Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: 28. The Trump Card Is Right Here (2)
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It started with a single comment like this. It was posted two days after the upload.
The video didn't have much to draw anyone's attention. The first 15 seconds showed a chick heading somewhere, with the legs of a toddling child (Winter) following it—that was it.
The two comments that followed were similar. Just random scribbles from babies who happened to stumble in and mash the keyboard.
"What the heck is this..."
So, Johnson, an American office worker checking his five-year-old son's watch history, was about to dismiss it casually.
Probably just his kid hitting the wrong button.
But starting at the 20-second mark, the blue-haired girl appeared in earnest.
Johnson's hand, poised to close the video, froze.
It was a girl about his son's age.
'Winter, over here!'
At someone's voice, the blue-haired child looked his way and flashed a beaming smile.
Oh my God...!
Johnson felt like something had punched him right in the chest.
That kid was a girl as pretty as his own son, the cutest in the world.
Should we have a second? A daughter...?
As Johnson thought that, his wife approached, eyes sparkling.
"Oh, who's that kid?"
"Huh? Oh. No idea. Just something our Joshua watched..."
"Really? She's adorable."
"Right?"
The blue-haired girl toddled after the chick.
Then the shooter's voice came through.
'So cute... Anyway, it'll be fun for Winter to look back on this when she's older.'
It was just a mutter.
But the voice—angelic, beautiful, bright, and pleasant—rang out. His wife, whose eyes had been glued to the blue-haired girl, tilted her head.
"Huh?"
"What."
"This voice... sounds familiar..."
"Yeah?"
Anyway, Johnson closed the video around then.
The kid was cute. The chick was cute. A pretty voice had spoken, but it was none of his business. He just confirmed his son hadn't watched anything weird.
"Hmm..."
But Johnson's wife, Lexi, checked the video again. She was a big fan of the superhuman industry and active as a fan of a certain British superhuman.
Definitely a voice she'd heard before...
After watching to the end, she clapped her hands.
"Oh...!"
It was a familiar face.
The cadet who had suddenly given the entrance ceremony pledge at Lair without any fame or hype.
Her face had been all over communities and articles back then, but she vanished after a flash in the pan. Such a shame.
Her name was...
Lexi posted the comment.
Come to think of it, one of her fan cafe friends had been obsessed with Cadet Yoo Gaeul for a while.
"Huh?"
Max, getting the message from his friend, played the video. Some ordinary home corner. An ordinary chick...
But the voice was familiar.
Bright. High-pitched. Clear. Pure and cute...
"What the...?"
Modern video platforms all offer translation. Hearing the voice cleanly dubbed in English, Max watched the full 4-minute video in confusion.
Then, at the very end, a familiar face popped up.
"Seriously?"
Yoo Gaeul. It was Yoo Gaeul!
Just a brief appearance, but no mistaking it. Max was a die-hard superhuman otaku who'd looped the entrance ceremony declaration video 150 times.
'Damn it. Hiding that pretty face and only showing it now...!'
Max closed his eyes, reminiscing.
When Gaeul suddenly refused interviews and broadcasts. How disappointed were he and the superhuman fans? Some even cursed her guardian.
It was huge news, if only briefly. A chance to make money! To get famous. Why pass it up...!
But seeing her now melted away that old regret.
Max started sharing the video on the fan cafe and communities.
Video platforms have something called the 'Potent Index' in their algorithms.
Pure view count.
Comment-to-view ratio.
Like/dislike ratio per view.
Share count per view.
Watch retention after click.
And so on, scoring each video's potential.
High-potential videos get high retention.
And spark more comments, likes, etc.
Those are worth pushing.
The platform's main feed for users now featured [ㅁㄴ퓨퓨ㅜ네].
Some things you can compromise on. Some you can't.
"No."
Letting Gaeul stand before the public was something he absolutely couldn't compromise on.
— Not getting good reactions?
Out of 9,000 comments, about 50 were snide or nasty. Some openly spewed hostility and rage.
The hate wasn't aimed at Gaeul.
'Why's this trash in recommended? Fucking hate it ffs'
'Lmao what bullshit pulling views. Learn to edit at least?'
'Every dog and bitch on YouTube.'
But the target was Gaeul.
Condemning or cursing them changes nothing. The point is, those types inevitably exist. And never go away.
— Hmm, but 50 hate comments out of that isn't much?
Yoo Ji-tae knew that too. But he didn't want to nurture even the smallest seed of anxiety. No matter how tiny. It was a realm that couldn't be cleaned up later.
Better to block it upfront.
"Anyway, no. Don't even mention filming videos. Please."
— Hmm...... Got it. Just a shame...
PR Team Leader Yong Do-hee gave an awkward smile.
— First, take down the video. That's priority.
"And then?"
— 190k views isn't huge yet...
"It's 210k now."
— Yes. Even 210k, same thing. One video at 210k isn't major news. Tens of thousands of videos hit 200k+ daily worldwide. Even I in PR only learned about it because you told me, Guardian.
"......"
— But if one hits tens of millions, or five, ten at hundreds of thousands in a row—that's when it blows up. So no more uploads. Delete the video. Delete the channel.
After hanging up with Team Leader Yong, Yoo Ji-tae turned to Bom.
"......"
Bom had figured out it was Winter's mistake.
She'd properly warned the kid not to mess up again.
The issue: Gaeul didn't know about this mess. If she heard through the grapevine, unavoidable. But if not, better to keep her in the dark.
Problem was, the account was linked to Gaeul's watch device. To delete without her knowing, he needed her watch.
But Gaeul wasn't dumb, just a bit naive. Asking outright would raise suspicion.
Reading Ji-tae's eyes, Bom nodded and turned to Winter.
She'd already asked Winter in advance.
"Winter. Operation start."
Nod nod.
At Bom's words, Winter toddled off to Gaeul's room.
— Huh? My watch? Why?
— ...Photo.
— Photo? I can take it for you? I'm good at it. Hehe.
— ......
— Oh, okay...... Here...... Be careful?
Voices from beyond the door.
Soon, Winter came running back with Gaeul's watch.
"Thanks, Winter."
Beam beam.
With the watch from Winter, Ji-tae logged into the platform, deleted the video, then the account.
Remaking one was easy, no issue.
But this was just a sloppy patch job.
As a Korean ranker. World ranker. Or Total Heaven Association member, he'd been media-exposed up to mid-4th round. He knew how media was a hassle.
Anything remotely issuable pops up like zombies anytime.
Maybe even enemies of Gaeul.
So he needed a surer card.
He had a way.
Media are monsters that latch only onto big issues.
Use that for insurance.
That night, Ji-tae left home alone.
And went to Minamoto of the International Superhuman Alliance.
Boyish short haircut. Leaning on the office sofa, polishing her sword, Minamoto looked up.
"What? No call, middle of the night."
"Got a video tip."
"Tch, no manners... What video?"
Ji-tae pulled up the display. A man raging and firing a gun played.
Minamoto's eyes widened.
"You filmed that? In such a tense situation?"
She laughed in disbelief.
The next day.
Much faster than expected.
Ji-tae's assumption became reality.
Some loathed Yoo Gaeul's mere existence.
Wei Lian's personal fans.
Wei Lian had many fans: handsome face, sleek suit fit, soft sweet voice, gestures and eyes that stirred hearts.
Valuing media influence, he always chatted with fans on personal SNS. All his moves were hyped and prettied up on SNS.
Mostly successes, but rare failures too.
When Wei Lian posted sad updates, fans grieved with him.
Standard superhuman-fan dynamic.
But some were extreme.
Wei Lian Protection Squad community.
Aka 'Wisudae'.
They memorized Yoo Gaeul's face that day.
Like any rabid fandom, fairness was alien. Only good or bad for Wei Lian mattered.
When Gaeul's historic pledge stole the entrance ceremony spotlight, they vented online.
But pro-Gaeul sentiment drowned them out.
Time passed. Melishia's ball began.
Wei Lian died heroically saving cadets, news said.
Wisudae went berserk.
Daily posts mourning Wei Lian amid rage and grief.
Perfect storm timing.
Yoo Gaeul's video appeared like a target.
They needed an outlet for their rage and loss.
Fearing deletion, Wisudae members saved the video first.
When it went down, they re-uploaded it. Tagged it, bombed it with hate comments.
Easy to paint Gaeul the villain. Plenty to nitpick from the Yoo family's odd moves.
Decisive: Right after term start, Gong Ju-hee dropped out of Lair.
Ju-hee's dropout reason unclear. But truth didn't matter. Just needed hate fodder.
Yoo Gaeul's video, Gong Ju-hee climbed platform trends.
And now dead 'Wei Lian' hit mass media too.
The issue caught fire.