They Became the Big Players Among the Hako VTubers - Chapter 40

The evening of Friday was approaching.

I organized items in the convenience store warehouse that were precariously close to their expiration dates.

Then, I generously paid for them myself.

These would serve as useful food supplies for the church and temple communities.

‘There’s an unusual amount of snacks left today.’

Well…

The more, the better, anyway.

The sound of the calculator rang out indifferently.

Beep—

At the same time,

my phone also rang.

Brrring—

“!”

I stopped calculating and answered the call.

“Hello.”

“Ah, hello? Good evening, Manager Seonwoo. This is Pastor Kim Jihwan.”

It was the pastor from the church I frequently donated to.

“Yes, hello.”

“Um… I feel terribly awkward saying this as someone who receives donations from you, Manager Seon-woo, but… would it be all right if we shared the items we received not just with our church members but with others as well?”

“?”

Hmm, a resale declaration…?

Or maybe he was thinking of supplementing the church’s finances through secondhand markets.

Honestly, I didn’t really care.

Still, there were a few things I should probably clarify.

“Sure, I… don’t mind. Once they leave my hands, they’re entirely yours and the deaconesses’ to manage. But if a religious institution gets caught separately selling food items, it could cause some problems.”

“S-sell—?!”

Pastor Kim was startled and quickly responded.

“Oh my! Sell? I’d be punished by God for that! How could I ever sell the items you so kindly donated out of goodwill!”

“My apologies. I jumped to conclusions.”

“Ah, no… It’s my fault for not explaining properly.”

He calmly continued.

“If we can’t consume all the items we received, may we share them with other organizations? That’s what I wanted to ask you, Manager Seon-woo.”

“…I see.”

It wasn’t about selling— it was about sharing.

‘Is he planning to distribute them to a homeless shelter or something? But even then, he wouldn’t necessarily need to call me about it.’

Secondary donations were also not something I needed to be involved in.

“As I mentioned earlier, once I’ve given them to you, I have no intention of interfering with how you handle the items. You’re free to do as you wish, Pastor.”

“Thank you.”

Pastor Kim carefully explained the details of the secondary donation.

“Actually, I know someone who runs a small orphanage in Seoul. The children there really love snacks, you see. But lately, operating costs have become quite burdensome.”

“The price of snacks has gone up a lot recently.”

“Yes, that’s right. When I heard about it, I thought of the items we received from you, Manager Seon-woo. I was wondering if we could pick out a few boxes of snacks the children would like and send them over there…”

“….”

He trailed off at the end.

Perhaps he was being cautious of me, his direct sponsor, even though I wouldn’t have known if he hadn’t said anything.

‘…Was he worried I’d get angry if I found out he was sending supplies to another institution, thinking it didn’t align with the purpose of the sponsorship? He’s an extremely earnest person.’

I gave a measured reply.

“As I mentioned earlier, once I hand over the items, I have no intention of dictating how they should be used.”

“!”

Pastor Kim responded in a delighted voice.

“Thank you for your permission!”

“By any chance, were you planning to distribute the items I gave you last time directly to the orphanage?”

“Ah, yes.”

“In that case, wouldn’t it be easier if I visited the orphanage myself to distribute them? I was actually planning to head out tomorrow— if you give me the address, I’ll go.”

“Huh…?”

“Just think of it as adding one more place to donate to.”

“?”

Pastor Kim fell silent for a moment, seemingly unable to comprehend.

When he finally realized I was simply offering to provide additional support, he hurriedly added in an apologetic tone.

“Oh my…! No, no! That would be too much to ask of you, President Seon-woo. We’ll handle it ourselves.”

“…”

I responded casually again.

“It’s fine. I happen to have a surplus of snacks in stock and was looking for another place to donate to. If it’s an orphanage you recommend, I can trust it.”

“…”

Pastor Kim hesitated briefly.

Then, in a voice so low it sounded like he was bowing his head, he muttered:

“Really… truly… thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

A few minutes later.

I checked the address he sent via text.

‘Olive Sprout Orphanage in Mangwondong, Mapogu, Seoul… Huh, it’s tucked away in an alley. Parking’s going to be a pain.’

As I was thinking that, I tried inputting the address into the truck’s navigation system parked in front of the convenience store.

But a familiar voice reached my ears, forcing me to turn my head.

“Boss-nim~!”

“!”

From far away—

At least 20 meters off—

A-young came running toward me, waving her hand.

“Heeeeeey, Bboooossss-niiiiiim~!”

“…”

‘Why is she waving and shouting from over 20 meters away…?’

Swish, swish—

Her yellow hair swayed like a puppy’s tail as she sprinted over, finally stopping in front of the convenience store. Panting, she flashed a bright smile.

“Huff, huff… Boss-nim! Hi!”

“Hello, Ayoung.”

“You’re… huff… not surprised today. That’s a relief.”

“?”

“Anyway, whew…”

“….”

After bowing her head for a moment to catch her breath,

Ayoung suddenly looked up with a serious expression.

“You… watched the broadcast, right?!”

“Yes, I did.”

“H-how was it?!”

“It was good.”

“What part?!”

“The way Akki-chan held the center of the stage so well. Even in front of RD, who has a large fandom and exceptional broadcast experience, you kept your balance perfectly. I think it might have been the best hosting performance in Akki-chan’s broadcasting history so far.”

“!”

Ayoung’s eyes sparkled in the sunset. After a brief moment of surprise, she fidgeted with her baseball cap.

The backlight of the setting sun cast a shadow over her face.

She shuffled her feet on the ground.

Scrunch.

Scrunch.

Pebbles and dirt rolled beneath her soles.

And then, from above them, a shy voice escaped.

“Um…”

“Yes?”

“Can you… call me that one more time?”

“?”

What was she talking about?

“Call you what?”

“M-my VTuber name…”

“Akki-chan.”

“…”

But her request didn’t end there.

“A-and… add the compliment too.”

“?”

Somehow, in that moment,

she reminded me of Berry, the spoiled maknae of ABCD.

“….”

-Berry-ri, the cutest in the world~?

‘She’s asking for more feedback than usual. She’s been streaming a lot lately—maybe she’s been influenced by Berry.’

I was more than happy to oblige.

“Aki-chan was the best.”

“…Heh.”

“Aki-chan was the coolest.”

“…”

Ayoung paused for a moment.

A heavy silence lingered.

“….”

“….”

She quickly shook it off, adjusting her baseball cap nervously.

The poor cap had been through enough, sitting obediently on her head this whole time.

“A-anyway! Yeah! I worked hard, you know!”

“You were brilliant. I saw everything.”

“Huhu…! Oh, did you maybe watch the membership broadcast?”

“Of course I did. Using AR to showcase a short performance on the subway was really ingenious.”

“Huhuhu…. Right? Aki-chan is the best, isn’t she?”

“……”

Today, her need for validation seemed especially strong.

But in life… There are days like that.

I decided to indulge her willingly.

“Yes, Aki-chan is the best. The cover song was perfectly executed too.”

“Huhu… You know, that was prepared in just three days?”

“As expected of Aki-chan. To finish mixing and even a simple MV in such a short time—truly professional.”

“……”

Finally satisfied, A-young giggled to herself. But that laughter gradually softened, fading into a faint smile. A somewhat bittersweet smile.

“D-Do I… finally look like a proper idol now?”

“No.”

“……”

I corrected the premise.

“Aki-chan has always been an amazing idol. You don’t need to seek validation for your identity from anyone. You were incredible from the very beginning.”

“…!”

Silence fell again.

“……”

“……”

What broke the silence was the sound of Ayoung’s palm.

“Ugh, seriously—!”

That sharp hand came flying toward my back.

Whack!

“…That hurts.”

“Stop hyping me up like that all the time! I don’t get it, seriously!”

“……”

What in the world did she mean?

*

A moment later.

We sat side by side at an outdoor table, having dinner, and watched the dazzling fireworks lighting up the dark sky in the distance.

Piercing through the darkness hidden within the nightscape.

A single streak of light shot upward.

Piyuuu—!

The small streak of light flickered out for a moment— then exploded with a tremendous sound.

Scattering countless embers and brilliant sparks, it became a fleeting decoration in the hazy scenery.

Boom—!

And then, the nightscape returned to its original state.

A fleeting aesthetic—

A single moment of fireworks.

Ayoung murmured,

“Wow! Fireworks… They’re so clear. Is there some kind of event over there?”

“It’s a concert. A foreign pop star is performing at Jamsil Baseball Stadium today. Right about now must be the finale.”

“Huh, you know a lot. Do you like pop music?”

“…Not really.”

“Then how do you know so much about it?”

“It just happened.”

“?”

Ayoung tilted her head in confusion for a moment before turning her gaze back to the fireworks.

In the distant sky, the fireworks danced, and the deep, resonant background music pulsed against her skin.

“Someday… do you think we could perform on a stage like that? With fireworks shooting off and everything.”

“……”

The venue ABCD was negotiating for their July live performance was an indoor one.

A live show with fireworks bursting in the sky was impossible.

Still, I offered a possibility.

“…If you work hard enough, Ayoung.”

“That’s not just empty encouragement, is it?”

“It’s not.”

“……”

I believed it.

That someday—

She might reach that point.

‘…That’s what the big plan is for, after all.’

Whether I’d be around to see it…

I didn’t know.

But Ayoung said to me,

“Then, watch over me until then.”

“……”

I couldn’t answer.

Yet Ayoung called out to me again.

“Jang-nim.”

“Yes.”

“….”

“?”

“I just called you for no reason.”

“…Okay.”

Nodding my head,

Just as I was about to watch the fireworks—

She called me again.

“Manager.”

“Yes.”

“Manager Seonwoo.”

“Yes.”

“Taek oppa.”

“…?”

I quietly looked at Ayoung.

She giggled and said,

“Ah, am I not allowed to call you oppa yet?”

“It’s not that you can’t, but… there’s an age gap between us. And given our positions, we’re employer and part-time employee.”

“It’s only a four-year difference! And you never make me work, just let me play all day… I’ve outgrown my childish habits, but you’re still ‘Manager’?”

“Well…”

“Well?”

“…”

“?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Pfft…!”

What was so funny?

Ayoung burst into laughter, her shoulders shaking.

“Fine, I won’t call you oppa.”

“Okay.”

“Taek oppa.”

“…”

“Pffhaha…”

Under the endlessly sparkling fireworks,

She flashed a mischievous smile and said,

“Oppa, are you going to keep running this convenience store forever?”

“You’re really going to keep calling me that, huh?”

“Hey! Answer me!”

Ayoung stretched her neck like a heron catching prey and poked my shoulder with the brim of her baseball cap.

“Getting poked like that with the cap brim hurts more than you’d think. Way more.”

“How would you know how I feel, oppa?”

“…”

What in the world…?

Today, the mood felt unusually playful.

Ayoung pressed me for an answer.

“Anyway! Answer me!”

“Well…”

“You just opened the convenience store for fun, right? You actually make money from stocks?”

“Is that how it seems?”

“Yeah.”

“…”

Seems like I’ve been found out.

But thinking about it,

It would’ve been stranger if she hadn’t noticed.

“Still, you didn’t even ask what kind of person I am…”

Ayoung gazed into the distance and spoke in a faint voice.

“You’re always just looking at stock charts on your phone, completely neglecting the convenience store. But then, instead of just letting it go, you go around donating things…”

“…”

“And…”

“…”

“You tell me to rest… and cheer me on every day.”

“…”

“No one would think you’re just an ordinary convenience store manager.”

“…I see.”

Well…

He wasn’t an ordinary manager.

To begin with, he wasn’t even an ordinary person.

“…”

“…”

Ayoung suddenly opened her mouth again.

This time, her hesitation was palpable.

“By any chance…”

“?”

“Hmm.”

“…?”

“It’s nothing.”

“I see.”

A blandly dropped question.

But the next one that followed was sharp again.

“So, oppa, what are you going to do about the convenience store? If things keep going like this, it’s going to fail. Aren’t we supposed to protect this place? It needs to last until the fireworks livestream…”

“…”

He quietly pointed out:

“You’re calling me ‘oppa’ again.”

“Pfft! No, it’s just funny how awkward you get.”

“…”

He decided not to react to the term anymore.

Instead, he answered her original question.

“About the convenience store…”

“About the convenience store?”

“When the right time comes, I’ll take appropriate action.”

“I see.”

Ayoung giggled for some reason, as if amused.

“I hope you stay… for a long time.”

“…”

Just as silence was about to settle again, he decided to make her one more promise.

“One thing.”

“?”

“There’s one thing I can promise you for sure.”

“What kind of promise?”

“July.”

“Next month?”

“No matter what happens… I’ll protect this place until July.”

“?”

Until July 31st.

Until that day arrives.

“No matter who comes, no matter what they do, no matter what happens.”

“…”

“I’ll definitely…”

All of this.

“Protect it. I promise.”

“…”

Rather than the content of his promise, Ayoung focused on the date.

“Huh, July…”

She grinned and pointed out:

“That’s not much time, is it? Next week is already July. Aren’t you being too cautious? Stay a little longer. I’ll work harder too.”

“…”

He couldn’t answer that.

“…You’re right.”

Friday night.

The fireworks were still going off in the distance.