Actor.
Singer.
And, Virtual YouTuber.
Although these fields are clearly different, they share a distinct commonality as public figures that influence public opinion.
The ordinary daily lives of public figures can also impact public opinion, but typically the moments that have the most significant influence occur when any activity as a public figure takes place.
In the past, Ha Eun searched for the reactions to the works he had appeared in online for that reason.
Of course, after debuting as a Virtual YouTuber, he was diligently keeping track of the public opinion about Diah as well.
However, in the case of Virtual YouTubers, the numbers indicating the changes in public opinion were relatively detailed compared to those of actors or singers.
[Diah]
[Youngest of the Phantom Realm | Spirit | I came to see how interesting the human world is─☆]
[Followers: 134,000]
“Uh…? It was definitely 120,000, though?”
After witnessing Diah’s follower count increase by 10,000 in just a day following the <Keen King> broadcast, Ha Eun couldn’t help but realize something had occurred while he was asleep.
It was for this reason that he logged into the Virtual YouTuber-related community early in the morning.
He wanted to know exactly what happened that caused Diah’s follower count to surge.
Then, less than a minute later, what Ha Eun encountered was:
– Diah Shocked.gif
– Yesterday’s Diah broadcast summary
– Diah) Showed the first faceplant on broadcast and immediately got schooled
– Before Keen King started: Are the wallets of the fans really okay? After Keen King started: The wallets of the fans are definitely okay
– Diah fell.jpg
A strange sight where a large community that typically covers various other Virtual YouTubers was solely flooded with posts related to Diah.
The timestamps of uploads varied widely, starting from when Diah just began broadcasting to just before the 0-minute mark.
As he continued to scroll through endless posts, he unconsciously clicked on the post with the most recommendations, views, and comments among those related to Diah.
───────────
Title > Diah’s Death Moments Compilation
Noeul is going to fade | 01:28
(An image of Diah’s avatar falling backward just five minutes into the broadcast)
(An image of Diah looking dazed, having died again within a minute)
(An image of Diah getting eaten while reading a hint)
.
.
.
.
.
(An image of Diah fainting at an unexpected ending credit)
Diah<<<Spirit No
Beats to a pulp Yes
I’ve never seen a guy who can’t even get into the entrance for two hours.
───────────
“…Did he really die this many times?”
Honestly, it was surprising.
The number of images capturing Diah's game over moments was no less than 30.
However, most of the comments under that post were anticipating Diah's next broadcast.
- Isn’t this guy not doing horror game roulette?
- If he takes a break again, he said he’ll do roulette then.
- If it’s like this with Shirooni, isn’t he going to get really carried away in a pizza restaurant?
- If he does Keen King in a pizza restaurant, he definitely has to stay up all night for two days.
- What’s two days again?
- National Power Level.
- I turned on the broadcast notification with the follow button.
- Me too.
- I plan to flood the chat with ‘Please play Puppy Playtime’ 23,521 times as soon as the next broadcast starts.
- Don’t turn black now.
- What’s funny is that he managed to speedrun the last maze.
- Really?
- Yup. It didn’t take long at all to clear it on the first try.
- Why didn’t you mention dying while tea-bagging, Noeul?
- Anyway, you did see the maze collapse scene on your first try, right?
I realized that using the “Keen King in a horror game” trump card was a good choice.
The public sentiment that Ha Eun was worried about previously regarding the fans didn't seem too negative.
What was unexpected was that quite a few viewers beyond the existing fans were also drawn to Diah's broadcast.
I honestly didn’t expect that just from the posts circulating about Diah in the community, there would be as many as 10,000 viewers coming in.
Of course, there was no guarantee that every single one of the newly gained 10,000 followers would watch Diah's broadcast. However, it was undeniable that Diah's broadcast had grown due to the community becoming a “new bait.”
Thus, while contemplating the events of the previous night for quite a while, I belatedly realized that something else would soon become “new bait.”
Strictly speaking, it wasn't directly related to the Virtual YouTuber community, but in a way, it could trigger an impact even greater than that of the Virtual YouTuber community.
“If this goes well…”
Regardless, the fact that the singer Pinocchio was Ha Eun would definitely draw people's attention.
This meant that if Ha Eun managed to successfully wrap up the live finale of <sit ON THE MONEY>, it would benefit not only the public opinion of the singer Pinocchio but also that of the actor Lee Ha-eun.In this way, the improved public opinion of the singer Pinocchio might also have a positive influence on the actor Lee Ha-eun’s public opinion and furthermore, on <The Moonlight Split by Clouds> as well.
“Hello, Mr. Reporter. I’m Lee Ha-eun.”
[Ah, yes. Ms. Ha Eun. What brings you here?]
“I have something I would like to request for coverage. Are you available this Friday?”
Ha Eun contacted the only journalist he knew, Heo Ju-eun.
However, he only asked Heo Ju-eun for coverage of the finale.
Until he finally met Heo Ju-eun at the entrance of the <SIT ON THE MONEY> finale venue, he didn’t make any further requests.
He also didn’t inform her that he would be appearing on the finale stage as Pinocchio.
Just like the other journalists who came to cover this <SIT ON THE MONEY> finale.
“Do you have a favorite rapper personally, Mr. Reporter?”
“I’m going to like whoever wins today. My mindset is that the winning side is my side.”
He only requested that she write an article about the stage that he found most impressive among the several finale stages that would start in two hours.
Of course, Ha Eun had some expectation of which finale stage would make it into Heo Ju-eun’s article.
A veteran reporter like Heo Ju-eun wouldn’t miss the topic that Pinocchio and Lee Ha-eun were the same person.
“How much will it spread in 30 minutes, I wonder.”
The live finale of this <SIT ON THE MONEY> would end at 10 p.m., and the first episode of <The Moonlight Split by Clouds> would air half an hour later at 10:30 p.m.
During that half hour, any new news about Ha Eun should spread around to benefit <The Moonlight Split by Clouds>.
Strictly speaking, I already knew due to vivid memories from a past life that <The Moonlight Split by Clouds> would become a hit.
“I’ll do what I can.”
For the success of <The Moonlight Split by Clouds>, Ha Eun was determined to do what he could. After all, <The Moonlight Split by Clouds> was not only Ha Eun’s first lead drama but also the first work he did with Da-yeon.
To whatever extent, he hoped that Ha Eun’s appearance in the finale of this <SIT ON THE MONEY> would help the success of <The Moonlight Split by Clouds>.
Thus, Heo Ju-eun’s article covering this <SIT ON THE MONEY> live finale—or more precisely, the big and small attention that Ha Eun would receive from that article—
“I hope it rises, even by 0.1%.”
He wished for a favorable impact on the ratings of the first episode of <The Moonlight Split by Clouds>.
Just as Diah’s follower count had noticeably increased due to the posts that flooded the community.
However, he thought that if he revealed Pinocchio’s identity beforehand, the surprise Heo Ju-eun would receive in two hours might be diminished.
“Will she not be disappointed?”
He made sure to watch the finale stage with the other audience members who were unaware of Pinocchio’s appearance.
Regardless, Ha Eun’s request was something that Heo Ju-eun had no real reason to refuse from her perspective.
Thanks to this, she would get a scoop, and Ha Eun was simply grateful for that.
However, he still didn’t understand why the actor Ha Eun had asked Heo Ju-eun to cover the finale of <SIT ON THE MONEY>.
“Did Ha Eun have someone ask for a favor? Or does she personally support a rapper?”
He asked about the real reason behind inviting Heo Ju-eun to this <SIT ON THE MONEY> finale.
Before long, the answer returned from Ha Eun, who was slightly avoiding his gaze for some reason.
“Um… Is it okay if I tell you after today’s finale is over?”
Another form of question.
“Oh, I see. Understood.”
“Thank you.”
Thus, he parted ways with Ha Eun without finding out the reason for inviting Heo Ju-eun.
After that, he arrived at the special seats prepared exclusively for reporters by the <SIT ON THE MONEY> production team.
“The angles will come out nicely.”
With that thought, he took out an extremely expensive digital camera from his bag.
He decided to test shoot the scene of the rehearsal preparations for the finale stage.
Approximately 30 minutes later, the first rehearsal began.
Since the rehearsal for the finale stage was not part of the coverage permission, he put the camera back away.
「It wasn’t sky anymore─♪」
“Uh? Who is that?”
However, as the female singer appeared at the back of the stage from the middle of the rehearsal, her figure was obscured by backlight, making it difficult to see.
For some reason, he stared hard at the owner of the sweet voice that seemed familiar to his ears.
The problem was that the female singer didn’t walk to the center of the stage but continued to stay at the back.
In the end, by the time rehearsal was completely over, he couldn’t even get a proper glimpse of the singer’s face, let alone her silhouette.
