I Can See a VTuber’s Red Pills - Chapter 40

“…….”

It was excessively quiet.

Normally, Jungyeon would be bustling about, or at least there would be the faint sound of a broadcast coming from downstairs, but today it was as silent as a tomb.

“Haa.”

The coffee cup in my hand had lost its warmth long ago.

I wandered aimlessly around the living room.

My entire attention was focused downstairs, on Jungyeon and the VTuber named ‘Solar’ she was supposed to be meeting.

“I wonder if she’s doing well.”

I muttered softly.

I didn’t doubt Jungyeon’s abilities.

If anything, she was so competent it was sometimes frightening.

But this opponent was different.

An extreme instability felt even through a brief glimpse on screen.

A fragility like glass, an oversensitivity that seemed like it would shatter with the slightest impact.

Hadn’t I already made a mess of things from the very first step when I intervened directly?

Jungyeon’s nagging back then… ha, I don’t even want to recall it.

Feeling grumpy for no reason, I pressed the remote to close the curtains.

As the glamorous cityscape disappeared from view, I felt even more frustrated.

I plopped down on the sofa and anxiously bounced my leg.

‘Just waiting around really isn’t my style.’

I couldn’t concentrate on anything.

I fiddled with my phone, but nothing caught my eye.

If I went to the community forums, it would just be more talk about Solar and me.

Checking those reactions could wait until after the results were out.

It was then.

—Tiring!

A familiar notification sound.

I turned my head, and on the tablet screen placed beside me, a notification for the start of Ajung’s broadcast appeared.

“Oh?”

Good timing.

I was bored, so this was perfect.

As if I’d been waiting, I picked up the tablet and leaned back comfortably on the sofa.

Spread across the screen was the perfectly rendered image of Ajung, chosen by me.

Her new avatar, showcasing her unique innocence and brightness to the fullest, greeted the viewers.

[Ta-da~! Your star who has come to visit again today! It’s Ajung~! You all missed me, right?]

Her voice was laced with aegyo (cuteness).

She had clearly gained a lot of confidence since the showcase.

It was good to see.

She was indeed worthy of being the first talent I recruited.

The chat window was already filled with welcoming messages like ‘Aha’ and ‘Here’s my sexy female streamer.’

[What game should we play today~? I heard there’s a new cute healing game out! And I’m amazing at these kinds of games, you know! Hehe.]

Ajung chattered excitedly and launched the game.

A game with cute characters and a pastel-toned background appeared on the screen.

The controls seemed simple, but there appeared to be quite a few sections requiring timed jumps or dodging obstacles.

‘Hmm.’

I watched the broadcast for a bit, then grinned and logged into my ‘Zelnaga’ account.

Just watching isn’t fun.

[Zelnaga has sponsored 10,000,000 Butter!]
[Angel’s Talent Kim Ajung! Angel’s Talent Kim Ajung! Angel’s Talent Kim Ajung!]

A large message suddenly appeared on the screen with the massive donation.

Ajung’s avatar’s eyes widened.

[Huh?! B-Boss! Welcome! Ah, no, it’s not! Not an angel’s talent, but a devil’s talent!]

Her flustered yet sharp retort was cute.

I smiled with satisfaction and checked the chat window.

As expected, my appearance had instantly become a hot topic in the chat.

– The trash appearing without fail today;;

– Beating her with money again? Starting like this already?

– It’s not a devil’s talent, more like archangel-level lolololol

– FR lololololol

– Ajung’s going to suffer today too ㅠㅠ Hang in there, Ajung.

Ajung tried hard to focus on the game, but her pace, once shaken, didn’t easily return.

She made a series of absurd mistakes in sections that looked easy.

Every time the cute, bouncing character fell off a cliff or got impaled on sharp spikes with a scream, the chat window erupted in laughter.

[Ah, really! Why isn’t it working? This is strange! Isn’t this a bug? Is this the right way to go?]

Ajung pouted and grumbled.

I found her expression so cute I couldn’t resist.

[Zelnaga has sponsored 1,000,000 Butter!]
[Honestly, Ajung-nim, I think you have terrible gaming talent… Streaming games with such talent is like punishing the viewers…]

[Kyaak! What are you saying! I’m good at games! And my fans like games, okay?!]

Ajung jumped up and down, refuting.

I could almost feel her face turning red through the screen.

That pure reaction drives people crazy.

– FR lolololol

– Just type FR lololol

– This guy is seriously lololololol

– Ajung, I was always on your side, but I can’t this time. Hail Zelnaga.

– Um… could you change the ratio between the virtual avatar and the game screen? Honestly, I’m not watching the game, just Ajung’s character.

– Kya, Ajung’s character is damn pretty lol

I decided to go all out and tease Ajung.

At crucial moments in the game, I deliberately made donations to distract her with the sound and threw out nonsensical questions to break her concentration.

[Zelnaga has sponsored 1,000,000 Butter!]
[Ajung-nim, Rinne-nim said that a grown adult like you still wears teddy bear panties. Is that true?]

[What?! No, it’s not!]

[Zelnaga has sponsored 1,000,000 Butter!]
[Dum. Dum. Tak. Tak. Dum. Dum. Dum. Tak. Dum. Tak. Dum. Tak. Dududung. Tak. Tak.]

Thwack!

Eventually, Ajung’s character met another miserable end, and Ajung finally exploded.

[Ah, reaaaallllyyyy! Bossssss! Please stop interrupting! I can’t play the game!]

She even pretended to slam her desk while cutely screeching.

The chat window loved that even more.

– Ajung’s mad lololololol

– Finally, 1st rage quit ㅅㅅㅅㅅㅅㅅㅅㅅㅅㅅㅅㅅㅅ (TL Note: ㅅㅅㅅㅅ is “nice” or “shot,” often used in gaming when something good/expected happens)

– Boss, stop harassing Ajung (stern and serious).

– But seriously, this guy is super nice to other VTubers and a complete sshole to his own lololol

– FR lol? He even volunteered as a manager and moderated the chat there?

– For real??? You fcking b*tch, why are you doing this to our Ajung?

– It’s kinda like, dating Ajung, marrying Solar.

– Huk, so our Ajung was just a fling???

– What?

Suddenly, Ajung’s movements stopped.

Her avatar stared intently at the chat window.

Her brow slightly furrowed.

[Huh? Manager? On another broadcast? You, Boss?]

Her tone was distinctly different from before.

It was sharp and on edge.

[Whose broadcast is it? Solar? That person who sings well? Why are you acting differently there than how you act with me? Huh?]

The chat window froze in an instant.

It was an unexpected reaction from Ajung.

This wasn’t just a cute tantrum.

It was a clear expression of jealousy, or perhaps disappointment.

[Why are you always so mean to me! And you don’t act like that elsewhere, I hear! If this is true, I’m really upset!]

Ajung scowled, glaring at the chat. Her lips were still pouted.

I unknowingly held my breath at her appearance.

Wow.

This really drives a person crazy.

I thought she was just submissive and gentle, but to think she had this side to her.

The instinctive wariness of a female sensing her territory has been invaded.

Or perhaps… feeling like the master’s attention, which she alone should receive, has been stolen?

The chat window also showed clear signs of bewilderment.

– Huk

– Uh oh…

– It’s not like that, he’s just an diot.

– That’s how guys are… Even if they have a girlfriend, their eyes wander to other women.

– No, she’s genuinely pissed lololololol

– Wow, her jealousy is so fcking hot.

I felt a thrilling pleasure at Ajung’s unexpected reaction.

I never thought showing interest in Solar would backfire like this.

Suddenly, it became amusing.

‘Indeed, the one who dragged me into this world… her style is different.’

I smiled with satisfaction and thought about how to appease Ajung.

Seeing her sulk like that was nice, but I couldn’t leave her in that state.

[Zelnaga has sponsored 1,000,000 Butter!]
[Our Ajung is the best. My number 1 treasure. Other women are just pebbles on the roadside. So stop being jealous and continue the game.]

[…Huh?! N-Number 1 treasure?! Pebbles?! I-I’m not jealous!]

Ajung blushed and stammered, flustered.

But the corners of her lips were slightly turned up.

[Zelnaga has sponsored 1,000,000 Butter!]
[If you stop sulking, I’ll let you hear the demo song that was completed recently.]

[What? An original song? Really?]

Ajung’s eyes sparkled as she leaned towards the screen, as if she had never been sulking.

Her reaction re-energized the chat window as well.

It was while I was spending time playing this push-and-pull game with Ajung.

—Vzzzt.

My personal phone vibrated briefly.

The name ‘Rinne’ appeared on the screen.

What I had been waiting for had finally arrived.

Trying my best to act nonchalant, I leisurely tore my eyes away from Ajung’s broadcast screen and picked up my phone.

I made an excuse to Ajung, saying I had some work to attend to and she should continue the broadcast.

As I checked the message, a slow, very deep, and satisfied smile spread across my lips.

[Rinne]: Boss!! Huge success!!! Solar-nim has decided to join!!! ୧(˃◡˂)୨

As expected, my calculations weren’t wrong.

No matter how sturdy a wall, it’s bound to crumble if you strike the exact pressure point.

Especially if that pressure point is connected to the opponent’s most intense desire.

I smiled with satisfaction and sent a short reply.

[Seo Hajun]: Good job.

Then, I turned my gaze back to Ajung’s broadcast screen.

My cute number 1 treasure was still paused in her game, pestering me for a spoiler of the new song.

But my mind had already moved on to the next stage.

The third star.

That voice, precarious yet all the more covetable for it.

The time was approaching for me to finally face her, who had walked into my fortress of her own accord.