I Can See a VTuber’s Red Pills - Chapter 9
A new morning had dawned.
As usual, I washed up, ate breakfast, and sat down right in front of the computer.
“Alright, what should I start with today?”
I rubbed my hands together as I thought about what needed to get done.
Today was a day with a lot to prepare.
After watching Ajung’s stream and browsing the community yesterday, a few things were weighing on my mind.
First.
I should probably get myself a proper job.
The best way to explain yourself to others is to start with what you do for a living.
There are jobs that elicit admiration just by hearing them—like, “I’m the CEO of such-and-such company,” or “Oh, I’m a doctor.”
And me?
From the outside, I was just some lottery winner who hit it big gambling with crypto.
Nothing more, nothing less.
But this wasn’t something I could decide on impulsively.
Part of me wanted to just buy out some company and name myself CEO, but that would be a classic case of the tail wagging the dog.
Just to look good in front of others?
That wasn’t a reason to make a hasty decision.
“…Let’s shelve this one for now.”
Second concern.
Ajung’s character model.
I hadn’t noticed because I’d been focused on her real face, but her avatar was… pretty free-spirited in design.
Before falling asleep last night, I scoured Ggizzik’s VTuber gallery for info.
VTubers generally fall into two categories: 2D or 3D.
Some say 2D is the true classic; others say 3D is more versatile.
But those are the two big groups.
2D is basically an animated illustration made to move fluidly.
3D is, well, a literal 3D character model.
Ajung used a tutta—in other words, one of those premade 3D avatars you can buy on a Japanese asset site, modified with a bit of money.
And just like she mentioned on stream yesterday, the quality… well, it was extremely low, probably due to budget issues.
From what I gathered, buying a premade 3D model like Ajung did and tweaking it for personal use is the cheaper route.
To an outsider like me, you’d think 3D would be more expensive than 2D—but that’s not always the case.
2D models have to be built entirely from scratch, which costs a lot more than you’d expect.
So customizing a publicly sold 3D model is more affordable… but that doesn’t mean 2D is always pricier.
A fully original 3D model—one made just for you—can cost several times more than even a professional 2D one.
But the problem was, Ajung hadn’t had money until recently.
Now that I was her life support machine, sure, she was okay.
But the future? That’s still uncertain.
Even now, the community had plenty to say about her avatar:
Title: Damn, this ain’t easy lol
(Image: VTuber Ajung.jpg)
Everyone’s been ranting about her on the gallery so I went to check out the VOD myself.
As soon as it started, I hit a f*cking wall of entry barrier lol
Even bottom-tier VTubers these days have killer avatars.
This one’s just over the line.
– lmaooooooo
– That entry barrier is real
– Voice is fire though
– It’s not even the avatar that’s the issue…
ㄴ Then what?
ㄴ She’s menhera
ㄴ Even better?
ㄴ ?
– Bro she’s Zelnaga’s pick, you dumb f*ck
ㄴ Is that guy feeding me?
ㄴ He kinda is though
ㄴ True that lmao
Because I’d stirred up the gallery, Ajung was suddenly famous.
New people were flocking in.
But most of them saw her avatar and backed off immediately.
Honestly, it didn’t matter to me.
I didn’t like her avatar—I was watching her stream while looking at her real face.
Still, I didn’t want her channel to stagnate.
I wanted more and more people to watch her stream—so I could keep enjoying her real self, the part only I got to see.
“…Hmm.”
I’d talk to her once she went live.
[Stream starts]
―”Hello! Are you all having a great day today?”
Another broadcast began, this one with another adorably titled theme.
As soon as the alert went off, I opened the stream, and her janky, wobbly avatar greeted the incoming viewers.
[“Hello!”]
– Aha~
– Ahaha
– What’s that face?
– Looks like clay…
– That thing’s broken…
– How the hell is this girl the pick of the VTuber board, wtf
– Get outta here, normie pickers~
Unlike Ajung’s cheerful greeting, the chat from new viewers was full of disappointment.
So I made the first move—before she saw them.
[Zelnaga has donated 10,000,000 Butter!]
[I’m having a really depressing day today…]
“H-Huh… Huh?!”
– Bruhhh lololol
– This guy’s entrance fee is 1 mil lol
– Comes in swinging, holy sht
– Why do you keep throwing money at this clay-faced model lmaooo
– This has to be viral marketing, right?
– Bro who the f*ck does viral marketing by dropping thousands??
– You think that face could sell anything? lmaooo
Her eyes went wide at the huge donation and again at my message.
Ajung rushed to respond, clearly panicked.
“W-What’s wrong? Why are you feeling sad? I-Is it because of me…?”
[Zelnaga has donated 1,000,000 Butter!]
[Is it because of Ajung, then yeah… it kinda is.]
“Eeep!”
[Zelnaga has donated 1,000,000 Butter!]
[I think you’re incredibly beautiful, Ajung, but people keep disagreeing… These days, everyone judges by appearance. It hurts that someone as pretty as you gets overlooked like this…]
“……Huh?”
– ??
– Bro wtf is he saying lmaooo
– If you think that’s pretty, your eyes are broken bro
– Like objectively it’s jank lol
– Did he eat something weird?
– Zelnaga… you’re scaring me now…
Since I got wrecked yesterday, I made sure to phrase it carefully and gently.
I don’t think this, but it seems like some people are talking badly about your avatar.
What do you think?
But her reply caught me off guard.
“Ah… you mean the avatar, right? I know.”
– Zelnaga: Eh?
– ??
– Then change it already
– You know and still use that? That’s worse lol
– You practicing emotional manipulation on us too now??
“No, no! T-That’s not it! I’m looking into it, really… It’s just that Zelnaga donated so much… and, like I said yesterday, I didn’t have any money before. This was the best I could do.
But now that I do have money! I want to upgrade it!
It’s just… I don’t know where to go, who to hire, or how to even start… There’s so much to figure out…”
– That’s fine, but maybe do a temporary upgrade first?
– Just ditch the clay for now
– You can figure the rest out later, just slap a better one on for now
– Ajung… honestly, your avatar is a big hurdle
– Fr tho your voice is great but the avatar kills it
Thankfully, her aesthetic sense wasn’t totally wrecked.
Turns out, once she had money, her first thought was to upgrade the avatar.
Looks like she was more serious about this VTuber thing than I expected.
But… she doesn’t know where to start?
I get that.
When I first started learning about streamers and VTubers, I felt that same kind of paralysis.
And last night, before going to sleep, I came up with a solution.
[Zelnaga has donated 1,000,000 Butter!]
[I’ll help you.]
“H-Huh? H-How?”
[Zelnaga has donated 1,000,000 Butter!]
[I’ll get you both a 2D and 3D avatar—fully original, top-tier quality.
So how about today, you brainstorm with your viewers on what kind of avatar you’d like?]
“……Huh?”
– LOLLLLLLLLLLLLL
– This dude’s insane lmao
– He’s getting her both 2D and 3D customs???
– Why is he going this far tho lmaoooo
– Did this chick save his life in a past life or what?
– Between all the donations and this? Dude’s spent over 10 mil easy
And so, Ajung’s stream today mostly consisted of a MS Paint window on screen while she chatted with her viewers about what kind of concept and style her new avatar should have.
“Ehehe! What do you mean?! I don’t look like a weak fish or anything!”
It was the first time I saw her laugh so happily.
That was more than worth the cost.
Once Ajung’s stream ended, I didn’t go to the usual community board.
Instead, I went to a different site.
A solution for both Ajung’s problem—and my own.
I didn’t know much about VTubers.
I didn’t know much about streaming either.
So the answer was simple: find someone who does.
[Job Recruitment Site]
Title: Hiring Personal Secretary – Annual Salary 100 Million Won
Position: Secretary
Salary: 100 million KRW (negotiable based on experience)
Requirements: Must have expert-level knowledge of internet streaming and subculture such as VTubers
Preferred: Cooking certifications, VTuber experience, mod experience
Perks: Room and board provided if desired
Notes: Final terms discussed upon interview
I’d hire someone who knows VTuber culture inside and out as my secretary.
They’d handle everything: answering my questions, finding the right creators for Ajung, and ideally, also cook for me.
It was a light-hearted solution.
But the job post spread instantly across the entire VTuber community.