chapter_0041

41 – Why is Employee D Coming Out From There…?

41 – Why is Employee D Coming Out From There…?

I explained the situation well to the security guard and considered bringing her into the monitoring room where I was staying.

Thinking about it, if we stayed in the company, there might be all sorts of complicated stories about special cases and whatnot.

Staying overnight at a PC bang would be troublesome if I ended up hurting my back while sleeping.

There was no jjimjilbang nearby.

After some deliberation, I decided to take her to a 24-hour room café close by.

The floor was heated, there were plenty of blankets and cushions, and it wasn’t a bad place to get some decent sleep.

After paying the fee in advance and entering the room, Seungyeon, who was waiting inside, asked,

“Thank you! This is my first time in a place like this!”

It was my second time as well.

I think I came here for the first time with the Boss.

Before we rented the office in the Eunha Building, I remember stopping by briefly to check the place out since the timing was awkward.

The Boss had stayed up all night for a broadcast the day before and wanted to catch an hour of sleep, so I think that’s why we came here.

I let the Boss sleep in the room while I watched Batchu Batchu broadcasts outside the door.

I still remember the broadcasts of the Batchu giant, Sango Libya, and the other Batchu members.

I’m Wolf.

It was a legendary masterpiece born from a reinterpretation of the Mafia game.

At that time, Libya caught three people with the chandelier she dropped, turning the tables——.

“Um, Majiya…?”

“Oh.”

I had unknowingly drifted into a trip down memory lane with someone next to me.

I smiled faintly and guided Seungyeon.

“For now, just rest here until your interview time tomorrow. Feel free to use the bar if you want. I’ve already covered the usage fee.”

“Ah, thank you so much. I feel like I’m being such a nuisance by coming so early…”

“It’s better than coming late.”

If she had come late, the Boss would have chased her away, saying she wasn’t prepared, like a double eyelid demon wearing an eye patch.

Did I mention it before? People who come drunk. People who are late.

After passing the document and video screening with difficulty, they were deprived of the chance for an interview.

The Boss had never been late during broadcasts (based on before the founding of Parallel), so it seems like that standard is still being applied.

Dora, who is often late now, was an elite who passed the Boss’s strict standards back then.

I also think there’s nothing wrong with setting strict standards.

“Anyway, I’ll take a nap in the next room, so if you need anything, just knock on the door to wake me up.”

“Okay…! Thank you…!”

With that, I entered the next room, locked the door, and immediately laid down a cushion.

I need to sleep too.

I have to prepare for the interview tomorrow.

My sleep time was delayed by 30 minutes due to an unexpected engagement….

However, as I closed my eyes and tried to let my consciousness slip away, I heard a small sound from the next room.

— Alright. D-Rain, shall we introduce ourselves?

— Oh, hell yes. Puddles! Dropping the rain from the sky. I’m here to soak the dry ground today too!

I recognized it immediately.

It was the video from “Find the Rain” that I participated in earlier this month.

— Hey hey. Everyone, chill. Calm down. You can tell I’m the real deal. A-Rain is the real one. Why don’t you know? I’m so disappointed.

— What the. I’m going crazy. A, just chill. No matter how hard you try, the puddles won’t be fooled. It’s me, D, the real one.

I already knew that Seungyeon liked Parallel broadcasts.

… But it was a bit unexpected that she was watching Kiri cutouts without sleeping just hours before the interview.

‘Is it okay not to sleep?’

I’ve said it many times, but it’s fine if she stutters a bit and can’t speak properly.

After all, eloquence isn’t crucial for the work I do.

However, coming into the interview with tired eyes is a different story.

‘She’ll manage somehow.’

How desperate must she have been to come all the way here at this hour?

I believe that her desperation will allow her to show a good side tomorrow.

–

“… Amazing.”

In fact, Gong Seung-yeon also felt the need for sleep.

However, she couldn’t help but ponder the voice of the benefactor who had brought her here and provided her with a place to stay, knowing she could have been left alone in the building corridor.

It was a voice that felt familiar, yet had a subtle corporate vibe.

So she immediately went to Rain’s YouTube channel and watched two videos.

Then she watched Dora’s Pandemic Village video.

Finally, after quickly rewatching Komari’s “Endure the Advice” content, she became convinced.

“Is it really Jikwon D…?”

Since the voice was distinctive, she had been suspicious since their first meeting.

The more she thought about it, the more it felt like Jikwon D.

After all, didn’t she always say she was busy—staying in the dark office until 2 AM was a bit scary, but still.

“Your avatar really resembles you.”

In the last Komari video she watched, the only difference between Jikwon D’s avatar, which only moved its mouth, and the real Jikwon D was whether it was 2D or 3D.

Why, for a while, didn’t it become a trend on Shorts to use drawing AI to turn 2D illustrations into semi-realistic images?

If you delve into the details, there are plenty of differences.

Like the blue-tinted hair or the bright-colored eyes.

Since the main points that determine the impression are similar, if you input Jikwon D’s avatar into the AI, it would likely produce something resembling Majiya.

What was surprising was that Gong Seung-yeon, a notorious 2D lover, felt a slight affection for the real Jikwon D.

Even though it was an unrigged avatar, it was enough to captivate Gong Seung-yeon, who had no particular interest in 3D.

That was the first impression of the person named Majiya.

“Could it be that we’ll be working together…?”

Gong Seung-yeon had forgotten that Majiya was already guarding the company until 2 AM.

After all, isn’t Jikwon D at the center of the recent buzz among Parallel fans?

So many people want her to broadcast properly, yet she continues to maintain her mystique, creating a crazy level of curiosity.

Is that person a senior?

“Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Wow. If it’s real, wow.”

Anyway, the important thing is the interview tomorrow.

People need to sleep to speak coherently.

Setting an alarm, Gong Seung-yeon closed her eyes.

Determined to show everything she had prepared in the interview tomorrow.

“Hello….”

“Welcome, Gong Seung-yeon. You may take a seat.”

“Ah, yes. Yes.”

Following Cheon Do-hee’s guidance, Gong Seung-yeon took her seat, her eyes shaking as if an earthquake had struck.

She had simulated countless scenarios, but she had never imagined Majiya would come in as the interviewer!

‘What is this? Was she at a much higher rank than I thought…?!’

In the center was clearly the Boss, Momo, and the man sitting to the right was glaring at Gong Seung-yeon with a fierce gaze as if he wanted to kill her.

How could an ordinary employee sit in a place like this?

That didn’t make sense.

With a voice that felt very young and youthful, she had assumed that the person staying late at the office would naturally be someone of lower rank.

Perhaps that assumption was completely wrong.

In short, a girl hiding her strength. That might have been Majiya.

‘Um… I hope I didn’t make any mistakes yesterday…? I shouldn’t have…?’

Amidst Gong Seung-yeon’s confusion, Cheon Do-hee, who was fiddling with the resume, spoke.

“First, could you please introduce yourself in one minute?”

“Yes!”

Still, she needed to pull herself together.

It was the interview of a lifetime.

Gong Seung-yeon lightly shook her head and began to recite the prepared content like a machine.

“Hello, I’m Gong Seung-yeon, graduating from the Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department at Junglim University this summer, and I’m currently preparing for employment. My hobbies are watching Parallel broadcasts and participating in them. My specialty is fixing broken electronic devices. I applied because I want to help the first generation of idols in Parallel, whom I cherish dearly, and also to assist future generations! Thank you!”

Upon hearing that, Do-hee smiled.

“You fix electronic devices? By yourself?”

“Ah, yes. I sometimes fix friends’ phones or tablets when they suddenly won’t turn on. I use YouTube, Goggles, and GPT for help…”

“That’s impressive. What does the team leader think?”

Majiya, who was sitting to the right of Cheon Do-hee, blinked for a moment and then spoke in a clear voice.

“Actually, repairs can be handled by professional AS or by purchasing new ones. It’s not particularly important. Recognizing the cause of the malfunction or the faulty equipment quickly is more important.”

“… Ah.”

“I’ll ask a specific question. Suppose a broadcast that was going smoothly suddenly breaks down. You need to go fix it, excluding travel time. Can you find the cause and resolve it within 10 minutes upon arriving at the broadcast environment?”

Majiya’s voice was similar yesterday and today.

However, the pressure of realizing that Majiya was at a higher rank than she thought.

Worrying whether she was uncomfortable coming late yesterday.

Both of those feelings weighed heavily on Gong Seung-yeon.

But she had to overcome it.

While the desire to help the other members was the main reason, Gong Seung-yeon also harbored the thought of wanting to work with Jikwon D.

“Yes. I believe it’s possible within 10 minutes if it’s not a major issue. However, if the equipment is completely broken, I will definitely notify and take responsibility to protect the Virtual Youtuber!

Of course, I think it’s most important to prepare in advance to prevent related issues from occurring. If I take on that task, I will minimize related issues through regular inspections!”

Majiya smirked and then asked another question.

“As you probably know from watching broadcasts often, they are usually conducted late at night. If a broadcast issue arises while you’re at home after work due to unavoidable circumstances, what should you do then?”

She tried to look scary, as if to intimidate, but she was just a sulky girl.

However, Gong Seung-yeon, mistaking Majiya for a high-ranking person, answered very sincerely.

“I would immediately contact the members, rush over, and fix it to normalize the broadcast.”

“Even if it’s at 3 or 4 AM, this late at night?”

“I think it’s only natural since the members’ broadcasts go on late into the night!”

At those words, Majiya nodded and smiled.

“That’s nice.”

That smile was quite cute.

‘… No, this isn’t the time to be thinking like that. I need to focus.’

Finding someone high up cute.

What kind of thoughts is that during an interview?

As Gong Seung-yeon lightly shook her head, Cheon Do-hee threw the next question.

“Then, I’d like to hear about your motivation for applying. Well, you mentioned liking Parallel earlier, so let’s skip that. I’d like to know how you came to like it and why you want to work here.”

Sigh. Hah.

Gong Seung-yeon had prepared a long speech about this.

After all, this was the part she wanted to talk about the most.

“Parallel is a sanctuary for my heart. I still remember it clearly; I was really exhausted while preparing for my graduation exams.

At that time, I happened to hear Komari’s cover of ‘Top of the Top.’ It was really by chance. I just stopped by a PC bang for some research, and the part-timer had it playing.”

“Top of the Top.”

With an exciting guitar session, it pursues extreme lightness and freshness by layering violin and snare drums on top, a song famous for its lyrics that convey courage and hope to overcome any adversity.

“I learned Japanese from a young age, so I could understand the lyrics. Hearing lines like ‘Don’t be scared, don’t be anxious, be brave’ made me feel empowered, especially combined with Komari’s powerful voice.

Before that, I had been so overwhelmed by studying for exams that I was considering giving up. But after listening to the song, my motivation surged like a volcano erupting.”

The appearance of such dazzling phrases made the HR manager stifle a laugh.

It’s rare for a nervous new applicant to express everything they want to say without stumbling, and it was also entertaining.

“So, from that day on, I thought, if I ever get the chance to utilize my major in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, I must join Parallel. Even if the work is tough and demanding, I can do anything for the members.

That’s the result of this application. If you choose me, I will do my best in my assigned duties!”

The genuine love for something tends to be conveyed without needing to be explicitly stated.

Perhaps that’s why Majiya nodded briefly and asked,

“I can feel your love for Komari. Is she your favorite?”

“Ah yes! She’s my golden leaf!”

“Wow, you must have sponsored her a lot?”

“Ehehe. It’s a bit embarrassing, but about five million won over ten months….”

“Where did you get that money? Isn’t this your first time job hunting?”

“I’ve done both long-term and short-term part-time jobs. To send a message of support to Komari, I had to do that much.”

“Then, did you happen to watch Komari’s ‘Endure the Advice’ broadcast recently?”

“Ah.”

Gong Seung-yeon’s expression suddenly turned gloomy.

“That… I was busy preparing for the interview, so I watched the edited version.”

“Oh dear. At least you watched the edited version, that’s a relief.”

“Yes…! I was able to see a lot of sides I don’t usually get to see! Especially when Jikwon D was trying to hold back bad words while moving Atak, she kept repeating words, which was really funny since it’s a mistake that smart Komari rarely makes….”

“That was funny. Did you watch the Rubber Duck House the next day?”

“I was worried about Komari’s mental state. The number of viewers that day exceeded a thousand. Most of the videos were familiar to me, but it seemed like Komari was seeing many for the first time, and she was having a meltdown.”

“So, did you send any viewers that day?”

“……… No.”

Majiya didn’t miss Gong Seung-yeon’s drawn-out answer.

“Really didn’t send any?”

After pondering for a while with her eyes downcast, Gong Seung-yeon said firmly.

“… Actually, I sent 51!”

A moment of silence.

After that, Majiya jumped up and shouted.

“Accepted.”

Author’s Note (Author’s Afterword)

Unfortunately, dear readers, the weekly serialization train will pause here for a bit!

I’ll take some time to recover and stock up before returning to the serialization train!!

Thank you always!!!!!!!!!!