They Became the Big Players Among the Hako VTubers - Chapter 16
So When Is It Coming Out? - 13D Showcase and Platform Transition Day.
The members of ABCD finally started their broadcast in 3D models.
《Live: Aki-chan’s Regular Broadcast – Idol Weekday Evening Talk Time~!》
– Real-time viewer count: 518
Sararak.
Aki-chan was dressed in a yellow dancer outfit.
Her yellow side-tail swayed with her movements, and her hands waved cheerfully up and down.
It was reminiscent of a country pup wagging its tail.
Aki-chan greeted energetically.
“Shining like a star in your heart! I’m Aki-chan, an aspiring idol! Nice to meet you, Aces—! Everyone, say ‘Hi-su’!”
– Hi-su!
– Oh, so you’re broadcasting in 3D now?
– Hiiii-su!
– Sniff… Look at the viewer count… She’s not a small-timer anymore…
– Nah, she’s still small-time lol
– Hi-su!
【’How is your fan name Donut?’ has donated 1,000 Paz!】
“High-rise!”
– hys
– So cute
– hys
– Hi-su
– Big Man not here?
– hys
…
…
…
【’Big Man’ has donated 1,000,000 Paz!】
…
– BM
– Big Man!
– hys
– Btw, the way the divine name got sealed mid-showcase yesterday was hilarious lololol
– Well, everyone was going crazy, so of course that happened
– BM
– “If it were Big Man, he would’ve done it like that.”
– Hi-su!
– BM
The chat scrolled by rapidly.
Compared to the cozy rural shelter it had been until now, the speed was incomparable.
It was overwhelming just trying to read.
And on top of that—
Many others besides Big Man were donating too.
“!”
Aki-chan’s eyes widened.
Her 3D model’s pupils dilated noticeably, and her mouth hung open as she looked around, all captured on screen.
“…”
Two times.
Two times.
She glanced left and right.
Then, with a trembling voice, she spoke.
“Wow…! Why are there so many people? I can’t even read a single chat…”
– Lol, her reactions are so sweet
– Is this the charm of a small-timer?
– Big Man’s snacks were sweet too lol
– Big Man’s snacks?
– The food truck event Big Man did, remember?
“!”
Aki-chan flinched at the mention of Big Man’s name.
She had been so overwhelmed by the viewer count that she forgot their prayer time.
She subtly glanced around.
“Food truck…”
In the end, no one could officially confirm who had organized the free food truck event.
But deep down, she had an idea.
‘The only one who could do something like that without anyone knowing is him.’
But she couldn’t express her gratitude.
Even if everyone knew—
Unless he acknowledged it himself, she couldn’t say anything.
“…”
That was just how things were.
But she could still hint at it.
Aki-chan shyly twisted her fingers and spoke.
“Oh, by the way… I heard an anonymous fan rented a ton of food trucks to promote our performance…”
Secretly hoping Big Man would say, “I did it.”
So she could officially thank him.
‘Isn’t it natural for fans and idols to share that kind of feeling? Just like he said, it’s a natural emotion, right…?’
She wanted to say it naturally.
“We succeeded because of you.”
“Thank you for doing something so difficult for us.”
…Something like that.
“…”
[Big Man] remained silent.
He strictly maintained the distance they had agreed upon, hiding in anonymity and not stepping any closer.
Only the viewers cheered.
– Big Man…
– Anonymous lololol Who else could it be? lololol
– Real name (Big Man)
– Big Man, sir! The hot dogs were delicious!
– Oh, so that’s the legendary Big Man? 😱
– Wow… Now even newcomers don’t know Big Man… 😱
– Fact) Newcomers outnumber the old-timers. Help…!
– BM
– Big Man
“…”
The god never answered.
Aki-chan awkwardly spoke up.
“Um, well… Should we take a moment to pray before we go on?”
The old-timers shrugged and said—
Hey, newbies.
From here on out, pray to the god before you leave.
Big, Man—.
Some newcomers muttered “This feels like a cult” and left in disgust.
But most found it amusing to pray silently to the natural disaster that rained money.
Amidst it all,
Aki-chan closed her eyes and prayed sincerely.
“…Thank you.”
If this—
Was the distance of gratitude he allowed.
Then she would do it.
As much as she wanted.
“…”
Aki-chan opened her eyes.
Then, “naturally”, she lifted her head and smiled brightly.
She pulled up her memo pad of today’s talking points and began.
“Do any of you Aces have questions for me? Ah! Un-idol-like questions are banned—! I absolutely won’t answer them!”
– Tch, a barrier?
– This house has solid walls
– Meh
– Big Man…
– Sigh
Aki-chan gave a bitter smile.
‘They were totally planning to ask weird stuff…’
Among the disappointed comments,
One in particular caught her eye.
– When will the songs from the performance be released?
“!”
Aki-chan laughed awkwardly.
“Ahaha, the songs? Umm… Well, they’re still being worked on. But you’ll be able to hear them soon!”
*
Off Entertainment Meeting Room
CEO Baek Socheol struck a pose of despair in the corner of the meeting room.
“The studio we originally contracted won’t take the work… We finally have money, and all that’s left is the final touches!”
“…”
“…”
“…”
Their footsteps had halted just before the music release.
They had successfully pulled off the showcase and needed to follow up with consecutive hits—but at the worst possible time, they hit a wall even money couldn’t solve.
Baek Socheol spoke in a devastated tone.
“I had no idea they’d take on outsourced work for a mobile game OST. And they’re booked until next quarter…”
Clara (Choi Yeseo) spoke up.
She had been editing the showcase footage by member segments in the office until today.
“Can’t we contract another company to handle it? We just need the final mastering for the official release, not the temporary mix for the showcase. If we want to register it on platforms, we need it by the end of this week…”
“I’ve already looked into it, but everyone’s booked solid. They’re all preparing for summer events.”
“What about Sound Hide? They helped us with mastering before.”
“They’re swamped with a game music event too. I checked other places, but some went out of business.”
“…”
Choi Yeseo gloomily shut her mouth.
“…There’s nothing we can do.”
When even the diligent and persistent eldest (acting as editor and assistant manager) gave up, the other members grew restless.
If she was giving up, there really was no way.
“…”
“…”
“…”
Silence filled the meeting room.
The music release was being delayed.
They were just one step away—
They needed to leap forward from their success…
The frustration was palpable.
Baek Socheol muttered.
“Sigh… Is another subculture-specialized music studio going to appear out of nowhere to help us release our music?”
“!”
Aki held her breath. This flow felt familiar.
“…”
Something—
Something tingled in her fingertips.
It was too intuitive to put into words, but…
Suddenly, the corner of her mouth twitched.
She hurriedly covered her smiling lips with her hand, but her heart pounded.
It felt like she could hear him approaching.
“…”
Whenever they wished desperately enough—
The god would peek his head in.
‘No way.’
*
Fly Note, a Subculture Music Company on the Brink of Collapse
A contract landed on the desk of the Fly Note office.
Tap
The employees eagerly checked the contents.
It was about the debt repayment looming over them.
And what they saw left them stunned.
“!”
“!”
“!”
I spoke to them mercilessly.
At this moment, I had to be the cold-blooded villain even the Merchant of Venice would curse.
“The terms are simple. For the next year, prioritize ‘Aurora Prism Entertainment’ projects above all else. No matter what happens, their work comes first.”
“T-that’s…”
The CEO’s voice trembled, unable to continue.
I hardened my heart.
“…”
The price for clearing 600 million in debt.
I’ll suck them dry to the bone.
‘This is all for the promise.’
The CEO cautiously spoke again.
“This… This offer is too generous for us…”
“…”
When I stared at him,
He flinched and quickly corrected himself.
“Eek?! N-no! Sorry! I-I just meant we’re grateful!”
“…”
I knew this contract was heavily skewed in their favor.
I just wanted to play the villain role to the end.
‘Realistically, it’s like paying off someone else’s debt and asking them to take care of our kids for a year.’
Did they sense my thoughts?
The CEO scratched his head and explained.
“We’ve mostly worked on rhythm game and anime soundtracks. This project fits our expertise… It’s practically slotting into our existing workflow, but with debt clearance, equity retention, and 200 million upfront for operational costs… It’s so good it’s almost worrying.”
“…”
Their fear was palpable amidst the overwhelming kindness.
“Then let’s proceed with the signing.”
I saw no need for further discussion.
The CEO’s vivid anxiety and confusion were amusing, but right now, I was [Big Man] in work mode.
600 million in debt,
200 million in operational costs,
A total of 800 million invested.
The CEO and I stamped the 800-million-won contract.
The employees’ eyes sparkled with relief.
“We’re saved…!”
I could feel their joy.
I considered throwing in an extra 10 million for a company dinner, but that might’ve been too much.
I stood up.
“Congratulations. You’re debt-free now.”
“Thank you.”
“Then please proceed with the work. The payment will be transferred to your corporate account in full. Do you need any tax-related assistance?”
“No! We can handle that ourselves. Should we inform Aurora of your name?”
“No, keep it confidential and proceed at the company level. I’ll take my leave now.”
The Fly Note employees stood and saw me off enthusiastically, invigorated by the sudden influx of funds.
“Thank you, CEO Seonwoo Taek!”
“Thank you, CEO Seonwoo Taek!”
“Thank you, CEO Seonwoo Taek!”
“…”
The strange unity.
Shared hardship must’ve bonded them.
And calling me CEO Seonwoo Taek…
‘Well, I’m planning to establish a corporation soon, so it’s not entirely wrong.’
To move large sums of money,
Setting up a corporation was essential.
Operating within the given system was just the individual level.
So, with a lawyer’s consultation, I planned to establish a corporation first.
“…”
Yet, being called “CEO” while operating solo felt unfamiliar.
Rustle
Even the warmth of the 10,000-won bill in my pocket felt foreign.
Someone calling me warmly was unfamiliar too.
-Store Manager!
“…”
Pondering that unfamiliarity,
I stepped out of the company building.
Ding!
“!”
I checked my phone.
The scheduled transfer had gone through.
But the depleted funds quickly replenished.
Ding!
Like a wound healing.
The reserved investment funds moved to fill the gap left by the contract payment.
Money, beyond a certain scale, moved like a living organism.
“…”
In the blink of an eye.
It was back to 10 billion.
The waves of scale erased human traces.
This was why 10 billion was needed to break the rules.
It was the “sword” capable of changing the world surrounding A-young.
Even if I couldn’t make the stars twinkle,
I could tear down the walls obscuring their light.
“…And now, I need to establish a corporation.”
To wield the sword,
I needed a proper hilt.
Rather than just buying a company or two, I needed to establish a corporation to manage distribution and collaboration—to become the [Big Man] supporting everything from behind the scenes.
“…”
With that thought, I picked up the phone.
I contacted a lawyer specializing in corporate establishment, whose details I remembered from my regression.
“Yes, it’s me. I’m calling about setting up a corporation this time.”