I May Be a Virtual Youtuber, but I Still Go to Work - Chapter 101

“Z. This is Serena.”

As soon as Cheon Dohui heard Majia’s confident words, she looked puzzled and asked, “Serena? Why did she apply here…?”

“Right?”

“No, what if you don’t know? We were hanging out until last week.”

“True.”

“….”

There was no restriction against participating from other companies. It was also true that Maru was close to her, and perhaps she just casually applied because the famous Utaite Lee Yura was coming along.

The Pajjik side, who had the list, would have stayed quiet to avoid causing trouble if they noticed anything from this side.

However, recently, the atmosphere between Serena and Majia on broadcasts had been a bit weird—like the boundary sensors of Dohui, who wanted to keep Majia close, were vibrating ever so slightly.

Even if it was a penalty game, come on. “Moe Moe Kyun ♡ for the Lord’s heart” aimed at Jia was a bit much.

Majia giggled and accepted it happily.

“By the way, how close have you two gotten? You and Serena.”

“We share a cup of coffee after work while gossiping about the company…?”

“?”

The president looked at me with wide eyes.

“Can’t you give me a heads-up about important stuff like that?”

“I was pretending not to hear. With a request like that, how could I go around telling people?”

“That’s true…”

Majia wouldn’t gossip about the company, so Serena must have been the main speaker. If she accidentally slipped up while agreeing with that gossip, the other party could have misinterpreted it as “Are you saying to come over to Parallel?”

I trust Jia, but this was her first time appearing in a public event external to the company, even with a competing VTuber.

Feeling worried, Dohui casually asked, “Did you say anything to Serena about coming over to Parallel or anything?”

“Not at all.”

Majia’s sharp reply came with a vacant expression.

So, Majia hadn’t slipped up.

But to gossip about the company in front of an external competitor and show up at a Parallel event without prior notification?

From my experience running a VTuber company for three years, Cheon Dohui realized that this could signal a transfer intention.

“Is she considering moving…?”

If Serena herself wants to change companies, there’s little anyone from Parallel could do about it.

Thanks to her growth during the Wicker Town days, she’s still doing well now.

To abandon that means she must be pretty determined, so even if the company creates a “beautiful farewell” atmosphere, the issue of fan trust would surely arise.

Ultimately, it’s something the VTuber herself has to bear.

And if Serena has thoughts of her own, she wouldn’t take the bold step of jumping from Rapitsu directly to Parallel.

Like many senior VTubers who have changed their nests, she would likely at least stay as an independent VTuber for a few months before preparing to transfer.

… If she has someone to trust, she’ll do what she wants regardless.

The reasons for transferring?

There’d be many angles, but the main part would likely relate to dissatisfaction with the company.

At the same time, if that dissatisfaction and love for her fans balanced nicely, then suddenly an external factor popped up out of nowhere.

“Was Jia the decisive factor…?”

Like most fandoms for idols or VTubers.

Honestly, the majority aren’t really concerned about anything other than their own favorites.

At best, they might look out for those in the same generation or group, but once companies change, it doesn’t feel like their business anymore.

But Majia is different.

She treats those she likes well regardless.

Competitors? Not her problem. She just helps if someone needs it.

“Was the fable of the north wind and the sun really meant to apply here?”

When the wind blew ferociously, the traveler bundled himself up tightly, yet he shed his clothes under the sun’s warm rays.

The fable that Majia recounted recently seemed eerily similar to the current situation.

Majia was just looking after her favorite VTubers from her own spot, but Rapitsu was the one getting shaken up by it.

“Well… I can’t imagine a VTuber would dislike being cared for by Jia.”

The first-generation members of Parallel had distanced themselves due to her sharp, straightforward words and pushy personality.

But now?

They all just wait eagerly for the day when they can collaborate with Majia every month.

That just shows how Majia has risen in stature among the VTubers of Parallel.

From content and collaboration buzz to almost everything related to broadcasting, Majia was recognized as the cheat code.

To what extent?

After the first evaluation, more than half of the second-generation candidates prepping for interviews mentioned wanting to join Parallel at least once due to Majia.

Among the applications, it wasn’t rare to see statements like “I’m a fan of President Momo, a fan of first-generation members, and I want to join because ‘Agent Majia’ is supporting us,” ranking high up in statistics.

Majia had effectively begun taking on the role of Parallel’s face, doing it positively.

In fact, that high praise went beyond the internal fandom of Parallel; it even swayed the minds of competing VTubers.

However, still.

Today is Parallel’s grand festival.

As soon as news spreads that a member of Rapitsu showed up, both sides would immediately start feeling fatigued.

Cheon Dohui reached a conclusion of possible interest in transferring from her reasonable deductions, but the community, unaware of the inner workings of companies, would inevitably be awash with speculation and rumors.

“Viewers have likely picked up on something by now…”

So even if speculation arises that someone might not be Serena, it’s best to keep quiet officially.

Dohui said, “Later, we’re supposed to give out awards, one for each of us.”

“The Parallel award?”

“Yep. Try to avoid picking Serena if possible.”

But Majia, seemingly unconcerned, asked, “Why? Are you worried about what Rapitsu will say?”

Majia tapped her phone lightly.

With one piece of data in here, she could end the conversation, so what was there to worry about?

Even if Rapitsu accused them of tampering or whatever, in the end, Parallel holds solid evidence, while all Rapitsu has is just a hunch.

Even if the managing director and the chief executive were in cahoots, declaring a war on Parallel would be impossible.

And beyond any reason, Majia just wanted to give the award to Serena.

“Honestly, aside from everything else, you’re listening to her sing right now.”

It was then that Cheon Dohui finally tuned into the climactic part of the song that Serena was singing, the enchanting voice bursting forth with explosive charm, leaving the viewers in awe, too stunned to wave their glow sticks.

[Like the last breath for tomorrow,

I’ll quietly close my eyes and let you go——!]

— Wow

— Crazy

— Ripped it

— Whooo

— Wait, who is this?

— This is a viewer…?

— I want to marry this Moonsoon

— Cleansing…

There’s no denying the healing waves emanating from Serena’s voice.

Yet, she had copied a significant part of Maru’s deeply resonating vocal style.

Consequently, Maru’s voice seamlessly blended into the background.

She was practically the ideal participant for an illegal duet.

“From my brief experience in practicing impersonations, doing this much requires a lot of listening and training.”

Majia, having been a dedicated fan and an impersonator, understood.

This was a more beautiful song just out of respect for Maru.

Even not awarding the Parallel award, it wouldn’t be surprising to see her win for her skill in the Aurora award instead.

“If a better song doesn’t come out than this, I’m absolutely giving Serena the award. This is from a place of affection.”

However, Majia’s thoughts aligned with Dohui’s.

After all, how much effort did Dohui put into producing Maru’s first single album?

She wouldn’t dislike hearing Serena sing so beautifully.

“You won’t give it, but people will pick her anyway, so just leave it to me. I’ll choose.”

While troublesome issues between companies might arise, ultimately, that’s something the president has to handle.

Majia had already done her job as an employee and even passed the evidence to Dohui.

“Do you know why I always ask you to let me know if anything comes up? Because I don’t want to pass off the responsibility to you.”

Jia looked a bit surprised but smiled.

“I wish you were this reliable in Baekol too.”

“Hey.”

* * *

About thirty minutes later, in Rapitsu’s CEO office.

Yeon Seong-muk was delivering a long speech in front of the CEO.

“This is definitely tampering.”

He started from the post on the Rapitsu Galaxy titled “Serena Participating in Illegal Duets with EU,” raising his voice, claiming that his ongoing friendship with Majia was clear evidence of tampering.

“Where’s the evidence?”

“Only circumstantial, but I’m certain. A background check on Serena would quickly show her contact with Majia…”

The CEO sighed and asked, “Director Yeon, do you honestly think bringing up anonymous community posts counts as evidence?”

“But based on my experience, this is absolutely….”

“Is it right for a director to say it’s correct based on experience without any evidence?”

Yeon Seong-muk bit his lip as the CEO began the interrogation.

“What did you talk about when you met Majia on the day of the Pajjik year-end party?”

“Well, being part of the same operations team, we discussed industry trends a bit…”

“Really?”

The CEO’s glare was razor-sharp, as if he knew the entire truth.

“I’ve heard. Speak honestly.”

“I didn’t lie. We just talked about industry trends—”

“The whole operations team heard. You made a debut offer to Majia, didn’t you?”

“……”

“I heard that later you said something like, ‘I’ll soon be recognized for my achievements and promoted, so crawl back, loser.’ You said this at a company dinner.”

Yeon Seong-muk clenched his fists.

But he had no one to blame but himself.

The bubble of delusion where he pictured a bright future after successfully recruiting Majia had burst, thanks to the booze.

He hadn’t even contacted Majia to confirm her thoughts after making the offer, thinking it would be advantageous for him to stall, assured that the scale of Rapitsu’s parent company, Budis, was larger than Parallel.

A frog in the well.

He had acted thoughtlessly, relying solely on Budis and its CEO, his own father.

“Aren’t you aware of the fact that Majia has immense connections? Do you know who her Oshi is?”

“……”

“You’ve been at this spot for nearly two years, and you still don’t know how the industry operates?

Oh, I see. So, you planned to take a competitor’s employee to keep the kids from wavering during internal management, right? Haha.”

All those in the industry gathered in the lobby of the hotel where the Pajjik year-end party was held were exchanging glances.

Isn’t that Majia? Should I talk to her or not?

If they approached carelessly, rumors of “who’s trying to scoop her up” would spread like wildfire, so everyone waited cautiously.

Then, when Yeon Seong-muk openly contacted her, how could they not recognize it?

The news traveled through MCNs and agencies, leaving the CEO in a compromising position, almost becoming “the representative who broke ethical standards” without knowing it.

That might not have mattered if it were another company, but the rivalry between Parallel and Rapitsu was already famous.

“Director Yeon, what is it you always do when going to contract-related meetings?”

“Voice recordings… I do that.”

“Even if you may seem younger than Majia, you know she’s doing a similar job, right?”

“…. ”

“Do you really think she wouldn’t have recorded anything?”

“Things were urgent. So maybe…”

“Did she or didn’t she? Can you say for sure?”

“…….”

“If they present evidence, do you think I’ll just stand down?”

Companies avoid taking risks, and ultimately, it’s Yeon Seong-muk’s neck that would be on the line.

No matter how much a parachute sent by the parent company, if left alone, it would only tarnish the company’s image, and how could he let that happen?

“You’ve been spending your time just watching Parallel’s broadcasts lately. Isn’t it you thinking of switching jobs, Director Yeon? Are you acting like a child thinking of getting back at your father who demoted you to Rapitsu while moving on with another job?”

“No, no, absolutely not!”

“If you don’t want to end up leaving the industry forever, then stop dreaming.”

The CEO’s sharp gaze held a warning.

“And by next month, fix every problem regarding the operations team and report back. If not, I plan on sending you back to Budis. Whether you’re cleaning bathrooms or not, it’s not my concern, you know?”

“B-but uncle! Not that…!”

“You’ve been told not to call me that at work.”

Now openly displaying hostility, the Rapitsu CEO said, “I believed in the family connection, but this time, no more. Director Yeon, you think the same way, right?”

“Please be lenient…”

As Yeon Seong-muk lowered his head with an indignant expression, the CEO delivered his final, unequivocal ultimatum.

“Leniency or not, if I hear news of any member’s defection within the month, that’s it. Keep that in mind.”