Chapter 355

Despite the midnight hour, the subway transfer station was still bustling with people.

Busy modern individuals boarded the driverless subway at all hours.

Meanwhile, in the subway waiting area, the transfer corridor stairs, the screen doors, and the holographic advertisements all changed at the stroke of midnight.

The group that had been sitting vacantly on the bench stood up together and gazed proudly at the ads.

[Happy NAME Day]

[2043 06 11]

[Happy Birthday Nameya!]

“Wow, our leader is so cute.”

“Yawn, I’m glad it turned out well. Shall we disperse now?”

“We have to take a photo! Everyone, stand in front.”

Nameya’s managers each shared their thoughts and took a celebratory photo in front of the holographic ad.

Passersby glanced curiously at the ad.

—

[Real-time Best]

[NoName Birthday Advertising Tour Report (Warning: Long)]

Hello, I’m the coordinator for Nameya’s subway birthday advertisement.

Thanks once again to the No Name fan cafe and the Magal community for sponsoring the advertisement costs.

Last year, we couldn’t properly celebrate because Nameya underwent surgery, so I’m really happy we could do something big this year.

Next, here are some advertisements we shot at major stations.

(Hongdae Entrance Station.jpg)

(COEX.jpg)

(Gunja Station.jpg)

…

(Gangnam Station.jpg)

(Hapjeong Station.jpg)

You can check the detailed locations in the notices of the No Name fan cafe.

(Source: No Name Gallery [Original View])

[Comments]

-Wow, the number of ads is real? How much did it cost?

└ It’s honestly horrifying that we just secured the most expensive spots rather than the number of ads.

-World-class No Name, wow!

-Actually, it almost got displayed in Times Square, but it was canceled due to a cowardly No Name fan’s strong objection.

└ Times Square? That’s crazy, lol.

└ That must cost millions a day – international fans are scary!

-Why go to all this trouble for a kid’s birthday when they’re not even a celebrity?

└ Isn’t it true that nearly everyone in their 20s to 40s knows No Name? More famous than a celebrity, right? (I genuinely have no idea)

└ My parents are in their 50s and they all know.

└ I bet even most teenagers know.

└ I’m 12, and all my classmates know No Name.

└ Kids, time to go outside, please.

[Our Name is definitely not world-class.]

-Selected as ‘Top 10 Most Influential Teenagers of 2051’ by Forbes.

-Listed in ‘The Great Generation 100’ in Switzerland.

-Selected as ‘100 Most Influential People of 2051’ by Time magazine + Cover feature.

-Designated representative speaker for the Wolff Mathematics Award.

-Certified youngest 5-circle user by the World Wizards Association.

-Guinness World Record for the youngest external manifestation user.

-A-level unique magic holder as per the Japan Magic Copyright Association.

-Major shareholder of ‘BioAkashic’ valued at $500 million.

-Greatest age difference win in the Academy Competition.

Excuse me, isn’t our Name world-class?

[Comments]

-Please, just recognize it!!!

-When you put it all together, it’s a monster…

-How can you let such a kid become a pro gamer? Seriously, guys?

└ LMAO

-I’ve heard that they also led the key research for the Persian immunotherapy drug.

└ That’s a record for the youngest Nature publication, wow!

-I wish Name could be my professor… I’d live as a slave for ten years…

-Add the Cannes Advertising Festival’s film category award to the list, go on!

└ Isn’t that the director’s achievement?

└ Regardless, Name’s acting skills are top-notch!

[Just a victim of circumstance, born in an era without Name.]

(The image of the four great saints of the world.jpg)

One thing’s for sure, even if they reincarnated now, they could never catch up to Name.

[Comments]

-They really reduce it down to nothing, LOL.

-Can Name toss an elephant like Buddha could? Uh…?!

└ Huh? If done well, maybe?

└ Name-Ment.

In internet culture, trends exist.

The discussion sparked by Name’s birthday advertisement took hold of the Korean online world across various communities.

[Why Valpurgy’s was a No Name suppressor]

[Lately, No Name’s situation – Often not broadcasting on the collection times.]

[Real-time fan met No Name in the subway (Not clickbait)]

And truly, the incredibly lucky ones might spot her at a subway station.

“Wow, aren’t you No Name? Happy birthday!”

—

As I stared at the subway station advertisement, the feeling was surreal.

It was a little embarrassing, yet on the other hand, it felt nostalgic to see so many people celebrating.

Last year, hardly any fans recognized me in the subway, but this year was a different case.

It turned out that not everyone in the subway was a busy modern individual.

As fans approached me first, I bowed my head in response.

I turned on the stream to record a thank you video that I would later upload to my VTube.

[No Name]

[Just Chatting – Short Morning Broadcast.]

[Broadcast Time – 0:00:32]

[Viewers – 893]

It had only been 30 seconds, but already a thousand people had joined.

Quickly, I turned on the automatic mosaic feature to cover the faces of passing pedestrians.

Since it was crowded, besides my face, everything was mostly blurry.

-Waaaah, happy birthday, Name!

-🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

-⋆⸜⊹₊ 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲 ¨̮⑅*⸝⋆

-In Korea, there’s a god, and that god is 9 years old.

-Yo, did you think I wouldn’t be able to watch if you broadcasted at this hour?

-Thank you thank you thank you!

-It’s a birthday livestream, I believed in you, No Name!

-Open the donation window right now!!!!

“Hello, thank you so much for celebrating my birthday again this year. It seems the advertisement turned out much prettier than in real life.”

I turned the camera toward myself, backing against the electronic display.

“It feels like I’m receiving love beyond what I’ve achieved, and I wanted to share this joy with my fans, so I’ve turned on the stream for a while. I have a family lunch appointment, so I think I’ll stream for about an hour. Oh, please understand that I’ve blocked donations since I can’t read messages.”

-ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Please stream again after lunch.

-The ads are legendary.

-As someone who attended the fan meeting, she looks even cuter in real life!

-Are you aware of all the comments flooding with Name’s posts across communities?

-The whole world is talking about Name…

-The universe’s greatest genius girl, No Name!

Actually, I had just come from a birthday party with my classmates at the Academy in the morning.

Having had birthday cake since morning, I decided to walk around the subway to digest.

There were a few people following at a distance, seemingly keeping their space to not disturb my stream.

“Hm… so what should we do now?”

-So what’s next?

-How about an impromptu fan meeting?

-Let’s go busking in the subway!

-A challenge has been presented to the genius, No Name…!

-Just turning on the stream is already content.

I contemplated how to spend the next hour.

I needed to keep moving.

If I stood still, I would soon be surrounded again, like when I was at Kyobo Bookstore.

Just then—

A passerby suddenly thrust something into my hand, giving me a bill.

“What’s this…”

“It’s a real donation! Happy birthday, No Name!”

The passerby vanished into the crowd without looking back.

I was dumbfounded by the sudden handing-over, and the viewers were busy laughing.

The amount was not small.

I fiddled with the 50,000 won bill and headed towards the escalator going up.

While checking the chat, I noticed comments calling me a genius from earlier.

“From now on, I’ll ban excessively flattering comments. Let’s become adults who praise effort over talent for children.”

As soon as I said that, a great idea struck me.

I stopped by a nearby stationery store and bought a recorder with the money I received earlier.

“Here’s your change.”

“Thank you. Have a nice day.”

When I stepped out of the stationery shop, I noticed a small crowd gathering and forming a circle at the entrance.

“There are said to be three great fools at Korea University. Do you all know who they are?”

-Three great fools? No fools at Korea University.

-LMAO, no way.

-They’re the ones bragging about being top of their class in high school, attending Korea University festivals, what’s the third?

“Walking from the Hongdae Entrance Station to the main gate. Is there anyone who wants to exercise with me?”

This way, I could digest the cake I had eaten in the morning, walk with fans at a reasonable scale, and busk to keep it entertaining.

It was the completion of a world where everyone was happy.

Checking the map, it was about 30 minutes to the main gate and roughly an hour to Professor Chun’s office in Building 131, which lined up perfectly with my appointment time.

Having exercised steadily with Adella, I was confident in my stamina.

Well, if it gets too tough, I can always use my aura.

With a destination set, I felt much more at ease.

“Then let’s head to the main gate of Korea University together. Send in your song requests!”

As I declared myself to become one of the three great fools of Korea University and took a step, more than half the crowd peeled off.

The first song chosen by vote was Timmy Trumpet’s ‘Narco Remix ver.2045’.

When I searched for it on VTube, I realized I had heard it several times during streams.

I played a few short notes on the recorder, feeling a bit empty.

So I took out a makeshift transformation scroll and attached it to the end of the recorder.

[Cast: Wave Change]

Inflating my cheeks and blowing vigorously, a resounding trumpet sound emerged.

“How is it? Pretty good, right?”

-Wow, this is insane, lol.

-Does the wand have that function? LMAO.

-This is gonna attract a lot of attention, lol.

Being in a crowd eased my embarrassment significantly.

Like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, I stood at the front with around 10 people trailing behind me.

Bam bap bam bam;

Bam bap bam bam bam—

Even though it was just a short one-minute performance, I personally experienced an overwhelming amount of attention coming my way.

Drivers waiting at the red light rolled down their windows to clap or whistle.

The followers increased from fifteen to twenty.

“Let’s see, the next song is… the Soviet March?”

-Who voted for this, LOL.

-There’s no way you can resist this song with a trumpet, lol.

-Dear everyone, don’t worry! It’s an American song!

-AAH, it’s time to return to socialism…

I took a deep breath and began to play.

This song was also one I’d heard several times during streams.

Though the title was Soviet March, it was shockingly composed by a British person.

As we crossed a hill after the first verse and chorus, I found over thirty people trailing behind us.

It felt absolutely insane to walk together in perfect rhythm.

It was a good thing that none of us knew the lyrics, or else someone could have misunderstood badly.

-This song provides tension to flaccid capitalism.

-I played this song to the beautiful me, and it turned her into a wonderful we.

-Battle power increased by 140%!!!

-The reason we unified the three kingdoms of We.

-(This comment was deleted by the Party.)

My performance didn’t stop at the trumpet.

I led the crowd playing Beethoven’s Virus and various movie and drama OSTs, showcasing the pure sound of the recorder.

Finally, upon reaching the main gate of Korea University, I successfully completed the journey with fifty people.

“Phew. Thank you all for your effort.”

Though it was a lengthy thirty minutes, I felt proud as if I had completed a marathon.

When else would I come here on foot?

“Please sing one last song, Name!”

The man in the center shouted loudly.

-Aren’t you seeing that Name is out of breath!

-For real, how many songs did she sing just to get here?

-Name, you don’t have to push yourself if it’s tough…!

An encore wasn’t a difficult request, so I agreed one last time to take song requests.

“Since it’s Name’s birthday today, we should all sing the birthday song before we go, right?”

“Right, right! Good idea!”

“Was today your birthday? Wow, great!”

“If you play, we’ll sing along.”

-Wow, let’s do it!

-The dumb ones were our viewers!

-The birthday song resounding at the main gate of Korea University!

-The Korean University students waiting for the bus look bewildered, LMAO.

-I wanna go too, me too!

This feels a little embarrassing, even if we’re all together.

But when fifty people raise their hands, ready to clap, I couldn’t help it.

I detached the wand and began to play using only the pure sound of the recorder.

“Happy Birthday to you—!”

The feeling I had when my friends celebrated me at the Academy in the morning was different from this.

Strangers, or rather, these were people I had surely crossed paths with online at least once.

“Happy Birthday to you—!”

I contained my overflowing emotions, smiling brightly as I slowly took in their expressions.

Before I knew it, all the students from Korea University had flocked, and fifty had suddenly multiplied to a hundred.

“To my beloved Name—!”

As I reached a high note, dissonance arose from various places.

Yet, those dissonant notes formed together into another beautiful melody.

Is it serendipity when unexpected luck finds you?

This situation seemed to perfectly fit that definition.

Enjoying this small deviation from the plan,

“Phew.”

I took a deep breath to let out the final three notes.

“Happy Birthday! Wow, congratulations on your birthday, Name!”

“Congratulations on your ninth birthday! Come back to Korea University again sometime!”

I’d have a story to share with Mom tonight.

She would probably be very happy to hear it, right?

That so many people are celebrating my birthday.

Every child born is blessed.

[No Name]

[Just Chatting – Short Morning Broadcast.]

[Broadcast Time – 0:48:38]

[Viewers – 28,593]