Chapter 208: I’ve Prepared My Heart to Welcome the Second Generation!

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Not long after, the members arrived.

I was still sitting there in a daze, utterly stunned.

The members buzzed with energy as they waited for the CEO to continue speaking.

“Sorry for calling you all here on such short notice. There’s something important I wanted to discuss while we prepare for our anniversary.”

“Ooh, is it something big?!”

“What is it, CEO?”

As always, the most high-energy members—Chae-yoon unnie and Yuna—stared at the CEO with sparkling eyes full of anticipation.

“Actually, we’re planning to introduce a second generation soon. The announcement will go out next week.”

“Huh? A second generation?”

“Already? Well… I guess it’s not ‘already.’ It’s been a year for us, after all.”

“It does feel a bit faster than I expected. I thought you’d wait a little longer.”

“The timing seems good, though. Even if we start preparing now, they probably won’t debut until late this year or next.”

CEO Kang’s calm explanation continued, and the members’ eyes widened in surprise, each reacting differently. Still, they all seemed to accept that it was time for a second generation.

“Well, since we’re on the topic… Honestly, I wasn’t originally planning on a second generation.”

“Huh? Really?”

“But most virtual talent agencies keep debuting new generations, don’t they?”

“That’s true. But we’re not some big corporation like Prism Company or Seishun Academy. Expanding recklessly would just make it harder to take care of everyone. My original plan was just to focus on raising and managing you all well.”

Everyone reacted with surprise at CEO Kang’s candid words—everyone except me.

Of course, I wasn’t surprised.

Because what she was saying now was something I’d heard before in broadcasts from my original world.

To be precise, it was her response to a viewer’s question about whether she had plans for a second generation.

And true to her word, in that world, she never launched a second generation.

She focused solely on nurturing Blue LUV, growing it into one of the most dominant virtual groups in the industry.

So naturally, in this world, I’d assumed there wouldn’t be a second generation either.

“But you all established yourselves much faster than I expected… and because of that, the domestic virtual market has been growing steadily.”

“Yeah, there’s been a huge surge in indie VTubers debuting lately.”

“Right. In a way, it’s thanks to your positive influence. I never thought a Korean VTuber group would hit 300,000 subscribers in just a year.”

That’s right.

All of us have now surpassed 300,000 subscribers.

There’s some variation between members, but it’s still an impressive number.

Of course, with so many monstrously popular creators on Youtube these days, 300,000 might not seem like much.

But as CEO Kang said, in the current cutthroat VTuber market, hitting that milestone in a year is nothing short of amazing.

“That’s what got me thinking. I can’t guarantee the second generation will grow as rapidly, but… it might still be worth a try.”

Ah, I see.

In my original world, Blue LUV didn’t grow this quickly.

They barely crossed 100,000 subscribers in their first year and hit 300,000 in their second.

But from the third year onward, they skyrocketed, cementing themselves as an unrivaled force in the Korean VTuber scene.

Here, though, it’s different.

For some reason, their growth has been nearly three times faster.

So it’s only natural that CEO Kang would reconsider.

After all, she’s the CEO.

She has a duty to grow and expand this company.

From that perspective, focusing only on the first generation might even seem complacent.

“I think it’s a good idea! Honestly, I’m more surprised you weren’t considering it before.”

“Yeah, yeah! I’ve been waiting for juniors this whole time!”

“Yay! Finally, juniors to boss around!”

“Chae-yoon! You should be thinking about mentoring them, not bullying them!”

Hearing CEO Kang’s honest reasoning, the members reacted positively.

They all sounded eager for the second generation to arrive.

“…….”

But I couldn’t bring myself to join in.

It wasn’t just because the future had changed.

The fact that the Blue LUV I loved was evolving filled me with joy, but at the same time…

I felt strangely distant.

Like something was slipping away.

What is this feeling?

I should be happy that the girls have grown so much.

But the thought of someone I don’t know becoming part of “Blue LUV” makes me feel… weird.

Ironically, I was the first one to join Blue LUV—and the one who fit in the least.

So feeling like this now is just stupid. Pathetic, even.

“Anyway, now that you know, let’s talk about our anniversary plans.”

“Ooh, another big thing coming!”

Soon after, the news I’d been eagerly awaiting—about our anniversary—was discussed.

But I couldn’t focus on it at all.

Unlike the excited members, I kept my head down, fidgeting with my hands.

“…….”

Maybe that’s why.

Even after the meeting ended, I didn’t notice CEO Kang silently watching me for a long time.

With the meeting over, we prepared to leave.

Since today wasn’t an off-stream day, everyone had to get ready for their broadcasts.

Naturally, I was about to grab my bag to head back with Ra-hee unnie, who lives next door.

“Da-jeong, can you stay behind for a bit? The rest of you can go.”

“Huh? M-me?”

“Yeah.”

Frozen like a statue at the sudden request, I hesitated for a moment before quietly sitting back down.

Chae-yoon unnie and Yuna, seeing this, made a fuss as if it were about them.

“Gasp…! Da-jeong, what’d you do wrong?”

“CEO, don’t scold Da-jeong…!”

“What ‘scolding’? I just want to have a nice, private chat for once.”

“Ugh, favoritism! Ugh!”

Whether they were overreacting or not, CEO Kang seemed to give up on reasoning with them, sighing and shooing them away like pests.

“Unnie, go ahead. I’ll be fine taking a taxi.”

“I’ll send her back in a cab, so don’t worry, Ra-hee.”

“Alright, I’ll head out first. See you later, Da-jeong.”

“Yeah…”

Creak—

With Ra-hee unnie, who was supposed to leave with me, now gone, CEO Kang gestured for me to come closer.

I was a little nervous, but I dragged my chair over until I was right in front of her.

“Da-jeong, are you disappointed?”

“Huh? D-disappointed?”

Her tone was gentle, but the question itself caught me off guard. My eyes widening in surprise.

As she patted my head, she continued.

“You’ve always had an especially strong attachment to Blue LUV. Your expression earlier, your reaction when I first brought it up… I wondered if you felt uneasy about new members joining.”

“C-can I be honest?”

“Of course. That’s why I sent everyone else away.”

Ah, I see.

There’s no way I could’ve said this in front of the others.

No—truthfully, it’s something I wouldn’t even dare say to the CEO normally.

But she made this time for me, knowing I needed to get it off my chest.

“…It’s not disappointment, exactly. If anything, I’m happy. It means we’ve grown fast enough for you to trust us this much.”

“Exactly. You’ve all reached a point where you don’t need me hovering over you anymore.”

That’s true.

If she didn’t believe in us—if she still thought we had a long way to go— she would’ve never considered debuting a second generation.

At least, the CEO I know wouldn’t have.

“But… like you said, I felt weird. Part of me was happy, but another part hated it. I got so tangled up in my own thoughts that I started hating myself for being so stupid.”

“You don’t need to think like that. Honestly, if anyone else said this, I’d be surprised—but with you, it makes sense.”

“It does?”

“Yeah. Not that the others don’t care about Blue LUV, but you’re different.”

She paused, searching for the right words, then smiled.

“We always say we’re like family, but… with you, it’s especially true. I can tell you really see the members as family.”

“Family… Yeah, that might be the best way to put it.”

For me, family disappeared a long time ago.

Maybe that’s why the members feel even more like family now.

“In a way, it’s like your family’s getting bigger. It’s natural to feel awkward at first. But I also have the highest expectations for you.”

“For me?”

“Yeah. I can say this because the others aren’t here, but… without you, Blue LUV never would’ve grown this fast.”

Normally, I’d blush at such high praise—but the sincerity in her eyes kept me silent.

I just stared back, unable to speak.

“Your collab with Verdia, our first Last Live, the Overwatch tournament—all of it happened because you worked so hard for Blue LUV. More than anything, you’re the reason the members bonded so well.”

I nodded quietly.

I never thought I’d done anything extraordinary, but…

CEO Kang had been watching everything from afar. The realization made my chest tighten.

“So when the second generation comes, I’m counting on you the most. They might struggle to fit in at first, but I know you’ll guide them.”

“Ah…”

So that’s it.

CEO Kang believed in me.

That’s why she could make this decision.

“So don’t feel burdened or awkward about ‘new family’ joining. Just keep being the member who loves Blue LUV the most in the world. That’s all I need from you.”

“Yes, CEO.”

Even someone as insecure as me knows—when it comes to that, I’ll never lose to anyone.

I nodded firmly.

Somehow, the fog that had clouded my mind earlier was lifting.

And in its place, sunlight—excitement—began to pour down.