Chapter 100

LUX.

It’s an MCN represented by Da Ramji, one of the top five famous broadcasters in South Korea, and a company that takes care of the overall management of the Virtual YouTubers under [Fantasy Land].

To cut to the chase, LUX has been generally positive lately.

All the Fantasy Land Virtual YouTubers have settled well into the world of internet broadcasting, and thanks to this smooth sailing, various collaborations with external parties are also underway.

From the company’s perspective, Fantasy Land, which was a significant “challenge,” is now poised for a transition into a more profitable revenue model.

It was also the reason why they convened all the Fantasy Land members to the LUX headquarters after quite some time for a meeting related to the “Cover Song Project.”

One indispensable part of a Virtual YouTuber’s content is cover songs.

If they prepare well and reveal a high-quality product, it would add wings to the already smooth-sailing Fantasy Land broadcasts.

They had already prepared several candidates for cover songs.

A “special vocal training instructor” was also scheduled to attend the meeting, so it was indeed a gathering related to the cover songs.

However.

Was the meeting solely focused on cover songs from start to finish?

“I should have left a text saying that we were broadcasting before calling.”

“Yes, I did leave a text the first time I called. But for some reason, from a certain point on, they answered the call in a broadcasting tone without me leaving a text… I’m sorry…”

That wasn’t quite right either.

“If Ha Eun brings this up, it will be a problem.”

As a result, the cover song-related meeting had to be pushed back slightly from its scheduled time.

It was due to an unexpected broadcasting accident that occurred a few days ago during ‘Cream’s’ stream.

“We initially contracted with Ha Eun through the company’s legal team. If there is any issue with the image of ‘actor Lee Ha-eun’ due to our fault, we could be held accountable at the agency level.”

“Will… will I get sued?”

“The possibility isn’t exactly 0 percent. No matter what, I don’t think Ha Eun would go as far as suing… But let’s start with an apology.”

Throughout the conversation, Jee Hye-min continuously reminded them that the broadcasting accident from a few days prior was no minor incident.

And there was Jeong Maria, bowing her head low and at a loss in front of Jee Hye-min.

She was absolutely certain that everything from start to finish was her fault.

Even on the day of the broadcasting accident, she felt her heart drop and had banned all chats related to Diah’s red drug without regard for the level of severity.

However, to be honest, she never expected it to escalate to this extent.

– Creak.

“…Hello.”

As soon as Ha Eun entered the small meeting room where only Jee Hye-min and Jeong Maria had been, her already pale face turned even whiter.

Even though she knew she had to apologize to Ha Eun, she kept chewing her lips, unsure of what to say.

What followed was a heavy silence.

Even Jee Hye-min, the one who called for Ha Eun, treated her with extra caution and asked about her thoughts on the broadcasting accident that happened a few days ago.

“Your voice sounds shaky, but I think it doesn’t seem too noticeable. What do you think, Ha Eun?”

“To be honest, I’m not sure. In a world where you can identify someone just from their hand shape…”

“That’s true.”

Ha Eun also knew well that she couldn’t predict how her shaky voice would be analyzed in detail or when and how much.

Perhaps down in the depths of the internet, Diah’s red drug might have already been identified.

However, dwell on things that were out of Ha Eun’s control seemed like it would only trouble her further.

Rather than worrying about an uncertain future, she decided to take things step by step with what she could do right now.

“Um, Maria unni.”

“Uh, yes!”

“I bought a phone for broadcasting. Please contact me at this number when I’m on air.”

Soon, the new contact stored in Jeong Maria’s phone.

Finally, when Jeong Maria received her phone back from Ha Eun, she opened her tightly shut mouth.

“Ha Eun, can you share your account…? I’ll send you the phone bill…”

She first offered to cover the cost of Ha Eun’s new phone.

This was the beginning of Jeong Maria’s humble apology for the broadcasting accident that had occurred a few days prior.

Acting as if she had sold her country out, Jeong Maria eventually burst into tears, leaving Ha Eun a bit flustered.

She was being much more apologetic than Ha Eun had anticipated.

Ha Eun recognized that she had a tendency to be somewhat numb regarding matters related to herself.

Even so, saying “hello” and creating such a scene seemed a bit excessive.

What Ha Eun was truly worried about was Diah’s next broadcast.

More precisely, it was the rampage of those who had briefly heard Diah’s true voice.

“They’re definitely going to keep sponsoring until they hear the real voice. Should I put a notice out in advance or something…?”

Ha Eun had belatedly realized that the peak viewership of the previously aired Baranabi play stream had surpassed five digits.

She also confirmed that Diah’s follower count had surged again and that the community was buzzing once more.

Even if she didn’t want to acknowledge it, there was no denying that interest in Diah had heated up more than ever.

“…I guess this is the only way.”

It was a foregone conclusion that chats and sponsorships related to Diah’s true voice would flood during the next broadcast.

While it was possible to ban the excessive and unrestrained chats, banning substantial sponsorships could definitely have negative effects on future broadcasts.

Therefore.

“Maria unni.”

“Yes…”

“Let’s do a collaboration in real life, just once. On the official Fantasy Land channel.”

“Uh… What? What did you say?”

They decided to use Jeong Maria, the cause of Diah’s true voice being revealed even if briefly, as the focal point for Diah’s next broadcast.

In any case, reactions regarding Diah’s true voice were bound to surface in some way during Diah’s broadcasts.

It was unreasonable for Ha Eun alone to bear that many reactions, so she thought it necessary to have someone by her side to help.

Surely, Diah’s next broadcast would also see a flood of chats related to her true voice.

Other members’ broadcasts would attract some attention too, but Ha Eun predicted that Diah and Cream’s broadcasts would be the loudest.

So even more so.

Rather than letting Diah and Cream tackle the aftermath of the broadcasting accident alone.

“I might tease you a bit during the collaboration. Is that okay?”

“Uh, yes! Feel free to tease me!”

It seemed better to share the excitement among the viewers through a real-life collaboration broadcast between Diah and Cream.

The saying “Many hands make light work” rings true.

Taking a stricter approach to the chats and sponsorships related to Diah’s true voice would surely shift people’s stances toward restraint.

Since it was the official Fantasy Land channel, it felt like they could manage the broadcast slightly more strictly.

“What do you think, Representative?”

“Well, as long as Ha Eun is okay with it, I have no objections whatsoever.”

Before long, Jee Hye-min began asking when and how they would proceed with the collaborative broadcast.

After a moment of consideration, Ha Eun replied.

“If Maria unni is okay with it, we can do it at your place. Otherwise, it might be good to do it at the office.”

She asked Jeong Maria and Jee Hye-min if either could provide a location for the real-life collaboration.

Eventually, Jee Hye-min suggested that broadcasting at the LUX headquarters would be more convenient.

“If we broadcast from Maria’s place, it might be tough to respond immediately if a broadcasting accident occurs.”

“Ah, yes.”

Moments later, Jeong Maria, who had been observing the conversation between Ha Eun and Jee Hye-min, quickly agreed without any objections.

For someone who was feeling guilty toward Ha Eun and unsure of what to do, there was no option to disagree.

Thus, the meeting concluded with the decision for Diah and Cream’s first real-life collaboration.

Surprisingly, it turned into a situation where Ha Eun, who had initially seemed annoyed, ended up reassured by Ha Eun instead.

But for now, she felt they had done everything they could.

However, the day’s schedule was not completely over.

“Uh, Ha Eun, did you… wrap it up well?”

“Yes. I wrapped it up well.”

Ha Eun and Jeong Maria met with the other Fantasy Land members waiting in a different meeting room from where Ha Eun had previously been.

Right after Jeong Maria, whose eyes were still slightly red, entered the meeting room.

Once all the Fantasy Land members had gathered in the meeting room.

“Okay, okay. Let’s start discussing work first~.”

The original purpose of calling the Fantasy Land members to the LUX headquarters for a meeting related to cover songs started with Jee Hye-min, who was the last to enter the meeting room.

They began introducing the special vocal training instructor for Fantasy Land’s first cover song.

“He is the protagonist who topped the music charts for four consecutive weeks and is an amazing singer receiving love calls from every direction, so please give him a round of applause~!”

While all the Fantasy Land members shifted their attention toward the door of the meeting room except for one person.

– Creak.

The sound of someone entering didn’t come from the meeting room’s glass door but rather from right next to them, in the form of a chair being pushed back.

What they encountered was Ha Eun, who had been wearing dark sunglasses for some time.

“From now on, I will speak to you in a casual manner. Please call me ‘Instructor’ from here on out.”

Suddenly, the atmosphere changed, and Ha Eun began what is known as ‘establishing authority.’

This was because Jee Hye-min, the one who invited the singer Pinocchio, had directly stated not to hold back and to teach rigorously.

Even the introduction lines for Pinocchio were written by Jee Hye-min himself.

“Do I really have to wear sunglasses?”

“Of course, it makes you look more charismatic. It’s cool, like a secret agent.”

Honestly speaking, she still didn’t quite grasp what was considered cool.

She merely thought there was nothing strange about Jee Hye-min, who wore a satisfied expression for some reason.

The truth is that she just wanted to see Ha Eun wearing sunglasses.

The satisfied gaze in front of her wasn’t directed at the singer Pinocchio but at D.A, the manager of Da Ramji broadcasts.

She was also completely unaware that it was a gaze full of fondness for a loyal viewer who had watched Da Ramji’s broadcasts for over ten years.

---