Chapter 52: Starlight (1)

The studio lights bathed the streaming space in a soft glow.

A special group collab was about to begin.

It was the same familiar room they usually used for solo broadcasts, but today, the air was subtly buzzing with anticipation, excitement, and a touch of nervous energy from all three of them.

“Alright, mic check, one, two, three! Is the screen coming through fine? Ajung, Solar, you two ready?”

Jungyeon, the oldest and leader of the group, was busily running a final check while making sure the others were set.

She was her usual lively, dependable self.

“Yeees~! I’m ready! Can’t you see the chat’s already going wild, unni?”

Ajung was already checking her avatar displayed on one side.

“M-Me too… I’m okay. Whew.”

Yoon Sol took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.

Her eyes sparkled with the kind of quiet excitement that comes from genuine curiosity about what the day would bring.

“Great! Then let’s get started! Starlight’s first official full-member collab! Let’s go!”

With Jungyeon’s spirited declaration, the stream went live.

After a short loading screen, the broadcast transitioned—and the avatars of all three girls appeared on screen.

― WWWWWWAAAAAAA

― Finally, the full group collab! LFGGGGGG

― Rinne Rinne Rinne! Ajung Ajung Ajung! Solar Solar Solar!

― No one else compares to these girls lmao

― Our Solar is hereee~

― Why did Solar debut and then disappear?? This is her 32nd attempt…

The chat exploded the moment the stream started.

Viewer count was skyrocketing, blowing past the typical numbers for solo broadcasts.

“Hello! I’m your forever-leader, Rinne!”

“Hii~ I’m your daily dose of Vitamin, Ajung!”

“I, um… H-Hello. I’m Starlight’s… Solar. Please take care of me…?”

As each of them gave their introductions, the chat lit up with even more excitement.

“Now then! The reason we’ve gathered here as a full group—aren’t you all curious?”

Jungyeon smoothly took the lead in directing the stream.

“Solar made a successful debut, and the Starlight Project is finally taking shape as a real team, right? So! We thought this would be the perfect time to decide on something special that’ll connect us and our fans!”

“That’s right! Today, we’ll be choosing fandom names for both the Starlight Project as a whole and for each of us individually—together, with all of you!”

― Ohhh finally deciding fandom names LOL

― So we won’t be called “Sclls” anymore????

― Do we really get an official name now???

― We’re so screwed, chat’s gonna suggest the dumbest sht

― GG lmao

Ajung added excitedly. Sol quietly nodded along beside her, smiling softly.

“Let’s start with the group fandom name! Since it represents all of Starlight, we’ve got to pick something meaningful, right?”

Rinne invited the fans to share their ideas.

― Honestly “Scll” just rolls off the tongue best LOL

― “Scll” is a slur you f***ing degenerate

― What about ‘Dung’? Like a short for stardust?

― Okay yeah it started as a slur, but even y’all use it now smh

― Bruh how are we supposed to come up with a fandom name for these girls LOL

― Since it’s Starlight, what about ‘Star Cluster’?

Amid the chaotic spam, a few decent suggestions started trickling in.

“Ooh, ‘Star Cluster’ is cute! Kinda soft and floaty!”

Ajung’s eyes sparkled as she spoke.

“I think ‘Star Keeper’ is nice too. It feels like they’re watching over us.”

Sol offered her thoughts shyly—it was a name with a sentimental flair, very much her style.

“Hmm… I think something a bit more powerful sounds better. Like… ‘Zelnaga Knights’?”

Jungyeon tossed out the idea playfully—and the chat went wild.

― ?

― Why would fans of Starlight be called the Zelnaga Knights???

― Not this Zelnaga worship again…

― Ma’am, please keep the Zelnaga simping to your personal stream

― Sure we’ll fight for Zelnaga if you pay us in burgers, but this ain’t it

― People who don’t hand out burgers anymore get locked in the basement smh

― Zelnaga: (pleased)

― Wait, if we join the Knights, do we get burgers???

The chat was instantly flooded with Zelnaga and burger references.

Ajung and Sol looked flustered, but couldn’t stop laughing.

“Hey, what’s with the reaction?! Doesn’t it sound cool? Like we’re our boss’s loyal knights or something? I’ve said this before—none of this would be possible without our boss!”

Jungyeon grinned shamelessly.

“Unniii! He’s probably watching this right now!”

Ajung groaned and tried to stop her, but Jungyeon didn’t care in the slightest.

---

Meanwhile, in the penthouse living room.

A massive monitor displayed the live streams of the three girls.

I crossed my arms and furrowed my brow slightly at Rinne’s mention of the “Zelnaga Knights.”

“…Haa.”

It was ridiculous—but at the same time, a chuckle escaped me.

If things were too serious, they’d just get boring.

Thanks to Jungyeon, the chat window was overflowing with jokes.

Ajung on screen was still as lively as ever, and Rinne was leading the broadcast skillfully, just as a leader should.

And then there was Solar.

She’d seemed nervous at first, but now she was smiling naturally among the older girls and even starting to voice her opinions.

She had definitely changed. It was a good look on her.

Without realizing it, my hands moved across the keyboard out of habit.

[Zelnaga has donated 10,000,000 Butter!]

[I think “Burgerats” would be a great group fan name. Most of the Starlight fans are always chanting ‘Burger burger,’ right?]

In an instant, both the chat and the broadcast screen froze.

― That dude who always shows up when it’s about him is back again ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

― “Burgerats,” are you fking kidding me

― Wait, are you insulting us right now..?

― That crossed the line, bro

― Uh… we’re not all like that…

― This motherfker really thinks we’re his underlings ㅋㅋㅋ

[……Boss. What are you saying to the fans! I told you to stop hanging around that community!]

Rinne’s eyes went wide at my sudden appearance. Ajung and Solar on screen looked startled by her outburst.

[Zelnaga has donated 1,000,000 Butter!]

[Just kidding, just kidding ㅋㅋ;;]

― Backed down after one yell, huh ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

― Rinne really is the one in charge ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

― Rinne, please manage your CEO..

― Yeah, judging by how he acts, he needs a tight leash

― But Rinne, didn’t you summon him? Why are you mad??

― For real lol you gave attention to the attention-seeker, so take the consequences ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[Ugh! I was just playing around since it’s a broadcast!]

Flushed red from the teasing, Jungyeon shouted—but there was a smile tugging at her lips.

As always, my appearance had become a catalyst that fired up the entire broadcast atmosphere.

After my surprise donation, the mood turned even more cheerful.

The group fandom name candidates had been narrowed down to four: “Star Cluster,” “Star Keeper,” “Stardust,” and, thanks to overwhelming support from the fans, even “Zelnaga Knights.”

[Okay, before we finalize things! Let’s move on to individual fandom names! Starting with our Ajung!]

Jungyeon took the lead and moved to the next part.

― Adoongi, let’s go! It’s cute

― Arangi is cute too

― Honestly, Ajung’s fans get scary when they turn—‘Asura’ fits better I think

[Wow, they’re all so cute! I really like ‘Adoongi’! But… what’s ‘Asura’?]

Ajung was delighted by the fans’ clever naming ideas but tilted her head at the occasional… odd one.

[Next is me! Rinne! Hit me with your best shot!]

Rinne declared boldly.

― Hmm… I’m lazy, let’s just go with Rinnedan

― Nah, let’s go with Hakkodan, to remember her roots from her indie days

― How about Neon?? It means people who shine a bright light on Rinne 🙂

[Hey! Hakkodan is too much! Let me move on from my past already!]

Jungyeon shouted in protest, but the chat had already been taken over by “Hakkodan.”

[And lastly, our Solar!]

― Something cute like Pinecones for Solar hehe

― How about Solar Beam? She shoots beams when she sings lol

― Based on her nickname, Sunshine Squad fits best

Flustered by the fans’ affectionate suggestions, Sol blushed and didn’t know what to say.

[Th-they’re all so good… Thank you.]

Her shy voice made the fans go wild.

The donations were coming in nonstop, the chat was flying by at lightning speed, and the viewer count had already shot past 20,000.

It was a moment that truly showcased the current stature of the Starlight Project.

[Alright, let’s begin the voting now!]

Jungyeon pulled up the poll on screen.

The group fandom name vote was neck and neck.

[Whoa, “Star Cluster” and “Star Keeper” are really going head to head!]

Ajung narrated the poll results with excitement.

[Wait? Hold on! Guys, stop messing around! This is serious, okay?!]

Suddenly, Ajung let out a scream.

[What? What happened?]

Jungyeon and Yunsol peeked over at Ajung’s screen in surprise.

Votes for “Zelnaga Knights” were suddenly skyrocketing out of control.

― Justice always winsssss

― Even if it’s a joke, once it’s in the poll you gotta live with it

― Who told you to put that in the real poll lmaooo

― Alright everyone, let’s bet on the underdogggggg

― You guys are just dopamine junkies ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

― It’s literally your future fandom name and you don’t care? lol

“Seriously, seriously, stop messing around! This is your official name, you know!”

Ajung cried out in frustration, and the studio burst into laughter.

In the end, Jungyeon quickly stopped the poll, removed “Zelnaga Knights” from the options, and restarted the vote.

After that little incident, the final results were at last revealed.

[Okay! The official fandom name of the Starlight Project is… ‘Star Cluster’! Woooo!]

“Star Cluster” had won by a narrow margin. The members clapped and cheered, and the fans were just as pleased.

The individual fandom names were voted on next.

Ajung became “Adoongi” for her cute vibes, Rinne was chosen as “Neon” thanks to fans’ surprisingly sincere suggestion amidst the jokes, and Yunsol received the name “Sunshine Squad,” perfectly matching her warm voice and nickname.

[Great! Now we’ve all got official names! Star Cluster! Adoongi! Neon! And Sunshine Squad! You’ll keep supporting us forever, right?]

Rinne called out in a voice full of emotion.

― Star Cluster fightinggggggg

― Adoongi sssssssssss

― Hmm not a fan of Neon..

― Sunshine Squad let’s gooo

― We finally have our own names ㅠㅠ..

The chat overflowed with love as fans celebrated the new names.

[Thank you so much, Star Cluster, for being with us today! Now that you’ve got your names, please use them with pride!]

Ajung wrapped things up in her usual playful tone.

[We’ll keep showing you our best sides. Always stay with us, Star Cluster!]

Yunsol also shared her heartfelt thanks.

The three girls waved brightly with wide smiles, and the broadcast came to a warm and wholesome close.

---

Once the camera turned off, the three girls looked at one another and burst into laughter without needing to say a word.

“Wow, that was seriously fun… I really love our fandom name.”

“Right? Especially ‘Star Cluster’! It sounds pretty and gives this sense of connection, you know?”

Listening to Ajung and Jungyeon, Yoonsol smiled quietly.

‘Star Cluster,’ ‘Adoongi’, ‘Neon,’ and ‘Sunshine Squad.’

All of them had been given fan names, but she seemed particularly fond of the one she’d received.

She was no longer alone. Now she had reliable teammates who supported and believed in her—and countless fans who carried the name “Star Cluster.”

Just like stars in the night sky, they were all ready to shine even brighter by reflecting each other’s light.