Chapter 44: If you exercise, you should sweat

“I’m… I’m really sorry… New-Neo Awesome Fall, ended up being late…”

In the middle of a studio with a forest backdrop covered with red and yellow leaves.

“No… I really tried to make it on time somehow… So I went to sleep right after the New Year’s collab stream ended… But it ended up like this… Haha, ha…”

Fall’s avatar walked forward, her hands politely gathered in front of her, shuffling forward.

Her drooping shoulders, listless pigtails, and glum expression looked quite pitiful.

Fall glanced at the broadcast screen with narrowly opened eyes.

-NewNeoAwesomeFall Down!!

-How can you break the New Year’s resolution on the very day you set it kkk

-No wonder all the other members were shouting not to be late

[MapleStoryTeller donated 10,000 won]

[A small amount, but I’m supporting the plaster cost in advance]

As expected, the chat window was going wild.

Fall swept her face with her palm with a heavy heart.

“I… I know it’s really ugly to say this, but can you give me one more chance? I was only 10 minutes late anyway…”

-Gal!!!!

-Ugly Kim Fall!!

-‘Only 10 minutes’ is right. Because it’s ‘Only 10 hours’ kkkkk

-Let’s go to the penalty content~

As expected, the public sentiment was unforgiving.

“Eish! I know! I know! I just asked once, just in case!”

The avatar’s cheeks blushed slightly pink.

This kind of detail is properly melted into the avatar that Jina made.

That’s why the avatar Jina made is one step above other high-quality avatars.

“Heuaaa~ If I knew it would be like this, I would have turned on the broadcast even 1 minute earlier…!”

Fall’s voice, which had been lamenting, stopped abruptly.

After a while, Fall seemed to have hardened her heart and raised her head.

“Anyway, a promise is a promise… I’ll prepare a 10-hour VR fitness broadcast within a week.”

As soon as she finished the short apology broadcast, Fall received Youngjun’s call and connected to VR Chat.

A desolate basic space with walls of gray all around and no windows.

This is the general manager’s ‘Truth Room’.

It’s a very famous place for Cosmo Live employees.

It’s the channel of terror where Youngjun drags in affiliated streamers for mental education when they make a big mistake or do something very wrong.

Regular customers of this room include the demon of comrade killing, Cherry, and the demon of obscene talk, Summer.

Of course, the demon of lateness, Fall, also comes to this room quite often.

The atmosphere in the Truth Room is unusually heavy.

Usually, Youngjun conducts 1-on-1 individual interviews, but today the president, Daon, was also present.

It’s not that this issue is a very serious problem or anything like that.

They just hadn’t turned on the broadcast yet, and they had just discovered a real꿀잼 content, that the manager was scolding the affiliated streamer.

So I just came to set the mood once.

What a thoughtless president.

“I… Hello, Manager-nim. And… Sacho.”

Of course, Fall, who had no way of knowing such circumstances, was unnecessarily more intimidated and bowed obediently.

The lively and cheerful chick was nowhere to be seen, and instead, there was one drooping truant here.

Youngjun stared at Fall for a moment, then quietly sighed and said in a businesslike tone.

“…Even so, how can you be late right away after half a day, Fall-nim.”

“I’m sorry…”

Fall scratched the avatar’s cheek slightly and bowed once again.

“It’s not an excuse, but… I really woke up early… I carefully prepared for the broadcast from 1 hour ago…”

“It’s obvious, what. You were definitely late because you were putting more fallen leaves in the studio, adding special effects, and preparing this and that.”

“…Wow. Manager-nim, did you install a surveillance camera in my room?”

“Have I only seen Fall-nim for a day or two?”

“Ahaha…”

At that time, the middle school girl avatar, who had been silently watching this situation with her arms slightly crossed in front of her chest, chuckled.

“Wow~ It’s a relief that you came in 10 minutes, what would have happened if you were 1 hour late?”

“…Wow. Sacho, it’s terrifying just to imagine it.”

10 hours? It’s still doable.

But 60 hours? That’s just telling me to quit broadcasting.

“Ahem! Whether it’s 10 minutes or 60 minutes, you broke a promise with the viewers.”

“Yes…”

“So when did you decide to do the penalty content? I think you said you’d do it within a week.”

“I’m going to do it after filling the full week period. I’m going to prepare properly once.”

Fall burned with determination, saying that she wanted to make it fun and meaningful for the viewers.

But Youngjun’s thoughts were different.

“Wouldn’t it be better to start even one day earlier? I think it’ll be unmanageable if you’re late again and the time accumulates more.”

He said that based on the premise that she would be late in the future.

Fall was not trusted at all.

“What’s wrong, Jjun~ Fall also wants to reflect and do it properly. Let’s push her this time~”

Fortunately, Daon still trusts Fall.

“Sacho…!”

It’s fortunate for Fall that Daon is in this place.

“Jjun, don’t you have anyone you can scout among exercise YouTubers? If possible, someone who’s good at grilling.”

…Is it really lucky?

“Well… I don’t think it’ll be possible within a week to scout people, plan content, and match schedules.”

“Well, that’s true too. Then Fall has to somehow make it work on her own… Ah! Why don’t you ask Jina-ssi once! How is it?!”

It’s Jinaemon again in the end.

“It looks like I’m going to be indebted to Jina-nim again…”

“What’s wrong~ It’s not like we’re using Jina-ssi for free. We take good care of her, right? Nyahahaha~”

Youngjun sighed, holding his forehead with his hand.

However, he did not object to Daon’s words.

Youngjun also knows that there is nothing as certain as asking Jina in the current situation.

Fall’s personal broadcast studio, a forest dyed with autumn leaves.

It was a virtual space that was surrounded by red and yellow leaves, as if it had moved the forest of a fairy tale autumn landscape as it is.

Amid the red and yellow leaves, a connection notification suddenly appeared.

“Ah, Jina Mama!”

Fall raised her head in delight.

Following that, Jina’s avatar in a gray suit appeared.

“Ugh…”

But this avatar couldn’t even lift its head properly and was holding its head, constantly retching.

Even the posture of throwing up was unnecessarily realistic.

“Are, are you okay?! Are you sick somewhere?”

“It’s not that I’m sick anywhere… It’s just that my hangover hasn’t been resolved yet.”

There was almost no vitality to be found in her drowsy voice.

“Cosmo Live sent me expensive liquor as a New Year’s gift… I was just going to taste it, so I was sipping it alone at night… And the Seasons collab stream was somehow fun, so… I drank a bit too much.”

Fall burst into laughter at Jina’s words.

“I knew it, Mama was donating so much unlike her self yesterday~ Oh! Surely you don’t remember anything from yesterday’s broadcast, do you?!”

“…I remember everything. That’s why it’s more of a problem.”

Jina groaned that she would have preferred it if the film had been cut and she couldn’t remember anything, saying that she was already regretting that she had been too outgoing.

Black history, properly made.

“Oh, I’ve heard about it roughly. You broke the New Year’s goal right away after half a day, right?”

“Ehehe… That’s right. So I was wondering if you could help me.”

Fall smiled awkwardly and twisted her hair with her finger.

“I want to have fun and do it well, since I’m doing it anyway.”

Jina pressed her temple with her fingertip.

“When are you thinking of doing the penalty content?”

“A week later!”

Fall answered, her eyes twinkling.

Jina was about to nod, but stopped again.

“It’ll be a bit difficult to add anything within a week, can you postpone it a bit?”

“That… I don’t think so.”

Not to mention that the public sentiment will go to hell if it’s delayed any longer, it’s already what I promised the viewers. I can’t change the schedule.

“I see… Then what can we prepare and show in a short time?”

Jina was lost in thought for a moment.

Usually, a plausible idea would come out quickly, but her head wasn’t working well, perhaps because it was soaked in alcohol.

“More than that… What do you want to show viewers in this penalty content, Fall-nim?”

“I don’t have anything else, I just want to show how hard I work, and that I’m sincerely trying.”

Fall’s eyes twinkled, saying that she didn’t care about breaking down.

“But with a virtual avatar, I don’t think my sincerity will be conveyed no matter how hard I do VR fitness…”

“Well, if you exercise, you have to pant a little and sweat a lot to make it taste better.”

“…Huh?!”

“…Hmm?”

Fall and Jina’s eyes widened at the same time.

The two are having the same thought right now.

“Sweating!! I think that’s a great thing! But is that really possible?!”

“I can’t reflect the actual sweat as it is, but I think it’s possible to naturally express the clothes getting wet depending on the intensity of the exercise and the passage of time.”

“Wow! Wow, wowwww!! That’ll be really fun!!”

Before she knew it, stars began to twinkle in Fall’s eyes.

The pigtails also fluttered excitedly.

The chick, completely revived.

“I’ll also decorate the studio background as a gym! I’ll put in this and that, so can Jina Mama just check it once at the end?!”

“Send me a sample with only the concept set before sending me the complete version. I’ll also prepare the clothes accordingly.”

“Yes! And, and… It would be nice if I could show myself operating the fitness machine, so change the machine to a dumbbell shape, and what else…?”

Watching Fall, who was pouring out all sorts of ideas with a bright face, Jina chuckled inwardly.

“Now you’re more like Fall-nim.”