I May Be a Virtual Youtuber, but I Still Go to Work-Chapter 85

4 PM, the Next Day.

Just as I finished getting ready for the year-end party, I got a call from Seung-yeon, who was relaxing at home.

[I'm so jealous!]

“Really?”

[Of course! It sounds like it's going to be so much fun. There'll be so many famous streamers there, plus the Bachuu KR VTubers will be attending... Ugh, I'm seriously jealous! You have to tell me all about it afterward, okay?!]

“Bachuu KR is... Never mind. Got it. I’ll tell you everything tomorrow and the day after. Year-end and New Year's are going to be hell for you, so just get some good rest.”

[Yes! Have a safe trip!]

For some reason, she seemed more excited about me going than I was.

But no matter how others saw it, for me, this was basically a business trip—just another work meeting.

I had to stay focused. A lot was riding on this.

Sliding my phone into my coat pocket, I stepped into the flats I had left by the entrance.

They were part of the outfit I had put together for today, but it was my first time wearing them.

Not wanting to risk any blisters, I had preemptively stuck some band-aids on my heels.

When it comes to work, you have to be fully prepared.

Beep.

The door locked behind me as I stepped out into the cold December air. The sharp winter wind cut through my legs.

The first snow would probably fall soon—nature’s way of announcing the true arrival of winter.

I let out a slow breath, watching the misty vapor drift away, then started walking toward the subway station.

Bzzzt. My phone vibrated in my pocket.

“Hello, boss.”

[Are you really coming separately? The others are dying to see you.]

“I’d rather not be trapped in a car and tortured. I’ll go on my own.”

The speakerphone must have been on, because chaos erupted on the other end.

[No, turn on video! I wanna see what you’re wearing!]

[Unnie, me too! Hurry up.]

[Calm down, everyone...]

[Holy parking seat... Let me sleep!]

“I’ll see you all later.”

I hung up immediately.

Even over the phone, they were terrifying.

After getting absolutely wrecked by those four during the Christmas party a few days ago, I had already hit my limit with the first-gen members.

And another round of verbal torture in a cramped car?

That would be hell.

***

One Hour Later, Somewhere in Gangnam.

The hotel lobby was packed.

The entrance queue to the banquet hall was ridiculously long, winding like a snake through the corridor.

It wasn’t getting any shorter either—just growing longer and clogging up the passageway.

Since I needed my boss to enter, I decided to wait in the lobby instead.

It might’ve seemed boring, but YouTube is always a reliable friend.

Besides, if I looked around, there was actually quite a lot to see.

First, familiar faces.

It was already surprising enough to see people I knew in a place like this.

But the fact that some of them were people I had recently played with on the server? Even weirder.

At a glance, I could already spot four—Movgun, Ronze, Lupko, and Kamik.

The fact that I only noticed the guys was probably because I rarely watched female cam streamers.

I only followed VTubers, and anything red pill got instantly erased from my memory.

Anyway, I watched them for a bit, just out of curiosity.

Second, beautiful women who naturally drew attention.

Everyone here had a strong sense of style, just like my boss. It made for an interesting sight.

Since I had gotten smaller, I didn’t feel as self-conscious looking around, so I openly stared.

My appearance was harmless enough that even when I made eye contact with someone, they just chuckled.

Right now, every person who met my gaze was giggling and sneaking glances my way.

...Seeing them smile so beautifully somehow put me in a good mood.

And that person over there—what an incredible cosplay.

Maybe I should casually ask for a picture later.

As I got lost in sightseeing, a thought hit me.

"I’m not uncomfortable like before."

How long had it been since I could just stand in a crowded place without caring about people’s eyes on me?

I used to instinctively search for a corner whenever I was in a crowd.

Maybe spending time with my boss and the members had toughened me up, because right now, I was standing pretty far from the walls.

Still, I wasn’t that far.

And let’s be real—if I hadn’t been hiding behind this cardboard cutout, things would’ve been very different.

If I had a camera on, broadcasting live...

Well, with 50,000 people watching the official stream, at least some of them would’ve recognized me and come running.

Of course, peace didn’t last long.

Lupko, who had been chatting and hovering around the entrance queue with the others, suddenly turned toward me.

If that had been the end of it, fine.

But then he started looking around, saying something, and the next thing I knew, Movgun and Ronze were also staring in my direction.

Only Kamik, who wasn’t that close to me, tilted his head in confusion.

Thankfully, they didn’t come over.

But we weren’t that far apart, so I clearly heard what Lupko muttered.

"Isn’t that Magia?"

To my surprise, Movgun actually saved me.

"Dude, you really don’t know VTubers, huh? No one makes their cutout look exactly like themselves."

"...Yeah, guess that makes sense?"

If I had reacted even slightly, I would’ve been caught on the spot.

Wait, was Eona actually right?

Was I really that easy to recognize?

Dora had said my cutout looked a lot like me.

And I had thought it resembled me too.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

But still... shouldn’t it be impossible to tell at first glance?

Especially since I wasn’t even wearing the cutout’s usual work outfit today.

This was making me uneasy.

I had to pretend I didn’t hear a thing.

The second I gave myself away, they’d swarm me.

Sure, once the members arrived, it’d all be over anyway.

But having them as a shield made a huge difference.

In a large, crowded space like this, I could use my allies as cover—dodging, escaping, and hiding.

Just like in Battle Colosseum.

Cover, shoot, run. Hide, then strike again.

After naturally drifting toward the corner and waiting for about 20 minutes, the entrance line had thinned considerably, and the area in front of the doors was starting to clear.

The four-person group that included Movgun had somehow expanded to ten, and they all entered the banquet hall as soon as the line quieted down.

Figuring it was about time for my boss to arrive, I pulled out my phone and started heading in that direction—only for someone to suddenly step in front of me.

Their gaze wasn’t angry, per se, but the sharp, upturned corners of their eyes made it clear they had a strong personality.

Distinct, well-defined features.

And violet-colored eyes—probably colored contacts.

If that had been all, I would’ve just thought, Oh, pretty person, and moved on.

But then I saw the earrings.

A round little character, with + and - symbols on its head like horns.

It was Plmadan, Eona’s fan mascot, dangling from a small hoop.

That’s when I realized.

They had recognized me first.

And since there was a pizza on the line, I decided to keep my mouth shut.

Eona spoke first.

"Found you. It is you, isn’t it?"

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“Who are you?”

"Wow, you’re really going to pretend you don’t know me?"

She leaned in, whispering in my ear.

"It’s you, Gia. Your voice is basically a fingerprint."

Congratulations.

Your prize is a pineapple pizza, and you have no right to refuse.

“...I’ll send you the gift card when I get home.”

"Oh wow. Thanks in advance."

*

Actually, Eona had already been inside the year-end party hall.

But while her peers and juniors were off socializing and making connections, she had been stepping out to the lobby every so often, standing near the entrance, scanning the crowd.

She had something important to do.

She needed to meet Magia.

[Team Leader Yeon Sung-mook: If you see Gia, bring her straight to the table.]

[Team Leader Yeon Sung-mook: I don’t have much time, so I just want to thank her before I leave.]

[Eona: Understood.]

Originally, she had just planned to personally thank Magia.

But then, out of nowhere, right before heading to the party, the operations team leader had contacted her.

Apparently, thanks to Magia’s mentions of Lapits in the Wicker server, Serena had gained a ton of traction, and the entire group had benefited from it.

The company wanted to express their gratitude.

So Eona had been keeping an eye out, waiting for Magia to arrive.

And then, she spotted someone.

Among the sea of people, there was one person noticeably smaller than the rest.

Just in case, she walked up and spoke to them.

And the deadpan, office-worker tone that came back?

That confirmed it.

It was definitely Magia.

"How much detail did Maru even give you?"

"Not much... She just said you looked exactly like your cutout."

Magia nodded in understanding.

Even she had to admit it—she did look like her cutout.

"Anyway, your eyes are really interesting. You kind of look foreign."

"It’s from my great-grandfather."

"Wait, your great-grandfather was a foreigner?"

"Yeah. My great-grandfather was American. But we’re Korean."

As they chatted, a man emerged from the banquet «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» hall, adjusting his tie and smoothing down his suit.

Eona gestured toward him.

"Sorry for the sudden request, but our operations team leader wanted to personally thank you while he had the chance. I just found out about it myself, so I couldn’t give you a heads-up earlier. Would it be alright if I introduced you now?"

“Oh. Of course. But... thanks?”

"It’s for what you did on the Wicker server. You helped us out."

“Ah.”

Magia found it a bit odd.

Had repeating Lapits' name really been that helpful?

Or was this actually a warning about her other Wicker activities—like tormenting Eona with Maou Castle’s cursed content?

Still, this was an industry meeting that normally wouldn’t happen so easily.

Following the PR team’s advice, she took out a business card.

As expected, the approaching team leader did the same.

A smooth, synchronized business card exchange.

[VIRDESS]

[Operations Team Leader, Yeon Sung-mook]

Lapits was under a general entertainment agency that also managed singers and celebrities.

It was a little different from Parallel, which was purely a VTuber company.

But seeing that Operations Team Leader title, and the thin-framed glasses...

It reminded her of Kang Ji-ho.

It felt oddly familiar.

Without thinking, Magia extended her hand, and Yeon Sung-mook instinctively shook it.

After the handshake, he turned to Eona.

"Eona, could you step away for a moment? I’d like to speak privately with Ms. Magia."

"Right now?"

"It’s an important discussion."

"Oh, uh... sure. I’ll just go get some fresh air."

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

As soon as Eona left, Sung-mook looked around.

Like someone checking for eavesdroppers.

"First of all, thank you for looking out for Serena on the Wicker server."

"Oh, don’t mention it. I just helped a little since she and Merisha were struggling."

"And also... for promoting Lapits while acting as the Demon King."

I wouldn’t call it promotion, but sure.

Though, now that she thought about it...

Why had Eona been asked to step away for this?

Was this where the real conversation started?

Had the Lapits potion actually been an attempt to get rid of her?

Was Maou Castle 4F’s blackmail-tier footage the real issue?

Just as Magia was about to ask, Sung-mook spoke first.

"We’ve been watching your activities on the server for a while now. And it’s clear to us that you have a natural talent for broadcasting."

“...Huh?”

"Your voice is pleasant to listen to. Your impressions are flawless."

“...Uh. Thanks?"

"So I have to ask—have you ever considered debuting as a VTuber?"

Magia blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Then asked in return.

“...Me?”