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

It was Ajung’s day off.

The broadcast notification, which usually called me as regularly as an alarm, was silent today.

Normally, a sense of disappointment mixed with slight boredom would have set in, but today was a bit different.

I had instructed Jungyeon to do basic research on establishing a corporate entity, and although it wasn’t a full-fledged start, the mere fact that something new ‘to do’ had arisen brought a slight sense of anticipation.

“Hmm… still, now that I’ve started, there’s not much for me to do.”

Quite some time had passed since I amassed immense wealth, but my fundamental nature hadn’t changed much.

A life spent staring at a monitor in a corner of a room.

The coin graphs had merely been replaced by Ajung’s broadcast screen and, occasionally, a community window; my basic lifestyle remained the same.

I had no extravagant spending habits, nor was I the type to wander outside.

I brought my coffee to the living room.

Only silence filled the spacious area.

Usually, at this time, Jungyeon would be bustling about or preparing for her own stream in her room.

Today, she too was quiet, handling the tasks I had assigned her.

‘Ah. Come to think of it, Jungyeon-ssi has been constantly busy lately too.’

For the past week, no, ever since I hired her as a secretary, Jungyeon had been running non-stop.

Communicating with dozens of artists, reviewing drafts, organizing feedback, and on top of that, the sudden directive to research a corporate entity.

It was a workload that would have made an ordinary person give up long ago.

A pang of guilt suddenly struck me.

Of course, it was an exceptional offer with an annual salary exceeding 100 million won and room and board provided, but perhaps I had pushed her too hard.

“Jungyeon-ssi, can I see you for a moment?”

I used the intercom to connect to her room… no, her apartment downstairs.

After a moment, a slightly hoarse voice came through.

[“Yes? Sir? What is it?”]

“No, it’s nothing much. Since Ajung-ssi is also off today… how about you take it easy today too, Jungyeon-ssi? You can do what I asked you to do slowly.”

[“…Huh? Ah… Yes! Thank you, Sir!”]

An undeniable joy tinged the reply that came after a brief, seemingly surprised silence.

It seemed she had indeed been overworking herself.

I hung up and sat back on the sofa.

The living room was still quiet.

But this time, the silence felt a little different.

If before there was an impatience to find something to kill time, now… well, it was a strange sense of liberation, like it was okay not to do anything in particular.

‘Is this also thanks to Jungyeon-ssi?’

It was a feeling I would never have experienced alone.

To think that such a change could occur just by working with someone and being aware of their presence.

It was a novel experience.

A little later, Jungyeon cautiously came up to the living room.

Unlike her usual energetic self, she had a slightly awkward expression.

As if her non-working self felt unfamiliar.

“Um… Sir. Is it really okay for me to rest today?”

The way she spoke hesitantly reminded me of when she first came for her interview.

I chuckled and replied.

“I told you to rest. Is there anything you want to do? Watch a movie… or order some delicious food.”

I had just thrown out whatever came to mind, not really knowing what to do.

I couldn’t even judge what to suggest in such a situation, or whether it was natural for a boss and subordinate to do something together on a day off in the first place.

Jungyeon’s eyes widened at my suggestion.

“What? With you, Sir? Is that okay?”

“Why wouldn’t it be? I don’t have much to do today either. Let’s just think of it as killing time.”

I shrugged as casually as possible, but I was slightly nervous inwardly.

It was the first time since the army, or perhaps even in my entire life, that I was spending a day alone with a woman.

“Wow! Okay! Then… let’s watch a movie! Sir, do you have any movie recommendations?”

Unexpectedly, Jungyeon clapped her hands, looking excited.

I had sensed it before, but she was full of energy.

However, I was flustered.

A movie?

When was the last time I went to a movie theater?

Was it before I joined the army?

“Well… I don’t watch movies much. Jungyeon-ssi, you pick something you want to watch.”

“Really? Then there’s something I’ve really wanted to see! Can I watch that?”

“I don’t mind.”

Excitedly, Jungyeon grabbed the remote control in front of the giant screen in the center of the living room.

She expertly searched a streaming service and played the movie she wanted to watch.

It was an SF action blockbuster that had recently been released and was a box office hit.

Honestly, it was far from my taste, but since the purpose was to kill time, it didn’t matter.

The movie started, and I sank deep into the sofa.

Splendid CG and grand sound filled the living room.

However, my gaze strayed more often to Jungyeon, sitting beside me, than to the screen.

She seemed completely engrossed in the movie, holding her breath during the protagonist’s crises and letting out small cheers at satisfying scenes.

Not the hidden persona behind the avatar, but the real Yoo Jungyeon, an ordinary woman in her twenties simply enjoying a movie.

It was quite a refreshing sight.

‘She can concentrate like that.’

I was observing her in a way that was different from peeking at a VTuber’s ‘true self.’

Of course, my eyes could still see through her underwear and even inside her body, but I didn’t feel the need to.

What was important now was her expression, her emotions.

“Wow… that was really fun! Right, Sir?”

As the movie’s climax passed, Jungyeon couldn’t hide her excitement and turned to me, asking.

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

“Yes… well… the scale is big.”

Honestly, I barely remembered the plot.

Watching Jungyeon’s reactions was more entertaining.

“Hey, what’s with that reaction! It’s a total masterpiece! Are you hungry, by any chance? Should we order something? I’ll treat you today!”

Jungyeon puffed out her chest as if making a grand gesture.

It was far less than what she usually received from me, but it seemed she wanted to treat me since she had received her salary.

Her appearance was cute, and a small laugh escaped me.

“It’s okay. I’ll pay, so order everything you want to eat.”

I handed her my phone.

Jungyeon hesitated for a moment, then excitedly began to browse a delivery app.

Pizza, chicken, tteokbokki, and even dessert.

She seemed to be ordering every type of food she truly wanted.

‘Is she going to eat all this?’

I thought to myself as I paid with the phone she handed back after making her selections.

Normally, I would have ordered room service, but ordering delivery food like this wasn’t bad.

It felt like I was having a new experience thanks to Jungyeon.

We talked about the movie, Jungyeon talked about other VTubers she recently enjoyed watching, and sometimes I even shared funny stories I had seen on the community forums.

There was no talk of work at all.

Just comfortable, rambling conversations.

Jungyeon was a much more cheerful and easy-going person than I had thought.

I even found myself bursting into laughter at her occasional quirky remarks or actions.

“But Sir, have you always lived so quietly like this?”

Jungyeon suddenly asked me while eating.

I was momentarily flustered by the abrupt question but soon answered as usual.

“Pretty much. I don’t really like going out, and I’m comfortable being alone.”

“Heh… You’re the complete opposite of me! I’m a total extrovert! I have tons of friends!”

Jungyeon said triumphantly, but a hint of loneliness seemed to flicker across her expression.

Perhaps she had naturally drifted apart from her old friends due to her VTuber activities and sudden secretarial life.

“But… don’t you ever feel a bit lonely or bored? Being alone in such a big house….”

A cautiously added question.

I fell silent for a moment.

Loneliness?

Well.

Had I ever felt such an emotion?

When I was in the army, or before I made money from crypto, there was a vague sense of anxiety or frustration, but it wasn’t an emotion I would define as ‘loneliness.’

I had always lived as if being chased by something, or I was too engrossed in the fun of making money to have the leisure to look at other things.

“Not really… I don’t know.”

I answered honestly.

Jungyeon’s eyes widened as if my answer was unexpected, but she didn’t ask further.

Perhaps she vaguely sensed that she and I were fundamentally different kinds of people.

After the meal, Jungyeon tried to clear the table, saying she would do it, but I waved my hand dismissively.

“Leave it. Someone will come and clean it all up later anyway.”

“Huh? Ah… right.”

Jungyeon, as if realizing once again that this wasn’t an ordinary studio apartment, awkwardly returned to her seat.

We sat on the sofa again, finishing the rest of the movie or looking at our respective phones, passing the time.

It was an ordinary afternoon on an unremarkable holiday.

But strangely, it wasn’t boring or uncomfortable.

Just the fact that someone was in the same space made this empty penthouse feel a little different than before.

The air… seemed to have become a little warmer.

As the sun began to set, Jungyeon was the first to get up.

“Um… Sir. Thank you so much for today! I rested well thanks to you. Starting tomorrow… no, I’ll work even harder!”

“Alright. As long as you rested well.”

Watching Jungyeon’s back as she bowed and went down to her apartment, I was alone again.

But it was a different kind of silence than before.

The empty house still felt large, but there was something like relief in not having to bear that emptiness entirely alone.

‘Tomorrow, Ajung-ssi will stream, and Jungyeon-ssi will be busy working again.’

It was time to return to daily life.

But today’s experience had undoubtedly brought about a small change in me.

The meaning of time spent with people, different from money or abilities.

It was still faint, but I felt like something distinctly different from before was slowly growing within me.