Chapter 66: Utaite Scarlett Debuts, Part 5

50,000 views is quite significant on YouTube. South Korea has a population of 50 million.

50,000 views meant that one in every 1,000 Koreans had listened to Hong Seo-hyun’s, Scarlet’s, song.

Of course, this 50,000 included multiple views from the same users, but…

“This is a great start, don’t you think?”

“R-Right?”

Having 1,000 subscribers changed things.

1,000 subscribers is one of YouTube’s monetization requirements.

Due to copyright issues inherent to Utaite activities, simply uploading covers wouldn’t generate significant revenue, but…

Being able to earn even a little was completely different from not being able to earn at all.

Moreover, the Scarlet channel still had the algorithm’s favor.

Algorithms are like waves.

A massive wave is often followed by smaller ripples.

And by riding these smaller waves, one naturally grows.

So, Hayoon had one clear task with Hong Seo-hyun.

Ride the wave.

Maintain the momentum the Scarlet channel had gained.

And the most effective way to ride this momentum…

“We need to increase the video upload frequency.”

Increasing the upload frequency itself.

“More than this?”

Hong Seo-hyun was naturally taken aback.

She had been editing and uploading a video every five days for the past two weeks.

Increasing the tempo further felt burdensome.

“Well, to be precise, let’s maintain this tempo. The original plan was one upload per week, right? We’ll change it to one upload every five days. At least for a month or two.”

“Th-that long? I’m okay with it, but….”

“Are you sure your wrist will be okay?”

The real problem here wasn’t Hong Seo-hyun, but Hayoon.

Even Choi Arin was concerned.

For Hayoon to produce illustrations at the current pace every five days was…

Unrealistic.

“Well, I’ll have to downgrade the quality a bit.”

Even Hayoon had her limits.

Maintaining top-quality illustrations every five days would lead to burnout.

Although work on Cosplay Holic had stopped, Hayoon still had a backlog of Patreon commissions.

In that case…

“Two months.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll do this for just two months. You think my wrist will be okay with that, right?”

“W-Well, I guess…?”

“Two months is mid-September. Around then, we’ll start building hype for the debut on Bluebird for two weeks, and then when we debut, we’ll change the upload cycle to seven days.”

“Well, that shouldn’t strain your wrist too much…”

Choi Arin felt a little dejected when Hayoon countered her concern.

She was trying to act like a good older sister, but it wasn’t easy.

“Please prepare a list of songs you’ll record and upload every five days for the next two months. I need to know what the songs are to decide on the concepts and draw the illustrations.”

“I-I’ll get it done as soon as possible. Two months is 60 days, so, I need to pick 12 songs, right?”

“11 songs. You’ve already recorded the song for five days from now, right?”

“Oh, r-right, right. That’s true.”

Next was Hong Seo-hyun.

Hayoon presented a concrete plan, and Hong Seo-hyun nodded in agreement.

Hong Seo-hyun was starting to understand how the Game Release Club operated.

“And, you don’t necessarily have to make PVs, so don’t worry too much about it.”

“R-Really?”

“Yes, it’s not cost-effective to upload PVs at this point anyway…. Oh, the opening song we commissioned will be here by the end of August, so please just focus on that.”

“End of August…. Okay, I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll have to take good care of my throat.”

“Yes, now that you’re debuting as a streamer, your throat is your asset, so you have to protect it.”

That’s how meticulous Hayoon was in planning everyone’s schedules.

Hong Seo-hyun initially offered to make PVs, but now that she was debuting as Utaite Scarlet and then Vtuber Scarlet, PVs didn’t matter as much.

“You’ll be our Game Release Club’s cash cow from now on. Seeing how you gained 1,000 subscribers in just 15 days after your Utaite debut, it seems like you’re pretty lucky…. Let’s take good care of ourselves and aim for a long run.”

“Like I would miss this chance to make money singing..!”

Hayoon was adept at planning and execution.

Without needing complex calculations, she formulated plans and offered appropriate advice at the right time.

With a leader like this, was there a need to rack her brains?

Thinking only made her hungry, tired, and craving sugar.

‘Ah, this is so comfortable.’

It was better to just do what Hayoon told her to do without thinking too much.

This was the typical grasshopper mindset she had adopted.

Of course, despite her grasshopper mindset, Hong Seo-hyun hadn’t disrupted Hayoon’s plans so far.

It was a perfect match that Hayoon’s personality was to take charge of most things herself.

A diligent leader who micromanaged even simple tasks and a member who only did what she was told, but executed those tasks flawlessly.

This cycle rarely led to dissatisfaction, making it a desirable and sustainable structure.

“Oh, right, right. Want to see the comments?”

“Comments? Did a lot of them come in?”

“Of course! Look at this.”

Our grasshopper, Hong Seo-hyun, proudly showed off her phone with the comments section open, handing it to Hayoon with a smug look.

A life where she could satisfy her need for validation without having to bother with tedious planning.

It was pure, responsibility-free pleasure.

“Hmm….”

Hayoon slowly scrolled through the comments.

 

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[COMMENTS]

-Wow, her voice is amazing.

-I don’t usually listen to Korean covers, but this feels completely different.

-Maybe because the original song is so powerful with its session, it’s just pleasing to the ears.

-Her voice is like an instrument itself.

-It blends together perfectly. Like oriental sauce.

-There are quite a few Utaite teams that have disbanded recently due to the pandemic and other reasons, but I hope this one continues. The songs are good.

Overall, the reviews of the music were positive.

While the number of comments wasn’t particularly high, at just over 100, the fact that more than half were positive was a good sign.

[COMMENTS]

-Why ruin such a good song by mangling the rhythm in Korean?

-Hmm, it’s good, but why not in the original language? If you’re knowledgeable enough to adapt the lyrics, shouldn’t you be able to sing in the original language?

Of course, the inevitable appearance of original-song purists, typical of Korean cover versions, couldn’t be stopped.

These people would have complained about the pronunciation if she had covered it in Japanese anyway.

There was no need to pay attention to them.

It was better to just.

[COMMENTS]

-But the illustrations here are amazing.

-These days, many Utaites just slap on the original anime illustrations or use cheap ones, but the quality here is on a different level.

-Thank you always for your Patreon, artist-nim.

It was much more comfortable to selectively enjoy the comments praising Hayoon’s illustrations.

Hayoon, who performed most tasks like a machine, couldn’t help but smile at the praise.

“Good.”

grin

Hayoon smiled smugly, her lips curling upwards.

It was a similar smile to Hong Seo-hyun’s, and seeing Hayoon’s reaction, Hong Seo-hyun’s smile deepened.

‘See? This is me. Isn’t it satisfying to raise me? Huh?’

Although she didn’t express it outwardly, Hong Seo-hyun was certain, looking at Hayoon’s smile.

That it was a smile of pride in her, who had produced results in just two weeks.

She was brimming with confidence, a stark contrast to the person who had rushed in frantically as soon as she saw the 50,000 views.

‘This person…. is so transparent…?’

Hayoon chuckled, sensing Hong Seo-hyun’s inner thoughts, then.

“Oh….”

She suddenly let out a short sigh, as if realizing something.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“N-No, it’s nothing….”

She responded somewhat indifferently to Choi Arin, who asked about the reason for her sigh.

But Hayoon’s inner thoughts were not so bright.

It couldn’t be helped.

‘These are the illustrations I have to cosplay…?’

A Korean, Japanese, and music doctor with a boyfriend shirt and missing bottoms look.

She remembered that she was the one who suggested this concept.

And it was Hayoon herself who had to cosplay according to the illustrations she had drawn.