I May Be a Virtual Youtuber, but I Still Go to Work - Chapter 148

The next day was a leisurely Sunday without a care in the world.

Majia finished her meal with Lee Yura and returned home, relaxing and binge-watching broadcasts until the early hours of the morning before finally dropping into bed.

But her lazy sleep was abruptly interrupted by a call from none other than a VIP.

For VIPs, even the vibration mode blares with the ringtone.

It was none other than the 5th Anniversary Original Song by Momo, the kind of track that would j*rk anyone awake from a deep sleep.

“Ugh.”

Majia’s mind wasn’t exactly clear, but she was somewhat awake.

She slowly scrolled through her mental VIP list.

Cheon Dohui, the 1st generation, and her superior, Team Leader Kang, were all firmly on that VIP list. Recently, the 2nd generation and Nahyeon Gon had been added as well.

The most crucial VIP was Nahyeon Gon, but a Sunday noon call from Nahyeon Gon?

Probably not.

So Majia kept her eyes closed, swiped her phone screen and brought it to her ear.

“Yes… this is Majia…”

The voice on the line was that of a neat, middle-aged man.

[Looks like you were sleeping. Sorry for the disturbance. I’ll call you back later.]

Click. The call ended abruptly.

Majia, who had been keeping her eyes shut until the phone hung up, suddenly opened her eyes wide and jumped up to check the caller ID.

It was producer Nahyeon Gon.

“…Whoa, that was the producer.”

Majia dashed over to the fridge, grabbed a 500ml bottle of water, and downed it in one go, soaking her mouth and throat before calling Nahyeon Gon back.

“I’m sorry! I never thought you’d call on a Sunday. I got complacent!”

[No, I’m actually the one who should apologize for calling on a Sunday.]

That seemed kind of true.

And what was the deal with the Sunday calls anyway?

Did it mean something critical was afoot?

“It sounds urgent. Please, go ahead. I’m all ears.”

[Thanks for understanding. Let’s start with our existing project.]

Just as expected, the first task with Parallel and CAT was right on the table.

The latest song from the 1st generation popped up immediately.

[As for Finish Line, we’ve proven it well enough. We’ve been continuously observing the metrics and thought about pushing forward with our own idols, but we exceeded expectations without needing that. Conversely, our idols could promote the song through short-form content.]

“Thank you. You flatter me.”

[It’s not flattery. The views are proof of it. And this material is being transformed into convincing documentation for the board of directors.]

“So, you’re saying we can move ahead with the next song?”

[The green light is on. I’ll inform President Cheon tomorrow.]

“By any chance, could we finally have each member work on an original song…?”

Majia held her breath for a second, worried she’d been too hasty.

But what returned from Nahyeon Gon was beyond her expectations.

[To solidify our partnership with Parallel, how about we work on one song for each member? That’s a total of four songs at the same time.]

For most VTubers, churning out a string of original songs outside of their debut and anniversaries is a tall order.

It’s not just the money; finding a partner who can consistently create songs that vibe well with the members is a job in itself.

However, with CAT’s ability to whip up a hit and the experience of All Might Production with someone like Lee Yura, teaming up felt incredibly reliable.

Inside Majia, a grand firework display erupted.

We’re not talking about a tiny pop bought from a local shop; this was on the level of the Yeouido Fireworks Festival.

Bang bang bang…

[Wait, if we count Fan_C’s song too, it’ll be over six tracks.]

Majia did get a bit flustered when the last firework sent her flying along with it.

“My personal song? Wasn’t it supposed to be a collaboration with Lee Yura first?”

[That’s exactly what I was getting to.]

The topic that came next was tied to someone Majia had met just yesterday.

[A while ago, there was a delay in the schedule for the collaboration with Lee Yura, and I thought I’d reach out via the manager for a heads-up.]

“Right, I remember. You said you’d call me about the changed plan.”

[If everything had gone as originally planned, it would have reached you today. Since the collaboration is off, I wanted to discuss building recognition through a cover song and an original song for Jia instead.]

Majia tilted her head in confusion.

“Are you saying the plan has changed again…?”

[Yes. Things have shifted again in just one day. I can’t just scramble something together late and call it good. Fan_C is someone we want to ensure we nurture seriously.]

“Aha…”

[So, I called to briefly explain to Jia and ask if she could hold on just a bit longer while we prepare.]

A lot had happened with CAT in the past three months.

The initial plan to proceed after seeing the results from the 1st generation’s new song had hit a snag when the collaboration with Fan_C and Eula fell apart because Lee Yura dropped out.

Fortunately, CAT wasn’t a tiny company, so they kept looking for alternatives…

But there hadn’t been many Utaite that could create a similar buzz while also actively showing interest in a newcomer like Fan_C.

Fan_C had only one video uploaded to her personal YouTube, which wasn’t even her own upload but practically a link to the 1st generation’s song from Parallel.

With around 5,000 subscribers, she had recently surpassed 10,000 thanks to a collaboration with Natsuki Luna, but that was only half of the subscriber count from Parallel Behind’s earlier outreach.

That was a result of Majia intentionally remaining in the shadows.

Yet, despite being in such a situation that would have prompted any regular agency to give up, CAT managed to craft a backup plan.

Plan B.

A somewhat brash yet earnest long-term strategy that pushed Fan_C’s pure talent alongside CAT’s stature.

However, views and popularity are like flying a glider.

When thrown from a high place, it soars far and long; throw it from the ground, and it flops immediately.

In other words, with CAT’s weight, stacking up quickly to throw that glider wouldn’t be a problem.

But, putting together such a makeshift operation costs money.

We’re talking about promotional expenses.

They could have ramped up investments aggressively, but Fan_C’s project was quite radical, and if things didn’t pan out, the backlash could be substantial.

Thus, numerous discussions to minimize investment costs dragged on as they needed to iron the project out,

leading to Nahyeon Gon contacting Majia to say, “I’m sorry,” about the delays.

…And then, a miraculous thing happened.

The collaboration that had been indefinitely postponed with Lee Yura was suddenly locked down for September at her request.

Thanks to that, Nahyeon Gon could come up with Plan C in less than a day.

Although it was still a ground-level start featuring Majia’s solo and cover songs just like Plan B, the idea was to release the collaboration with Lee Yura afterward to try and reverse the chart standings of the previously released songs.

By simply calculating the expected costs to achieve the same results for Plans B and C, Plan C was overwhelmingly favorable.

For Nahyeon Gon, who had to prioritize profitability, he couldn’t help but be grateful to Majia for making Plan C possible.

“If I have to take a break from my Utaite activities, I’ll finish up my work with Fan_C first.”

The confirmation of Lee Yura’s schedule and the establishment of Plan C were, ultimately, thanks to Majia.

[However, getting this far is all thanks to you too, Jia.]

“Uh, uh?”

[It was significant to confirm that Lee Yura isn’t completely halting her activities.]

Majia was puzzled, but it was an extension of the promises she made with Lee Yura during their meal yesterday.

It was the butterfly effect sprung from Lee Yura reaching out to CAT to finalize her schedule.

For CAT, the halting of Fan_C’s project was problematic, but the uncertainty around Lee Yura’s situation posed a massive risk.

Especially with rumors swirling in the industry that perhaps Lee Yura would debut with the 4th generation of Bachu Bachu.

Though it was more of a baseless rumor without confirmation, the fact that Bachu Bachu had partnered with SB Entertainment, CAT’s eternal rival, brewed fears within All Might Production for three whole months, suggesting she might be preparing for a transfer.

With Lee Yura affirming she wasn’t completely stopping her activities, it must have felt like CAT could finally breathe again.

[So, now that we’re in a better spot, I’ll widen our investment into Fan_C. We can’t afford to let the expensive staff just sit around while Lee Yura is resting.]

“Oh! So I’ll be singing more than two songs…”

[Exactly. This is separate from the 1st generation of Parallel. We’re looking at at least two or more songs. There’s a chance we could push several tracks simultaneously.]

“Whoa… that’s quite the haul…”

[It’s scheduled, so it could change, of course, but you can think of it as stacking up songs till September, culminating in the piece with Lee Yura.]

“Got it. You’ll fill me in on the detailed plans later, right?”

[Of course.]

From Majia’s perspective, it was just curious digging into Luna’s plans, but she did stumble upon something beneficial.

But hey, good news is good news.

CAT’s proactive creation of individual original songs for the members.

That alone left Majia in no state to think about anything else.

She’d somehow ended up working more with CAT, but eventually, wouldn’t this help her fellow members in the long run?

All she had to focus on now was probably managing her schedule.

“Oh, but can you give me an idea of how much busier I’ll get?”

[First of all, after this MCN battle you’re in? We’ll have an in-depth chat afterward. When do you think this whole 2nd generation debut preparation wraps up?]

As it happened, Majia was gathering the 2nd generation, and this would be the final week for that.

After this, they would each set up their broadcasting environments and start the final countdown to their debut.

“Funny how the schedule ended up like this—the day of the MCN battle is the very day everything gets wrapped up.”

[You’re lucky. It’s not easy lining up such perfect timing, especially since you’re a busy person, Jia.]

It felt like a boat sailing smoothly with the wind at its back.

“I think it’s all because of you looking out for me so much, producer.”

[You know, if you’re too humble, it can become a vice, right?]

Majia couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I just do my best at whatever I take on.”

* * *

While Parallel and CAT were smoothly slicing through the waters,

One person who caused a huge fuss yesterday couldn’t shake off their worries.

Majia planned to let it slide, but she sure couldn’t just pretend nothing happened.

Considering Bachu Bachu emphasized from pre-debut that if issues arise, they should report it first rather than tiptoe around it,

it was only natural to clearly address this matter.

Of course, if she were a complete rookie, just calling the operations team might have made her cry alone.

But thankfully, given Lee Yura’s extensive Utaite experience, she had the luxury of consulting her solid backer before making a report.

[Oh, I see.]

It sounded cold with its brevity, but that was the usual demeanor of Taro outside broadcasts.

He poured all his energy into the broadcasts and kept a low profile in his downtime.

At this very moment, Lee Yura predicted he’d throw that single line out before getting lost in thought.

Taro from Bachu Bachu and SB, Lee Yura from CAT.

Though they had both spent lengthy periods as rivals, it’s true that the best recognize the best.

Since they had often collaborated and built personal friendships, Lee Yura’s prediction was nearly spot on.

…Until the next words came out, which took her completely by surprise.

[If Jia got caught, don’t worry about it. Just focus on the broadcast and the tournament prep.]

Startled, Lee Yura asked, “Huh? I don’t have to report this to the operations team…?”

Taro calmly murmured as if to ease her worries.

[Leave the aftermath to me.]