Trends and fame are like a wildfire.
Before you realize it, they spread uncontrollably, and just a moment’s blink can turn a situation upside down in an instant.
Kayak’s fame right now is no different. It used to be fresh to hear that a dating reality show was groundbreaking, but now everyone thinks it’s cookie-cutter and predictable.
Despite that, Solo Party has recorded quite competitive viewer ratings, and the impact of its main character… was nothing to scoff at.
There wasn’t just one or two programs reaching out for bookings immediately. Talk shows, survival reality shows, music programs, documentaries… the types of shows contacting them were all over the place.
They had no idea that Kayak was a versatile talent; they were just testing the waters since she was a hot topic, whether she was good or bad. They figured out that Kayak was an emerging blue chip in the entertainment industry through Solo Party, a hidden gem waiting to be discovered.
Buying in now would be like catching it at a low point. Once she officially starts touring the broadcasting stations, or what people call the variety show treadmill, her value would skyrocket.
However, Kayak remained quiet. Despite the flood of booking requests, she did not respond and simply held her ground with dignity.
The producers frantically contacting her were left dumbfounded.
“Wait, who does she think she is to ignore our offers?”
“Was she only planning to appear on Su Hyuk PD’s show?”
“If she steps onto a broadcast and walks down that golden road, she’d rake in money… Doesn’t she have any ambition?”
Some of the producers, feeling insulted by her rejection of their offers, thought Kayak might be playing hard to get.
“How arrogant for a rookie to behave this way.”
“People only like her because she’s got a decent face, and now her head’s in the clouds.”
“She can’t be on completely clean terms with Su Hyuk PD. It’s so obvious, so obvious.”
Yet, no matter what they said, Kayak’s stock continued to rise day by day.
From her first appearance on Solo Party, the views on the compilation video featuring all her segments, including dates, soared to the sky, and the Solo Party ranking on OTT platforms hit number one.
[Su Hyuk’s programs are all fun.]
[Su Hyuk PD and Kayak have great chemistry; I enjoyed Midnight Talk too.]
[Looked up the PD; he’s good-looking too.]
[PD, please shoot more shows with Kayak!]
Noticing his name mentioned frequently in the videos along with positive reactions, Su Hyuk sent Kayak an expensive gift set of high-quality Korean beef.
“Uh, weren’t you the one who appeared on Solo Party?”
“Is that you?”
“Yeah, I did come out, but—.”
“Kyaaa! Older sister! It’s you! I’m such a huge fan! I’ve replayed your parts over ten times—.”
Kayak awkwardly smiles, providing fan service to a high school girl she met while walking around the neighborhood.
Those were peaceful days.
However, not everything in the world can flow in a positive direction.
It didn’t take long for this peace to shatter.
*
Fame is like a wildfire.
It spreads quickly, indifferent to the nuances of life. The flames seem poised to devour the world, and before you know it, they’re right next to you.
It’s not surprising that twenty-three-year-old unemployed singleton Jong Wook stumbled upon Kayak’s news.
<ㅇㅎ) Recently featured on the dating reality show "Solo Party," living life as a single woman.>
As an unemployed guy, Jong Wook spent quite a bit of his time on community forums. He clicked on a post out of habit and saw a rather familiar face.
Jong Wook furrowed his brow in a vague sense of déjà vu.
“Who is this?”
The post described a beautiful woman with a great figure, having white hair and blue eyes, and for some reason, she looked familiar.
Before long, he was able to recognize her identity.
Mun Ah, she was Jong Wook’s high school classmate. They had even spent two years in the same class.
It had barely been three years since graduation. It wasn’t such an ancient memory, so it didn’t take long for him to recall.
Feeling a twinge of warm familiarity towards the familiar face, Jong Wook scrolled down the post and frowned deeply.
“Looks like she’s living life to the fullest, damn it….”
She was receiving countless advances from men on a dating show, her main gig, internet broadcasting, seemed to be going well, and her income looked pretty solid. Checking her VTube channel, she had over a million subscribers.
In comparison to his meager existence, the disparity in his peer’s life felt overwhelming, and he instinctively lit a cigarette.
As the room filled with smoke from his chain-smoking,
“So you rejected my confession… and you’re living it up like this, huh?”
Jong Wook muttered, chewing on his words, feeling a strange surge of anger rising from within.
He had been teased by kids for confessing to Kayak and ultimately dropped out of school because of it.
I ended up dropping out.
In fact, Kayak wasn’t at fault at all. If we were to assign blame, Jong Wook who confessed to her was primarily at fault, the bullies who witnessed that scene were secondarily at fault, and the classmates who tacitly stood by and went along were thirdly at fault.
However, to Jong Wook, whose normal judgment had long been impaired by a life of misery, such distinctions didn’t matter.
What mattered was the sight of his former love appearing before him, thriving while he was living in such wretchedness.
Her beauty, which had shone brighter than anyone else since school days, had not faded at all. In fact, something must have happened because she even looked brighter than before, making her even more beautiful.
“It’s unfair… so unfair….”
Love carries both affection and hatred. Jong Wook felt an inexplicable absurdity seeing Kayak looking so happy.
Before long, he reaches the point of posting in a community.
– But can a homosexual participate in a dating show? LOL
This was a fact that Kayak herself hadn’t even realized. There was another person aside from her who knew her secret.
Jong Wook’s revelation spread as quickly as the fame Kayak had gained. Rumors and scandals flared up like wildfire, engulfing her.
The malice of mankind materialized and swept over Kayak.
Fame is a double-edged sword.
While there are many benefits to becoming famous, there are also many downsides.
Most notably, hate comments and issues regarding personal lives. It’s no wonder celebrities fall into depression and mental illness.
I had also been cautious about these issues. When I was actively revealing my face and real name, I was particularly attentive to those aspects.
However, there weren’t any major problems. To be precise, there were issues, but nothing I had to worry about to that extent. I had broadcasted openly without much trouble.
So, I might have been a bit complacent. I never thought a problem would arise from such an innocuous place.
I should have been more cautious about appearing on public broadcasts rather than just personal shows; in hindsight, it could be considered naive. Well, either way, the issues would have come to light eventually, sooner or later, given the unexpected fame.
Though I didn’t live as well as others, I lived without shame, with my head held high. Therefore, I thought there was nothing to hide, even if my identity got exposed by the cyber investigation unit. I considered past revelations and character controversies to be unrelated to me.
I’ve lived my life without a hint of shame, so even if my identity gets exposed by the cyber investigation unit, I thought I had nothing to worry about. Past scandals or personality controversies seemed completely unrelated to me.
But this revelation hit hard. It was unexpected, and that’s what made it sting.
– But can a homosexual even appear on a dating show? LOL
This was a post that had gone viral in the community. It detailed how Yeon Soo and I had a romantic relationship during our school days and accused us of being inappropriate for being on a dating show.
“Hmm…”
With my gender change, I guess issues like this would arise. I thought our relationship was a well-kept secret, so how did anyone find out?
Looking back, there were odd moments. In the empty classroom where Yeon Soo and I would hang out, sometimes I’d feel a strange presence.
Now that I think about it, that was the only time it happened. Apparently, someone must have caught us back then, and only now am I piecing it together.
It’s been just about 12 hours since the post went up, and it had already spread like wildfire.
It had infiltrated communities everywhere, and even the comments on Solo Party’s VTuber video were asking if it’s true that Mun Ah is a lesbian.
Fame is a double-edged sword. It can rise quickly and just as fast, it can fizzle out, and the heat can end up burning you.
The higher you rise, the harder you fall. And right now, I was being pushed down by someone.
Witch hunts had been popular since medieval times, a form of entertainment where sinners were hanged and burned, while spectators watched in delight.
This situation was no different. Thanks to someone’s tip-off, I was now the witch on the executioner’s block, and the people in the community were the gleeful spectators engaging in arguments about my perceived sins.
Like it or not, I needed to clarify things. Just staying silent and taking the hits was not my style.
But here’s the question: To sum up the situation, I had a past of dating a girl, and that’s why appearing on a dating show was an issue?
“…Is this really a big deal?”
I couldn’t shake off the feeling that all this fuss was a bit over the top.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
