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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: New Fans and New Rules
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“Ah, no, that’s not what I meant… Don’t be mad, I’m sorry. I was nervous, so my words came out weird…!”
As if to mock the fear she’d felt just a moment ago, Nam Min-ju stuck her tongue out slightly and tapped herself on the head. Contrary to her sharp features, her tone and voice were incredibly soft. So soft they could practically spin in circles.
‘Right, no need to be scared. She’s a tomato caterpillar trapped in the body of a vocational high school’s top dog.’
Hye-sung confidently lifted her head and met Nam Min-ju’s gaze.
“…What about my face?”
“Oh, it’s just, your face looks so familiar. And since we’re the same age, you can speak casually with me. My name is Nam Min-ju.”
‘Another fake peer added to the list. But who do I look like? Is she talking about Han Young-won?’
At this point, she felt the pressure to admit that her face was in the same category as Han Young-won’s.
“Who? Don’t tell me… Young-won?”
“Hm? No, no! I don’t really think you look like her… I was talking about… Boryeon Satae Dongbang Ok-ran.”
‘Who’s that? A Chinese celebrity?’
A question mark appeared in Hye-sung’s eyes.
“She’s a character from a martial arts novel I like. She’s super strong and so cool. A really, incredibly powerful and awesome character. A really, really strong and amazing character!”
“Ah… I see.”
So there was another otaku here. A different type from me, though.
Hye-sung could only nod as she watched Nam Min-ju repeat the same words with an excited expression.
“She’s the sect leader of the Emei Sect, and an illustration of her was just released…! And the Boryeon Satae in the illustration looks so much like you right now. I was so surprised, it’s like the artist drew her while looking at you, Hye-sung. Do you think… we could take a picture together?”
Hye-sung was about to say yes, but she paused.
‘Wait a minute. The leader of the Emei Sect…’
Isn’t she bald?
The Emei Sect from the wuxia novels she’d read at the comic book cafes her father had dragged her to as a kid was a Buddhist sect, often depicted as a clan of nuns.
‘Not a lay disciple, but the sect leader? She’s got to be bald. Is she saying I look like a baldy right now?’
“Hye-sung, what’s wrong? Ah, are photos not allowed?”
“No, it’s not that. Aren’t the Emei Sect monks?”
“Yes! That’s right! It’s a sect of female monks. Look at this!”
Seeing that Hye-sung knew what she was talking about, Nam Min-ju grew even more excited and shoved her phone screen in Hye-sung’s face.
‘*Noruttan-ing* New Wuxia Novel. *Emei Reincarnation: Shave the Heavenly Demon’s Head*? What kind of title is that.’
“Are you talking about the girl on the cover? She’s not bald.”
“That’s the main character, Dongbang Seon-gi! Boryeon Satae is Seon-gi’s paternal aunt. Wait a second.”
Nam Min-ju swiped her finger across the screen.
“This is the character.”
The screen she proudly presented showed a middle-aged woman in a white hood, wielding a staff.
“Min-ju.”
“Yeah?”
“How am I supposed to take being told I look like a middle-aged bald woman?”
“Ah, aaah! Sorry, I’m so sorry! I meant what she looked like when she was younger!”
Facing Hye-sung’s sanpaku eyes, which had lost all their light, Nam Min-ju broke into a cold sweat and stammered out an excuse. It was an adorable sight that was hard to match with her appearance.
“When she was younger, her hair was similar to yours…!”
The screen Nam Min-ju hurriedly showed her again displayed a young-looking, short-haired character standing with a solemn expression.
‘She looks more like a warrior from Saturn than me.’
“This is the scene where she cuts her hair off with a sword. Doesn't she seem like the epitome of a strong woman? Boryeon Satae is a woman who gets things done, just like you. A real Korean badass.”
‘Korean badass? She’s Chinese.’
“So what do you think, Hye-sung? Super pretty and totally cool, right…?”
Nam Min-ju looked at Hye-sung with moist eyes set within her fierce features. She looked like she would cry if Hye-sung didn’t agree.
“Yeah, well… I don’t really see the resemblance, but she is pretty.”
“Really? I think you look so much alike… But, uhm, about that picture…”
“You come over here. As you can see, my kid is sleeping, so I can’t move.”
Hye-sung gestured with her eyes toward Na Yeon-woo, who was sound asleep with her head on Hye-sung’s shoulder.
* * *
Back home, Hye-sung quickly searched her name. The reactions were quite different from when *Rocky Funky*’s first stage was released. Posts about her styling change had spread across various communities and social media, and quite a few people seemed to have taken a liking to her.
‘So this is why my star quality went up. The photo was taken by that Baeksatu person.’
Hye-sung surfed the cyber world looking for the original photos of herself and Na Yeon-woo from the production presentation day and discovered an SNS account.
ilumine @withlight_pic
For photos and videos I like / Not a single-fandom account
Do not crop logo or re-edit. Okay to use as profile pic.
128 Following 20,946 Followers
‘So this is the person. But from the looks of it, she doesn’t seem to be my type of fan.’
The account had various photos uploaded—landscapes, stage greetings, red carpets, curtain calls—but scrolling through, there were no pictures of other idols.
‘If she doesn’t have a main bias right now, I really hope she stans Yeon-woo.’
After hopping through a few accounts, Hye-sung found the main account, ‘Kim Gwang-in.’ It wasn’t hard to deduce since she had posted her review of the Sangam Temple event under the Kim Gwang-in account.
‘Looks like she hasn’t separated her accounts yet.’
She scrolled down the timeline, a jumble of shared posts on all sorts of topics.
Kim Gwang-in, who had stopped using code names after just a few days and had practically turned her account into a pure stan account, was practically screaming for a ticket to the first competition.
Kim Gwang-in @michingirl
WTB Supernova Project audience ticket
I want to see Hye-sung too ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
(sobbing emoji)
‘Me, not Yeon-woo?’
Of all people, Kim Gwang-in seemed to have chosen her as her ultimate bias.
Hye-sung felt a pang of guilt.
‘But I’m going to disappear soon… She’ll probably ditch me as soon as she sees the broadcast anyway, but I still feel bad.’
Kim Gwang-in @michingirl
When Hye-sung looked at my camera
I felt a spark
A love like this will never come again
Kim Gwang-in @michingirl
Look at her holding Yeon-woo’s hand so tightly
Such a baby… (teary-eyed emoji)
(Photo of Hye-sung on the red carpet)
Kim Gwang-in @michingirl
The little one thinks she’s the big sister
holding her little sister’s hand so they can walk together ㅠㅠㅠ
Kim Gwang-in @michingirl
I’m passing this down as a family heirloom
(Photo of the slogan she got from Hye-sung)
‘People’s tastes are a scary thing.’
She was dumbfounded by the fact that someone could fall for her with the heaven-sent visual center Na Yeon-woo right there.
Kim Gwang-in @michingirl
How is even the weather on Hye-sung’s side
Dripping with poignancy… I love a face with a story
(Backlit but atmospheric photo of Hye-sung)
Kim Gwang-in @michingirl
Just looking at our girl’s face she seems like a lady from a good family
calm, coy, and demure
but seeing her make antenna hair pieces on Young-won unni’s head
and liking it shows she’s a total playful little goblin
(Hye-sung making a V-sign behind Han Young-won’s head.mp4)
‘I’ve never heard these words in my life.’
Poignant, a lady from a noble family, calm, demure.
They were words that had never been listed alongside her name in her entire life.
Kim Gwang-in @michingirl
I can’t find Hye-sung (eyes covered emoji)
(Arctic fox)(Harp seal)
(Long-tailed tit)(Hye-sung)
Kim Gwang-in @michingirl
Squishy-rice-cake-honey-tteok-milk-foam-snow-white-whipped-cream
baby-seal-arctic-fox-long-tailed-tit
I love you
Kim Gwang-in’s timeline was filled with posts gushing over Hye-sung.
She just threw in any white food or animal, even if they didn’t look much alike.
‘This is pretty embarrassing…’
She was just on the receiving end of what she usually did, but her insides were squirming. Feeling that stalking her any further would be a bit creepy, she quietly hit the back button.
‘…Actually, it’d be easier to just follow her.’
Back on her main feed, ‘Kim Gwang-in’ was added to the following list of Hye-sung’s burner account.
*Knock, knock.*
There was a knock on her door.
“Hey. The show’s about to…”
“Nope.”
Hye-sung casually waved her hand and shut the door before her brother, standing in the doorway, could finish his sentence. Her parents were scheduled to come home late today.
“You can get away with it today, but starting next week, Mom and Dad will want to watch it with you.”
That absolutely could not happen. The mere thought of watching my cringey, posturing self with my parents was horrifying.
“Next week, I’ll have to lie and say I’m watching it with the other trainees and get out of the house.”
After a short break, Hye-sung accepted the food her brother had ordered for delivery and sat in front of her monitor. The live chat window on the website was being flooded with messages scrolling by so fast you couldn’t read the words.
[LIVE Chat]
-when does it start
-the ads are so fucking long
-Q Media♡Lee Ju-ha Q Media♡Lee Ju-ha
Q Media♡Lee Ju-ha Q Media♡Lee Ju-ha
-Let’s go Ju-ha’s debut~!!
-Congrats in advance on 1st place, Ju-ha
-YESSSSS Q media FAMILY! Let's go!!
“Where did all these people come from.”
Whether they were existing fans of Lee Ju-ha or fans of Snowy, a group of them had flocked to the chat, spamming it to an irritating degree.
-stop spamming
-Stan Juha. if Knetz eliminate her again, they'll be punished. K 네티즌은 사악하고 역겨운. (vomit emoji) 그들이 또다시 그녀를 제거한다면 그들은 심판받을 것이다.
-Q Media♡Lee Ju-ha Q Media♡Lee Ju-ha
Q Media♡Lee Ju-ha Q Media♡Lee Ju-ha
-You should cheer in moderation, what is this; you think you own the chat;;
-♡Power Vote♡Ju-ha♡Yetti is rooting for you♡Ju-ha♡Yetti is rooting for you♡Power Vote♡Ju-ha♡Yetti is rooting for you♡Ju-ha♡Yetti is rooting for you♡
-Excuse me, did you rent out the whole chat? Stop spamming
-Internatiional Yettis supporting QUEEN JUHA <3
-Please don't spam ㅠㅠ It's not good for Ju-ha eonni… I apologize on their behalf, I'm sorry ㅠㅠ
“I was hoping to see some light-fan reactions, but I guess not.”
Hye-sung closed the live chat window and opened several community forums in split-screen on her phone and tablet.
A moment later, the commercials ended, and the show began.
Seol Han-na appeared alone on a stage lit by a single pin spotlight, reciting the kind of cliché opening lines typical of survival shows and explaining the voting method.
[You can vote for 12 people per day on the website and the app. The voting begins right now. Right now.]
“Twelve people?”
Not ten?
Hye-sung flinched when she heard the number of people they could vote for.
“On that day in the studio, all the chairs looked the same except for the first-place seat…”
But since ranks 2 through 10 were in the same row, everyone had tacitly assumed that was the debut lineup.
“What the? Was the seating arrangement a fake-out?”
Before the reset, the debut group had ten members. Did the situation suddenly change again? With a serious expression, Hye-sung checked the reactions.
-Voting is open
-You can pick 12 a day? So the debut group has 12 members?
└They didn’t say how many would debut, but probably?
-It was 9 members up to season 4, why is it 12 now? That's an awkward number
└I know, right? Big groups are out of trend anyway, they should be cutting down, not adding more;
-fr 12 is way too many. 7~9 is the sweet spot
-Wow... how are they gonna do line distribution? Some of them are just gonna be background decorations
“Now that I think about it, I’m getting pissed.”
Before the reset, Na Yeon-woo’s rank was 11th.
If the debut group had been 12 members back then, she would have debuted with the ‘dutiful daughter’ rank—the first one to be called during the finale.
“Are they kidding me? If they’re debuting 12 people, is there any reason for me to be here humiliating myself like this?”
