Chapter 15: Friede’s Song
The song of Friede continued on the stage of the snowy field.
Even Eunha, who was watching up close through augmented reality, and the audience watching through the broadcast via camera, didn’t utter a word.
Actually, it would be more accurate to say there wasn’t even a moment to type anything in the chat room.
With an unwavering determination to not miss a single frame of her performance, they watched Friede’s broadcast, free from any distractions or noise.
Of course, not everyone was like that. There were some who managed to regain their composure.
The divine hymn, transformed by Friede’s voice, and the powerful sound waves flowing from the instruments played by the heroes had a pull strong enough to attract anything, yet somehow, a few still managed to snap back to reality.
Maybe it was because the medium of internet broadcasting filtered certain elements. No, it must have been effective to allow some breathing room.
It was a request to enjoy a band performance on stage, not a suggestion to induce a trance.
Among them, some thought it was a waste to keep such a splendid and fantastic show all to themselves.
A few shared the broadcast with friends or posted it in the community, and it began to spread across the world at a speed comparable to an epidemic.
* * *
Even a roughly put together performance tends to sync up and build momentum as time passes.
An exhilarating melodic bassline that ignites the heart, drumming done with machine-like precision, and dreamy melodies from the keyboard and guitar in between.
It formed a harmony that responded back like they were conversing with one another through their respective instruments.
Above all, watching Eunha, who was observing us from the front, made the tension soar even higher.
Perhaps that’s why.
What I had initially thought would be just a performance to that point made me aspire for more.
At the climax of the song, during the chorus, I reached my right hand toward the sky and snapped my fingers.
—Snap!
With the clear sound ringing in my ears from the song, the light extending from my fingers spread in all directions.
Originally, an aurora reflecting colorful hues had transformed into a full wave of gold…
Like drops of golden paint slowly spreading across a canvas, it showed a delightful sensation of infiltration.
The golden sky.
It formed a sacred sky that no dawn or dusk could approach, closing off the song’s finale.
“……”
Savoring the lingering echo, everyone remained silent, as if time itself had stopped in that last moment.
A breath-stealing silence that felt like it would last forever.
What broke that stillness was none other than a single audience member, whom we had invited into this space.
Seeing Eunha clapping in the front made the body that had been frozen respond and slowly start to find its place again.
Only then did I notice not just Eunha, but also the lean figure flying around with a camera, and Ah-jin’s doppelgänger displaying reactions from the chat room on a large monitor at the back.
“What do you think? Did we sing well? It was our first time and the time was tight, but we practiced hard….”
After showing what we had prepared to the world, I started to feel a bit self-conscious.
It’s not even a test, so why was I trembling over mere encouragement?
But as I looked at the chat room, which had remained quiet for so long, an uneasy feeling crept in, wondering if something was wrong.
[Shit!]
[Who am I? The victorious one who didn’t miss Friede’s live performance! Who am I? The victorious one who didn’t miss Friede’s live performance!]
[Hey, XXX!]
[Let’s go! Hurry!]
[You idiots lol what? You thought Friede’s band quality was crap? Let’s bet on it? Yup, the fave wins.]
[You underdogs, wake up! You underdogs, wake up!]
[What the hell! Enjoying this in virtual reality and still complaining about quality?]
[Does this look like virtual reality to you, you moron?]
[That can’t be covered by any app.. this is pure skill.]
[Whoa! 1 million live viewers!]
[We are living in the era of Friede!]
「ZikGatBel took the sponsorship of 60,000 won!」
—Hey sis, what are you doing right now? You need to hurry up with the world tour!’
“Oh, calm down. Everyone, just relax for a moment….”
“What are you talking about relaxing? Even I think it was good. Just let it be.”
I tried to extinguish the fire in a hurry, but Dayoung, now resigned, stopped me.
“Given this atmosphere, it might actually be better to let it be.”
“Y-You’re right. If we rush in now, it’ll be like throwing gasoline on the fire.”
“More than that, you were awesome! Friede!”
“Oh, oh?”
I bumped into Jihye’s hand as we high-fived.
With a cheerful sound, Jihye, who couldn’t hide her excitement, shot me a wink.
“I never imagined I’d have such a fantastic vocalist next to me. Why have you been hiding this until now?”
“Oh, no. I’m a streamer, not a singer.”
“What are you talking about? You should come out with me more often. Who knows? Friede might change from a streamer to a celebrity!”
[Oh no! What are you talking about!]
[No way! Our Friede can’t do that!]
[Friede will just keep playing games with us in the dark!]
[Stop the sunshine shift!]
For now, there wasn’t even a need to suppress the atmosphere as a streamer. We were just too busy celebrating that we had completed one magnificent mission.
Forgetting that we were right in the middle of Antarctica, only the golden aurora I spread shone brightly in the sky.
* * *
Sweet man could confidently say he maintained his breath control from start to finish.
It was only after the stage of the former hero band ended, and after the golden aurora filled the screen, that his tightly shut mouth finally opened.
“Awesome.”
And it felt so good.
This might just be the best performance Friede has shown thus far.
Not only Friede, but the members all had looks that could overshadow any top-tier idol, so it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they couldn’t even hold a candle to them.
Especially with Friede taking the role of the vocalist, who held the central position in an idol group.
Even the singing, the melody, the performance had no faults to find.
‘No, it wasn’t just the performance.’
There was a mystical power in Friede’s voice and the melodies from the instruments played by the band.
As if every element that formed the song was part of some mysterious operation.
Even though I had heard her voice plenty on broadcasts, it was clear this time it felt distinctly different.
The firm belief of Sweet Man, who had combined her voice to make ‘Friede Love Love Call,’ was evident.
Of course, I didn’t think her usual voice was weird at all.
In fact, I could firmly declare it was a voice so beautiful that you could rarely hear it in a lifetime.
Yet, since I had gotten accustomed to hearing her voice often through the broadcasts, the sensation had dulled, and it was fading.
In the midst of all that, her singing voice flowing through the ongoing broadcast offered a different stimulation than usual.
I felt cold sweat flowing down my body, and I could feel the flow of blood in my veins intensifying.
What if Friede had sung that song in reality?
‘It would definitely be chaos.’
The hearts of the audience would explode with a desire to reach out to her, and they would invade the stage as a group.
Perhaps even the security could behave the same way to prevent it.
If it was her voice flowing out from a phone, it would be rational to suspect this much.
Thus, the intensity of my curiosity that stimulated my brain’s cortex just kept getting stronger.
What kind of program had been used to create such an effect?
And not only that, but it was during a live broadcast.
‘There are plenty of apps that modify voices or process sound…’
But there hasn’t been anything in existence yet that could create this level of quality. Or could there be some unknown method?
‘No, no, that’s not important.’
The point is, the seductive charm that Friede was presenting shattered through the sky.
With the backdrop of coordinating golden light creating waves, it wasn’t just a visual treat, but an audio feast too.
“Ah, I should have recruited her even if it meant making a scene back then.”
What a pity. It was a chance to cultivate a new revenue model.
But Sweet Man also felt wronged.
The value of Friede gets renewed every day, so the standards I felt at the time and those I feel now can’t help but be different.
Who would have known she would soar to the heights like this?
Just look at the real-time viewers. Despite it being Sunday, it’s hard to say this early morning was a suitable time to start broadcasting.
Yet now, in this moment, the number of real-time viewers had hit 1 million.
It was a first for Friede’s broadcast and certainly a historic moment rarely seen throughout this industry.
“Damn it.”
Frustrated, I turned on the TV and started to change the channel with irritation.
It’s like how I’d feel if my friend happened to have the winning ticket when we each bought one lottery ticket.
As I was trying to steady my restless heart, the news report with a familiar content caught my ear.
[Breaking news. A sudden golden aurora has been generated in Antarctica, and the Antarctic Research Institute is currently focusing on exploration.]
Feeling a sense of familiarity with the scenery shown on the TV screen, Sweet Man focused his entire body on the screen, frozen.
“Uh?”
