Chapter 15: Broadcast Room Is Bursting! – 2

“Hoyt, hoyt….”

I rode a unicycle while beating a tin drum. 

The rhythmic “dududu” sounds naturally drew attention. 

People passing through the university district couldn’t help but notice me.

– What’s that?  

– A clown?  

– Is there some kind of performance happening?  

– That unicycle is so cool.

Perhaps because street performances were common here, curiosity overwhelmingly outweighed any wariness.

I nonchalantly addressed them.  

“There’s a free food truck event up ahead. Just share a hashtag on SNS, and you’ll get free snacks. Come join in!”  

“!”  

Men, women, young, and old alike exchanged glances, giggling before moving.  

– What’s this? Someone’s hosting an event?  

– It smells amazing. Let’s go eat!  

– Wow, it feels like a festival.  

– Is there some kind of stage too?  

As expected.  

Nothing moves people like freebies. 

They naturally lined up and headed toward the food truck, then lingered around, eyeing the LED screen truck.  

– What’s that? A live stream?  

– Huh? Isn’t that screen glitching…?  

– Kinda nerdy, but looks fun.  

– ABCD…? What is that, some kind of idol group?  

Attracting attention.  

Getting them to stay.  

The two hardest steps in marketing were effortlessly cleared. 

Truly, food is the greatest marketing tool.  

‘Good thing I pre-paid for 200 servings per truck and called them in advance. People react better when it’s free food truck snacks—something they’d usually hesitate to pay for.’  

The preparations were surprisingly simple.  

Food trucks, struggling after the May festival season, were everywhere. 

As for the LED screen truck, offering double or triple the usual rate secured it for the day.  

‘I was a bit surprised when I saw the showcase announcement the day before… but with enough money, anything’s possible.’  

Never underestimate a regressor.  

We don’t get flustered easily.  

“…”  

A festival erupted instantly across the university district.  

What they didn’t know was that this was the birth of a virtual idol.  

A circus hosted by a lone, wealthy clown.  

Hired for just 10,000 won…  

As I was lost in thought, a child with ketchup smeared around their mouth spoke up beside me.  

“Mister.”  

“Yeah? What is it?”  

“Did you buy all this?”  

“!”  

Next to the child, their parents wore awkward smiles, their expressions saying, “As if that’s possible.”  

“…”  

The innocence of children can sometimes be terrifyingly sharp.  

“That’s what makes pure emotions so fascinating.”  

I chuckled and replied.  

“Yeah. Eat up. And cheer for them.”  

“For who?”  

“The people who worked hard to prepare today.”  

“You, mister?”  

“Nah, I didn’t work hard. I just paid for it.”  

“?”  

The child tilted their head, then bowed slightly and returned to their parents. 

I assumed they’d conveyed their thanks in their own way.  

“…”  

I resumed beating the tin drum, announcing the festival.  

Dududu—  

“Free food truck snacks! Just share a hashtag on SNS, and it’s all yours. Come join in!”  

– Free food truck snacks? The expensive ones?  

– Hey, let’s go check it out.  

– Wow… there’s so many people.  

– Huh?  

– Something’s playing on the screen…  

“!”  

I glanced back.  

Their stage had begun.  

The LED screen flickered to life,  

Casting a shadow over where I stood.  

“…”  

As promised, I watched her.   

*  

A stage bathed in backlight.  

Even if it was just virtual graphics, the dazzling glass and lasers created a radiant stage—a place where ordinary people could shine.  

The stage was revealed.  

Yellow.  

Pink.  

Silver-blue.  

Crimson.  

Four colored lasers carved silhouettes out of the darkness.  

The faint glow gave form to four shadows.  

The four figures, standing in the soft light, began to move.  

[“Running toward the light—!”]  

The four colors merged,  

And a brilliant white light dispelled the darkness.  

It was the light they had promised to show one day.  

[“We are ABCD—!”]  

Flash—!  

There they stood.  

Four girls.  

Dressed in idol outfits blending white with their signature colors. 

Finally wearing the clothes they’d longed to show a year ago.  

Aki.  

Berry.  

Clara.  

Doda.  

“…”  

“…”  

“…”  

“…”  

Breaking through the flat screen,  

Finally alive and moving.  

They simply stood there.  

Aki, at the center, took a deep breath.  

“Hoo…!”  

Even that tiny exhale and the trembling of her hands were captured by the mics and cameras.  

“…”  

What they had to proclaim now wasn’t an excuse for the past. 

As idols standing on this stage, their duty was to sing.  

For this moment—  

They endured a year.  

Countless sleepless nights.  

Thousands of tears shed.  

Finally, Aki spoke.  

“Starting now… <Stage Error>!”  

The stage blazed with four colors.  

The members moved in sync around Aki.  

In that frozen moment,  

They danced the choreography they thought they’d forgotten.  

Shaky, mistake-ridden, awkward—  

But still, they strove to be idols.  

*  

[Live Viewers: 3,021]  

– Our girls are dancing~!  

– Kkh… even if I die now… I’d have no regrets…!  

– Doda fighting!  

– Clara-la-la fighting!  

– Berry-berry-berry fighting!  

【‘byTR’ donated 1,000 Pajik!】  

「Show us casual clothes too, not just idol outfits~」  

– Huh? First donation isn’t from Big Man?  

– Don’t tell me Big Man isn’t on Pajik?  

– Ugh… abandoned by god…  

– Aki-chan’s pronunciation when she sings is hilarious lol  

– Big Man fighting!  

– Big Man—  

– B.M  

– Wow, seeing this after a year  

– B.M  

– Doda-da-da-da  

– B.M  

【‘POPOI’ donated 10,000 Pajik!】  

「Wow, paying is so smooth. Feels refreshing.」  

– So where’s Big Man?  

– This is all thanks to Big Man, right?  😱

– Lol mentioning Big Man floods the chat with prayers, so stop it lol  

– Everyone! Now’s not the time to worship gods—!  

– Huh? Did this guy just say Big Man?  

– Big Man  

– Big Man….  

– Berry-berry, stop shaking lol  

– B.M  

– Aki-chan dances so well!  

– B.M  

– B.M  

…  

…  

…  

[Live Viewers: 5,238]  

– What’s this? What’s happening here?  

– Berry-chan’s joints don’t look goodㅠ  

– Nerdy vibes lol  

– Look at Aki-chan’s elegant dance lines lol  

– Lololol  

– Wow, Doda’s waist moves like that? She’s a real prodigy  

– Wait, was that a dig at Clara being older?  

– Doda’s so tiny….  

【‘BarleyRice’ donated 1,000 Pajik!】  

「Doda-da-da fighting. Your dancing is amazing.」  

– When’s the music release?  

– This is all thanks to Big Man—!  

– YouJustSaidBigMan  

– Big Man  

– B.M  

– What is this?  

– B.M  

– Big Man….  

– B.M  

– B.M  

– Berry-berry’s nervousness is so obvious lol  

– Clara’s voice is unexpectedly husky  

【‘CrushedFlounder’ donated 2,500 Pajik!】  

「”Please act naturally.”」  

– Lolololol  

– Lololololol  

– A Templar here?  

– Big Man….  

– B.M  

– Ugh, stop mentioning Big Man  

– Why are you dissing Big Man?  

– B.M  

– qlraps  

– So what happened to the 10 billion?  

– That 10 billion rumor is ancient history  

– Did they really have to go live like this…  

– B.M  

– They feel like real idols  

– Fact) They are idols  

– Big Men  

– Beam Mac  

– B.M  

– Came for the food truck, what’s this? Lol  

– Food truck?  

…  

…  

…  

【Admin Notice】  

…

「Pajik System Alert: Due to repeated reports of specific words in the ‘Stage Error’ stream, chats containing certain terms will be temporarily restricted.」  

*  

After the group performance,  

Each member changed into their original outfits.  

Berry twirled in her frilly dress. 

Her half-broken spirit had already recovered.  

“Hello—! Ready to roll? It’s your chatterbox Berry!”  

Fans cheered at the familiar 2D outfits. 

Though the fandom was small—just a few hundred—they were revealed in the long-awaited 3D showcase.  

Finally stepping into the bright world, they were blessed.  

– Berry-ri-ri!!  

– B.r.r.r!!  

– Wow, the pink is so pretty lol  

– I waited a year for this… sniff  

Berry waved her hands and dashed around the stage, displaying funny texts and images for skits.  

“And then— Bam!”  

Her American-style humor didn’t land perfectly,  

But she was having fun.  

– Lololol so lame but cute  

– Boring but adorable lol  

– What is this lol  

– Berry-ry, do whatever you want!  

One by one, the members showcased their talents. 

What seemed like a long 15 minutes per person flew by.  

“Ah…! I wanna do more…!”  

“Thank you all for coming—!”  

Finally, it was Aki’s turn.  

Aki sang alone.  

Without permission for the original track, she sang a cappella, filling the quiet stage with her voice.  

“—!”  

An ordinary song.  

One she’d heard as a child.  

A Korean song playing in a clothing store.  

She poured all her layered emotions into the lyrics.  

‘We made it this far.’  

Though it’s just the starting line…  

We can finally run.  

The chat beside her was flooded with yellow fanlight emojis. 

Though no words were visible, to Aki, it was the most dazzling concert hall.  

【1,000 Pajik donation!】  

「Lol the stream’s lagging with 10k viewers」  

【2,500 Pajik donation!】  

「Let’s all cheer for our Aces~!」  

The countless donations felt not like money, but celebratory confetti.  

“…”  

And then—  

【‘Big Man’ donated 1,000,000 Pajik!】  

“!”  

Aki’s tears fell. Unseen by the camera—her private moment.  

‘Thank you.’ 

She poured her heart into the song.  

*  

“…”  

I put my phone away.  

‘So the showcase had just over 10,000 viewers. Each member has around 30,000 subscribers. Good for rookies, but still a long way to go.’  

My heart burned, but…  

The performance was clumsy,  

And the road ahead was long.  

“…”  

The LED screens around me turned off,  

Leaving silence after the showcase.  

The crowd eating snacks dispersed.  

– Felt oddly emotional despite the nerdy vibe.  

– That’s just you….  

– Gotta look them up later.  

– What’s a VTuber anyway?  

“…”  

I got off the unicycle and carried it in one hand. 

Tin drum in the other, I trudged back to the convenience store.  

A belated first step.  

For me.  

For her.  

“…”  

Then my phone buzzed.  

Ding!  

“!”  

I checked it.  

The coin payout had arrived.  

[Balance: 10.6 billion KRW]  

“…Hm.”  

The beginning of June.

The awkward declaration is over, and the sword is now in hand.