Chapter 8: Life doesn’t always go the way you want it to.

I woke up to the sound of morning birds. My disheveled hair fell over my eyes.

“This silver hair, I just can’t get used to it.”

Every time I wake up, it surprises me anew. Pushing aside the silver strands covering my eyes, I climbed out of bed.

As always, I sat in front of my computer and continued my work.

This was the routine of an incapable shut-in illustrator: never going outside, no real friends to contact, and no games to play because I kept thinking, Wouldn’t it be better to work instead?

That thought had been my constant companion for years.

“But shouldn’t they be contacting me soon?”

I glanced at the calendar while working. It had been a week since I officially passed the 11th-generation audition. They should’ve contacted me by now.

Not that I was in a hurry. I knew KR Märchen was working tirelessly to prepare for my debut and find the next “Muil.”

Honestly, I almost felt guilty. Seeing the ever-energetic Tsupi and Eunhye being so overworked made me realize how much effort they were putting in.

“Well, they’ll reach out when they’re ready.”

Contacting them first wouldn’t change their progress. All I needed to do was focus on my work until Märchen called.

Ding!

As if on cue, a text from Tsupi popped up.

[Tsupi: Muil!!! Check your email right now, right now, right now!!!]

[Muil: Alright…]

Her urgency made me roll my eyes, but I checked my inbox anyway. Sure enough, there was an email from Märchen.

[KR Märchen Live Official: Hello, Chogyeoul. This is Kang So-woon, Manager of the HR Department at KR Märchen Live. First, congratulations on officially passing the auditions for the 11th generation of virtual idols. We’re thrilled to embark on this journey with you.

(…omitted…)

Märchen Live promises to always stand as a firm wall supporting you. Once again, congratulations on your achievement.

For the next steps, please refer to the details in the following email.

P.S. I heard from Team Leader Dohee that you were our costume illustrator! She mentioned she’s been pulling late nights trying to find someone to assist with your work. Coincidentally, a highly skilled illustrator approached Märchen today who might be a good fit. But, of course, your decision matters most.

We’ve postponed the contract for now, as we’d like to hear your thoughts before moving forward. We’ll let you decide.

(…omitted…)

To discuss your assistant and other matters, please visit the office. I’ll stop here for now! Have a wonderful day, and I hope to meet you in person at the office soon. Our departments are in different buildings, so… (ㅠㅠㅠㅠ)

P.S. By the way, how did you get close to Team Leader Dohee? She barely talks to anyone, even within the manager team—Eunhye is the only exception. Do you have a secret to building rapport with her? Please share if you do!]

What… was this?

It was clearly a congratulatory email, but there were so many unnecessary additions. And as for Tsupi, we just naturally became close…

Anyway, there were a few notable points in Märchen’s email.

First, the matter of my debut. A pre-debut meeting was essential, covering everything from training to recording my debut song and finalizing the avatar design. It looked like the preparation phase would take at least a month.

Second, the assistant situation. For that, I’d have to visit the office myself.

Honestly, I didn’t have high hopes. I’ve worked with KR Märchen for almost five years now, and my style is deeply ingrained in their brand.

Even if they found someone with similar skills, it wouldn’t work unless they matched my style exactly.

That’s why I suggested hiring an assistant instead of a replacement. This would need my personal review, so the contract could wait until then.

With about a month left until my debut, there was still plenty of time.

So…

“They said to check the next email, right?”

The next email wasn’t much. It just detailed the meeting time, location, and the specific agenda.

After reading it, I sent Tsupi a text.

[Muil: Thank you for your hard work. I’m moved to tears knowing you’ve been pulling late nights for me.]

[Tsupi: Hehehe, then next time, can I pat your head just once?]

[Tsupi: Oh, but I swear it’s not for any weird reason! Your hair just looks so nice, and even Eunhye said she wanted to touch it…]

[Muil: I don’t see why not… but you have a rather unique taste.]

[Tsupi: I told you, it’s not like that! Anyway, Muil, what if I became your manager? How would you feel about that?]

The conversation suddenly took an unexpected turn. Tsupi as my manager? Out of the blue?

[Muil: Um… what about your role as team leader?]

[Tsupi: Isn’t Eunhye there? She’s the fruit of all my hard work, grown for moments like this!]

[Muil: I think Eunhye might feel a little hurt hearing that.]

[Tsupi: Anyway! How does it sound? Do you think it’s a good idea?]

I leaned back in my chair for a moment to think. Tsupi becoming my manager…

Honestly, it sounded like good news. If she’s my manager, that means she’ll take care of all my loose ends.

For someone like me, having a manager was practically essential.

With everything piling up, even having two bodies wouldn’t be enough. A manager by my side would make things much easier.

I had a few questions, though.

[Muil: When are you planning to hand over your responsibilities? Will you even have the time?]

[Tsupi: I’ve been taking it easy for a year already, you know?]

[Muil: Poor Eunhye.]

[Tsupi: That’s a lie!!! I’ve done everything I could as a team leader and completed the handover! Everything will run fine without me, so don’t worry too much!]

[Tsupi: Oh, and sorry to say, but I’m already your manager. Hehe.]

[Muil: Did my opinion even matter in this decision…?]

[Tsupi: But wouldn’t it be better for you if I were your manager? Imagine a complete stranger as your manager. Do you think you’d be able to handle it?]

[Muil: That cuts deep. Please stop.]

It’s only natural to feel wary of strangers. It’s not because I’m some kind of antisocial hermit or anything.

Still, having Tsupi as my manager seemed advantageous for me.

But surely, she hasn’t already stepped down from her role as team leader, right?

[Tsupi: By the way, your next appointment is the debut meeting, right? I’ll be joining as your manager. I’ve already handed over the team leader role to Eunhye, and starting today, I’m just a regular team member!]

[Muil: Your decisiveness is impressive… but is it even possible for a team leader to step down to a regular team member?]

[Tsupi: Actually, to be precise, I haven’t fully stepped down. I’ve temporarily assigned Eunhye as the acting team leader.]

[Muil: Tyrant team leader. Boo.]

[Tsupi: Muil?]

This is basically running away. Who ever heard of a team leader running away from their position?

Feeling dumbfounded, I put my phone aside and returned to my work. I muted the phone, not wanting further distractions.

Even as I worked, my thoughts were tangled with everything that had just happened.

I just wanted the day to pass quickly.

“Ah, it’s great to meet you! I’m Park Gi-hyuk, Manager of the PR Department at the HR Division. Nice to finally meet you.”

“Yes, I’m Muil. I’ve been working as the costume illustrator for KR Märchen for about five years now.”

“Wow, I’ve heard so much about you, but this is my first time meeting the famous Muil in person.”

On the day of the debut meeting, I rode in Tsupi’s car as she picked me up and we headed to the KR Märchen office building.

The meeting space was set up in the first-floor café. As expected of a large corporation, they even had private rooms like this in their cafés.

In a room resembling a broadcast booth, I shook hands with Park Gi-hyuk.

His large, middle-aged hands completely enveloped my own small ones. His hands were huge.

Oh, by the way, Tsupi had gone to get coffee and some desserts.

Seated across from Park Gi-hyuk, I prepared myself for the meeting to begin.

“For most contract-related matters, Dohee will be in charge. You’ve heard about this, right?”

“Yes.”

This man casually referred to Tsupi as “that kid,” and as for Tsupi…

“And could you take a look at this document first?”

“Ta-da! Let’s eat while we discuss! And why are you starting the meeting without me? Don’t you care about me at all?”

“Care about you? Get out of here, you rascal.”

He calls him “mister.” Even though they’re colleagues, isn’t he being way too casual?

Actually, maybe this is just normal.

‘…Maybe not.’

But it’s none of my business. If those two are comfortable with each other, then that’s all that matters.

Anyway, Tsupi sat down beside me, carrying a tray, and the paused meeting resumed.

“I’ll explain everything to you, Muil. This guy is terrible at explaining.”

“Hearing that hurts, you know.”

“You’ve got plenty to feel hurt about, really!”

To be precise, the meeting felt more like a crash course in foreign jargon.

I didn’t understand a word of it. If not for Tsupi, I’d have been completely lost.

Park Gi-hyuk handed over a document and explained it, while Tsupi interpreted everything for me.

We were all speaking Korean, but somehow it felt like a different language.

“And now, the most important thing. Have you decided on a stage name?”

“Yuwol. I came up with it as the opposite of Muil.”

“Ooh, I like it!”

“Tsupi came up with it, actually.”

“Maybe it’s not that great, after all.”

“Mister?”

It felt like watching a comedy sketch between an uncle and his niece during a family holiday. I wondered how long this little act of theirs would go on.

“And what about RP? Have you thought of any specific concept?”

“I’m not very good at acting, so… ha ha.”

“That’s fine. Many people use their natural personality as their RP. For instance, there’s Yuki from our 3rd generation, and even Imari from the same generation. Don’t worry too much about coming up with a concept. Just take it easy.”

“Got it. I’ll keep that in mind.”

We exchanged a few more ideas after that. Though, to be honest, Tsupi handled most of it.

Just listening to the conversation was draining, but I still had one more important matter to address.

“Well, that wraps things up. Dohee, I’ll see you later.”

“Yes, take care.”

“What other reason would you have to meet someone from HR again?”

Still, as Park Gi-hyuk left, he waved at Tsupi, who smiled faintly in return.

“Shall we move on to the next thing on our schedule?”

“We still have plenty of time before that person gets here, don’t we? Can’t we just relax at the café a bit longer?”

“They just arrived.”

“…Oh.”

Maybe I should skip hiring an assistant altogether.