Greatest Idol C4 To be famous

Generating 'Fame Energy' seemed simple enough in theory—just become famous.

The paths to fame in 2019 were numerous: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube... but TikTok caught my attention. The platform was still growing, making it easier to gain visibility and build a following quickly. Perfect for someone desperate for fame.

But there was one rather significant problem...

"You don't even own a phone?" Lux's voice dripped with disbelief. "What kind of young person in this era doesn't have a phone? Just how poor and miserable are you?"

I shot him an irritated look. "If I'm so pathetic, why choose me? Plenty of other teens out there with actual phones."

Lux snorted. "I couldn't." His tiny wings fluttered with pride. "No matter how... financially challenged you are, you're actually quite rare—one of the few humans I can properly bond with."

"What, you can't just bond with anyone?" My curiosity piqued.

"Correct." Now that we were bound, Lux seemed more willing to share information. "Let me explain something about our world."

He settled onto my desk, looking rather professorial despite his diminutive size. "There are many types of Nephilim—Pride Nephilim, Greed Nephilim, Lust Nephilim, and so on. Each feeds on energy that matches their nature. A Pride Nephilim consumes Pride Energy, for instance."

I leaned forward, genuinely interested.

"We can only bond with humans who are both compatible with our nature and capable of forming the connection," Lux continued, studying me. "I sensed both in you—compatibility and potential. That's why I chose you, despite your... current circumstances."

"I see..." I nodded slowly.

Lux preened. "You should consider yourself fortunate to have me as your Nephilim."

"Why's that?"

His chest puffed up like a proud pigeon. "I am, in fact, a legendary and extremely rare Fame Nephilim."

"And that's special because...?"

Lux sighed dramatically. "You're rather slow, aren't you?" He spread his tiny wings. "As a Fame Nephilim, my potential is limitless!"

His eyes gleamed with excitement. "The more famous my human becomes, the more energy I can consume. Together, we can grow more powerful than any other Nephilim-human pair! My kind hasn't been seen since ancient times—I'm practically extinct!"

He fixed me with an imperious stare. "Do you understand now? You're bound to a truly exceptional being!"

I tried to wrap my head around all this Nephilim business—everything still felt surreal.

"Can't you just conjure some money with magic?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Look at me," Lux gestured to his tiny form. "I can barely maintain this size, let alone create money."

He had a point. The creature looked so frail I could crush him between my fingers.

"Guess I'll have to save up for a cheap phone then."

***

After signing with Lux, life at work remained unchanged—perhaps even worse. Mallory and Kyle had moved from merely ignoring me to active avoidance, especially since I'd stopped being their personal assistant.

Mallory, in particular, seemed determined to pretend I didn't exist. When work required her input, she'd ignore my questions until Kyle relayed them. Unprofessional didn't begin to cover it.

The customers weren't any better. A group of teenage girls at my station made no effort to lower their voices.

"He's so ugly," the blonde one declared.

"God must've sculpted his face in a hurry," her red-haired friend snickered.

"That'd explain so much!" Another joined in.

Their laughter spread to nearby tables like a virus.

"Your orders," I said flatly, setting down their trays.

The black-haired one looked me dead in the eye. "Next time, get that guy to serve us." She pointed at Kyle. "Looking at you ruins my appetite."

I clenched my fists. "Sure."

"And here's our next order," Blondie smirked. "Make sure the cute one brings it."

I wrote down their order and retreated, humiliation burning in my chest. Even with thirty-five years of life experience, their casual cruelty still stung.

Kyle ignored me until I mentioned "interested female customers." Then he couldn't serve them fast enough.

After my shift, Samantha cornered me in front of everyone. "What's this about customer complaints, Jacob?"

"I did my best, boss."

Her frown deepened. "Clearly not good enough. This comes out of your pay."

I ground my teeth as Kyle and Mallory exchanged smirks.

Walking home, Lux fluttered beside me. "This is why you need that phone, kid. Time to become someone new."

"Can't exactly afford it now with my pay cut," I muttered. "Might need to pick up overtime."

***

For two weeks, I worked extra shifts at the fast food joint, surviving on instant noodles to save every penny. Finally, I had $200 to my name.

"At last!" Lux exclaimed, relief evident in his voice. "You can buy a phone!"

"Yeah, worked hard for it."

"Hey, I suffered too!" Lux protested, displaying his malnourished frame. "Look how skinny I've gotten!"

I sighed and pedaled my bicycle to the mall, sweat soaking through my shirt by the time I arrived. The air conditioning hit me like a wave as I entered, mixing with the scent of perfume samples and food court grease. All around, teenagers clutched shopping bags and laughed over bubble tea, their phones constantly in hand.

Lux suddenly darted from my collar, flying openly through the crowd. "Hey—" I shouted, drawing strange looks.

I snatched him mid-flight. "What are you doing?"

"Relax," he squirmed in my grip. "Normal people can't see me."

"Really?" I released him, watching as shoppers walked straight through his floating form.

The phone section was a shrine to devices I couldn't afford—gleaming iPhones, Samsung flagships, and Oppos that might as well have been made of gold.

Outside the mall, I found my answer: a sketchy vendor selling an unknown brand called "Monster."

"How much?" I asked the cashier.

"One-fifty," she replied flatly.

"Does it run TikTok?"

She gave me a look that made me feel impossibly small. "Yes."

"Can I test it?"

With a long-suffering sigh, she handed me a demo unit. The app worked, barely.

"There's a warranty, right? And refunds?" I pressed.

"Of course," she muttered.

Behind me, other customers snickered. "Must be his first phone ever," someone whispered.

They weren't wrong—at least in this life. My previous self had owned much better devices. But beggars couldn't be choosers, especially when they had a fame-hungry Nephilim to feed.

***

"Finally! Time to conquer TikTok!" Lux bounced excitedly as we entered my apartment.

I nodded, opening the phone—only to watch the Google account page crawl impossibly slow.

"We don't have internet," I realized.

Lux fell silent before exploding: "Well? Do something!"

"Luckily, I still have fifty dollars left. Let's get a sim card and data plan."

We picked up a RealConnect sim card with a data package. By the time I made it back to Laurel Hollow Flats, I was gasping for breath. "Saint Laurel city is massive."

"Rich and huge," Lux agreed, then immediately pressed: "Now set up Gmail and start your TikTok career!"

I methodically worked through the setup—Google account, Play Store, TikTok download. The phone lagged terribly, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

Time to chase fame...

While the billion-dollar business opportunities had vanished from my memory, TikTok trends remained crystal clear. I searched for the "Hit the Woah" audio—knowing it would explode in popularity within months.

Finding it, I grinned and started dancing, recording take after take until I had something worth posting.

"That's it? Just dancing?" Lux watched skeptically as I uploaded.

"Social media's unpredictable. It might blow up, might flop," I shrugged.

Fame was a fickle thing—even with future knowledge, there were no guarantees. But at least I had a head start on the trends.

An hour passed, and my video sat at a measly 200 views.

"This Fame Energy is pathetic!" Lux moaned. "Barely enough for a snack!"

"I'm doing what I can here," I muttered.

My next attempt, another trend from my past life, managed 500 views in the following hour.

"Making viral content is harder than I remembered..."

But then, catching my reflection in the mirror, an idea struck me.

Wait a minute... Why not use this unfortunate face to my advantage? Some self-deprecating humor combined with clever writing could be exactly what I need.

TikTok's one-minute limit in 2019 would force me to keep things concise, but maybe that was perfect for what I had in mind.

I grabbed my notebook and started writing, ideas flowing faster than my pen could capture them.

"Oh? Finally moving beyond just dancing?" Lux fluttered over, peering at my scribbles.

"Yeah," I smiled, the plan taking shape in my mind. "I think I've found my angle."