I Quit Being an Idol and Became a Youtuber - Chapter 70
2025.
It hasn’t been long since the numbers changed.
In that time, a lot has happened in Japan’s entertainment industry.
The leader of a famous girl group was forced out. The group members began exposing scandals.
Moreover, a serious global pandemic struck even Japan.
With countless contracts entangled, the entertainment industry, which relies on face-to-face meetings, faced an unprecedented disaster.
Among those most directly affected was none other than the girl group, Love Komachi, which was set to debut this year.
“Ha…,” the leader of Love Komachi, Yukari, sighed in response to the series of incidents.
Due to the recent scandal and pandemic, their scheduled debut had been postponed, leading most of the members to fall into despair.
“The company really needs to manage better…”
Initially, it was just a simple lament.
After all, she thought she would finally be able to stand in front of people like her seniors. As that expectation crumbled, disappointment grew.
“But how did things end up like this?”
“Right? There weren’t any issues when Ren-senpai was here.”
Even in different groups, Ren and Cornelia were standout figures among the affiliated idols.
“Is this… really what the manager told us?”
“Huh? What rumors?”
Saoiri, a member of Love Komachi, cautiously brought up the topic while discreetly checking her surroundings.
“Well, you know, Hikari-san is involved in this.”
“Oh, the new leader Cornelia?”
“Yeah, I saw her in the practice room last time.”
“Apparently, she’s aiming for the group leader position and deliberately pushed Ren out…”
Just as Saoiri was about to divulge the rumors she had heard to the other members, *bang*!
“Ah?!”
The sound of fists hitting the table directed everyone’s attention in one direction.
The disheveled tablecloth and a fist resting on it.
The sports drink they were having moments ago dripped onto the floor.
“Sakura! What’s wrong with you all of a sudden…”
“…Saoiri-chan, is that rumor confirmed?”
“Uh…?”
In an instant, Sakura’s atmosphere turned icy, causing Tachibana, who was about to confront her, to feel flustered instead.
Did she eat something bad? Why is she acting like this all of a sudden?!
“Answer me, Saoiri.”
Ignoring the surrounding gazes, Sakura was fixated on just one person.
“No, I mean, it’s just a rumor going around…”
“Hey, Sakura. Why are you suddenly so scary…?”
Sakura slowly walked towards Saoiri, who stood up.
“Ah, no… It’s not like that…”
“…Then let’s just stay quiet. It would be troubling if we caused a ruckus over some weird rumors.”
Ah, the drink spilled. I’ll go buy more.
Taking a quick glance at the huddled members, Sakura quietly stepped out of the break room.
She couldn’t help but suppress her anger.
‘Hikari-san isn’t that kind of person.’
She was the type who generously shared gifts and treated others kindly, even to a mere trainee like her.
At least, she was much better than Ren, who only pointed out flaws every day under the guise of needing to be realistic.
Just as she was about to turn the corner…
“Huh? Sakura.”
“Oh, Hikari-san!”
Hikari appeared from the other side. Sakura’s face lit up with joy at seeing her.
“It’s been a while!”
“Well, yes…”
“Uh… Are you okay?”
Noticing Hikari’s lower energy compared to before, Sakura cautiously asked.
She could imagine the shock that came from the betrayal by the very people she considered members.
Still, Hikari had come to see her like this, which made Sakura think she was remarkable.
“Hang in there…”
“Thanks. Your support helps a bit.”
If her members suffered something similar, she felt like she would never be able to endure it.
In that moment, Sakura offered her sincere consolation to Hikari.
“Um… by the way, the rumors aren’t true, right?”
“…Sakura, do you doubt me?”
The narrowing of Hikari’s eyes made Sakura’s face turn pale.
“Oh, no!! It’s not like that…!!”
“Well, it’s fine. Just a joke.”
After giving a vague response to the flustered Sakura, Hikari returned to her thoughts.
‘Ah, Netblex…’
Even in reality and here, the name Netblex commanded immense respect.
To think that such an organization was interested in Ren…
‘If that’s the case, it feels like I’m losing something.’
While it might be a natural outcome since her new song hadn’t been released yet, it still felt as if she was somehow losing ground.
Could she even receive that level of attention?
Just relying on the production company’s contacts wouldn’t suffice.
“Huff…”
Sighing for a moment, Hikari soon shifted her mindset.
If Netblex valued her abilities that highly, she just needed to surpass them.
After all, hadn’t Ren retired from the industry?
She was contrasting quite well against someone who had already stepped off the stage with the one who was about to move forward.
Objectively speaking, there was no need to question which side had a greater potential.
Yes, this might just be a good thing.
With the existing Cornelia members all out of the picture, there was no obligation to strictly follow the original script.
It might be a chance to create an entirely new path that hadn’t existed in the original work.
With thoughts reminiscent of a romance fantasy novel, Hikari looked at Sakura.
“Sakura.”
“Ah, yes! Hikari-san!”
Why not play around in a bigger pond, rather than just Love Komachi?
* * *
A few days after receiving a recommendation from Baekro, I stepped outside my home for the contract.
Even though I had already chatted on Discord, I thought it would be better to discuss things face-to-face.
The streets of Seoul were unusually empty, and most of the few people around were wearing masks.
It seemed the pandemic was starting to spread little by little.
“So this is the right way?”
Ugh, Seoul’s roads are confusing, especially since it’s my first time here.
Why does this land feel like a maze?
I was already missing Incheon.
After wandering around for a while, I finally managed to reach the address I had typed into my map.
It was a building that wasn’t particularly large or small.
Now which floor was it? The 8th, right?
Even if there aren’t many affiliated broadcasters, those that are there are probably quite notable.
Most importantly, the president comes from an entertainment background, and it seems the channel has close to 900,000 subscribers, so they must be making decent money.
“Hey, just a moment!”
As soon as I quietly stepped into the elevator, I noticed someone running from a distance.
“Thank you!”
“You’re welcome, it’s no trouble at all.”
A woman entered the elevator, taking deep breaths as she adjusted from her run.
She quickly pressed the button for her destination.
“Are you going to the 8th floor?”
“Ah, yes…”
The entire 8th floor must be MCN.
She must have been an employee from that side.
Regardless, I thought that was that.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
I asked the staff member who was strangely staring at me. Is there something wrong with my face?
Even though I was wearing a mask, I had put on makeup.
“Uh, um… Can I ask you something…?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
If she was from MCN, she must be from the same industry.
I decided to answer any questions she had.
“Um, are you really Cheongha?”
“…Yes?”
What followed next was a surprising revelation from the employee.
“…Yeah, that’s me—”
“Wow! I’m a fan!!”
“Uh?”
Wait, I have a fan here?
Did the president—who I was supposed to meet—mention me in advance or something?
If so, that would explain it.
Right, they did say I was the only person coming in for an interview today…
“Uh, you don’t remember me? We were in the same stream together once…”
“Ah…?”
As she nodded with that look, a strangely regretful expression crossed her face.
Desperately trying to recall, I was able to dig up related information.
“Are you maybe a fan of the Simcham Carnage?”
“Ah yes! That’s definitely me!”
That voice sounded familiar from somewhere.
Back when I was in Japan.
So, to put it in terms of the story, she was a viewer from around thirty episodes ago during the Golden Watch streams.
…What? That person worked at Dot Entertainment?
How could such a connection occur?
No, more than that…
If she recognized me back then, it means she really is my fan. A true diehard fan.
How should I feel about this?
“Um…”
“Oh, no. I only heard your voice once back then, so you might not remember me.”
Even though she said that, I still felt a little guilty.
Promising to give her an autograph later, I stepped out of the elevator and headed for the president’s office.
“Excuse me, can I go in?”
“Ah, yes. This way…”
Upon opening the door to the president’s office, I was greeted by a handsome young man who looked to be in his mid to late twenties.
Ku Jisoo.
He was the representative of Dot Entertainment and a former actor turned streamer.
What should I say about my first impression…
Hmm, while he wasn’t exceptionally attractive or strikingly handsome, he had the standard looks of an entertainer.
He was certainly not unattractive either.
Since he was in the entertainment industry, he did give off a feeling of being better looking than an average person.
Maybe I was just getting used to being around so many beautiful people that my standards had risen?
“Are you Sakamiya? Or should I call you Cheongha?”
“Just call me representative, however you’re comfortable.”
Ku Jisoo spoke in a slightly bewildered tone.
While it might be a natural expectation, he already knew my identity.
Since we could potentially work together in the future, there was no need to create unnecessary secrets.
‘Never thought I would meet such a famous Japanese idol like this.’
‘Ah, am I that well-known?’
‘Of course! Even people in the industry recognized my name, and now even regular folks know about me.’
‘? Baekro didn’t recognize me, though.’
‘That’s just because he’s weird.’
To summarize, in the past, I was known as the one who pioneered a new genre as a ‘K-pop-style Japanese idol’ among entertainment workers.
And now, I’m infamous for nearly causing a controversy during a dome performance.
…Should I be happy about that? Or not?
I didn’t want my recognition to come from such trivial matters.
It seemed like he was trying to maintain some level of formality since this was a contract meeting he was conducting himself.
Yet, to someone who had already chatted with him on Discord and looked up his YouTube videos beforehand, it seemed rather amusing.
Wait, did that face really throw insults back and forth with his affiliated streamers?
The character who relentlessly insulted Bubugi suddenly materialized with a real human face, creating a jarring contrast.
Although it was all for entertainment since they were close friends.
Anyway, returning to the contract…
“Um, please understand that I won’t be able to take off my mask. Given the current situation, we can’t afford to risk our voices.”
“Ah, that’s perfectly fine.”
After all, being a streamer means we make a living through speaking.
Since I had come in wearing a mask too, I could fully empathize with that.
Korea is renowned for its solid initial quarantine measures. It was expected that it would come to this.
…Thinking back, I wondered if my juniors would be debuting soon.
I imagined that side would also be delayed due to the pandemic situation.
While they all excelled, especially Sakura, who left an impression.
Her purple hair was beautiful, and her personality was great.
She seemed like a prototypical protagonist in an entertainment industry story, making it feel like she could excel in anything she did.
I hope everyone doesn’t feel too disheartened.
Once this tough period is over, surely better opportunities will come for everyone.
“Here’s the contract.”
“Ah, yes.”
I received the contract and began to examine it carefully.
Let’s see what’s written.
“Hmm…”
After reading for a while, I reached one conclusion.
‘What is this company?’
I didn’t know how to express it, but it felt like they were treating me too well.
Was this the standard of an MCN contract? I looked over to Ku Jisoo.
Smiling—
Perhaps it was a frequently asked question, as he replied with a bright face.
“Well, all broadcasters are friends, right? Friends don’t cheat each other.”
That’s our MCN’s founding motto.
Indeed, it was famous for being convenient and clean contracts promised to its affiliated broadcasters.
This was something I could be confident in.
When seen from the perspective of an industry worker, was there any way this wasn’t a lucrative deal?
“How can you offer so much and still have something left?”
“Through advertising agency fees and merchandise sales.”
Ah, I see.
If I reflect on it, they must have really raked it in during the peak times.
Plus, with quite a few popular people here, the company probably had enough to stay afloat.
At least, I figured they would earn enough to cover the rent.
“Can I take a bit more time to look this over?”
“Ah, yes. Just let me know your answer within a few days.”
With the contract file in hand, I headed home that day.