Chapter 15: Korea’s first VTuber debut

Meanwhile, in a small theater in Japan.

Normally, it would be a quiet place with few people, but today, an unusually large number of people had gathered.

The reason was simple.

The protagonist of the day, Director Hoshino Tatsuya.

Today, a press conference was being held to commemorate the premiere of his newly produced movie.

“Well then, we will now take questions.”

With the moderator’s words, the time for the reporters gathered from all over the country arrived.

Simultaneously, a reporter waiting in the front row raised their hand and asked a question.

“What are your thoughts on Miss Sakamiya Ren, the leader of Cornelia, who has recently become a hot topic?”

Normally, it was a question that would be restrained by those around for being unrelated to the topic, but this time was different.

“…Sakamiya, you mean?”

Tatsuya, who picked up the microphone placed beside him, asked the questioning reporter once more.

No one was unaware of the correlation between Sakamiya Ren and Director Tatsuya.

After she appeared in Tatsuya’s movie, both of them gradually began to ascend.

Since the other Cornelia members were forbidden from commenting on her, Director Tatsuya was the only one who had some connection and could speak about her.

Everyone was looking at Director Tatsuya, waiting for his answer.

‘Ren, huh…’

At the reporter’s words, Tatsuya thought deeply.

The first impression was simply a girl like ice.

That was all.

‘Back then, I simply thought she was a cold kid.’

However, the more closely he looked, the more he could tell.

What seeped out even while she was acting was too much to be considered just a cold personality or concept.

Maybe others couldn’t tell, but she couldn’t fool the eyes of a veteran director like himself.

Therefore, he gave her a piece of advice.

Even he, indifferent to his surroundings, didn’t wish for a rising star in the entertainment world to fall.

“…Well, I’m not particularly worried.”

“Yes…?”

Despite the reporters’ surprised words, Tatsuya continued speaking.

No matter how much they laughed and chatted, ultimately, idols were no different from actors wearing masks.

They always act out the character decided by the agency, and no matter what happens, they must not show displeasure in front of the fans.

Even among such idols, Ren was exceptionally skilled at changing masks.

It was pitiful for a still young child, but it was also true that it appealed well to the public.

Director Tatsuya smiled and answered.

“That kid will do well wherever she goes.”

Although she is no longer active in the entertainment industry, she would do well no matter what she does.

He had that belief.

Just because a streamer presses the broadcast button doesn’t mean they start broadcasting right away.

There’s a need for a waiting period, also called a warm-up time, for people to gather.

‘That’s no exception even for small-time broadcasters.’

Of course, the problem for them is that people don’t gather even after waiting for years, but here, with the boost of new culture, wouldn’t at least five people gather?

After waiting for about 5 minutes, a total of 15 viewers gathered in my broadcast.

Considering that the highest viewership for the streamer with the most viewers on this site is 7,000, it was a reasonably successful number for a debut broadcast.

[What is this, I came in after seeing the title, but there’s something weird displayed on the screen…]

[But where’s the owner, and why is only that thing on the screen like that?]

[Did they just set that as the background?]

Not long after people settled in, chats slowly started appearing.

Most were seeing a Vtuber for the first time, so they seemed flustered seeing the avatar.

‘Well, people seeing a Vtuber for the first time would naturally react like that.’

They probably think it’s similar to the store promotional balloons set up on the street.

‘….Of course, it wasn’t entirely without that purpose.’

I had no intention of simply using it for promotion.

That would be an insult to Vtubers.

Quietly starting the rigging program connected to the avatar, the avatar, which had its eyes closed, recognized my face and began to move.

[Hey hey, that eye moved.]

[What is that???]

[Is it some macro or a video?]

As the avatar moved following me, the chat window reacted accordingly.

First, I should start with greetings.

“…Ah ah, hello?”

I slowly started speaking in the brightest voice possible.

I’m not used to speaking like this because I usually maintain a chic city woman persona, but I can’t speak coldly, can I?

[What, why is the mouth moving too?]

[Are they dubbing like some voice actor?]

[Didn’t they just code it like that?]

[Or something similar to a GIF]

[Feels like something you’d find overseas.]

Seeing the avatar move according to my words, chats showing flustered reactions appeared.

[Seriously, where’s the real person, and why is that thing like that?]

“…I’m right here though.”

Simultaneously with the reply, my avatar slightly glared at the chat window.

Asking where the streamer is?

The avatar is the main body.

Without the avatar, it’s not a Vtuber but just a no-cam broadcaster.

[What the… Kinda cute though?]

[Alright, one otaku caught right here.]

[That Vtuber thing in the title, isn’t that what the Japanese kids do?]

Amidst the numerous chats popping up simultaneously, someone finally recognized what a Vtuber was.

“Ah, that’s right.”

“Looks like someone over there knows.”

Seeing the chat knowing what a Vtuber is, I replied with a sense of relief.

Thankfully, it seems I won’t have to explain from the beginning.

Now, that person will explain the basics on their own.

[What, it was actually a real term?]

[Yep, they broadcast with a character displayed like that]

[Seriously, why is this appearing in Korea.]

[It’s f*cking disgusting.]

[Heard this is still minor even in its homeland…]

[Didn’t think they’d bring this to Korea…]

Even after hearing the explanation from one user, perhaps because the aversion to otaku culture was stronger than in my past life during this period, the chat reactions weren’t very good.

‘Still, this is surprisingly mild considering?’

I wasn’t sure if it was because they were worried about getting banned from the broadcast, but the level of criticism was lower than expected.

Honestly, even in my past life when it was publicly known, it was somewhat difficult to talk about it openly to others.

This much is quite decent for the first landing of Vtubers.

[So what are you planning to do today?]

After about a few minutes passed like that, the chat window seemed to have calmed down somewhat, and they slowly started asking about today’s broadcast.

“Um, since it’s the first broadcast today, I’ll start with simple greetings first.”

[Come to think of it, didn’t even hear a self-introduction yet lol]

[The chat window was burning up amongst itself, so I missed it…]

[Anyway, all the kids still remaining here are all otaku.]

[Just proceed comfortably]

Perhaps due to the aversion, the number of people decreased slightly compared to the beginning, but still, it wasn’t zero.

‘If even one person cheers me on, I’ll do my best as much as possible.’

Might as well work hard since I’m doing it.

I took a moment to gather my breath before the main broadcast began.

Being a streamer is also similar to idol activities.

You shouldn’t project too cold an image.

Things to refer to are the virtual streamers I’ve watched so far, and the Cornelia members.

‘….That’s kinda tough.’

I’m not the cutesy type like those kids, nor am I the innocent type.

More importantly, if I keep acting like that, my soul won’t be able to stand it.

Ultimately, it was important to find a suitable line between cuteness and innocence, coldness, and my own personality.

‘Still, that’s my specialty.’

It’s already been 4 years since I rolled around like crazy in the notoriously chaotic Japanese entertainment industry; changing masks is something I’m used to.

“Hello.”

“As you saw from the title, I’m the virtual streamer, Kim Cheongha.”

“Please take care of me!”

A voice neither cold nor dark like before, and at a level that wouldn’t be uncomfortable for me to maintain going forward.

I greeted the viewers who came to watch my broadcast among countless others.

[Voice suddenly brightened up.]

[Voice is damn good…]

[Agreed, the voice carries it]

[Eyes are disgusted but ears like it so can’t leave]

[Congratulations, you’ve already been tainted by otaku culture.]

Do they say humans are creatures of adaptation?

“Well then, I’ll end today’s broadcast here for now.”

About 30 minutes later, I slowly announced the end of the stream to the remaining viewers.

I hadn’t planned to broadcast for long from the start.

Since it was a broadcast primarily for first greetings.

[Better than expected…]

[Voice is good too.]

[Character is pretty too..]

[I’ve been tainted, crazy…]

[Can I curse now?]

[This is f*cking disgusting.]

[If your face is pretty, just turn on the cam.]

[You just die.]

[Waited 30 minutes just to curse and leave ;;]

“….Who was that last guy.”

{The broadcast has ended}

Seeing the viewer who cursed and left at the end, words escaped my mouth automatically.

I was already prepared for trolls.

Being a Vtuber itself is perfect fodder for criticism.

‘Still, I have no intention of letting it slide.’

The bastard cursing in the chat window is naturally a target for purging.

If I don’t catch them now, the damage might grow uncontrollably, and it also disturbs other viewers.

“Who was that nickname just now…”

I immediately found the viewer list and slammed the ban hammer on that viewer.

“….But the stream ended a bit late, I think.”

Is it because I’m broadcasting to another country?

The site felt slightly slow.

‘Surely, my last words didn’t get included, right?’

Maybe because it was the first time and I was nervous, I felt slightly anxious.