The Idol Who Returned from Hell Chapter 102

I looked closely at the unfamiliar app name.

“Milky Way?”

“That’s right, Milky Way. These days fans want communication with you guys as their top priority. You can consider it an app optimized for that.”

I definitely remember hearing about similar types of apps in my previous life.

But this application called Milky Way was completely new to me.

It probably only exists in this reincarnated world.

“Oh, I’ve heard about this a lot. I heard it’s almost like having one-on-one messages with us.”

“Exactly what Seon-woo said. Milky Way has various features, but what sets it apart from other apps is the chat function. If you buy a subscription for the member you want, you can send messages anytime. Of course the competition will be fierce, but there’s also the possibility that if you ask questions, the artist might directly respond.”

“Amazing!”

“Direct communication with MILLENNIUM is possible…”

The CENTIX members all had bright, sparkling eyes.

“First, let’s all download the app on our phones.”

“Yes!”

After downloading Milky Way on our phones, we logged in by entering the artist-exclusive ID we received from our manager.

‘Oh ho, so the UI is set up like this.’

Just like the word Milky Way, numerous idol groups were implemented in ‘planet’ forms.

From a consumer perspective, if you choose the planet you want and subscribe, you can watch the original content uploaded to that group’s planet.

Going one step further, if you want to become closer with your favorites, you buy subscription rights to unlock the message feature.

“Like other SNS platforms, if you want to submit photos or videos on Milky Way, you need to get permission from us first. Sending messages is up to you, but according to company policy, we need to thoroughly review those two things.”

“That’s fine!”

“We understand everything.”

“Haha, I’m grateful for everything. Of course most things will pass, so don’t worry too much. Our planet will officially open on Milky Way tomorrow, so set up your profiles before you sleep tonight.”

You worked really hard today, so rest well – with those final words, our manager left the filming location with the staff.

We were about to get up to move to the next tower when.

“Let’s take a group selfie in these outfits before we go, for Stargram.”

Seong-hwi, working overtime with enthusiasm, caught us by the scruff of the neck.

After taking dozens of photos, we finally returned to the dorm.

“Can I shower first today?”

“What’s gotten into Si-hwan, asking to go first for once?”

“If that’s being demanding, then what you usually do is—”

“Hey hey, why are you taking it so seriously, leader! Go shower quickly.”

I, who usually takes my time showering, had something I wanted to check quickly just for today.

A new app I’d never seen in my previous life, Milky Way.

‘Let’s see, first I need to set up a nickname and profile.’

I went into my gallery and looked through it carefully.

What would be good?

Normally I would have just used an official photo uploaded to portal sites without any thought.

But due to Seong-hwi’s thorough drilling education, the ideology that ‘fans like photos we take ourselves much more than those kinds of photos’ had been ingrained in me.

After much deliberation, the photo I chose was a half-body shot that Seong-hwi had taken for me during yesterday’s final rehearsal.

Now that I’d overcome one hurdle, another hurdle appeared.

‘Name, the name…’

No matter how much I’d actually debuted in my previous life and practiced for 50 years in hell, I couldn’t master this kind of thing.

This was even my first time experiencing this kind of event in my life.

‘Can’t I just write my name in three characters?’

Doesn’t simple is best apply here?

But as if he had brilliantly read my thoughts.

[Seong-hwi: Brother, you can’t just use Ryu Si-hwan as your nickname, alright?]

A vicious message flew in from that narcissistic bastard.

Because of that, I had to draw upon creativity I hadn’t used since lyric writing.

The nickname I barely settled on was ‘Hwan-father.’

At least it was a nickname for Ryu Si-hwan that I knew, and the modifier that represented me during 〈ISL 2〉.

With this nickname, even obsessive-compulsive Seong-hwi should give it a passing grade.

‘But this is interesting. How will people’s messages be displayed to me?’

After completing profile creation, I went into my personal space.

A quiet silence flowed in the chat room labeled [Messages].

“Si-hwan, you’re secretly looking forward to Milky Way, aren’t you?”

“You startled me.”

“Hehe.”

Wet hands tapped my neck from behind.

Kang Seon-woo, whose hair was still thoroughly soaked, suddenly invaded my bed and peered at my phone screen.

“I’ve seen our agency seniors do this a few times. It’s quiet like this now, but starting tomorrow you’ll witness incredible scenes every day. Look forward to it.”

“What exactly will happen?”

“Spoiling it first would ruin the fun.”

Until this point, I didn’t really understand what Kang Seon-woo was talking about.

I never imagined the firepower would be this intense.

* * *

[Welcome to CENTIX’s planet!]

‘Finally we have a public account on Milky Way too.’

The homma grinned as she looked at the message that appeared on her phone.

Milky Way, currently the undisputed number one in recognition among paid platforms.

It was famous for being an app made by a major corporation development company that collaborates directly with artists to provide solid content.

The only app in Korea that allows personal chatting with artists, making it essential for MZ generation fans.

Currently in a situation where she had to perform both her duties as a homma and as MILLENNIUM simultaneously.

Since she had sufficient funds, she had bought subscription rights for all six CENTIX members.

Essential work to properly fan and provide information about all members evenly to her Bluebird.

But her personal fan heart naturally had to be satisfied too.

So the homma was waiting with eyes soaked in anticipation for a notification to appear in Ryu Si-hwan’s chat room marked ‘Hwan-father.’

The timing of private messages was absolutely unpredictable.

But on days like today when their planet just opened, the probability of leaving at least a greeting was very high.

While passing time doing video editing work.

[Hello everyone. Can you see my message?]

“It’s here, it’s here, it’s here!”

Seeing the notification that popped up at the top of her phone, the homma clenched her fist and hurriedly accessed Milky Way.

[Ah, so messages keep coming all at once like this. I’m just learning this now. Hahaha]

Milky Way was probably unfamiliar to Ryu Si-hwan.

Though it was the first day of the planet opening, Ryu Si-hwan, who had gained enough buzz to appear on Bluebird’s real-time trending rankings, must have gathered an incredible number of subscribers.

So he seemed unable to get his bearings from the cascade of messages flowing like a waterfall.

[Still, I’ll try to answer as many questions as possible, MILLENNIUM.]

[Ah, I usually put periods when texting too. It’s a habit haha]

[A lot of people are saying not to put periods because it seems like I’m keeping distance. Hmm]

The homma, who had been slowly reading Ryu Si-hwan’s messages, sent a thanks to the unknown fan who sent the message about not putting periods.

‘With that kind of speech pattern, there’s no difference from Ryu Si-hwan on stage. I want to see a more friendly side.’

Ryu Si-hwan was silent for 1 minute.

Judging from the flow, he was probably deeply pondering how to change his speech pattern.

Eventually, two messages came up in succession.

[Got it MILLENNIUM! I’ll absolutely never put periods again haha]

[But if you tease me, I’ll go back to serious speech. I warned you, okay?]

‘Yes, this is the kind of speech we wanted, us! Si-hwan!’

At the much friendlier and relaxed tone, the homma excitedly sent a message saying “I absolutely won’t tease you, promise!”

But after pressing the send button, she suddenly realized.

‘Wait. Other people are already succeeding at back-and-forth right now, aren’t they? I haven’t even sent a message that could lead to back-and-forth? What am I doing, you idiot. Has my sense completely disappeared?’

That’s right.

The secret to Milky Way’s overwhelming popularity compared to other platforms, precisely this ‘private message.’

An absolute opportunity to go beyond simply collecting undisclosed information about my favorite and directly exchange questions and answers one-on-one.

Originally, to ask trivial questions, you’d naturally have to go to fan signings or music show pre-recording venues.

But due to limited numbers, the competition rate becomes infinitely high, bringing despair to many.

Milky Way provided the opportunity to have back-and-forth with your favorite for just 15,000 won per month.

In other words, if your favorite directly responds to and mentions a question you sent, that’s a successful back-and-forth.

You can receive the envy of other fans to the fullest.

The homma, who had been briefly lost in ecstasy, slapped both cheeks and recalled her previous experiences.

She must succeed at back-and-forth within today.

First, she needed to clearly grasp the current flow of conversation.

[Ah, you’re asking why I made this my nickname?]

[Honestly, I was going to just write Ryu Si-hwan but it didn’t seem right haha. So I went with a nickname I know well about myself]

[I love the MILLENNIUM who made this for me]

Envious. This was so enviable her hands were trembling.

The homma grumbled “My NeoTube channel name is also HwanFather” and sent a message.

[Si-hwan, we want you to ban honorifics too and treat us like really close friends]

A topic that Ryu Si-hwan had definitely reacted to before, though briefly.

The homma was betting on that precedent.

As a result, her experience didn’t betray her.

[Ah, now don’t use honorifics either? Hahaha This is trouble, Ryu Si-hwan haha]

[This is also a habit so it’ll be hard, but I’ll try for MILLENNIUM]

“Success, back-and-forth!”

It was a moving scene.

Not just any simple level, but substantial back-and-forth where she got a clear response.

The homma had no intention of ending this joy here.

One more level.

She was aiming for higher ground.

While Ryu Si-hwan was busily communicating about other topics, the homma watched carefully and waited for the right timing.

Ryu Si-hwan was using Milky Way for the first time today.

Then the possibility that he didn’t know about several features in this chat room was tremendously high.

The moment the conversation entered a brief lull.

[Si-hwan, did you know that if we double-tap the messages we send, it sends hearts??]

The homma sent the message and held her breath.

If he just saw this, the odds would smile on her.

‘Please, please!’

While she was praying with both hands clasped.

A different notification from regular messages appeared at the top of her phone.

[Hwan-father liked your message]

It was paradise. Truly paradise.

“Screenshot, screenshot now.”

This was definitely first place.

She was the first person to ever receive a heart from Ryu Si-hwan.

While the homma was frantically taking screenshots, Ryu Si-hwan sent a message like he was amazed.

[Oh, someone said if you double-tap messages it sends hearts and it’s really true? Interesting]

[If I send hearts, do they show up for MILLENNIUM too??]

Probably after learning about this feature, Ryu Si-hwan would send hearts to other messages consecutively.

But it didn’t matter.

She was the one who received the unofficial first heart!

The homma was intoxicated with happiness like floating on clouds, but.

Ryu Si-hwan’s next message, sent innocently, made her fighting spirit boil again.

[Right, we start music shows from Thursday!]

[I want to hurry and meet MILLENNIUM]

[Since it’s our debut music show, I’m really nervous but thinking about the fans who’ll come to support us makes me so happy]

[I hope lots of people come and cheer for us!]

The opening of the music show tour.

It was the start of an event where so much was at stake.