Chapter 61: Hakkobagi (2)

“Hmph…”

A deep sigh cut through the silence of the penthouse.

I was buried in the sofa, staring blankly at the tablet screen.

On the screen was the Zelnaga Entertainment official email inbox, where new emails and video links were constantly piling up.

[The 1st Starlight Dream Stage] application mailbox.

It was the screen Jungyeon had shared with me, sounding like she was dying.

Just one day after posting the notice, the applications had already easily surpassed 300.

‘…I didn’t expect it to be this much.’

The response was much hotter than expected.

Well, considering we offered a motion capture studio and a recording studio voucher.

For the bottom-tier streamers, it must have been a life-changing opportunity.

[Rinne]: CEO ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I think I’m really going to die ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ When am I going to watch all of these? ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

[Rinne]: Even if I allocate an average of 5 minutes per video, that’s 1500 minutes! 25 hours!! It would take a whole day even if I watched without sleeping!! And more are still coming in!

[Rinne]: Please help me.. I absolutely can’t do this alone..

[Rinne]: I want to stream too.. But I can’t.. I have to sort through applications..

[Rinne]: Ah, I want to play games.. Isn’t anyone going to help me..

[Rinne]: I quit. As of today, Rinne is retiring from streaming.

[Rinne]: Ah, I said help me!

[Rinne]: Am I really going on strike???? Am I really going to turn delinquent???

[Rinne]: No, CEO, please save me ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Messages from Jungyeon appeared at the top of the tablet.

It felt like I could hear her screams all the way here.

‘I told her to handle it herself.’

Of course, I had no intention of helping whatsoever.

Why should I have to watch all those boring videos one by one?

However, leaving it as is seemed like it would slow down progress too much.

To create the ‘best’ stage by my standards, the participant selection had to be thorough from the start.

Finding the real ‘gems’ among those many videos.

It wouldn’t be easy for Jungyeon alone, no, even with Ajung and Yoon Sol joining in.

‘Hmm.’

It wasn’t that there was no way.

Because I have an ability that others don’t possess.

I focused my eyes on the tablet screen.

Countless thumbnails and titles.

The applicants looked like distant stars spread across the night sky.

I clicked and played the videos one by one.

Their actual appearance beyond the screen.

The true colors they possessed.

‘Let’s see.’

I began to quickly scroll through the applicants on the screen.

The flashiness of the avatar or video editing skills weren’t important.

What I was seeing was the essence beyond that.

The sincerity in their voice, the desperation in their eyes.

It’s hard to explain, but perhaps because I’ve seen the real selves behind so many other VTubers, I just know when I see it.

‘Ah, this one has something.’

That kind of feeling.

Some had ordinary voices, but their eyes were alive.

Some were unskilled at singing, but their expressions were rich.

And some had crude avatars, but their atmosphere was unique.

Of course, most were just ordinary applicants.

Singing skills you could find anywhere, avatars without personality, a mediocre atmosphere.

I boldly skipped those videos.

Because time is precious to everyone.

As if flipping through a shopping catalog, I scanned the applicants at high speed.

By my arbitrary and extremely subjective standards.

‘Oh, this one is pretty good.’

When a noticeable applicant appeared, I paused for a moment and looked more closely.

In what environment they streamed, what expressions they made. I gauged the extent of the ‘potential’ they possessed.

Tens, hundreds of applicants.

Among them, there weren’t as many who caught my eye as I thought.

How much time had passed? When I opened my eyes, I felt a slight dizziness.

It was due to overusing my ability.

I drank a glass of water and picked up the tablet again.

And I sent a message to Jungyeon.

[Me]: Check this out.

[Me]: (Video link list sent)

[Me]: Start with these guys for now. They have a good vibe around them.

[Me]: It’d be good to double-check them.

A moment later, a reply came from Jungyeon.

[Rinne]: ??? Is this all???

[Rinne]: CEO, this is only about twenty people? That’s it, out of over 300 videos???

[Me]: You’ll know when you see them. For now, narrow it down from these. My intuition has never been wrong. If you’re unsure, Jungyeon-ssi, you can check more.

[Rinne]: No, what criteria did you use to pick them!!! At least give me an explanation!!!

[Me]: You just know when you see it. I’m right. If you disagree, you’re ugly.

[Rinne]: Argh, seriously!!!

I could feel Jungyeon’s anger even through the screen, but it wasn’t my concern.

I had done my part.

My job was now over. The rest was up to Jungyeon.

Whether she trusted my eye and narrowed down the final candidates from those twenty, or checked all the rest one by one.

Which of my ‘picks’ would survive, I wondered.

I leaned back on the sofa again and closed my eyes.

I needed to rest for a bit. Focusing my eyes continuously had made me incredibly tired.

The individuals shortlisted from countless applicants.

Who among them would truly show a light worthy of the name ‘Starlight Dream Stage’?

Hoping they would prove my eye wasn’t wrong, I quietly waited for the upcoming main event.

---

A few days later.

Zelnaga Entertainment meeting room.

“…Yes, CEO. So, all of us really put our heads together and deliberated.”

Jungyeon, with an utterly exhausted expression, yet somehow looking relieved, faced me.

Beside her sat Ajung and Yoon Sol, also with dark circles reaching down to their chins.

For the past few days, the three of them seemed to have pulled all-nighters comparing and analyzing the list of twenty names I’d given them and the videos of numerous other applicants.

“The people you picked, CEO, they definitely had something. How should I put it, they’re memorable at first glance?”

Ajung spoke first.

She seemed quite fond of some of the applicants with unique concepts.

“However, if you look only at singing skills, there were some who were a bit lacking, and conversely, there were many who weren’t on your list, CEO, but were surprisingly good.”

Yoon Sol added calmly.

She, as expected, seemed to prioritize vocal talent and emotional delivery.

“So, the three of us debated fiercely, and voted… and through that, we’ve selected the ten final contestants for the main event!”

Jungyeon declared solemnly, displaying the final list on the monitor in front of me.

Ten profile pictures, names, and brief introductions filled the screen.

About half of the applicants I had marked as ‘having a good feel’ were included.

And the other half were new faces discovered by the members.

Fortunately, ‘Riley’, who sang punk rock and whom I had a good impression of, and a VTuber named ‘Veil’ with a half-mask concept, were also included.

“Ten people? Not five?”

I asked, surprised.

“Yes. We just couldn’t narrow it down to five. They were all too charming and desperate…. And we thought, since we’re setting up this stage anyway, it would be better to give more people a chance, and make it feel more like a festival than an evaluation.”

Jungyeon’s words were sincere.

Well, with about ten people, there would be more to see.

“And we’d like to change the judging method a bit.”

Jungyeon continued cautiously.

“Instead of us scoring them and ranking them, how about we produce each participant’s stage at the highest quality, release it, and then let the viewers who watch the stages decide the final winner by voting?”

‘Viewer voting?’

“We’ll just be on the side, offering impressions or support for each stage. We want to make it more like a festival everyone can enjoy together, rather than a competition.”

It was a pretty good idea.

It would reduce the members’ burden and increase fan participation.

Above all, highlighting the joy of a ‘festival’ instead of the ruthlessness of ‘competition’ would be better for our image.

“Good. Let’s do that.”

I nodded readily.

“But the condition is the same. The stage, make it absolutely top-notch. Stage direction tailored to each participant’s concept, sound, lighting, camera work—everything must be perfect, without any mistakes. For 2D avatar participants, modify their avatars to 3D as quickly as possible and don’t neglect their stage production either.”

I added with emphasis.

“For the stages, we can quickly modify the ones we started building from the initial planning phase to fit the ten finalists! We’ll also modify the avatars quickly to match the stages!”

Jungyeon replied confidently, as if she had been waiting for this.

“You told the participants we’d be creating their stages, right?”

“Yes! As mentioned in the announcement, they all know. They were extremely happy when we contacted them! One person even cried, saying they’d never have such an opportunity in their lifetime.”

It’s understandable. It would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“Alright. Then when is the live broadcast for the main event scheduled?”

“Considering the participants’ final rehearsals and technical checks, next Friday at 8 PM seems best. We’ll show the ten participants’ stages in order, and when all stages are over, we’ll have viewer voting for 30 minutes, followed immediately by the results announcement and award ceremony.”

Live broadcast, same-day voting, same-day results announcement. It was neat.

“Understood. Proceed that way. Request any necessary support through Representative Yoon. Oh, right. You know you need to get confidentiality agreements from them before the performance, right?”

“Yes! I won’t forget!”

I absolutely cannot tolerate strangers blabbing to someone else about what they’ve seen here.

If such a person exists, I will make them understand the scariness of reality.

I stood up from my seat with a satisfied expression.

It seemed there was really nothing left for me to be involved in.

“I’ll be looking forward to the live broadcast of the main event.”

Leaving the meeting room, I once again had an interesting thought.

The individuals I picked and the individuals the members picked.

Ten bottom-tier VTubers with diverse colors.

What kind of synergy would they show when they meet Zelnaga Entertainment’s technology?

It was content started because Jungyeon wanted to do it, but I too had become genuinely curious.