Chapter 134: Be Me, Part 1

Hayoon had been troubled lately.

“Ugh,… I need to make some money…”

She wasn’t sure if it could be described as just one thing, but regardless, it was one enormously large concern.

That concern was how to survive the financial pressures closing in from all sides.

“I’ve already exchanged all the dollars from Patreon, and I’ve managed to stockpile enough funds to reach my initial goal…”

For now, she had stockpiled enough funds.

She had successfully managed to secure the bare minimum necessities, so now the important thing was what to sell to make a profit.

“Desk pads? Acrylic stands? Keychains?”

As a first step, she had drafts for all three of these staples and had placed tiered orders.

The tiers were based on popularity: Scarlet, the popular Vtuber; Haru, who had a decent mid-sized following; and then the three new Vtubers who were about to debut.

“Multi-purpose cleaners and tapestry banners are too common…”

The designs for glasses cleaners and tapestry banners had also been submitted.

“Plus, Scarlet’s chest mousepad…”

The design for Scarlet’s chest mousepad, which could be considered a key item, had already been submitted as well.

Even if people didn’t actually use the chest mousepad, many would buy it as a collector’s item.

The production cost was similar to a regular desk pad, but they could be sold at a higher price for an easy profit margin.

Up to this point, it was a flawless lineup.

However…

“Hmm… It feels a bit lacking…?”

It felt quite lacking, actually.

She felt like she could sell even more.

Merchandise that combined Scarlet, Haru, and the second generation Vtubers.

She needed merchandise that would also drive traffic towards the second generation.

“Merchandise that could do that…”

Did it even exist?

Nothing came to mind. Just as she was groaning, agonizing over the thought that there had to be something more…

“An art book…?”

The idea of an art book came to her.

It would mean she’d have to work herself to the bone drawing, but a second generation art book seemed worth the effort.

However, merchandise for the second generation, who had no established fanbase, creating a Vtuber art book, which would require a considerable amount of time, was too risky.

‘Vtuber Haru, Illustrator Haru…’

The name Haru certainly carried some weight, but would it be enough to convince people to buy an illustration book of Vtubers who hadn’t even debuted yet, especially at AGC, which would be overflowing with other enticing merchandise?

If she had to answer that…

Honestly, she’d be hesitant.

In that case…

“What should I bundle it with?”

Actually, she already knew what to bundle it with.

Scarlet and Haru.

She had to bundle it with the two established Vtubers of BGG Company.

However, creating an illustration book for all five Vtubers was physically impossible given the time constraints.

Even if she drew one illustration per week, considering the production time for the merchandise, it would be incredibly tight.

So then…

“A cosplay photobook…?”

How about creating two concepts for the photobook?

Scarlet’s debut commemorative cosplay photobook had already sold out, and Haru’s viewers had also purchased the cosplay book featuring Hayoon and Choi Arin’s cosplays for the release of Cosplay Holic.

This way, she could spend the weekdays focused on drawing and then go to the studio on the weekends to take photos.

This would make it easier to prepare the original artwork for the photobook by October.

‘Next March: Scarlet & Haru Joint Illustration Book Release! Discount Coupon Included!’ If she added a banner like that…

It would be impossible for it not to sell.

Even potential buyers who were hesitant about Vtubers who hadn’t debuted yet would be compelled to grab it because of the Scarlet and Haru bundle.

“If they buy the photobook and chest mousepad together, a discount of around 5,000 won would be nice. The profit margin is high anyway, so even with that discount, I can still make a decent profit…”

Her tangled thoughts began to unravel, and she gradually began to see a way forward.

However…

“Vtuber fans are generally very loyal to the people behind the avatars, right…?”

Like how the popularity of a certain Vtuber, considered the ‘mother’ of Vtubers, declined every time the person behind the avatar changed.

Or how corporate Vtubers had die-hard fans who stubbornly tracked down the faces of each new iteration.

She believed that this was ultimately due to loyalty towards the people behind the avatars.

In that sense, the existence of Scarlet’s cosplay photobook, a rather unusual piece of merchandise, was possible because she was an utaite before becoming a Vtuber, making it an irregular phenomenon.

“Looking at the community, there are quite a few comments joking that my cosplay is Scarlet’s ‘doxxing’…”

For that reason, it was impossible for anyone other than Hayoon to cosplay as Scarlet.

If she used someone else as a Scarlet cosplayer, some fans might get upset and leave.

And if that happened, it meant that Vtuber Haru couldn’t be cosplayed by cosplayer Haru…

Besides Hayoon, the only person who could cosplay Haru was…

“Arin unnie, right? I guess.”

No matter how she looked at it, it had to be Choi Arin.

It seemed like she’d have to have a serious talk with her soon.

***

The Haru Project Where Reality and Cosplay Collide

“Nyu, nyuu~”

Choi Arin made a strange noise as she unlocked the Igloo’s door and entered, arriving for work.

Lately, Choi Arin’s arrival time at the Igloo had been getting earlier.

The reason was simple.

“I almost died from the heat.”

It was scorching hot.

Somehow, even though it was September, the heat showed no signs of letting up.

She muttered to herself as she walked into the studio…

“Have a seat.”

“Huh?”

“Sit down.”

“W-wait a second.”

Hayoon, who had already been waiting for Choi Arin inside the studio, patted the space next to her on the small bed in the corner of the room.

Since Hayoon had told her twice to come and sit, Choi Arin couldn’t delay any longer.

She quickly placed the coffee she was holding on the desk and sat next to Hayoon.

“Why are you sitting so far away?”

“U-uhm…”

Hayoon wrapped her arm around Choi Arin’s waist and pulled her closer. Choi Arin didn’t resist, allowing herself to be drawn in.

This scene clearly demonstrated the relationship between the two.

When Hayoon led, Choi Arin followed.

When they first met at AGC, Choi Arin had been the one to initiate taking photos, but over the past few years, the distance between them had significantly decreased, and their relationship had become thoroughly led by Hayoon.

“Unnie, you know AGC is being held again, right?”

“Yeah.”

“We met there, didn’t we? Right?”

“Right, I was about to wander around in my M4A1 cosplay, and then our eyes met…”

“Back then, you were the one who asked me to take a picture first, but now I feel like I’m always the one initiating.”

“Hey, that’s not true.”

However, even though the dynamic of who led the relationship had changed slightly, there wasn’t a hierarchy between them.

They were two people who enjoyed spending time together, chatting intimately.

“Come to think of it, we both really like cosplay, don’t we?”

“We do. The problem is that lately, I haven’t been able to do it even if I wanted to.”

“But why do you cosplay, Unnie? Honestly, I kind of get a kick out of seeing people gawk at me.”

“A kick…?”

“I feel a sense of superiority, I guess.”

“Ahaha… what are you talking about…”

Choi Arin giggled at Hayoon’s somewhat perverse comment.

“So why do you cosplay?”

“Actually, me too…”

“Heh…”

“Well, isn’t everyone who cosplays the same? In the end, it’s the genre where it’s easiest to get attention.”

“Professional modeling gets too deep, and wearing it as everyday clothes feels a bit different, right?”

“Yeah, I guess so. It feels good when I’m complimented for my cosplay, but it’s not like I’m being praised for completely being myself. It feels like another version of me, the one I’m portraying, is getting the praise…”

A sort of ego dissociation, so to speak.

It could be seen as similar to being a Vtuber.

When people praised their Vtuber persona, some Vtubers took it as a compliment directed at themselves.

when they received negative comments, they confined it to that Vtuber shell and brushed it off, managing their mental health that way.

Hayoon guessed Choi Arin felt something similar.

“Hmm… Unnie.”

“Yeah? Why?”

Anyway, it seemed like it was time to end the idle chatter.

It was okay to move on to the main topic now.

“I’m planning on releasing a photobook of myself cosplaying as Scarlet.”

“You’re doing another one for Seohyun?”

“Yes, she’s our company’s best product, so we have to create and sell whatever we can. It’s been three years since the last offline event, so there will be a lot of attention.”

“Right, honestly, I’m looking forward to it too. I’ll have to wear a mask, but I think the reactions will be amazing if we go and cosplay there.”

Choi Arin, still clueless about what Hayoon was about to say, cheerfully talked about how excited she was for 2022 AGC.

And then Hayoon said,

“But our company doesn’t only have Scarlet as a Vtuber, right?”

“Right? There’s Haru too.”

“So, I wanted to ask you to cosplay as Haru…”

“Mm, that’s… huh?”

Hayoon asked Choi Arin to become her.

“Would that be okay?”

“Uh, w-well…”

It was a line almost like a confession.

Choi Arin’s face flushed crimson as she lowered her head slightly, then…

“Okay…”

She quietly nodded her head.