had nearly reached 300,000 after VTIC appeared. I had seen the counter climbing on the electronic display with my own eyes. It was as good as seeing the real-time audience reaction myself.
‘I figured it would be recognized.’
Furthermore, this platform allowed users to watch videos without signing up. People just killing time would have watched without creating an account.
Since many of VTIC’s international fans were also likely non-members, the actual viewership numbers must have been… staggering.
Reaching 300,000 just with registered users who actively participated in the real-time performance would have been a close call for TeSTAR alone.
“…….”
In other words, the basic plan to bring in VTIC was a resounding success.
Though the results yielded a slightly different value than I had predicted.
: Check ‘Truth’ ☜Click!
The Coin option had disappeared.
‘I thought it would give it to me as a default now.’
This meant the Coin from last time was an anomalous option.
‘…Did it give it to me because it predicted the accident?’
A strange thought crossed my mind.
Specifically, the idea that this system had gone out of its way to identify and prepare for the risk of the former manager pulling some nonsense.
‘The fact that the exact same ‘Spectator’ status effect reappeared with just the numbers inflated seems to fit here, too.’
Since a value called ‘Coin’ appeared where only ‘Check Truth’ should have been, it felt as if I had to perform the same status effect once more to return things to their original state.
I recalled the abnormality in the status window back then, when all sorts of status effects were popping up and flickering before vanishing.
‘There was definitely some kind of error.’
If I were to interpret this… it meant the status window had deviated from its path to somehow put a Coin in my hand, even if it caused an error.
‘But why?’
I had never found any trace of emotion or intelligence in this system before.
So, what was this overarching flow—starting from the manipulation of gacha probabilities—that could be interpreted as… goodwill?
“…….”
After a quick deliberation, I reached a conclusion.
‘Does it want me to clear the status effects?’
I began to suspect that this status window was designed to ensure I survived and cleared this insane situation by any means necessary.
Because the guy who didn’t have a status window had, several times…
“What are you looking at?”
“…!!”
When I looked up, Cheong-ryeo was intently peering into my line of sight.
I replied reflexively.
“I was just lost in thought for a moment.”
“Is that so?”
He responded nonchalantly, then turned his gaze to stare blankly at the empty air I had been looking at.
Specifically… at the spot where the status window was.
‘Shit.’
I instinctively dismissed the pop-up.
However, since it was impossible for him to see it, he just smiled without much agitation. He had simply read my gaze.
‘He read that from just a glance?’
His intuition was extraordinary; I suppose the experience of living through several lives didn't go to waste.
‘…He asked if I got what I wanted.’
I cast aside any unnecessary tension and gave a standard answer.
“I think it went well. The concert, I mean.”
“I see. That’s good.”
Cheong-ryeo nodded, seemingly understanding the underlying meaning. Then, he held out his hand.
“I had fun today.”
“……Likewise.”
He’s confident, then.
I reached out and shook his hand. His glove felt chilly.
“I hope you keep working hard for the rest of the show~”
“Fighting.”
The VTIC members joined in the handshakes with bright smiles. They seemed to think they had deepened their friendship through this opportunity.
And a few of our guys seemed to think the same.
For instance, Kim Rae-bin, who had finally managed to find out what arrangement program they used.
“Seniors, I hope you have a comfortable journey home…! Thank you very much for your guidance and leadership!”
“Oh, come on, it’s not like we taught you much~”
“We’re heading abroad, but thank you. We’ll be going now!”
“Yes! Thank you~”
“Thank you!”
The wrap-up ended on a warm note with several handshakes exchanged.
Well, it wasn't like we had fought, and there was no reason for industry colleagues who didn't know when they'd see each other again not to end things cordially.
The problem was that it was only cordial between us; the fandoms were a different story.
‘The internet… must be a mess.’
At the very least, both sides had definitely held their own. One side couldn't have won unilaterally.
So, even in the worst-case scenario, I hoped it would just end with people saying the two groups had a battle of nerves at a charity event.
“Sejin, they say there are 4 minutes left for the electronic board voting.”
“I’m coming!”
Bae Se-jin, who was in charge of the next voting announcement, sprinted down the hallway. Now that VTIC, the thorn in his side, was gone, his movements had become even more aggressive.
I briefly anticipated the reaction to the concert, then just shrugged at the sight.
‘Let’s just finish the remaining stages well.’
The stage where I had to spit out fake blood was next. Let’s focus on quality for now.
And it was soon proven that this was a sound judgment.
TeSTAR’s charity concert ended in a massive success.
[Total Donation Amount for This Concert]
[!! ₩252,096,000 !!]
[Thank you for your enthusiastic participation and warm hearts.]
The real-time donation amount exceeded 140 million won, and the peak concurrent viewership reached a staggering 1.12 million.
The platform wiped away cold sweat, relieved that their investment in temporary server expansion hadn't gone to waste.
Public reaction was also extremely favorable.
Those who watched were all delighted, and they were even happier at the news that the performances would be uploaded one by one to WeTube.
The platform’s decision to sell the full video as VOD was also accepted smoothly without much resistance, since individual stages could be viewed for free.
Since fans wanted to see all the tiny, fun details included in the full video, the purchase rate was also decent.
Furthermore, another piece of news appeared on social media.
[TeSTAR will match the amount donated by the audience! (Photo)]
[The total collected amount will be safely delivered under the name ‘As the Heart Leads.’]
TeSTAR had added an amount equal to what the audience had personally donated.
In the photo, the TeSTAR members looked like they had just finished the performance, their faces drenched in sweat, smiling as they held up a board with the amount hurriedly scribbled in marker.
It was a flawless, clean finish that silenced any potential complaints like, ‘Why are you guys getting tax deductions with the audience’s money?’
In fact, the additional donation was a bit excessively ‘kind,’ to the point where it didn't even seem necessary.
But there was a reason for this decision.
In communities with a deep interest in idols, all sorts of talk was already circulating regarding VTIC and TeSTAR.
At first, it was praise for the performances.
Because VTIC had made a surprise appearance without warning and delivered such an overwhelming performance, they dominated the internet, almost monopolizing the trending posts.
[The level of a 9th-year idol cover]
[An idol that properly showed the dignity of the first-tier]
[VTIC - Haengcha]
Countless comments were posted, even reaching the nuance of direct comparison, saying things like ‘It’s better than TeSTAR’s original’ or ‘TeSTAR is still better.’
However, the atmosphere shifted slightly when TeSTAR came out next.
While TeSTAR interpreted VTIC’s songs freshly, they removed the nuance of a head-to-head confrontation and emphasized the feeling of a ‘connected setlist.’
Thanks to that, the atmosphere that was about to ignite with comparisons died down a bit, but instead, fans with hurt feelings and trolls trying to exploit them began to pop up.
This was because all sorts of over-interpretations and ridiculous speculations regarding TeSTAR’s intentions and VTIC’s intentions were circulating under the surface.
The atmosphere of wanting to pit the two massive fandoms against each other and the atmosphere of trying to suppress it clashed head-on.
The two fandoms, who were already conscious of each other, couldn't help but find the other side extremely annoying, even while liking the performances.
“Ah, this is making me so mad!!”
Here was another one: a university student fuming while fighting with a VTIC fan in the comments of an article.
She was a fan of Kim Rae-bin who had acknowledged putting Park Moon-dae as her second favorite.
“It’s so obvious, you brat.”
Kim Rae-bin’s fan gritted her teeth and typed a comment, thinking, ‘Why are TICA brats so petty?’
└ It’s inevitable for trolls to appear when a guest tries to stand out ㅠㅠ. The side that naturally incorporated even that as part of the performance is amazing.
But at the same time, she suddenly realized she was leaving comments about these ‘skill-based’ aspects.
‘The atmosphere has changed a bit because of this.’
In fact, TeSTAR’s recent image was closer to that of a ‘pitiful victim.’ Their activities were more likely to garner comments like ‘They’re so brave’ rather than ‘They’re so cool.’
The story of the accident was too big compared to TeSTAR as idols.
And it was the same for VTIC.
The images of the main vocal who appeared on the social news pages and the pitiful remaining members, or the suspicious image of a group on the decline, were clinging to them.
But all those images gained from the social news pages had been swept away by this topic.
Instead, both groups became hot topics because of their main jobs.
Everyone interested in these groups had an opinion on ‘who did better.’
They had become ‘hot’ in an idol-like sense.
All this conflict was extremely characteristic of popular, first-tier idols.
‘That is kind of fun, but….’
“You son of a…!!”
Kim Rae-bin’s fan immediately retracted her words and added a comment below.
‘Ah, were you a TICA? Still herding fans as usual, aren't you embarrassed? Tsk tsk.’
And she felt it.
‘If even one thing goes wrong, there’s going to be a real fight.’
Right now, the two fandoms must find each other incredibly bothersome.
Kim Rae-bin’s fan had a gut feeling that somewhere, people were frantically trying to dig up dirty rumors about the opposing group.
‘Ah, this is going to be a headache!’
The moment she clicked her tongue.
Ding!
[Hello, this is Moon-dae…]
“…!?”
A notification popped up on social media. It was TeSTAR’s account.
“Hey, Park Moon-dae!”
Kim Rae-bin’s fan threw aside her keyboard battle and immediately clicked the notification.
=======================
Hello, this is Moon-dae (Emoticon)
It was an enjoyable concert. There were many great photos, so I’m sharing a few that I took as well.
Thank you to the Loviewers who watched, and to all the spectators.
♡
=======================
The photos attached below the post were… of VTIC.
“Hey!!”
She let out a scream.
‘This makes it look like we’re losing! Wait until VTIC posts first…….’
Then she immediately calmed down. Because in the next post, Park Moon-dae had released photos of TeSTAR themselves all at once.
“Kim Rae-bin looks handsome.”
She carefully saved the photo of Kim Rae-bin, with bandages wrapped for the ‘Call’ stage, giving an awkward wink.
‘Hmm, okay. If anything, VTIC will look like petty people with less magnanimity than their juniors.’
She scanned through the photos of VTIC with utmost coldness.
‘Ah, Park Moon-dae, annoyingly enough, he took great photos of these guys too!’
Cheong-ryeo’s solo shot, in particular, seemed better than those taken by some fansite masters!
Of course, thanks to that, she didn't have to give VTIC fans any excuse to nitpick, like ‘It seems like he intentionally posted bad photos.’
‘He should’ve posted more of his own selfies.’
While grumbling for no reason, she looked forward to saving the photos that would be edited by various fans.
And similar things were happening to many fans.
It wasn't an era where the premise ‘I like them because my idol likes them’ was universally accepted anymore, but it did have the effect of refreshing the atmosphere.
This was because it gave strength and emotion to the opinions of people shouting, ‘See, don't ruin a great event and a cool performance!’
Even from under the surface, there was some reluctant acknowledgment.
The internet entered a temporary truce while consuming the new content.
Furthermore, an announcement appeared on TeSTAR’s official account.
It was about the content from this concert—the ‘Discarded Choices.’
[Prepared for those of you curious about TeSTAR’s other choices.]
[Last Wednesday of September, 11 PM. Stay tuned to CVN!]
Specific details weren't revealed, but it was clearly serving as a promotion for TeSTAR’s new program!
“…They’re good at their jobs.”
It was just that the agency had been damn incompetent; now that they were bowing down and letting the group do as they pleased, things were running so smoothly.
Kim Rae-bin’s individual fan was unusually lost for words, looking back and forth between the new content and the photos Park Moon-dae had taken.
However, the person who had planned all of this wasn't exactly immersed in monitoring with his usual comfortable state of mind.
“A choice has to be made.”
“…Right.”
“Whether it’s the lawsuit, or the next promotion.”
Instead, he had entered a full-blown debate with the leader regarding their next move.