They Became the Big Players Among the Hako VTubers - Chapter 25
Treasure? If You Want, I’ll Give It To You – 3A quiet Saturday morning.
Under the bright sunlight, the brutal traces of bombardment were revealed.
The battleground was not ABCD, but another vtuber fandom community.
「[Notice] Title: Mentioning other vtuber groups is prohibited.」
「This is the moderator. I know what happened, and I know how you all feel. But watching you people bicker and exhaust yourselves all night since Friday evening—it’s so damn pathetic I can’t take it anymore. If anyone tries to stir up that drama again, i’ll wipe them out. So shut up.」
– You’re born to be a mod, fr
– “Aren’t we getting goods too?” Lmao, i’ve had enough of that pathetic bait
– Let’s go, lifelong moderator
– Blocking bait, love to see it
– lmfao This is it
– fr tho I didn’t even care much, who tf are these people whining about merch all night;
– So how long is this ban gonna last?
└ Planning to keep it permanent tbh
└ What about the trolls from abcd fandom? Shouldn’t we complain to them?
└ Then go do it yourself
└ Trolls? From what I saw, it was just shadowboxing;
└ For real, one anon threw bait and everyone just lost their minds, it was hilarious lmao
There were some who pushed back against the announcement.
「[General] Title: Why are y’all defending the money-spamming fandom?」
「[General] Title: This is seriously not it」
「[General] Title: y’all were mad too but now you’re acting all righteous lmao」
Those posts were promptly blocked and deleted.
[This post has been deleted.]
Amid the chaos, people who had missed the earlier drama started showing up.
– What happened??
– Something go down yesterday?
– There was… no incident…!
– Oh, that abcd stream? Something happened there?
– Someone said they dissed smaller streamers
– The fuck? Weren’t they nobodies too not long ago?
– Did they talk shit about our roleplay queen?
– tf? Those money-spamming punks dissed our girl???
– Deploy tactical nuke lmao
– wtf are you idiots on about, calm down
– Was it because of that Bigman guy or whatever, that sweaty dude?
– I mean, they do suck, let’s be honest
– For real, watching people simp over one big name is gross af
…
…
…
With new complaints flaring up,
The cooling fury reignited.
Using the nonsense from a few users as fuel, the same emotions replayed once more.
Envy.
Resentment.
Defeat.
Those feelings.
The moderators sighed,
And the community once again began to burn—warmly, fervently.
There was no true enemy.
They just kept fighting shadows of giants,
While inwardly—
Secretly envying those embraced by the giant’s arms.
All this, from the aftermath of a single broadcast.
*
《Live Now: Shining Girl Clara’s Saturday Morning Stream Just Chatting》
– Live Viewers: 2,811
It was Clara’s first 2D stream in a while.
With a slightly hoarse voice, she began speaking.
“Sharing this shining moment with you! I’m your shining girl, Clara. Ahem, oh… my throat’s not in great shape today. Sorry about that—let me grab some water.”
You could hear the sound of gulping through the mic.
“Ahem, ahem! Oh. Cough cough…!”
It really did sound like she had a sore throat.
A raspy, congested cough.
“Ahem, ah. Yeah, huh? Oh…! Just noticed—wow, there’s a lot of people here! Did you all come from yesterday’s stream?”
– yeah came from yesterday
– lmao
– Clara hi!
– New viewers are so diligent these days
– klrlrlrl
– Good job
– Gained over 10k subs in one day lol
– Clara hi
– Lots of people for a morning stream lol
– Clarararara
– Sounds like she’s losing her voice? Lol
– klrlrlrl
– If you’re tired just rest
– Clara hi!
…
…
【‘Bigman’ just donated 1,000,000 Pajik!】
“Ah… Big—cough! Oh man. Sorry. Thank you so much for the donation, bigman. Did you enjoy the stream yesterday? I hope you did.”
– Ahh this is it lol, massive donation but still has that small-time charm…
– lol is this a CEO talking to their talent?
– Just rest 😭
– Don’t push yourself, noona
– Yesterday’s stream was so good
– fr tho lol I couldn’t sleep from the dopamine
– Watched the full version twice lol
The praise for yesterday’s stream poured in endlessly.
Their show was just that distinctive—
Like a rainstorm of content and merch, a dopamine waterfall.
And yet, even with all the compliments,
Clara responded with a strangely spaced-out voice:
“Ah, really?”
– Ah, really?
– Ah… I see…
– She’s not happy about it huh…
– Whoa that’s like what an idol says when they’re over it
– Isn’t that like an industry-banned phrase? Lol
– lol wtf was that line noona
– lolol what even
– Idol fan meeting forbidden phrase lol
– “Ah, really?” (translation: my throat’s f***ed leave me alone)
– Guys, she’s tired, time to dip
– Clara burnout…
Clara’s fanbase, the Carrots, could tell just by her voice that she was worn out.
So the line became the center of some affectionate teasing.
【‘Dead Carrot’ just donated 10,000 Pajik!】
“Ehehe, I guess… I wasn’t being considerate, huh….”
【‘Old Carrot01’ just donated 25,000 Pajik!】
“Ugh… Sorry. I’ll just go then.”
“!”
Still half-asleep, Clara suddenly realized what kind of reaction she had just given.
After letting out a few chuckles,
She offered a sort-of-explanation.
“Ah, pfft! Thanks for the support. Really, it’s not like that…. I just woke up and my head’s a bit fuzzy. Didn’t sleep well last night….”
– Pulled an all-nighter?
– 😭😭
– I totally get that feeling…
– Finished a huge project and couldn’t sleep that night ’cause my heart was racing lol. So tired but couldn’t close my eyes lol
– So real lol
“It’s not that—I was responding to an official store outsourcing offer….”
– tf give us back the feels
– Are you a T-type?
– Ugh, freakin’ T-type…
– lol so cold and straightforward
– Don’t get sick
Clara let out a soft chuckle.
“By the way, did you all check out the official store?”
– Yeah lol, great value for money
– How’d you pull that off?
– I bought everything, A to D lol
– For real lol
– I got mine for free from noona
– Bro that’s a flex
– Still, the merch was actually pretty solid
– Looked legit when she previewed it a bit on stream lol
– Like grandma packed it to the brim
– I aced the quiz but didn’t win anything…
– Shipping was crazy fast too
…
…
…
The fans were thrilled with their merch.
They laughed and chatted about what had happened on stream.
Bound by the world of the stream, and the world of ABCD, they enjoyed it together as one.
It was quiet,
But strong and peaceful.
“…”
A Vtuber and their viewers.
An idol and their fans—this was how things should be.
And yet,
This sense of normalcy…
Had been nothing more than a dream for the past year.
“…”
In a calm voice, Clara spoke.
“…There should be an announcement going up soon, but next Monday, our music will be released. It’ll be on streaming platforms too. We’ve been preparing for this a long time, so I hope you all enjoy it.”
– ?!
– What the
– No way lol
– It’s real! Announcement just dropped lol
– Is Clara the real boss of ABCD or what?
– Content overload since yesterday lol
– Is it the song you sang at the showcase?
“Yes, and also… all four songs we’ve been working on will be released. The physical album is still in production, but it won’t be long before you see it.”
– Whoa, four songs??
– That’s some serious grandma-level portions lol
– Why are you on a roll noona??
– Absolutely wild lol
– This place always serves big portions and I love it
And Clara wasn’t done with her calm announcements.
“There’s another announcement going out now. Starting today, we’re officially opening memberships. Each member will have a special broadcast, with edited content like best shots and behind-the-scenes footage. There’ll also be member-only streams.”
– Are you serious lol
– What IS this lol
– It says 5,500 won in the announcement
– I already subscribed, cya
– How did you do it? Tell me plz
– Subscribing was the obvious move
– This place is a factory at this point lol
…
…
…
The viewers cheered.
Because they could feel it— this wasn’t about squeezing fans dry with expensive gimmicks.
It was about creating something real, together.
Someone asked:
– Just how long have you been preparing all this? For real??
“…”
How long had it been?
“…”
Clara cleared her throat before answering.
“…We started preparing a year ago. Thanks to a lot of help, we were able to do a lot.”
– Wow lol so you weren’t just some small streamer?
– Lol this is all thanks to Big Man
– Can’t believe talent like this almost got overlooked
– Salute to the CEO!
– Victory, sir!
– ? Isn’t it supposed to be ‘Loyalty’?
Luckily,
None of the viewers noticed the slight unease in her cough.
“…”
With an overwhelmed heart,
Clara whispered with a bright smile.
“Really, thank you.”
Big Man—
It was a prayer from a warrior who had returned from battle.
And that quiet prayer resonated deeply.
The stream wrapped up early.
In that short time, the merch sold out through the second batch, and the memberships passed the thousand mark with ease.
The fans were now waiting for real idols.
‘What kind of stream will they do next?’
And thankfully,
This time,
They were ready to answer that expectation.
*
A quiet Saturday evening.
I had just completed my membership registration and reserved the merch.
Of course, I signed up and purchased for all four members.
Now, I was sitting peacefully on a convenience store chair.
‘I told Big Man I’d send it to him for free, but… merch only has meaning when you pay for it.’
In the distance, I could see the shimmering glitter of the Han River.
“…”
It was just one broadcast.
But at long last, the world of ABCD had been completed.
Even now, countless editing geniuses were clipping yesterday’s stream, spreading it under the title of a “legendary broadcast.”
The world was rapidly catching on to the name ABCD.
No longer a dying no-name Vtuber,
But now remembered as fearsome rookies.
‘This ripple effect alone is probably the result of spending a billion won.’
But with that urgency,
Many enemies must’ve emerged too.
They just couldn’t climb over the wall called “capital” yet…
One day, we’d surely clash with them.
Even so—
That was proof that ABCD was alive right now.
To collide,
To absorb,
And to keep running without rest—
That is the essence of life.
“…”
A life completely opposite to that of a regressor.
Ding!
“!”
The moment I had that thought,
My phone buzzed as if scolding me.
[Ayoung: Boss, what are you doing?]
“?”
What’s this?
[Resting. At the convenience store.]
“…”
[Ayoung: I see….]
“…?”
She left that slightly vague message.
And then silence, for a while.
Until the phone buzzed again.
Ding!
[Ayoung: Boss.]
[Yes?]
[Ayoung: I have something I want to say today. I’ll be there soon, so please wait for me at the convenience store.]
“…”
She’s probably going to say…
‘…that she’s quitting the part-time job. She can finally make a living just from being a Vtuber idol now.’
That’s what Clara had achieved.
Merch.
Music.
Memberships.
Those were now the revenue streams for ABCD as an idol group.
Even if they sprouted atop the foundation of Big Plan’s capital, the results were their own.
In other words,
No more need for side gigs.
“…”
I accepted it.
‘With someone like that by your side, you can go anywhere.’
So I waited for Ah-Young.
A few minutes later,
With light footsteps and fluttering blonde hair, she appeared.
—Boss!
“!”
She ran toward me with the shimmering Han River behind her.
“Boss—!”
“…”
“Hello—!”
“Yes, hello.”
Ayoung had run all the way to the front of the convenience store.
She stood there, hands behind her back, panting.
“Whew, just… just a second… haah…!”
“…”
“Hehe, I just really wanted to say it quickly, so I ran without thinking…!”
“…?”
To tell me she’s quitting?
Ayoung caught her breath and looked at me.
Uncertainty and nervousness swirled faintly in her eyes.
“…Boss.”
“Yes.”
“You know how I told you I was an aspiring idol before?”
“Yes.”
“Well, that wasn’t entirely true.”
“…?”
She handed me a box as she spoke. Her voice trembled slightly with tension.
“I-I didn’t say anything because I had no results to show…! But I’m actually… a Vtuber!”
“…”
“This is my merch! Please take it!”
What she held out was the “All-Star Box (Type A).”
Looking at it, I let out a small, internal sigh.
It was the shock of suddenly being hit with a red pill.
“…”
I already bought it.