Chapter 90: Vlog Live
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 90: Vlog Live
To the crew, the USS Gerald R. Ford had been nothing more than a giant hunk of metal.
But as of yesterday, it had transformed into heaven.
All because Lee Yu-jin had stepped on board.
“The Elf is on deck! She’s doing her morning run!”
“I’m going!”
“Move it, crazy! You ran yesterday, so today is my turn!”
“Dammit, why did the commanders put a limit on the number of people allowed to run at once? Shouldn’t they allow infinite physical training?”
The competition for the morning deck run had become fierce.
It was all because of Lee Yu-jin.
Everyone was so desperate to run with her that they were assigning turns, trading turns, and even stealing turns. It was utter chaos.
“On your left!”
Yu-jin shouted as she bypassed one of the running teams.
It was a signal that she was overtaking them on the left, essentially saying, ‘You’re slow.’
“Good morning, Elf!”
“I’m not an elf! I told you I’m not!”
“But your callsign is Elf.”
“Where in the world is there a black-haired elf?!”
The crew members chuckled and ran hard, following behind her.
An elf is with us.
Is it okay for military life to be this happy?
Maybe the real me has already been discharged, and I’m just dreaming of a happy memory from my service?
Dressed in her flight suit, Yu-jin sprinted vigorously through the deck’s running zone.
The crew members tried their best to keep up, but the distance between them was gradually widening.
However, no one tried to force their pace.
They had already tried to chase her before, only to end up collapsing from exhaustion.
If they just maintained their speed, Yu-jin would eventually lap them and come up from behind again anyway.
“On your left!”
“Good, Elf. Go, go!”
“I said I’m not an elf!”
Afraid they would call her an elf again, Yu-jin accelerated even more, zooming past the crew.
The sailors maintained their pace, but their eyes never left her.
Yu-jin was currently catching up to and overtaking another running team.
“On your left!”
“Good, Baby Elf! Go, go!”
“I’m not a baby! And I’m not an elf either!”
For the first time, the crew realized that a morning run could be this blissful.
*
I can handle Jang Ji-hye teasing me about being an elf to some extent.
But I can’t stand every single crew member on this aircraft carrier calling me that.
Even if they’re fans, do they really have the right to make an actress die of embarrassment?
It had been a few days since I started living on the carrier.
Today, while eating carrier food, I found myself lost in such serious contemplation.
“Yu-jin, what are you thinking about so chicly?”
“Noona, that expression just now was great. Can you do it one more time? I missed the shot.”
“Just eat your food. Your brother is being serious.”
“Lee Yu-jin! Please, show some restraint in front of others. What if someone hears you…?”
“Who here understands Korean?”
“Don’t you know there’s a Korean language craze going on?”
I had already conquered the simulators.
I even received high praise from Lieutenant Colonel Viper, who said he didn’t know what else to teach me in terms of piloting technique.
I guess it’s time for centrifuge training.
I needed to undergo G-force adaptation training, and for that, the only answer was the facilities of the Republic of Korea Air Force.
In other words, even though it had only been a few days, I had to temporarily leave the beloved USS Gerald R. Ford.
I’ll just knock out that gravity training and come right back.
The Korean Ministry of National Defense was also actively cooperating with the movie filming, so there were no issues.
The Korean military was hovering around, wondering if they could get a foot in the door of the movie, but they weren’t crossing the line.
Even the US Army and Marines were excluded; how could the Korean military fit in? It would look weird.
We decided that I would commute from the Ford for the centrifuge training.
“Goodness, is even the short time you’re away during the day that precious?”
“When else will I get to live on the Ford? This is the last time.”
“If Ace Down to Sea becomes a huge hit, won’t they make a sequel? You can come back then.”
“Ah! That’s right! This movie has to be a hit no matter what! As expected of Jang Ji-hye, my Jang Bogo!”
“…Noona, you mean Zhang Liang, not Jang Bogo.”
“Are you daring to disrespect the great Admiral Jang Bogo of Gojoseon?”
“Why is Jang Bogo from Gojoseon? He’s from Silla…”
“I refuse to give the Admiral’s nationality to a country of assassins!”
I racked my brain, trying to think.
How could I make this movie such a massive hit that a sequel would be guaranteed? What could I do?
Advertising?
“I should probably start an SNS account.”
“Suddenly?”
“Everyone knows I’m filming Ace, anyway. I should communicate with the fans and show them this awesome carrier life. I can promote the movie at the same time.”
Only endless promotion could drive the movie to become a mega-hit and ensure my next stay on an aircraft carrier.
“Noona, starting an SNS is fine, but you have to block DMs. Otherwise, you’re going to get flooded with all sorts of dick pics.”
“Wow, just imagining it makes me want to puke.”
Before starting the SNS, we had a heated discussion about what the first photo should be.
Since we couldn’t come up with anything we liked among ourselves, we even called in Lieutenant Michelle—the female officer looking after me—for ideas.
“Elf, so you’re saying you can’t decide which aircraft you should be pictured in for the first post?”
“Yes, exactly.”
I hate myself for becoming so indifferent to the crew calling me ‘Elf’…
I had already sat in the cockpits of the Super Hornet, F-35C, Growler, Osprey, Hawkeye, Seahawk, and more, and taken photos in all of them.
“This is a very significant decision. It’s practically revealing actress Lee Yu-jin’s identity to the fans.”
“…Yu-jin, is it really a matter of identity?”
Lieutenant Michelle took my concern very seriously.
“Now that I hear it, it is a major issue. I thought you could just post a photo of the F-35C, the future of carrier-based aircraft, but it’s not that simple.”
“Right? Depending on how you look at it, it might seem like I’m shouting that the Super Hornet is a relic that needs to disappear. Of course, the F-35C is the future, but the Hornet is the reality and tradition of the carrier.”
“And the other aircraft have significant meanings as well.”
“Yes, yes, exactly.”
Michelle snapped her fingers.
“This isn’t a discussion we can settle easily among ourselves. This is a matter that needs to be discussed with the Navy Public Affairs Office and the production company.”
Lieutenant Michelle stood up abruptly.
“I will go report this to the Captain immediately.”
“Wait, is it really something that needs to go that high up?”
“Of course. It’s tied to the very essence of why the Navy is providing full support for this movie. Thank you for discussing this with me.”
“I just want to promote the Ford as beautifully as possible to the fans.”
Lieutenant Michelle scurried away, and I stretched, feeling relieved.
“Whew, successfully tossed that headache of a problem. Now Michelle will bring back a clean, satisfying answer.”
“I don’t know, Yu-jin. This unnie thinks a bit differently.”
“I’ll listen kindly to what my little sister Ji-hye thinks. What is it?”
“Won’t this start another fight between the Navy and the Air Force?”
“…”
Jang Ji-hye’s mischievous grin left me speechless.
It was frustrating, but she had a point.
“Should I just roll a dice and post something regardless of the message?”
“Then what would that make Lieutenant Michelle, who went all the way to report it?”
“Ah, I’m screwed.”
“It’s okay, the production company will handle the traffic control. Or the Pentagon will. You just need to grab some popcorn and watch.”
Jang Ji-hye’s prediction was spot on.
As soon as Curator Han Ji-woo heard my voice on the phone, she burst into laughter.
—The Air Force and the Navy are fighting again. I heard the generals were practically at each other's throats. The Earth-Shattering Beauty Elf can set the US Air Force and Navy against each other with just a single word.
“…Please, I beg you to refrain from using ‘Earth-Shattering Beauty.’ I can’t take it.”
This was all because of Jang Ji-hye, who spread that ‘Earth’ pun.
*
Finally, a difficult compromise was reached, and the Navy and Air Force each chose a model.
The Navy chose the F-35C, and the Air Force, naturally, chose the F-22 Cold.
It was decided to upload photos of both simultaneously in the first post, but then another argument broke out over the order of the photos.
So, I mediated that part.
“Since most of my future posts will be about carrier life, I’ll put the Air Force plane photo first this time.”
The Navy was disappointed, but they accepted it.
So, while I was heading out for centrifuge training, I stopped by Osan Base and took a photo sitting in an F-22 Cold.
“Noona, make it more atmospheric, like there’s a story behind it. Like you just landed after finishing the final flight of the Cold. That kind of feeling.”
“You want me to cry?”
“No, why would you cry?”
“I just finished the final flight of the Cold; is it normal not to cry?”
The commander of the 51st Fighter Wing, the head of Osan Base, clapped and rejoiced upon hearing the translation.
“That’s excellent! If possible, could you actually shed some tears?”
Ah, shit. Now, even if I think back to the time I almost got eaten, the tears don’t come at all.
Wait, do I even need to do that?
I imagined the F-22 Cold I was currently sitting in being dismantled after its final flight because the program was being scrapped…
“Good, that’s it! Your eyes are totally brimming with tears!”
Why do tears come so easily to this body? It wasn’t like this before I became an actress.
It feels like I’m just automatically reacting to the direction.
Am I really that talented at acting? Was PD Jang Hyun-soo’s evaluation based on fact rather than just hype?
Anyway, I immediately created an SNS account and uploaded the two photos together as the first post.
“Hey, should I promote the SNS on the fan cafe?”
“Are you crazy? Why would you promote it? That’s bad for your image.”
“He’s right. The fans will find it and spread it in an instant, so please, just stay still.”
“No, but someone has to fire the first shot for it to turn into a war…”
Frustratingly, they were both right.
By the time I returned to the carrier, the follower count had already surpassed 2 million.
It grows this fast?
I didn’t dare read the comments. I had already turned off the SNS app notifications.
What are my fans doing not working at this hour… No, no, I told myself not to think such bad thoughts.
Ahem. I cleared my throat and took my position on the carrier deck.
“Noona, are you finally doing the vlog live?”
“Yeah, I’m doing it. If it’s for the movie’s success and the US Navy’s promotion, a vlog is nothing.”
“Yu-jin, I’m touched… You finally said you’d make an SNS first, and now you’re doing a vlog live…”
“The movie has to be a hit… That’s the only way I won’t starve to death…”
“You won’t starve even if it’s not a hit. Ah, you mean you’ll wither away if you can’t ride the Ford again?”
“Yes.”
I cleared my throat once more and activated the SNS live broadcast.
The magnificent carrier island, captured through the rear camera, appeared on the screen.
“Hello, everyone. This is actress Lee Yu. I am actually on the deck of an aircraft carrier right now…”
*
[Title: The Goddess Elf started a vlog live, what are you guys all doing here?]
(Screenshot of a video with no sign of Lee Yu-jin’s face, only the carrier deck scenery.jpg)
-But there’s no face lollll
└Baby Elf, please show us your face ㅠ
└You don’t have to show us the ship, show us your face ㅠㅠㅠ
└Please show your face… I get that the carrier is cool, so please have mercy now…
└Goddess Elf, please broadcast in selfie mode. I know very well that the Ford is freaking huge and cool.
└Selfie mode, please ㅠㅠㅠ
└The highlight is the broadcast lagging because she’s using a budget Baekhyun Phone…
└Wait, why is she still using a budget Baekhyun Phone? Isn’t Baekhyun Group her agency? What is the CEO even doing?
Yu-jin, who was completely excited, was entirely unaware of the fans’ screams. It was because she hadn’t activated the chat window.
Watching from the side, Jang Ji-hye and Lee Yu-seok sighed.
“Lee Yu-seok, it’s time to move out.”
“Yes, Ji-hye noona.”
Lee Yu-seok took out a flagship Baekhyun Phone (the one Han Ji-woo gave him) and started a live stream of Lee Yu-jin, who was currently broadcasting her vlog live.
“Hello. I’m the younger brother manager. It’s easier to broadcast Noona filming her vlog than to tell her she forgot to use selfie mode, right?”
└The brother’s got instincts.
└Wow, wow, wow, the brother manager’s sense is top-tier! ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
└Do something about Noona’s phone. It’s lagging so much it’s painful to watch ㅠㅠ
└But the audio is clearer on the Elf’s side?
└That’s why I have the audio on that side turned on lolll
└That’s genius.
└It’s the Goddess Elf’s vlog, but why does the brother’s broadcast have more than double the viewers?
└Baby Elf is so excited right now she doesn’t even have time to see what we’re saying;;;