“That’s right! The friend famous for playing the violin!”
The man clapped his hands as he spoke.
“What a coincidence! Hey Macky, how could you not recognize him until now? He’s a TikTok celebrity!”
The cameraman excitedly showed me the TikTok app.
“With 15 million likes, the violin girl who topped the weekly video chart last month! Macky, you should pay attention to other people’s videos. What kind of TikToker doesn’t recognize fellow creators?”
“There’s no such thing as a fellow creator on TikTok. There are way too many people…”
Suddenly at a loss for words, Macky looked at me and quickly changed his claim.
“Ah, right! Fellow creators! Haha… We really apologize. We didn’t intend to say it so harshly; it seems our bodyguards got a bit overzealous. Let’s go, Felix.”
“Where are you going? We got your contact info—”
“Enough talk, let’s go quickly! It was dirty being together, and let’s never meet again, kid!”
“This is why I’ve been annoyed since earlier!”
“Na-me, hang in there! It ended well, didn’t it?”
Yoon-seul grabbed my armpit, leaving me dangling in mid-air, flailing my legs.
Two ridiculously goofy men dashed out of the police station, ultimately leaving the incident unresolved.
This country called Germany has truly drained all the warmth from my heart.
I popped the last piece of candy into my mouth, cooling my anger.
“Hey guys!”
Not long after, Principal Gu On-yu arrived.
Her entrance was so loud I thought the glass doors of the police station might shatter.
“Principal! The incident has been resolved, so we’re going to—”
Before I could finish my sentence, Principal Gu knelt slightly and pulled me into a tight hug.
Startled by her sudden action, I blinked and rolled my eyes.
“Principal?”
“I’m so relieved… Really relieved… That you’re not hurt…”
The elderly woman’s hand gently patted my back, slowly soothing the prickly emotions I had felt just moments before.
“I’m not injured! Otherwise, I’d really look bad as a student of Sephiron Academy.”
But even as a principal, she shows concern for her students, huh?
For the first time in a while, I felt a human warmth as I rested my head in her embrace.
Maybe it was because I was in a foreign land, but I found myself missing my mom quite a lot these days.
*
Roemer Square, located in the heart of Frankfurt’s old town, is a popular spot for tourists.
Especially on a nice day like today, it’s customary for everyone to carry at least one selfie stick.
But there were stains of blood on the wooden structures surrounding the square and on the ground.
A group of Japanese tourists who had just arrived asked the locals about the eerie sight.
“Uh, is this really human blood?”
“Don’t ask! A little kid swung his fist and wrecked four people!”
“Is that so? In the middle of Germany during the day?”
“Absolutely! I even filmed it!”
Before the questions could even settle, police officers in vests marked ‘POLIZEI’ appeared, accompanied by street cleaners to clear the area.
A couple of magic circles swept across the ground, leaving it pristine as though nothing had ever happened.
The grandfather, who had just answered the travelers’ questions, pointed to a nearby area where beautiful music streamed from the square and shouted, “That kid over there! Do you see him? He’s the one! What trouble is he planning to cause by coming back here again…!”
He pointed to a group of elderly men in suits playing the violin and cello while busking.
However, with so many people around, the Japanese girl couldn’t easily spot the child the grandfather was pointing to.
“Katsuhata, we’re in a hurry. If we don’t leave now, we might miss our next flight.”
For them, Frankfurt was just a layover.
After staring blankly at the square for a while, the girl nodded reluctantly and rejoined her group.
Meanwhile, the performance session ended, and applause erupted.
Another girl squeezed her way through the crowd with her short legs.
Today, she maintained her usual low twin-tail hairstyle, Na-me.
She dropped the coins she held into the violin case set upside down as a tip box.
“Thank you so much, angel lady!”
It was a heartwarming sight.
Everyone, both performers and audience, couldn’t help but smile broadly.
“Can I play too?”
“Can you play the violin, miss? How old are you?”
“I’m eight years old.”
“Wow! Here, would you like to try holding it?”
“Yes, yes.”
Contrary to expectations that she might struggle to hold it, Na-me expertly and comfortably assumed the position.
“Oh?”
She seemed to possess considerable skill, deftly preparing her fingers on the strings and correctly holding the bow.
“Do you have company? Can she play too?”
“Company? Oh, that sounds great! Do you need another violin?”
“No need. One of us will be playing in virtual reality.”
“Virtual reality?”
*
Daniel was already at a nearby PC Bang, accessing virtual reality.
I initially expressed surprise that there was a PC Bang in Germany, but Yoon-seul explained it as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
After all, not every household could afford large VR capsules.
Besides, since some people wouldn’t be satisfied with outdated capsule helmets, it’s only natural for PC Bangs to spring up as a result of capitalism’s rules.
A hologram projector unveiled an avatar on the floor.
It was a temporary model that would serve as the base for Ni-el’s future avatar, ‘U-Dex.’
“Where are you ladies from?”
“We’re from Korea. From South Korea.”
“Oh, South Korea! The angelic ladies from South Korea are going to play the violin! Let’s all give a big round of applause!”
Ni-el’s cheeks turned red from the grand welcome.
Seol Yoonseul and Principal Gu On-yu were close by, cheering us on.
“Nii-ki isn’t scared of the capsule at all, huh?”
“I realized there are things scarier than claustrophobia… But do I really have to do this? It’s so… embarrassing…”
“This is just the beginning, Ni-el.”
Kariri’s American Dream—no, ‘Safari Dream’ plan began even before her debut.
Why do entertainment companies run survival programs with trainees long before their debut?
The answer lies in recognition.
“[Starting is half the battle. In other words, if you don’t make the first move at the start, you’re already destined to fail!]”
Kariri, having been an idol trainee before, passionately declared that debut was not just the beginning but an event that must succeed.
A newly active virtual YouTuber would find little to enjoy aside from recorded broadcasts.
In other words, creating content in advance to steadily build recognition before debut is indeed a good idea.
“[But why do I have to participate?]”
“[It’s called the trickle-down effect!]”
“[What the heck… it’s just you freeloading off me.]”
“[Oh, come on, just this once, Na-me! It’s just until this tour is over; you promised me!]”
So, while I belonged to reality, Daniel belonged to virtual reality.
Our journey began, traveling from city to city in Europe, searching for violin busking performances.
Starting in Frankfurt, Germany—
to Zurich, Switzerland,
to Salzburg, Austria,
and lastly to Venice, Italy, our short trip came to a close.
On the plane back to Korea, Yoon-seul smiled as she reviewed the captured footage of us.
At every concert, the first song always began with “Arirang.”
“What should we title it? How about performing the iconic Korean song ‘Arirang’ during foreign busking? Does it sound too weak?”
Indeed, it seems she understands what national pride is all about.
After lightly dismissing her, I decided to put on my sleep mask and catch some Zs.
On the way back, Principal Gu upgraded my seat to business class, making it much more comfortable.
Now, I need to stay cooped up at home for a while.
Once was enough for this exhausting European trip.
*
“Hey, would you leave Korea for a billion won?”
– A billion? I’ll leave for just a million, in this sh*t hole of a country.
– Honestly, I want to leave now, but I don’t even have money for a plane ticketㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– Leaving Korea for a billion won or just living here?
└ Now that you mention it, this balance game is pretty messed up, isn’t it? LOL
└ Do you really think Korea is such a livable country? That’s some aggressive framing.
– So jealous. Some get paid and also get Swiss citizenship…
└ Who?
└ Don’t you know? Na-me is about to immigrate in a second.
└ Why is she suddenly leaving?
└ Switzerland is offering a billion. Other countries must be just as enticing.
[Spotting Stars] Na-me boards the flight to Frankfurt.
[ThesePatch=Kang Hwa-myeong] The sole survivor of the Korean Valpurgis extermination operation, ‘Na-me’, departed for Frankfurt, Germany via Incheon International Airport in Jung-gu, Incheon, on the afternoon of August 2.
A week prior, photos of Na-me’s departure sparked significant public interest.
The journalist reporting the news initially received a barrage of insults in the comments.
People questioned if they really needed to know about an ambiguous ordinary person boarding a plane, not even a celebrity.
But once news broke estimating the amount Na-me was offered by Switzerland to be between 10 billion and 30 billion won, the tide turned dramatically.
Stories related to money, whether good or bad, always attract attention.
It’s only natural for some to feel resentment that an 8-year-old child would receive such treatment.
[Top Executives earn around 5 billion a year, and even top-tier professionals make tens of millions. But an 8-year-old gets 10 billion? Are you kidding me? I feel so deprived, I can’t live with this.]
– Well, you should show us your own genius at 8.
└ You’ll have to wait another year for that. I’d bet my hand that they all conspire together to deceive.
└ Treating Korean university professors as fraudsters, LOL. Though it’s true what a couch warrior can say doesn’t really hold water.
– Regardless of whether it’s deserved or not, it still feels deflating, right? I feel like I could work my entire life without ever making 10 billion…
└ 2222
└ 333 I hope Na-me does well, but I can’t shake this sense of despair about my own life.
With public interest on her side, channels reporting her updates began to gain popularity.
Current affairs V-tubers compiled spotting reports from various communities and easily spread the news of her hopping from city to city in Europe.
“Didn’t she just get to Switzerland until the day before? When did she arrive in Austria?”
– Salzburg was yesterday, and now she’s in Venice, LOL.
└ Na-me! You finally made it to the home of pasta!
– Is there really something between her and Italy?
└ I heard Italy is undergoing an economic crisis. Where would they even get the money?
Germany? Switzerland? I don’t think Austria would be the case, but Italy’s potential can’t be excluded yet.
Or maybe she’s already completed the immigration process and is touring Europe with the money she received.
Meanwhile, both Kariri and NoName’s V-tube channels uploaded videos simultaneously.
In a video brimming with national pride planned by Seol Yoonseul, two girls holding violins in the middle of Europe were performing ‘Arirang’ and K-pop tunes.
First to comment, a few lucky European fans present at the scene started to react, quickly followed by loyal K-pop fans from America and Southeast Asia who joined the excitement.
At the end of the video, there was a brief 5-second cookie clip showing Na-me snoozing on a flight back to Korea, leaving everyone in utter shock.
[Best Comment]
“Why did you come back? [Likes: 6.8k]”
This was the same person who had previously garnered a top comment asking, “Why are you really leaving?”
Not for any lesser reason than a whopping 10 billion won.
Na-me could leave Korea without anyone being able to criticize her.
Yet she boldly ventured to Europe to spread the word about Korea through music, only to quietly return as though nothing had happened.
Witnessing her unexplainable behavior, a few people quietly whispered.
“She’s a true patriot.”
And this whisper began to ripple out like the first wave on a tranquil lake, spreading throughout the Republic of Korea.
