The Broadcast Begins: Rekindling Dreams
After getting home, I did a ton of agonizing over things, but I couldn't come to any solid conclusion.
"Hoo... Is it really okay for me to start broadcasting?"
Lee Jung-woo's viewers had said it was fine for me to broadcast during her stream, but I didn't have confidence in myself.
What if it flops? What if I turn on the stream and people say it's boring? My mental game's not that strong, so I might just crumble easily. That's why I lacked confidence.
"Aaaargh! Screw it. I'll think about it later."
No point brooding over it here—it'd just give me a headache. I decided to put the dilemma on hold.
"Let's check out the broadcasting scene first. HERA, pull up Pajijik for me."
Understood. But, Ae-ri.
"Yeah?"
Sometimes, it's not a bad idea to act before you overthink.
"Hmm... Thanks for saying that, even if it's just words."
HERA doesn't feel like a real AI sometimes. She even points out things I hadn't considered. In the original story, she was just like Jarvis, but in reality, she feels more like a friend.
HERA launched Pajijik, one of the big three platforms.
"Gotta check the top 10 mainly."
The top 10 broadcasters on each platform—Pajijik's number one is, of course, that infamous Maou.
"Normally, you start from the bottom—that's the rule."
I was about to start with the 10th place broadcaster. But—
"On unannounced hiatus for two weeks straight?"
Pajijik's 10th place broadcaster was someone I knew well. Ra Mi-yeon, the one always tangled up in every incident. But her last stream was two weeks ago.
I checked the community post from two weeks back and saw the comments confirming she hadn't said a word since.
Ra Mi-yeon was famous for streaming nonstop, no days off. Even with outside schedules, she'd always do a night outdoor live. For her to go two weeks without a peep or announcement? Something had definitely happened to her.
"What's going on? HERA."
I was about to ask HERA to message Ra Mi-yeon.
Already sent. Got a reply too.
"F-Fast."
One of AI's rules is not to read the user's mind, but HERA always seems to anticipate my thoughts and act ahead. What a girl.
She says meet at a restaurant near Jamsil Station around 3 PM.
"Got it."
3 PM... I glanced at the clock. It read 2:00 PM.
"Gotta hurry and get ready."
I rushed to prep and headed out.
Meta Seoul, Restaurant Les Misérables near Jamsil Station
I scanned the place as soon as I entered the restaurant Ra Mi-yeon mentioned, spotted her, and walked over.
"You made it?"
Ra Mi-yeon nodded as I approached.
"Order whatever you want. My treat. Not exactly payback for last time, but close enough."
"Skip the food. Let's talk."
I sat across from her and stared her down.
"I can guess what you wanna say. It's about my stream, right?"
"Yeah. Why go dark without a single announcement?"
Ra Mi-yeon fell silent for a moment, then spoke.
"Lost my dream? Lost confidence in it? Something like that. Life just... lost its spark."
"Because of the Suwon Station thing?"
"That was just the trigger. Truth is, I've felt this doubt for a while. After my parents died, I gave up my first dream. Then I found a new one—idol. But the world's not easy. It's like it won't let people dream."
Her words dripped with helplessness and sorrow.
"So I'm thinking of quitting. Clinging to an impossible dream is just stubbornness."
"......"
I had nothing to say. Because I'd thought the same—
Because I believed obsessing over the unattainable was pointless—
"That's why I wanted to meet. To say thanks one last time—for saving me at the Bohemia Church and Suwon Station."
Is the face of someone who's given up on their dream always this wrecked? Ra Mi-yeon's dream: idol. Standing on stage, even for a small crowd, just wanting fans who see her. For someone with such a simple dream, misfortune kept piling on. And the betrayal from someone she thought was a fan? That says it all.
I watched her for a bit, pondering why I needed to broadcast.
Streaming for myself matters. But what if I streamed for others too?
The conditions for founding an MCN were:
1. Founder (CEO) must be a broadcaster.
2. Founder must meet platform minimums (Quokka TV: 1M followers & 10K heat / Pajijik: 900K followers & 10K subs / S-Tube: 1M subs & 5K memberships).
3. At least 3 member broadcasters.
Once those three are met, you can found an MCN. Hwang Bo-jun cheated his way through number two with money and power, but after I became Ju Ae-ri, H Group wiped his channel anyway, so he'd have to start over. Even if not, my registration's different from his old one.
Finally, I figured out why I needed to broadcast—why I wanted to.
Debut Ra Mi-yeon as an idol.
Broadcasters and idols aren't the same, but plenty do both. Some MCNs even double as entertainment companies.
Yeah!
I took a deep breath and looked at Ra Mi-yeon.
"You really wanna give up on your dream like that?"
"Huh?"
"If I help make your dream come true, will you follow me?"
"What do you...?"
"I'm starting a new MCN. Not Hwang Bo-jun's H Group-backed one—mine, Ju Ae-ri's."
"An MCN?"
Her eyes lit up for a second.
"Gotta start broadcasting first to meet the conditions, so it'll take time. But I'll do it, no matter how long."
I caught my breath and continued.
"Ra Mi-yeon. Follow me, and I'll help make your dream real. I won't say 'trust me.' Trust the you who believes in your dream—and come with me."
"The me who believes in my dream..."
Ra Mi-yeon stared blankly—no, deep in thought. Time passed, and she finally spoke.
"You said you'd make my dream happen?"
"Yeah. Your will matters most, but I'll give it everything."
"......Okay. Like you said, not trusting you—but trusting the me who trusts my dream."
Life flickered back into her dying eyes.
"Then you know what to do now?"
"Yeah. Stream tonight—an apology broadcast."
The new MCN, my Hero Party. Unlike Hwang Bo-jun's selfish crew, Ju Ae-ri's Hero Party would protect its members and make their dreams come true.
The next day, I immediately asked Lee Jung-woo for help. She was like, "Knew you'd come, Ae-ri," and walked me through full setup and fixes for glitches. Duk-cheol pitched in big time too—installing the sound booth, hauling gear solo.
"Duk-cheol-ssi, thanks for the hard work. Have this."
"Ah, thank you, Miss Ae-ri."
He chugged the drink I handed him.
"Setup's done now. Test it out, then you're good to go live."
"Thanks again."
I saw him off, went back inside, and ran a test. All clear.
"Good, no issues. Time's almost up."
I'd deleted the GoldSunHero channel HERA made on her own ages ago and opened a new one: JuAeRi. Simple, but it proves who I am.
Posted on the community yesterday: first stream tonight at 8 PM. Clock hit 7:58 PM, so I went live.
"Uh, hi everyone. It's Ju Ae-ri."
I greeted first thing, and the chat exploded.
And so, not Hero Hwang Bo-jun's, but Hero Ju Ae-ri's first broadcast began.