Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 62

Masked Tube Star

2022.01.01.

To be honest, I felt my lifespan increasing quite a bit these past few days. ‘I thought it was due to the drama reruns.’ But there was actually another source. “Saying you didn’t know isn’t an excuse. Ignorance doesn’t absolve you of guilt.” Kwon Seong-hyun’s voice was firm. Seeing that his usual smile was gone, he probably wasn’t going to let it slide easily. “I, I really didn’t know it was Yeon-woo! If I had known, I wouldn’t have uploaded it, or I would have asked for permission. As you know, I never uploaded busking scenes except for broadcasts.” It was, so to speak, a kind of mishap. If he had known it was Yeon-woo and uploaded it on purpose, it would have been quite malicious, but it didn’t seem that way. [Truth] Even though I wasn’t particularly conscious of it, my additional stat, ‘Understanding Intentions,’ was naturally activated. It was an ability specialized for reading scripts, but judging such a simple truth wasn’t difficult. [I’m so amazed by our actor…….] Dongja Ryung, who was perched above Yeon-woo’s head like a permanent fixture, said. [How did he recognize you from that terrible video? Is the discerning eye of a top actor really that different?!] That was what Yeon-woo was curious about too. ‘No. It’s amazing that he even found it. Ah, was it because he heard it together back then?’ He even found it before the staff member confessed.

“I, I’m really sorry. I didn’t do it on purpose, but I’m truly sorry for causing harm……” The staff member bowed deeply again. “Yeon-woo. What do you want to do?” Suddenly, the arrow turned to Yeon-woo. “Yes? What do you mean?” “It seems difficult to leave the uploaded video as is. The video is spreading in real-time. If Yeon-woo wants, the agency will take action.” “Heok……” The staff member made a choking sound. If the agency moved, it would no longer be a personal matter but a legal battle. “I’ll do whatever Yeon-woo wants.” Kwon Seong-hyun’s eyes stared straight at Yeon-woo. He was serious. If I said I wanted to sue, he looked ready to move the legal team immediately. But. “Well, is there really a need to make things so complicated?” Yeon-woo shrugged. “You said you were going to come to me first, right?” “Yes? Ah…… Yes! I was scared because there was too much attention. Suddenly, I was flooded with messages and emails from everywhere……” The staff member shuddered as if the thought gave him goosebumps. ‘Come to think of it, I think I saw a comment like that earlier.’

-Hello. I am XXX, a reporter from FXX Entertainment. I am emailing you to inquire about the related video. Please check.
-I am the assistant director of the music survival program MXXX. I would like to inquire about casting the performer. Could you provide contact information?
-We are RXX, the No. 1 classical label. We would like to conduct an interview. If possible, please email us your contact information……

I only skimmed through them because I was busy looking at the testimonial comments, but even Yeon-woo could see that several well-known companies were mixed in. “All I did was accidentally film a video, but people keep looking for me everywhere, so I feel like I’m going to have a nervous breakdown. And that’s not all. Some extreme people are tracking my account and even finding my personal SNS to send comments and messages……” The staff member shuddered once more. “I’ve seen celebrities while working in the broadcasting industry, but…… I can’t imagine how they endure this situation. It’s so overwhelming…… They’re all amazing.” How? If you don’t want to die, you’ll do anything. “Since it wasn’t done maliciously on purpose, I don’t think there’s a need to make a big deal out of it. I think it would be good enough to just make a proper announcement.” “Yeon-woo. Does that mean you’re leaving the video up?” “Yes. Well…… is there really a need to delete it?” If I leave it alone, lifespan will roll in on its own, so is there really a need to wastefully delete it? But the reaction of the two was strange. “No! You shouldn’t! Please do something about this video! The protagonist of the video is Yeon-woo, so shouldn’t Yeon-woo take it?!” “Yeon-woo. You need to think carefully. This is related to Yeon-woo’s portrait rights and copyrights. The more the video spreads, the more difficult it may become to prove Yeon-woo’s originality later on.” “Y-yes, that’s right! If you don’t reveal it quickly, someone might steal it and act like it’s theirs?!” Kwon Seong-hyun’s reaction I understand, but the staff member’s reaction is strange. “Please take it. I’m so scared, can’t you do something?” Usually, when something becomes a hit, people become greedy, but it seems like this person’s character isn’t bad. He just seems too timid, which is a bit of a problem. “How do I take it? The video is already uploaded…… I don’t want to delete it either.” “There’s a way! There is!” The staff member shouted desperately. “Yeon-woo should create a YouTube channel!” “Yes?” In the midst of my sudden question. “Ah. That’s a good idea too. If we submit a copyright infringement report to YouTube, Yeon-woo’s account name will appear. Then, people who were trying to watch the video will naturally be drawn to Yeon-woo’s account.” “Yes……?” Kwon Seong-hyun nodded with a reasonable expression. “Oh, I’d be grateful if you did that. Actually, even if I just deleted it, it would be a problem. If there’s no explanation, I’ll keep getting contacted, so it’s much better to connect it properly! Oh, thank you so much. I caused a regrettable incident, but thank you for being so considerate……” “I didn’t even think about creating a YouTube channel…… It’s definitely smoother than suing. There won’t be any noise either. Thanks to you, things will end well as Yeon-woo wanted, so you can thank Yeon-woo.” “……?” Suddenly, something is progressing rapidly. “Then, please take care of it. I’m sorry again. I’ll remember your understanding and repay you later. Thank you!” The staff member, who looked like he was dying, disappeared as if running away with a much brighter face. “What’s going on? What’s with the YouTube account?”

Suddenly, the atmosphere feels resolved. “Simply put, you’re creating a YouTube channel under Yeon-woo’s name. And you’ll upload that video there.” “Is there really a need to go through the trouble?” “Yeon-woo becomes the original creator. Anyone who covers or samples Yeon-woo’s song will have to pay Yeon-woo royalties.” “I don’t particularly want to make money……” The important thing isn’t money, but lifespan. The lifespan gained from the video’s influence. “It’s not just about the money. I thought about it after listening to that person earlier…… These days, even famous celebrities are gradually moving to YouTube.” “Is that so?” “There are some negative voices, but YouTube’s influence is definitely significant these days. Accessibility is even better than TV.” Influence. Yeon-woo’s ears perked up at that word. “Is YouTube that influential?” “Of course. Some YouTubers have more recognition than celebrities. It’s just my opinion, but…… it’s a waste to just let Yeon-woo’s music sit there. So…… how about uploading it to YouTube?” “YouTube?” “Lee Ju-ha, that guy is quite well-known on YouTube.” Kwon Seong-hyun immediately took out his smartphone and showed something. “……Why are there so many numbers?” The number was a whopping one, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand……. hundred million? “That’s more than the population of our country?!” “He’s recognized overseas too.” The number of followers is enormous. “Are all these people who like Lee Ju-ha’s music?” “Amazing, right?” Amazing. I’ve heard that Lee Ju-ha is a successful artist, but this is more impressive than I thought. ‘100 million people……?’ Just doing the math, the amount of lifespan that can be harvested increases exponentially. The reason I wanted musical ability was because it’s a medium that can naturally share emotions without the need for linguistic barriers, and it’s also a highly accessible medium. The reason I wanted to do radio was the same. But I learned that there’s an even bigger market. ‘Should I…… start lightly?’ Of course, it’s tempting. Very intensely. To what extent will the influence of music be? Will it have the effect I expected? It feels like the perfect opportunity to see for myself. “What do you think, Yeon-woo?” “It seems good.” Yeon-woo nodded readily. “However, I don’t think there’s a need to reveal that it’s me from the start.” “Ah. I think I know what you’re thinking. In this case, Yeon-woo’s recognition could influence judgment.” As expected, Kwon Seong-hyun was quick-witted. “If it’s music made by Yeon-woo, anyone will be captivated, so when it’s revealed later, the impact will be even greater.” I hadn’t thought that far, but it sounded plausible. [Amazing. The day has come when Yeon-woo is doing YouTube.] The sparrow above my head. Dongja Ryung muttered. And that night. Three videos were uploaded to a newly created, simple channel. A first step that started without anyone knowing. It was a first step that would later cause a huge sensation.

***

A barren channel with nothing. The only thing there were a few uploaded videos. People who were wondering why the video was stopped on the staff channel came one by one, but only expressed doubts.

-?? What kind of channel is this?
-What is this? Is this really the user’s video? There are only three videos, so is it a fake?
-It’ll probably be taken down soon; It looks like a dummy account.
-What are you doing, YouTube? Why aren’t you cracking down on this?

It wasn’t even a proper concert video, but the music had already captivated so many people with just one poor-quality video. So, they couldn’t possibly look kindly on someone who suddenly appeared and claimed to be the protagonist of that video.

-What…… is it the same person? It’s a bit simple?
-I knew it was a fake ㅉㅉ I’m going to report it to YouTube ㅃ [ㅉㅉ and ㅃ are Korean internet slang expressing disapproval or dismissal]
-It feels a bit similar? ㄴYour ears must be weird. It’s not similar at all.
-The technique and subject matter are at a level that would be embarrassing compared to ‘that’ video.
-I wish all the impersonators would die.

As the gradually uploaded sound sources were heard one by one, they were busy cursing the channel owner, saying ‘as expected!’ However.

-What is this? Why does this sound source sound good? Are my ears weird:(
ㄴNo, it’s a very beautiful song to me too?
-Has the channel owner changed?
ㄴAre they using people to do media play [using media attention for self-promotion]?;;;
ㄴA composer of this level composes to help someone else’s media play? They would never do it because of their pride.

As the sound sources were steadily uploaded, those reactions gradually began to disappear one by one. People who had been leaving malicious comments drew question marks one by one.

-This one……. is really good enough?
-It’s a pity it’s not classical, but it feels like it’s on par with most movie OSTs [Original Soundtracks]?
ㄴIt feels like a story is unfolding before my eyes.
-Has the completeness also increased significantly? In fact, I felt that the previous violin and piano performances were also quite high-level.
ㄴSince the mixing was added last time, the song has gradually become more sophisticated.
ㄴThat’s right. I definitely agree. If at first they were waiting for the next song to leave bad comments.

-When will the next song be uploaded?
ㄴA week feels like a month.
ㄴI feel like a year.
ㄴCould this be the channel owner’s big picture? Maybe they’re pulling aggro [intentionally provoking a reaction] from the beginning with the purpose of taming us like this…….

Now, people who have completely abandoned their crooked gazes and are purely waiting have begun to increase. The owner of that channel, Yeon-woo, didn’t know it though.