chapter_0103

103 – … You Really Came?

103 – … You Really Came?

[PITMAN: Do you know who the last participant is, Momo?]

[Writing Rockhee: Is that Jia?]

[Utau: Momo, I have an urgent idea for a song.]

To think about it simply, it was indeed a puzzling situation.

After all, there were two people in front of her who were more skilled.

Serena was a recognized vocalist from Rapitz, and Lee Yura was a globally famous utaiter.

Naturally, one would expect that when these two sang, they would have been the first to receive such contact….

However, looking at it from an expert’s perspective, the thoughts change.

Serena and Lee Yura were already established singers.

Such individuals typically have a solid contract with a label, making it difficult to forge a new path and secure a contract.

But the last person to sing, Majiya?

To an expert’s ear, she sounded like a rough, unrefined gem that had yet to be polished.

She was a promising candidate whose potential results were eagerly anticipated once refined.

One might say she was like a Bitcoin on the verge of skyrocketing.

The fact that the three people who had long collaborated with Parallel could reach out first was due to the anonymity, but also because they had a reasonable expectation of who was behind it and the possibility of contact.

‘Jia probably won’t respond….’

But Cheon Do-hee knew.

Even if she told Majiya about this, her reaction would likely be indifferent.

After all, how would it resonate with someone who had no interest in becoming famous if you said, “This is your chance to become more famous; would you like to release a song?”

However, would those around Majiya really let her be?

As time passed, her identity would surely be revealed, and the number of people interested would gradually increase.

Even though she participated anonymously, there would soon be people trying to match Majiya’s avatar with her singing.

And as the Ppajijik platform had acknowledged, Majiya was a person of interest.

If there were any MCNs or agencies eyeing Majiya, they would likely recommend an utaiter before a virtual YouTuber.

Even if Majiya hadn’t debuted, since she was broadcasting with her unique avatar on an official channel, a virtual YouTuber debut would be excluded from the options for now.

Moreover, just looking at Japan next door, faceless singers and utaiters were making a name for themselves in the J-pop genre.

There was a high chance they would entice her by saying she could use a different stage name and that a working person could manage it just fine.

Of course, initially, she might express her disinterest in singing.

But what if someone suggested, “It would help Parallel, so let’s give it a try”?

Especially if that person were from a big club like CAT or SB Entertainment?

Majiya would not refuse.

She tended to listen closely to expert opinions, especially from those affiliated with powerful companies in the industry.

If it were another company, it might be different, but with CAT and SB Entertainment, Cheon Do-hee would also be inclined to support Majiya.

Regardless of whether she was affiliated with Parallel or not, it was an opportunity that could change Jia’s life.

Such opportunities wouldn’t come easily, but life is inherently unpredictable.

Watching Majiya enter the final verse without a single pitch mistake, Cheon Do-hee thought,

‘I worry that one day she might suddenly take off….’

… ─ — Parallel (Virtual YouTuber) Gallery ─ ─ — …

[Is there really anyone who hasn’t found Majiya after a week?]

[Majiya (probably) is F, L, Z]

[Isn’t it possible that even Lee Yura is imitating Majiya?]

[Our kids really sing well.]

[Graduation news from RFP.]

★[Momo: Illegal duet award-winning songs will be uploaded separately on the official channel.]

[Crazy dogs: Release more original songs; this is neglecting duty.]

.

.

… ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ …

… ─ — Parallel (Virtual YouTuber) Gallery ─ ─ — …

[Momo: Illegal duet award-winning songs will be uploaded separately on the official channel.]

(The award-winning songs will be uploaded separately.)

Those who want can record individually in the studio, or the audio from the illegal duet will be extracted and uploaded separately.

Below is the list of people who have agreed to come to the studio for recording:

L Participant (Finally) (Aurora Award)

F Participant (One Other) (Aurora Award)

D Participant …

S Participant …

Z Participant (Finally) (Shirahoshi Momo)

It seems everyone except one is participating?

[Comments]

— Parallel095: So is F Majiya?

–
Parallel252 (Author): Huh?

–
Parallel621: It is.

–
Parallel886: D is Employee D, right?

–
Parallel621: What does the official know?

–
Parallel886: ? That’s not a part-timer.

… ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ …

Thanks to the illegal duet on January 30, the Parallel singing contest the next day absorbed almost the same audience as the previous day.

In fact, thanks to Rupko leading the Crazy Dogs crew to watch together, the viewer count reached a staggering 70,000 just before the broadcast ended, peaking at 85,000.

Afterward, utaiter Lee Yura conducted a personal broadcast to rewatch the illegal duet, as if revealing that she had participated herself.

This was due to the fact that the two most prominent figures had sung Maru’s first original song….

[Nezumi Maru / NEZUMI MARU]

@nezumimaru_parallel_vtuber | 428,000 followers

First generation of Parallel, 🎙singing hedgehog Nezumi Maru🎶

Maru saw an increase of over 100,000 subscribers in just a week, becoming the first among the members to surpass 400,000.

Although there were differences in the rate of increase, other members also smoothly achieved over 300,000.

They had certainly laid the groundwork for producing more abundant content in the future.

Thus, it was only natural that Majiya, who had produced such results, would receive a special bonus.

“No. We agreed on the rate…. Are you saying you’re giving me a bonus on top of that?”

“Honestly, I never dreamed it would turn into such a big event. And you can see from Maru’s subscriber count that you deserved a bonus. Think of it as saving on promotional costs.”

“Use that money to give the kids new outfits.”

“That’s already in production.”

“Okay.”

“By the way, you remember the schedule for tomorrow, right?”

Originally, the benefits for the award winners, aside from the prize money/products, were that the members would perform the illegal duet with the respective videos at the Parallel singing contest the next day.

However, due to the numerous requests from fans to officially release the songs of the award winners, it was decided to record separately and upload them to the official channel for those who wished.

Majiya was one of them, the F participant.

“Oh. Yes. The recording of the illegal duet song?”

“Yeah.”

“I know.”

Thinking she might have the option to refuse, she had prepared various persuasive words saying it would help promote the members.

But Majiya accepted the recording schedule immediately without needing to bring up the persuasion or coaxing.

“My voice will be included, but… since it’s anonymous, it shouldn’t matter, right?”

“Really?”

“Either way, it will be good for promotion.”

However, despite her immediate acceptance, Majiya had some concerns.

Returning to her seat, she immediately asked Team Leader Kang Ji-ho.

“Tomorrow’s recording. The members and I won’t be separated, right?”

For some reason, Majiya’s recording schedule was right after the members.

This meant there was a high probability that the members would be watching while she recorded.

Since all four of them loved singing, they might suddenly get into the mood and start singing around Majiya.

What if individual recording turned into group recording?

That was a situation Majiya wanted to avoid.

No matter how small and cute she considered herself, she was still a dogbane.

It was absurd to plant her in a beautiful flower garden together.

But there were reasons for the schedule being this way.

Although the label had made accommodations, it was a hastily arranged recording schedule, leaving very few slots available.

So, after obtaining the consent of the other participants, they crammed them all into one day, and Majiya was slotted in as a last-minute addition.

When Kang Ji-ho explained the situation, Majiya muttered in realization.

“Oh, was I a free rider?”

“Yeah. They decided to give you the extra time for free because of Jia’s red bean paste.”

“Well, free is unavoidable.”

Thinking back, the members were recording a cover song for Valentine’s Day next week.

There was no need to unnecessarily change free promotion into paid promotion.

But recording in the same place as the members.

Majiya was still concerned.

… She didn’t want to be surrounded without resistance.

Was there no way?

Fortunately, around 11 o’clock, an opportunity came knocking.

[Hello, Majiya. I apologize for the late hour. I’m Choi Na-eun from UTU Records A&R Team 3, and I will be in charge of your recording this time.]

“Oh, hello. Thank you for contacting me first.”

[No problem. The reason I’m calling is that the recording schedule for tomorrow has been adjusted, and one slot has opened up, but it’s a bit short on time.]

“Okay.”

[Since you’re recording solo, you’ll finish quickly, right? We can pull you forward to the empty slot. Would it be possible to adjust? If you switch, we can add another team to your original slot. The cost will only be for the first generation members’ slots as before.]

What a stroke of luck.

Without hesitation, Majiya replied immediately.

“Oh, I’ll go. Could you just let me know the location and time? I was planning to go with my members, so I don’t know the location.”

[Of course. I’ll send you a message separately.]

“Thank you. Have a good night.”

[You too, Majiya~ See you tomorrow.]

After finishing the call, Majiya smiled broadly, and Gong Seung-yeon, who was monitoring, asked.

“Did something good happen, Team Leader?”

“Oh. Yes. I’m feeling good, so I’ll charge 50,000 Clouds to your Ppajijik.”

“Really?! Um. Is it okay to accept this…?”

“Of course. Use it to throw a thousand-won punch at Komari.”

Majiya coolly charged 50,000 Clouds to Gong Seung-yeon’s logged-in account.

Seung-yeon, now beaming, wiggled her hips in her chair and laughed.

“Awesome. Thank you! How about pineapple pizza today?”

“Ha… That sounds perfect.”

You might wonder why pineapple pizza.

Gong Seung-yeon rummaged through nearby restaurants and found a compromise.

She discovered a pizza place that operated until midnight and only topped their pizzas with grilled pineapple.

Soon after placing the order, Seung-yeon asked.

“By the way, have you heard the rumors?”

“Rumors?”

“Yes. It’s been really noisy in the Rapitz gallery. There are a lot of talks about how Serena graduating is because of our second generation debut… Isn’t that a betrayal?”

“Aha.”

It was a controversy that could naturally arise.

Serena had announced her graduation knowing this would happen.

However, while it was possible that there were reincarnated virtual YouTubers who didn’t know about the red pill or had never heard her voice….

Last week’s interview had not included Serena.

Since they knew her face, there was no chance of confusion.

Gong Seung-yeon often wrote posts about Majiya’s commutes or the lunches and late-night snacks they shared, but she was always careful with important discussions.

Recently, following Majiya’s advice, she had even created a secondary account, thinking there wouldn’t be any issues sharing information.

“This time, Serena didn’t attend the interview. We haven’t made any debut proposals from our side.”

“Aha. I thought so.”

“Yeah. Anyway, it will quiet down in a few months, so don’t worry too much.”

“However, it seems there are some divisions… Most people seem to think it would be fine if she transferred, as long as she continues to broadcast.”

This was indeed how the industry worked.

No matter how much they initially liked a character, they gradually became enamored with the person behind it.

If it’s okay with a different face, they’ll follow along.

That’s why many people re-debut as individuals after graduating from corporate affiliations.

Many also reincarnate in search of better environments.

What about Serena?

… Honestly, Majiya found it hard to give a definitive answer.

Although they had become somewhat friendly, she wasn’t close enough with the first generation members to share deep feelings.

“If I were to reincarnate, I think I’d prefer to go with Batchu Batchu. Honestly, if you’re a virtual YouTuber in Korea, that’s still the top.”

“Ugh. That’s true. Even if you don’t want to send her off, you have to… Not just anyone can use a 30 billion studio….”

But the next day.

Arriving at the label’s recording studio earlier than the members, Majiya unexpectedly encountered someone….

She had assumed it was a meeting with the recording manager to discuss pre-recording guides and instructions.

But for some reason, Serena was waiting in the label’s conference room.

“Hi hi, hello Jia.”

Next to her was a neatly dressed man in a casual suit without a tie, with his hands clasped in front of his chest.

His thin glasses reminded Majiya of the planning team leader, and the aura he exuded was reminiscent of the HR manager at Parallel.

“I’m sorry for dropping by unexpectedly. I’m this kind of person.”

[Na Hyun-gon]

[CAT Ent. / Chief A&R Producer]

Chief A&R Producer.

This means he is the overall producer managing all labels under CAT Entertainment.

You could think of him as being just below the CEO, with all music-related approvals ultimately passing through him.

… So why was such a person here?

As Majiya blinked her wide eyes in surprise, Serena spoke.

“He’s my dad.”