I May Be a Virtual Youtuber, but I Still Go to Work-Chapter 137

After the broadcast ended, it was only natural that the members would come charging at me.

Usually, for collabs like this, we rent a full-motion studio, so there was nowhere to run.

As the host, I had to keep fueling the fire, making sure the members got worked up—saying things like "You really can't even guess that?" and other unreasonable taunts.

So it was only expected that I’d end up trapped in a four-person human barrier, getting tossed around like laundry in a washing machine.

While I was getting pounded by their hands, my phone rang.

It was the CEO.

"Yes, boss."

The moment I said boss, three of them immediately backed away.

Turns out, most of them are actually scared of her.

Except for Rain, who’s spent too much time overseas to care—she was the only one unfazed.

The others just stood there, quietly observing, probably trying to gauge what I was about to say.

["Good job. The broadcast wrapped up cleanly."]

"That’s a relief. I was worried I went too far."

["Too far? Nah, it was just right. And you deciding to collab with them was a great call too. Even if it wasn’t intentional, we got an unexpected bonus."]

"A bonus? What is it?"

["Mugeon’s making a Shorts video using our new song."]

I don’t like Mugeon, but I’ve said before that I don’t deny his skills or achievements.

I don’t really watch Shorts, since I mostly stick to live broadcasts.

But these days, Shorts are everywhere.

And if there’s one thing Mugeon knows how to do, it’s pump out Shorts that rack up views.

If he were just some pro gamer, he wouldn’t have gotten this far—our CEO’s mentioned that multiple times.

Apparently, over half of his two million subscribers are international, and he absolutely dominates the overseas algorithm.

So yeah, this would probably be huge for us.

But something still felt off.

"And what exactly possessed him to do this?"

The CEO chuckled.

["Like I said, you made it happen."]

"?"

["Because of the snowball you started rolling, Mugeon came begging to me."]

"...Wait. Did he thank you for letting the members play Black Warning?"

["He helped promote first-gen, sure. But he's not exactly a VTuber fan."]

"Still, he’s been doing a lot for them lately. He even pops into chat during their streams sometimes."

["Yeah. Whenever you’re there."]

Thinking back, yeah...

He did seem to show up whenever I was doing something.

Which meant there was only one thing he could be after.

"What, does he want me to do another in-house tournament?"

["Nope. Different reason this time."]

"Then what, does he want me to lose a bet again?"

["Why is your mind only going in that direction...? No, he just wanted to know if you’re actually leaving the company. So I gave him the answer in exchange for a favor."]

Do all two-million-followers streamers make deals like this?

I don’t really know much about Shorts, so I guess I’ll just leave it at whatever works.

["Anyway, if Mugeon’s video goes viral, it’ll be because of you. So look forward to a bonus."]

...But this I won’t just let slide.

"Wait. The song belongs to the members. I just added some vocals here and there. How does that turn into my bonus?"

["The members don’t need bonuses, because they’ll get royalties from the song’s success."]

"Well, I signed a contract with CAT, so I also get royalties."

["Oh, come on. Can’t I give my own employee a bonus if I want to?!"]

"Stop spending company money however you please."

["How is this random spending?! If you don’t want it, come to my office tomorrow and file a formal complaint."]

"How is this something that needs a formal complaint..."

From the way the members were glancing at me, they were starting to feel uneasy.

Probably because the conversation was sounding more heated than it actually was.

"Anyway, I’ll see you in your office tomorrow. I actually had something I wanted to discuss with you too."

["Got it. See you tomorrow."]

As soon as the call ended, Maru asked,

"Wait, was there a problem with today’s stream? Did we mess up somewhere?"

Guess it was a natural reaction.

We have made a lot of mistakes before, caused a lot of accidents.

So it made sense they’d be anxious.

But there was nothing but good news.

One question still lingered, but that was a personal matter.

As for the whole Mugeon situation—

That was basically like finding a second-place lottery ticket on the street.

Besides, the CEO would probably tell the members about Mugeon’s video herself.

If it does really well, she might even announce it as a surprise.

"No, nothing’s wrong. She said the stream was great and to just keep doing what you’re doing. So, when are we playing Black Warning? Next week?"

The members huddled up to discuss, then gave me a date.

"Yeah. How about this weekend? That work for you?"

***

While Parallel was enjoying the high of Mugeon’s support and the upcoming collabs...

The rumors of Magia reincarnating, switching companies, or quitting refused to die.

Even Mugeon, of all people, was so curious that he contacted the CEO himself.

But weirdly enough, the only rumor that had actually disappeared was the one about Magia and the first-gen members fighting.

... ─ — Magia Mini Gallery ─ ─ — ...

[If she graduates, I’m quitting my job too.]

[I suddenly don’t feel like doing anything anymore.]

[What are the odds of Magia not graduating?]

[At the end of the day, she’ll probably choose money and fame, huh.]

[I wish being an Utaite would stop being a career overnight.]

...

... ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ...

It was hilarious to see these same people, who had just been screaming at her to debut, now throwing tantrums about her possibly leaving.

But in the end, this was just what happens when an ordinary person gets too much fan attention.

Magia had never officially debuted as a VTuber.

So this was an issue that would naturally die down over time.

More importantly, if Magia could really make it big as an Utaite...

Momo wanted to push her in that direction.

Magia had always enjoyed watching streams more than hosting them.

So that career path suited her better anyway.

As long as she didn’t leave the company, Momo didn’t care what she did.

She just wanted Magia to do what she wanted.

This time, Magia had accidentally started a chain reaction that led to some unexpected benefits.

But Momo didn’t want her to get swayed by the audience and keep streaming just because people demanded it.

So the next day—

She made an unusual move.

She checked the community discussions immediately after arriving at work.

Then, when Magia showed up, she brought it up herself.

Because after yesterday, she had a feeling—

That thing Magia wanted to discuss with her?

It was probably about her obsessive fans.

And for once, Momo was going to act like an actual CEO.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"The whole fuss about you transferring or reincarnating was inevitable from the moment you chose Fan_C as your Utaite stage name, so don't let it bother you too much anymore.

Just finish up Black Warning with the others, and after that, focus on the tasks ahead, including the second-gen debut."

But was there any chance Magia hadn't checked the community posts?

She had long since grasped the situation and had already prepared a response.

A time-honored tradition: just do your work and wait it out because time will take care of everything.

"As if I'd be bothered by something like that. Maybe you should be using that time to stream instead of reading forums."

The most uptodate nove𝙡s are published on frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓.

"When have I not told you to pay attention to industry insights? Besides, I only looked for a few minutes!"

"Reading gallery posts isn't exactly 'industry insight' though...."

"...I mean, fair point. Ugh. Then what was that thing you wanted to discuss with me?"

"Oh, that? This."

Magia pulled up her chat log with a well-known modder.

[trashit: I’ve incorporated all the requested changes.]

[trashit: This is actually going to be really fun lol.]

[trashit: Check with Momo and let me know! I can make adjustments right away.]

[Magia: Thanks so much.]

[Magia: Thanks to you, this is gonna be way more entertaining.]

[trashit: No, really, I'm grateful that Parallel reached out to me for this lol.]

It was about modifying Black Warning—adjusting the monsters and game mechanics.

Since Magia always handled servers and mods whenever the members played a game that required them, this was basically just an extension of her usual work.

Momo had half-expected a serious discussion, considering all the Magia-related drama in the community lately.

Seeing that it was just this, she could only sigh.

"Should I be praising you for only thinking about work, even in a situation like this?"

"I didn’t understand what you just said."

"...Forget it. Why even make a mod? Black Warning is fun enough in vanilla."

Black Warning.

A game where players scavenge for valuable items on a colony planet ruined by the spread of native alien life forms.

Then, they deliver those items to a black company to earn performance scores and survive another day.

Each planet has a dark, eerie atmosphere, and the monsters are grotesque.

One moment, you're casually talking to someone; the next, they're screaming and disappearing from your sight—or right behind you.

The dead are left bewildered. The survivors are left terrified.

So even if it turns players into nervous wrecks, it’s absolute gold for viewers.

Basically an upgraded slapstick comedy.

"When I imagine the four of them playing, I get the feeling they’re just going to play it too safe. It needs some adjustments."

Unlocking higher-tier planets quickly means encountering new mechanics and more terrifying monsters, leading to constant comedic suffering.

But if they waste hours being overly cautious, they'll never make it past the lower-tier planets.

And let’s be real—every first-gen member was a coward.

Even Komari and Rain, who were relatively brave and usually the ones carrying the group, would become absolute wrecks if left alone.

Momo raised a brow.

"But you're playing too. Wouldn't that stop them from playing too safely?"

"I'm disabling my ability to attack with the mod."

Magia had a habit of using destruction to overcome fear.

If she could attack, she would—without hesitation.

That meant she would become the center of attention.

And Magia did not want that.

The audience wanted to see how badly the members would suffer at the hands of monsters.

If Magia wiped everything out, it would ruin the fun.

"Hmm. Yeah, that makes sense. If you had a weapon, you’d probably annihilate everything."

"Exactly. So, I’m just going to be a pack mule. Running away when monsters show up."

"Got it. Makes sense. But that can’t be all, right? You didn’t bring in a modder just for that."

"Dora and Maru’s attack power will be doubled. They probably won’t hit much, but when they do, it'll create hilarious moments.

It’ll also give the two biggest cowards more opportunities to shine."

"Alright, that's reasonable. What else?"

"Black Warning has already been played in multiple collabs. It was meta for a while."

"Yeah, it had its golden age."

"Since we're playing it relatively late, we need something to make Parallel’s Black Warning feel distinct."

This was the part Magia had thought about the most.

It was both a consideration for those who had already seen too many Black Warning streams and a way to make fans feel a stronger connection to the group.

"I added a few high-value items.

Even if they fail to make money before the deadline, they can take one last gamble to turn the game around—forcing them to take risks."

"Ooh, that’s smart. What kind of items?"

"Take a look."

Magia pulled up some images.

"These are ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) basically plushies of the members' fan mascots."

Momo's face immediately brightened.

"That’s adorable. Fans are gonna love this.

It makes it feel like they're helping the members. And the members saving their fans from danger? That’s a perfect touch."

And finally—one subtle promotional addition.

Magia knew that too much marketing would be off-putting, so she kept it just light enough to be effective.

"The last thing—there's a monster in the game called a Boombox."

"Oh yeah. That thing. Tons of Shorts content about it."

"Normally, it plays a preset song before exploding.

But I changed it so that it randomly plays our original songs instead."

"...That’s kind of unsettling. But also... hilarious. And it definitely makes it feel like a Parallel mod."

"Want to see a sample? It’s like this."

Magia played a one-minute clip.

The modder walked through a dimly lit bunker.

Suddenly, a Boombox locked onto him—

pressed play—

And the back half of Finish Line, first-gen’s latest song, started blasting.

As he tried to flee, the Boombox chased him, blasting the highlight of the track.

Then—

BOOM.

A massive explosion.

The screen faded to black.

"...What the hell? That was way more engaging than I expected. It felt like watching a Shorts video."

Even though it was only a minute long, the clip had a clear beginning, middle, and end.

The music started off soft, built up tension, and then peaked right before the explosion.

It was exactly the kind of snappy, viral content that dominated Shorts and Reels these days.

"I just cut out the part of the song that fit best. Does it work?"

"It’s perfect. Do you have versions with other songs?"

"I didn’t make separate videos, but I have the files. Want me to play them?"

"Hold on. Let’s get the team leads in here first."

Momo summoned the planning and marketing leads.

After watching the clip, they both had the same reaction as her.

"If we edit it like the members’ horror game Shorts, this could really blow up."

"Honestly, because of how the game itself works, I feel like any of their songs would fit. Let’s just test them all."

"Agreed. Let’s start making them."

The team leads were already buzzing with ideas.

Before long, they looked entirely satisfied—like they had just stumbled onto something big.

The planning lead, Ra Seunghyun, even reached over to ruffle Magia’s hair.

"Magia. Once again, you’ve brought us something amazing. These days, the more Shorts-friendly a stream is, the better."

Magia was proud that her idea would benefit the company.

But the way all the adults around her were cheering and clapping made her feel like a kid who had just done something cute.

"...Uh. I mean... I wasn’t really aiming for this..."