I Can See a VTuber’s Red Pills - Chapter 17
The list of artists Jungyeon brought was truly spectacular.
It ranged from famous names anyone even slightly interested in the VTuber scene would recognize, to hidden masters who had secured a niche following with their unique art styles.
The nationalities were diverse too.
It included Korean, Japanese, and even Western artists.
Hajun smiled with satisfaction as he swiped through the tablet screen, which meticulously detailed each artist’s representative works, style, estimated cost, and any special notes.
The glint in Jungyeon’s eyes, shining despite her fatigue from working all night, hadn’t been for nothing.
“So, have you contacted all of them?”
At my question, Jungyeon nodded as if she had been waiting for it.
Her fatigue had long since vanished; her voice even carried a hint of excitement.
“Yes! I’ve received replies from all of them! Just as you instructed, Sir… when I emphasized the, uh, financial aspect… they all… agreed to do it….”
Jungyeon’s voice trailed off, her expression still showing a dazed disbelief.
The fact that renowned artists in the industry, people whose schedules were likely backed up for months, had all rushed to accept when offered several times their usual pay, must have been shocking for her too.
“Money really is the best, isn’t it.”
I said casually, as if it were nothing.
Jungyeon opened her mouth to speak for a moment, but then nodded in agreement.
It was an undeniable fact.
At least in this field, or perhaps in most things in the world.
“But Sir, really… all of them? You want me to commission everyone on this list?”
“Of course. It’s better to have more made and compare them than to waste time hesitating. I told you earlier. Half for Ajung, and half for you, Jungyeon.”
At my words, Jungyeon’s eyes widened once more.
The idea that she would receive multiple original avatars, created by world-class artists, even for herself, was beyond Jungyeon’s wildest dreams.
As the VTuber ‘Rinne,’ it had been her dream to one day have an original avatar, but due to realistic cost issues, she had been using a 3D model she slightly modified herself.
“S-Sir… I really… how can I ever repay this kindness….”
Seeing Jungyeon once again choked up with emotion, I let out a small laugh.
“Kindness? Just think of it as a perk included in your secretary’s salary. But you have to do your job properly. Contacting artists, conveying concepts, exchanging feedback… it’s not an ordinary task.”
“Just leave it to me! This Yoo Jungyeon, no, Rinne! I will dedicate my body and soul to your perfect avatar creation, Sir!”
Jungyeon once again snapped into a sharp salute.
I didn’t dislike her exaggerated loyalty.
In fact, I found it amusing.
It was another moment confirming that money could buy people’s hearts, or at least their passion.
“Alright. Let’s proceed immediately then. We need to give each artist a concept… Ajung’s concept should be…”
I paused, lost in thought.
What kind of concept would suit Ajung?
Her real self was pure yet somehow precarious.
But on stream, she tried to show a bright and positive image.
When she played games, she showed a quirky and cute side.
She had a charm that was hard to define with a single concept.
“First, let’s have you, Jungyeon, go through Ajung’s VODs and pick out a few keywords. Pure, cute, games… what else? Ah, her occasional ‘menhera’ moments are also part of her charm… maybe a touch of that?”
“Huh? M-Menhera?”
Jungyeon asked back, startled.
For a VTuber, ‘menhera’ was usually a weakness they wanted to hide.
But to make it a concept.
“Why not? That’s also a part of Ajung. We can express it as a slightly unpredictable charm, not too dark, right? Usually cheerful, but then suddenly flips… that kind of thing.”
At my words, Jungyeon looked puzzled for a moment, then nodded.
My approach was certainly not conventional.
But it was just as fresh and interesting.
Perhaps this could make the VTuber Ajung even more special.
“Understood! I will fathom your profound intentions, Sir, and come up with the best concept! Then… what about my concept?”
Jungyeon looked at me with sparkling eyes.
I recalled her avatar and her real appearance.
A cute girl avatar with white hair and blue eyes.
And in reality, Jungyeon, who was quite mature, lively, and sometimes had an odd charm.
“For you, Jungyeon… your current character isn’t bad… hmm. Should we try to increase the synchronization with your real self? A character who looks like a perfect pretty girl on the outside, but turns out to be easy-going and mischievous – a reverse charm. And… a loyal secretary concept who sometimes likes to flatter the boss?”
“What?! A secretary concept?!”
Jungyeon’s face turned bright red.
It seemed she hadn’t expected her embarrassing side to be turned into a concept.
“Why not? It’s cute. Someone who’s good at her job and capable, but sometimes a bit airheaded, and gets flustered when praised by the boss… that kind of thing. Viewers will like it.”
“N-No way! That’s really embarrassing!”
Jungyeon waved her hands dismissively and protested vehemently, but I just chuckled.
A mischievous secretary character was already forming in my mind.
“We’ll just send the artists your photo, Jungyeon, and a few stream clips, and ask them to create something good. They’re experts, so they’ll get the key points.”
“S-Sirrrrr!”
Leaving Jungyeon’s scream behind me, I turned my gaze back to the monitor.
An alert for Ajung’s stream had just popped up.
[What game should I play today? Please give me recommendations!]
[Ajung]
Ajung’s stream started a little earlier than usual.
Since changing her computer, the proportion of her game streams had noticeably increased.
Her controls were still clumsy, but her unique positive energy and active communication with viewers always made the stream lively.
Especially recently, her viewer count had surpassed 500, and she seemed to be establishing herself as a stable mid-tier streamer.
On the screen, the now-familiar clay-like avatar was diligently reading the list of games recommended by viewers.
But to my eyes, Ajung’s real face, which seemed to hover beside the game screen, was far more vivid.
Her serious expression as she wore her headset and focused on the game, the slight furrow of her brow when things didn’t go as planned, and her radiant smile as she read the viewers’ chat.
Every one of those moments felt like a precious collectible to me.
–Ajung-ssaem, horror game today?
–Horror games are no fun, you f*cker, ditch the horror game.
–Is Naga-hyung not coming today?
–Yeah, it’s been 10 minutes since the stream started.
–Tell that b*stard to shower us with burgers first, that d*mned fool.
–Ajung-ah, I’m really in the mood for a just chatting session today.
Comments seemingly waiting for me occasionally appeared in the chat.
My presence had somehow become an indispensable part of Ajung’s stream.
But today, there was no need to make my presence known right away.
I felt like quietly appreciating Ajung for now.
The fact that dozens of world-class artists were creating avatars solely for Ajung.
And the fact that I alone would be the one to choose the best among them to gift to her, gave me a thrilling sense of satisfaction.
[Zelnaga has donated 1,000,000 Butter!]
[Have fun with the game today too!]
But it wasn’t long before I couldn’t hold back and quietly sent a donation.
Then, Ajung’s reaction was, as expected.
[“Oh! Zelnaga-nim! You came today too! Hehe, thank you! Thanks to you, I’ll do my best on stream today too!”]
Beyond the screen, seeing a bright smile blossom on Ajung’s real face, I smiled in satisfaction once more.
As expected, Ajung was most beautiful when she smiled.
Meanwhile, downstairs in Hajun’s house.
Jungyeon was in her room, fully immersed in contacting artists and conveying the concepts.
Her tablet was filled with meticulously organized details: each artist’s characteristics, contact information, and the concept keywords Hajun had provided for Ajung and herself.
“Alright… first, the Japanese artists…”
Jungyeon skillfully used a translator to begin drafting emails that were polite yet contained the essential information.
Although it was work she was doing as Hajun’s secretary, it was also a matter concerning her own new avatar, so she was more serious and passionate than ever.
‘I never thought… my life would turn out like this.’
Just a few days ago, she had been contemplating quitting streaming and looking for a normal office job.
But now, she was earning close to 100 million won a year and commissioning world-class artists to create her VTuber avatar.
It all felt like a dream.
“Sir… he’s really not an ordinary person.”
Recalling Hajun’s unconventional actions and his spending habits that defied common sense, Jungyeon clicked her tongue in amazement.
There were many rich people in the world, but she had never seen anyone spend money like Hajun.
His way of investing in VTubers, as if raising a game character or collecting rare items, was bizarre yet somehow captivating.
‘Am I… also one of his collectibles?’
A strange feeling arose at that thought.
But it wasn’t a bad feeling.
If anything, her heart pounded.
She began to look forward to the days ahead with the unpredictable man named Hajun.
“Alright! I’ll finish contacting half of them by today!”
Jungyeon, her resolve reignited, began to tap away at her keyboard.
Sending emails, checking replies, sending additional materials… time flew by in a daze.
At that moment, the community was once again buzzing with talk about Zelnaga, Rinne, and Ajung.
In particular, the rumor that Zelnaga had simultaneously commissioned dozens of famous domestic and international avatar artists caused a huge stir.
[Ggizzik VTuber Gallery]
Title: Breaking) Zelnaga’s recent avatar artist shopping spree LOL
(Roughly: screenshot of a list of famous artists + screenshot of related community posts)
Is this for real?
According to Rinne, he placed orders with every artist on the list?
And that’s for two people, Ajung + herself (Rinne) LOL
How much f*cking money does he have? LMAO
–Is he a crazy bstard for real? LMAOOOOOO
– ???: Sir! All the artists said yes, what should I do? / Zelnaga: Commission all of them.
–That bstard is really crazy LMAOOOOOOOOO
–An avatar costs millions, potentially tens of millions of won, and he’s ordering all of them????
–These days, because of that bstard, it’s a warzone for the bottom-tier VTubers.
ㄴ Seriously LOL. These days, bottom-tier VTubers have increased their streaming hours like crazy.
ㄴ Trying to get picked by Zelnaga even once, somehow LOL.
ㄴ It’s all the grace of Zelnaga-hyung.
–Seriously, what the hell is so special about that Ajung btch that he’s going this far, fck LOL.
–That Rinne btch has also become a total Cinderella LMAO. I’m so jealous, fck ㅠㅠ My bottom-tier VTuber ㅠㅠㅠ
–So in the end, they’ll only use one, what happens to the rest of the avatars? Thrown away?
ㄴ Give one to my bottom-tier VTuber.
ㄴ Me first, you fcker.
ㄴ Give it to my RingRing first, ffs.
–Looking at this situation, Naga-hyung will probably start a company soon.
ㄴ I think so too.
ㄴ Isn’t it easier if he just starts a company and creates a corporate VTuber agency with what he’s doing now? LOL.
ㄴ What corporate agency, f*ck. Do corporate VTubers look like a joke to you?
ㄴ Seeing how he’s spending money like water, they probably do look like a joke to Naga-hyung?
ㄴ Seriously LMAO.