chapter_0113

113 – The Master Said

113 – The Master Said

Exactly one week and one day after Serena’s graduation stream on Sunday.

On Monday, I came to work 30 minutes earlier than usual.

The boss had asked me yesterday to come in early because something urgent had come up.

I realized the reason when I got closer to the company’s main entrance.

That spot where I always ran into Seungyeon on my way in with the bread.

Serena was waiting for me in front of the building’s main entrance, armed with a mask and a baseball cap.

You could tell she used to be an idol in training.

Even the way she concealed herself was idol-like.

Before, I might have wondered why she was doing this now when she used to go around freely.

But now, it’s only been a short time since her graduation.

There are plenty of people who would get riled up if she was suddenly spotted in front of Parallel.

In a way, she was trying to minimize trouble for herself and being considerate of us by concealing herself as much as possible.

Of course, even hidden, her hairstyle was still very Serena-like.

A half-updo with only one side braided isn’t that common.

I walked right up to Serena and spoke to her.

“Long time no see.”

Serena, who had been deliberately looking elsewhere, flinched in surprise.

“Huh? How did you know?”

“How could I not? It’s obviously Serena.”

I gestured to her and led her inside the building.

“Have you had lunch?”

Serena matched my pace.

“Yes. How about you, Jia?”

“This is my lunch.”

I showed her the warm bread in the rustling bag, and Serena was shocked.

“Really?! No way.”

“I’m small, so this is enough for me.”

“I guess so, but are you sure you’re taking care of your nutritional balance?”

“Yes.”

“Ugh… I’m worried. For no reason, I guess.”

Then Serena suddenly said this.

“I heard from Maru that the members all live separately. Are you not thinking of making a separate dormitory?”

“Out of the blue?”

“If you made one, the members could live together. Wouldn’t they be less lonely? And it would be easier for you to go help them when problems arise with their streams. Plus, you could live there too and eat the buffet your aunt makes! Like, you know, a pro gaming team.”

It was a valid point.

Actually, we considered running a dormitory after recruiting the first generation, but we didn’t.

If the members were all together, they could take care of each other and their friendship would deepen. It would also be easier for us to manage them.

We even had the accounting director join us to create a business plan in earnest, and we were thinking of providing space for the four of them on the 9th floor, where the small motion capture studio is now located.

But in the end, after considering various factors such as the members’ safety, the staff’s work efficiency, management costs, and the number of days off due to moving, we concluded that it was better to maintain the existing separate living arrangements.

There haven’t been any similar discussions since then, so the current situation is likely to continue.

“I’d like that too, but the circumstances aren’t right at the moment.”

But you never know.

Right now, we’re pouring all our money into the members’ debut, content, new outfits, and original songs, but if the company gets bigger and has more resources, and we grow into a proper agency where the members can have bodyguards at all times, we might try it.

Serena nodded slightly, as if understanding the situation.

“Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

“No, it’s because you care so much about your fellow members.”

Her outstanding consideration is proof of Serena’s wonderful character.

The fact that she supported the members instead of the operations team at Rapitz wasn’t just because she came from a wealthy family.

As she said, it’s been more than a day or two that streamers have been too busy streaming to eat properly, have messed up sleep schedules, and are lonely because they’re alone.

And the fact that she was trying to take care of my meals and work convenience on top of that was very admirable.

While the boss and I were deliberating, I thought several times that there was no one as good as Serena…

Meeting her again and talking to her like this, I realized that Serena was really Serena.

The news that the entire Rapitz was shaking after she left couldn’t be dismissed as a simple rumor.

“So, what brings you here?”

Serena narrowed her clear eyes and smiled.

“You know why I’m here~.”

“Didn’t you just come to see a friend?”

“Huh? Isn’t that it? I came because I have something important to say.”

“Hmm. If that were the case, wouldn’t you have made an appointment in advance? How would you know if I’d be at the company?”

After we got on the elevator together, Serena smiled brightly and said this.

“I wanted to create some kind of dramatic encounter. Was it a bit cliché?”

“Yes. It’s obvious what Serena came to do.”

“Oops. I’ve been found out.”

“So, shouldn’t you tell me now? If it’s important, I need to report it to the boss.”

“Ah. That’s okay. I contacted Momo first about you coming in early today.”

In the elevator, with just the two of us.

As we arrived on the 8th floor, Serena said with a ding.

“I want to debut at Parallel.”

* * *

I had a brief interview with Serena, along with the boss and the head of HR, during the advanced work hours.

Why brief?

Because the moment Serena contacted us, the boss seemed to have already given her a passing grade.

Aside from talking about the reasons for applying despite knowing that various issues could arise, it was essentially more of a casual conversation than an interview.

Perhaps that’s why, even before Serena and I had parted ways after the interview, the boss’s acceptance notification came through DingTalk.

[Boss: Accepted]

[Boss: I see why companies want experienced new hires…]

[Me: Wow, worst kind of business owner]

[Boss: I’m just kidding, don’t take it seriously]

Anyway, after the interview, I took Serena, who had briefly visited the restroom, back outside the company.

Usually, I would head to the fish cake stand.

But perhaps because of Serena’s image, I unconsciously recommended a cafe this time.

There’s a place near the company that’s cheap and has a princess-like interior that our team leader really likes.

After ordering our drinks and sitting down, Serena said.

“So, when do I debut?”

“Probably in half a year? Everything related to the debut is confidential, so you can’t tell anyone about it until the debut stream.”

“Ah. So I’m a second-generation member?”

Fortunately, Serena didn’t try to delve too deeply into our situation.

Perhaps because she trusts me and Parallel, she just expressed her regret that she wouldn’t be able to rest for long.

Still, she seemed concerned about something and added this.

“Is it okay if I tell my dad that I passed? I think he’ll support me with various things.”

“He’s family, so it’s fine. It’s not like Producer Na is going to go around blabbing about it. But… didn’t you not want to be touched by the producer when it comes to virtual YouTubers?”

“Wow. How did you know that?”

“If you wanted full support, you would have done that at Rapitz a long time ago. You would have fired the operations team leader who wasn’t doing their job properly.”

“That’s right. I wanted to try doing everything on my own without my dad’s influence. I also rebelled because my dad always told me not to become an idol because it’s tiring. Hehe.”

Serena hummed a little tune and said this.

“Anyway, back to the main point. From now on, I think it’s okay for my dad to support Parallel. Why? Because this opportunity wasn’t created because of me.”

“… Is that so?”

“Yes. It’s because you did well that I wanted to go to Parallel. My dad didn’t become a Parallel stan just because I’m his daughter. He chose it after directly analyzing Parallel’s growth potential.

Even though he’s biased towards his own, he always says that a company will go bankrupt if the chief producer runs the business so arbitrarily.”

“Hmm.”

“So, even if CAT supports Parallel in the future, you should think of it as supporting you and the company. Not for my sake.”

Come to think of it, there was something I was wondering about.

Why did Producer Na Hyun-gon make me the center of the new album he’s producing?

“What did the producer see in me? Is it my musical talent, or my operational skills as an operations team member?”

Serena smiled.

She seemed to already know the answer.

“I think it’s your operational skills. But I don’t think my dad thinks the same way.

If I had to guess, it would be your buzzworthiness. My dad always says that business is all about how many people you can attract.”

So it’s both.

I scratched my cheek, feeling a little embarrassed.

I guess I’m not comfortable with such direct praise.

But I know how to get out of this situation.

Praise the other person in return.

“That’s why we want to work with Serena. You’ve already shown proper results as a streamer, so there’s no reason for us to stop you from coming.”

“Eek. Suddenly? But in the first place, you created that, Jia.”

“I won’t accept any rebuttals.”

“Wow, that’s unfair.”

We talked for a long time, and before I knew it, 30 minutes had passed.

As I started to bring up that we should get going, Serena asked me to spend a little more time and made this request.

“Um, please don’t call me Serena anymore. I’ve graduated. Serena is done. Please call me by my debut name from now on. It’s only half a year away anyway, so I need to get used to it.”

“But the second-generation members’ names haven’t been decided yet…?”

“Ah. I heard from Maru that you’re the one who decides the members’ names. I thought you had already decided.”

I thought again that I was lucky to have Serena as Maru’s friend.

How could she have heard so much and not leaked anything to anyone?

I guess that’s what happens when you live hiding the fact that you’re Producer Na Hyun-gon’s daughter.

Anyway, I was grateful that she had kept her mouth shut so well.

It’s not confirmed, but I thought of a name that I had been thinking about.

She’s a streamer who makes people feel comfortable.

A harmless image is the most suitable for her.

The first generation revealed their identities with races and colors, so the second generation will also follow a similar path.

In that flow, the first thing that comes to mind when you think of harmlessness and healing is a cute bird.

In Japanese, a long-tailed tit is “enaga”, so I’ll extract “Ena” from that and use it as her name.

For her surname, it would be good to give it a forest feel, so maybe Morisaki would work.

Because “saki” is used in Japan to mean a messenger (animal) used by a deity.

Morisaki Ena. To summarize, it would be something like a long-tailed tit used by a forest deity.

“What comes to mind is Morisaki Ena.” Of course, it’s not confirmed, so don’t get too used to the name—”

Before I could finish speaking, Serena slammed the cafe table and smiled brightly.

“I like it! I’ll go with that! Can I insist on it to the boss?”

… As expected, virtual YouTubers are all excellent actors.

You can’t know everything about their inner selves just by watching their streams.

I didn’t know she was someone who could express such intense emotions.

“Well… I’ll suggest it to him.”

* * *

After that, the boss and I went through several additional reviews, but unfortunately, we failed to reach four members.

The combination of just the three people whose debut was confirmed with Serena’s joining was perfect.

Even if we squeezed in one of the reserve members, it seemed difficult for them to secure a definite share of their own.

Thus, the second generation was finalized as a three-member system.

It was a pity that it was less than four, but it was a relief that it didn’t feel completely empty like two.

Ahn Si-ho. Unofficial stage name Tokoyo Miho.

A fox spirit with bewitching vermilion ears and tail.

Han Bada. Unofficial stage name Hanaumi Orca.

A ruthless sea god and orca who rules the sea.

Na Serena. Official (?stage name Morisaki Ena.

A long-tailed tit messenger used by a forest deity.

The three successful applicants will be coming to the motion capture studio on the 9th floor of the company every day except weekends from tomorrow.

Until their debut preparations are complete, this will be their place to stay and their practice room.

It’s a somewhat large space for three people, but after setting up desks, practice streaming systems, and a whiteboard for the boss and the head of HR to use for training, it felt surprisingly full.

After Seungyeon, who helped with the setup, went downstairs, the boss said to me.

“Being here like this suddenly reminds me of the day the first-generation kids came…”

It took me a little time to react because it was an event that didn’t exist in my other worldline.

But after rummaging through my memories a little, I quickly remembered the related anecdote.

“The time they mistook me for one of their peers?”

Setting things up when the teachers came, leading them to the team leader when there were vocal lessons, and constantly taking care of their meals and snacks in between.

I was someone who could only be a staff member, but they fooled themselves and were later dumbfounded.

“I never thought it would last a week.”

“Well, it’s proof that the kids are kind and innocent.”

“At least this time, there won’t be anything like that because Serena’s here.”

“Right. They say I look similar to my avatar. I think everyone will recognize me right away.”

But the boss nodded, but still pursed his lips as if he wasn’t completely satisfied.

“You never know. They might mistake you for debuting with them. The number is three, so it feels like one is missing.”

I chuckled and muttered.

“Come on, no way. They’ll understand if I explain it.”

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Author’s Note

Virtual Commute Con vol1 completed!

Mmeing-nim worked hard!!

vol2 will be worked on in February!

You can check the completed con in the notice, and if there are no rejections, you’ll probably be able to use it from next Thursday?!

Thank you always!!