I May Be a Virtual Youtuber, but I Still Go to Work - Chapter 137

After the broadcast, it was only natural for the members to rush over to me.

Normally, when we do these collaborations, we rent out a motion studio, so I was cornered with no escape in sight.

As the host, my job was to keep the members fired up, like throwing more fuel on a fire. I threw around countless accusations, including “Can’t you even get that right?”

So, it made sense that I was trapped like laundry in a washing machine, surrounded by four people.

Just as I was being grilled, my phone rang—it was the President.

“Yes, President.”

As soon as I said that, the three members scattered like cockroaches when the lights come on.

Who knew everyone was so scared of the President?

Except for Rain, who was bold enough to act cool in front of the boss, the rest of them were eyeing me, waiting to see what drama would unfold.

[You did a great job. The broadcast went off without a hitch.]

“Thank goodness. I thought it got a bit too chaotic.”

[Chaotic? Nah, it was just about right. Good job on collaborating with the others. You didn’t intend it, but you ended up with an unexpected harvest.]

“Harvest? What do you mean?”

[Movgun decided to make shorts out of the broadcast and add a new song to it.]

I’ve said before that I don’t dislike Movgun, but I also don’t undermine his achievements and skills.

I mostly watch live streams, so I’m not too familiar with shorts.

Seems like everything nowadays is about shorts.

And Movgun knows how to whip up those shorts to rake in views.

If he had just a simple professional gamer mindset, he wouldn’t have climbed that high, as the President had mentioned several times.

In fact, more than half of his two million subscribers are foreigners, and he really knows how to leverage the overseas algorithms, so it’s probably quite effective.

However, there was one thing I found puzzling.

“But what’s got him inspired all of a sudden?”

The President chuckled.

[I told you! It’s because of you.]

“?”

[Thanks to the snowball effect you unintentionally created, Movgun got all sentimental on me.]

“… What? Is he thanking me for making the others play Black Warning?”

[He did help promote the first-generation trainees, but he’s not a fan of VTubers, is he?]

“True, but he’s been doing a lot for the younger ones recently. He even popped up in chat during the broadcast.”

[But he only showed up when you were around.]

Thinking back, it does seem like he always appears to lurk whenever I’m doing something.

Then, there’s clearly only one thing he wants, right?

“Is he asking for another civil war?”

[No, this time it’s a different reason.]

“Is he just wanting to show a defeat in a bet or something?”

[Why does your mind always go there? He only wanted to know if you’re seriously considering leaving the company.]

Do YouTubers usually trade information this way?

Anyway, the shorts were beyond my area of expertise, so I can just let that slide.

[If Movgun’s shorts become a huge hit, it’ll be thanks to you. Look forward to your bonus.]

… But I can’t let that slide.

“No way! The song is for the members, and I merely added some garnish; so why should that give me a bonus?”

[The members won’t give you any bonuses, but if the song becomes a hit, the royalties will roll in, right?]

“If you’re going to argue like that, I still have royalties coming from my contract with CAT.”

[Huh? Am I not allowed to give my employee a bonus just because I want to?]

“Don’t spend company money freely.”

[How is this me spending freely? If you don’t want it, come to my office and explain.]

“This is something to explain…”

Though we were having a discussion, it felt like tensions were rising, much to the members’ concern.

“Well, see you in the President’s office tomorrow. I actually have something to discuss.”

[Sure, see you tomorrow.]

As soon as the call ended, Maru asked, “Was there a problem with the broadcast? What went wrong?”

Knowing how many mistakes I’ve made before, I understood why they were anxious.

But I only had positive news.

There was one lingering question, but it was personal.

As for Movgun, I figured it was like picking up a winning lottery ticket while walking down the street; it was just good luck.

However, since the President might want to discuss Movgun’s shorts with the others, it’s probably best I don’t pry into that.

Maybe they’ll have a nice surprise announcement or something later on.

“No, the atmosphere was great, so just keep doing what you were doing. So, when are we doing Black Warning? Next week?”

The members, who were feeling somewhat relieved, briefly discussed before giving me a date.

“Yeah, how about this coming weekend? Is that good for you?”

* * *

While Parallel was having a joyful moment, excited about Movgun’s support and upcoming collaboration.

The rumors about Majia’s reincarnation, transfer, and resignation weren’t losing steam.

Even Movgun, curious about whether Majia was really quitting, was sure to have reached out by now, and the notorious first-generation conflict with Majia had conveniently disappeared.

… ─ — Magia Mini Gallery ─ ─ — …

[Once the gallery owner graduates, I can quit my job too.]

[Suddenly, I don’t want to do anything.]

[What’s the possibility that Majia won’t graduate?]

[The gallery owner would ultimately want money and fame, right?]

[I hope the job of Utaite disappears tomorrow.]

…

… ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ …

It’s amusing to think these guys were the same people who were causing a ruckus begging for a debut not too long ago.

This just highlights the fans’ excessive interest in ordinary people.

Majia has never debuted as a VTuber, so this issue would eventually fade away over time.

Above all, if Majia were to become a successful Utaite, Cheon Dohui wanted to give her the big push she needed to make that move.

Considering she prefers watching over doing, it seemed a better fit for her.

As long as she doesn’t quit the company, it doesn’t matter what she does, but preferably, it would be great if Majia did something she wanted.

There have been many unexpected gains like when Jia suddenly schedules a broadcast, but it would be unfortunate for Cheon Dohui if audiences started pushing Majia into doing broadcasts she had no interest in.

So the next day.

She unusually checked the community early and brought it up to Jia, who just started work.

It was probably something relating to the overly enthusiastic fans she had mentioned wanting to discuss yesterday.

A small attempt to show a bit of authority as the President, perhaps.

“Transfer, reincarnation, and the overhyped frenzy began the moment you chose Fan_C as your Utaite name, so don’t sweat it. After doing Black Warning with the others, focus only on the tasks at hand, including the second-generation debut.”

But surely, Majia had probably already checked the community.

By now, she must have figured out a response strategy.

Let’s do what historic traditions dictate: “Time will solve this; just do your job and wait.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that. Instead of looking at the community, you should be focusing on your streams.”

“When have you ever said to keep an eye on industry insights… plus, how long did you not see it?!”

“Checking community responses isn’t really industry insight…”

“That’s a tough one to rebut… So then what was that about you wanting to discuss something with me?”

“That? This.”

Soon, Majia shared her conversation with a famous mod creator.

[trashit: I made all the requested edits, here you go.]

[trashit: This seems like it’ll be really fun, haha.]

[trashit: Discuss with Momo and let me know!]

[trashit: I can adjust it right away!]

[Majia’s Deputy: Thank you!]

[Majia’s Deputy: This is going to become even more enjoyable content thanks to you!]

[trashit: I’m just grateful that you reached out first, haha!]

This was all about modifying and changing monsters’ rules in Black Warning where she would appear.

Previously, whenever members brought games requiring mods or servers, they’d always pass through Majia’s hands, which means it was merely an extension of her usual work.

Since so much was being said about Majia in the community, Cheon Dohui couldn’t help but feel a sigh escape her lips, expecting some serious consultation.

“Am I expected to praise you for thinking of work even now?”

“I didn’t get that at all.”

“… No, you don’t need to understand. So why are we doing mods? Isn’t Black Warning fun enough in vanilla mode?”

<Black Warning>.

A game where you travel to a colonized planet turned into ruins due to an alien invasion, looking for valuable items to hand over to a black company, completing your achievements to survive each day.

Every planet has a sombre and eerie atmosphere, and the monsters look grotesque, making it terrifying to play firsthand.

It’s not unusual for someone you were just chatting with moments ago to disappear with a scream right before your eyes or behind you.

The dead are in shock while those left alone are suddenly flooded with terror.

This makes it a wild ride for the playing streamers personally, but for the viewers, it’s entertaining to no end.

You could almost call it an upgraded version of slapstick physical comedy.

“I think if our group of four plays, we’re going to fry the game pretty badly. It feels like some adjustments are needed.”

The sooner they unlock the higher planets, the more crazy tricks and monsters they meet, ensuring ongoing laughs with fatalities.

But if they’re stuck cooking on the lower levels for hours, what happens then?

They won’t even get to see the middle or upper planets!

Yet all four members of the first generation are cowards.

Every time they are together, they can muster up some courage, but both Komari and Rain, who usually help keep spirits high, become big chickens when left alone, so frying becomes a given.

But as Cheon Dohui listened, one thing intrigued her.

“But you’ll be playing too, right? Seems like there won’t be any frying on your side…”

“I’ll use the mod to seal my attack abilities.”

Majia faces her fears by turning them to destruction, so her goal is always to smash monsters if she can attack them.

If that happens, the spotlight inevitably falls on her, whether she wants it or not.

For Majia, who wants to shift attention to the first generation, that’s the most undesirable situation.

And since people want to see how badly the members get wrecked by the monsters, if Majia ends up smashing everything, viewers might feel let down as they won’t get the chaotic scenes they expected.

“Hmm. For sure, if you’re running around with a weapon, you’d probably break every monster in sight.”

“That’s why I’ll play the pack mule. If a monster shows up, I’ll run away.”

“Okay, I can buy that. And it can’t just be for that; you didn’t summon a mod creator just for that, right?”

“Dora and Maru will have double the attack power. Even if they can hardly attack, this could create variables now and then. Plus, the two biggest scaredy-cats will have their moments of action.”

“That’s good. That should work fine. Anything else?”

“The game <Black Warning> has already been used in several collaborations, hasn’t it? At one point, it even had its golden age.”

“That’s true. It was meta-pick.”

“We’re on the later side of things, so it seems we could use some unique flair for ‘Parallel’s Black Warning.’”

In a way, this was probably what Majia focused on most.

It was a courtesy for those tired of plain Black Warning and simultaneously a means to reinforce the fandom’s sense of belonging.

“I’ve added a few valuable items. Even if they can’t earn money by the deadline, they can aim for a last-minute comeback, coaxing the members into taking risks for a chance to earn.”

“Nice one. What items did you add?”

“You’ll see, but I threw in fan character figurines of the members.”

The President lit up as soon as he saw it.

“How cute! Fans will love this! It could give them the feeling of helping the members while also making it feel like the members rescued them from dangerous situations.”

And the last bit was a minimal mechanism for promotion.

Majia also knew that being too overboard could become counterproductive; hence, she set up the mod to yield a subtle hint.

“For the finale, there’s a monster called Boombox in the game. It’s like a walking cassette player.”

“Oh, I know. There’ve been tons of shorts about it!”

“This monster normally plays a predetermined song before exploding, but this time, I’m going to randomize it with our original songs.”

“Kind of strange… but it should be funny. It definitely gives off that Parallel mod vibe.”

“Wanna see a sample? Here’s how it goes.”

Majia quickly played a video lasting about a minute, starting from the moment the mod creator strolled through a dim bunker, coming across the Boombox.

Once the Boombox sensed the player, it pressed play.

And out flowed the second-gen’s latest song, the latter half of <Finish Line>.

As the mod creator dashed here and there, the Boombox trailed him, playing the highlight, and then BAM!

With a massive explosion, it sent him straight to the afterlife.

“… What the heck? The immersion is strong! It feels like watching a shorts program.”

Although it was just a short video, it delivered a clear beginning, middle, and end flawlessly.

The background music steadily built up all the way to the end, making it feel like quintessential short-form content.

“I merely snipped the most fitting parts. Is it good?”

“Spot on. Do you have versions of other songs?”

“I didn’t make separate videos, but I have the audio ready. Want to hear?”

“Hold on a second. Let me call the directors over and we’ll watch the video again from the start.”

Soon, the project team leader and promotion team leader responded to Dohui’s summons.

They watched the video too and echoed Cheon Dohui’s thoughts.

“This looks like it could be made into something like what the members did for the horror game shorts. We can probably sift through the songs to find ones that weren’t meant for short-form editing…”

“Given the nature of the game or perhaps due to the video itself, it feels like almost any song would fit pretty well. Let’s just try whatever striking scenes we can capture, shall we?” said the team leader.

“Exactly. We’ll see when we make it.”

The three of them continued their discussion, almost like a brainstorming session, and soon enough, their expressions reflected satisfaction, like they had discovered some solid leads.

Project team leader Ra Seunghyeon even began to gently pat Majia on the head.

“Majia, you’ve brought us another fascinating plan! Nowadays, it’s always better if we can pull out scenes suited for short-form in live broadcasts.”

It felt rewarding to think that something emerging from her mind would benefit the company.

But since it was such professional jargon, Majia couldn’t fully grasp it, leaving her confused.

She felt like a kid embarrassed to receive praise from adults just for showing off a little.

“I, uh, didn’t intend any of this…”