Is This a Festival? - 1
One week after the bill was announced.
Only a week had passed, yet the domestic culture and entertainment industry had already felt a massive tectonic shift. You could practically feel the influx of major conglomerates and foreign funds under your skin.
A day would pass, and some company would be sold off.
Another day would pass, and some brand would change hands.
The conglomerates cleared out their experimental projects and investments, leaving only their crown-jewel brands untouched. They threw every ounce of remaining firepower into hunting down quality assets that had been dumped on the market for a song.
For those with money, it was an opportunity.
For those without it, it was hell.
No one could go on living as they had before. In the process, the small startup companies left behind had no choice but to shut down their activities or scale back.
The announcement had come out of nowhere.
For the unprepared, it was merciless.
And the same was true of the subculture market.
Stripped of its ability to sustain itself, allowed only individual-level creation to survive in this new environment...
It was, quite simply, despair itself.
*
The communities where VTuber fans gathered were in chaos.
The reactions were split to extremes.
Surprisingly, there were also people who barely reacted at all.
That was because, for creators who had already secured enough fans at the individual level, or who had already passed the 2 billion won threshold, or who belonged to a foreign corporate label, this all sounded like news from some faraway country.
But there were definitely people who were shaken.
The most agitated were the fanbases that liked the middling, in-between tier.
Long-buried resentment and anger were being cleared away.
Nothing is more enjoyable than a one-sided fight. With the survival of one side clearly hanging by a thread, those cheering and those quietly despairing were all tangled together in the middle of it.
And in the middle of all that.
The ABCD fandom was trembling in silence.
That was because there was still a frustrating feeling of being trapped in a gray area, not quite able to relax and enjoy it. ABCD's special circumstances played a huge part in that.
From ten viewers on average, to ranking second among domestic corporate-label groups in just two months.
That grotesque growth had been a miracle brought about by nothing but a giant called Bigman. Everyone had run around and played in the kingdom he had prepared for them, laughing and enjoying themselves.
It had been a dreamlike time.
But dreams always end eventually.
There was even a faint possibility that this enormous dream could shatter into pieces. That was why the fandom could not shake off its unease, no matter how many notices and broadcasts came their way.
That was why they couldn't even bring themselves to gloat about the other side's situation.
Because who was to say.
That same thing might happen to them.
And then, a notice went up that finally pushed away some of that anxiety.
...
...
...
...
...
...
They cheered.
They relaxed.
And the moment they got there...
They were stunned.
“?!”
Following the notice, the fandom headed to the familiar venue.
What they found there were food trucks lined up along the street, free events, and all sorts of electronic devices and luxurious prizes. Things that definitely hadn't been there during the previous big plan.
Thronging crowds packed the streets.
Employees shouting themselves hoarse.
"Come and grab a hot dog!"
"Show proof of subscribing to ABCD and it's free!"
"Show proof on SNS too, and the drink is free!"
The whole scene looked as if someone had lifted the image of a "festival" and dropped it straight into the world in front of them. Just standing inside it made your heart pound and your chest light up with excitement.
Yellow
Pink
Vermilion
Blue
As if the so-called advanced management methods had all been lies, people in vividly colored T-shirts were wandering everywhere. Every one of them was part of the ABCD fandom. That made even a girl group T-shirt feel nothing to be embarrassed about.
Like a boy who had come to a festival for the first time.
They wandered around, looking this way and that.
"Whoa, what is that food truck?"
"Is there some kind of festival happening next door?"
"They said you can get stuff if you show proof of subscribing to ABCD."
"So all that stuff is something Bigman brought in?"
"Wow...."
They looked into one another's eyes.
"..."
"..."
There was no anxiety left in those eyes. Only anticipation and excitement for the festival remained. And that kind of festival was being held everywhere.
*
《Live Now: Running to the Live with Aki-chan~!》
- Live viewers: 11,376
A place packed with food trucks and all kinds of events.
Aki-chan laughed as she looked at the scenery of Doda PC Room and Berryri Land filling the broadcast screen. Despite the scale, not as many people had gathered as one might expect, but every single one of them seemed to be surprised every time they arrived.
"Hi, everyone! We prepared a lot this time! I told you we'd be okay!"
The ace fans of Aki-chan's fandom were amazed as well.
Aki-chan beamed.
"..."
Festival
Excitement
Passion
The atmosphere, which had frozen over like ice, could feel it gradually changing into hope.
And as for whose doing that was...
She knew better than anyone else in this place.
But if I mention him directly on stream, he'll probably hate it... I should do it "naturally," like always.
The moment she thought that, she remembered the guy who had once said he didn't use that line very often.
“...pfft.”
“Ah, it’s nothing!”
Aki-chan said,
“We skipped the big plan last week, so this time we really prepared a lot. The live stream is going to happen for sure, even if the format changes. We're going to keep things running until the live event.... So everyone, please come by and have fun.”
“Ah...”
Aki-chan let out a slightly apologetic look.
“The live format has changed too, so we needed to make all kinds of adjustments.... And I have to work hard on lessons, too. We can't stay here the whole time like last time. But we did prepare a lot of other things, so please come and have fun!”
The viewers didn't think much of it.
At that moment.
A donation came in at the most awkward possible timing to react to it.
Bigman has donated 1,000,000 pajeok!
“!”
Even so.
The ace fans welcomed Bigman with cheers.
...
...
...
Aki-chan looked at those ace fans and smiled faintly. It wasn't the usual gentle, lively smile. For some reason, it was a smug, self-assured expression.
I'm the only one here who knows Bigman's identity...
Chilling.
Maybe a little
pleasant.
“Heh heh...”
But there was someone who heard that laugh, too.
Aki-chan jumped and hastily tried to explain.
“Ah, it's nothing!”
Ten days after the bill was proposed.
The festival meant to loosen the stiff atmosphere was still going on.
And with fifteen days left until the live event.