Chapter 5: An egg the size of a quail egg.

“Phew… It’s finally all over.”

“You worked hard.”

After all the interviews were finished, Kim Kanghyun rubbed his tired eyes and let out a long sigh, while Ari, the s*ave of the black company Maeng Ahyeon—no, the Bellus employee and manager of the Crystal members—gave a bitter smile.

Since the announcement of the 2nd generation recruitment about a month ago, over 1500 applications had been received just for the document screening.

It made one wonder if Korea had so much VTuber talent, but, as expected, her boss eliminated all but about 350 people right from the document screening stage.

This was also based solely on looks.

He believed that the heart follows only when the appearance is up to par.

Claiming to be a VTuber, a job requiring unimaginable hard work and diligence, without even being able to properly maintain one’s appearance?

That was truly absurd.

Honestly, from Kim Kanghyun’s perspective, he wanted to keep only 30, but the manager kept saying it was too harsh, so he reluctantly kept that number.

“Anyway… what about that applicant number 329?”

“Hmm…? Ah, the Kanari?”

“Yes, the one whose oshi is Haruka.”

Ari thought deeply.

She was certainly a peculiar applicant.

While many applicants usually had prior experience as streamers, female streamers, VTubers, YouTubers, or even Kirinukers, her record was abnormally clean except for fan cafe activity, and her fan devotion felt genuine.

Actually, all 350 applicants were asked about their oshi.

Most people, perhaps due to underlying pride, rarely named a Crystal member, or mentioned them blatantly with obvious ulterior motives, but she spoke Haruka’s name with truly pure and favorable eyes.

Honestly, it made Ari seriously wonder if she was homosexual.

If that was acting, wouldn’t it be better to apply as an actress rather than a VTuber?

‘She did have the face to be an actress.’

Innocent, dark eyes and long, straight hair with a slightly light brown tint.

Her hair looked a bit messy, but the fact that her looks shone even with such a hairstyle meant that if she just tidied up, she could have made quite a name for herself as an actress specializing in rich daughters.

Of course, her age listed on the documents indicated she was already an adult.

Anyway, she had mentioned Haruka’s singing, and Ari couldn’t help but flinch for a moment.

Because currently, she is…

“She’s passionate, has fan devotion, and while I don’t know how she’ll use it for broadcasting, she draws well for now. Her fan cafe history is a concern, but we can separate the accounts so she doesn’t get caught, and even if she does, she was a clean user who only posted fan art, so there won’t be controversy, and the fans might even like it.”

Just then, Kim Kanghyun started nodding to himself and listing his evaluation of her.

Ari stopped thinking about Haruka and instinctively nodded, agreeing with his words.

Although it was their first meeting, she was strangely likable.

Perhaps sincerity truly gets through.

Ari also genuinely loved VTubing and was currently working like a s*ave, not shying away from dirty work because she wanted to be helpful to the group members.

Actually, Woo Seowoo’s motivation was slightly different, but her love and consideration for Bellus were the same.

“Well, her looks are cute too, so there’s no worry even if her red pill gets exposed. She’s exactly the type fans would like…”

“Are you already worried about her red pill being exposed?”

“…There’s already precedent.”

Kim Kanghyun gave a bitter smile.

In the case of the 1st generation Crystal, everyone except one member had their red pills revealed within a month.

From minor things like previous life activities* to deeper details like family relationships or even school days.
(*TL Note: 전생 (Jensaeng) – Refers to a VTuber’s previous activities/identity before their current VTuber persona, like a past account or streaming career.)

Being a VTuber in a famous group like Bellus sadly meant you couldn’t rely on the anonymity of being a VTuber.

“Let’s put that aside for now. It was written on her application that she sings quite well, but it bothers me that she didn’t do it as a personal talent. We’ll have to see. If she can’t, we can just get a trainer like we did for Kohaku and throw her in, she’ll sing like a human eventually.”

“Kohaku was truly terrible at first.”

“Yes, if it weren’t for the trainer, we almost couldn’t have debuted her.”

Kim Kanghyun recalled the not-so-distant past, shaking his head and tapping the document for applicant 329.

As he thought earlier, she was a strangely memorable applicant.

“And well… that impression was quite… Pffft. Ah, it still makes me laugh thinking about it. Does she have talent for broadcasting? Anyway, her ideology is not just excellent, it’s perfect.”

“We’ll have to watch for a few months to know that.”

At the manager’s sharp remark, the CEO chuckled bitterly.

She was right.

It was a story known only to the members and internal staff, but the 1st generation was supposed to debut with five members, not four.

However, just a week before the debut, they discovered that one of the members’ ideologies actually leaned that way.

They terminated her contract after receiving the penalty fee, and the few remaining staff members pulled all-nighters reworking the debut song to barely make the debut.

Not only did they have to mentally prepare the members again, but they also had to discard the virtual character they had received from a famous Japanese illustrator and even finished rigging.

There was also an incident where an overworked Ari accidentally announced the debut members as five, but since she was the one who discovered the problematic posts on that member’s ancient Twitter account from lives ago, preventing a bigger disaster, they couldn’t say anything.

“This time will be tough too.”

So this time, they planned to have them live together, send them on a trip with a manager to loosen them up and probe their thoughts, and even conduct surprise phone checks to thoroughly verify their ideologies.

Thorough background checks during the debut preparation period were a given.

Do you know why Kim Kanghyun is called the ‘Feminist Slayer’?

Because he literally cut off anyone who showed even a hint of it.

He was actually someone who didn’t hold much resentment towards that particular ideology.

He was too busy working towards his own dream to care.

But if it stood in the way of his dream, he had no choice.

He believed the most important quality for a VTuber was ‘cultivating obsessive fans’, the ability to train incoming fans until they lost their minds.

Although he couldn’t confirm if they had that ability until they actually started broadcasting, his principle was to at least set up a minimum filter.

To give a simple example, what would happen if a VTuber, who needs to treat fans like boyfriends, held such ideologies?

No matter how much they try to hide it, it will eventually show, and the problem will surface someday.

When that happens, it doesn’t end with just expelling that member; the entire group falls into stagnation.

Countless small and medium-sized VTuber groups have collapsed this way or lost their momentum for growth altogether.

Therefore, he remained vigilant until the very debut, thoroughly excluding them.

Naturally, the furious dropouts exposed his thorough background checks and ideology verification on female-dominated online communities, spreading it in the shadows.

However, it led to the ironic situation where VTuber otakus were actually proud of it.

“Let me tell you. Huh? When other groups had feminist issues blow up, we thoroughly kicked them out. Huh? When other groups had red pills exposed, we prepared in advance and picked good-looking ones. Huh? When other groups had boyfriend scandals, we exclusively hired female staff, managed the members, and didn’t even give them a chance. Huh? Ma, I did it all!”

“Boss… you sound like an old man.”

Anyway, the man named Kim Kanghyun, famous among streamers for being generous, affectionate, and good-natured, was also a man who knew how to be ruthless for the sake of his dream.

“Ten eggs… for 5,000 won…?”

On my way home, I stopped by the supermarket to buy some food and was utterly shocked.

Seriously, why does a carton of 10 eggs, each the size of a quail egg, cost 5,000 won?

“Are these dinosaur eggs or something…?”

Since I took the subway back as well, the money left in my possession is exactly 6,220 won.

If I buy these tiny eggs, I won’t be able to do anything else.

A mere few hundred won is far too little to do anything in South Korea.

“Still, there’s nothing quite like eggs…”

When I rummaged through the studio apartment after waking up in this body, I did see rice and seasonings.

Humans are creatures that can survive for weeks with just rice and eggs.

Boil eggs with chopped green onions, and you get egg drop soup. Scramble them, and you get scrambled eggs.

With effort, you can make omelets and rolled omelets.

Fry an egg, drizzle soy sauce, and eat it with rice (gan-gye-bap), eliminating the need for side dishes. You can even simmer them in soy sauce to make braised eggs (jangjorim).

Since it’s an ingredient allowing for such a diverse repertoire of dishes, it can be considered quite cost-effective for someone living alone.

But thinking about the future where my bank account holds less than a thousand won after buying this brings an undeniable sense of fear.

“Ri-right. Let’s just close my eyes and buy it…!”

They said I’d get a call within a month if I passed, so I just need to hold out until then.

After that, I’d enter group lodging, and they said they’d provide a small amount for transportation and food expenses.

It reminds me of the reserve forces compensation pay, but hearing they’d give it felt good.

“Alright.”

For now, I’ll survive on rice and eggs for two weeks and look for simple ways to earn money…!

Beep beep beep beep. Bee- Bee- Bee- Bee-

“Ah.”

Come to think of it, I don’t know the passcode for this apartment’s door lock.

I was so preoccupied with the interview that I didn’t even look for a house key before leaving, so right now, there’s no way for me to get inside.

“Ha…”

All the strength drains from my body.

Engulfed in emptiness, I hang my head low and see the carton of 10 eggs in my hand.

…To become such a beggar overnight.

Still, in my previous body, I worked hard at part-time jobs and saved up some money.

There’s no way to retrieve that money either.

But what on earth was the owner of this body, Woo Seowoo, thinking, living like this?

Did she perhaps attempt suicide?

Like in novels, did my soul, coincidentally wandering nearby, possess the body of a girl who killed herself?

Anyway, since I couldn’t sleep on the streets, I opened the budget phone and called the number listed as ‘Landlord’ among the few contacts.

“Hello. Um… This is Woo Seowoo from unit 203…”

“– Ah, student from 203! I was waiting for you to call!”

“…Yes?”

“– Well, the student suddenly paid two months’ rent at once. It really surprised me, you know?”

“Ye……s?”

What the heck.

Was this the reason there was no money in the account?

What, did she plan to die if she failed the interview after paying the rent in advance?

“– Anyway, why the sudden call? Is something wrong?”

“Ah… I forgot the door lock passcode… I lost the key too…”

“– Aigoo… What will you do if you’re already like this at such a young age? Hold on, where are my car keys…”

“…Thank you.”

“– Don’t mention it. Just wait a bit, okay?”

Fortunately, the landlord seemed kind and was coming right away.

My previous body’s landlord was a certified lunatic; Woo Seowoo seems quite lucky.

…Is she really lucky, though?

“I don’t know.”

As the tension from the interview eased, reality slowly began to sink in.

My mind is a mess.

I can’t comprehend how things ended up like this.

I don’t understand Woo Seowoo’s situation, and I have even less idea why I suddenly ended up in this body.

I couldn’t even grasp what exactly had happened.

“Ha… Sh*t. Life as a mod just slaving away and simping for Haruka wasn’t so bad.”

Of course, I did the crazy thing of going to an interview because I wanted to meet that Haruka, but I never thought about wanting to become a woman like this, nor did I wish for it.

The more complex my thoughts become, the more disjointed fragments of imagination surface, churning inside my head.

It feels unpleasant, like the God of Mischief tossed me into this body and is now contemplating how to cook me up.

Right. Just like how I’m pondering how to eat with this quail-egg-sized egg for two weeks.

“Ah, it’s complicated.”

I shook my head roughly.

Just as this body felt unfamiliar, my mind was also a mess.

Actions that felt natural in my original body now feel only awkward.

Even turning my head feels foreign.

Every time the long, soft black hair visible in the corner of my eye brushes against my neck, I feel an awkward sensation.

This feeling that nothing is mine, I want to escape it quickly.

I haven’t even fully adapted to the body yet, and right now, I don’t want to think about anything.

“I miss Haruka…”

Come to think of it, I’ve missed a whole month of the members’ broadcasts, including Haruka’s.

Just catching up on all the cold, leftover VODs would probably take days, wouldn’t it?

Right. That should be enough time to clear this chaotic mind.

There won’t be any problems. Yep.