Since I Became a Woman, I’ll Do Cosplay - Chapter 97
“Wow, this is quite a shock.”
Hayoon was the type who didn’t pay much attention whenever the news talked about how the MZ generation was this or the youth of today were that.
To begin with, Hayoon had no experience working at a real company, and to her, society hadn’t expanded much beyond the size of a high school.
Like those who would casually set up substitute workers without telling their boss and go on vacation, only to complain that even the substitute found it bothersome and ended up not showing up, eventually blaming it on getting fired.
Or the ones who got kicked out after secretly meeting romantic partners and having int*rcourse inside a movie theater while working there.
She didn’t encounter people who were so conceptually immature. And even if she wanted to meet such people out of curiosity, it wasn’t something that could easily happen.
Naturally, even when the news started talking about how the MZ generation was this or that, Hayoon just thought it was another familiar pattern of generational criticism and went about her life.
[Let me know the location, I’ll come.]
“Isn’t it a bit awkward when a mail is completely void of content?”
While looking at the plain email sent by Lucy, Hayoon began to feel a little dizzy.
Not only were they not close, they didn’t really have any prior acquaintance, yet Hayoon had sent a considerably polite and formal email based on the assumption of a potential contract.
Typically, these business emails, whether good or bad, tend to carry a formal greeting sentence, making them inevitably lengthy.
For some reason, Lucy’s email was just a simple title-message and left Hayoon dumbfounded.
“Haha…”
Frankly, it was also a little disheartening.
“Still, it’s good that this girl seems a bit simple-minded… since she’s going to be a VTuber anyway.”
Nonetheless, Hayoon seriously evaluated Lucy’s potential as a VTuber, as the president of the company.
Contrary to what one might expect, being somewhat dim-witted could actually help in finding success as a VTuber.
Whether it be called ‘MZ Power’ or simply a fresh appearance due to young age, this trait was a somewhat distinctive advantage in an increasingly aging internet broadcasting industry.
“Someone who’s dim-witted likely won’t follow strange ideologies or the like…”
Or, on the other hand, would it be better to keep close watch as she might easily be swayed?
While this was something that only time would tell, at least to Hayoon, it didn’t seem like Lucy, who was a cover song artist, had been influenced by any particular ideology that should be avoided by a VTuber for now.
Her ears might be thin, but for the time being, it was unlikely that she was influenced.
“Alright, let’s plan the Role Play (RP) in a manner that emphasizes failing grades and incompetence. Looking foolish is somewhat trendy.”
In this way, Lucy was deeply engraved in Hayoon’s mind as a rather lowly figure.
It was unclear whether it was because she was hurt by the simple reply email or found it utterly baffling that such formal emails could be sent with such brevity.
At the very least, for Hayoon to change her mind about Lucy being sharp, a lot more would need to be demonstrated.
“Sigh… I’m around Yongsan, Seoul…”
Despite letting out a sigh, Hayoon sent a reply back to Lucy.
[Alright, I’ll come. What day would suit you?]
-I’m fine with any day, but weekdays won’t work. It takes time to travel to Seoul.
As if waiting only for Hayoon’s reply, came a swift response.
“Seriously?! So, you’re only free on weekends then… This is far from ‘fine’!”
Though tempted to say something, Hayoon managed to regain her composure. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before composing a response.
“Then, let’s meet at a café near the Dae-Moon Station in the last week of November. Since we might discuss contract details, it’d be better if your parents accompany you…”
Click.
Tick.
Tick.
The sound of typing keys continued, and Hayoon’s message gradually completed and was sent off shortly.
And just about 2 minutes later,
[That’s something I’ll handle. I’ll get back to you.]
“Arghhh!”
Hayoon exploded at the email she received.
“d*mn it, again with the one-word replies!”
What to say… Recently involved in sound source outsourcing, communication with acoustic booth vendors, and even sending business emails back and forth with a goods production company, Hayoon started to wonder why these simple exchanges were causing so much stress.
“Dammit… why am I so stressed out? And here I am, not even giving advice.”
Feeling an intense headache from Lucy’s answers that only delivered their point in the title without any additional details, Hayoon pondered.
Half wondering if her reaction was normal, half questioning why she was getting triggered by such trivialities.
After repeatedly pressing her temple, Hayoon decided it wasn’t going to help. She sent her ID via mail to Lucy to communicate via Direct Messages (DMs). She assumed if they were chatting on DMs, even one-liners wouldn’t stress her out as much.
#
The contract discussions eventually led to both Hayoon and Jin Ho getting involved in arranging meetings with Lucy.
In principle, Hong Seohyun preferred red medicine, Arin didn’t enjoy such arrangements, and Jin Ho, being an adult, was a good choice to serve as the shuttle contract facilitator.
So the three of them worked as a unit, and Jin Ho was chosen to serve as Hayoon’s partner.
“Am I being too pushy, Senior?”
And the hard-won appointment location was set. After both arrived on time, Hayoon asked Jin Ho if she was coming across as too much.
“Huh? You? Why?”
“No, look at how she behaves. It just gives me a bad feeling.”
“…”
When shown the email and DM exchanges Hayoon had with Lucy so far, Jin Ho paused his words and replied somewhat evasively, but eventually said,
“I guess you do get emails without content pretty often. But isn’t email mainly for exchanging clear intentions?”
“Exactly.”
Jin Ho supported Hayoon’s stance, considering it seemed correct. Jin Ho was now 20, and the Hayoon sitting next to him was not just a high school junior but also a boss. He wasn’t saying anything wrong, so in light of her social life, Jin Ho nodded along with Hayoon’s comments.
“But don’t criticize her too harshly. In the VTuber market, being somewhat empty-headed is also charming. This industry usually curses those who are too ordinary.”
“That’s true. That’s why I decided to proceed with the meeting thinking if she just has a bit of luck, she’ll succeed.”
“Right, even though she might be a bit aggravating usually, once the contract is signed, she’ll be a cash cow for our company to a certain extent. You should be willing to accept that.”
Certainly, it wasn’t all just cheering. If Hayoon’s distaste for Lucy grew too high, it could reflect poorly on their meetings. Hence, while applying some gentle restraint on Hayoon’s aggressiveness, and Hayoon, not being naive, didn’t dwell too long on Lucy’s negativity.
“By the way, did you approach that project we last entrusted?”
“Ah, they said the time is tight but need to recruit all characters by February, at least.”
“February… Maybe we’ll hold an audition around December this year?”
“Really?”
In a natural conversation shift, moving toward work as they prepared for next year and the planned debut of the second generation of VTubers in late 2022.
“If Lucy’s contract is settled, that’ll bring us to two. Honestly, with just two of them, we can consider directly selecting from an audition. We thought about trying to hijack other company brands, too, but…”
“But if it backfires, it’s horrific?”
“Yeah, probably.”
From a few of the initial VTuber recruitment strategies, plans for corporate branding hijacking were to be abandoned.
Anyway, it was too risky with only Hong Seohyun as a mainstay.
The only successful example, the Scarlet channel and Hong Seohyun’s channel are considered gambles, and even if the results weren’t good, considering potential backlash…
The right strategy was not to do it. It would be better to hold a grand audition to draw attention and make BGG Company’s presence known in the broadcasting world.
“What criteria should work?”
Until Lucy arrived, there was time to k*ll.
Thus, Hayoon continued to talk business with Jin Ho.
“A VTuber should have at least one standout characteristic. Hong Seohyun is strong in Japanese language and music. Lucy’s basic character design is a tomboy style with a boyish voice and Japanese language proficiency.”
“Chinese… doesn’t feel right, and maybe picking someone with large br*asts who we can have show off a half-cam would work?”
“That’s a bit iffy, but having large br*asts is still good. Half-cam training is more beneficial that way.”
While VTubers rarely set up their cams, generally, having a pretty face and big br*asts is desirable. Having a pretty face means that even if a scandal occurs with red medicine, viral reactions will still occur, and having larger br*asts provides the option of half-cam content if needed.
“Preferably, we should also look for someone who can take red medicine, and with Lucy, we might want to steer away from the tomboy concept.”
“That would be better. Since their voice tones and concepts might overlap…”
Subsequently, Hayoon and Jin Ho continued such discussions to prepare for the second generation audition.
-Ding.
A brown-skinned girl with short hair entered the café.