Since I Became a Woman, I’ll Do Cosplay - Chapter 85

Mid-October arrived.

The rigging for Haru’s virtual avatar was complete.

“Hmm, not bad.”

Unlike with Hong Seo-hyun, where she could oversee the process, the outsourced rigging artist only allowed two rounds of revisions. Hayoon meticulously checked for issues during those revisions and was satisfied with the final product.

“Should have done this sooner.”

Her initial streaming plan was to start with no-cam art streams, gradually introduce a camera to boost donations, then go big with a half-cam, eventually riding the Vtuber trend and becoming a virtual streamer without ever revealing her face.

In retrospect, she could have just debuted as a Vtuber from the start.

“Who knew debut streams were such a cheat code?”

Early Vtuber debuts were a blue ocean; even minimal promotion attracted hundreds of viewers.

Hayoon hadn’t realized this.

She could have easily gained a following by debuting as a Vtuber with a chicken giveaway.

“I wasted so much time arguing with the viewers about using a cam…”

Hayoon frowned, remembering the frustrating experience, and her virtual avatar, Haru, mirrored her expression.

The facial tracking was working perfectly.

Haru, with the same long black hair and hairpin as Hayoon, wore a realistic, almost college-student-like outfit.

This was Hayoon’s strategy: a simple design with distinct accessories, leveraging her art team to create various outfits, and dominating the fan art market.

Blue Archive would later use this strategy to conquer the Japanese doujin market.

It was a proven model, and Hayoon planned to use it for any future Vtubers she signed.

“Should I just become a Vtuber agency CEO?”

Hayoon considered focusing on this market, even if Cosplay Holic was successful.

She wasn’t capable of running a large studio and developing games like Blue Archive or Golden Dust II on her own.

“Paying employees even during downtime is a waste…”

Despite occasional trolls expressing their hatred for Vtubers, Hong Seo-hyun, as Scarlet, had successfully established herself in the streaming world.

Do Jin-ho, as Scarlet’s chat moderator/manager, was extremely satisfied with his role.

Choi Arin’s rigging skills were almost professional-level, comparable to the outsourced work Hayoon had received.

“With these golden connections, I should focus on this.”

The Game Release Club was just a club. Even if Do Jin-ho graduated, the team would continue, but startup teams often didn’t pay salaries.

“This is definitely viable….”

Hayoon imagined the future: herself, the wealthy investor, receiving a steady cut of the profits from Hong Seo-hyun.

Choi Arin and Do Jin-ho, while not on salary, would receive top-tier pay for indie developers, thanks to Hayoon, working tirelessly during peak seasons.

This unique system was perfectly suited for a Vtuber agency.

“Definitely…”

Hayoon nodded with her eyes closed, envisioning a rosy future.

“While Unnie and I prepare the Vtuber shells, Do Jin-ho can interview talent and manage the chat.

Once we find someone, we can work with them to create a visual novel based on their RP.”

By creating stories that catered to the hardcore RP audience without being too streamer-centric, they could market to both the visual novel and Vtuber fanbases.

While it might not be a blockbuster,

“It’ll get a ton of free promotion.”

The online streaming communities would constantly talk about it, generating buzz. Many agencies failed because they lacked effective marketing.

But Hayoon was different.

“I can just have Scarlet promote it.”

She had Scarlet, a popular Utaite and newly debuted Vtuber.

Even if initial promotion failed, Scarlet’s original song revenue would provide a safety net.

Moreover, collaborations between Scarlet, future Vtubers, and Hayoon herself would boost their growth and generate a trickle-down effect.

“This is sustainable.”

This business model was worth serious consideration.

The streaming industry, especially the Vtuber scene, was booming, generating incredible revenue.

Hayoon wanted a piece of the pie.

“Time to start the stream.”

For this plan to work, today’s stream had to be a success. She didn’t want to be known as the Mama who exploited her daughter’s talent.

The stream started as usual – with a black screen.

-Time for some NSFW art.

-I’ve been waiting; let’s spice things up.

Familiar usernames filled the chat with their usual requests for lewd art.

Hayoon, with her streaming experience, knew how to handle these requests. But.

“I have a collab stream today.”

-?

-With a guy?

-This girl’s already picking up guys?!

“Seriously, why are they already going crazy…”

Hayoon sighed, exasperated by her viewers’ predictable reaction.

What did she expect, catering to an audience primarily interested in lewd art? She should have debuted as a pure and innocent Vtuber, the first of her kind in Korea, relying on her self-drawn illustrations.

“Sigh…”

Hayoon took a deep breath and composed herself. These were her viewers; she had to endure. She clicked a few times, configuring her virtual avatar. Finally.

“Ta-da!”

-???

-????

-What the…

“From today onwards, I’m Vtuber Haru. I’ve decided to live in 2.5D, so deal with it.”

She revealed her virtual avatar. Her viewers were bewildered by the unannounced debut.

-Don’t you usually build hype for this kind of thing?

-Even Scarlet, or Violet, or whatever you drew for her got over 1,000 followers on her first day. Didn’t you learn anything?

“Well, streaming isn’t my main focus.”

That wasn’t a lie. Even after reducing her workload, she was still incredibly busy.

“A larger audience means more responsibility, and I can barely handle you guys.”

A debut stream would attract new viewers, requiring her to manage the different demographics and integrate them into her existing community.

Hayoon didn’t have time for that. She needed that time to work on her Patreon rewards.

-Oh, mother.

-We’re so grateful.

-You look pretty today, though.

-You definitely needed a self-character.

While her audience might be… unique, it also made streaming less stressful.

They were here for the art, so she could just take their requests, draw some suggestive content, and they’d be satisfied.

“As I said, I have a collab stream today.”

-Oh, right, I forgot because of that other thing.

-Who is it with?

“I’m collabing with my daughter.”

-???

-Wait, are you a mom?!

[10,000 won donation]

-Seriously? You have a kid? I don’t know if this will help, but here’s some money for formula…

One of her regular 1,000 won donors sent a 10,000 won donation, clearly shocked.

Hayoon was taken aback. She had been building up to the collab with Scarlet, but these viewers had assumed she had an actual daughter.

-Wow… getting turned on by NSFW art drawn by a teen mom… that’s doing something for me.

-Nice.

What the hell was wrong with these people?

“You crazy bastards!”

Hayoon yelled, realizing the stream was heading in a strange direction.

She had planned to start the collab 30 minutes into the stream, but now, she’d need more time for damage control.

“It’s about the concept of ‘Mama’…”

-Right, if you have a kid, you’re a Mama.

-This girl, referring to herself in the third person and now she even has a kid… what a mess.

“This is driving me crazy! It’s not that kind of Mama! You f***ing idiots!”

-Why are you cursing?

-Did we tell you to have a kid?

-Why are you getting so mad?

She needed to explain the concept of “Mama.”

Why didn’t I think of this?

At this time, most Koreans, even those who watched streams, didn’t know what a Vtuber was, let alone the concept of “Mama.” Maybe one in ten would understand. In this context, mentioning “Mama” would naturally lead to the assumption of motherhood.

Hayoon realized her mistake. This would take a while to fix.