"I think it's probably because we've consciously tried to forget it," Ronan said.
"Because you're afraid of criticism?"
This back-and-forth, almost like a game of catch, felt like pressure, even though Wyatt wasn't intending it that way. It wasn't aimed at the band or Ronan, but rather at the journalists themselves, who needed to take control of the conversation to dig out more inside stories and create more buzz.
Even a simple statement could be a leading conjecture.
But Ronan didn't fall for it, instead chuckling softly. "No, because we're afraid of being ignored."
The true answer was a bit disheartening.
However, Ronan's tone and expression weren't sad. His bright eyes and upturned lips still held a smile. "Actually, silence is scarier than criticism. When you finish a performance, you eagerly anticipate some feedback, but after searching, you find nothing. It's like shouting into thin air, and honestly, it's very discouraging."
"We all know we're not perfect; it's impossible for everyone to like us. So, we can accept both criticism and praise. But over the past few months, the feedback we've received has always been scarce. Gradually, we became afraid to face a silent social media again," Ronan said, spreading his hands, stating a sad truth with such candor and directness.
"Silent social media" is a contradictory phrase, because social media is never silent—it's constantly updating with news, bustling with activity every minute. But it's precisely this contradiction that highlights the band's situation, allowing one to appreciate the helplessness and bitterness behind the words.
They had been working so hard, yet it was as if they couldn't leave any trace.
This was also a part that Wyatt's preliminary investigation couldn't show. When he searched for the YouTube videos, the views were already in the thousands, and comments were steadily increasing. He couldn't see the struggles they faced when they were unknown, when a YouTube video might only get dozens of views after being uploaded.
But Wyatt quickly understood the situation.
Even now, the view counts for One Day King's YouTube videos were still quite pathetic. Compared to popular videos that garnered millions or tens of millions of views, they were practically hidden in obscure corners, easily submerged in the vast ocean of online information, like they were invisible.
Despite this, Wyatt didn't find any sadness or frustration in Ronan's eyes. His faint smile carried a sense of vitality—bitter and lost, yet also relieved and positive. These intertwined and contradictory emotions shone brightly.
It was a little special.
Out of the corner of his eye, Wyatt could see the other three band members; they were more or less somewhat dejected and a little lost, but Ronan was not.
How should he describe it?
His bandmates were like a light gray, carrying faint negative emotions but not heavily. Ronan, however, was a deep green—a profound color that nonetheless nurtured vibrant life.
---
"So, how does it feel now, knowing the band has entered the global trending list on Twitter?" Wyatt looked forward to Ronan's reaction.
Ronan paused, then turned to Cliff and Maxim, signaling with his eyes for them to answer. But their reaction was a little slow, creating a brief silence, which made Ronan chuckle. "Happy. Personally, I'm very happy."
As he spoke, Ronan laughed joyfully, not bothering to hide his happiness and delight. He expressed his joy with such sincerity and candor, his smile spreading across his face, so much so that Wyatt could feel the genuine exhilaration radiating from him.
Wyatt watched Ronan closely, with scrutiny and assessment, trying to connect the Ronan in front of him with the commanding presence on stage. But it wasn't easy, to the point where Wyatt began to wonder if Ronan had a twin brother.
Ronan also realized he might have lost his composure and reined in his smile. "I mean, it still doesn't feel real, and I haven't even seen what's happening on Twitter yet. But just hearing about it brightens my mood. After all, someone finally heard our music, right?"
It wasn't about the Twitter buzz, but because someone heard their music?
Wyatt's gaze fell on Ronan's bright, expectant eyes. He knew Ronan wasn't just being polite, and he found himself nodding in response, not necessarily in agreement, but simply wanting to reciprocate Ronan's gaze. He felt like he couldn't just be an indifferent observer in that moment.
"It's our honor," Cliff finally found his voice. "Just as Ronan said, we still don't know what it means or what exactly is happening on Twitter, but regardless, it's our honor, and we need to thank Bruno."
Indeed, they didn't know what was going on with Twitter at all; they had no real sense of it. Expressing their feelings would be like building castles in the air, dry and empty, just polite platitudes.
Meanwhile, Maxim, slowly regaining his composure, quietly leaned back, pulled out his phone, trying to avoid Wyatt's gaze, and opened Twitter, just like a high school student secretly playing with their phone in class, glancing at the screen, trying to see for himself what was happening.
---
Wyatt then asked, "Can you share your story with Bruno with our readers? How did Bruno find you? How did you become Bruno's opening act? How did all these things happen? There must be a story behind it."
Because the band still lacked sufficient information and hadn't officially released any works, Wyatt's interview lacked a clear core. So, he slowly delved into the band's story by focusing on Bruno's concert. The flow of the conversation adjusted responsively with the dialogue, yet didn't stray too far off track. These subtle details revealed Wyatt's interviewing skill.
"Of course, actually, thinking about it now, it still feels a little unreal..." Cliff took charge of telling the story.
From their street performances in Las Vegas, to the mysterious email from YouTube, then waiting by a public phone late at night, braving mosquitoes, rushing to Washington overnight, followed by all-night rehearsals, and finally Ronan's special interview with Bruno late at night by the swimming pool.
The rollercoaster story captivated Wyatt, but what was even more interesting was that Ronan and Ollie were just as captivated, as if hearing the story for the first time. This made Wyatt chuckle and voice his confusion. "Why do you two act like you're not even in the band?"
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