Chapter 135: Be Me, Part 2

This created the ideal scenario, in Hayoon’s mind.

Hayoon would continue cosplaying as Scarlet, and Choi Arin would cosplay as Haru in her place.

However, this arrangement presented a new issue.

“Unnie, you’ll have to actually cosplay as Haru at this event.”

“Huh? Why?”

“These things usually involve booth appearances, it’s not just a photoshoot for the book. You have to pose in the photo zone so fans can take pictures.”

“Ah, you mean… like those guys with beards and huge cameras?”

“Those are usually photographers hired by the game companies. They take photos for websites and official forums.”

“So, it’s not a guarantee?”

“Well, I’m sure there are some fans out there with professional cameras.”

“Hmm…”

Choi Arin briefly considered what AGC might entail.

Haru wasn’t a particularly popular Vtuber.

She wasn’t big enough to benefit from spillover popularity, and while she had started streaming relatively early, she only recently became a Vtuber.

She was just an average, mid-tier Vtuber.

So, cosplaying as Haru… while she’d still get attention for being pretty, wouldn’t many people ask for photos? Unlike popular characters like HK-M4, she wouldn’t have to spend hours taking photos with others.

‘Nice.’

It didn’t sound bad at all.

Choi Arin enjoyed the attention, but taking individual photos with everyone was tiring.

Cosplaying as Haru with a more relaxed approach seemed appealing.

“So, what should I do? Should I work on my figure for the photoshoot?”

Choi Arin, feeling cheerful, struck a pose in anticipation, but…

“No, honestly, for the photobook, we can touch things up in Photoshop, so you don’t need to go overboard. It’s more important to work on the basic design for the book. Things like the cover, inside cover, and other design elements.”

Unfortunately, Hayoon was cold and pragmatic.

The photobook planning had been delayed, making the schedule tight.

Fortunately, the designs for the other merchandise were already finalized.

“Oh…”

“Why?”

“Well, I was kind of excited about cosplaying again…”

“You mean you’re asking why I’m giving you this work?”

“No, well… I don’t really have any complaints…”

Choi Arin expressed a hint of dissatisfaction.

Nobody truly enjoyed working.

Choi Arin was usually diligent, but after imagining the fun of cosplay, being assigned the tedious and academic task of designing the photobook layout dampened her spirits.

However…

“Unnie.”

“Y-yes?”

Managing employee dissatisfaction was part of a CEO’s job.

Hayoon tapped Choi Arin’s head, turning her face slightly so their eyes met. Then…

kiss

“Stop wasting time and get to work.”

“O-okay…”

A light kiss to assert dominance, solidifying her CEO authority.

No matter how disappointed Choi Arin felt, work had to be done.

Hayoon’s modeling endeavors faced several challenges.

The biggest one was arguably Yoon Suhee, the owner of Studio Yoon and Hayoon’s mother.

“What’s with this proposal?”

“I want to do a photoshoot…”

“Cosplay?”

“Yes…”

“Okay, I get the gist. Let’s see…”

Hayoon had her reasons.

Scarlet’s fanbase, being a more traditional Vtuber fandom, wouldn’t want to see Hayoon, cosplaying their Vtuber, in revealing outfits.

They would already be questioning a cosplay photobook; if the outfits were drastically different and more suggestive than Scarlet’s virtual attire, they would be even more perplexed.

“You’ve brought some realistic outfits this time.

Custom-made items might take a while, but…”

Yoon Suhee didn’t want her daughter shooting in revealing clothes.

She wanted her daughter to have a respectable modeling career.

Allowing cosplay modeling was already a significant compromise.

“We can proceed with this for now.”

“Nice…!”

“What’s with the ‘nice’…”

The cosplay concept for the Hayoon-Scarlet pairing was approved.

But what about the Choi Arin-Haru pairing?

‘Our fans generally seem to like more revealing outfits.’

There was a term for fans who enjoyed such content in subculture communities, especially those who favored harem, fanservice, and ecchi genres.

Haru’s fanbase fell squarely into this category.

She hadn’t started as a Vtuber, so her fanbase differed significantly from traditional Vtuber fandoms.

‘Besides, Unnie is also open to cosplaying in more revealing outfits. Mom probably won’t object to her choices either.’

Therefore, Choi Arin’s proposed outfits were more risqué.

Hayoon had filled the proposal with outfits she imagined would elicit excited giggles.

Yoon Suhee’s reaction was:

“Oh, my. How indecent. She’s wearing this? And you’re taking photos, and even selling them in a photobook?”

“Don’t overreact… It’s just a photoshoot, and we’re selling it…”

“Oh, my, even so…”

It was rather shocking.

Hayoon and Choi Arin had agreed to compensate for the lack of exposed skin in Scarlet’s photos with Haru’s.

Hayoon could honestly declare that she hadn’t pressured Choi Arin in any way.

The level of exposure was entirely Choi Arin’s decision; Hayoon, as a separate individual, had no right to interfere.

“She even chose these herself?”

“Yes, the outfits are her ideas. I just approved them, and you’ll handle the final payments since you’re doing the photoshoot.”

“Oh, my. She seemed so well-behaved last time. Now that she’s an adult, she’s become so… You really shouldn’t be like her…”

Hayoon then had to endure three hours of Yoon Suhee’s nagging.

She knew it was inevitable, given the suggestive nature of some of the outfits.

‘Oh, Mom… please…’

Three hours felt excessively harsh.

She desperately wanted to get approval and escape.

Haru wasn’t bound by a specific concept, offering flexibility in outfit choices.

However, Scarlet was different.

They needed new outfits, a high-quality red wig, and custom-made props.

Naturally, the photoshoot was delayed by two weeks while the props were being ordered.

During this time, Hayoon and Choi Arin focused on their respective tasks.

“Right… beach vacation… hot springs… a joint illustration, and… Vivian’s background is a witch, so a background story illustration would be nice…”

Hayoon poured her heart and soul into drawing illustrations for the photobook.

Thanks to the perks she gained from her wager with the status window, her wrist wouldn’t suffer, and her art was improving daily.

Still, the physical fatigue was unavoidable.

She pushed on despite the exhaustion.

“I think the umpteenth final draft is better than the several-times-removed final draft, but now I’m starting to think the original final draft was the best…”

Choi Arin, fueled by energy drinks, worked tirelessly to perfect the photobook design Hayoon had requested.

A little over two weeks passed.

“Done! Break time!”

“Photoshoots are tiring too…”

“At least you don’t have to stare at a monitor until your eyes fall out! Enjoy! Just
enjoy it!”

Choi Arin rejoiced in her newfound freedom.

While she still had work to do, modeling, with its costume changes and posing, felt much easier than meticulously designing layouts pixel by pixel.

“I wish I could just do cosplay photoshoots forever. I’m so tired lately.”

“Well, there’s not much time left until December, so let’s just power through a little longer.”

“A little… just a little longer, right? It’s early October now…”

“Yes, just hang in there a little longer.”

Hayoon patted Choi Arin’s bottom encouragingly as they entered the changing room.

Yoon Suhee, seeing her daughter casually pat another woman’s bottom, felt a pang of confusion.

“Is that how young people interact these days?”

Well, they were both women, so it was probably fine.