Chapter 13:  Ms. K

Kang Mirae, the Korean branch director of the Dimensional Broadcast Association—now affectionately dubbed “Ms. K”—suddenly joined our MCN as a Generation 1.5 member.

It was great to welcome her as a new VTuber, but her abrupt addition came with one glaring issue.

“Hmm… this really isn’t going to work…”

There was only one soundproof booth in my tiny studio apartment.

Which meant there was no way I could fit two VTubers into this cramped space.

Sure, we could split our stream schedules and get by for now, but that wouldn’t last forever.

What if we needed to do a collab stream together sometime down the road? 

By then, it’d be too late.

So, sooner rather than later, I had to either find a proper office or at least move into a bigger place.

“Sigh…”

The problem? 

I didn’t even have the money to move, let alone buy a second soundproof booth.

What happened to all the money from that massive channel with 12 million subscribers?

Obviously, I poured it all into building this VTuber MCN.

It used to be a pretty solid one-man business. 

When I first started out, the office was huge, and I even hired a decent number of staff.

The problem was… despite having everything ready, I couldn’t sign a single VTuber.

So for years, the company bled money with no income, and eventually my emergency funds hit rock bottom.

“But you’re still getting ad revenue, right?”

I haven’t uploaded anything in over a year. 

In other words, my monetization is completely dead.

Sure, I could start uploading again and get some revenue going, but without capital to restart, that’s easier said than done.

“What’s wrong?”

As I let out yet another sigh while staring at my pitiful bank balance, a cool voice broke through my brooding thoughts.

“Something troubling you?”

K, who had been sitting at the PC desk inside the booth prepping for her stream—yes, we’ve officially agreed to call her ‘Ms. K’—glanced my way with a calm, questioning gaze.

“Well, you see… now that we’ve got two affiliated VTubers, I figured it’s time to move or something…”

“…And?”

“I just don’t have the money right now.”

“…Haaah.”

After listening to me in silence, she suddenly let out a heavy sigh and pulled out her phone.

“What’s your account number?”

“Eh? Uh… here. But why are you asking?”

She scanned the screen of my banking app briefly, then began tapping on her own phone.

“Huh?”

Moments later, my phone buzzed. 

A deposit notification. It was exactly the kind of security deposit I needed for a bigger place. 

I blinked at the screen in disbelief.

“You’re… lending me this?”

“…No. It’s a gift. There’s no other choice, is there?”

“But… that’s a lot of money…”

“It’s just enough to cover the deposit. Get a place first. From here on out, cover the rent using revenue from future streams.”

Wow. 

So this is what having a secret organization’s branch director on your team gets you?

Come to think of it, she did mention she’s been managing VTubers for seven years. 

That’s… kind of impressive.

[Current balance: 12,500 won]

“…Ah.”

I had been sneaking peeks at K’s face, but my eyes accidentally caught a glimpse of her phone screen—her own bank balance. 

The sigh escaped me before I could stop it.

“……”

K, thankfully oblivious, slipped her phone back into her pocket with her usual stoic expression.

Tremble tremble…

But her hand was shaking. It had been trembling for a while now.

Her face looked a bit pale too. 

Seeing her like this sparked an unexpected twinge of guilt.

So the Dimensional Broadcast Association… might’ve been a black company after all.

Wait, don’t tell me… the money she just sent me… was her entire life savings?

“…Heh.”

“Why are you laughing?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Honestly, I was going to ask her for money to buy another soundproof booth and some gear too, but… seeing her like this? No way.

I’ll figure that part out on my own.

‘Still… I was worried she might half-ass the whole thing, but…’

While I could sense some hidden talent in K’s behavior and demeanor, there was still a part of me that felt unsure.

After all, she openly disliked the VTuber industry. 

If you think about it, she was practically an industrial spy.

I had been worried she might sabotage things. 

But after seeing her bank balance just now, I’m not too concerned anymore.

It’s always the serious ones who fall the hardest into VTuber degeneracy.

I’m really starting to look forward to what kind of streamer she’ll become.

***

“…Hello. I’m Ms. K. Nice to meet you all.”

“Good. Keep that tone once we go live.”

“Haaah… Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?”

Just moments before the stream began, Kang Mirae let out a sigh heavy enough to crush the earth as she sat in the booth next to me, practicing one last time.

“I mean, I am pretty good at editing. I’ve managed VTubers before, I’ve even made a few clips. I’m good at everything—except being a VTuber.”

“……”

“You really shouldn’t waste premium talent like me.”

K—no, Kang Mirae—pleaded as she let out a deep sigh. 

But Haru simply smiled at her, then immediately shook his head with no mercy.

“If you can draw better than I can, I’ll consider it.”

“……”

“Alright, time to go live.”

“W-wait, hold on—!”

Before she could even finish processing what was happening, the debut stream had already begun—triggered without warning by Haru.

“Ah, mm. Uhm…”

As the standby screen transitioned into the livestream feed, the sub-monitor on the side lit up with a flood of rapidly moving chat messages. 

Kang Mirae—now officially VTuber “K”—began to sweat nervously as she watched the chaos unfold.

“Uh, okay. So, um…”

With a stiff voice, she finally managed to utter the lines she had rehearsed in advance.

“…Hello. I’m K. Nice to meet you all.”

– Holy crap, a black-haired short bob with slit-eyes??

– She’s wearing a suit but the outline is kinda scandalous…

– Agent noona, my junior’s been compromised by foreign broadcasts. Help me fix him…

“Ugh.”

The moment she spotted the incoming wave of unhinged chat messages, her face twisted in visible disgust.

– Yo what’s with the dominatrix face right from the start lmao

– There’s literal shadows under her eyes.

– So spiteful looking lololol

“Sorry. I saw something… disturbing.”

Still, with the hardened experience of someone who’s wrangled VTubers for years, K managed to reset her expression and keep her composure.

“Yes, well. Since this is a debut stream… I’ll be taking your questions, I suppose.”

– How old are you?

– Age is crucial intel lol

– Personally I prefer young and bouncy VTubers like Shia…

“My age? That’s classified.”

– Then how about your weight?

– If that’s secret too, at least tell us the first digit, noona~

“My weight? That is also classified. Honestly, why are you asking about such things in the first place?”

Her voice rose slightly in protest. 

Despite her best efforts to remain composed, her frustration was starting to slip through.

“I would’ve thought you’d be more curious about things like my objectives, or where I’m from…”

– Do you have a boyfriend?

– Do you watch O-fan-mu?

– What kind of guys are your type?

– What’s your opinion on guys who watch VTubers?

“Hah, for f—…”

– Oh no, the mask is slipping!

– Already?! LMAO

– I swear I felt it during that last sigh…

She reached her breaking point. 

K stared at the monitor with a face of sheer annoyance, but once again, forced herself to power through and deliver the next line from the script.

“Any and all information regarding my identity is strictly confidential. I also advise against prying too deeply. Consider that a friendly warning… for your own good.”

– Gasp

– She’s threatening us with a ban, got it lol

– Okay okay, guess we pushed too far

– So what’s next?

Finally, the chat began to settle down. 

K took a moment to mute her mic, buried her face in her hand, and sighed deeply before turning to glare at Haru sitting beside her.

Seriously… what do people find fun about this?

She began to grumble internally.

…Well, whatever. I’m only doing this because of the contract. 

As long as I half-ass it, no one can complain.

Still, she collected herself once more, letting out a quiet breath as she regained her focus.

I have my own mission. My own reasons for doing this…

No matter how much her body or mind might be pushed to the brink, she refused to let her beliefs waver.

***

About an hour later.

[₩300,000 Donation: O-fan-mu?]

“……”

K blinked, staring blankly at the 125th donation message scrolling across the screen.

Her head slowly lowered, and she responded with a voice barely louder than a whisper.

“…Black.”

It was becoming abundantly clear: her ideals and sense of purpose were no match for the overwhelming flood of money pouring in live before her eyes.