Chapter 87: She’s like my daughter

“Hwaaaaah… I feel like I’m going to dieeee…”

Cosmo Live headquarters lounge. Fall, having finished filming in the studio, slowly threw herself onto the sofa.

The fitness broadcast, which had now become fixed content, always left Fall exhausted.

Once she started a penalty broadcast, she had to fill at least 3 hours, so it was natural to be tired.

“Good work today too, Fall.”

Daon, who had entered the lounge, took a cool ion drink from the refrigerator and tossed it to Fall.

“Hey, be honest. You’re being late on purpose, right? Huh?”

“Heeing… It wasn’t on purpose. And I wasn’t even late by that many minutes…”

“Being exactly 2 or 3 minutes late is even more malicious, you brat.”

“Ahaha…”

Fall gave an awkward laugh and sipped the ion drink.

On the label stuck to the PET bottle, Fall’s avatar with her hair tied up in a single ponytail was printed.

After pushing a sporty image, she had finally succeeded in landing an advertisement for an ion drink company.

“…But Sacho.”

Fall, who was catching her breath while drinking, looked at Daon with a serious expression.

“That rumor, is it true?”

“What rumor?”

“That Jina Mama is signing an exclusive contract with Nise Live…”

At Fall’s words, Daon’s eyes wavered for a very brief moment.

Recently, rumors that Nise Live had contacted Jina began to spread, primarily through the community.

Youngjun was convinced that Nise Live had intentionally leaked the information.

Daon also agreed with that opinion.

“It’s true an offer went to Jina, but it’s not what you’re thinking.”

‘It was just an offer to a freelancer to work on one project together,’ Daon said, gently trying to soothe her.

Nevertheless, Fall’s expression remained dark.

“But if Jina-nim leaves…”

“Nothing’s decided yet, so why worry in advance.”

As Daon patted her shoulder, Fall managed a strained smile, her eyes slightly reddened.

The person who made Seasons’ new bodies.

The person who created the best stages so each member could shine.

The person who always reliably supported them from behind, even during tough times.

Now closer than family.

Someone she perhaps believed would naturally be by her side.

For Fall.

No, for all of Seasons.

Jina is an indispensable existence.

---

Winter.

No, Seo-ah.

After finishing her personal broadcast, lay on her bed, staring blankly at her smartphone screen for a while.

The name displayed in the contacts on the screen was none other than ‘Jina Mama’.

After a short deliberation, Seo-ah took a deep breath and cautiously pressed the call button.

[Winter-nim? What’s wrong?]

After a few rings, a low, calm voice was heard.

For Jina to answer the phone immediately, today was quite a lucky day.

“You don’t seem very busy today?”

[I was working while watching Winter-nim’s broadcast and was just taking a short break. What’s up?]

At Jina’s words, Seo-ah’s cheeks flushed hotly.

She had something she wanted to say.

But the heat surged, melting it away in her throat.

“Th-that horror game you made last time! Do you know how scary it was?!”

Her trembling lips uttered whatever words came out.

[Haha… But you cleared it, right? There weren’t any game over elements either.]

“But! That was a horror game totally targeted at me and Spring! Do you know how scared I was, thinking my body was really going to be taken?”

At Seo-ah’s complaint, a low laugh was heard from the other side of the smartphone.

As she pictured Jina smiling.

A smile spread across Seo-ah’s lips too.

After a ticklish silence, Seo-ah cautiously spoke.

“Jina-nim, I heard you’re going to work with Nise Live?”

[…I’ve only received an offer. How did you find out, by any chance?]

“Actually… Manager-nim gave me a hint. I thought no way… but it was true.”

Surprisingly, she didn’t feel jealous or angry.

Rather, it was an empty, hollow feeling.

“It’s a good… opportunity.”

[Well. It’s an opportunity if you call it that, but I’m not particularly keen on it, or rather, I don’t really know what to do…]

“…Then, can’t you just not accept the offer?”

Words she would never usually say.

But given the situation.

Given that the other person was Jina.

Whining she uttered without realizing it.

“I’m afraid Jina-nim… will just go to Nise Live like this…”

[Winter-nim, where would I go? Just because I work with Nise Live doesn’t mean I won’t do Cosmo Live’s work, and besides, I’m a freelancer in the first place…]

“Still, I feel like we’ll grow a little distant.”

A slight tremor tinged the end of her words.

Because she was too hasty, because she felt like she clung on too much.

Because she worried this might make her lose favor.

[Winter.]

“…Yes.”

[Don’t worry too much. Seasons are like my daughters.]

“…!!”

At the indifferent yet affectionate words.

Seo-ah’s cheeks flushed hotly.

[Ah… It wasn’t anything special, just that Daon and I discussed regularly taking care of Seasons, something like that.]

“Hehe… I know. I know, but I was just worried. So I whined a little, Mama.”

Winter, after ending the call, held her smartphone tightly in both hands for a while.

The anxiety in her chest was slowly melting away.

Just like snow melts.

---

Nise Live Korea Branch’s conference room was impeccably clean, without a single unnecessary item.

Jina sat in the center of the conference room, quietly looking around.

It was as expected.

Extremely neat, but equally stiff.

‘We could have just met on VR Chat,’ she thought.

While Jina let out a hwaaaam- yawn, the conference room door opened, and Se-yeon entered with a smile.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

A neat black suit and perfectly styled short hair.

As Se-yeon’s eyes met Jina’s, she politely bowed her head.

“Nice to meet you for the first time. I am Yoon Se-yeon, Branch Manager of Nise Live Korea.”

“Nice to meet you. I am Na Jina.”

After a simple greeting, Se-yeon sat down and immediately presented documents to Jina.

As Jina lowered her gaze to check the contents of the documents, Se-yeon quietly opened her mouth.

“First, would you please sign the confidentiality agreement? I will explain the project after you’ve signed.”

It was an expected event. It was also a natural procedure.

However, she couldn’t help but feel it was a little, just a little, bothersome.

Jina, without showing any particular expression, skimmed through the agreement, signed at the bottom, and returned the documents.

Only after Se-yeon neatly organized the agreement Jina had signed by hand and placed it in a file did she move on to the main topic.

“The project we are preparing this time is a solo concert for our 3rd generation talent, Kamishiro Rei.”

Along with Se-yeon’s words, the wall screen brightened, and a glamorous image of Kamishiro Rei filled the screen.

It was a VTuber Jina also knew well.

The ace of the 3rd generation, and the first Korean-born VTuber to form a global fandom with the active support of the main headquarters.

‘Of all people, Cosmo Live’s…’

The not-so-secret secret about her past life was famous enough for even Jina to know.

But Jina deliberately didn’t voice that fact.

“This project is a very important event for us as well.”

Se-yeon operated the tablet, displaying a 3D bird’s-eye view of the concert stage on the screen.

“We are planning a special 3D stage that transcends the limits of the VTuber market and encompasses both reality and virtuality.”

Se-yeon’s fingertip moved smoothly across the screen.

“Existing VTuber live stages merely provided screens to the on-site audience…”

Soon, along with flashy lights, Rei’s 3D model appeared dancing on stage.

“We aim to provide a more vivid 3D experience at this performance.”

Rei’s avatar in the screen came off the stage, floated above the audience seats, waved to the audience, and communicated naturally.

“What I’m showing you now is one example; our ultimate goal is to create a realistic live experience where virtual artists and audiences can directly communicate.”

Jina looked with interest at Kamishiro Rei’s avatar moving freely above the audience seats on the screen.

It was stage direction that very well utilized the concept of a celestial maiden who came down from heaven curious about the human world.

“If you intend to implement this as a real-time live performance, there will be technical difficulties.”

“That’s why I really wanted to ask Jina. From stage design to the avatar’s natural movements, I’m confident that with Jina’s technical skills, live implementation is sufficiently possible.”

Jina once again skimmed the stage composition on the screen and muttered.

“It certainly… looks interesting.”

At Jina’s short remark, Se-yeon’s eyes briefly lit up.

“If you work with Nise Live, you’ll be able to experience projects of an even larger scale than this.”

Seizing the opportunity, Se-yeon naturally proposed to Jina.

“How about it? Signing an exclusive contract with us on this occasion…”

“I appreciate the offer, but an exclusive contract is difficult. I prefer working as a freelancer.”

There was not a shred of hesitation in her refusal.

“Understood. Then, for now, I’d appreciate your help with just this project.”

‘There’s plenty of time to persuade her.’

‘Through this project, I’ll get close to Jina and somehow make her Nise Live’s artist,’ she resolved.

Se-yeon shook hands with Jina.