I Quit Being an Idol and Became a Youtuber - Chapter 59
“Excuse me? What did you say?”
A few days after the live incident.
In the office of UFO Entertainment.
Kobayashi’s face turned pale upon receiving a phone call.
“Wait, hold on! A hold on the contract extension? What does that mean…? Hello? Hello?!”
Beeep—
“d*mn it…!!”
As soon as the call ended, Kobayashi slammed the phone down.
‘Those ungrateful bastards…!’
His clenched fist trembled with rage.
The aftermath of Cornelia’s surprise live broadcast was immense for his company.
[The True Face of a Rookie Entertainment Agency—]
[Revelations of Unfair Treatment Toward Affiliated Artists?]
[UFO Entertainment’s Tax Evasion Suspicions…]
Various scandals flooded the internet.
Now, a series of contract extension holds from several artists had occurred.
Moreover, there were signs that the stock price was starting to wobble.
“Huh…”
Kobayashi sighed as he leaned back in his chair.
He desperately craved a drink.
“…For now, I’ll try to calm things down somehow.”
Hikari, who had quietly been watching, finally spoke up.
The status window was generally defective, but there were surprisingly useful items within.
If properly utilizing the shop’s functions, it might be possible to quell the revelations from the members.
‘This could actually work out well.’
Those who arbitrarily declared a hold on their contract extensions.
While not quite as bad as Ren, most were seasoned veterans.
Above all, they were adults who understood how society functioned.
When it came to pushing Ren away, they all remained silent, focusing on their own problems, and now trying to back out was nothing short of embarrassing.
This time, they could cut those types out completely and restore public sentiment.
At this point, Hikari’s plan appeared flawless.
[The target’s likability is too low]
[The target’s likability is too low]
[The target’s likability is…]
…
[The target’s likability is too low]
…
Due to Hikari’s extremely low likability toward him.
Until the status window became corrupted.
d*mn it.
Hikari quietly swore internally.
For a moment, she had forgotten that this world was like a visual novel game.
Yes, the status window floated before her eyes.
With a likability score present, it wasn’t unusual.
The problem was that it didn’t function properly.
There was no likability to even accept the gifts meant to raise it.
The issue wasn’t with the items.
In fact, when Sakura gifted a necklace, her likability increased by two levels.
That was enough to treat her on par with the other group members, but Cornelia was different.
She knew deep down that there was resentment toward her.
Therefore, she had planned to win over the other members first and gradually clear things up.
But to think it would backfire so soon.
‘The system is really glitching out.’
Hikari sighed.
With the current situation, she had to make significant revisions to her originally laid plans.
I’m the protagonist, huh?
What a mess it has become because of that d*mn girl.
Hikari grimaced.
Looking back, everything might have started with Ren.
From the beginning, she had good relations with the original members.
Her attitude toward them wasn’t at all like what the main story had set.
Perhaps that was where it all went wrong.
Just when she had struggled to set things back in place, the roles had entirely reversed.
[The doomed next millennium idol, Ren…]
As Hikari observed people’s reactions, her eyes landed on an article.
Hikari clenched her phone subconsciously.
‘Hah, millennium idol…?’
Originally a hype-filled media outlet, it wasn’t an official evaluation.
Nonetheless, those words were more than enough to stir Hikari’s character.
Millennium idol.
Originating from a single photo of a Japanese idol from the past, it has now solidified as a title for those with overwhelming talent, few of whom appear even once in a millennium.
‘That woman is called a millennium idol…?’
Don’t joke with me.
That title was originally supposed to be mine.
Through the release of this new song, she was supposed to solidify her name and gain fame.
That was common in any route, and thus, conflicts with the villains would begin in earnest.
Having already pushed Ren out, she anticipated obtaining her status more easily.
…At least, that was what she had thought.
But now, that opportunity was completely shattered.
“This d*mn…!!”
In the current situation, the status window was entirely useless.
But neither could they publish a counter-article; there were too many accumulated grievances against the company.
“Ahhh! d*mn it!!”
Bang—
Ultimately unable to contain her frustration, Hikari threw her smartphone against the wall.
Crash—
As if hinting at future events, the phone’s screen began to crack delicately from the corner.
* * *
Caw caw
A seagull slicing through the clear blue sky.
Swoosh—
A cool sea breeze that effortlessly soothed my complicated heart welcomed me.
“……”
I silently stared at the ticket in my hand.
Before boarding the ship.
A freshly issued, warm ticket.
[New Camelot]
[Hakata (Fukuoka) -> Busan]
The ship I boarded was making its way toward the distant Busan port.
‘I didn’t expect to go this quickly…’
Of course, I had my reasons as well.
Once more, as I said, the flow of time in this world was different from my previous life.
2025, the Year of the Blue Snake.
The once-famous virtual planning agency from my past life was now a newly born company that had just emerged yesterday.
The guest from the continent was just about to board the plane and start their world tour.
“In these times, it’s hard to find a performance venue due to pandemics. That means more time to spend with them.”
Especially since the pandemic was mentioned in later discussions, it acted as a crucial device in the story development.
Considering that related articles were sporadically appearing in overseas topics, it was clear that it was about to spread worldwide soon.
“Before I leave, I wanted to see the kids’ faces one more time…”
I knew the upcoming days would be incredibly tough.
I desperately wanted to give those kids back in Japan a warm hug before their struggles without me.
‘…I can’t do that, get a grip.’
To pull my mind back from straying, I lightly slapped my cheek.
Such behavior would instead have the opposite effect in the current situation.
The moment that scene of me meeting those kids got captured by reporters, the fallout would be predictable.
‘Ren must have told them to do it,’ ‘They only conspired amongst themselves to sink the company, right?’
Such remarks would emerge without a doubt.
Then, automatically my restoration of honor would be out of reach, giving them an easy advantage.
‘Some might think I’m overthinking it…’
You might think it’s excessive worry, but what can I do? Such cases have occurred.
True to form, as someone who wiped out the dinosaurs overnight, the scripts the Earth’s author produced always surpassed our imagination.
In the end, I decided to pass on farewells through Shion.
After giving Kotoh a tight hug instead of the members, I quickly headed for Korea.
‘To proceed with broadcasts, Korea will be more advantageous than Japan.’
My main audience is also in Korea.
In the long run, having an MCN is better.
Above all.
Even if public sentiment has reversed, Japan is no longer safe for me.
What if, just like that stalker, someone traces and follows me to Shion’s house?
If worrying that way was all there was to it, it would be better to completely cut off any potential trouble.
Of course, I would need to periodically send survival reports back to Japan.
I slowly leaned back in my seat.
After all, as a foreigner, it would take some time. Maybe I’ll take a nap in advance.
* * *
How much time had passed inside the ship?
[Attention, passengers. We would like to inform you that the New Camelot will be arriving at Busan port in approximately 10 minutes.]
Perhaps due to the good conditions of the sea, the ship arrived at Busan port quicker than I expected.
As I looked out the window, the land came into view.
“……”
Korea.
Seeing that land after so long filled a corner of my heart with emotion.
It felt different from a simple domestic performance.
Although there were several issues between us, Korea and Japan were neighboring countries right next to each other.
Not that far apart.
Thus, it didn’t matter to traverse by boat this way.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you. You’ve worked hard.”
“No, you seem to have a lot of luggage.”
“…Yes, I plan to stay in this country for a while.”
I received my luggage from the crew member who had assisted with the ship alongside the captain.
There were three suitcases placed on the floor.
The contents inside were simple.
A computer and monitor.
Basic daily necessities including clothes were the main items.
After all, the ship had a more lenient baggage policy compared to airplanes.
It was much easier to take all kinds of items including my computer with me.
“………”
With a pounding heart, I stepped off the ship and onto Korean soil.
As soon as I walked a little further from the sea, a sign written in both Korean and Japanese greeted me.
“Let’s see.”
While I was briefly awed, I immediately began pondering my schedule.
‘First, I need to look for real estate.’
Since I needed a room for future broadcasts, even a small one-room place would be fine.
…Speaking of which, I feel like I’ve forgotten something.
What was it again?
It seemed to relate to my broadcasts; I decided to quietly turn on my phone to check.
I immediately logged into my live stream.
[Cheongha, when are you coming…?]
[They said they’d do a fan cam…]
[Are you shutting down the broadcast?]
[Where did you go, where did you go, where did you go, where did you go, where did you go, where did you go, where did you go, where did you go, where did you go…?]
A week ago.
The last announcement I had posted.
There I discovered a comment section that was running rampant.
‘Ah, right.’
I didn’t post a single notice after meeting the stalker that day.
I closed my phone quietly.