Chapter 71: Running to the Edge of the Sky (8)

“Uh, Silverhair? Uh, I think… that might’ve been a mistake?! Did you mean to do that?!”

Raidel’s eyes widened.

Yoo Seo-yeon.

Silverhair’s real name.

It wasn’t quite as bad as leaking an address or phone number on stream…

But still, nothing good ever came from exposing personal info.

Especially for a VTuber who hadn’t revealed their face.

Better to stay hidden when possible.

Raidel quickly looked away,

But viewers had already seen the name Yoo Seo-yeon displayed over her avatar.

[“Silverhair’s real name leak ㄷㄷㄷㄷ”]

[“Is that her real name? Not a stage name?”]

[“Pretty name tho ㄷㄷ”]

[“That’s gotta be her real name ㄷㄷ All the people who cracked jokes are gonna get canceled nowㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ”]

[“Gasp”]

[“Gasp”]

[“Please have mercy…”]

‘Looks like she clicked the wrong setting when customizing her profile!’

Raidel thought to herself.

If you don’t manually set a streamer name, your real name gets used by default—

Just like now with Yoo Seo-yeon.

‘I definitely told her to change her nickname!’

You had to change your nickname.

Once set, you couldn’t change it for 30 days—so getting it wrong was a problem.

Some streamers changed their name for April Fools and got stuck with it for a month.

They’d warned everyone countless times.

For some reason, Seo-yeon hadn’t updated her nickname during profile setup.

Maybe she was too nervous about her debut?

Yet her expression remained calm.

“It’s not a mistake. I thought it was time to move on from Silverhair. That name came to me while eating ramen, anyway.”

[“Ohh”]

[“Wait, it was a ramen name?ㅋㅋㅋㅋ”]

[“Sounds like she wants to stick with Seo-yeon now?”]

[“So not her real name?”]

[“I was hoping for something like Johnny Silverhand lol”]

[“Yeah, Silverhair doesn’t sound like a serious streamer name lol”]

[“True that”]

“Ahaha… got it. Yeah, I guess it’s not your real name then… ‘Yoo Seo-yeon’ does sound nice as a stage name.”

Raidel quickly tried to cover for her,

As if to suggest it wasn’t her actual name.

‘But it is her real name.’

Raidel thought.

Why the sudden switch?

Maybe she had her reasons.

Sure, some streamers do use their real names,

But most went with pseudonyms.

Still, Yoo Seo-yeon was a nice name. It had a beautiful ring to it.

Didn’t seem like a big deal.

Still, it must’ve felt like a lot of pressure.

Raidel tilted her head.

Yoo Seo-yeon thought,

‘From the beginning, I planned to stream under this name.’

If she was going to stream, this had to be her debut name.

There was no other choice.

She had to live as Yoo Seo-yeon.

She wanted to be reminded of that truth again.

Saying she felt no pressure would be a lie,

But lots of streamers had their real names exposed.

She would accept herself.

The once-fainthearted girl who used to panic over trivial things,

Now calmly revealed her name to tens of thousands without a flicker of hesitation.

“Ah, looks like everyone’s arriving.”

As showtime approached,

The other streamers began showing up.

The atmosphere was getting a bit lighter,

But also tense in that pre-performance way.

A strange blend of emotions filled the space.

Seo-yeon looked toward the stage.

She’d be standing up there soon.

It felt surreal—and a little intimidating.

Deep breath.

Fwoo.

Her fingertips trembled ever so slightly.

And finally, 8 PM.

With a loud BAM,

Zeronix’s voice rang out as he appeared as host.

All the streamers in the green room turned toward the stage.

The big screen showed the audience in real-time.

A full house.

Nearly 100 seats filled.

Basically every streamer in the server was present.

And with viewers added in, hundreds of thousands were watching.

“Let’s get this show staaarted~!”

Zeronix, surprisingly entertaining, kicked things off.

The opening act began immediately.

First up was a female streamer famous for her vocal chops.

From the start, her explosive high notes and powerful vocals seized the crowd.

Powerful yet emotional.

The chat exploded with praise.

Then came a parade of talented singers.

Even a main vocalist from an idol group took the stage,

And they sounded like a true professional.

“Th-This feels like a global singing tournament or something.”

Raidel muttered, slightly intimidated by the lineup.

Everyone was blessing the audience with incredible voices.

Most were picking songs filled with high notes to show off their range.

“Ughhh…”

Watching the performances, Raidel trembled.

She knew people would sing well,

But hearing it live was another thing entirely.

‘You want me to sing among them?’

Like a human thrown into a battle between alien warlords.

She started to regret joining.

Even someone as optimistic as her was beginning to falter.

Then it was Raidel’s turn.

She looked super nervous,

But not wanting to show weakness,

She ran up boldly, declaring she would conquer the weaklings.

And then…

She transformed.

The nerves were gone like a lie.

On stage, she was someone else entirely.

Raidel chose a bright, trendy K-pop track.

Compared to the vocal monsters before her, her singing…

Well, it left a lot to be desired.

But her years of streaming experience came through.

“Come on, everyone!”

She turned every hard part into a group sing-along.

Choosing a popular song was strategic.

Everyone had heard it at least once, so even when she passed the mic to the audience, they sang along.

By relying on the crowd, she masked her lack of vocal power.

Raidel had successfully cheesed the stage.

[“She really made us sing lol”]

[“She cheesed the concert stage lololol”]

[“Strategic queen Raidel”]

[“Vibes are good tho, cheers!”]

Chat was surprisingly upbeat.

After nonstop vocal showcases,

Watching their favorite streamer have fun created a sense of familiarity and lightened the mood.

‘Wow.’

Seo-yeon was quietly impressed by Raidel’s innate crowd control.

That must be the sixth sense of a seasoned entertainer.

It was a talent completely different from her own.

Then came the next act.

A VTuber named ‘Siren.’

Renowned for her vocal talent,

She lived up to the hype with sheer power and stage presence.

One performance followed another,

Until at last, the final act.

Seo-yeon’s turn.

---

‘Why is Silverhair last?’

‘Changed her name, but the finale? Really?’

As Yoo Seo-yeon stepped on stage,

The same question echoed in the minds of many streamers.

Memories of the earlier performers flashed by.

A main idol vocalist with solid recognition.

A skilled indie singer with a great voice.

Streamers known for their vocals.

Yet the finale spot went to a debuting game streamer?

It was hard to process.

‘Honestly…’

‘Feels kinda flat?’

‘Kinda a misfire, no?’

‘Zeronix picked this lineup? Has he lost his touch?’

‘Yeah, her voice is good, but the finale is different.’

Not outright dismissal—

But a grounded skepticism.

A shared feeling that she lacked the weight to end the show.

The audience buzzed with mild confusion and uneasy anticipation.

---

Soopjijik VTuber Siren.

True to her name, she was a music-focused streamer.

Known for her undeniable skill, she had earned her spot.

After finishing her set,

She sat back on a green room sofa and watched the next act on screen.

The concert’s finale: Yoo Seo-yeon.

‘Her? She’s the finale?’

Yoo Seo-yeon.

She had heard the name Silverhair causing a storm in the server.

Siren, who only did life content—not hunting—hadn’t interacted with her,

But even she knew the name.

She just learned from Zeronix’s intro that today marked Seo-yeon’s official debut.

‘She’s known for gaming… but can she really sing? Finale-level sing?’

It was pure curiosity.

No hostility.

But given the earlier powerhouse performances,

It was shocking to see a newbie game streamer close the show.

Others around her seemed to feel the same.

Some tilted their heads.

Others exchanged uncertain looks.

The air was filled with doubt and muted tension.

‘Maybe there’s a reason. Let’s see.’

Siren sat up straight and focused on the screen.

Seo-yeon’s avatar stood frozen on stage.

No tension, no excitement—

She looked like a hollow doll.

Then, soft, emotional piano notes began to play.

A stark contrast to the flashier acts before.

‘Wait… she’s doing this kind of song for the finale?’

Siren’s eyebrow twitched.

It was quiet.

And quiet songs reveal everything.

Even a breath, a tiny slip, couldn’t be hidden.

Especially with something this delicate and lyrical.

‘Hmm.’

If you were new, you should go out with a bang.

A high-energy song would’ve let people smile through the flaws.

But this?

If she messed up, it would be catastrophic.

‘Songs like this… even I have to rehearse several times before attempting them live. Can she really pull this off?’

Siren watched with worry.

This felt like too harsh a stage for a debut.

──────And then, the song began.