Since I Became a Woman, I’ll Do Cosplay - Chapter 95

Hayoon gently stroked Arin’s stomach as she sat on her knees.

Hayoon considers herself a figure.

Thus, she often buys cute or expensive designer clothes for herself to try on alone.

Then, what is Arin to Hayoon?

‘A high-end teddy bear…?’

There is a term called a Real Doll, which refers to a figure that can be touched directly, but that might be going a little too far.

Perhaps Arin’s role was akin to a high-end software-equipped teddy bear that plays nice sounds when touched, something one could sleep holding every night.

That was how Hayoon thought about it.

“Hmm…”

With each gentle stroke of Arin’s stomach, pleasant sounds echoed, making it hard not to enjoy.

Though Hayoon wasn’t sure if the analogy held, Arin had a strong endurance in many ways. She was full of good reactions, always fun to tease, and never got tired of being messed with – like a local favorite spot.

“Hayoon, this is embarra-..”

“Mm, I was just trying to compliment you.”

“C-compliments are fine, but…”

A slight glance back revealed moisture in Arin’s eyes.

Is her body so sensitive that she gets teary-eyed just from being touched on the stomach?

Her body must be incredibly reactive if even this slight touch brings such an intense reaction.

But in its own way, this was part of her charm.

Hong Seohyun might try to resist everything, but Arin is the type who doesn’t even think of rebellion.

Pulling her hand out from under the sweater, Hayoon instead raised it to gently stroke Arin’s head.

“Then I’ll do this for you. Remember how you mentioned wanting a virtual avatar last time? Thanks to that, we were selected for a government support project, and we’ll receive a decent grant.”

“H-how much exactly…?”

“Probably around 50 million won in the first quarter next year.”

“H-… huh…?”

“So, I’d love to shower you with as much attention as that amount, but since you’re refusing, there’s nothing I can do about it, hm?”

After saying this, Hayoon tapped Arin’s back, signaling her to stand up.

“Uh, what? Why?”

“Why? It’s time to get to work.”

Hayoon firmly announced it was time to get serious, almost brutally so.

And then, Arin…

“Mm…”

Seemed slightly disappointed before returning to her seat and starting her computer.

—

Just as the saying goes, autumn isn’t really autumn this year.

The weather had already transitioned from pleasant to chilly, and at this rate, temperatures would likely dip below freezing by December.

“This month’s earnings look sweet.”

Late at night.

Hong Seohyun was taking a day off, and Arin had finished her share of animating for the day.

Hayoon, planning to sleep in her makeshift bed as usual, smiled faintly while checking the estimated monthly revenue on an Excel file.

“My teeth might rot from all this sweetness.”

High-quality, live 2D virtual avatars can cost tens of millions of won.

Even Hayoon and Arin’s collaboration could likely fetch 20 million won or more with a single sale…

But they sold it for around 15 million won, considering it as a ready-made product.

Still, even at that price, the profit margins were enormous since no significant costs were incurred beyond time.

With one sale, they could easily cover several months’ salaries for both Arin and Jin Ho.

What a wonderful, profitable product this was!

With more VTubers under BGG Company adopting Mama as their management, there would be more demand for virtual avatars too.

“Profits will only grow further in the future…”

A mischievous smirk curved Hayoon’s lips like a crescent moon.

If Arin were to see this, she might say, “Hayoon, you’re kinda scary…”

But how could anyone not be happy when large sums of money had and would continue to flow in?

“This is the future industry, not anything else.”

In a pose that suggested she’d crack open a beer from the fridge if there was one, Hayoon sipped her zero-calorie cola.

The sight of her wealth growing made her restless, filled with an urge to pop champagne.

Now what?

What should she do with all this accumulating wealth?

“Recruit more VTubers…”

Perhaps it wasn’t the right term, but it was time to bring in a second generation.

Hong Seohyun’s junior VTubers were increasingly on her mind, especially as the 2022 AGC approached after a two-year hiatus.

It was time to proudly debut on its stage.

The challenge now, however, was the concept for this VTuber group.

“Considering the remaining space in Igloo, three soundproof booths could easily fit. So, debuting three members would be clean-cut…”

Click. Click.

Hayoon searched for the names of a few VTubers she knew would appear in a few years online.

As expected, there was nothing for VTubers who hadn’t debuted yet.

Moreover, due to her usual lack of interest in VTubers, she didn’t have any insider information either.

“Too bad.”

Ironically, this was disappointing.

VTubers’ biggest strength was the ability to hide their identities.

That included hiding from someone with future knowledge like Hayoon.

“Such a pity…”

What to do now?

How could she make the most of this opportunity?

While pondering, she casually checked her inbox.

“Is that…?”

There was a single email.

—

“Hello, I’m interested in commissioning a virtual avatar. How much would it cost?”

“Hmph.”

Hayoon chuckled at the straightforwardness of the email.

Such outsourced requests are usually sent more politely, but perhaps the sender had traced her email through her Pixiv or Patreon accounts.

Despite the lack of formality, Hayoon couldn’t help but admire the effort it took for the person to find her email and send the message.

“Seems a bit young.”

Her first thought was that this person might be a bit immature.

Nothing terrible about that though.

In the VTuber market, someone with less experience or naiveté might even be considered advantageous.

Still, she assumed the sender would figure it out on their own…

—

– Roughly, the character looks like this.

– Can you make it like this?

The email content was even more casual.

There was no discussion about pricing or timelines — just a rough description sent without any formalities.

Despite the oddness, Hayoon couldn’t help but glance at it in bewilderment.

“Is this some sort of cover singer?”

Attached to the message was a link to the sender’s channel, introduced as an ‘Utaite’.

With a smirk, Hayoon clicked the link.

“…”

150,000 subscribers.

This was a purebred Utaite on the level of Hong Seohyun, whose channel had been boosted through the Scarlet VTuber network.

Unlike Hong Seohyun, however, this Utaite specialized in Japanese covers as a VTuber.

“Who are you…?”

Hayoon, now a bit flustered, began to seriously research this Utaite named Lucy.

Contacting their info-source, Jin Ho, was a given.

—

One early November day.

An emergency meeting took place at a café near Igloo.

“Alright, this Lucy the Utaite came into contact with us recently.”

At a time of low foot traffic, the four gathered at a corner table in the private café, each with their Bluetooth earphones connected as they began listening to Lucy’s music.

“Hey, check out her debut song. ‘Psycho Head Love’? This girl knows how to write music.”

Jin Ho showed off his vast knowledge of VTubers and anime trivia.

“Hmm, overall, her diction is good. She speaks and sings Japanese properly.”

Hong Seohyun, impressed after listening to a few songs, evaluated Lucy’s Japanese language skills, which were strong enough for basic conversation.

Considering Hong Seohyun’s expertise in Japanese cover songs, this was a reliable assessment.

“The songs are good!”

Arin simply expressed her honest opinion.

J-pop lyrics can often be hard to follow for the layman, but when stripped away, the unique band sounds create an enchanting auditory experience.

And as they moved forward, …

“So, what now? Should we approach her?”

“Doesn’t she seem worth it? Her basic skills are already established, better than starting from scratch with a general interview.”

“I agree. If she can sing well, we can follow my tried-and-true success formula. Plus, she’s a Utaite who started YouTubing earlier than me, probably at a higher level than me.”

“I’m fine with it too. Her character design doesn’t seem too complicated for rigging.”

Naturally, it seemed that Lucy, the Utaite who contacted Hayoon, would be recruited.

With only three T.Os left for BGG Company, it felt like the right time to bring in someone like her in the lower-tier category.

Most crucially…

“Hey, Min Hayoon.”

“Yes, senior?”

“I checked her profile and it seems she’s the same age as you?”

According to Jin Ho’s network, Lucy was exactly 18 years old, making it a suitable and risk-free decision to take her on, especially with her age as an advantage.