Chapter 3: VTuber? Fine, let’s give it a shot.

The interview began with self-introductions, starting with the first person on the left and ending with the fourth person on the right.

Whether it was fortunate or not, I was the fourth person. I hadn’t prepared any introduction.

Since I was certain I wouldn’t get through, I planned to give a half-hearted introduction.

“Thank you. Next, please.”

At the interviewer’s words, I noticed a moment of confusion on their face. Normally, wouldn’t they have follow-up questions during a self-introduction? Even the first woman who just finished her introduction looked puzzled.

“She mentioned streaming as a VTuber. Are they really not curious about that?”

I had expected them to ask about what kind of content she streamed, her concept, her activity duration, or similar details.

Lost in these thoughts, I suddenly realized it was my turn.

“Next, we have Chogyeoul. Please proceed with your self-introduction.”

Up until now, Tsupi had been quietly observing, but she flashed me a bright smile as she spoke.

“You’ve been quiet this whole time!”

I sighed inwardly and began speaking.

“I’m Chogyeoul, and I’ve been working as an illustrator for six years. I’m 20 years old this year, and I dropped out of university.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes.”

For a moment, Tsupi appeared to be deliberating.

During that brief pause, I thought about my situation.

For reasons I didn’t fully understand, I had become much younger than my original age, and I had apparently dropped out of university this year. This was all I could gather from my altered ID and memories.

I should’ve realized it then—that I needed to avoid Tsupi’s persistent questioning.

Just as I tried to drop my awkward smile, Tsupi asked another question.

“You mentioned working as an illustrator for six years. Could you share your skill level or show us a portfolio or work history?”

“What?”

Why was she asking about this? Is this a question relevant to being a VTuber?

I had expected questions about streaming experience, not my career as an illustrator.

“I didn’t prepare anything.”

“That’s unfortunate. It would have been nice to see your work.”

Why does she keep doing this?

As Tsupi’s questioning continued, the other candidates’ faces grew visibly tense. Was this how self-introductions were supposed to go?

Thankfully, when Tsupi stopped asking questions, their expressions brightened again.

The glimmer of hope that they still had a chance seemed to lift their spirits.

However, the following questions about motivations for applying, opinions on Märchen Live, thoughts on streaming, or comparisons to other companies were all met with detailed answers from the candidates.

Despite their efforts, the interviewers’ expressions remained unimpressed.

“Looks like this isn’t going well for them.”

Meanwhile, I was the only one with a different concern.

Since I had breezed through most of the questions effortlessly, I was probably standing out among the four of us.

Unlike the others, I hadn’t stuttered or gotten flustered. My responses were calm and composed.

“It’s fine. It’s not like we’re the only four applicants here, right?”

I comforted myself with that thought.

“You’ve all worked hard. You may leave now,” Tsupi announced.

The four of us exchanged simple farewells and stepped out into the hallway.

“Ha, I think I bombed it.”

“Me too.”

“I’m jealous of her. She kept getting questions.”

It seemed like the other three were friends—or perhaps they had gotten close while waiting in the room.

Regardless, the way their three sets of eyes looked at me wasn’t exactly friendly.

I couldn’t blame them, but I wished people wouldn’t hold onto jealousy. It’s not like I asked for it.

“This staircase will lead you outside. Also, there’s a café on the first floor where you can get free coffee. Please feel free to stop by.”

“Oh, thank you so much!”

At the staff member’s words, we nodded in acknowledgment and hurried down to the first floor.

Being a large corporation, Märchen even provided free coffee for its applicants. They sure know how to spend.

Although I’ve made decent money as an illustrator, memories of growing up poor still hold me back from spending freely.

Most of my earnings have gone toward supporting my family, anyway.

A child as the head of the household—or I guess a girl now? Either way, that’s my current position.

Lost in thought, I found myself already holding a cup of coffee. When did I even grab this?

The autopilot mode of my subconscious is dangerous. If it had been a knife instead of coffee, I’d be headed straight for a holding cell.

Sipping the warm coffee, I left the Märchen KR headquarters.

Ah, I should’ve gotten an espresso instead.

A few days after the interview.

[KR Märchen Live Official: Hello, Chogyeoul. This is Kang Sowoon, Manager of HR at KR Märchen Live. We’re pleased to inform you that you have passed the first round of the interview process…]

These days, even acceptance notices come via email, huh?

Wait, if I passed the first round, doesn’t that mean there’s more to come?

“Why did I even pass?”

While carefully rereading the email from Märchen, a text from Tsupi arrived.

[Tsupi: Muil! Congratulations on passing! I knew you would make it!]

[Muil: Was the interview process really fair? I was so careless during mine.]

[Tsupi: Of course it was! I may be a bit scatterbrained, but I’m still a team lead, you know?]

[Tsupi: And I made sure to separate work from personal matters, so you don’t have to worry at all.]

[Tsupi: All the questions I asked you were purely out of curiosity as an interviewer!]

[Muil: But you didn’t ask any questions to the other applicants.]

[Tsupi: That’s because I didn’t have anything to ask them. For people like you, who’ve worked in a specific field for a long time, I always have a lot of questions.]

[Tsupi: Anyway! The next round is the final one, so please prepare well!]

[Muil: (Suspiciously squinting squirrel emoji).]

[Tsupi: Ugh, you’re so mean!]

Well, at least it wasn’t a special treatment interview. That was a relief.

“Well, she didn’t seem like someone who would push through a nepotistic hire.”

Though Tsupi is a bit energetic, she’s still a team leader at Märchen. She’s the kind of person who knows how to separate work from personal matters.

Anyway, after thanking Tsupi for her congratulatory message, I got back to finishing my work.

Choosing hanbok for both the 3rd and 4th generations seemed a bit overdone, so I pivoted to Japanese yukata. It seemed like a decent choice.

Come to think of it, what would happen to the costume design work if I became a VTuber? Would someone else handle it?

I’m not the only outfit illustrator at KR Märchen, but I’ve been the one handling most of the workload by myself.

“If I debut, will I have to stream while working on designs?”

Well, I’ll figure that out when the time comes.

Why am I jumping to conclusions? I haven’t even debuted yet, let alone passed the final round.

“Hmm. Since I’ve made it past the first round, should I take it seriously now?”

Before the interview, I didn’t even consider becoming a VTuber, but now I was starting to feel curious.

Now that I’m a woman, with a decent voice and a knack for drawing, maybe there’s a demand for someone like me?

Pausing my work, I revisited the email I received earlier.

[KR Märchen Live Official:… On the scheduled day, all finalists will participate in a live broadcast. A total of 50 live streams will be viewed by both KR Märchen staff and public viewers. The final selection will be based on a combination of staff votes and real-time viewer votes. … Please come to the broadcasting room on the 4th floor, Room 405, at the KR Märchen headquarters. Have a great day.]

So they conduct practical evaluations too, huh? But wait—a live broadcast? That’s new. Märchen never used this method before.

For years, they’ve always selected new generations through interviews. Why are they suddenly changing it now?

Doesn’t this give an advantage to applicants with prior streaming experience? What’s a total rookie like me supposed to do?

With these thoughts swirling in my mind, I logged into Tujijik, a popular streaming platform used by many internet personalities and VTubers.

Were they expecting the applicants to stream here? The thought sparked another question in my head.

“What about the avatar?”

[KR Märchen Live Official:… The avatars required for the live broadcast will be provided by our company. Previously used avatars are not permitted. We appreciate your understanding.]

That put my mind at ease.

I returned my focus to Tujijik and browsed the VTuber category.

There were independent creators and those affiliated with companies. Among them, the dominating presence at the top was, of course, the VTubers from KR Märchen Live.

Currently, 23 of them were streaming. That’s quite a number.

Seeing them confidently occupy the top 23 spots in the category rankings made me dizzy.

If I debut, I’ll have to compete among them to survive.

I’ll have to endure the attention of countless senior members and the constant influx of viewers.

“I’m such an introvert; there’s no way I can handle that.”

Even as I sighed at the bleak future ahead, a part of me wanted to try becoming a VTuber. After all, I’ve already made it through the first round, and there’s no turning back now.

Fine, let’s do it. From an outfit illustrator to a VTuber—it’s just a department transfer, right?