NOVEL NEXT Chapter 59
I just can’t believe the screen that Lee Ji-woo showed me, trembling as I asked.
“W-what the heck happened…? In just 6 hours, a ranking surge… Does this even make sense…?”
“I couldn’t believe it either at first… But look at this.”
On the screen that Lee Ji-woo showed me, there was a post on a community bulletin board.
[Title: So is the individual fan cam view count ranked 1 now?]
[Author: Ye-rin Su-ho]
[Since yesterday’s broadcast, Yoo Seol fans have been throwing a fit claiming she was number one, but in the end, Ha Ye-rin’s the one with the individual fan cam view count at the top~ Yup~ And Ye-rin’s definitely first in the ranking announcement, and Na Ah Ah will win with Ye-rin~ Ah lol I’ve been streaming Ye-rin’s fan cam nonstop since midnight after learning how to do it on a female community site; try breaking through if you can!]
Streaming nonstop.
No way, I thought, I’m just a trainee who hasn’t even debuted or released an album, and there’s already someone streaming for me.
Even more so…
“Wait, isn’t this a male community?”
“Yeah.”
…It’s a male fan, not a female fan.
Usually, it’s the female fans who are overwhelmingly supportive while streaming, but this post definitely looked like it was written by a guy.
“Not just here, the female community is going crazy too. Ye-rin, your fans and Yoo Seol’s fandom fought all night! Look, Yoo Seol is getting a ton of views on her YouTube fan cam too.”
When fans with opposing views battle, both sides typically suffer, but that wasn’t the case with me and Yoo Seol.
The pride battle between fans translated into increased views for both our YouTube individual fan cams.
Of course…
[My Idol Academia First Team Competition (Thank you very much) – JJ Entertainment Yoo Seol (Solo Fan Cam)]
[Views: 498,154 – 6 hours ago]
[Trending Videos: 3rd]
…If I had to pick who really won, it was me.
My individual fan cam views were 570,000, while Yoo Seol’s were 490,000.
“Ye-rin…, I couldn’t sleep at all after the shock this morning. I’ve never seen someone go viral on YouTube like this around me…!”
“……”
Of course, it was my first time too.
In my daze, not knowing how to react, Lee Ji-woo tightened her grip on my hand and said.
“…Ye-rin, if Na Ah Ah wins, can you mention my name in your acceptance speech?”
Pffft.
She probably said it half-joking, but her expression was somewhat serious.
Her look… and seeing my individual fan cam view count made me think that maybe winning wasn’t just a dream.
At that moment, a title of a post caught my eye.
[After all, the winner is Ha Ye-rin.]
The program wasn’t even halfway through.
Yet that arrogant post had an absurd number of likes and comments as if it had already declared victory.
“Ye-rin, the ranking announcement is starting today, right?”
“…Yes, that’s right.”
“This might be meaningless statistics, but they say that in every idol survival program organized by Nnet, the person who ranked first in the first ranking announcement ends up winning.”
“……”
“Of course, it’s just superstition, but… let’s go all out today…!”
Nodding my head at Lee Ji-woo’s encouragement, I had made up my mind to surpass Yoo Seol and win Na Ah Ah.
And today’s ranking announcement…
Because of my YouTube individual fan cam views, I was feeling really good.
– Yup~ after all, Ha Ye-rin is the winner; if you don’t know, shut up.
– LOL I really don’t get what Yoo Seol fans are thinking.
– Ah lol so, what are Yoo Seol’s fan cam views again? LOL
“Geez…, do I really have to spell this out for them? It’s obvious that our Ye-rin is way better than Yoo Seol…”
At that moment.
It was just morning, and as the sun rose, the user ‘Ye-rin Su-ho’ had just finished a keyboard battle with a Yoo Seol fan.
The winner was none other than ‘Ye-rin Su-ho.’
After repeating for hours that the one-month trainee Ha Ye-rin ranked first in the individual fan cam and the first team competition, the opponent, exhausted, fled.
“She wasn’t even as passionate as me, idiot.”
Satisfied with winning the keyboard war, Ye-rin Su-ho turned his gaze to the fan cam video of Ha Ye-rin’s [Where is my first love!] playing on his dual monitors.
This monitor had been streamed repeatedly since the video was uploaded last night, racking up hundreds of views.
Having stayed up all night watching Ha Ye-rin’s fan cam, Ye-rin Su-ho had memorized every single movement and gesture, but…
“Seriously… she’s so pretty…”
…Ha Ye-rin’s face just never got old.
Currently, he was on a break from college, deeply engrossed in anime and games, and didn’t care much for idols.
But once Ha Ye-rin performed <24 Hours is Not Enough> in the first ranking evaluation of Na Ah Ah, he became enchanted by her like a spell.
Just how deep had he fallen? When Ha Ye-rin performed [Where is my first love!], it felt like she was confessing her feelings to him.
He knew it was an over-obsession.
To be putting this much time into a star he’d never meet… he understood how pointless and unproductive it was.
But…
“She’s so pretty… how can I not think of her even when I close my eyes…”
Ye-rin Su-ho never regretted getting into Ha Ye-rin.
Swish-.
He was absentmindedly brushing his fingers down the face of Ha Ye-rin on the screen when, without realizing it, he opened his mouth.
“There’s a chance I might actually meet her…”
Ha Ye-rin isn’t just a character from an anime or game, she’s a real person.
If she’s a real person… doesn’t that mean there’s a way to meet her?
“When will Na Ah Ah end…? I wonder when Ye-rin will debut…”
If Ha Ye-rin debuts in a girl group, he could meet her through fan signings or concerts.
Calculating the remaining days of broadcasting and the preparation period for her debut…
“Oh… there’s still plenty of time left…”
Realizing there was still a long way to go to meet her left him in despair.
“I wish I could see her soon…”
The fatigue from staying up to stream and his burning desire for Ha Ye-rin. And…
“……”
Due to the side effects created by Sky Demon Martial Arts, the eyes, which were gazing at the video of Ha Ye-rin, gradually darkened.
“……Which school did Ye-rin say she went to again?”
Of course, he thought he maintained a very healthy fan culture.
His sudden curiosity about Ha Ye-rin’s school came from genuine fan heart, right?
Tap, tap.
“I swear I saw it somewhere before.”
Thus, Ye-rin Su-ho began his search, bloodshot eyes scouring the community for the information he desired.
The current time was morning.
But until the sun reached its peak and then sank back down again…
Tap, tap.
His hands moving over the keyboard and mouse and his eyes scrutinizing the screen never ceased.
At the set for week three of Na Ah Ah.
Thud.
“Thanks for dropping me off again today, boss.”
Now, I arrived at the set feeling very familiar in Kang Hyung-man’s car.
Kang Hyung-man was expressionless as usual but kindly drove me here.
But…
“…Ye-rin.”
…At the last moment, he struggled to speak to me.
Seeing his expression, I tilted my head in confusion.
“What’s wrong, boss? Do you have something to say?”
“…Your parents keep asking about you.”
“……”
Kang Hyung-man sighed once, then continued.
“They keep calling me and even visiting the company… I thought about just kicking them out, but considering they’re your parents, it isn’t easy. What do you want me to do?”
“……”
Without thinking much, I turned my head and answered.
“…Just kick them out.”
Thinking about my parents, I spoke coldly even toward Kang Hyung-man.
“If my dad and mom don’t change, I won’t ever see their faces again… Of course, they won’t change easily, but still.”
“…Right.”
Even though my answer might seem rude, Kang Hyung-man nodded.
And then…
Swish-.
“I’ll do as you say.”
He patted my head, showing he believed me unconditionally.
“I heard from Trainer Lee Ji-woo. Today’s a very important day.”
“…Yes, it’s the day of the first ranking announcement.”
“Right, you’ve been doing well so far, so there should definitely be good results.”
Kang Hyung-man’s calm voice made me feel a bit more comfortable.
“…Sorry for bringing up a troubling topic before an important event. I’ll convey your message to your parents instead.”
“Thank you, boss. Then, I’ll get going.”
Swish-.
As I bowed my head, Kang Hyung-man waved goodbye.
Sang-gu, who drove me here, handed me my bags and called out softly.
“…Ha Ye-rin, fighting!”
“Thanks, older brother Sang-gu.”
Both Kang Hyung-man and older brother Sang-gu always gave me great strength.
Maybe thanks to both of them, I was able to perform well without major issues in Na Ah Ah.
This time too, I stepped confidently inside with their energy recharged.
The first place I headed was the dormitory. I needed to drop off my luggage.
But then…
“Ye-rin-chan-!”
“……?”
I turned my head at the sound calling me as I headed toward the dormitory…
“…Is that the writer?”
One of the Na Ah Ah writers, someone I only knew by face, was calling for me anxiously.
She rushed to me, grabbing my wrist, and said.
“Oh dear…, I was uncertain from behind, but it’s definitely you, Ye-rin-chan! Hah, hah…, I don’t have time. Where are you going right now?”
“…Ah, I’m going to drop off my luggage at the dormitory. But you said there’s not much time? There’s still plenty of time left until the gathering time…”
In reality, I had arrived quite early compared to other participants.
But if there’s not much time…?
I had doubts, yet the writer didn’t explain the situation and dragged me along.
“First, we don’t have time, so I’ll tell you later. Come on.”
“…Oh, okay.”
She took me to a waiting room.
There, two stylists were waiting.
The Na Ah Ah writer set me down in front of the stylists and then finally explained a bit.
“Today is the first ranking announcement. It’s an important event, so you need to look as pretty as possible. Haha, I mean, you’re already beautiful without a stylist, Ye-rin-chan.”
It’s normal to get styled before filming, so I could accept that.
But…
“Why am I the only one getting styled in a separate waiting room? What about the other participants…?”
The fact that I was the only one receiving special treatment with two stylists made me feel like I was being treated differently.
When I inquired about this, the writer just smiled and replied.
“Oh, Ye-rin-chan is different from the ‘others’~”
“……”
“Ye-rin-chan is one of the main characters today. I’ll go now and come back to pick you up when you’re done with your styling~”
I’m different from the others.
I’m one of the main characters today.
The writer’s words were laden with deep meaning.
So, quietly receiving a full styling session from the stylists, I followed the production team’s guidance toward the set.
As I stepped onto the set, the first thing that met my eyes was…
“Long time no see.”
It was the grand pyramid seating chart that separated the seats from 1st to 100th, used in the first filming position selection segment.
In front of the seats were dozens of participants waiting in the official Na Ah Ah uniforms.
At that moment,
“Okay, the last participant is coming in, so we’ll start filming soon~”
When I turned around at the mention of the last participant, I met…
“……”
“……”
…the sight of Yoo Seol walking into the set, fully styled, along with the production team, just like me.
As soon as we locked eyes, we both sensed it.
One of us was ranked 1st and the other 2nd.
And…
‘Ye-rin-chan is one of the main characters today.’
It was clear that the difference between us wasn’t that significant.