Chapter 18: Three Birds with one Stone

Click, click.

A beautiful blonde woman gracefully approached and stood in the middle of the room. She lightly placed her right hand on her chest, near her heart, and bowed her head slightly.

None of the interviewers could even point out the unusual posture, they just stared blankly.

The director, who came to his senses first, barely managed to speak.

“Welcome. Please have a seat over there.”

The applicant carefully arranged her skirt with her fingertips and sat down cautiously. She slightly tilted her long legs to the side, knees and ankles together. Her hands were lightly folded on her lap, and her back was straight.

It was a modest yet somehow elegant posture.

As he watched her quietly, only one question came to the director’s mind.

“Ms. Shin Cho Eun.”

“Yes.”

Her answering purple eyes were unwavering, deep, and serene. The director, feeling a mysterious beauty that seemed to draw him in, looked away, pretending to look at the documents.

“Why… did you apply to become a VTuber?”

He asked about the reason for applying in a normal way, but honestly, he wanted to add ‘on earth’ at the beginning. On earth, why did she apply to become a VTuber with that face?

Of course, it was now common knowledge that even beautiful people became VTubers. This was because, compared to cam broadcasts, being a VTuber had its distinct advantages.

First of all, it reduced the burden of personal exposure. The risks of invasion of privacy, stalking, and personal attacks were also the same.

There were even cases where people became more successful after switching to being a VTuber than when they were broadcasting with their pretty bodies and faces exposed.

Being a VTuber allows for a distinct character and the creation of more diverse situations. So it can make a ‘boring’ broadcast, which had nothing to offer but a pretty face, more interesting.

However.

In the presence of transcendent beauty, those advantages also faded.

The advantages of showing one’s face ‘unconditionally’ outweighed the advantages of being a VTuber.

Actors, models, influencers… If she just revealed her appearance to the public, she could make a lot more money much more easily than being a VTuber.

“I saw it as a special opportunity to share my sincere story with many people. I also thought it was a way to escape from my small, confined world and communicate with the wider world.”

“So you value communication through broadcasting. Then, among the various broadcasting methods, could you tell us in detail why you chose to be a VTuber?”

Even though he had already seen the application documents, which showed she was well-versed in VTubers, the director even began to doubt her sincerity.

Is she really thinking of continuing this career for a long time? Won’t she eventually switch to a method that reveals her face?

“If it were any other way, I wouldn’t be able to fully convey my sincerity. They wouldn’t take my story seriously, or they would focus on other parts of me.”

Isn’t she kind of… beating around the bush? The director inwardly sighed and smoothed his hair.

Just then, the CEO, who had regained her composure, interjected.

***

“Cho Eun-ssi, by any chance, are you currently acting out your RP? It’s just that some of your expressions are a bit unusual for an interview.”

“RP… I don’t need to act. This is who I am.”

“Ah, I get it. Method acting? Is that it?”

Baek Sojin looked back down at the documents as if she had realized something.

“Right. The more similar the role is to yourself, the easier it is to immerse yourself. So you set the character’s appearance to be exactly the same as your own.”

“How could I create my own appearance? I was born this way.”

A faint smile appeared on Baek Sojin’s lips.

“Cho Eun-ssi, I like your confidence. It’s also quite impressive that you’re taking the interview in character, even though no one asked you to.”

In a normal interview, acting on your own without instructions would be unacceptable. But this was a VTuber

interview. And Baek Sojin tended to value the creativity and boldness of applicants. In her mind, the score for the

applicant went up even more.

‘She’s caught two, no, three birds with one stone. From the moment she stepped into the interview room, she’s been

designing the situation, showing her ability to plan and conduct a broadcast. This alone isn’t something you can do

with just any guts. It also shows her mental capacity to be bold in front of viewers. And in the meantime, her ability

to act out an RP is naturally revealed.’

As an interviewer, she tried to suppress the corners of her mouth from turning up too much, so as not to show too much of a beaming smile.

‘A genius… This girl is a VTuber genius! The last puzzle piece for the 3rd generation! The finishing touch that will make the 3rd generation soar!’

Baek Sojin, who deliberately straightened her posture, cleared her throat.

“Cho Eun-ssi, we were also very impressed with the song you sent us. So we looked it up, but we couldn’t find it registered anywhere. Did you compose it yourself?”

“It’s not a song I made. It’s a song sung to send off a life that has met its end, in the blessing of the spirits. I just learned it from those who passed it down.”

“Ah, so you composed it with that feeling in mind. Now that I think about it, I can feel that intention in various parts. The emotional delivery you expressed according to your intention was also excellent.”

From the moment she mistook her for acting out an RP, Baek Sojin had lost the ability to take the applicant’s words at face value.

‘She has the ability to compose a character song that fits the RP? This means she can try not only cover songs but also various original songs. Where did such a treasure come from?’

This time, the director also asked a question. As he watched from the side, it seemed that the applicant definitely had sincerity about being a VTuber. Still, he didn’t quite understand why she had that.

“If you are accepted, you will probably be singing songs with lyrics. In that respect, I would like to request a song with lyrics. Do you have such a song prepared, or can you show us one?”

Without answering, the applicant slightly bowed her head. Baek Sojin quickly intervened.

“It’s an impromptu request, so don’t feel too pressured. It’s okay if you just show us the feeling of adding lyrics to a simple melody.”

“No. I was just choosing for a moment. I have so many prepared.”

Baek Sojin’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. She was an applicant who showed excellent preparation in the documents and also in the interview.

“…I’ll go with Sarah Brightman’s Scarborough Fair.”

The CEO and the general manager looked a little puzzled. Only the director, who was a bit older, seemed to know the song.

“Do you need an instrumental? If you proceed acapella, we will take that into consideration.”

“Director, let’s go without an instrumental. The one we heard also didn’t have accompaniment, so we should compare with just the pure voice. Please start when you’re ready.”

Without a moment’s delay, the applicant stood up and quietly closed her eyes. And she began to fill the interview room with a delicate wave of emotions.

‘……!’

The director, who was hearing the applicant’s song for the first time, widened his eyes. But the other two, who had experience, were just as surprised. Hearing the song right in front of them gave them a new experience once again.

A soft and subtle voice tickles the ears. Soon, a landscape painting unfolds before your eyes. No, you become a part of the landscape.

The sensation of entering a deep and secluded forest path. Leaves and grass swaying in the wind, and a hidden fairy spring in the bushes slowly reveals itself.

Yes, it was a fairy spring. It was such a dreamy and transcendent atmosphere… because I was walking in a forest that didn’t exist in reality.

The combination of the applicant’s unrealistic appearance and the melody even made it feel like an elf was standing and singing.

A mysterious yet lyrical, fairytale-like song. By the time the last note faded, a faint lingering feeling remained in everyone’s hearts.

‘The talent to convey emotions…? No, it wasn’t that.’

Baek Sojin took a deep breath. She was so surprised that she felt calm instead.

‘Now that I hear a song with lyrics, I understand. Vocal range, pronunciation, pitch, tone. There’s nothing lacking. Emotion and technique. Both. A monster that’s already complete without any need for improvement.’

This time, the director, who had regained his composure a little faster, had the applicant sit down again.

“Ah, that was good. Please have a seat again.”

“It was the first time I heard that song, but I understood the reason for your choice right away. It was truly an ‘elf-like’ song.”

Baek Sojin, who no longer had any intention of hiding her bright smile, opened her mouth.

“Today, Cho Eun-ssi, you made a very good impression. Lastly, could you show us your appearance without acting out your RP?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. I came here today with the determination not to hide myself.”

“Ah, so you’ve prepared your acting that thoroughly. Right. When method acting, if the immersion is broken, it can cause confusion due to a sudden change in emotion. I hope you can show us next time.”

Beyond the CEO, who was completely smitten, the general manager and the director exchanged glances.

‘Even so, is it okay to refuse an interviewer’s request…?’

‘Is she really acting? Isn’t she just a 4D… or to put it negatively, a weirdo?’

“Well, Cho Eun-ssi. Thank you for your hard work. Then the interview is…”

“Wait a minute!”

It was the general manager, who hadn’t asked the applicant any questions during the interview.

“Before we end, you need to check this part here.”

Baek Sojin, who looked at the part pointed out by the general manager, gave him a grateful look. Perhaps she was so captivated by the song that she had missed a part that shouldn’t be overlooked.

“Cho Eun-ssi, you briefly wrote that you have experience in broadcasting on Origin Rift in your past broadcasting activities.”

There are two reasons why someone would vaguely gloss over their past broadcasting experience.

One is when they are worried that their unsuccessful broadcasting activities will negatively affect their evaluation. This was just an unnecessary concern for applicants. Blooming Core focused on future potential and passion.

The other is when they caused social controversy or issues in their broadcasts. This, of course, was a significant negative factor, and it was natural that they would try to hide it.

Baek Sojin, who already had a very favorable impression of the applicant, was sincerely hoping it was the first reason.

‘If there were some flaws in her past broadcasts, depending on the scale of the broadcast or the level of controversy, if she acknowledges the problem and shows an attitude of improvement, it’s something that can be overlooked.’

Feeling her heart beat a little faster, she spoke cautiously.

“Could you tell us the name of the streamer you were active as? Referring to your past history will help us understand you more deeply, Cho Eun-ssi.”