I Became a Member of My Favorite Group! - Chapter 67

After the news of the collaboration with Verdia was announced, I spent every spare moment holding meetings with Yuna, either through Discord or in person.

Since this was our first external collaboration, I thought it would be nice to arrange something special for the content. Today was no exception.

Since my new place and Yuna’s place aren’t too far apart, we met at a café halfway between our homes, sipping on frappuccinos while discussing ideas.

Various suggestions came up, like playing popular collaboration games, introducing each other’s groups, or sharing cultural aspects of our respective countries. Whenever we came up with an idea that felt like “This is it!”, we immediately reached out to Verdia for her input. Despite her busy schedule, Verdia always replied quickly, even suggesting we hold a three-way meeting on Discord.

Originally, I thought we’d need to consult with the company, but thankfully, Verdia had full authority over any decisions, so it wasn’t an issue. It made me realize once again how powerful a VTuber with over 1 million subscribers can be.

“If we ever get something like mocap, we’ll be able to do even more content, right?” Yuna said, her expression a mix of excitement and disappointment as we reviewed a few ideas that were rejected due to practical limitations.

Mocap, short for motion capture, is a technology widely used in games, animation, and even the VTuber industry. Essentially, it captures human movements and transfers them to a digital model. While the facial tracking we use for our avatars is a form of mocap, what Yuna was referring to was the full-body, high-end motion capture equipment.

“Yeah, that’s true. Technologies like Unity and Unreal Engine have been improving a lot lately…” I replied.

“Hehe, I’m excited. Da-jeong, what would you want to do first if we got mocap?”

“Me? Hmm…”

I hadn’t really thought about it, but if I had to choose, it wouldn’t be for me—it would be for the members. Listing everything I’d want them to do would take forever, so I hesitated to speak up.

Honestly, even if we didn’t get mocap, just having full tracking would be enough. There’s so much content we could create with that. The price difference between the two is astronomical, so I’ve never even considered trying mocap.

“I want to see Da-jeong splashing around like a real axolotl! With water splashing everywhere! Wouldn’t that be super cute?”

“W-would that even be possible?”

I was caught off guard by Yuna’s sudden suggestion. Of course, if we used mocap with my avatar we could probably simulate playing in water, but I’m not sure about the water splashing effects. With how advanced technology is these days though, it might be possible.

“Then I want to see Yuna making a snowman in a snowy field!”

“Oh, that sounds fun! But can we roll snowballs like this?”

“If splashing water is possible, then that should be too, right?”

I made a rolling motion like a dung beetle, clenching my fist confidently as Yuna tilted her head in confusion. Well, I’m just throwing out ideas. If it works, great; if not, no big deal.

By the way, imagining Yukiko-chan happily making a snowman is so cute it’s almost unfair. If I saw that live, I might just die.

“Hehe, it’d be great to use it for a group concert too, right?”

“A-a concert?”

“Yeah! A group concert. Not individual ones, but all of us on one stage together. How about it? Doesn’t that sound amazing?”

“Ah… y-yeah. It does.”

My heart shrank and then swelled at the mention of a group concert. Back when I was just an ordinary fan, the last thing I fell asleep dreaming about was a Blue LUV group concert. Even though I never got to see that before coming to the past, I think I’d be incredibly happy if I ever got to see it. The four of them on stage, dressed in stunning outfits, dancing and singing their hearts out.

“I really want to see it. It’d be the moment Blue LUV shines the brightest.”

My genuine feelings slipped out, and Yuna, who was sipping her coffee across from me, burst out laughing.

“Pfft! ‘Want to see it’? That’s something a fan would say. Da-jeong, you should say, ‘I want to do it.’”

“Huh?”

…Oh, right.

Of course, in the group concert I dreamed of, I wasn’t on stage. I naturally thought of the four of them.

“R-right. Hehe… I must’ve misspoken.”

“It happens. Oh, by the way, Verdia just replied…!”

“Already? Let me see!”

I quickly changed the subject, and the conversation flowed as if nothing had happened. We started organizing the collaboration content based on Verdia’s feedback. Maybe because it’s a collab with her favorite, Yuna seemed more excited than usual, radiating energy.

Yeah.

I’ll work even harder for Yuna.

This must be the moment she’s been dreaming of more than anything.

＊＊＊＊＊

These days, after streaming, I usually have meetings with the staff. In the morning, it’s meetings with Yuna, and in the early hours, it’s meetings with the staff. My daily life feels like it’s painted with meetings.

『Then should we slow down on this video and upload the one from the recent live chat first?』

“Yes, that sounds good.”

『Got it. If we start working on it now, we should be able to send it for approval by tomorrow morning at the latest.』

“Hehe, thank you.”

I nodded at the reliable words of Neoul, our first YouTube channel editor. They really are amazing when it comes to work speed. Neoul once joked, “With how much you’re paying us, we have to work like dogs,” but honestly, I don’t think I’m paying them that much. I just pay them fairly for their work, and I’m always grateful for their enthusiasm.

『Boss! Any employee benefits tonight?』

“Huh? Employee benefits? Do we have those…?”

In the middle of our usual meeting, Hayang, our mood maker and thumbnail designer, spoke up. But this was the first I’d heard of it, so I was completely baffled. Do we have employee benefits? I was planning to give out incentives for the Lunar New Year, but that’s not for a while.

『League, League! The stream’s over, so how about a game?』

“Oh, League? Sure. But why is that an employee benefit?”

Sometimes, after meetings, we have a bit of free time, so we’d form a 5-man League team and play together. But why that counts as an employee benefit was beyond me.

Hayang replied without hesitation in her usual high-energy tone.

『Well, playing games with your favorite is the best benefit, of course!』

『Ugh, right! I was honestly a bit sad you hadn’t been asking us to play League lately.』

“Ehh…?!”

W-was that it?

I had stopped suggesting it because I felt like I was bothering the staff by asking them to play with me.

“I-I don’t mind. But don’t you have a lot of work to do? Is it really okay to play games…?”

I agreed to the League session, but I was also a bit worried and cautiously voiced my concerns.

It’s not that I thought the staff would neglect their work because of the game. It’s just that if we played a few games now, it’d be the crack of dawn by the time we finished. If they started working then, wouldn’t they be too tired tomorrow?

『After playing with Lulu, our work speed doubles, so it’s fine!』

『Please play one game with us to cheer us up!』

『I, I know it’s shameless, but maybe two games…?』

Honestly, I don’t fully understand, but I guess it’s similar to how I feel when editing videos for the Blue LUV channel. When you’re doing something really fun, or after you’ve done it, your energy levels just skyrocket.

Yeah.

If that’s the case, I can play games with them anytime.

Let’s go staff!

『Um, but Boss…』

“Yes! Seong, did you call me?”

I was about to open the League client and log in when…

Among the staff, Seong who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. She’s the illustrator who helps with our YouTube thumbnails.

『Aren’t you sleeping too little lately? We’re fine, so maybe you should just go to bed early today…』

『Huh? Lulu, haven’t you been sleeping much lately?』

“Ah, no. I’m not lacking sleep.”

I felt a little guilty at Seong’s sincere concern and Neoul’s question, but I shook my head vigorously and tried to log in. However, Seong continued.

『But Boss, yesterday you were on Discord until 5 a.m…. When I checked in the afternoon, you sent a confirmation message around 7 a.m., right?』

“Y-yes…?”

I was caught off guard by Seong’s interrogation, complete with evidence. Now that I think about it, I did go to bed late yesterday and woke up early. There was a lot to check, and since Verdia and I are in different time zones, that was the best time to communicate….

『Huh? Now that you mention it, I saw you on Discord until 6 a.m. the day before yesterday. The green light was definitely on.』

『The day before yesterday? That doesn’t make sense. I finished work at 7 a.m. that day, sent the video, and fell asleep. When I woke up at 2 p.m., I had a reply before 9 a.m.』

“Uh, um… Let’s all calm down and just play League….”

As the testimonies kept coming, I tried to change the subject, but….

『…Boss?』

『What’s going on here? Lulu?』

『Lulu, answer.』

『Did you barely sleep for two days?』

“W-well….”

I couldn’t bring myself to admit that it had been the same pattern for almost a week. I fidgeted with my hands, trying to come up with an excuse.

『And you were planning to play League with us today?! You’re going to collapse for real!』

『Forget League, just go to bed!』

『If you stay up late on Discord again tonight, I’m telling CEO Kang!』

“Eeek…! S-sorry! I’ll turn it off right away…!”

Under the barrage of scolding from the staff, I turned off the League client and begged for forgiveness. Sigh, even though I’m the boss, they’re so harsh. Is there no hierarchy here!?

“W-well, I’ll head out first… Please just finish the tasks I asked for today.”

『Yes.』

『Sleep well, Lulu.』

『See you tomorrow!』

『Good night, Boss.』

It seemed like it was time to retreat, so I obediently ended the call and left the Discord channel. Hehe, but if they think I’ve completely run away, they’re mistaken. There were so many fun clips from our Blue LUV streams today. I’ll at least do a bit of work before sleeping.

Click-

With a sly smile, I clicked on my profile and changed my status from online to offline. The green light disappeared, leaving only a hollow gray light. Only then did I relax my hands and place them back on the keyboard.

Hehe.

Today, I’ll work just until 5 a.m., no more, no less. Then I’ll wake up at 7 a.m. and send a message to Verdia. Two hours should be enough, right? Yeah!