Chapter 153: Brilliant debut, Part 1

Time flew by.

It was the day before the big event.

Hayoon held a BGG Company executive meeting at a nearby café.

The “executives” were just Hayoon, Choi Arin, and Do Jin-ho.

“First, can all the chat moderators make it?”

“Yeah, the contracts require them to attend offline events. I also prioritized hiring physically capable men who had completed military service, so it should be fine.”

“Good.”

Hayoon started by checking on the chat moderators, managed by Do Jin-ho.

While called “moderators,” they were officially BGG Company employees, required to attend offline events.

They also needed staff at the studio for the virtual concert, but…

“Just to confirm, our debut concert is on Saturday, right? At the Red Stage?”

“Right. Our merchandise, besides Scarlet’s, is basically unknown, so… what time on Saturday is it again?”

“Noon, I think. Hayoon and I have cosplay photoshoots at 11 and 1:30, so the only slot in between is noon.”

“That’s right.”

“Jin-ho, you’ll be at Ilsan on Sunday, so stay in Seoul on Saturday to manage the staff. I can only rely on you at the venue.”

“Okay, no problem.”

Do Jin-ho, as BGG Company’s general manager, would manage the Vtubers at the studio during the concert.

Having escaped his cramped, smelly room, he was now managing attractive women, a significant upgrade.

“But if I’m at the studio, who will handle the merchandise setup?”

“We’ve already shipped the pre-ordered merchandise to Ilsan, and I’ll go early Saturday morning to set things up.”

Booth setup wasn’t a major concern.

AGC booths were far more professional than those at smaller events.

They had designated staff areas, so they just needed to display the merchandise.

Managing the crowds would be the bigger challenge.

They wouldn’t be short-staffed without Do Jin-ho.

“Well, if you say so.”

Do Jin-ho, seeing Hayoon’s confidence, nodded. However, he still had one concern.

“Will the… merchandise sell?”

“I think so… It’s Scarlet merchandise, after all…”

“Right…?”

Scarlet had over 70,000 followers and 200,000 YouTube subscribers, a significant achievement during the pandemic.

“If her fans show up, we should at least break even…”

“We’ve set the quantities so that even if only Scarlet’s merchandise sells out, we won’t lose money.

Let’s just hope for the best.”

Hayoon, banking on Scarlet’s popularity, was optimistic.

She needed to be; otherwise, the pressure would be overwhelming.

Do Jin-ho, unaware of her inner turmoil, changed the subject.

“You’re not cosplaying on Sunday?”

“Two days in a row is tough.”

“Yeah, especially with the official photoshoot.

People are less likely to ask for photos if we look too professional.”

“Ah, I get what you mean.”

They moved on from work-related topics.

“It’s harder to approach cosplayers who have professional photographers taking their photos. They feel like celebrities.”

“It’s the ‘popular girl’ vibe. The ones with professional photographers are usually popular streamers, and the people who buy merchandise at these events don’t usually watch those kinds of streams.”

“Yeah, even if I don’t know who they are, they seem popular, so it feels like there’s a barrier.”

Do Jin-ho agreed with Hayoon and Choi Arin.

Most attendees had to overcome their shyness to approach cosplayers for photos.

A beautiful woman, surrounded by professional photographers, being approached by someone with a phone camera for a selfie… it was intimidating.

Do Jin-ho, having experienced this himself, understood.

“If you’re going early Saturday, shouldn’t you go to Ilsan tonight? I’ll pay for a taxi.”

“We’re planning to go after the meeting.”

“We booked a motel room in Ilsan. We’ll sleep there and enter KINTEX through the staff entrance in the morning.”

“Hmm…?”

Do Jin-ho was surprised by their casual mention of sharing a motel room.

Before the pandemic, he had often seen posts online about people looking to share motel rooms for AGC, but those were always from men.

He was curious about this seemingly common practice among women, but…

‘Better not to ask. There’s no one here to smooth things over if I say something stupid. I could ruin the mood.’

Being socially aware, he chose to remain silent.

Another day passed.

Hayoon and Choi Arin stayed at a motel near KINTEX. They woke up around 6 AM, got ready, and headed to the venue. Thanks to a hearty breakfast, the initial booth setup was already complete when they arrived.

“Wow, great work! You’re Jin-soo and Min-gi, right?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Welcome.”

A few familiar faces greeted Hayoon at the BGG Company booth.

They were the chat moderators. While Hayoon could have assigned a couple of them to the studio and brought Do Jin-ho to the venue, they were all relatively new hires, so she didn’t fully trust them with the Vtubers’ identities.

It was safer for her face, which was already known to some, to be seen at the venue.

Protecting the identities of Trinity and Scarlet was paramount.

‘Their faces aren’t the problem. It’s the potential for online harassment if their identities are revealed.’

Hayoon, prioritizing security, briefly greeted the moderators and entered the booth.

“Hmm, this is nice.”

The exterior of the booth was decorated with Scarlet and Trinity illustrations and life-sized standees.

The interior was simpler, with plain white display shelves.

While potentially plain-looking, the walls were adorned with desk pads and chest mousepads, creating a merchandise store atmosphere.

“Very straightforward, right?”

“Definitely good. You hired a professional setup team, right?”

“Yeah, we didn’t have enough manpower.”

Having hired a professional team, experienced with setting up booths at similar events, the booth looked well-organized without Hayoon’s intervention. Even Choi Arin approved.

However…

“Shouldn’t we place the Scarlet chest mousepads lower? People will buy the desk pads regardless, but the chest mousepads are…”

“Niche items, so they need to be at eye level to attract buyers.”

“Right, you know what you’re doing.”

“Have you even bought a chest mousepad, Unnie? How do you know this stuff?”

“I… did some research online. I was nervous about the event, so…”

“Hee hee… want to help me rearrange things?”

There was always room for improvement.

Hayoon and Choi Arin spent hours tweaking the merchandise display.

“CEO! Thirty minutes until opening!”

“Okay!”

Jin-soo, one of the chat moderators, informed Hayoon about the approaching opening time.

“Time to change.”

“Let’s go.”

It was time to change into their cosplays.

Hayoon and Choi Arin smiled at each other and headed to the changing room.

Do Jin-ho wondered, “Do women usually share motel rooms for these kinds of events?”