Chapter 7: Please… let there be no members among the passers this time…!

When I woke up and checked the number of messages on my Twitter account, my blood ran cold.

Because I thought I had made a mistake.

Could it be that I shouldn’t take commissions while using my oshi mark? I wondered, but that wasn’t it; it was simply that a whopping 15 people had requested commissions from me.

The account Woo Seowoo originally ran was a fan art account, so it seemed to have quite a few followers, giving it good visibility.

“…Crazy, if I charge 50,000 won per person, that’s 750,000 won.”

No matter how much of a part-time mod hero I was, single-handedly blocking the incomprehensible giant army of mentally ill invaders on the fan gallery, this hit hard.

But, as expected, I didn’t accept them all.

I’ll just earn enough to live on for the time being.

If I pass the interview, I’ll enter group lodging, and if I fail, I can just take commissions again then.

Normally, I would worry, “What will I do to survive if I fail…?” but with this talent, the current me is invincible.

It’s a brilliant talent I never had in my previous body; it would be a huge waste not to use it.

‘Am I… a little disgusting?’

Still, no one knows that a community-dwelling, basement-living, convenience-store-working, sexually-harassing VTuber otaku lives inside Woo Seowoo’s body. Yep.

Anyway, both Woo Seowoo and I like Haruka, so nothing changes.

Right. That’s all that matters.

Letting out a slightly self-deprecating smile, I forced the last bowl of rice mixed with water into my mouth.

“Mmm… I won’t eat rice for a while now.”

I received the commission fees as upfront payments, so tonight I’ll order delivery.

Hmm. Should I order a hamburger?

Come to think of it, I only handed them out to calm down the angry folks; I rarely ate them myself.

…Let’s not think about it further.

Skimming through the messages, I accepted commissions on a first-come, first-served basis and politely declined the requests from others.

If, by some chance, I really do debut, there’s a 99 percent chance this account will be exposed, so I shouldn’t do anything that could cause trouble, right?

Anyway, I finished the meal-that-wasn’t-a-meal, chewing the tasteless rice as long as possible to feel full, did the dishes simply, and threw myself into the chair.

The chair, the only decent thing in this old house, accepted my light body without much trouble. Lightly kicking the floor, I spun around, and the tablet came into view.

This is my treasure now.

With a proud gaze, I cupped my chin and looked at the precious tablet.

“You’re pretty today too.”

Meeting Haruka’s smile displayed on the tablet, I smiled back and gently stroked the screen with my hand.

“I hope I passed.”

Besides the chance to see her in person, there was also something I wanted to ask.

For that, pretending to be a VTuber was nothing, so I’m just waiting to debut.

Well, anyway, right now I need to earn money for food, so it’s time to work.

First, I plan to accept and draw about three commissions over the week.

I think I could manage up to seven if I really push myself, but if I fail to meet the deadline or the quality drops because of it, I’ll be the only one losing out, so I should be conservative.

‘Hmm… If I ever take commissions again, maybe I should use an open chat.’

As far as I know, the number of chat rooms is limited, so it would be easier to accept requests on a first-come, first-served basis.

Okay. I’ve decided.

It’s an assumption I really don’t want to think about, but.
If I fail, I’ll build recognition through commissions and then debut as an illustrator.

I’ll become the best illustrator in Korea and be in charge of Haruka’s original song illustrations.

Although I won’t be able to see her in person, working with her is something I couldn’t even dare to dream of before.

Woo Seowoo, who gave me this precious opportunity, was also a Kanari, a fan of Haruka, so she would surely like it.

“Wouldn’t she?”

Today too, the old studio apartment returned only an empty answer.

“Finally…! At last…!”

The numerous applicant documents spread messily before him didn’t particularly matter.

After all, the interview passers had already been selected.

Ten people survived the interview.

Now, for two weeks, these ten applicants, under the guise of VTuber training, would live and eat at the company, acquiring the necessary skills for their activities one by one, and be evaluated in real-time.

A manager would constantly be attached to monitor them, weeding out any hidden ‘stones’ that hadn’t been picked out yet, and any dropouts would be mercilessly kicked out.

No, honestly, the VTuber training was just an excuse; it was simply about spending two weeks together to check their character.

If you roll around together for two weeks, someone is bound to show a flaw.

Anyway, the target number was six members.

Even if no particular problems were apparent, four people had to be dropped unconditionally.

For this, Ari had finished handing over duties to a newly hired manager and needed to complete the mental care for the new manager before they potentially quit.

And the members who still had tasks that could only be done at the headquarters, such as official content preparation or recording, would also be barred from entry for two weeks once they hastily finished their remaining work.

The same applied to other employees.

For the time being, everyone except a few essential employees at the headquarters and some trusted trainers brought in from outside under non-disclosure agreements would be effectively unemployed.

Although, of course, they would continue working from home and receive their salaries.

In other words, starting about a week later, the headquarters would firmly close its doors for two weeks.

“Manager-nim. Please send emails to the successful applicants right now. If there’s no reply by tomorrow morning, give them a call once, and if they still don’t answer, just contact the backup candidates in order.”

“Yeees…”

Ari, feeling like her workload hadn’t decreased even after finishing the handover, nodded weakly.

Actually, since there were fewer than 10 employees, including the CEO and herself as manager, it was unavoidable.

Still, once this task was completed, she would be going on a short vacation before the group lodging period began, so she managed to muster some strength.

‘The pay is good, and I can hang out with the members…!’

Her biggest motivations were money and fan devotion.

And before her, a woman with high twin tails, puffing her cheeks sullenly while sitting with her legs crossed, opened her mouth.

“So, is it over now? I was bored to death waiting.”

“Kohaku…”

Kim Kanghyun sighed, pressing his forehead.
Come to think of it, she was here too.

‘If your recording is done, hurry home and rest.’

Kim Kanghyun couldn’t understand why this kid, who already takes one day off per week, came in for recording on her day off and was still hanging around even after finishing work.

The members of this virtual group he created, Bellus, were too much workaholics, which was actually troublesome.

However, Kohaku, one of the members of Bellus 1st Generation, Crystal, and famous for being the most energetic weirdo, smoothed her deeply furrowed brow as if oblivious to his circumstances and shouted.

“Alright! Ari-ping! Let’s go eat Malatang now!”
(TL Note: ‘-ping’ is a cute suffix sometimes attached to names.)

“Haah…”

That damn Malatang-obsessed woman.

The manager probably just wants to finish work quickly and go on vacation, what is she trying to tempt her with?
Besides, the boss gave her work, where does she think she’s going?

“Malatang?!”

But the other Malatang… no, the Malatang demon’s eyes sparkled, and she clenched her fists, looking at him with desperate eyes.

Kim Kanghyun let out a sigh.

‘My wife also asked me to buy Malatang and soju on my way home today. With lots of bok choy.’

Perhaps the female species was actually created just to eat Malatang.

He hated himself from a week ago for casually promising to buy it every day on his way home just to save on delivery fees.

‘I really didn’t think she’d ask me to buy it every single day.’

“Yes… Go ahead. But you have to finish sending all the emails while working overtime before leaving.”

“Yaaay~!”

The two Malatang demons cheered like that, held hands, and left the office.

‘I was going to let her leave on time today if she finished work quickly, but oh well.’

The exploitative boss shook his head.

But being a man full of affection, known as a respected big brother figure among many streamers, he hesitated for a moment, then left a message for the manager before opening the company email account.

***

Kim Kanghyun – [Just go home today]
Kim Kanghyun – [Come in tomorrow, contact the passers who haven’t replied, and once everything’s done, go straight on vacation ㄱㄱ] (TL Note: ㄱㄱ means ‘go go’, basically ‘do it’)

KakaoTalk notification

Ari Manager – [Wow]
Ari Manager – [Really?]
Ari Manager – [Boss, you’re the best! (Hachuping giving a thumbs up)]
(TL Note: Hachuping is likely a character from an emoticon set.)

***

He chuckled, put down his smartphone, and began checking the passers’ documents and composing the emails.
He intended to double-check before sending.

First, interview number 12.

“Two previous lives, no particular controversies during those times.”

Her broadcast concepts in previous lives were all ‘menhera’ (mentally unstable), but when met in person, she was quite bright and sociable.
(TL Note: Menhera is Japanese slang for someone with mental health issues, often used as a character archetype.)

Perhaps she had a strange obsession that menhera always works for VTubers. If this part could be fixed and her true personality revealed, her potential could explode. If chosen, she would likely become the mascot of the 2nd generation.

However, despite two previous lives, her broadcasting experience is too short.

It’s proof that she has no grasp of VTubing, and question marks hovered over her broadcasting ability and singing skills.

Next, number 157.

“An Utaite* background…”
(*TL Note: Utaite refers to people who cover existing songs, often Vocaloid or anime songs, and post them online.)

While she had recently been making a name for herself in the Utaite scene and the quality of her works was very good, her live performance was surprisingly disappointing when heard. However, since she shows strength in cover song production, if she debuts, synergy with other members during song production could be expected.

Her live skills can also be improved through a trainer, so it needs a long-term perspective.

And her personality is loud.

Kim Kanghyun felt like his ears were going to burst during her interview.

But this needs to be seen on broadcast.

Some people are loud in real life but clam up once the broadcast starts.

Next, number 168.

“This one has a whopping 12 previous lives, but she’s trustworthy.”

Her age wasn’t young, but she would be that much more desperate.
And she was very calm and composed, speaking logically and articulately.

Truthfully, kids who jump headfirst into this internet broadcasting scene often lack social experience and tend to cause trouble, but if this one gets picked, she’s worthy of being a reliable leader who holds the center.

With no controversies during those many previous lives, her character seems decent, and she has broadcasting know-how.

And she also comes from an Utaite background. A quite famous one at that.
Four of her previous lives were also Utaite activities.

She’s the most favored passer, a candidate he had kept in his jewel box and personally offered a spot, leading her to participate in the interview.

Next, number 170.

“An applicant from Japan.”

A typical case where interest in Korea developed through a love for K-pop, leading to learning Korean.

She debuted once in Japan, and although she had decent activities as an indie VTuber with a considerable scale, it’s unknown why she came here, but she applied nonetheless.

Looking up her previous life videos, she showed not only K-pop interest but also otaku tendencies, which wasn’t bad.
Most applicants, being VTuber hopefuls or having past experience, are knowledgeable about subculture, but this one is the real deal.

Actually, in the Korean VTuber scene, being Japanese is practically a cheat code, so if she had no personality issues, she would have been picked immediately.

Though, of course, she needs to be observed.

Next, number 329.

“A peculiar kid from the Kanari fandom.”

As an ardent fan of Haruka, she leads the pack in terms of affection for the group.

If the two become close, they could be pushed for a ‘teetee’* vibe.
(*TL Note: Teetee comes from the Japanese word ‘toutoi’, meaning precious or sacred, used in VTuber contexts to describe heartwarming or wholesome interactions between members.)

And her drawing skills are good, and most importantly, her ideology was so perfect it felt like a 20-something man was inside her.

Another strength is her expressive face, meaning she’s likely to take well to facial tracking*.
(*TL Note: Facial tracking technology captures a person’s expressions for the avatar.)

And she’s the most unique among those seen in the interview, standing out in a slightly different way.

Her thoughts were really transparent on her face.

‘For some reason, she seemed quite dissatisfied with me.’

And number 344.

“Came from next door.”

Came over from AfreecaTV, a former idol trainee who sings and dances very well.

Over there, she ran a typical female streamer ‘yeocam’ room before applying. If her skills haven’t rusted, she’s talent worthy of being the 2nd generation center when a 3D concert is held.

However, if her previous life gets exposed, it could be a bit troublesome.

Not because she did anything strange, but the perception on this platform is a bit different.

And her broadcasting ability has many question marks.

Someone who twerked while spinning a roulette wheel suddenly comes wanting to be a VTuber? She was picked because her other abilities were outstanding, but it was very 불안하다 (buranhada – anxious/uncertain).

“And the rest.”

It might seem cold, but the remaining 4 passers didn’t particularly stand out.

They were essentially insurance, selected in case dropouts occurred among the best 6.

They were chosen solely because they seemed to have no major disqualifying factors, but seeing only 10 remain made him feel that this field wasn’t easy either.

“Phew… I can’t stand this job either.”

Kim Kanghyun felt a discomfort in a corner of his heart, but since it was a process he had to go through every time he recruited a new generation, he decided to adapt as much as possible.

Still, you never know.

Who knows if a hidden gem, undiscovered during the document screening and interview, might suddenly shine on its own?

For now, he planned for 6 members to match the 4 from the 1st generation, but it could always change flexibly.

If there was too little talent, he could pick fewer, and if there was abundant talent, he could pick more.

“Please, please… let my judgment not be wrong.”

Even after sending the emails to the successful applicants, Kim Kanghyun sat still in his seat for a while, praying.

‘Please let there be no passers this time who have spouted misandrist posts on Twitter, or are members of female-dominated underground sites, or did R-rated broadcasts in a past life we haven’t discovered yet, or caused trouble in other groups and got kicked out, or own a certain book by someone born in a certain year, or are DCInside members…!’
(TL Note: “DCInside members” likely refers to users of specific controversial galleries on that site.)

If, this time too, someone gets caught a week before debut causing a fiasco, he was prepared to piss himself right there on the spot.

However, contrary to his desperate prayers, passer number 329, chosen as one of the top 6, was none other than the esteemed part-time moderator of the ‘Bellus Gallery’ and the guardian deity who single-handedly blocked a million trolls – a figure of glorious renown.