Chapter 23: I must have seen it wrong

This year, 23-year-old Seo Do-hee, who was on a leave of absence from school, had some words she didn’t like to hear these days.

“Do-hee must be going through a late puberty.”

“Well, when you’re young, everything can be an experience.”

“Wandering and deviation. You can do that at that age. But it shouldn’t last too long.”

It had been a long time since she became an adult. It was a career path she had decided on after much 고민. But no one took it seriously. Not even her family, let alone her friends.

There was only one reason.

‘Why would you want to do that after graduating from Hankuk University?’

When she was young, she liked being praised for her good studies. High grades, a prestigious university. She thought that if she just followed the set path, she would have a successful life.

She only realized it after entering university. Graduating from Hankuk University doesn’t guarantee success… and even if you do succeed, it doesn’t necessarily mean a satisfying life.

For Seo Do-hee, who was getting tired of the repetitive daily life and competition, the escape route was a VTuber video she happened to see.

‘I want to freely express my individuality and shine in front of others like that-‘

So she took a leave of absence from school, and after some preparation, she started her VTuber activities.

It failed. It failed so miserably that it was meaningless to even measure the level of failure.

‘It was a mistake to be too obsessed with RP.’

The VTuber market was a red ocean. To differentiate herself, she set up a very detailed RP. And she decided never to break that concept.

The result was an elf magician.

‘I even read all the volumes of Lord of the Rings…’

In the end, she set the wrong direction. Rather, she was tied down by the RP, and her range of activities was narrowed in terms of broadcasting. RP was just a secondary element, the important thing was the fun of the broadcast.

Grades. GPA. Certificates. For Seo Do-hee, who was used to being evaluated by objective indicators, an average viewership of 3 was a result she was ashamed to even mention.

To her mother, who said she could just go back to school, she couldn’t bring herself to say, “No. This is my future.” She felt her self-esteem gradually declining.

‘But, starting today, that’s not the case!’

She had proudly joined Blooming Core, a leading company in the Korean VTuber industry. And this was her first official appearance since then.

The building in front of her was not just a company. It was a symbol of a new beginning and a stage to prove that her choice was not wrong.

The reception room on the 3rd floor. When it was used as an interview waiting room, she had entered trembling with fear. Today, she enters with a pleasant excitement.

“Hello!”

“Welcome, Do-hee-ssi.”

The general manager, who had been waiting, greeted her with a smile.

“For a while, I will be directly supporting the 3rd generation members. If you need any help, please don’t hesitate to contact me.”

“Yes! Thank you!”

The general manager, who also appears on broadcasts under the name ‘Sera’ and is simply called ‘Manager’ by viewers, was one of Blooming Core’s key figures.

‘Sera-nim is directly managing us? This can only mean that the company is putting everything on the line for the success of the 3rd generation project. I have to live up to those expectations. I can do it. There will be no more failures!’

While Seo Do-hee was bracing herself, Sera held out a tablet with the screen turned on.

“The planning team has set up a rough RP for you, Do-hee-ssi. Please let me know if you have any opinions.”

Amano Karen, age 17.

A genius girl who graduated early from a psychic academy in just two years. She showed exceptional talent in the field of psychokinesis…

Seo Do-hee’s eyes sparkled as she quickly skimmed through the content.

“Wow… This setting is really cool! I can feel that the planning team put a lot of thought into it. I think I’m a perfect fit for this role! Thank you!”

Yeah, what was with that elf magician nonsense.

She had never thought of herself as a genius, but she had a lot of experience being the center of attention in school or academy. She felt like she could act much more naturally.

‘As expected from Blooming Core… They must have considered all these aspects.’

Sera’s next words slightly dampened Seo Do-hee’s soaring spirits.

“Then, we’ll call you Karen-ssi from now on.”

“Yes?”

“It’s the CEO’s instruction. If you become too friendly with your fellow members, you might accidentally say your real name during a broadcast. And this way, it will be easier for you to immerse yourself in the character.”

“Ah… So we use it only when talking with other members…?”

“No. You need to get completely used to thinking ‘I am Karen’ in your daily life, so that you can act much more naturally on stream.”

Right. The intention seems good.

But if someone outside hears me being called Karen-ssi, it would be quite embarrassing…

Karen forced a smile and quickly changed the subject.

“Ah. Yes, I’ll be Karen from now on..! By the way, are the other 3rd generation members coming today?”

“As I mentioned, today is a gathering for the 3rd round of successful applicants. The other person should be here soon…”

Knock, knock.

The door was knocked. As if she had been listening to the flow of this conversation and waiting, it was a perfectly timed entrance.

“She’s right on time. Yes, come in.”

Karen turned her head to look at the face of her fellow member who had passed at the same time. And her eyes immediately widened.

It’s not that she doesn’t like being ignored because of her background, but she had a certain amount of pride in being from Hankuk University.

She had even thought that she might be the most highly educated among VTubers.

If someone reacted with pure admiration, saying, ‘Someone from Hankuk University is a Blooming Core 3rd generation member?’ she would probably feel a sense of pride.

But in front of that person, even the title of Hankuk University seemed insignificant.

The reaction of, ‘That face, that body, and she’s a Blooming Core 3rd generation member?’ would definitely be much bigger than the surprise of seeing someone from Hankuk University.

Until the new arrival took a seat, Karen’s gaze was fixed on her fellow member.

“Please introduce yourselves to each other. This is Karen-ssi… and this, you can call her Leah-ssi.”

The beauty’s fine eyebrows furrowed slightly.

“Are you perhaps referring to me as Leah?”

“Yes. Since you just arrived, let me explain that part. First of all, Leah-ssi, we’ve decided to have you debut with the RP you submitted.”

“That’s only natural.”

Karen naturally listened to the captivating voice.

‘Wow, her voice is so pretty…’

It was elegant and calm. It was exactly the kind of voice she had wanted to have when she was broadcasting before. A voice that sounded mysterious and elf-like to anyone who heard it.

Karen’s original voice was a bit lower in tone, bright and friendly… She had to put a lot of effort into using a different voice every time.

“But the name is a bit… where was it written…”

Sera rummaged through the tablet.

“Estellica Periadriel Casoliana Ivarendelis, here it is.”

“That’s right, that! It’s too long. How can viewers even pronounce that?”

“That’s why everyone used to call her Estell.”

“Estell is nice too, but it breaks the uniformity. Our principle is to use Japanese-style names. So we changed it to Esmée Leah. It has ‘Es’ and ‘Leah’ in it, right? The planning team also racked their brains to come up with this.”

The fellow member who had her chosen RP approved, bowed her head slightly and seemed to be in deep thought. After a while.

“I will accept that name. It’s a bit forced, but it’s acceptable to say that it’s a shortened version of my original name.”

“Great! Then from now on, we will call you Leah-ssi. Leah-ssi, please also refrain from using your real name when talking to company staff or fellow members.”

“I will do so. This is also my real name, after all.”

Karen was shocked by two things in her fellow member’s response.

First, the fact that she didn’t even ask for the reason after receiving such a request.

She must have understood that the company’s instructions were not just simple requests, but essential choices for the success of the project.

And, the answer itself, ‘This is also my real name.’

Unlike herself, who felt awkward and embarrassed, she was accepting the RP she was acting out as her true identity.

Why? Because she will be steadily active as ‘Esmée Leah’ who has signed a contract with ‘Blooming Core’.

How professional.

‘Right. Even a person like her is approaching this with such sincerity… I was excited about being accepted, and my determination might have become a little lax.’

From now on, even outside, even in front of people I know, I will never be embarrassed to be called Karen. Karen resolved.

“Now that I think about it, we haven’t formally introduced ourselves yet. I look forward to working with you.”

Karen was slightly surprised that she was suddenly addressed, and she accepted the greeting.

“Yes! I look forward to working with you too! I’m excited to think that we’ll be seeing each other often as fellow members.”

Her fellow member smiled faintly, but Karen felt a slight sense of incongruity.

That expression just now. It felt like there was a hint of disappointment… Was I mistaken?

Yeah, I must have seen it wrong. There’s no reason for her to be suddenly disappointed after hearing my voice, right?

While Karen was confused, Sera, who had put the tablet in her bag, stood up.

“Then I will now give you a brief introduction to the company facilities. And then let’s go eat together. The CEO said he made a reservation at a special place.”