Became the Mother of Virtual YouTubers - Chapter 131
Jin Ha was someone who had no dreams.
He had only lived on the path set by his parents.
He had no particular complaints.
There were no specific goals, and there was no reason to rebel.
From elementary school days, his desk was always piled high with reference materials and problem sets.
It was the same in middle school and high school.
Fortunately, Jin Ha had quite a talent for academics.
And since he was diligent, the numbers on his report card had never betrayed him or his parents.
However, the joy that Jin Ha felt ended right there.
Life beyond the number 1 had always felt empty.
His parents praised Jin Ha for that.
“Just keep it up like this. You just have to follow this path.”
So, don’t think about anything.
This was more of a sort of confirmation than praise, a form of brainwashing.
Jin Ha didn’t doubt those words.
There was no reason to doubt, as both the studying process and the resulting grades weren’t bad.
Looking back now, he might have been simply empty-headed rather than diligent.
Thus, from school back home.
From academy to home.
With his two eyes fixed on the pavement, walking and walking, suddenly.
Jin Ha looked up at the night sky absentmindedly.
In the newly developed city that was still under construction.
Stars twinkled sporadically.
Yet, strangely, they didn’t feel beautiful.
They seemed like nothing more than cold, fading balls of light.
Suddenly, such a thought crossed his mind.
Why is my life so dull?
At that moment, Jin Ha realized his life was painfully empty.
It was the beginning of a common adolescence.
After that day, Jin Ha would occasionally ask himself in front of the mirror.
What is success?
Am I really on the right path?
What on earth am I living for?
When he opened his eyes, his chest felt hollow and empty.
Sitting in front of his desk solving problems, the emptiness choked him.
The only time Jin Ha could truly breathe was when he was playing games.
Sitting in front of the monitor, wearing a headset, distractions disappeared.
In that moment, his parents’ voices, grades, and the troublesome future didn’t exist.
*
That night was no different.
It wasn’t a particularly wrong day.
Just an ordinary night, tired from repetitive entrance exam studies and problem-solving.
While listening to an online lecture, he took a breather and stumbled upon a broadcast while browsing a streaming platform.
(Live!) It’s a counseling broadcast 🙂
The number of viewers was only 12.
A strangely designed avatar was placed in the thumbnail.
Did they say they set up the avatar randomly to avoid showing their true self?
Looking back now, it was a VTuber that was ahead of its time.
As for the ID… well, he couldn’t remember now. If he had known, he would have paid closer attention and written it down.
Had he recalled it, he would have somehow sought them out.
In that broadcast he entered without much thought.
Jin Ha quietly watched other viewers share their problems.
Someone complained about the struggles of corporate life.
Someone said they were having a hard time after a fight with a friend.
The broadcaster didn’t offer any specific solutions.
They simply offered warm words to each person.
Like a younger sister, cutely.
Like a comfortable friend, gently.
At that moment, Jin Ha’s heart started to beat strangely.
As if entranced by something, he cautiously placed his hands on the keyboard.
-jinha_na: Sometimes I feel my life is meaningless.
-jinha_na: I’m walking, but I don’t know where I’m going.
-jinha_na: It feels like I’ve lost my way, and everything is dark in front of me.
These were words he could never have said under normal circumstances.
But strangely enough,
he wanted to be honest in front of that small avatar.
The broadcaster paused for a moment.
[Um… Jin Ha, I actually feel the same way.]
Soon, she began to speak in a clear and bright voice.
[Sometimes I wonder if it’s right to continue this low-viewership broadcast.]
[And I think maybe I should focus on my studies…]
[I’ve thought about it in many ways, but I’ve realized it’s important to just keep moving forward one step at a time.]
[You don’t have to find a meaning, you know.]
With that simple statement,
Jin Ha’s heart started to flutter subtly.
[Just walking quietly is itself wonderful.]
[Aren’t you doing that, Jin Ha?]
[I think someone like you is really amazing; I might just become a fan.]
[What if you think of living each day for a fan who is deeply captivated by you, like me?]
Something welled up deep within his chest.
“…”
He was bewildered.
He couldn’t understand why tears were about to burst forth.
This is… right.
A common teenage illness.
A side effect of adolescence.
For the first time in front of the monitor,
Jin Ha held back his tears.
Beyond his blurry vision, the small avatar on the monitor smiled at him.
[Jin Ha, if it’s hard, will you come find my broadcast anytime?]
[I will always be here waiting.]
A small word of comfort that seemed insignificant.
But at that moment, it was the warmest words in the world.
It was the first time.
Someone had told him that they were truly looking at him.
It was the first time someone had validated his aimless existence.
After that day, Jin Ha visited that broadcast every night.
The small avatar’s tiny comfort helped Jin Ha endure each day.
Little by little, very slowly.
His days began to change.
Before long, he found a dream.
Jin Ha wanted to become like that broadcaster.
He wanted to be a broadcaster who offers comfort to someone.
Or he wanted to be someone who supports such a broadcaster.
However, when that dream was conveyed to his parents, a storm erupted in the household.
“You crazy kid! Are you out of your mind?!”
His parents couldn’t understand.
Internet broadcasting? An avatar? Why would he risk his life for that? They were furious.
Jin Ha rebelled.
For the first time, he raised his voice to confront his parents.
He said it was the first dream he had found.
He wanted to properly pursue what he desired.
His parents turned their backs.
The words about disowning him were thrown around.
Still, Jin Ha did not give up.
It was the first time he felt a desire to do something through the night.
But reality wasn’t that forgiving.
Jin Ha had no talent for broadcasting.
Shy by nature, he froze as soon as he stood in front of the camera.
When his voice flowed out through the speakers, embarrassment overwhelmed him, making it unbearable.
So, he learned 3D modeling.
But he had no dexterity.
The avatar he made was just an unrefined lump of clay without any effort.
For the first time, a sense of despair washed over him.
A life that had never experienced failure was unraveling for the first time.
He wanted to do well.
He worked earnestly, but…
Nothing went the way he wanted.
He felt pathetic.
Then, by chance, he came across a video about creating avatars using AI.
Seeing an avatar being born through a program, Jin Ha was breathless.
He couldn’t believe such realistic avatars could be made without skill!
Jin Ha clung tightly to that last hope.
Day and night, he opened books, sought lectures.
He sculpted the model, HANA, again and again.
He designed formulas and wrote code.
He entered a renowned university’s engineering department, and even interned at research labs since early on.
Of course, this wasn’t easy either.
Throughout his graduate studies, he clashed frequently with professors.
They said simply making a pretty avatar had no academic value. He couldn’t write a project proposal with that.
Since he wasn’t recognized by the professors, he couldn’t even dream of scholarships.
The money coming in for projects was consumed by tuition, living expenses, drinking costs, and paid 3D asset fees, leaving nothing behind.
Neither could he reach out to his parents, with whom he had a strained relationship.
As reality loomed before him, his anxiety grew steadily.
Yet, Jin Ha did not give up.
No, he couldn’t give up.
He wanted to repay the comfort that small avatar had given him someday.
Even if it wasn’t that avatar itself.
Even if it was someone else, he wanted to help.
And one more thing.
He knew it was a childish thought, but he also understood that a life without dreams is like being dead.
After enduring for several years,
Jin Ha was able to achieve his dream.
The boy wandering without finding stars became a woman guiding someone, like a constellation.
…A trivial (?) problem did arise, though.
Well, this level is nothing.
*
“So, what’s the message contained in this mural Easter egg?”
Roji made a sulky expression, wondering if she could be told now.
“I won’t tell you. It’s too embarrassing to say it out loud.”
“Oh, come on, Jin Ha! Why are you like this with another developer?”
“It’s nothing special. Just, you know, something like a bamboo grove…”
Jin Ha wanted to reveal their inner thoughts but felt too embarrassed to actually do so.
“To add, it’s like an author’s note at the end of a novel.”
Creators often want to embed their own stories in their works, right? Jin Ha smiled faintly.