I Can See a VTuber’s Red Pills - Chapter 20

Ajeong's day off. The regular broadcast notifications that usually called out to me like an alarm were silent today.

On a normal day, I might have felt a mix of disappointment and slight boredom, but today was different.

I had instructed Jeong-yeon to conduct preliminary research on corporate tax establishment. Though it wasn’t a full-fledged start, the mere fact that there was something new to do sparked a faint sense of anticipation.

"Hmm… But now that I’ve started, I don’t really have much to do myself."

It had been quite some time since I amassed enormous wealth, but my core hadn’t changed much.

A life spent staring at a monitor in my room.

The only difference was that the cryptocurrency graphs had been replaced by Ajeong’s broadcast screen and, occasionally, community forums—my basic lifestyle remained the same.

I had no extravagant spending habits, nor was I the type to go out and socialize.

Coffee in hand, I stepped into the living room. The spacious area was filled with nothing but silence.

Normally, Jeong-yeon would be bustling around at this time, or she’d be in her own room preparing for a stream.

Today, she was quiet too, busy with the task I had assigned her.

Ah. Now that I think about it, Jeong-yeon’s been swamped lately.

For the past week—no, ever since I hired her as my secretary—Jeong-yeon had been running nonstop.

Communicating with dozens of writers, reviewing drafts, organizing feedback, and on top of that, the sudden order to research corporate taxes.

It was a workload that would’ve made an ordinary person collapse long ago.

A pang of guilt hit me. Sure, I was paying her an unprecedented salary of over 100 million won a year plus room and board, but had I been pushing her too hard?

"Jeong-yeon, do you have a minute?"

I connected to her room—no, her apartment downstairs—via intercom. After a moment, her slightly groggy voice came through.

[Yes? Mr. President? What is it?]

"Nothing major. Since Ajeong’s off today… why don’t you take it easy too? You can take your time with the task I gave you."

[Huh? Oh—yes! Thank you, Mr. President!]

After a brief, flustered silence, her reply carried unmistakable joy.

She really had been overworking herself.

After hanging up, I sat back on the sofa. The living room was still quiet. But this time, the silence felt different.

Before, I would’ve felt restless, scrambling to find something to kill time. Now… well, it was a strange sense of liberation, as if it was okay not to do anything at all.

Is this because of Jeong-yeon too?

It was a feeling I never would’ve experienced alone. Just working with someone and being aware of their presence could bring about such a change.

It was a fascinating experience.

A little later, Jeong-yeon cautiously came up to the living room. Unlike her usual lively self, she looked slightly awkward—as if she was unfamiliar with the idea of not working.

"Um… Mr. President. Is it really okay to rest today?"

Her hesitant tone reminded me of when she first came for the interview.

I chuckled and replied,

"I told you to take a break. Is there anything you’d like to do? Watch a movie… or order some good food."

I was just throwing out ideas since I didn’t know what to suggest. I wasn’t even sure what was appropriate to propose in this situation—whether it was natural for a boss and employee to spend their day off together.

Jeong-yeon’s eyes widened at my suggestion.

"Huh? With you? Is that really okay?"

"Why wouldn’t it be? I don’t have anything to do today either. Think of it as killing time."

I shrugged, trying to act nonchalant, but inside, I was a little nervous.

This was the first time since the military—no, maybe the first time in my life—I was spending a day alone with a woman.

"Yay! Okay! Then… let’s watch a movie! Mr. President, do you have any recommendations?"

Unexpectedly, Jeong-yeon clapped her hands excitedly. As I’d noticed before, she was full of energy.

But I was stumped. A movie? When was the last time I’d even been to a theater? Before I enlisted?

"Not sure… I don’t watch many movies. You can pick something you’ve been wanting to see."

"Really? There’s one I’ve been dying to watch! Can we see that?"

"Sure."

Jeong-yeon eagerly grabbed the remote for the massive screen in the middle of the living room.

She navigated the streaming service like a pro and pulled up the movie she wanted—a recent blockbuster SF action film that had been a hit. Honestly, it wasn’t my taste, but since the point was just to pass the time, it didn’t matter.

As the movie started, I sank deeper into the sofa. The living room filled with flashy CGI and booming sound effects.

But my eyes kept drifting from the screen to Jeong-yeon beside me.

She was completely absorbed in the film, holding her breath during the protagonist’s crises and letting out small cheers during the triumphant scenes.

Not the persona of a VTuber hidden behind an avatar, but just an ordinary woman in her 20s—Yoo Jeong-yeon—enjoying a movie.

It was a surprisingly refreshing sight.

So this is how focused she can get.

This was a different kind of observation from peeking at a VTuber’s "real self."

Sure, my eyes could still see through her clothes and even her body, but I didn’t feel the need to.

What mattered now was her expression, her emotions.

"Wow… this is so good! Right, Mr. President?"

As the movie’s climax passed, Jeong-yeon turned to me, unable to hide her excitement.

I stared blankly at her for a second before awkwardly nodding.

"Yeah… the scale is impressive."

Honestly, I barely remembered the plot. Watching Jeong-yeon’s reactions was far more entertaining.

"Ugh, why that reaction? It’s a masterpiece! Are you hungry? Should we order something? My treat today!"

Jeong-yeon puffed out her chest as if making a grand gesture. Compared to what she usually received from me, it was laughably inadequate, but I guessed she wanted to treat me now that she had a salary.

It was cute. I let out a small laugh.

"Don’t worry about it. I’ll pay. Order whatever you want."

I handed her my phone. After a brief hesitation, she excitedly started scrolling through the delivery app.

Pizza, fried chicken, tteokbokki, even dessert—she seemed to be ordering one of everything she’d been craving.

Can she even eat all this?

I processed the payment on my phone and thought to myself. Normally, I’d have ordered room service, but this wasn’t bad either.

Thanks to Jeong-yeon, it felt like I was trying something new.

When the food arrived, we sat around the living room table and had a slightly chaotic meal.

We talked about the movie, Jeong-yeon shared stories about other VTubers she’d been enjoying lately, and occasionally, I brought up funny things I’d seen in the community.

Not a word about work. Just easy, aimless conversation.

Jeong-yeon was far more cheerful and easygoing than I’d expected.

Her occasional silly remarks or actions made me laugh without realizing it.

"By the way, Mr. President… have you always lived this quietly?"

Jeong-yeon suddenly asked between bites.

The question caught me off guard, but I answered as usual.

"Pretty much. I don’t like going out much, and I’m comfortable alone."

"Huh… we’re total opposites! I’m a total social butterfly! I have tons of friends!"

She said it proudly, but there was a flicker of loneliness in her expression.

Between her VTuber activities and sudden secretary duties, she’d probably grown distant from her old friends.

"But… don’t you ever feel lonely or bored? Being alone in such a big house…"

Her cautious follow-up. I fell silent for a moment. Lonely?

Hmm. Had I ever felt that?

Back in the military, or before I made money with crypto, I’d felt vague anxiety or frustration, but nothing I’d define as "loneliness."

I’d always lived like I was being chased by something, or I’d been too absorbed in making money to spare a thought for anything else.

"Not… really, I guess."

I answered honestly. Jeong-yeon’s eyes widened slightly, as if surprised, but she didn’t press further.

Maybe she’d vaguely realized that we were fundamentally different kinds of people.

After the meal, Jeong-yeon tried to clean up, but I waved her off.

"Leave it. Someone will come take care of it later."

"Huh? Oh… right."

It seemed she’d forgotten again that this wasn’t an ordinary shared apartment. Awkwardly, she returned to her seat.

We went back to the sofa, either finishing the movie or scrolling through our phones.

An ordinary, uneventful holiday afternoon.

But strangely, it wasn’t boring or uncomfortable.

Just sharing the space with someone made this empty penthouse feel slightly different than before.

The air… seemed a little warmer, too.

As the sun began to set, Jeong-yeon was the first to rise.

"Um… Mr. President. Thank you so much for today! I really got to relax. Starting tomorrow—no, I’ll work even harder!"

"Good. As long as you’re rested."

I watched her bow and head back downstairs to her apartment. Once again, I was alone.

But this silence was different from before.

The empty house still felt vast, but there was a strange relief in knowing I didn’t have to bear that emptiness entirely on my own.

Tomorrow, Ajeong will be back on stream, and Jeong-yeon will be busy with work again.

It was time to return to routine. But today’s experience had undoubtedly brought a small change in me.

The meaning of spending time with someone—something separate from money or abilities.

It was still faint, but I could feel something different growing inside me, little by little.