I May Be a Virtual Youtuber, but I Still Go to Work-Chapter 123

Before the recording, both the first-generation members and Magia had already visited CAT headquarters for a preliminary lesson.

But when the actual recording day arrived, everyone was in a complete frenzy, nerves getting the best of them.

The recording studio itself held a peculiar significance.

It was like a stage without an audience—where everything they had practiced in the lesson room had to be performed at its peak, all while racing against time.

The time limit was due to the fixed number of recording studios available.

In the case of All Might Productions, which had taken charge of Parallel, it was one of the five mainstream labels with an office inside CAT headquarters. They had their own recording studio, but still—Parallel’s music production wasn’t exactly their main priority.

Since it was essentially an add-on to ongoing projects, time wasn’t exactly abundant.

Even so, they were in a much better position than other mid-to-small-sized labels under CAT, which had to strictly adhere to scheduled booking times for shared studios.

Once those slots ended, there were no exceptions—they had to leave immediately.

At least for Parallel, there was some flexibility to extend or adjust schedules based on upcoming plans or situational needs.

Regardless, for all the members, this was an experience they would never forget.

Maru, who was the most overwhelmed, said:

"I always dreamed about this when I was in the practical music department. I never thought I’d achieve it like this. It kind of feels like I’ve gone to heaven...? I’m nervous, but when I just start singing and glance around, it calms me down... whew."

Even Rain, who had traveled all the way to Korea with dreams of becoming an idol rapper after seeing Snowyn from CAT reach the Billboard charts, was too overwhelmed to speak English—something unthinkable for her usual loud personality.

"Shit. Wow. This is insane."

To the members, this was truly a dreamlike opportunity.

And so, Magia made absolutely sure to be fully prepared before her turn arrived.

That ridiculous dream they had all joked about since their debut—

The future where they would perform in a World Cup stadium in front of 100,000 people.

If she wanted to take even one step closer to that, there was no room for mistakes.

As mentioned before, her role was just a feature.

Like the sweet syrup drizzled on top of a perfectly scooped ice cream cone.

"Uh... hello?"

But what Magia hadn’t expected was for Chief Producer Na Hyun-gon to personally show up.

With Ena being busy preparing for the second-generation debut, today was practically a one-on-one meeting between Magia and Na Hyun-gon.

Team Leader Kang had come along, but the moment Na Hyun-gon arrived, she suddenly "remembered" something urgent and discreetly stepped out, realizing this was an important conversation.

"I heard you’d be visiting HQ today, so I came down for a bit. Since I was here, I also took the chance to catch up on some news—seems like you’ve been involved in quite a few interesting events these past two months."

Magia gave an awkward smile.

"It just kind of turned out that way."

"I’ve been keeping an eye on things. Even though I don’t know much about the VTuber scene, I have to say—your broadcasts have an incredible pull."

"T-That’s... quite the compliment...."

Magia shuddered at the praise, and Na Hyun-gon chuckled before cutting straight to the point.

"Anyway, I hope today’s recording goes smoothly as planned. To be honest, I came here a bit forcefully because I had something I wanted to ask you directly."

"Ah, sure. Go ahead."

"These days, rumors about your debut are everywhere. Granted, it's just a small corner of the internet, but your hardcore fanbase seems convinced that you're already confirmed as a second-generation member."

He actually looked into that?

Of course, he probably had someone else do it, but even so, it was unsettling how thorough his information gathering was.

It had been a noisy topic for sure, but still—it wasn’t exactly something a major label’s Chief Producer needed to be personally aware of.

"Well, since my daughter happens to be close to you, I end up hearing all sorts of things through her."

"Ah. That makes sense."

"But based on the reports I received, there aren’t that many people who actually believe the debut rumors. Sena, however, seems almost completely convinced, like your hardcore fans. I can’t help but wonder—does she have some kind of insider information she’s not sharing with me?"

Magia flinched involuntarily and lowered her gaze.

Now that she thought about it, Ena had seemed pretty convinced too.

Na Hyun-gon continued,

"So, what’s the truth? We’re partners in this music project, aren’t we? I’d appreciate it if you could give me a little hint."

For a moment, Magia nearly blurted out the truth.

But then she remembered Cheon Do-hee and quickly shut her mouth.

After taking a second to gather her thoughts, she finally replied,

"Would it be alright if I discussed this with my boss first before giving you an answer?"

Na Hyun-gon burst into laughter.

"Haha! Of course, of course. No rush. Take your time. I’m just really curious, that’s all."

At first, Magia had thought he was overly focused on something trivial.

But she soon realized that wasn’t the case.

"If this song does well, we need to figure out the next step. And whether or not you debut will affect how we shape our future plans."

"Sh-Should I ask about it now?"

"No, no. Like I said, take your time. Besides, you’re here to record today—we can’t have you wasting time on this."

Ultimately, since this was Cheon Do-hee’s decision to make, Magia could let it slide for now.

Still, from the way Na Hyun-gon spoke, it sounded like he was already factoring her into future projects.

Hearing that, she couldn’t just leave it alone.

She had assumed that depending on how this project went, there might be additional music work in the future—but ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) from his words, it felt like the entire plan had already been mapped out.

"Producer, may I ask a question?"

"Of course, go ahead."

"Does my debut status really have that much impact on CAT’s plans? If it’s an internal matter, you don’t have to answer. I’m just curious. It might even help me when I talk to my boss."

Na Hyun-gon stroked his chin and smiled.

"If you debut, then Fan_C, the utaite, ceases to have a reason to exist. There’s no need to split audience interest between two tracks, is there?"

"Ah."

"But if you don't debut as a VTuber, then I plan to continue pushing Fan_C as an utaite, starting with this song."

Since the topic had come up, Na Hyun-gon went on to explain how he intended to build up Fan_C as an utaite.

"I don’t intend to have you start from scratch. As you know, our country’s music industry is a brutal red ocean, far too cutthroat to expect slow, organic growth for a rising star. You need to either ride on the success of an established artist or carve out an equal presence to ensure strong public appeal."

Magia’s eyes sparkled as she nodded, and Na Hyun-gon continued.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"So if Fan_C’s activities become official, my first move will be to produce a collaborative song with Iyura from All Might Productions and you. Your vocal tones are completely different, so by amplifying each other’s strengths, the song will feel like a fencing match set to music. At the same time, we’ll launch a music channel on YouTube, where you’ll also upload a solo version..."

But from this point on, the discussion became so industry-specific that Magia couldn’t fully keep up.

Seeing her deep in thought—so different from the sharp gaze she usually carried—Na Hyun-gon realized his mistake and held back.

"My apologies. You’re not deeply familiar with this industry, but you grasp things so well that I got carried away."

"It’s fine. I didn’t understand everything, but it was really interesting. More than anything, I’m grateful that a recognized producer like you is sharing these insights. If there’s ever a chance, I’d love to learn more."

Na Hyun-gon already held Magia in high regard, but with each meeting and professional interaction, his evaluation of her only grew.

The willingness to actively learn about unfamiliar fields was the best work ethic for anyone in a growth phase.

Of course, Magia’s talents extended far beyond what would be expected from a typical employee.

Still, she seemed to prefer being acknowledged as one.

Na Hyun-gon smiled in satisfaction.

"Since you arrived early and we still have time before recording, shall we discuss this in more detail?"

"Sure."

***

The recording session went smoothly, and Magia managed to deliver her full 100% without even a hint of nervousness.

The vocal guide gave her a few requests along the way, but just like when she recorded the song for the illegal duet event, she quickly understood and adapted.

This even earned her the comment, "No wonder you're so good at voice mimicry."

She nearly responded, I just got good at copying things over time, but decided against it, not wanting to sound like she was fishing for compliments. Instead, she simply accepted the praise with gratitude.

But the real issue was Na Hyun-gon’s request.

When Magia relayed the news at work the next day, Cheon Do-hee’s jaw dropped.

"Debuting as an utaite and immediately doing a collab with Iyura...?"

"That’s what he said."

Two and a half months ago, the utaite EULa had 2.5 million subscribers.

She used a phonetic rendering of her real name to resemble an English word.

Previously, she had participated in the illegal duet content and won by an overwhelming margin.

She was, without question, a top-tier talent acknowledged by everyone.

Whenever a new video of hers was uploaded, the comment section would be flooded with more international comments than domestic ones, proving her global popularity.

Her growth had yet to slow down—she had recently surpassed 2.7 million subscribers.

Most notably, she had appeared as a guest at the concert of Japan’s most beloved utaite, further cementing her massive following.

A collab with someone like her?

And not in a complementary role, but a head-to-head rivalry, where they’d clash using their vocal strengths like weapons?

Even Cheon Do-hee hesitated at the thought of taking on someone like Iyura.

Not only would it take immense effort to match her level, but it was simply an intimidating challenge.

Still, backing down wasn’t an option.

This was a project personally proposed by Producer Na Hyun-gon.

"Anyway, it sounds like the producer already has a vision for this. I’ll set up a proper meeting and give him a clear answer.

For now, just focus on your own work."

"Got it."

Cheon Do-hee had a complicated feeling about all this.

Even within the company, Magia had always been drowning in work—

Yet somehow, even outside of it, opportunities kept piling up, dragging her into more projects.

Still, the fact that both she and Magia kept pulling in work like a well-oiled two-horse carriage was already an ideal setup.

Cheon Do-hee figured that her top priority should be managing Magia’s workload so she didn’t burn out.

"Speaking of which, how’s the preparation for next week’s training?

You’ve been busy—are you getting enough rest?"

Next Monday through Friday, the second-generation members would receive training from a very special instructor—Magia herself.

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It was the same curriculum that the first-generation members had gone through.

Magia would personally re-enact countless toxic behaviors she had observed over the years, replicating them in chat and donations to test the second-generation members.

For reference, during the first-gen training, Maru had cried from sheer frustration, and Rain nearly ended up in a physical altercation with Magia.

There was a good chance history would repeat itself with the second-gen members.

Every one of them had specific weaknesses that needed to be addressed, and Magia was looking forward to it.

Imagining the "fun" she’d have with them, she grinned with pure villainous delight.

"I’ve prepared the 2025 enhanced version of the toxic behavior template."