chapter_0019

19 – Grow Up Healthy

19 – Grow Up Healthy

It looked precarious, but fortunately, no problems arose immediately.

A gun that was fired without proper aim was unlikely to hit the Boss, so it quickly resulted in death and a game over.

If even one piece of equipment breaks, I would have to submit a payment request while munching on a McMuffin, Dora would have to write an explanation, and the broadcast would crash.

You might think that expensive items wouldn’t break so easily, but even a smartphone worth over a million won can get damaged just by falling awkwardly on the floor. Electronics are like a flatfish.

So, if Dora continues to swing her blind hands like this, it wouldn’t be surprising if something broke at any moment—though I suspect the mouse cable would be the first to go.

I whispered softly into Dora’s ear, who was busy whining without knowing anything.

“Wait a moment, say you’re going to the bathroom and turn off the mic.”

“Ugh… ugh… I want to go to the bathroom… ugh….”

— Go ahead

— Come back

— Ah, I want something to drink too

— I almost choked while eating

— How does the aim bounce like that? LOL

— Another legend today, ah LOL

:: An anonymous supporter donated 1,000 Clouds! ::

:: I don’t have dental insuranceㅠㅠㅠ ::

Leaving behind the chat room filled with the viewers’ chatter, I confirmed that the mic was off and spoke to Dora.

“I figured out the cause of the problems that arise when playing horror games.”

After wiping her damp eyes with her sleeve, Dora blew her nose into a tissue beside her.

“What do you mean…?”

“It was a habit during gameplay that was the problem.”

“Habit…?”

I showed her a video I had recorded of Dora earlier.

In the video, Dora was shaking her head from side to side while frantically sweeping the desk with her right hand as if she were mopping.

Dora looked at it and muttered in disbelief.

“Do I really do that when I play games?”

“Yes. It’s something else, right?”

“No… it’s not something else?!”

Anyway, since we found the cause, it was time to fix it.

“… What are you doing?”

I firmly held Dora’s head from behind her chair so she could look straight at the screen.

“I noticed you kept looking elsewhere and swinging your arms. If you do that, there’s no reason for the mouse to go where it shouldn’t.”

I thought maybe we could just move the equipment further away, but it was already placed at a distance that was oddly hard for Dora to reach.

After experiencing several issues in the past and moving things around, Dora had left it untouched, and I had placed it in a position that was easy for me to manage.

In other words, rather than causing a fuss by changing the position right away, the easiest and simplest solution was to just prevent Dora from reaching out with her arms.

“If I do that, I can’t progress. It’s scary, I’m scared!!”

“If you’re scared, does that mean the broadcast ends?”

“Ugh. I can still broadcast without doing this?!”

“Then you’ll have equipment issues again. This is the right way.”

“Ugh….”

As Dora’s return was delayed, the chat room was starting to get noisy.

— Where did she go? LOL

— Did she run away?

— Sister?

— I knew she’d freak out while playing a horror game someday LOL

— Another legend LOL

— Did she abandon the broadcast?

— Are you abandoning the Hatchlings? Your team?!

Dora, who was looking at the chat room, frowned and sighed.

“I’ll just try to look straight ahead and not touch the equipment….”

“You said it was scary. Wouldn’t it be hard to do it alone?”

“B-but. If you could help me in a slightly different way…?”

Dora hesitated, glancing between the chat room and my face before saying this.

“It might sound strange, but it’s not for any other reason; it’s for stability. Would it be okay if I put Jia on my lap…?”

I thought the moment had finally come.

I had just been waiting for the right timing for it to come up.

And hearing that made something naturally come to mind.

Right.

When Komari was around, there were no equipment issues, right?

That broadcast was quite a while ago, and seeing Dora in that state earlier made me realize I hadn’t thought of it.

“Then can you avoid causing a fuss like earlier?”

Dora nodded with her lips pouted.

If she wants it, then she should do it.

It’s a simple method, but going around it isn’t my style.

Though it might feel strangely like being wrapped in the arms of a sister.

If that could resolve the issue, then so be it.

“Then let’s do that.”

As I jumped onto Dora’s thigh, she carefully hugged me from behind.

In this position, the upper body motion tracking wouldn’t work, so I turned off the Live 2D and switched to an illustration Avatar.

Soon, it seemed the viewers noticed something and were busy laughing.

This was the same setup that had barely cleared the game when Komari was there.

— So that fusion has finally happened

— This setup is good

— We cleared it like this with Komari LOL

— I’m glad I can still fix my broken teeth even now

With that, Dora immediately turned on the mic and dove into the game.

From what she was saying, it felt like watching a newly awakened hero.

With the change in her voice, a mission for support was also set.

:: Mission ::

:: (New) Take it when you clear – 50,000 Clouds ::

“Phew, from now on, I’m going to get serious! Thanks for the mission! Guys, did I put on my gaming suit? Let’s go all the way from here. We can do it, it’s possible.”

— I’m not expecting anything~

— I feel like you’ll soon be crying for help LOL

— Serious? Game

The funny thing is, even though I was just sitting on her thigh, she had completely changed.

“Ahhh!”

The coward had just become a coward.

But unlike earlier when she was busy running away, she was now looking straight at the monitor and seemed ready to face the monsters properly.

“Die! Ahhh, die! Die already!!”

Even though her aim was still clumsy and she occasionally made us laugh by shooting monsters in ridiculous ways, unlike before, she was now accurately aiming at the enemies and moving forward.

— She’s growing, she’s growing, she’s growing

— Look at her screaming so earnestly LOL

— Is she angry or scared? LOL

Of course, I still didn’t understand why her demeanor changed depending on whether I was there or not.

After all, she had never mentioned anything like that during the broadcast.

However, reflecting on the conversation we had back then, I could formulate a hypothesis that encompassed both the Komari incident and this one.

[Dora: Oh, today?]

[Dora: But since we’re together, maybe I feel a little more at ease…]

[Dora: I don’t really know either, hehe]

Regarding the real lives of Virtual YouTubers, the company tends not to interfere too directly.

After all, the company wants talents who can broadcast without issues, and their goal is to find suitable people, nurture them, and elevate them to the top.

So what I need to know is that as long as Dora has backup, there won’t be any issues when playing horror games.

It would be even better if Komari could come, but on days when she can’t due to her schedule, I can just be a substitute.

Even if I’m on standby at the company or watching from the side, the work environment wouldn’t be too different, and the issues that arise when Dora plays horror games can be completely preempted.

Perfect.

This is the essence of Majiya thinking.

It’s lucky, right?

Midnight.

After finishing her short broadcast, Dohee left a closing remark to prepare for work the next day.

“Then, see you in two days, Mong Mongs.”

— Moba ㅠㅠ

— Moba

— Don’t goooooo

— Moba!

— Don’t go (sniffle) (sniffle)

— Moba!”

— moba~

— moba (kiss emoji)

Right after the broadcast ended, Dohee logged in with her secondary account and headed straight to Dora’s broadcast.

[Ahhh, ahhh! Don’t come! Don’t come! I’m out of bullets! What do I do, what do I do!!]

As soon as she turned on the broadcast, a scream that could shatter eardrums erupted.

Dohee frowned and turned the broadcast volume down to half.

[ (🔴Live) ] It’s too scary, I called my friend ] 👪7,891

#Pandemic_Village #Parallel #Coward

At this late hour, even though it was the latest game, there were nearly 8,000 viewers watching a game that had already passed its trend.

Considering that Dohee, with over five times the number of YouTube subscribers, had just finished her broadcast with around 13,000 viewers on a weekday early morning, it was an astonishing figure beyond imagination.

Assuming that Dora maintains about 5-6,000 viewers while playing horror games, it calculates that Jia brought in about 1-2,000 viewers.

Those viewers could have come from other classmates’ broadcasts, Momo’s broadcast, or perhaps simple Battle Colosseum users who hadn’t been watching Parallel until now.

However, what’s clear is that Jia has begun to develop a fixed fanbase.

These 1-2,000 viewers are the number of people who have dropped everything else—other broadcasts, tasks, games—to come watch Jia.

Considering that the average viewer count for first-generation students is around 3-4,000, it’s a remarkable figure for someone who has only shown her face twice without an Avatar.

If those people fully integrate into the Parallel fandom, it would be nothing short of wonderful for Dohee.

It’s great, but…

‘This is probably the limit.’

These viewers could scatter at any moment unless they are captivated by something special; they are like cyber phantoms, drifting along with trends.

They don’t have a fixed Favorite, no specific channels they regularly watch, and even if they subscribe to several, it doesn’t mean they’ll definitely come to watch.

It’s a number that could converge to zero at any time.

In other words, to firmly hold onto those over 2,000 viewers, a new weapon is needed.

For someone doing a cam broadcast, it would be a beautifully decorated self and an expensive cam setup to show that.

For a Virtual YouTuber, or someone who would blend with a Virtual YouTuber, it would be an attractively drawn illustration, that is, an Avatar.

‘But, well, it’s Jia, so it can’t be helped.’

However, Dohee didn’t want to pressure Majiya just to hold onto 2,000 viewers.

Having watched the Virtual YouTuber scene for a long time, she might think immediately upon seeing an Avatar made with money, “Oh, she’s debuting?”

Majiya is a dedicated employee who believes that if she invests in herself, she must create value in return, so she needs to be extra careful.

She probably wouldn’t accept gifts even if the malicious Majiya fan club appeared and offered them saying, “It’s a gift.”

Saying she doesn’t deserve to have fans.

Anyway, while Dohee was organizing her thoughts, Dora finished Chapter 2 and took her last break before diving into the highly anticipated Chapter 3.

[Chulrini, I need to go to the bathroom and get some water… Why is this game so long? The amount is insane. It’s like a mountain of rice…]

— It’s GOTY, right?

— It’s not awarded for no reason

— The 95% positive rating for Shitdim doesn’t look like it, ah LOL

— Honestly, we should have been halfway through Chapter 3 by now, but it’s because the beginning was all grilled LOL

Dora, who we thought was going to the bathroom, suddenly sent a message.

Zing.

[Dora: Boss]

[Dora: Are you sleeping by any chance?]

[Dora: I thought you’d be done with your broadcast by now, so I’m sending this]

It seemed like she had timed her message perfectly with the end of Dohee’s broadcast.

In reality, Dohee had planned to watch the broadcast for about five minutes before going to bed.

[Me: I’m not sleeping, why?]

[Dora: Can I draw a fan art for Jia?]

Suddenly?

[Me: You haven’t drawn in a while, have you?]

[Dora: I’m really grateful for everything you’ve done for me today, so I wanted to do something in returnㅠㅠㅠ]

[Dora: If you hadn’t come, it would have been a disaster today]

[Me: Oh, so you want to repay me?]

The logic was clear.

Today, Majiya was undoubtedly a benefactor and a support for Dora.

[Dora: But I don’t really have anything to give you]

[Dora: It feels a bit funny to give you money as thanks]

[Dora: So I wanted to draw you something]

[Dora: I can draw well, you know? Hehehe]

Sleep was slowly creeping in on Dohee.

After all, she was instinctively curious.

… What happens to the gifts given to Jia by her affiliated Virtual YouTuber?

[Me: Can you ask Jia first and then let me know?]

[Dora: Yes!]

Majiya answered casually.

“Sure.”

“Really?”

“Yes. There’s no reason to dislike it.”

As Dohee had expected, the gifts sent by fans would have been declined by Jia.

Saying she doesn’t deserve to receive such things.

However, Dora is not a fan.

Even if it seems like she isn’t, she is ranked higher than Jia, and she can actually draw well.

Though she hasn’t had time to draw properly lately, Dora can create illustrations that are good enough to sell for money if she puts her mind to it.

What would it feel like if her cuter self became 2D?

Honestly, it would be a lie to say I wasn’t curious.

“I’ll draw you really cute. So if you come on the broadcast again, will you use my drawing? Hehe.”

However, since Dora was still on air, it wasn’t the time to continue this conversation.

As the viewers’ wait was getting longer, Jia quickly nodded, saying she understood.

“Okay, let’s get back to the broadcast. The viewers are waiting.”

“Ah, I just need to send one message….”

“Stop chatting with someone while broadcasting.”

“Boss, it’s you!”

[Dora: Jia likes you!]

[Dora: She really likes you, hehe]

[Dora: She said she’ll use it when she comes on the broadcast later!]

[Dora: I have to draw it super cute~]

Dohee was left in a daze by Dora’s reply.

“Are you accepting this?”

Thanks to that, the whereabouts of the 2,000 viewers became clear.

In any case, she had accepted one more task.

That is, appearing on the broadcast and assisting the Virtual YouTuber.

The fans’ excitement can be calmed down with a suitable excuse.

After all, when a Virtual YouTuber’s family or friends appear on the broadcast, it’s an industry norm to prepare illustrations similar to the Virtual YouTuber and integrate them into the same universe.

However, now that an Avatar has been created, and since Jia has decided to use it.

This could be seen as a significant turning point for Majiya.

Signal Flare and Jikwon D.

Between the two, Jia’s identity has not yet been clearly established.

If she meets the viewers’ expectations and shows her star qualities, she will debut.

If she maintains her current stance, she will be recognized as an employee.

Since the starting point is heavily tilted towards the latter, it seems more likely that she will simply be completed as an employee with an Avatar.

However, the former is not entirely impossible.

Considering the names of D-Rain, which was eerily identical, and the now-famous Signal Flare…

Of course, this won’t be decided overnight.

Ultimately, Majiya’s intentions are the most important for Dohee.

“Yawn…”

So, thinking that imagining it now doesn’t hold much significance.

With a big yawn, Dohee comfortably fell asleep.

Author’s Note (Author’s Afterword)

I failed to control the length, so it’s a mountain of rice compared to usual…!

Thank you for 100,000 views and 3,000 early subscriptions!!!!!