Chapter 87: Chiro’s Past

After I proved I was really Racoon by logging into the account, the two showed quite interesting reactions.

Guzuz stammered, trying to change the subject, and suddenly pulled out a deck of cards from her bag.

Chiro immediately curled up in a fluid motion, performing a perfect, authentic Dogeza.

And when I further revealed that I was PD Lee Seongbeom’s daughter and that Dad would be joining Byeolmuri, Chiro nearly collapsed.

“…There aren’t any more surprises, are there?”

“There really aren’t any more now. Guzuz unnie, you don’t seem too surprised?”

“I was surprised that Sua is Racoon. But being PD Lee’s daughter… not really? Isn’t that plausible?”

Unlike Chiro, Guzuz didn’t seem particularly interested in Dad.

Chiro, an ardent fan of the programs Dad created, seemed frustrated watching Guzuz, but Guzuz just tilted her head, seemingly wondering, ‘Is this something to get so worked up about?’

“Anyway, today’s welcome party will be with these members. None of you have eaten yet, right? Let’s eat first and talk.”

Jina mediated the slightly chaotic atmosphere and started the welcome party.

Each held a drink in their hand.

Most started drinking beer cans or cocktails mixed with soju and other beverages.

Among us, the only ones not drinking alcohol were Mom, who had to drive, and me.

I wanted to get drunk with them too, but unfortunately, no adult offered alcohol to a 15-year-old.

They say the problem is minors buying alcohol, not drinking it.

Maybe I should try coaxing Dad into sneaking me some later.

Mom would definitely say no.

While we were deep into eating and drinking, Osorin suddenly asked something that came to mind.

“Come to think of it, how did you two get chosen? Isn’t it okay to share some behind-the-scenes stories from the interview?”

“Well. We dunno how we got picked either….”

“They didn’t tell us the specific reason for passing. Since I passed, I wasn’t particularly curious.”

Countless people applied.

From people like Chiro and Guzuz who had never broadcasted before, to those who had some broadcasting experience.

“Of course, picking someone with broadcasting experience might make for an easier start. The risk would feel lower too.”

“Then why pick people who’ve never broadcasted?”

“All the applicants with experience had a strong ego attached to their own broadcasts. Of course, that’s natural for a broadcaster. But during the small-time streamer phase, that kind of thing often ruins broadcasts.”

Many people take pride in the unique characteristics of their own broadcasts.

Of course, they stick to those methods because they’ve personally experienced how those characteristics attract viewers and create some influx.

However, even when those methods no longer bring in new viewers, broadcasters find it hard to let go of that ego easily.

Viewer influx is quite fluid.

If you only dig one path, eventually, the influx will stop, and the broadcast will stagnate.

“Looking at the applications, there were only people trying to push weird egos. Rather than struggling to remove that ego, it’s easier to pick someone without an ego from the start and train them.

That’s why we prioritized people with no broadcasting experience.”

“True, overly unique concepts can actually cause backlash.”

“As you well know, in internet broadcasting, being slightly lacking is often more appealing than being too unique and competent.”

“What does that mean?”

“Being ‘lacking’ means you can laugh lightly. That allows you to approach people more familiarly.”

Internet broadcasting isn’t a lecture.

Likewise, internet broadcasters aren’t celebrities.

You can only survive in internet broadcasting by becoming like a familiar friend who occasionally brings laughter.

In that sense, we chose Chiro and Guzuz.

Because we could immediately see that familiarity, the kind that allows for simple, effortless laughter.

Light laughter doesn’t just come from finding something funny.

Laughter flows when you’re happy, when you eat something delicious, or when you see something cute.

In other words, light laughter emerges when trivial but positive emotions arise.

I added my thoughts.

“We’re internet broadcasters doing live streams for hours. There’s no need to consume a lot of energy trying to make the broadcast explode with laughter. Even if it’s a positive emotion, fatigue builds up.

A great example would be Jina unnie’s broadcast. It’s calm and allows for light laughter, yet she still has a huge audience.”

“Huh, what about me then?”

“Osorin unnie is a bit of an exception.”

Osorin always broadcasts energetically.

The energy pouring out of her broadcast is comparable to watching a regular comedy show.

However, she perfectly controls the pacing of her energy.

She skillfully walked the tightrope between enjoyment and fatigue, perfectly managing her viewers.

This isn’t something you can do just by imitating.

“Chiro unnie and Zuzu unnie, don’t even think about imitating Osorin unnie. That’s not something worth imitating.”

“That’s a compliment, right?”

“Of course. It’s a compliment.”

Walking that line instinctively without ever crossing it is simply talent.

It’s not for nothing that Jina and I call Osorin a broadcasting genius.

“I see, so that’s why many of my comedian juniors failed when they tried broadcasting.”

“Right, those individuals are used to pouring out a lot of energy at once. When people like that broadcast for hours, their tension quickly drops, and the viewers who see that feel let down.”

Dad said that, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

He seemed to be envisioning how Byeolmuri would handle content or filming.

Unlike TV variety shows that only edit the funny parts, internet broadcasting airs everything, even the boring parts, so it needs to be structured to avoid feeling tedious.

I couldn’t offer advice on this broadcasting aspect, but discussing it with the broadcasters here would likely yield good results.

I look forward to that moment.

“Uhm… You said it’s good if the broadcast can make people laugh lightly, right?”

“That’s right?”

“Then, what category do I fall into?”

“That’s because of Chiro unnie’s awkward Korean. When people see your pronunciation isn’t quite right, it feels like a baby talking, so they find it cute.”

“R-Really? This is cute?”

“Isn’t it?”

“At the place I worked before, they didn’t say things like that…”

Chiro said this, smiling shyly as she drank from her cup of alcohol.

‘The place she worked before?’

Come to think of it, Chiro had a slightly unusual past.

We thought it could be used as solid RP if revealed on stream, so we asked Chiro for her opinion and got her consent.

But it seemed she hadn’t revealed it on stream yet.

Had it become a bit awkward to reveal?

“Chiro unnie, what we saw on the application was just the circumstances of how you came to Korea. Was there anything else besides that?”

“Uhm, well…”

“If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to. If it’s difficult to say, you can speak in Japanese. Most people here will understand.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to talk. I’m just worried it’ll make the mood weird…. Uhm, okay, I’ll speak in Japanese.”

Chiro smiled awkwardly and began her story.

– “My mom left home when I was about 4, so I lived with my dad and younger brother, just the three of us. But Dad got addicted to horse racing and pachinko, so life was a bit tough.

I was so hungry once I even tried eating paper, but it didn’t taste good. I worked four part-time jobs, saved money, somehow got into university, and by chance, came to Korea as an exchange student.”

– “But I had to earn my tuition and living expenses, so I took a leave of absence and started working at a factory…. There, the older women teased me a lot about my pronunciation. Telling me not to act cute.

Still, I wanted to get closer, so on my birthday, I brought a cake to share, but they locked the breakroom door and wouldn’t open it, so I ended up eating it alone outside, ehehe.”

– “Eventually, I quit that factory and worked at a barbecue restaurant. It was a bit hard, but the restaurant owner gave me lots of food and was very kind, so I liked it. Then I saw the Byeolmuri recruitment notice and applied.”

Most people here could understand her story.

I gave a brief interpretation for Dad, who didn’t know Japanese.

Everyone who heard her story couldn’t properly lift their heads and swallowed hard.

“Ehehe, this is why I didn’t wanna say anything! It’s a welcome party, what do we do if it gets gloomy like this!”

Chiro scratched her head, laughing awkwardly as if the atmosphere felt strange.

Then, suddenly, the sound of sniffling, choked-back tears could be heard.

Turning towards the sound, I saw Guzuz with large tears welling up in her eyes, biting her lip.

The teardrops, grown as large as they could, could no longer defy gravity and streamed down her face.

“Uwaaaaah, Chiroyaaa!”

“Why, why are you crying?!”

“Chiro, you said you wanted to become a naturalized Korean citizen, right? I’ll adopt you, Chiro! Huuuuhng…”

“Why would I become Zuzu’s daughter! I’m older than you, you know?!”

“Come into Mommy’s arms, Chiro~”

“Get lost!”

Instantly, the air changed.

Watching the two bicker, smiles somehow started to appear on people’s faces.

Whatever her past may have been, isn’t it enough if she’s happy now?

It’s our role to continue bringing her great happiness from now on.

“What about you, Zuzu? What did you do before? You must have worked, right?”

“I… I worked in, uh, security~?”

“Security? You were a security guard? Don’t you need to know martial arts or something for that?”

“Hmm, rather than that, it mainly required good reaction speed and quick decision-making skills~”

“…Gaming?”

“……”

“A home security guard, right.”

“…Yeah.”

“You’re unemployed, aren’t you.”

“……Yep.”

“……Hmph.”

“What’s with that scoff? You’re mocking me for being unemployed in my mid-twenties, aren’t you!”

“Even a foreign worker worked this hard, but someone who graduated from a 4-year university in Seoul is unemployed… Heh.”

“D-Don’t talk like my mom!”

Chiro’s scoff dealt a significant blow to Guzuz.

It seemed she was getting nagged quite a bit at home about finding a job.

“Zuzu unnie, haven’t you told your parents you’re a VTuber?”

“Uh, uhm…. Not yet…”

“You really should tell them! You broadcast from your family home, unnie. You need to be careful because a broadcasting accident could happen.”

If her real name or something similar were accidentally revealed on stream, it would be a disaster.

That’s why I cautioned her, but it seemed telling her parents was incredibly difficult for her.

‘Is being a VTuber embarrassing?’

“You still haven’t told them? This won’t do. I need to give them a call.”

“C-CEO? Are you going to call right now?!”

“Wait, more importantly, why do you have Zuzu unnie’s parents’ phone number?”

“She wrote it down herself on her application.”

“Why did you write your parents’ contact information on the application…?”

“When I worked part-time jobs in high school, I always wrote down a guardian’s contact info, but there wasn’t a space here. So I thought maybe the person who made the application form forgot…”

“Wow.”

‘Is this truly the mind of someone who graduated from a 4-year university in Seoul?’

Should I call it amazing, or rather, mysterious?

Even while I was thinking that, Jina’s hand didn’t stop.

Perhaps she had saved the number just in case, as she immediately put the phone to her ear.

– “Ah, Mother, hello. I am Kim Jina, the CEO of a company called Byeolmuri. The reason I’m calling is that it seems your daughter hasn’t yet informed her parents about joining our company——”

“Uwaaaaaaah! CEO, wait a minute!!!”

Zuzu could cause a broadcasting accident at any moment.

It’s unavoidable, but we have to resort to this drastic measure.

“Kiyaaaaaaaaaak!!!”