CHAPTER 12 Viral?
Dayo smiled as he expected. He turned to a man, handed him his phone to film him, and said, "Challenge accepted."
The restaurant had passed its rush hour, so everyone relaxed and gathered around, watching what Dayo was about to cook.
The kitchen came alive with a gentle hum. Dayo moved with purpose—his eyes focused, his hands confident. He grabbed a sharp chef's knife and quickly diced ripe red bell peppers, juicy cherry tomatoes, and thinly sliced red onions, the knife cutting through with ease. The ingredients sizzled softly as he tossed the peppers and onions into a hot pan with a splash of olive oil, the satisfying crackle filling the air.
Next, he seasoned a tender chicken breast with salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of paprika for depth. He laid it gently on the grill, the sound of sizzling promising a perfect sear. Meanwhile, he mixed fresh lemon juice with chopped basil, garlic, and a drizzle of honey—creating a bright, zesty herb sauce.
He worked with smooth precision, flipping the chicken once it turned golden brown, then glazing it with his lemon-basil mixture. The aroma of citrus and garlic filled the air, mingling with the smoky scent of the chicken. Dayo plated his creation—lean, juicy chicken atop a bed of sautéed peppers, onions, and cherry tomatoes, finished with a drizzle of the vibrant lemon herb sauce.
The onlookers, including Temari Jerry, watched in quiet admiration. Dayo's movements were fluid and confident, like he'd done this hundreds of times before, making culinary magic look effortless. It wasn't just cooking; it was an art form—quick, clean, and undeniably impressive.
Even Jerry himself couldn't do it as effortlessly, and he had been cooking for more than twenty years.
With a sigh, he looked at Dayo. "Alright, fine. You can work here, but make sure you stay close."
"Alright, thanks, Jerry."
Just as Dayo was about to start helping out, he heard a familiar voice scream his name.
"DAYO!!! Where are you?"
It was his little sister, Janet. She walked in and looked at Dayo like some kind of freak. "Have you checked your phone?"
Dayo was confused. "Eh? No, what's up?"
Without saying anything, she scrolled through her social media platform and showed him his newly created accounts. The account he'd left at less than 1,500 followers was now close to a hundred thousand—to be precise, 96,756 and counting on TikTok, more than fifty thousand on Instagram, and over thirty thousand on Twitter.
This was huge.
The video of him singing had more than 1.6 million likes and 20,000 comments.
He looked at his sister and asked, shocked, "How?"
Janet looked at Dayo. She knew her brother had changed, but she didn't believe he could change so much to be this popular. "Well, this is what happened…"
After hearing this, Dayo smiled. He felt lucky—maybe because of his transmigration—that's why he had this luck, because he knew how hard opportunities like this were to come by.
"So, what's next now?" Janet asked, looking at Dayo, who just smiled at her.
"Well, I keep grinding and improving my abilities. Anyway, I need your help—I've edited a video of myself cooking, so could you help me upload it to my social media accounts? I can't right now," he said, showing his hand holding a chicken.
"Hmm, fine. You owe me one again," she said as she took off.
While working in the kitchen, Dayo's mind started racing. He wanted to secure himself before moving on to compete on the show, as he would need support to win.
He needed a label, but he didn't want to be under someone else's control, signing a deal that wouldn't favor him. He knew this from experience—he knew how the industry worked.
He thought about creating his label, but that was no easy feat, and he didn't have the time—he was on a deadline. Buying an existing label might be faster, but he first needed to identify the right one.
[DING]
"Huh, what now?"
[Achievement: Over 100,000 social media followers]
[Achievement Reward: Singing Acceleration Card]
Effect: Accelerate your singing ability
Duration: 30 Days
Dayo looked stunned. He had never known that the system gave rewards for achievements. He made a mental note to study the system more to see if there were other surprises. For now, he decided to head to the studio and try to meet Luron Vale—being friends with him could help.
"So, did you check out the person I told you about?" Misha asked, sitting down. In front of her was a man in his forties.
"Yes, ma. I did, and this is what I found," he said, handing her a folder.
Misha read for about twenty minutes before looking up. "Is the information in this correct, Bran?"
"Yes, ma, but one of the scandals seems suspicious. The cover-up was quick, so we weren't able to get much information."
"Alright. Keep an eye on him and try to approach him with a deal as a B-level artist."
"Should the boss know about this?"
Misha looked at Bran with cold eyes. "Not a word. Is that clear?"
Bran, used to this tone, nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
"You can leave now."
Bran left the office without looking back.
Misha whispered to herself, "So, what's your deal, Dayo? You have my attention now, and I will find out all that you're hiding."