Chapter 21: Even if your gallery is dizzy, just remember this.jpg

“Hyaa! This is the taste!”

[– Kohaku wins!]
[– Kyaa]
[– Finally clearing it now lolololol]
[– Victory!]
[– Good job lol]
[– Kohaku wins!]
[– Kyaaaaaa]
[– Ending the stream right away?]
[– This is it lololololololol]

Jeong Haneul, known as the VTuber Kohaku—a mischievous earth fairy and one of Belus’s 1st Gen Crystal members—stretched widely in her small soundproof booth, gazing proudly at the monitor displaying the game’s clear message.

How many days had it taken to clear this?

Her heart wanted to track down the fan who recommended this trash game on the Fan Cafe and give them a piece of her mind, but she knew better than anyone that it was mostly her fault for getting hooked and playing it despite her colleagues’ attempts to dissuade her.

Unable to vent her frustration anywhere else, she puffed her cheeks out wide, then let out a languid sigh.

“Hoo~ Reminis… I was so tired… Pat my head.”

[– Get lost]
[– Fck off lolololololol]
[– Did this btch take her meds?]
[– Trying to stir sh*t again lololol]
[– Not falling for it anymore]
[– Get Lost]
[– lololololololololololololol Look at the reaction]

The chat was quite harsh for a VTuber.

But who was there to blame?

It was none other than Jeong Haneul herself who had cultivated this chat culture.

Her fandom, named after the lemmings called ‘Naganejwi’ (traveler mice), didn’t always treat her like a punching bag, relentlessly bashing her in the chat.

When they first met, the atmosphere was much like any other VTuber’s stream, full of coddling, but after a slump a few months ago—an event treated as lost memory among the Belus fandom—Kohaku herself adopted the punching bag position, and this treatment became the price for her rebound.

“Ehehehe, should I go then? Huh? Look at the chat. I really should go. Ah~ I have a hospital appointment tomorrow, so no stream~ I was thinking of opening a Space because my Remi-pings might be sad~”

[– My bad]
[– Please don’t go]
[– Get lost]
[– You have to do the Space, you damn b*tch]
[– Ah lol Just die then~]

“Puheheheh.”

It wasn’t that Jeong Haneul was unhappy with her current position.

Thanks to it, she, who might have otherwise fallen behind her peers despite the Belus name, knew she now stood firmly as one of Belus’s pillars.

And she also found it rather cute to play push-and-pull like this and watch her fans’ reactions.

“Maybe I’ll do a little Just Chatting before I go…”

She closed the god-awful trash game and switched to her chat stream screen.

An illustration set against a mountain backdrop, featuring Kohaku’s miniature character digging tunnels with several lemmings, flashed by before settling on a cute room illustration set in an underground village.

Smiling at the ever-satisfying chat screen, Jeong Haneul cleared her throat, which was slightly sore from maintaining the moe voice, and began to speak.

“Ahem… Ah, ah. Remi-pings. Doesn’t my voice sound a bit different?”

[– Does it?]
[– idk]
[– Idk-ping]
[– F*ck, enough with the ping ping]
[– Watching old VODs, it does seem a bit different]
[– Still not hot]
[– Maybe?]

“The hospital told me not to strain myself, so I’m changing my vocalization a bit… Seeing as you guys can’t even notice this much, Reminis are definitely single virgins.”

[– Trying to get yourself killed, b*tch lololololol]
[– lolol You caught us]
[– Confirmed! lol]

Jeong Haneul had recently started receiving treatment at a hospital, persuaded by the newly assigned manager for the 1st Gen members.

Her vocal cords were quite damaged from forcing her voice into a moe style.

Even though the trend was moving away from strong moe voices lately, and viewers didn’t like it as much, she couldn’t just use a voice changer.

Sharp-eared viewers would expose it immediately.

That’s why she had to maintain at least a weak moe voice, but that caused problems, leading her to practice new vocal techniques recently.

‘The 2nd Gen trainees debuting soon are probably learning properly, right?’

She and her fellow 1st Gen members had basically dived headfirst into this scene, benchmarking Japan with almost no resources, lacking in many aspects.

If she had learned proper vocalization for the moe voice from the start, her throat wouldn’t be this strained, but back then, the environment was too harsh to worry about such things.

Still, believing that the juniors in a much-improved environment would receive systematic training, she thought they, at least, wouldn’t mismanage their throats like she did.

Well, besides her throat, her nutritional balance had collapsed due to lack of exercise and relying on delivery food; honestly, if it weren’t for the new manager, she might have collapsed mid-stream—a chilling thought.

“So, I have to take tomorrow off and go to the hospital. I’ll turn on Space for you Reminis…
Hmm, ‘Please go this time’? Haku-ping has been going to the hospital regularly since last month! You oblivious fool!”

Like many streamers, she used to think hospitals were places you only went to respawn after dying.

But not wanting to live riddled with various ailments like a walking general hospital in her prime twenties, she had recently been diligently checking in at the hospital.

‘Honestly, the manager persuading me by asking if I didn’t want to see my fans for a long time was a big factor…’

Jeong Haneul thought this inwardly, as admitting it felt like conceding that she actually liked the Reminis, that den of malicious trolls, which bruised her pride.

“Ah, speaking of taking a day off… I think there might be some news soon that will make you all sad.”

[– ?]
[– Explain Yourself]
[– Boo hoo, explain!]
[– Did you cause trouble?]
[– Ex]
[– Bye lololololol]
[– plain]
[– Your]
[– self]

“I’m not graduating! No, there’s nothing to explain, you jerks! Saying ‘Bye’ already. Haa… To think these guys are my fans…”

She let out a sigh and shook her head.

On screen, Kohaku closed her eyes and shook her head too, mirroring a fed-up expression.

The movement was incredibly smooth, something unimaginable back in her indie days.

‘Is this the power of mainland tech…’

She felt grateful once again for joining Belus.

“It’s not like that… Hmm, it’s probably something that will make not just Reminis, but all the Rainbows sad… No, no! It’s not a group graduation, so stop saying weird things!”

It seemed her fellow members had all ended their streams, as fans from other members’ fandoms started flocking to Jeong Haneul’s stream, making control increasingly difficult.

She sighed deeply and blamed herself.

‘Ah… I shouldn’t have brought this up. The others are going to scold me again.’

But there was no taking back words already spoken.

She had initially brought it up just for some light chatting.

However, perhaps due to poor word choice, the chat reacted excessively.

She had to somehow calm things down to prevent a controversy from erupting.

“…I’ll just tell you. So stop!”

[– OK]
[– Kyaa]
[– Hurry up and say it]

“……We just decided to go somewhere together. We’re supposed to be同期 (colleagues/batchmates), but we haven’t even gone on a proper trip together since debut, right? So, we’ll probably take a group break soon…
Turn on a group Space, you ask? I don’t think we can do that… Sorry! Hehe.”

As she spoke, a small pang of guilt began to settle in Jeong Haneul’s chest.

The streaming hours for her and her fellow members had been gradually decreasing.

The reason, of course, was that everyone was overloaded and needed rest, but they couldn’t tell the fans that.

Making fans worry unnecessarily would only make things harder for both sides.

That’s why the other members had only mentioned going to the hospital, without elaborating on the details.

‘Besides, Haruka is in a pretty serious condition…’

Jeong Haneul forcefully shook her head to dispel the negative thoughts and spoke cheerfully.

“Anyway, sorry for making you worry unnecessarily! The others told me not to say anything yet, but I just had to spill~ I’m really going to get scolded.
Haku-ping needs to think of an excuse, so I’m leaving now! Remi-pings and Rainbow-pings, don’t mess around, go straight to sleep!
Okay, byeee~! Skipping the goodnight kiss!”

Forcing herself not to look at the exploding chat window, Ina-yeon—no, Jeong Haneul—clutched her head.

“Ughhhh! What an idiot!”

Whether it was due to ADHD or just her personality, she occasionally made slips of the tongue that caused controversies.

Her previous slump was also due to a controversy caused by misspeaking, and she had only managed to bounce back thanks to Haruka, who was now like family, taking care of her.

Thinking she had caused trouble for her close friend Haruka again, Jeong Haneul felt like crawling into a hole.

“Should I really start digging into the ground like my RP character…”

As she stared blankly at a corner of her studio apartment, the notification sound of Discord pinged in her ear.

It was from her most reliable and beloved colleague, using a familiar profile picture.

Haruka, the one who led the 1st Gen Crystal from the forefront and accounted for most of Belus’s success story—her proud friend and family.

[I was watching the stream]

[Everyone else is here, so hurry up and join the voice chat]

“Ugh.”

Jeong Haneul’s narrow shoulders slumped even further.

Even she, who displayed her mischievous charm across various streams, became a docile lamb in front of Haruka.

The process of becoming a Mama is progressing somewhat.

After getting confirmation from Kim Kanghyun multiple times and working on the details with Ari-nim, maybe I can send it off for rigging sometime this month.

I’ve created the character, but for this character to become me and come alive, I need to separate the layers for every single angle.

It’s basically pure manual labor.

Before becoming Wooseo Woo, I had fantasized a few times about becoming an amazing illustrator and creating all the models for the new Belus members, but now that I’m actually doing it, I get it.

I can absolutely not do this.

Even one model for myself is tough… It’s repetitive work, drawing each part from every angle, and if you zone out while doing it, you could genuinely go crazy.

“Whew… Still, the contract money gave me some breathing room.”

Even if I order delivery for all three meals a day, my bank account barely shows a dent, and even after buying all the merch I owned as a man, I still have plenty left.

Hearing about the other members, they said they were saving their contract money as much as possible to buy their models, streaming equipment, and necessary props.

But since I received double the contract money as a Mama, I have money left over even after buying those things.

Truly a young bourgeois!

…Though I’m still not rich enough to move out of this studio apartment yet.

Actually, I could move, but I still have a lot to buy, so I’m holding off.

The Wooseo Woo before I possessed her had already paid the rent in advance, so there’s no rush.

Anyway, with abundant capital, a warm back, and a full stomach, my debut is starting to take shape, and everything in my plan to get one step closer to Haruka is going smoothly—

—a little devil inside me began to rear its head.

Don’t they say that people start thinking strange thoughts when they’re comfortable and well-fed?

I, too, am just an ordinary TS pretty girl (former mod of the VTuber Otaku gallery), not immune to this.

“…Gulp.”

Saliva slowly trickled down my delicate throat.

My legs, slender yet plump enough, trembled minutely without pause.

Was it nervousness? Or excitement?

My smooth, white thighs vibrated slightly, seemingly of their own accord.

The only thing driving me to these withdrawal symptoms right now is—

“Should I check it out…”

—the Belus Gallery, of course.

“Maybe I should really leave the past behind… Ah, no, but just once…!”

The dark side is like a drug.

You hesitate to touch it, but it evokes an indescribable curiosity.

It also holds a devilish temptation that can trap anyone who approaches it in a mire…

([Popular] [Are the mods here working?])

I could do a better job than this.
Seriously makes me want to slap someone lolololololololol

Recommended: 61 Disliked: 2

[– A blue mod tag just for you!]
[– I’ll trust you. You look like mod material.]
[– Advertising to be kidnapped as a temp mod lololol]
[– Bye]
[– Whoa, why is this guy turning blue?]

…Didn’t my former naive and innocent self approach out of curiosity, only to be promptly kidnapped into being a temporary mod?

But once you’ve touched the drug, unless there’s a special reason, quitting on your own is nearly impossible.

The mouse in my hand, regardless of my will, was already being sucked into the abyss as if familiar with the path.

“Whatever! Wooseo Woo is making me do this!”

Making such a convenient excuse, I visited my dear old hometown for the first time in a while, only to find it spectacularly ablaze…

([Popular] [From now on, this is the Manchester United Gallery!.jpg])

What the.

This is the Belus Gallery, right?

I tilted my head and double-checked the gallery name.

“……”

…It is?

“What on earth happened here?”

My reunion with my hometown after so long is turning out to be the worst.

With trembling fingertips, I clicked the mouse, entering the first post that caught my eye.

([Popular] [From now on, this is the Manchester United Gallery!.jpg])

(A photoshopped image of the Manchester United team photo with Belus members, Kim Kanghyun, and Manager Ari’s faces pasted on.)
Easy peasy lol

Recommended: 181 Disliked: 39

[– Shiiiiibal lolololololol]
[– Seeing this pic here too lol]
[– lolol The photoshop is skillful]
[– Dead gallery detector: ON]

“Huh…? Why are there tears?”

Although I was stressed from handling the mod duties practically alone, it was still a hometown-like space for me, someone with no parents or friends, the only place I could share the same hobby.

But the first post I see is that infamous dead gallery detector picture?

Suddenly feeling my blood pressure rise, I clutched the back of my neck.

The feel of my now familiar thin, smooth neckline somehow made me angrier.

If I hadn’t become this body, the gallery would still be running properly.

Massaging my stiffening neck, I clicked on the next popular post that caught my eye.

([Popular] [Belus Gallery folks, no matter how hard it gets, just remember this one thing.jpg])

(Profile picture of a famous politician)
No matter if the mods abandon ship and the gallery crashes,
With the “Lee Beomjae Spirit,” you can overcome anything.

Recommended: 199 Disliked: 10

[– Kyaa]
[– As expected, Beomjae hyung has the mental fortitude lol]
[– Decided to vote after seeing this]

“Heh…”

How could they dare bring a political meme into a fan gallery?

Such disgrace was unimaginable when I was around.

These crazy trolls, just because I’m gone, think they can run wild like it’s their playground.

“This is no time for this.”

It’s obvious what happened over the past few months.

Did the mods, who did nothing but slack off except for me, suddenly get motivated and diligently manage the gallery just because I was gone?

Not a chance.

They were probably still off screwing in motels.

Barely suppressing the urge to tear apart those gay bastards who hadn’t shown their faces while this mess unfolded, I went to the report board.

[– Mods not working?]

“……”

No answer.

Maybe because I came with an anon IP… In that case, as expected.

“I have no choice but to resurrect my old ID…!”

Racking my brain, I finally found the ID I used to use.

Fortunately, a prompt just asked me to change the password, and I could log in normally.

And finally, logging in, it seemed these bastards hadn’t worked at all, as the mod tag was still attached to my account.

Is this a blessing in disguise…?

Seeing this gloriously shining blue mod tag somehow brings a sense of peace to my mind.

First, I calmly collected myself and announced the return of the former powerhouse temporary mod of the Belus Gallery to the world.

[[Everyone move to the Creation Tab ㄱㄱ]]

Not my fault if you get deleted using the General Tab.

Recommended: 55 Disliked: 0

[– ?]
[– Hao.]
[– Hao.]
[– ? Who are you?]
[– Hao.]
[– ?]
[– Who is this guy?]
[– Shiiiiibal you’re back lolololololol]
[– Where did you go, you f*cker ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[– Hao.]
[– Never seen this mod before]
[– Damn! I believed in you!]
[– Who is this getting all namefaggy?]
[– Recommend recommend lololololol]
[– Hao]
[– Ahh.. This is the beginning of the Belus Gallery normalization]

It seemed there were a few who didn’t recognize me.

Still, quite a few seemed to miss me, as the recommendations piled up rapidly.

I get that you’re happy to see me, but becoming a namefag is crossing the line.

…Still, putting out the urgent fire comes first, right?

I first blocked the mobile IPs, then literally wiped the General Tab clean.

Some guys who didn’t see my post and kept chatting got swept away in the process, but the posts were all spam ads or thread revivers anyway, so it couldn’t be helped.

There was no choice but to just plow through it like a tank tearing down barbed wire.

“Why are these bastards still active so brazenly?”

After banning all the familiar troll IPs and IDs, along with the shell accounts, the gallery finally calmed down a bit.

I deleted any continuing troll posts just by looking at their titles.

What if they were normal posts, you ask?

Not possible.

Even if my body changed, the big data is still compiled in my head.

It’s a shame my meticulously kept ban list disappeared, but I reached a level long ago where I can tell if it’s a troll or not just by the IP and the nuance of the title.

“Hya- Brings back memories.”

Flexing my fingers and eyes after so long felt like it was loosening up my body, stiffened from hours of working on the model.

Exhaling refreshingly, a broad smile automatically formed on my lips.

I looked proudly at the normalized Belus Gallery.

Yes… this is the familiar hometown I know.

([Popular] [Honestly, the mod who abandoned the gallery while it went to sh*t owes us burgers.jpg])
[Deleted Post]
[Why is that bastard only showing up now?]
[Temp mod mad movie crazy lololololol]
[You’re the hero of the Belus Gallery!]
[Did the crazy bastard get captured by a deep-sea fishing boat?]
([Popular] [Even if the gallery is chaotic, just remember this.jpg])
[So is it true the mod gets paid 5 million won?]
[Deleted Post]
[Deleted Post]
[Who the hell is that guy?]
([Popular] [He’s working hard, isn’t he.jpg])
[Deleted Post]
[Gallery management history looks insane lolololololololololol]
[lololololol Look how the gallery normalized instantly]
[Deleted Post]
([Popular] [I thought you had fallen too and were getting railed in a motel..])
[Deleted Post]

“Hehehehe…”

Laughter escaped me automatically at the nostalgic and familiar sight.

But the gallery atmosphere was a bit concerning.

Everyone was praising me too much…

Normally, mods becoming namefags should be strictly prohibited.

Name recognition inevitably leads to stagnation, and stagnant water eventually rots.

…Still, I can probably turn a blind eye to a brief festival.

If I let them enjoy it for about 5 minutes and then restore order, they’ll probably go back to talking about the members as usual.

I just need to stay low-key and unnoticed.

Sure enough. After a short while, those praising me started to quiet down one by one.

For clueless tryhards, they’re surprisingly quick to pick up on things like this.

Maybe getting beaten up everywhere else taught them instinctively that they need to stick together within this gallery.

I let out a satisfied smile.

Skipping the familiar-titled popular post, I clicked on the next one.

That post bitching about the absentee mod was clearly just begging for burgers, so no need to look at it.

It’s a regular feature that hits the popular posts every time the gallery gets messy with trolls, never getting old.

So, it’s fine to ignore stuff like that.

“Hehehe… The reborn me is different.”

I’m not handing out burgers anymore.

My time as a s*ave who worked and handed out burgers is over.

The newly reborn TS pretty girl is the one who should be receiving burger support…!

([Popular] [Even if the gallery is chaotic, just remember this.jpg])

(Pepe the Frog meme holding a knife threateningly)
What were you expecting, temp mod b*tch lolololololol
You abandoned us for months, not just hours?

Recommend if you think the mod owes us chicken, not burgers lololololol

Recommended: 245 Disliked: 1

“What. A curveball?!”

…Still, chicken is going too far.

I clicked the dislike button with resentment.