Chapter 69 : Ts media’s bizarre daily life (1)

-Beep! Beep! Beep!

The loud alarm clock startled Shigure awake. She tossed and turned in her bed.

As always, this was the most agonizing time of day.

The start of a new day, the beginning of the same old routine.

“Ugh… I’m up, I’m up…”

Shigure fumbled for the top of her alarm clock and pressed down firmly. The round, battery-powered alarm clock she’d bought from Amazon finally shut up.

These days, everyone used smartphone alarms. Hardly anyone used old-fashioned alarm clocks like this. But Shigure, a lover of all things retro, adored this relic from the past. She’d even gone to the trouble of ordering it from Amazon all the way from overseas.

Of course, her smartphone *did* have an alarm function. It was an old, beat-up flip phone (technically still a smartphone) that had belonged to her grandmother. However, if she was going to commit to a concept, Shigure believed in going all the way.

Shigure sat up in bed, her face still hazy with sleep.

“I don’t wanna wash up…”

But wash up she must. She was a company employee. And company employees, by the universal law of salaries, had to perform the act of going to work. This was how the world worked. No matter how sleepy or lazy she was, no matter how much she wanted to stay burrowed in her warm blankets, she had to get ready for work.

At least things were better than when she was in Japan.

She recalled her days as a corporate s*ave in Tokyo. Waking up at 6 a.m., being squashed like a pancake on the hellish subway, barely making it to work only to be ground down all day like a document being fed into a shredder. Even dinner was a sad affair at a nearby convenience store. Then it was back onto the infernal subway, arriving home only to collapse into bed.

‘That wasn’t a human life…’

But now, things were different.

More flexible working hours than in Tokyo!

A lighter workload!

And yet, a significantly higher salary! Money! A plump bank account!

The last factor seemed the most important, and indeed, it *was* the most important. Those who had never experienced the anxiety of late paychecks wouldn’t understand the profound importance of timely payment.

‘Thank you, President Seongwon.’

Shigure, her face still puffy and crusted with sleep, offered a prayer of gratitude to Seongwon, the president of TS Media, before quickly washing up. Then, she nudged a tied-up garbage bag with her foot as she headed for the bathroom.

-Splash!

After a quick shower, Shigure started getting ready for work. She applied light makeup and put on a comfortable knit top and cotton pants.

In her Tokyo days, she would have donned a women’s suit, a symbol of a career woman. But now, things were different. TS Media didn’t have a strict dress code.

‘Even CEO Cha sometimes shows up in that grubby leather jacket of his.’

If CEO Cha had heard that, he would have been furious, but fortunately, he wasn’t present. Even if he were, he wouldn’t have been privy to Shigure’s inner thoughts.

“O… Okay.”

Making a conscious effort to speak Korean, Shigure left her studio apartment and boarded the subway.

The subway during rush hour was hell in Korea, just like in Japan. But thanks to TS Media’s flexible work hours, she could commute comfortably.

‘This is the president’s blessing…!’

After her habitual worship of the president, she arrived at the recently renovated headquarters, which now occupied two entire floors. Rumor had it that they were planning to build a separate office building next year, but as a mere employee, Shigure didn’t know for sure.

‘No, I’m not just a mere employee anymore…!’

It was true.

She wasn’t just an employee anymore.

She was now a valuable asset to TS Media.

Kawasaki Shigure was the first crew member of Seongwon’s group, tentatively called the ‘Hero’s Party,’ and the author of TS Media’s first webtoon, ‘Behind the Scenes of the Approval Meeting’!

‘I have to work hard today too!’

Holding a Starbucks Americano, Shigure energetically opened the office door and stepped inside.

“Ah, you’re finally here, Kawasaki-ssi. Come here for a second.”

“Huh?”

And just like that, she was whisked away by Seongwon.

The reason? A meeting to discuss the concept for her broadcasts.

* * *

TS Media Headquarters, Large Conference Room (smaller than expected).

Shigure glanced nervously at the company’s president, Seongwon, who was sitting at the head of the table. She had a lot to say, but she was frankly too intimidated to speak.

It was CEO Cha who voiced her unspoken concerns.

“…A maid, you say?”

“Yes, a maid concept. What do you think? As you’ve seen from the broadcast monitoring, the viewers are asking for a maid-concept streamer. I think it could be pretty good, don’t you?”

Seongwon shrugged, and CEO Cha rubbed his forehead, clearly experiencing a headache.

“President Seongwon, we’ve already started working on her avatar. It’s a bit sudden to change it now.”

“We’ve *started*, but it’s not finished, is it?”

“That’s true, but…”

“It’s not like redesigning it will take that much effort, and honestly, I think it’s doable. In fact, the more distinct and exaggerated Kawasaki-ssi’s concept becomes, the more helpful it will be in retaining viewers, wouldn’t you agree?”

CEO Cha groaned at her words.

“Hmm, you have a point. I suppose it would be good for Kawasaki-ssi to have a firmly established identity if she wants to step out of your shadow quickly.”

“Then let’s go with that…”

Watching the meeting heat up, Shigure swallowed hard, her eyes trembling.

‘What about… my opinion?’

Both Seongwon and CEO Cha were discussing her without even asking for her input!

To be fair, Shigure didn’t really mind Seongwon taking control of the VTuber project. She was well aware of her position.

Both the VTuber gig and the webtoon were only possible thanks to Seongwon’s… charity(?) towards her. The webtoon fees, the broadcast preparation costs, the equipment purchases—all of it was an investment of capital Shigure could only dream of. If Seongwon hadn’t become her benefactor, Shigure would never have even considered such things.

There was only one thing that bothered her.

“We could leave the maid design to Kawasaki-ssi…”

“No, wouldn’t it be faster to just buy a suitable design? It wouldn’t make much difference.”

“Hmm, you’re right.”

These two were completely clueless about maids!

‘They… they don’t understand subculture at all…!’

Despite the fact that she was about to undergo a sudden, ultimate evolution into a maid, this was what bothered Shigure the most!

Neither CEO Cha nor Seongwon had any understanding of maids! Did they think it was enough to just slap her in some Victorian maid outfit and call it a day? No! Absolutely not!

‘At this rate, I’m going to become a maid with no substance.’

Shigure swallowed hard.

‘A maid with no substance… how horrifying!’

She definitely didn’t want that!

But Shigure hesitated. Could she really voice her opinion? Both her VTuber debut and her webtoon were thanks to Seongwon’s generosity. Was it really okay for someone like her to offer suggestions?

It was Miley who came to her rescue.

“You seem uncomfortable. Is there something you’d like to say?”

“Ah, Butler…”

Miley approached Shigure with a gentle smile and whispered softly in her ear.

“It seems like you have something to say about the project. I think it would be best to express your opinion. This meeting is also about *your* work, after all.”

“Is… is it really okay for me to speak? I’m… nobody…”

“Of course. It’s only natural.”

Miley gave a bright smile. Seeing her expression, so reminiscent of Aphrodite from Greek mythology, Shigure couldn’t help but wonder if this woman was really human like her.

“If you bottle up your concerns now, you never know what kind of poison they might become later. It’s better to express them early before they erupt. That would be good for you, and for Master.”

“Oh, oh…”

“Try voicing your opinion, Kawasaki-ssi. Even if it seems far-fetched, I will support you. Master will likely take it seriously if I back you up. You can make your voice heard.”

“R-Really?”

Even as she said this, Shigure tilted her head.

‘But why is Butler helping me?’

She soon found out.

Miley subtly glanced up at CEO Cha and Seongwon, who were engrossed in a conversation about idols, title tracks needing rap parts, and other things Shigure couldn’t quite grasp. Then, in a very quiet voice, Miley whispered:

“However, I also have some ‘suggestions’ regarding the webtoon.”

“The… webtoon?”

“Yes. ‘Behind the Scenes of the Approval Meeting.’”

Miley’s right hand subtly rested on Shigure’s shoulder. The slight pressure on her left shoulder made Shigure, who was already small, feel as though she were shrinking even further.

“The main characters’ authenticity, their emotional arcs… somehow, they don’t seem quite ‘right.’ I intend to offer my suggestions on those points.”

Her whispered words tickled Shigure’s ear. She shivered, thinking:

‘As I suspected, she definitely likes girls…!’

Miley leaned in closer and asked:

“So, what will you do?”

Shigure considered the question. Uphold her creative integrity as the author of her webtoon, or take control of the maid concept for her VTuber debut?

Which was more important?

“…I will accept Butler’s ‘suggestions.’”

Shigure decided to abandon her authorial pride.