Chapter 24: Somehow Feels Like Déjà Vu

The pointless chatter continued.

“But seriously, Yuwol is really Muil?”

“Yes, well… I used to be.”

“No, you still take on projects.”

That was Sarah, then me, then Tsupi speaking in turn. But was it really such a shocking revelation that I was Muil?

I felt like they could just accept it and move on.

“…Mom?”

“I’m still only twenty.”

“…Baby?”

“I wouldn’t say I’m that young.”

“Then what are we even supposed to call you?!”

“You can just call me Yuwol…”

Just like Rumi had said earlier, Sarah seemed completely lost in this bizarre family dynamic. I couldn’t blame her, but she seemed way too fascinated by it.

Not just her—the entire first-gen group was staring at me like I was some kind of anomaly.

“We’ve been in this industry for six years now, right?”

“Yeah?”

“…Then our ‘Mama’ was only fourteen at the time?”

“Well… yeah?”

“Oh…”

“Oh what?! There’s no oh about this!”

I guess that’s how it would seem in this world.

In my memories—specifically in Chogyeoul’s memories—I had been working as an illustrator for Märchen since I was fourteen.

Of course, back then, my art style wasn’t anything remarkable. I didn’t gain much attention at first and eventually shifted from avatar design to costume design.

Not that I ever hated it. I knew my limits. I understood that I wouldn’t be much help in creating avatars.

So when costume illustration requests started coming in, I accepted them without complaint.

There was a reason I called myself just a talentless ordinary person. I was simply average, through and through.

‘Well… even an average person gets better at something after doing it nonstop for six years.’

My only talent was having slightly better drawing skills than most.

But even so, the moment KR started gaining global attention, my value as an artist skyrocketed.

Why?

Because, at some point, Muil, the costume illustrator, had spread her wings.

Without realizing it, after endlessly repeating the same tasks, my skills had naturally advanced to a professional level.

Anyway.

“The first-gen designs were way too stiff in the beginning. But there was no helping it back then.”

“It was a miracle we managed to match JP’s quality just six months after debuting.”

“And that happened right when Muil properly settled into Märchen. Chef’s kiss.”

No, I wasn’t settled back then or even now. I had simply improved through sheer repetition.

Even if I told them that, I doubted they’d believe me, so I kept my mouth shut.

“Meeting our ‘Mom’ for the first time after six years of debut… Phew.”

“And such a young mom at that…”

“This feels weird.”

At some point, I noticed their intense stares drilling into me.

Why? What? I wasn’t even doing anything.

“Legal lo—!”

“Hey, hey!”

“Rumi, please!”

Maybe I should just leave. That seemed like the best course of action.

Of course, as I tried to sneak out, Tsupi promptly made me sit back down.

Well… I guess getting acquainted with the first-gen members wasn’t so bad.

I was given a brief explanation about the costumes needed in the future and was also told that they would be visiting my house in the Playground later.

That part was fine.

But… that was fine until now.

“…Why am I here?”

Before I knew it, I was standing in the middle of a massive set.

Green chroma key screens and broadcast equipment, the kind often seen in internet streams, surrounded me.

What scared me the most was the dozen or so cameras all pointed directly at me.

Where was this place? And why was I here?

Why was I on a giant set, and why were the first-gen members laughing and chatting around me?

To explain, we need to go back thirty minutes.

“…Wait, what did you just say?”

“I said, why don’t you join as a special guest?”

“…Me?”

“Yeah. You, Yuwol.”

Did I mishear something? That had to be it, right?

I was just sipping on my green grape ade when this absurd suggestion came out of nowhere.

The reason the first-gen members were at Märchen headquarters today was because of a collab stream.

Today marked the six-year anniversary of their first original group song, Re:Maerchen.

Re:Maerchen didn’t gain much attention at first, but a year after its release, it made an unexpected comeback, surpassing 60 million views and becoming a hit.

And today was its anniversary, with a group collab planned as a special event.

The collab was probably just a simple mini-concert, a Q&A session, and some casual chatting.

But… why would I be part of that?

Why?

I had no connection to the first-gen members. What was I even supposed to do in their group collab?

The only one I had spoken to in the Playground server was Anna, and even that was just a brief greeting.

I had literally zero ties to them.

“What am I supposed to do in a first-gen collab? I have no connection to it.”

“That’s why I said you’d be a special guest. A surprise guest should be unexpected to make it fun.”

“I mean, that’s true, but… won’t it mess up the flow? What about the original plan?”

“Not really? As long as the first-gen members don’t mind, it should be fine. Plus, if you join, the viewer count will probably skyrocket.”

…Aren’t collab streams usually planned in advance? Am I really allowed to just crash this out of nowhere?

I glanced at the first-gen members with uncertainty—only to be met with their sparkling, eager eyes.

And that’s when I realized.

Oh. I have no allies here.

The harsh reality of company life. Could I report this as workplace harassment?

That brings us back to the present.

Of course, I could refuse. But since I was already part of Märchen, I figured I might as well help them out this time and cash in a favor later.

Not that I really have the leverage to do that.

Still, maybe they’d help me if I needed something in the future?

As I spaced out, lost in thought, Anna—the leader of the first-gen members—patted my shoulder.

“You okay? If you’re really uncomfortable, you don’t have to go on.”

“Hmm. No, it’s not that bad. I was planning to watch from a viewer’s perspective anyway.”

I felt a little touched by her concern, but at this point, there was no turning back.

Besides, from the moment I debuted, I had a feeling a day like this would come.

It wasn’t as if I felt an overwhelming sense of pressure.

Not that I’m not nervous…

But I was just a special guest. They wouldn’t overwork me, right?

It was probably just some light chatting before I’d be free to go.

“Alright, that’s good to hear. But if you start feeling uncomfortable at any point, tell us immediately, okay?”

“Yes, I will.”

I was genuinely grateful to Anna as she walked away.

If anyone tried to make me do anything, I’d go straight to her.

…But what if Anna is the one who asks?

An anxious thought crossed my mind for a moment, but I quickly shook my head.

The eldest sister of the first-gen members didn’t seem like the type of person to do that.

“Alright! Let’s get ready now!”

Before I knew it, the Märchen PD’s voice rang out, and people started moving busily.

I also put on the motion capture suit and moved to the waiting room.

This is my first time wearing motion capture gear.

I had worn something similar before—back during Warrior’s Märchen.

But back then, it was a full tracker, whereas this time, it was motion capture.

If I had to choose which one was more comfortable, I’d say motion capture. It looked ridiculous, but functionally, it was better.

Anyway, dressed in the mocap suit, I sat in the waiting room and started watching the live broadcast on a large monitor.

Beside me were Märchen staff members, while Tsupi and Eunhye casually munched on popcorn.

…This isn’t exactly how I imagined it.

I thought they’d be more serious and focused, but since this was their sixth year, it seemed like they had zero tension.

—

[Mita – Ahahahaha!! Yeah, yeah! That time, Sarah unnie cried so much while apologizing!]

[Sarah – Hey, you little brat! Don’t bring up my embarrassing past like that!]

[Mita – Puhahahaha!]

[Anna – Sigh…]

—

Meanwhile, subtitles displaying the first-gen members’ conversations were rolling in real-time at the bottom of the broadcast screen.

Interesting. Did Märchen develop that system too?

—

[Rumi – But isn’t it about time we got new outfits?]

[Mio – What are you talking about, youngest? We just got new ones.]

[Rumi – But you know how it is. A girl can have a thousand outfits and still feel like she has nothing to wear.]

[Sarah – …Okay, that’s actually a fair point.]

—

About an hour into the first-gen collab, Rumi suddenly changed the topic.

We were just having a normal conversation—so why did she suddenly bring up outfits?

—

[Angela – Hmm. Then how about we ask Mama?]

[Mita – Oh! Good idea!]

[Anna – Why am I already feeling anxious…]

—

It seemed like it was finally my cue to step in.

“Good luck~! Sing a song while you’re at it~.”

“I’m not doing that.”

The surprise warrior’s entrance was set for five minutes from now.

—

[KR Märchen Live Gallery]

[Title: People who can’t watch the first-gen Re:Maerchen 6th Anniversary Collab because of shitty companies]

Jeez, this is so sad lololololololol

(Pepe crying meme)

Sobbbbbbbbbbbbbb

Upvotes: 1,938 / Downvotes: 41

—

– Came in to downvote, but turns out you’re one of us…
– Ahaha, I’m watching it live at Märchen HQ.

—

– Where the hell are you, you bastard?
– Märchen2: (Photo of a picnic mat spread out in front of a subway advertisement board)

—

– Ah… My bad.
– Märchen2: The real winners here are the moderators and the top three viewers.

—

– Märchen3: ?
– So pitiful lolololololol
– Meanwhile, the shut-in otakus are enjoying the show.

—

[Title: Special Guest? What’s that?]

Seriously, what is it? Have we ever had a special guest before?

Upvotes: 131 / Downvotes: 0

—

– What is this?
– I think this is the first time.
– Check the Cream forums, there’s probably something about it.