I May Be a Virtual Youtuber, but I Still Go to Work - Chapter 105

After Nahyeon Gon, the busy producer, left the meeting, Serena, who was still there, turned to me and asked,

“Were you surprised?”

I don’t usually show much emotion, but the soon-to-be-graduated healing VTuber seemed to catch onto my feelings anyway.

I replied, “I figured your dad had a high position, but I didn’t expect to meet him so soon or dive straight into a contract discussion right off the bat!”

“Sorry to surprise you! I don’t really like broadcasting this kind of thing.”

“Well, I can understand that. I bet annoying people cling to you a lot.”

“Hehe, you really know me well, don’t you, Jia? You’re like a mind-reader.”

As she was about to leave the meeting room, I nudged in a question,

“… You’re not planning to take a break, are you?”

Serena flashed a sly grin.

“Why do you think that?”

“Because you love your fans so much.”

“….”

She suddenly looked a bit sad and whispered into my ear,

“When are we recruiting the third generation?”

I chuckled and replied,

“I’ll let you know as soon as the announcement goes out. I’m preparing for it.”

“Wait, so we’re definitely going to recruit the third generation? We don’t even know yet.”

Of course we are! We need to keep growing and sign more VTubers to meet the increasing demands of our fans.

“I’m going to help the president with the recruitment, no matter what!”

* * *

After Serena left, the recording dragged on for about 45 minutes.

Despite my efforts, I couldn’t focus at all, and I was being scolded for it.

I was trying hard to follow instructions, but I couldn’t recall any specifics about how well I did or how many mistakes I made.

Perhaps it was the thought of needing to share this news with the president and the members that distracted me.

As soon as the recording wrapped up, I asked the vocal guide,

“Can our members wait here until they get their recording time?”

“Sure, it’s fine to be in the lobby. Do you need a chair?”

“I’d really appreciate it!”

CAT Entertainment.

Now, CAT Entertainment is collaborating with Parallel on a song!

‘Is this a dream?’

But checking the business card I had tucked in my coat pocket, it looked exactly the same as before after one round of glances.

Listening back to what I had recorded, everything felt real.

It was pure 100% truth.

This wasn’t a dream.

A massive entertainment agency that splits the Korean music market with SB Entertainment had reached out to Parallel.

It felt like I suddenly scored a magnet item in a kart racing game!

Finally, an opportunity to close the gap with Bachu Bachu KR ahead of me had arrived.

Even Nahyeon Gon didn’t seem to want to shake Parallel’s hand.

He was part of an elite group and could have dragged us along, but he chose to give us time to think.

Settling my excited heart and planning for the future, the president and crew arrived.

While the team leader and members entered the recording studio, I borrowed the meeting room for a chat with the president.

As I rambled more than usual, the president chuckled.

“Hey, no matter what, CAT is the real deal. If you had downplayed it a little, I might have believed it more easily.”

Have I pranked the president too much?

I didn’t feel guilty, but I showed the business card straight away.

There was no need to play the recording.

Just seeing the president’s jaw drop, I recounted my conversation with Nahyeon Gon in as much detail as possible.

“d*mn. I can’t believe this even after looking at the card again…”

It was very evident from the president’s stunned reaction that this was hard to accept.

“We have to seize this opportunity!”

“Of course. If we let this slip, we’d definitely be fools.”

Yet, even in shock, the president was considerate of me.

“But are you okay singing with the others? Because your thoughts are vital if we’re going to accept this deal.”

I might have felt a little touched.

With a smile, I began speaking.

“Actually, while waiting for you, I sorted out my thoughts.”

The reason I avoided singing alongside the members was due to my doubts about my own talent.

I didn’t want to ruin the beautiful harmonies created by those four.

To put it bluntly, I ignored everyone shouting that I was talented and should sing more.

Yes, I dismissed it all as just playful comments from my friends who watch the broadcasts.

And besides, I’ve mentioned this before during the Night of Legends; I don’t believe anything unless it comes from a professional.

But now, things were different.

CAT Entertainment’s C-line, particularly the A&R head, acknowledged my pure singing ability, not as a mimic but genuine skill.

Thus, I needed to acknowledge that I had talent as a singer.

Now there was no reason to avoid singing in chorus with the members any longer.

Still, one troubling thought lingered.

I was just an ordinary person who had never been an artist.

What would happen if I released a track with the backing of CAT Entertainment alongside the members?

Wouldn’t the attention shift to me instead of the members?

So I devised a little plan.

“I’m on board for the album work. But I’d like to participate anonymously. If possible, I think it would be great to inherit the name of the F participant who joined illegally.”

“Uh… Do you really have to?”

“I just want to make sure it looks like CAT Entertainment chose Parallel purely based on the first gen members’ skills.”

I wanted to keep the name Majia off the surface.

That was my minimum requirement for participating in the song’s creation.

The president quickly understood my intentions and replied,

“But in a way, this could be your chance to grow as a musician… Are you really willing to give that up?”

“What good is it for me to succeed as a musician? It should be about you and the others succeeding.”

“Can’t you also succeed?”

“I don’t enjoy singing enough to make it a career.”

Everything I had done up until now—official broadcasts, participating in streamer contests—was all for Parallel.

I had never aimed to succeed for my own sake.

So in this instance, I wasn’t singing for my own success; I was doing it so the members could shine brighter.

“At least the producer doesn’t see me as a valuable talent for solo success. Had there been belief in me, you’d be discussing it just with me instead of the five-member group. My role is merely to spice up the members’ singing.” You get what I mean?”

And even if there were a chance for me to become a famous artist,

I didn’t want to pursue singing as my full-time job.

If it were something beneficial for the members, I’d do it gladly, but I’d definitely refuse if it were just to make my own career.

Now that I think about it, it was a lot like when the president asked me if I wanted to debut as a VTuber.

To properly work as a musician, one has to repeat the cycle of singing, recording, and posting videos all month long.

Heck, the reason why Sango Libia from Bachu Bachu JP has been broadcasting sporadically is that she’s so busy being successful as a musician.

Concerts, recordings, external activities—she’s too occupied to find time for streaming.

There’s no way I could manage such a grueling schedule.

I might as well wither away if I can’t watch broadcasts!

“Besides, I have to think about efficiency.

If I get full support from CAT, I could definitely put out a decent album that might even make the charts, but think about it—if the members receive that support, they’d be way more successful since they all love singing and have a burning desire to succeed musically.”

The president seemed a bit disappointed, but his determination to push forward with me didn’t waver.

“Yeah, I think I can contact the producer about that favor.”

“Thanks!”

“But if CAT Entertainment wants to keep working with you on the next project and the one after that—what then?”

For a while, it would have to be handled that way.

We were still in a subordinate position, and until we gained more power, all I could do was split my time!

I’m not into reheating old broadcasts, but what choice do I have? This is an important time; whatever it takes, I need to get through it.

“I’ll put in my utmost effort as long as my anonymity is secured.”

“Does that mean you’re willing to receive all the vocal training and support they provide?”

I nodded firmly.

“Yes. I don’t want to hinder the members.”

* * *

Once the recording was over, the members went off to do the broadcast.

I had dinner with the president before heading back to the company.

The president, who had been busy scrolling on his phone, finally asked me as we were finishing up,

“By the way, it seems quite a few people suspect you’re the F participant… Are you okay with that?”

He had probably been monitoring the community’s reactions closely.

“If we don’t reveal it until the end, what then? Everyone has a hunch but no one can be certain.”

Even Lee Yura, who was clearly suspected to be the L participant, managed to keep it a secret for a while.

Unless I mounted the stage like an X-man stating “I’m the F participant,” I’d forever remain distinct from Majia and the F participant.

It appeared that even the first generation members weren’t certain about it; only after I told them post-duet did they nod and say, “It makes sense now!”

“If that’s the case, keep it a secret from the others. Why’d you tell them?”

“I didn’t want to deceive them.”

I understand why the president would say that, especially considering there are members who leaked the news about the Valentine’s Day costume before the month was up.

But the likelihood of the members exposing my identity was low.

While content and costumes often come up in broadcasts, increasing the odds of mistakes, mentioning anyone unrelated to the broadcast could lead to a blind spot, and repeatedly doing so could get us banned from the stream!

Above all, once the collaborative relationship between CAT and Parallel was publicly acknowledged, there was no need to maintain the masquerade of being someone else.

It didn’t matter when the truth eventually came out.

However, the president seemed intent on firmly establishing the secret we had, making a suggestion.

“Or, you know how the kids are doing café reviews before getting into broadcasts. Why not that for your own stream instead? It’ll still be the kids doing it, but then you could have your own little broadcasts.”

“Do you want me to do my own stream?”

“Yeah. Rather than just denying it outright, it would be better to clearly differentiate between Majia and the F participant. Maybe you can sing for that 100,000 won reaction or something.

You know, the tone you showed when you sang casually instead of with full effort. That way, nobody will catch on.”

This idea was met with me wondering if that was needed.

“Look, you’ve been saying you wouldn’t sing on streams and only in the studio.”

“Yeah.”

“Doing that is a surefire way to irritate the audience. That was fine before, but now people are all eyes on you. Right now, even if you just perform, you need to keep spreading the word.”

Even if I get caught, I can withstand it; after all, I’m not an individual but rather an employee of a corporate entity.

That said, it depends on the situation, but issues like these could irritate my fellow members.

What if a persistent viewer inadvertently leaks the truth?

Above all,

“You should start considering your own standing.”

“My own standing?”

“Yeah. The MVP of contests, the one who keeps bringing in thousands of regular viewers thanks to explosive content, that’s Majia. Clearly impactful, right?”

I merely did what I could to help the members shine.

As the president said, following behind an influencer like Majia was a tad risky.

From now on, whatever I do, I’ll have to be careful not to affect the members negatively.

However, telling me to solo stream is a bit lonely, to be honest.

Promising 100,000 won reactions feels too stereotypically VTuber-like.

But I’m not a VTuber!

“What about hosting an event instead?”

“An event?”

As the president pointed out, there are still tons of viewers watching me.

Before the audience’s enthusiasm cools off, I could use this as a promotional means.

“Let’s pick a day for a viewer participation battle at the Battle Coliseum. If I don’t win a single round out of ten, I’ll have to sing at a karaoke stream as a punishment. How does that sound?”

The maximum participant count at the Battle Coliseum is 90, and with 30 teams, I’d be facing an uphill battle of 1:87.

Surely, the viewers would think, “This is doable!”

Even if pros show up, the goal is to lose and sing, thus cementing the notion that Majia and the F participant are distinctly different!

“Would you join in, president?”

“… Me?”

“Yeah! The odds are already stacked against me as it is, and with you running the gauntlet for me, it’d be even better! Everyone’s likely to want in on that.”

“Wow.”

“The more viewers we attract, the easier it will be to spread word about it. People will think, ‘Isn’t Majia from the F participant?’”

Ultimately, I ended up getting playfully scolded but I did get the green light.

“Alright, let’s give it a try. Who knows? You might just surprise everyone with a 2:87 win.”