Chapter 31: Fairy Tale Playground Concert (1)

The Märchen Playground server was nearing its shutdown.

I was chosen to be the one to mark the grand finale of this massive server.

I expected it, but still, being placed at the very end of the lineup felt a little disappointing.

‘Well… I guess it makes sense. It’s the ending song, after all.’

Since it was both my first original song and the one signaling the end of Märchen Playground, my spot was naturally set to be the last.

Even as I worked, I found myself lost in thoughts about the song, leaving me with an indescribable feeling.

Maybe it was finally sinking in—I was truly a virtual YouTuber now.

[Jiwoo: They said they were recruiting one more assistant this time, right? Can I join too?!]

[Muil: Yeah, no problem. We’ll be working together anyway.]

[Jiwoo: “(>ᄉ<)/”]

[Muil: (* ́~`*)]

And one more thing.

We were bringing in an additional assistant this time.

While we had no issues handling our current workload, another problem had surfaced elsewhere.

‘We’re running out of references.’

As a costume illustrator, I had spent the past six years scouring online stores and the internet for reference materials, but even that had its limits.

Of course, I knew that countless outfits and designs existed in this world. If I searched hard enough, I could find them. But adapting them to fit a virtual YouTuber’s style wasn’t so easy.

To put it simply, it was like taking an existing outfit and adding various elements to it. The end result often became something unrealistic or impractical to wear in real life.

Unfortunately, both Jiwoo and I lacked the creativity to make these changes seamlessly. Up until now, we had always relied on anime, manga, and webtoons for reference.

There just weren’t many designs that truly spoke to us, so we ended up imagining them from scratch.

That’s why I needed costumes that blended realistic and fantastical elements. To achieve that, I planned to hire another assistant.

‘But now that I think about it… I’m a virtual YouTuber now.’

If I had transferred departments, shouldn’t I be doing work suited to my new role?

But since I was the only costume illustrator for KR Märchen, I just accepted it as it was.

Besides, with an assistant, it wasn’t that difficult anyway.

The goal was to recruit someone specialized in fashion rather than illustration—someone with expertise in clothing.

At the same time, they needed to be knowledgeable about subcultures.

Honestly, how many people like that even existed? Probably not many, but it was worth trying. If we couldn’t find one, we could always train them. The priority was hiring someone with a strong fashion background.

“…Wouldn’t it be better if Jiwoo took my spot instead?”

Then again, maybe not.

I should bring this up sometime soon.

“Wow. A recording studio. For the second time…”

It wasn’t for the concert.

The reason I was in the recording studio was because of my original song, See You Again Next Time.

Even though I was going to sing it at the concert, they said it needed a separate music video, which was why I was called here.

I suddenly recalled my last recording session just two months ago. I had been completely exhausted, reduced to a lifeless puddle…

The mere memory of it sent a chill down my spine, but I couldn’t run away—not with Tsupi massaging my shoulders.

“You don’t have to worry this time! It’s only a two-minute song!”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better…”

“Come on, a hero shouldn’t sound so weak!”

“I’m just an ordinary Chogyeoul right now, though.”

With my aching body, I let out a sigh and stepped into the recording booth.

Should I call this a soundproof booth? No, this was a recording studio, so… a recording booth?

Unlike a typical soundproof booth, the walls here were transparent. Even though I had seen it before, I still found it fascinating how it managed to block out sound.

Taking my place in front of the pre-set equipment, I slowly began recording.

I heard that Tsupi had recorded the guide vocals, and true to someone in the virtual YouTuber industry, she had a great singing voice.

Maybe I should try being a producer. Making music seemed fun.

Even while recording, these unnecessary thoughts flitted through my mind, but it didn’t affect the process.

Having a good vocal tone made everything much easier.

It felt embarrassing to say it myself, but I believed I was a good singer. My vocal techniques were natural, and I could handle high notes with ease.

Of course, this was another skill I discovered after becoming a woman.

‘Since things have come this far, should I learn an instrument too?’

Who knows? It might come in handy for future content.

…The fact that I was thinking about streaming content even here proved I was beyond saving.

“Phew.”

“Good work! This time, we finished pretty quickly, right?”

“Compared to last time?”

As I stepped out of the recording booth, Tsupi handed me a bottle of water and a plate of fruit.

Nonstop recording for two hours. Honestly, I thought we finished relatively quickly.

Since the song was short and my singing skills weren’t lacking, things wrapped up even faster.

“But these lyrics… who wrote them?”

“Hm? I did.”

“You can write lyrics too? You never struck me as the type to write something so emotional…”

“Come here, you.”

Narrowing my eyes at her, I watched as Tsupi strode toward me and grabbed my cheeks, pulling them.

“Ow, ow! That hurts!”

“Wow. What is this? Your cheeks are like mochi.”

Then, as if kneading dough, she started squishing my cheeks.

“Could you… let go now…?”

“Wow, this is so addicting.”

Tsupi, who had stopped her hand at my words, let out a gasp of admiration. Was my cheek really that soft?

I touched it myself, but it didn’t feel particularly special. Just the sensation of touching skin.

As I pulled away slightly and cupped my cheeks with both hands, Tsupi smirked mischievously.

“How is it? Doesn’t it really feel like glutinous rice?”

“Not really, it’s just normal…”

“I should let the others touch it later too~.”

Humming to herself, Tsupi went to tidy up the equipment. But wait—why was she deciding on her own to let others touch my cheeks?

I don’t think Tsupi is entirely normal. I have no idea how she even became the team leader.

The day Märchen Playground shut down.

It seemed like every single player on the server had gathered for Märchen Concert at 8 PM.

Roughly 400… no, maybe around 500 streamers were present. Honestly, I had no idea there were this many people on the server.

On top of that, the total viewer count was 1.2 million. That included viewers from YouTube, Tujijik, and various other streaming platforms.

“1.2 million… that’s insane.”

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Märchen Concert’s popularity was sky-high. Had there ever been a viewer count this large before?

Apparently, the numbers had surged even more since my debut. Not that I had done anything special.

[#MärchenConcert4 Watch Together]

“There are about ten minutes left. From what I saw last time, Season 3’s concert lasted around three or four hours. Do you think this one will be similar?”

• The participation rate is higher this time.
• Probably?
• Last season, there were about 16 participants.
• This time, it’s unusually large. If another large-scale server opens, they might have to limit the number of performers.
• It’s almost double…
• The concert might last eight hours at this rate…

But I don’t think viewers need to worry. They don’t know this, but aside from a few people, most of us are only singing one song each.

Märchen had no other choice.

For this Märchen Concert, only the participant list was revealed—no one knew what songs would be performed.

So, the viewers assumed that many of the participants would sing two or three songs each.

“How was Märchen Concert for you all? I had a great time.”

• It was super fun LOL
• Me too!
• That market manipulation was wild LOL
• I can’t wait for the next season.
• Whoa, 1.3 million total viewers?!
• Why are there more international viewers than domestic ones?
• Seriously, this was amazing.
• Almost starved to death on the first day LOL

“I’m glad you all had fun.”

For the first time, I talked to people in a game, built friendships, and made plans for the future.

Whenever we passed each other, we’d greet each other like neighbors. If we needed something, we’d trade for it.

Farming alone was enjoyable, and sometimes, following Akira into dungeons was thrilling.

And I was the only one who discovered the hidden class: Hero.

That journey had been one of the highlights of this season’s Märchen.

I had fun. It was all truly enjoyable.

“It feels a bit sad that it’s ending like this.”

I hadn’t gone to the concert venue yet. I planned to enter exactly one minute before it started.

Right now, I just wanted to talk to my viewers.

If sitting alone in an empty plaza, staring at the sky, seemed poetic—good.

Because I was doing this on purpose to create a cinematic moment.

And it seemed my intention had worked.

• This is seriously romantic…
• It’s so quiet.
• Hero Yuwol… the mood is deep.
• Feels like an F moment?
• The moon is beautiful.
• Somehow, this feels sad… because it’s really ending.
• Maximum romance.
• Staying with us until the very end… I’m touched.

Even my chat was scrolling slower than usual.

Maybe everyone was too absorbed in the scenery to type.

The concert was about to start, but I still hadn’t stood up.

Five minutes left.

I had a mini-concert planned—one that only I would perform.

This was my own decision.

“Just between us, let’s quietly sing two songs before we go.”

The slow-moving chat immediately burst into flames.

Our private concert was about to begin.