Since I Became a Woman, I’ll Do Cosplay - Chapter 39

Recently, Choi Arin had a lot of worries.

The funding amount she had checked with Min Hayoon last time was 20 million won.

Moreover, now there are only a few thousand won left until the 30 million won cosplay pledge.

“Sigh, my heart… Is this arrhythmia…?”

Is it because it’s the first time in her life that she has to sell her cosplay shots to others?

Is it because she’s being evaluated based on the logic of capital, rather than superficial praise like ‘You have good quality’ or ‘You’re pretty’?

Her heart was pounding like crazy because she was too nervous.

“No way, right? It can’t be, there’s no way…”

As the funding amount rose day by day, she tried to deny the reality that the promised cosplay was approaching.

She hoped that the explosive increase in funding would stop.

She hoped that the funding would not increase any further than 29.99 million won.

“I didn’t want it to be this successful!”

To relieve her frustration.

She even shouted in the room where she was alone.

However, spilled water cannot be gathered.

The funding that has already been received will not disappear.

“Why is it going so well?”

Feeling wronged, she questioned why it had turned out this way, but in fact, Choi Arin already knew the answer.

“Ugh, this brat…”

It’s just that Choi Arin’s mind was a field of flowers.

Choi Arin’s baseline was high school club projects, or at best, university graduation projects.

She thought that she should be grateful if the funding reached 1 million won, so she accepted the 30 million won baseline that Min Hayoon suggested.

Unfortunately, Choi Arin focused only on the fact that they were high school students, and excluded the fact that Min Hayoon was a monstrous rookie who appeared like a comet on Patreon, stably earning more than 2 million won per month.

If an illustrator who is steadily earning that much draws, of course, the drawings alone would be competitive in the visual novel market.

She should have thought that her ability to produce various image scripts and Live 2D, including her own background art, was so high that Min Hayoon acknowledged it.

She should have considered the most important thing, but she was complacent, thinking, ‘Will we really earn 30 million won?’

“Still, there are only a few days left, right? If we just stay quiet for a few days, I might not have to cosplay…!”

In the end, Choi Arin, who had gone all the way, finally began to deny reality.

But, unfortunately…

Even if Min Hayoon hadn’t drawn attention through her broadcast, even if Woo Seo-jin hadn’t carelessly done viral marketing and attracted attention from thirsty guys.

Cosplay Holic would have reached the 30 million won mark.

-Hey, f*ck. Now there’s a dating sim with Live 2D?

-They’re making this in Korea?

-Wow, the goods composition is insane.

Cosplay Holic’s name had already spread throughout the domestic visual novel-related galleries.

Since the late 2010s, the domestic visual novel market has changed to target internet broadcasts, and domestic visual novel fans, who called themselves a handful of people who don’t make money, were formed.

After the domestic visual novel market and the funding market were linked as one body, that handful gathered to form a culture where each work naturally received around 20 million won in funding.

If the art is top-notch like Cosplay Holic, and professional voice actors are used, it’s not that difficult to raise around 30 million won.

And as if to prove it.

-Ring. Ring.

Choi Arin’s phone vibrated like crazy.

The caller was…

“Uh, uh… Hayoon.”

It’s Min Hayoon.

Choi Arin wiped her pounding chest and waited for Min Hayoon’s first words.

And after a strange silence.

Min Hayoon’s first words were.

-Unnie.

“Uh, why…?”

-What kind of clothes do you want to wear, unnie?

were.

Cold sweat began to flow down Choi Arin’s back.

Clothes? What is she talking about?

Why is she talking about clothes as soon as she calls?

Could it be…

No way, no way…

Thoughts like that boiled in her head.

“Wh, what clothes?”

Instead of her mind, which refused to think any further, her mouth moved and asked Min Hayoon.

And the answer to that was.

-Well… There are maids, bunny girls, butlers, police, and all sorts of things, right?

“Kyaaaak!”

It was like a death sentence for Choi Arin.

Funding amount.

30 million won was finally collected.

It was ten days before the end of the funding.

After a brief commotion.

Choi Arin murmured as if pleading.

“Cosplay… I guess I have to do it?”

-It’s a promise. It’s not like I’m asking you to do it for free, and you’re the one who made the promise.

“Th, that’s right… A promise is a promise…”

However, Min Hayoon’s voice coming from beyond the speaker was firm.

That’s understandable.

From Min Hayoon’s perspective, Choi Arin’s appearance is not to be taken lightly.

From the beginning, Min Hayoon had the status window set to an ideal female figure, and various traits like the aura of an empress were also applied.

But Choi Arin is different.

She’s just pretty by nature.

She has a good body proportion, a pretty face, and her makeup and fashion sense are much more mature than Min Hayoon’s.

When she helps with posing for photos at events, it seems that she instinctively knows what poses men like, although it’s not clear if she’s aware of it.

She’s even young!

She’s at an age that people in their teens, 20s, and 30s would all drool over and like.

A college student who is more loved than a new employee.

A new student who is more welcomed than any college student.

And a high school girl is even younger and cuter than a new student.

Is there any reason to bring in an old, unknown cosplayer instead of her?

Min Hayoon didn’t think so.

-Unnie, you can have some confidence. Huh? You’re pretty. If we make a cosplay book, it will definitely sell. It will definitely get good reviews. Trust me.

So, she decided to focus on filling Choi Arin’s lack of self-esteem first.

-Unnie, we already earned 30 million won. Did I earn it alone? You did all the background and animation work, and that got good reviews from users, so the funding went well and they said they would buy the goods.

“That, that’s true…”

-And I, who did all that, am saying that you’re pretty. Then shouldn’t you trust me one more time? Huh?

“That…”

-That?

“That’s right…”

In the end, Choi Arin nodded while wiping her dry face.

It’s the same as last time.

Choi Arin felt good because Min Hayoon praised her drawing, and because she praised her animation, she joined the production team of Cosplay Holic.

And now, Min Hayoon is begging her to do cosplay together, which is Choi Ah-rin’s hobby that she hasn’t told anyone about, and saying that she’s pretty and will do well.

In this situation, there’s no way Choi Arin can refuse Min Hayoon’s suggestion.

“I’ll do it…”

Choi Ah-rin, covering her red face like a tomato with both hands, conveyed her intention through the microphone.

-Thank you. Really.

Min Hayoon knew how much Choi Arin must have thought about it, so she expressed her gratitude with a short sentence.

Min Hayoon has to earn money no matter what because of the pressure from the status window, and as a build-up for that, she was considering revealing her face on the broadcast.

But that’s not the case for Choi Arin.

“If it fails…”

-Yes?

“If it fails, I won’t do it again…”

As expected.

“If the reviews are bad, I won’t take photos a second time…”

Choi Arin made a condition this time as well.

She’ll do it this time, but if the reviews are bad, there won’t be a second time.

And in this situation, what Min Hayoon has to say is set.

-I’ll make sure it doesn’t fail.

“Are you trying to make me do it a second time?”

-If we go viral with the concept of a cosplay book series presented by beautiful production staff, that’s a chance to make some good money, right?

“Do we have to go that far to make money…?”

-The more money, the better.

“Well, that’s true…”

that.

I’ll make sure it doesn’t fail.

We’ll make a lot of money.

This was the best Min Hayoon could do for Choi Arin, and Arin seemed to have wanted to hear those words, as she returned with a much more comfortable expression.

“I’m suddenly hungry…”

-You can bring something to eat. Shall we just chat and draw like usual today?

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

After a brief lull, Choi Arin returned with snacks, and both Hayoon and Arin turned on their respective work tools and focused on the image script work to be used in the main story.

It seemed like they were faithfully carrying out their respective roles as if the commotion had never happened…

“But where are we going to do the photoshoot?”

-Yes?

Suddenly, Arin expressed her doubts.

“Is it even possible to rent a studio these days? There are already quite a few news about closures due to COVID-19, and it won’t be easy to find a good photographer in the midst of all this, right?”

In this situation, finding a proper photo studio, let alone a photographer, is like finding a needle in a haystack.

She wondered what to do about this.

-Uh, um…

Suddenly, something came to Min Hayoon’s mind, and she trailed off her words and fell into agony, which was unlike her.

‘That’s right, where should we do our photoshoot…?’

The first thing that came to mind was to do the photoshoot at the photography studio run by photographer Yoon Su-hee…

‘But that’s my mom…?’

A daughter taking cosplay poses in front of her mom?

This was not easy.