Chapter 54: Starlight (3)
by AfuhfuihgsThe warm lighting gently caressed her pale cheek.
On the monitor, her now quite familiar avatar fidgeted nervously.
Yoon Sol lightly licked her dry lips.
She could feel her heart beating a little faster than usual.
Today was her first solo singing broadcast.
A day to stand before her fans entirely on her own, without Jungyeon or Ajung.
“It’s okay, you can do it.”
Beside her, Jungyeon patted her shoulder with a warm smile.
Ajung also gave her a thumbs-up with encouraging eyes.
“Yes, unnies. Thank you.”
Sol gave a small nod.
The fact that she wasn’t alone was a great source of strength.
“Hoo.”
Taking one last deep breath, Yoon Sol pressed the broadcast start button with trembling fingers.
A moment later, ‘Star Cluster’ and ‘Sunshine Squad’ members began to flood the screen.
– Wassup~~~~ Solar’s first singing stream is here~~~~
– I’ve been waiting for this day TTTTTTTTTT
– Solar-nim, don’t be nervous, it’s okay, okay, okay
– Even a trembling voice will be cute haha
– Let’s not cry today, Solar-yam
– Even a nervous Solar is cute hahaha
In an instant, the chat window was filled with messages of support.
The warm welcome seemed to slightly ease Sol’s tense heart.
“Ah, hello! I’m Starlight’s Solar! Th-thank you so much for coming to my first solo singing broadcast!”
Her voice still trembled slightly, but it wasn’t the precarious feeling of being on the verge of tears like before.
The fans grew even more enthusiastic seeing her clearly introduce herself and express her gratitude.
– Uwaaaaah, I love her voice so much TTTTTTTT
– It’s okay, take your time!!!
– Already cute TTTTTTT
– Ah, this btch is so fcking cute hahaha
– So what are you singing today???
– Wait, our Solar-ham is talking.
“Yes? Ah, the songs! I’ve prepared several songs today. Hmm, for the first song, I was thinking of singing a song that comforted me a lot when I… when I was going through a hard time.”
Yoon Sol hesitated for a moment before introducing the first song.
The fans listened intently to her heartfelt reason for choosing the song.
She also showed efforts to communicate casually with her fans by reading the chat.
She was still a bit awkward and stumbled over her words, but it was a distinctly different appearance from before.
[The Sunshine Squad Leader has donated 100,000 Butter!]
[Solar-nim, do everything you want to do! I’ve been waiting for your first singing stream!]
“Wow! Sunshine Squad Leader-nim! Thank you! I-I’ll really do my best!”
Sol was surprised by the donation from a nickname bearing her fandom name, ‘Sunshine Squad,’ but she genuinely rejoiced and expressed her gratitude.
A moment later, a sweet melody began to flow.
Yoon Sol closed her eyes and slowly opened her mouth towards the microphone.
A clear and pure voice.
It had a different sensibility than what was heard in the lounge or recording studio.
A song sung solely for her fans, filled entirely with her own emotions.
The slight nervousness actually added to the poignancy.
Her pitch was stable, and her breathing was calm.
Above all, a ‘joy of being able to sing’ could be felt in her voice.
The chat window was filled with cheering emoticons.
Everyone held their breath and listened to her voice.
As the song headed towards its climax and emotions heightened, Solar’s voice gained more power, shining like a meteor streaking across the night sky.
Like the earnest cry of someone who had overcome their wounds, it pierced deep into the hearts of the listeners.
The last note gently faded, and a short silence followed.
And the next moment, the chat window practically exploded.
– Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah
– That was crazy, seriously
– Wow, this is what you call a song, s**t
– Raise your hand if you cried listening to this
– Cried my eyes out TTTTTTTTTT
– This is a real song TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
– Solar, thank you for singing TTTTTTTTT
– Wait, is it right that the live version is better than the cover????
Just then.
Overwhelming all chat messages and donations with its presence, another massive donation message covered the screen.
It was a familiar nickname.
[Zelnaga has donated 10,000,000 Butter!]
[Oh, you’re not nervous and doing well live now?? Guess I don’t need to worry about you separately anymore?? Haha, just kidding, you were amazing today. Please continue to shine.]
For a moment, the air in the studio froze.
Sol saw the message on the screen and her eyes widened like a rabbit’s.
The chat window erupted once more.
– Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
– Zelnaga, is that you again? Hahahahahahahahaha
– This bstard Zelnaga really only pretends to be normal on Solar’s stream haha
– “Guess I don’t need to worry about you separately anymore??” << Sounds like he’s fcking worried.
– The epitome of tsundere hahahahahahahahaha
– But is he f*cking sweet to Solar?
– Naga-ham is serious about Solar hahahahahahahahaha
Yoon Sol’s face turned red, and she didn’t know what to do.
However, a shy yet unconcealable smile of joy graced her lips.
The CEO’s, no, Hajun’s praise.
That meant more to her than any other compliment.
“Hic… Yes! CEO-nim! Thank you! I’ll work even, even harder!”
In the end, tears burst forth again.
They were hot tears mixed with joy, gratitude, and relief.
The fans comforted Yoon Sol with warm words, as if even that appearance of hers was lovely.
Encouraged by the successful reaction to her first song, Sol performed the following songs with a more relaxed and confident demeanor.
She also sang requested songs from fans on the spot and candidly shared her own stories related to the songs.
The broadcast, which continued without anyone noticing the time pass, reached its end amidst the fans’ reluctance.
“Today, thank you so much for joining me on my first singing broadcast. Thanks to all of you, I gained a lot of courage. I’ll work hard to show you an even better side of me in the future. This has been Starlight’s Solar! See you next time!”
Yoon Sol ended the broadcast with a bright smile and a wave.
Even after the broadcast ended, her heart pounded with overwhelming emotion.
A sense of accomplishment, that she had done it.
And hope that she could do even better in the future.
Her world was now shining completely.
The next evening.
Ajung’s personal broadcast screen was filled with flashy graphics and chaotically exploding effects.
It was a broadcast of the hottest new RPG game these days.
[Nooo! I died again! Why is this boss so strong? This is totally unfair!]
Her cute avatar lay sprawled on the floor, shouting as if aggrieved.
But the chat’s reaction was not on her side.
– Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
– No, s**t, are you doing this on purpose??
– Is this a stream to punish viewers???
– Ajung, you have to dodge that;;;
– Controller legend hahahahahaha
– Uh-oh, getting angry is a loss~ Ajung being bad at games is the default~~
– The chat window going crazy is hilarious hahaha
– She can’t even dodge that hahaha
– It’s okay, it’s okay, her face is entertaining~ We’re not watching this stream for the game~
Numerous viewers were watching her play in real-time, teasing and laughing.
The viewer count displayed on one side of the screen had already easily surpassed ten thousand, comparable to a major streamer.
[AdoongiWhoPushesAjungOffACliff has donated 100,000 Butter!]
[Ajung-nim, you’re doing this on purpose, right? This is a stream designed to give viewers anger issues, right??]
[Zelnaga has donated 10,000,000 Butter!]
[Ah, f*ck hahaha, there she goes again hahaha. Deliberately trolling and then extorting money with donations hahaha. Truly a menace hahahaha. Is it that hard to dodge that?]
The ceaseless flood of donations and Hajun’s surprise appearances were now familiar sights on Ajung’s broadcasts.
[Kya! Thank you for the donation! But CEO-nim! Don’t give me advice! I’ll figure it out myself!]
Ajung bristled but couldn’t hide the smile on her lips.
The fans enjoyed their banter, making the chat scroll even faster.
Her whimsical gameplay and pleasant communication with fans.
This was precisely Ajung’s unique charm and the reason she had established herself as a top-tier VTuber.
Meanwhile, at the same time, Rinne’s broadcast was, contrary to expectations, a scene of utter chaos.
On the screen with a flashy neon sign background, the gameplay of a popular rhythm game was displayed.
Unlike her usual sharp and capable demeanor, Rinne was glaring at the screen with a deep frown.
Notes rained down endlessly on the screen, but her avatar would often point fingers at empty air or press buttons at completely wrong timings.
‘MISS’ and ‘BAD’ judgments flashed consecutively in red letters on the screen, and her combo was miserably broken.
[Aaack! Why isn’t this hitting! I definitely pressed it just now! You all saw it, right?! The timing was right!]
Rinne screamed, voicing her frustration.
However, the chat window, unconcerned by her screams, was in a festive mood.
– Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
– Rinne had no rhythm hahahahahahaha
– Hmm.. I wonder what exactly she thinks was right..
– Wow, a legendary lack of rhythm, for real
– Wow, she’s really bad hahahahahaha This is a talent
– Discovered the reason why Rinne can’t dance ㅇㅇ
– Perhaps.. is there anything you’re good at..?
All sorts of teasing comments about Rinne flooded the chat.
Her usual nagging at fans was nowhere to be seen, and the sight of Rinne being unilaterally teased was in itself a fresh source of entertainment.
[No! I’m telling you, this keyboard is weird! Wow, you guys aren’t acknowledging it?]
Rinne tried to blame the innocent equipment, but the fans didn’t bat an eye.
Just then, another large donation notification flashed on the screen.
[Zelnaga has donated 10,000,000 Butter!]
[She says the keys aren’t registering hahaha. After I spent so much f*cking money on her equipment haha. Ah, okay, our great Starlight leader-nim is speaking, so I guess I’ll have to change it for her hehe.]
The chat window went wild once again.
– Immediate counter hahahahahaha
– The CEO who bought her the keyboard with non-registering keys appears hahahahahaha
– Should we just bill Rinne for all her equipment at this point???
– Don’t do that, Rinne will immediately become a debtor..
– Rinne is flustered hahahahahaha
– He was so warm to Solar, but look at this hahahaha. What a f*cking temperature difference hahaha.
Rinne saw the donation message and, as if at a loss for words, her jaw dropped.
It felt as though her face turning bright red could be seen even through her avatar.
[C-CEO-nim! Were you watching my broadcast right now? Th-that was a joke, you know? Honestly, if you act serious here, I’d think you have no sense!]
Rinne shouted in a voice mixed with fluster.
However, her protests were drowned out by the teasing from fans and the CEO, losing their impact.
[Neon Sign has donated 500,000 Butter!]
[Leader-nim, hang in there! It’s okay if you’re bad! Because you’re cute!]
[RhythmSenseMissing has donated 100,000 Butter!]
[You’re truly legendarily bad, so could you please turn off the game????]
Even the subsequent donation messages from fans were entirely teasing in nature.
Rinne huffed and puffed but didn’t give up on the gameplay, though the results were disastrous.
When the song ended and an all-time low score appeared on the screen, Rinne finally slammed her head on the desk and let out a deep sigh.
[Aargh, seriously! I just had bad luck today! Next time, I’ll definitely show you a perfect clear! For real!]
Rinne, promising a next time in a voice mixed with frustration and embarrassment.
The fans, finding even that side of her cute, continued to chat while laughing.
The unexpected clumsy charm of the always seemingly perfect leader provided another form of enjoyment for the fans, further solidifying her popularity.
The penthouse living room.
I watched the members’ broadcasts displayed on multiple monitor screens, a slight smile playing on my lips.
Yoon Sol had successfully completed her first solo flight, and Ajung and Rinne were already shining dazzlingly in their respective places.
Three stars, each with different charms.
And the numerous ‘Star Cluster’ members watching over those stars.
Starlight, which had just taken its first step, was growing much faster than expected.
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