Chapter 95: Utaite Lucy, Part 1

Hayoon caressed Choi Arin’s stomach as if she were a child.

Hayoon saw herself as a figurine, enjoying dressing up in pretty clothes and expensive brands. So, what was Choi Arin to Hayoon?

‘A high-end teddy bear…?’

The term “real doll” came to mind, but that felt too crude.

Perhaps a body pillow or a teddy bear – a comforting presence to hold while sleeping.

A high-end teddy bear, equipped with advanced software and speakers. A pleasant sound emanated from Choi Arin with every caress.

While the analogy might be strange, Choi Arin was very…responsive. Her reactions were amusing; Hayoon never tired of teasing her.

“Hayoon, that’s en-enough…”

“Hmm, I was just trying to compliment you.”

“C-Compliments are fine, but…”

Choi Arin turned to look at Hayoon, tears welling up in her eyes. Was she crying because her stomach was ticklish?

She was incredibly sensitive, reacting strongly to even the slightest touch. It was amusing. Unlike Hong Seo-hyun, who always fought back, Choi Arin seemed incapable of resistance.

Hayoon withdrew her hand from inside Choi Arin’s sweater and started stroking her hair.

“Then let me do this. Your idea to sell the virtual avatars was brilliant. Thanks to you, we got selected for the government support program and received a huge grant.”

“H-How much are we getting…?”

“Around 50 million won in the first quarter of next year.”

“Gasp…”

“I’d love to spoil you with all that money, but you seem to dislike it.”

Hayoon patted Choi Arin’s back, signaling for her to get up.

“Uh… why?”

“Why? It’s time to work.”

Hayoon abruptly shifted to work mode. Choi Arin…

“…Hmm…”

…bit her lip, looking slightly disappointed, and turned on her computer.

Autumn was quickly turning to winter.

The weather was no longer crisp but decidedly chilly. At this rate, sub-zero temperatures would become the norm by December.

“Another profitable month.”

Late at night. It was Hong Seo-hyun’s day off, and Choi Arin had gone home after finishing her work.

Hayoon, who planned to sleep on the makeshift bed in the office as usual, checked the projected earnings on her spreadsheet and smiled.

“I’m making a killing.”

High-quality Live2D virtual avatars could sell for tens of millions of won.

Hayoon and Choi Arin’s collaborations were worth around 20 million each, but they sold them for 15 million, considering they were pre-made.

Even at that price, the profit margins were enormous. Unlike other products, these avatars had almost no production cost besides time.

Selling just one could cover Choi Arin and Do Jin-ho’s salaries for three months. A truly lucrative product.

As more Vtubers affiliated with BGG Company debuted, more no-cam streamers would commission avatars from them.

“The profits will only increase…”

A predatory grin spread across Hayoon’s face. Choi Arin would probably say, “You’re scaring me,” if she saw that expression, but who wouldn’t be happy about a huge influx of cash?

“This is the future of the industry.”

Hayoon took a swig of zero-calorie cola, feeling like she should be celebrating with champagne. She was practically rolling in money.

“I need to recruit more Vtubers…”

The desire to recruit more Vtubers, a second generation, grew stronger every day.

Her target was the winter of 2022. The 2022 AGC, returning after a two-year hiatus.

They would debut on that stage. The question was the group’s concept.

“There’s enough space for three more soundproof booths, so three members would be ideal…”

click, clack

Hayoon searched online for the names of Vtubers she knew would be successful in a few years.

Of course, there were no results for Vtubers who hadn’t even debuted yet.

Moreover, she didn’t know their real identities.

“Too bad.”

This was frustrating. The advantage of being a Vtuber was anonymity, which also meant Hayoon couldn’t use her future knowledge to identify promising talents before their debut.

“So frustrating…”

As she pondered her options, she checked her email.

“Hmm?”

There was a new message.

[Hello. I’d like to commission a virtual avatar. How much would it cost?]

“Ha.”

The email made her chuckle. Commission requests were usually more polite.

They had probably found her email through her Pixiv or Patreon.

The sender’s casual tone, despite having gone through the trouble of finding her email, was amusing.

“Are they young?”

Her first thought was that the sender must be young. Well, it wasn’t a bad thing. Being naive and a bit clueless could be an advantage in the Vtuber industry.

-This is roughly what the character looks like.

-Can you make it like this?

The email’s contents were even more absurd.

There was no mention of budget or deadlines, just a casual request to draw the attached image. Hayoon stared at the email, dumbfounded.

“Oh, an Utaite?”

The sender, apparently an Utaite, had included a link to their channel. Amused, Hayoon clicked the link.

150,000 subscribers.

A pure Utaite with a following comparable to Hong Seo-hyun, whose Utaite channel had benefited from the boost of her Scarlet Vtuber channel. Unlike Hong Seo-hyun, this Utaite focused on Japanese covers.

“Who is this…?”

Slightly bewildered, Hayoon started researching this Utaite, contacting their informant, Do Jin-ho.

Early November.

An emergency meeting was held at a cafe near the headquarters.

“This is Lucy, the Utaite who contacted me.”

They gathered at a corner table during off-peak hours, each connecting their Bluetooth earphones to listen to Utaite Lucy’s songs.

“Check out her debut song. ‘Psycho Head Love’? She has good taste.”

Do Jin-ho showed off his vast otaku knowledge.

“Her diction is good. She’s fluent in Japanese.”

Hong Seo-hyun, after listening to a few songs, assessed that Lucy was proficient in Japanese, a credible assessment coming from someone skilled in Japanese covers herself.

“The songs are good!”

Choi Arin simply stated her honest opinion.

While JPOP lyrics could be confusing, the music itself, with its characteristic band sound, was captivating.

And at this point…

“So, what do we do? Do we contact her?”

“She’s worth contacting, right? She has a decent following. She’s a better investment than an unknown rookie.”

“I agree. If she’s a good singer, she can follow the same formula I used.

She started uploading earlier than me, and her YouTube channel is bigger than mine. That says something.”

“I’m okay with it. Her character design doesn’t seem too complicated to rig.”

They were leaning towards recruiting Lucy. BGG Company had three open slots.

They could afford to recruit someone with an established following. And most importantly…

“Oh, right, Min Hayoon.”

“What is it, senior?”

“I looked at her profile, and she’s your age.”

According to Do Jin-ho’s intel, Lucy was a second-year high school student, the same age as Hayoon.

Age was an advantage; it was a low-risk, high-reward investment.