Chapter 167: Damn, Min Hayoon, Part 4

“Where did the person who suggested a date disappear to?”

Hayoon muttered, moving her pen across the tablet.

It had been about three months since Hong Seo-hyun, practically overflowing with affection, had suggested a date.

Early summer was approaching, the weather growing warmer, yet there was still no word from Hong Seo-hyun.

They talked regularly, but any mention of the date was carefully avoided.

Time kept slipping by, but it felt odd for Hayoon to bring it up.

After all, she was the one being asked out. It would be strange to pressure Hong Seo-hyun.

“Whatever.”

She decided to focus on work, but time flew by, and early summer had arrived.

Hong Seo-hyun was a workaholic, constantly busy with her streaming schedule, but so were most people at BGG Company.

Even after three years, Hong Seo-hyun maintained a 5.5-day streaming schedule.

Do Jin-ho, the general manager, oversaw all four Vtubers, excluding Hayoon. He had a large team and a packed schedule, even during the off-season.

Hayoon and Choi Arin were busy creating virtual avatars.

Besides individual commissions, they had recently been contracted for a large project.

“Three more avatars, and we’re done with the first generation of Live2D models. Finished.”

A major company had decided to enter the Vtuber market.

It was the typical “I hear this is popular with young people these days, let’s do it” kind of project, driven by older executives. These ventures usually fizzled out after a few years, but…

They had unexpectedly contacted BGG Company, entrusting them with the creation of their first-generation Vtuber avatars.

Even if the project was short-lived, it was a valuable opportunity for BGG Company to gain experience and recognition.

“The final payment will be sweet.”

It was a multi-million won contract.

Once they received the final payment, Hayoon could give Choi Arin and Do Jin-ho substantial bonuses.

“The chat moderators are on minimum wage anyway. I can give them extra bonuses during offline events. Ah…”

Hayoon stretched, relieving her stiff muscles, and transferred the completed artwork files to Choi Arin’s computer.

Once Choi Arin arrived, she would rig the illustrations, completing the final avatar.

“Good, good.”

Hayoon grinned and sat back down at her desk.

“Now what?”

Hayoon was a workaholic herself.

She had spent the first two quarters of the year working on commissioned avatars and collaborating with Hong Seo-hyun on streams.

Now that the commissions were finished, she felt restless.

“Concert planning? No, Do Jin-ho will take care of that. He knows our budget and is better at estimating audience numbers.”

They had discussed it before, and Do Jin-ho was more experienced with offline events.

Hayoon was more of a recluse, attending only a couple of events a year, while Do Jin-ho was a social butterfly, attending almost every quarterly event.

He knew the rules for venues of all sizes: 100 attendees, 1,000 attendees, 10,000 attendees.

Hayoon could focus on creating original songs and arranging group covers, and Do Jin-ho would let her know when it was time to plan an event.

There was no need to worry about that now.

“I really have nothing to do. Streaming? I’ve been streaming a lot lately, but…”

Was it inevitable?

Hayoon sighed.

It was the classic workaholic burnout.

After completing a big project, she felt a sense of emptiness, a consequence of pushing herself too hard.

Sometimes, finding a new project helped alleviate burnout.

Fighting fire with fire, so to speak. That had always worked for Hayoon.

But…

There weren’t any appealing projects right now.

She was already involved in almost every aspect of the Vtuber industry, as a CEO, a Vtuber, and an illustrator.

Perhaps she needed a real break.

“How do people relax?”

The problem was, Hayoon didn’t know how to relax.

For years, she had coped with work-related stress by finding new work, deriving satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment from her achievements.

She had no idea how to relax without working.

“Gacha games?”

She used to enjoy gacha games.

Back then, she was happy earning ₩2,000,000 a month and could afford to spend around ₩30,000 on in-app purchases.

But…

“Not really…”

As the CEO of a company with over ten employees, she felt a sense of responsibility.

She couldn’t justify spending money on gacha games, and turn-based or simulation games, which she also enjoyed, were too time-consuming.

“If I start playing Football Manager or Civilization, I’ll be hooked for a month. That’s too long…”

She needed something to occupy her for a few days, maybe a week.

Starting a new game wouldn’t be fulfilling in just a week, and anything longer would interfere with managing BGG Company.

“Something… manageable…”

What could it be?

Just as she was pondering this…

“Hayoon.”

“Oh, unnie.”

Hong Seo-hyun entered the workspace. She had just arrived at the office.

“Are you free sometime? Let’s go somewhere.”

“Where?”

“A hotel. Let’s go to a hotel. I have a date planned.”

“Ah, the one you mentioned before?”

“Yes, that one.”

It was a bit late, but Hayoon was relieved.

A date with Hong Seo-hyun was a legitimate excuse to relax without feeling guilty.

“Sure. I’m free. Let me know when.”

They agreed on a date, and Hayoon eagerly awaited its arrival.

The day of their date finally arrived.

A little over two months had passed, enough time for Hong Seo-hyun to acquire her “secret weapon.”

They packed their bags, checked into the hotel, and immediately headed out.

“First stop, the aquarium!”

“Oh, an aquarium?”

“There’s a nice one near the hotel. I heard it’s great, so I thought it would be fun.”

“Let’s go!”

Their first destination was the aquarium, a classic date activity.

Hong Seo-hyun had a plan, but it was a bit… risqué.

She needed to balance it out with some traditional date elements.

“Wow, a stingray!”

“Look at its face. So cute. It looks like it’s smiling.”

They walked through the underwater tunnel, admiring the various fish.

It was a pleasant experience.

They watched the penguins, especially the fluffy baby penguins, chirping and gobbling down fish.

It felt like visiting a cat or dog cafe, but with penguins.

When they started feeling hungry, they headed to a fancy restaurant.

“Woah…”

“Amazing…”

It was an authentic Italian restaurant.

They enjoyed a multi-course meal, a slightly early dinner.

Next was the movie theater.

“Boo!”

“Heeheehee…”

They screamed their way through an early-release horror movie before returning to the hotel.

Having eaten popcorn, they weren’t hungry, so they skipped dinner.

Instead, they went to the hotel’s cocktail bar, planning to have some snacks.

They ordered corn cheese, cocktail shrimp, and other appetizers, not as elaborate as the restaurant’s dishes but tasty and filling nonetheless.

They ate, and they drank.

“Ahhh…”

Hayoon savored her drink, a satisfied smile on her face.

Hong Seo-hyun watched her, sipping her own cocktail…

…a non-alcoholic cocktail.