Chapter 148
"I guess personal subscriptions and messaging features will be available! "
"Honestly, this is what I wanted to do the most."
"Me too!"
Not only the fans but also the members were extremely excited about the announcement regarding the private message.
It is true that we can communicate with our fans by broadcasting live through StarUs.
However, due to the nature of the idol profession, there is not much free time to turn on personal broadcasting.
So, I generally prefer the private message feature, also known as 'PM', which is easy to operate like a regular messenger.
While idols feel like they are in a group chat when they receive replies from numerous fans at once, fans can enjoy the feeling of having a one-on-one conversation with the members they subscribe to.
They can see selfies and daily life photos sent by idols, as if they were real friends.
The moment your chat is chosen from among the huge amount of messages, catharsis explodes.
I was well aware of this private messaging feature.
Because there are so many SNS accounts that share memes and news related to idols.
Posts containing captured private messages could be seen here and there without permission.
This also meant that the conversations between idols and fans shared through private messages were widely spread.
'The problem here is how to conduct my speech.'
There are two ways in which I speak.
A prince-like, relaxed way of speaking to people of the same age and younger than me.
And the polite speech used when referring to older brothers, superiors, or fans.
In reality, it felt very unnatural to speak informally to fans, so I ended up speaking in a stiff tone.
I thought that if I said that on social media, Seleves might not find it funny.
"Siyoon. Are you going to start talking comfortably right away?"
"You mean PM? Of course."
I asked Kang Si-yoon just in case, and as expected, I got the same answer.
Yeah, I'll be very comfortable, like everyone else. I won't have to force myself to speak in the medieval accent of a crown prince.
Kang Si-yoon looked at my face for a moment, smiled faintly, and patted my shoulder.
"Wouldn't it be quicker to ask the Seleves about that later? Rather than thinking about it on your own."
"...Thank you. I will do that."
It was as if Kang Si-yoon had figured out what I was thinking about, and he gave me a clear answer.
At times like these, it was nice to have a friend by my side who was quick-witted and had a brilliant mind.
Just like my frontline commander, the knight Hugo Lighthood in
Just as it would have been difficult without him, it would definitely be empty without Kang Si-yoon now.
Of course, there are times when I just want to keep his mouth shut.
Song Hyung-bin, who had carefully read Manager Hyung's notice, called us together and asked us again for a few more items.
"There have been many accidents that happened while using easy-to-use SNS like Facebook, right?"
"Yes."
"So, to avoid making controversial statements, always think twice before sending a message. We have to be even more careful because we are rookies who have only been out for a week. If an article comes out that is not about our grades or skills, it will be a huge blow."
We nodded to Song Hyung-bin's words.
Every single word is correct.
Even though Seleste's initial sales are record-breaking, we're just getting started.
In this day and age, even if there is just one controversy, it can cause great damage to the group's image.
"It says we can send the photos freely, but please be careful not to reveal any personal information or the location of our dorm. Also, be careful not to give away any spoilers. Okay?"
"Yes!"
"I've been talking for a while now, but above all, let's not forget to cherish our fans and treat them with sincerity."
Song Hyung-bin smiled brightly while emphasizing the last words.
Although no one said anything outwardly, I felt that we were strangely thinking the same thing.
'As expected, it was a good decision to choose Song Hyung-bin as the leader.'
Chae Eun-gyu, the oldest member of the team, was also smiling happily while looking at Song Hyung-bin.
After hearing the leader's advice, we dispersed to our rooms and waited for our private messages to open.
Since it was the first day, I expected many fans to send messages.
"...Hyung."
"Why?"
"I don't know what to say as my first message."
Ji Yoon-chul was looking at his cell phone with a blank expression.
Even if the subscription of Seleste members is opened, fans cannot send anything unless the member sends a message first.
So, we have to make the first greeting first.
Ji Yoon-chul seems speechless at this point.
"... I think it would be weird if I spoke too formally. But I've never greeted people in a bright way before, so I don't know what to do."
"I'm in a slightly similar situation."
"...Should I just take a picture of Muto and upload it?"
The moment Ji Yoon-chul said he was gonna take pictures, a light went on in my head.
A very effective way to break the ice is to send pictures along with the message.
"That's it, Yoon-chul!"
"Yes?"
"If we send a short greeting along with a photo, it will be less unnatural and fans will like it."
"... Really?"
"That's right. That's a really good idea."
When I praised him with a bright face, Ji Yoon-chul lowered his head slightly.
But the corners of his lips that were slightly turned up could not be hidden.
I immediately turned on my phone camera and tried to take a selfie.
'Kang Si-yoon taught me before... I don't know if I'm doing a good job.'
Even when I was living as Han Ji-hyeok, I didn't take pictures of my face often.
I'm not the type to be very active on social media, so I don't have many posts.
So, unlike professional idols, I wasn't used to taking selfies.
The power of the SSS-class appearance stat was activated without fail.
"Do you think this came out okay, Yoon-chul?"
"... No matter how you take a picture of you, it always comes out well."
"The same goes for Yoon-chul too."
As I said the words that came to my mind without hesitation, this time again Ji Yoon-chul's head lowered slightly.
I don't know why, but he seems very embarrassed.
I chose the photo that I thought was the best and sent it right away when the private message opened.
And I left a short message saying, "Annyeong, Seleve!" [Hello]
It's 11pm so I thought most people would be asleep.
My prediction was pleasantly wrong.
Chats poured in from people calling my name in languages from all over the world.
Idols are aware that they receive all the messages from their fans, but they didn't know it would get to this extent.
Because of the firepower pouring out like a live broadcast chat window, I couldn't even properly understand what the messages were about.
'One thing is for sure: the percentage of foreign fans is really incredibly high.'
As I can see by digging into the records from the first day of release, Seleste has succeeded in building a huge overseas fandom.
Our album sold a whopping 1.01 million copies on the first day, and statistics show that overseas fans accounted for over 60% of those sales.
And the person who led the growth of that overseas fandom is....
You can tell that it's me without having to think about it too deeply.
I tried to concentrate as much as possible and searched for messages that I could respond to.
Just then, a Korean message flashed before my eyes.
[You won't use formal language when talking to us, will you??]
Yeah, since it's come to this, I have to make sure it's done right.
I quickly composed a message and sent it.
[Me: Seleve, how would you like me to speak? I would like to speak comfortably, but I am afraid that there may be some who feel uncomfortable with my tone, so I would like to hear your opinion in advance.]
Immediately afterwards, numerous chats poured in again.
If I want to proceed with private messages in the future, I think I'll have to get used to the speed at which my fans send messages.
As a result of the difficult task of distinguishing the contents of the messages.
The most common comments were, "Don't worry about us and do whatever Karis wants," and "I like a more casual tone of speech than a stiff one."
[Me: Then from now on, I will not use formal language and will speak comfortably, Seleve]
I thought it might be a bit odd to be speaking informally to someone right after sending this message.
Just as I was thinking about it, a message from a Seleve caught my eye.
[Please tell us the same thing as you did to Siyoonㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
Do the same thing to Kang Si-yoon.
I kept thinking about it as I typed on my phone keyboard.
There is probably no idol in the world who speaks like this.
I wondered if I could really speak so comfortably.
[Me: It's really late, can everyone stay awake?]
As soon as I sent this message, I got an amazing response.
A ton of 'ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ's' poured down like black rain.
As I read the messages from Seleves, I recalled why Kang Si-yoon always smiled.
Well, even I would laugh a lot if my favorite idol spoke like a character from a drama or novel.
A moment of regret where I realized I had to use formal language.
[Karis is so cute for doing what he's told to do]
[I really like Karis's way of speaking, it's addictive]
'... You like this so much.'
As unexpectedly favorable replies continued to pour in, all regret disappeared from my mind.
'Yes, rather, this can become my own unique identity.'
My way of speaking that no idol can imitate.
This act of differentiation is the shortcut to fame.
In this way, I had time to freely communicate and talk with Seleves.
The fact that I can set my nickname in my StarUs personal profile.
A request to quickly change to a cool profile picture.
There were many requests to send more photos, such as selfies.
I checked that it was soon midnight and concluded my communication for the day.
[Me: I think I should go to bed early because I have to go to pre-recording early tomorrow]
[Me: Seleve, don't stay up too late and get some rest]
[Me: I'm really nervous because it's my first music show tomorrow, but I'll do my best and come back.]
It would be a good idea to change the StarUs profile later after discussing it with the members.
The moment I turned off my phone and stretched, Ji Yoon-chul raised his head from the bed across from me with a faint smile on his face.
"... It's fun, hyung."
"Did you exchange a lot of messages with fans?"
"Yes. It was nice that everyone said so many interesting things. Oh, and."
"Hmm?"
"There are many people who are looking forward to seeing me on TV...."
"Okay, let's do it as soon as we have time."
"...Great."
It seems that Ji Yoon-chul also successfully completed his first private message.
The nervous look from earlier was nowhere to be found.
I think starting with Muto's photo got a good response.
As I turned off the light and lay down, Ji Yoon-chul spoke softly.
"... It's tomorrow."
"Yeah."
"I didn't feel it was real even during debut show, but I think it will be even more so tomorrow."
"I think so too."
"... I really want to finish it well without making any mistakes."
The moment we've always dreamed of.
Standing proudly on the music show stage with our own song, not someone else's.
It will be a special memory for everyone, but Ji Yoon-chul's words were filled with deep determination.
As if he had to make his presence felt certain.
I closed my eyes, recalling the relationship between Ji Yoon-chul and Haillight that he had been trying to cover up.
'I hope we have a safe trip tomorrow.'
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