chapter_0054

54 – Majia is a Communicative Disorder

54 – Majia is a Communicative Disorder

The concert held the next day for the first anniversary was, well, nothing short of spectacular.

A huge success!

Tickets sold nearly 40,000, almost double the conservative estimate.

Even after giving a portion of the commission to YouTube, which supported the online concert ticket sales, it was still a significant amount.

It was truly a jackpot like no other.

Of course, the money spent on renting the motion capture studio for a month while preparing for the concert was in the tens of millions of won.

After deducting various expenses such as 3D modeling, rigging production costs, and song production costs that weren’t recouped just from the showcase broadcast.

Considering the costs for the next content, new outfits, and investments for the second generation?

It seemed like there wouldn’t be much left over.

According to the Boss, that’s the story.

Still, just seeing the Boss’s face light up in just one day confirmed that the concert had gone well.

If we continue to steadily generate profit, attract investments through management performance, and grow the company size?

Perhaps we could escape from this small studio of about 15 pyeong on the 9th floor of the building and build a massive studio like Batchu Batchu.

With that, we could truly plan 3D content at will.

Anyone could come and broadcast if they wanted, opening a paradise for virtual YouTubers.

Of course, the motion capture studio owned by Batchu Batchu cost around 30 billion won to establish. Even a smaller studio that could accommodate ten people would cost about 5 billion won.

Parallel, we still have a long way to go.

We have to work harder, I suppose.

Time passed, and the following Tuesday arrived.

Today, Majiya was once again fused with the sofa in the Boss’s office.

Dohee had been groaning softly for a while.

Seeing her deep in thought, Jia quietly fiddled with her phone, sensing it was a topic too difficult for Dohee to share with anyone.

Then, with a thud.

“I can’t take it anymore.”

Dohee slammed her hand on the desk and walked over, plopping down on the sofa.

Since she could see the Boss’s legs from her position, Jia also subtly lifted her body.

“I’ve been thinking about it.”

“About what?”

“You. The review broadcast. There’s a problem.”

When Majiya first suggested doing a broadcast, Dohee had initially considered it positively.

However, even though she had said it was a good idea when she heard it, as they moved toward the realization stage, numerous obstacles began to appear.

“We’re overloaded with work.”

“I’ve been off for two weeks in a row.”

“Right now, it’s fine. You had the leisure to go to the PC room with me. But when the second generation comes in, I don’t know. If we’re doing reviews every month, the chances of me not having time are really high.”

Long-term content like review broadcasts must be approached cautiously.

It’s difficult to cut it off midway, using internal circumstances as an excuse.

If Cheon Do-hee says she’s too busy and needs a break, won’t the fans immediately think, ‘Of course, it’s just another fleeting resolve’?

“To maintain public sentiment, you’ll have to broadcast alone when I’m not around. What do you think, is that possible?”

Majiya fell into thought for a moment.

During the pre-show, the two had talked for four hours, but Majiya had done most of the talking for about three of those hours.

Especially the parts where they discussed past broadcasts were almost a one-woman show by Majiya.

Yet, her voice was still fine, and she hardly felt any pressure.

In the past, even talking for just an hour would leave her hoarse, but now she had a voice of steel.

Perhaps she had invested some of her stats from stamina, size, and health into her vocal cords and appearance.

So, talking alone for a review broadcast lasting one to two hours should be okay.

As for the materials? She could refer to what Dohee had made and adjust the level of detail accordingly.

No matter how busy she was, Dohee would at least review the materials, so that wasn’t a problem either.

That left only one thing: Majiya’s conversation style…

The reason she could keep talking during the pre-show was that there was someone next to her to throw topics or respond to her, someone to back her up.

In other words, if there was someone to replace Cheon Do-hee, it would be better, but if not, the conversation would probably come to a halt.

Jia, having watched broadcasts for a long time, knew that a broadcast with a choppy flow would frustrate viewers.

“Can I call other members if the Boss can’t come?”

“If the members give prior permission, there’s no problem. But you still have to be the main host. It’s too much to ask the members to memorize the script one by one since they have a lot on their plates.”

“Hmm. That’s true.”

“In the end, you need to have the ability to host alone if you want to call the others. That’s the easiest path for me too.”

Moreover, if Majiya were to host solo, there was one more condition.

“And to broadcast, I think it’s better to fix your working hours to 40 hours a week from now on.”

“Why’s that?”

“Think about it. If you collapse while broadcasting, it would be a disaster.”

Indeed, that would be a disaster far beyond any streaming issue.

It could be something that would make the 9 o’clock news.

The Boss would be investigated, the finance team leader would be taken away, and the operations team leader would be a bad boss who ignored the workload report…

“I understand. If I’m going to do a review broadcast, it’s 40 hours. Or 52 hours.”

“Even if it’s not, there’s no need to fill 52 hours… You know that they don’t give awards just for filling hours, right? The labor department will start raising suspicions about these kids…”

“But then there’s the overtime pay…”

“I’ll prepare a supplementary contract related to the broadcasts you’re hosting, so don’t worry about that.”

To summarize, it meant maintaining a primary working time of 40 hours while also being able to host broadcasts alone.

After thinking it over, the conclusion was clear.

It wouldn’t be easy.

“I’ll think about it some more. It’s not like I’m doing it right away anyway.”

“… You’re not giving up entirely, huh?”

“I don’t want to give up. It’s something that helps Parallel.”

“And you’ll keep to the 40 hours too?”

“Yes.”

Jia accepted the proposal readily, making Dohee feel uneasy for no reason.

She wondered if there was something else going on.

“Why aren’t you responding at all this time?”

“I usually listen well to the Boss.”

“No. That’s not what I meant.”

Majiya smiled as if she understood what was meant.

“During the pre-show, I framed you as a tyrant and a dictator, so that was enough.”

Dohee felt a lump in her throat for no reason.

How could Majiya say something like this?

Could it be that a small angel had finally taken residence in the heart of this wicked person?

“Oh, but, ugh…”

“What’s wrong? Are you in pain again?”

“My stomach hurts… I think I need to eat snacks and drink something… to ease this pain…”

“…”

“Ugh, now I’m feeling dizzy too. At this rate, I might end up in the emergency room again…!”

Let’s not forget.

When a wicked person says something nice, 99% of it is a build-up.

Dohee gave Jia a playful flick on the forehead and then went to the break room to bring back snacks and drinks.

While Jia rubbed her throbbing forehead, she was preoccupied with something on her phone while nibbling on the snacks.

“… What have you been so busy with? You should rest.”

“Oh, managing public sentiment.”

“Are you monitoring the gallery? You must have already checked the concert reactions. You shouldn’t write anything weird, right?”

“Eh. I’ll write it in a way that won’t get caught.”

… That’s not something to be proud of, is it?

–

She told the Boss she was checking the concert reactions, but in reality, she had another purpose.

… ─ — Magia Mini Gallery ─ ─ — …

[The new gallery is fast]

Did you expect this?

Almost everyone from the refuge has moved over here.

[Comments]

— 🟧Magia1: I was a member of the original gallery, but since the new gallery is being set up, yeah.

– 🟧Magia1: I had a feeling it would happen, so I set it up in advance.

–
Magia335: Wise one, haha.

–
Magia201: Even if I hadn’t set it up in advance, someone would have made a new one, haha. Still, nice.

–
Magia866: It was convenient to move here, so it’s good.

… ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ …

… ─ — Magia Mini Gallery ─ ─ — …

[(Notice) Gallery Usage Rules]

[Author: 🟧Magia1]

–
No offensive or adult content.

–
Avoid legal issues; I won’t protect you if you break the rules.

Do as you see fit.

If you think the bait is too much, handle the evolution yourself.

[Comments]

— Magia464: Great.

— Magia352: Good job.

— Magia004: Thanks for your hard work.

— Magia530: Support for the original gallery?

– 🟧Magia1: Welcome, slaves.

–
🟦Magia01: Overflowing with energy.

–
Magia466: This guy is a natural-born unpaid slave, haha.

– 🟧Magia1: No, no, I’ll give you a 50,000 won gift certificate every month.

– Magia466: ? I want to do it too.

– 🟧Magia1: Nice to meet you, Momo.

–
🟦Magia02: Hello, my name is Paddak.

–
Magia611: What? I want to do it too. Are you really giving it?

–
Magia464: Do you believe that? Hahaha.

– 🟧Magia1: Whether you believe it or not, do as you wish. 611 gay got the paddak.

– 🟦Magia03: My life for Magia.

… ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ …

Just before the Staff D mini gallery exploded, there were two accounts belonging to it.

One was Paddak, and the other was a regular account.

Using the Paddak account, I set up the gallery in advance and became the main account there, writing a notice under the guise of a refuge.

The reason for going this far is that I learned about managing people by watching the Boss.

After all, didn’t the Boss hire me as a manager right after I tormented him?

It’s like following the Boss’s mindset of keeping friends close and enemies closer.

Is there any more efficient way to make someone a lifelong slave for just 50,000 won?— Labor is so devalued on the internet.

If I had made a lot of money, I would have treated them better.

Sorry, guys, but I have to lift the Parallel log with my salary.

Anyway, I’ve been busy doing this work since this morning after Pino closed the Staff D gallery.

My hands haven’t stopped because the main account has more to say than I expected.

Fortunately, there were four applicants, and I sold them the blue badge for 50,000 won.

Among them, there’s someone suspected to be Pino, but for now, I’ve decided to keep quiet.

Information asymmetry is always a weapon I can use.

If they cause problems later, I can just pull their leash.

In any case, now I just need to run the automatic hunting.

What’s important now is…

… ─ — Magia Mini Gallery ─ ─ — …

[There’s definitely an insider in the original gallery that leaked information.]

They must have flowed in here too.

I’m so pissed off; if I find them, I won’t let them off easily.

[Comments]

— Magia035: If loving Majiya is a crime, then I’ll gladly accept that sin.

— Magia845: Damn, I can’t even enjoy being a fan of Favorite comfortably.

— Magia455: This is unfair.

–
Magia455: We didn’t do anything wrong.

–
Magia455: We just sent a support train saying we’d try to call Majiya back.

–
Magia455: Majiya took all that and ran away.

–
Magia455: We’re the ones who are wronged!!

–
Magia560: But we didn’t properly ask her to broadcast again, so there’s nothing we can do.

–
Magia560: It’s annoying that she took the money and ran, but there’s nothing we can do about it. ㅠ

– 🟧Magia1: Don’t be too upset.

– 🟧Magia1: If Majiya has any thoughts, she’ll do something.

– Magia455: I really hope so.

… ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ …

Before these poor friends, who have worked hard but received nothing in return, turn dark, I need to conduct the review broadcast.

I estimate that about a month is the deadline.

After that, suspicious IPs will start to show up everywhere, causing chaos.

Before that, if I can break their heads, they’ll become excellent fans who will help me lift the Parallel log, so it’s better to pay attention to reduce the stress the Boss might feel later.

‘How can I change my speaking style?’

Having started social life with the Boss, I’ve grown into someone optimized for accommodating others.

Starting the conversation is the privilege of the host.

I thought of myself as a shadow that shouldn’t even be given that special right.

But for the review broadcast, I have to be the host.

It’s truly a paradoxical situation where the words don’t match!

But for now, there’s no proper way.

All I can do is lie down and stare at the ceiling blankly.

Ziiing.

– Incoming call: Maru –

It’s a name I know too well, but for some reason, it wasn’t a Talk Code or Ding Talk call, but a phone call.

Wondering if it was something urgent, I answered the phone.

“Hello?”

[Oh, Jia! How are you feeling? The Boss said he was sick recently! I was really worried!]

It’s rare to hear someone speak so loudly during a one-on-one call.

With a voice as big as if they had swallowed a train whistle, I instinctively lowered the call volume.

“Yes. I’m feeling much better now. I’m almost back to normal.”

[That’s a relief. You really shouldn’t be sick! Do you know how shocked we were to hear the news after the concert?]

“If I had said something in advance, it would have made me anxious and I wouldn’t have been able to prepare properly.”

[Ah, that’s true!]

In the past, I would have thought it didn’t matter if I was sick or not, but now I’ve picked up on the atmosphere and felt it while working with three others on content.

Somehow, I feel like I’m being protected…

Maybe it’s because I’m small. Or because my body is weak.

I didn’t take this week off and go to the hospital for no reason.

I’m worried that if I get sick again, it’ll be a nuisance to those around me.

“Anyway, what’s the reason for your call?”

[Ah, if it’s okay with you! Would you like to play a game with me later?]

“A game?”

[Yes! We have an emergency collaboration for I’m Wolf today, but one person who was supposed to join suddenly had to drop out! Since this game is less fun if it’s not fully filled, everyone is scrambling to find a replacement… Would you be able to join us?]

My body is almost fully healed now. This week is essentially a week to comply with the Boss’s surveillance.

I’ve already visited all the places I needed to go to the hospital yesterday, and it seems there’s nothing major wrong.

I’ll have to wait for the blood test results, but when I went to the emergency room before, there were no significant warning signs in the blood test results.

Besides, I haven’t done anything with Maru yet, so I thought this would be a good opportunity.

Moreover, the collaborative game is I’m Wolf.

It’s a classic game that has been adapted online, adding various fun elements like roles and maps, and it’s a masterpiece that can’t be missed in collaborations for years.

Originally, I would have quietly played a lubricating role among streamers.

But now, I need to practice leading conversations.

This could be a pretty good training ground, right?

Lost in thought, Maru called me again.

[Jia…?]

“Oh, yes. I’ll come. When does it start?”

Maru replied energetically.

[As soon as you arrive, we’re good to go!]

A word from the author (Author’s Note)

It was a fulfilling weekend!!

Let’s all do our best this week too!!