The Aftermath of the Crash
Kya~ The hype star finally got schooled, huh? Pros aren't messing around. All that media-pumped unproven talent finally got exposed. Talking about her being the brightest rising star and supernova even though she'd crash out of ranking wars—total BS.
Wasn't she the anti-hype poster child? Thought she was the real deal with hidden skills, but turns out she's a bubble too~ Fuck, bubble showdown gone wild.
Seems y'all shocked Isara and Yu Eunha dropped, but they're absolutely not bubbles. Considering their age, how could that skill be fake? Let me explain why this happens.
1. Junior time is limited. Realistically, what magic education from 1-6? Actual junior training is [7-13 years old], 7 years standard. Nowadays 11-12 is proper pro promotion age, so real training is 5-6 years, shortest 4.
2. In that limited time, need 3rd level for pro, but 3rd level magic struggles in promotion wars. See this year, Isara prepped up to 5th level. Only 5 spots a year, super heated, so need 4th-5th level for foundation league pass.
3. Conclusion: Raise to 4th+ in 4-5 years = weak basics = slip in ranking wars. Got it?
Overkill thinking no one knows them, but yeah, they're just junior mages at best known. Even 2nd Army triad like Kang Seohee, Daniel, Iron Blood barely know 'em. Normies only know recent missing Lee Han, Taehyun, Dragon King.
A week had passed since the ranking war prelims. In that time, many gossiped about Yu Eunha and Isara's joint downfall. Sure, some otakus got roasted in real life for name-dropping Isara, but it had spread as quite the tale in the magic world.
The media picked it up too—the fall of junior mages hyped as the highest-flying stars made it juicier. Their crashes felt messy and cheap, like tragic heroes tumbling into the mud.
And the biggest direct victim in all this? Someone possibly hit harder than Yu Eunha herself: broadcaster Hajieun.
Hajieun stared at the forum until her head throbbed, then slammed her laptop shut.
"Haa…."
She'd half-expected it. Junior mage fandoms were fragile after just a year. But…
"Didn't think they'd flip to full antis this bad…."
Her own cafe was beyond burning—boiling like lava. Embarrassing to even show Yu Eunha.
Delete after delete, troll posts kept spawning. Hajieun zoned out, staring at the ceiling.
"What! The hell am I supposed to do!"
She yelled once, then shot up from her chair.
"What can you do? What can any of you losers do? You've already sunk millions into Yu Eunha's photoshoots and streams—think you can cash out now!"
These pig-dogs will slink back in a few months anyway.Swallowing those words, she flopped back into her chair.
She could pivot back to selling Yu Eunha somehow, or jump to Hong Jiyeon and Eunbyeol if needed. Image hit, sure, but traffic meant no starving. She had the loyalist image and Golden Generation hub vibe.
So she could afford to worry about others more.
Hope Eunha-nim isn't hurt….Her phone rang mid-thought.
Ring ring—
Hajieun reflexively dropped to her knees to answer, then heard Yu Eunha's chilling voice.
"Eh?"
"Have you been well? Let's keep it brief. Can you cover my promotion match before finals?"
"Uh…. Pardon?"
Her body froze stiff. Cover the promotion match flooded with trolls, hate, and mockery?
Brain went blank.
"Promotion participants get streaming rights. Seems some mages do personal broadcasts."
"Ah, right, 3rd Army has lots of personal streamers."
"I don't wanna stream myself, so how about you?"
"Ah…. Of course I'd love to…. But Eunha-nim, promise you never look at chat later? I'll manage best I can, but trolling's basic human urge, and Mawang Squad's new so…."
"I get it. It's fine, do it."
"And thanks for worrying."
"Pardon?"
"Just a simple mishap. Prep for 2nd Army streams."
One more line as Hajieun spaced out.
"Oh, and tell the defectors they're out of Mawang Squad."
"Uh…. Eunha-nim…?"
She blinked at the dead phone line.
"Hm. Eunha-nim said do it, so I will…."
Why stream that tho.A normal 8-year-old would've ditched pride for a dumb choice. But this was Yu Eunha. Foundation league champ at 8, pro mage.
Talking to her feels like big sis vibes anyway.Hajieun admitted it straight. Yu Eunha was 8 but more mature and wise than her.
"So there must be something…?"
Something unspeakable now. Then she recalled—no dropout scene for Yu Eunha.
Not a normal dropout…?This could be a massive flip on the raging public opinion.
Chills hit as Hajieun started planning the dropout promotion match broadcast.