When I clicked the post, a video popped up.

The thumbnail was a Vtuber avatar.

If I had to define the avatar’s look in one phrase, it was a quirky genius with short black hair.

It was Kuroda, Prism’s CEO and a Vtuber.

I played the video.

Beep.

“No, I saw people saying we Prism folks keep taking everything for ourselves.”

I’m fine with it.
The small streamers just handle it themselves.
Prism alone has seven people.

“Ah, don’t make me laugh, you guys only say that in my chat and then you’ll talk mad trash behind my back, saying we’re monopolizing everything.”

As expected of the boss.

She moved differently.

You could tell from the sheer years of streaming experience.

She casually tossed out topics other Vtubers would normally tiptoe around.

“So I’m thinking about holding a Vtuber tournament or something.”

Oh.
What kind of tournament?

“It’s New Year’s, so how about a hanbok contest or something, a Vtuber hanbok contest, before Lunar New Year rolls around.”

Hanbok?
Hanbok sounds good.

“If I tell people to wear hanbok, they’ll naturally get filtered in round one because they have to prepare outfits, and then if we gather and do something like auditions, wouldn’t it be fun?”

Isn’t this just farming newbies?
Full-on Prism farming content LOL.
Like, are their avatar quality levels even comparable, lady?

Public opinion wasn’t entirely positive.

There was no way newcomers’ outfit quality could keep up with a big Vtuber group.

It just looked like an event meant to make Prism’s hanbok stand out.

“But if it’s only hanbok, it’s boring, right, since we’re Vtubers, I want to go with a Korea-Japan grand unification vibe.”

Korea-Japan?
Are we doing hanbok vs kimono or something?
Are we getting a big Japanese Vtuber guest, holy crap?

“Hey, I can’t invite actual Japanese Vtubers, I don’t have money, I’m thinking of content where they wear hanbok and each do one anime line or something, what do you think?”

Ugh-cringe.
What LOL?
Otaku…

“Hey, you guys are bigger otakus, and out of the people going ‘ugh-cringe’ in here, half of you are enjoying it inside right now.”

Huh?
Not me, at least.

“Even last time when we did an anime song-guessing thing, you guys knew everything, even the stuff I didn’t.”

Bleach is goated though.
One-Na-Ble (One Piece, Naruto and Bleach) is peak honestly.
Deja vu = classics.

“No, everyone, that’s what being an otaku is, normal people don’t know that stuff.”

True.
No no no no no no.
I’m in favor, sounds fun LOL.

“So two weeks from now, Korea-Japan grand unification, wear hanbok and do anime lines, that kind of vibe, should we pick up to third place?”

What are the prizes?

“I’ll put up prize money.”

Boss, you don’t have money.
In the end it’s us paying the prize money LOL.

“Alright, I won’t take donations, I’ll pay out of pocket, I mean technically it’s still your money, but it’s better than taking new donations, right, yeah?”

Recognition.
Out of pocket is good.
It’d be kinda weird donating for ‘hanbok and anime lines’ LOL.

“Would 500 for first place work? It costs money to make avatars too.”

That’s generous.
500 out of pocket is pretty big.

“Then I’ll hold it two weeks from now, so if there are streamers you watch, please pass the word along, now should I play a game, what should I do?”

The video ended.

In short, in two weeks there’d be a Vtuber hanbok festival, with anime lines on the side.

Nothing was resolved.

It was still content that would make Prism stand out.

“Haa.”

I sighed to myself and opened my messenger on my PC.

I changed the name that was still saved as ‘that bastard’ to ‘Artist Ryuko.’

There was no other way.

For now, the only outfits I could wear were the ones this person drew, and if they said they’d do it for free, there was no reason to refuse.

[Could you draw a hanbok for me?]

The reply came the moment I sent it.

[A hanbok?]

[Yes, Kuro said she’s holding a contest on Pajik Pajik, did you see it?]

[I’ll go watch it, hold on a moment.]

While I waited, I left a comment on the video.

I wrote, [I checked it, thank you!]

A laughing emoticon got attached as a reply right away.

He’s cute, even if his nickname is ‘R-Rated whatever.’

A message came from Ryuko.

[A hanbok, got it, I’ll definitely draw it pretty for you!]

[Yes, please.]

Cutting the call so bluntly and only acting like this now was shameless, but I had no choice.

This person was my only lifeline.

I had no money, and even if I did, I couldn’t commission anyone.

I was on a vague boundary between reality and virtual.

Even if I wanted to wear virtual clothes, I couldn’t.

All I got were error messages.

Right now, the only clothes I could wear were the ones this artist drew.

[Sorry, but could you tell me your three sizes?]

[What?]

I blinked.

What I commissioned was a Vtuber avatar outfit.

Not a suit or a wedding dress.

[Three sizes?]

Was there some different kind of three sizes for Vtubers?

[No, um, even as settings it’s fine, I majored in fashion design, so it’s easier to work if I have them, it’s not like I can’t do it without them, yes!]

My trust dropped sharply.

No wonder they failed.

If you asked a Vtuber for three sizes, it’d just be some made-up profile setting.

It wasn’t important.

Fortunately, I could measure three sizes myself.

‘How do you measure three sizes?’

I didn’t know because I’d never done it.

I searched it up.

“Mhm, mhm.”

I nodded and pulled out a measuring tape from home and measured my three sizes.

It was hard trying to hold the tape in place alone, but I managed somehow.

[You already got the panel (flat image)?]

[Do you have a photo by any chance?]

[One moment.]

The word ‘panel’ slipped out without me thinking.

I thought people in this scene hated that word.

‘I could screenshot and send it, but.’

It’d be better to send it in detail, right?

I stood in front of a mirror and took front and back photos and sent them.

I was careful not to catch the mirror frame in the shot.

[Wow, your avatar quality is insane, it’s really lucky you got a good avatar.]

[I got lucky, please take care of it.]

[Yes! Leave it to me! ^^]

I was about to close the window when Ryuko added one more line.

[Do you have someone to do the rigging? I’m really terrible at rigging ㅠ]

[Rigging?]

I searched it.

It seemed rigging meant making the character move.

[Ah, you don’t know rigging? What do I do? I'm not confident in rigging.]

I know you aren’t.

Because I saw it on YouTube.

Alpha26’s 2nd anniversary video.

[It’s fine, just give it to me.]

[If I just give it, you won’t be able to wear itㅠㅠㅠ]

I didn’t really care.

When I tried it as a test, even that sailor uniform was fine.

It was the outfit Alpha26’s Arin wore and got absolutely trashed for.

[It’s fine.]

[Then I’ll draw it within a week! During that week you can look for a rigger!]

[Yes, thank you.]

I didn’t need to find a rigger.

I didn’t need one.

The messages wrapped up.

All that was left was waiting.

But I couldn’t just sit there scratching at it for two weeks.

‘Ah, it’s not here.’

I scratched the back of my neck and opened the fridge.

I cracked open a can of beer.

The sound of the tab opening was refreshing.

Gulp gulp, I chugged it down.

This was an elixir.

Life force flowed in through my narrow throat.

The coldness slid straight down my esophagus.

If someone is dying, pour beer down their throat.

They’ll probably live.

“Kah.”

Even after chugging like that, I hadn’t had much.

This body really was small, so the cost performance was great.

“Such great cost performance… hic.”

* * *

My head felt like it was going to split.

It was like a monk stuffed my head into a wooden temple gong and full-swung a club about 108 times.

“Thank you, monk.”

If I’d been hit just two more times, my soul would have fallen into the abyss of reincarnation.

Thank you for being alive.

I drank water and turned on my phone.

It was the number one thing you had to check first the day after getting drunk.

Nothing was wrong.

My YouTube channel and my Pajik Pajik channel were fine.

Why did this post alone have so many comments?

On my Pajik Pajik channel, the post written by ‘R-rated Doujinshi’ had a ton of comments.

‘R-rated Doujinshi’ was a nickname (and his username) I’d given him in my head.

I couldn’t keep calling him ‘R-rated Doujinshi’ every time.

Looking at the title, it was the post with Kuro’s video.

I was curious, so I clicked it.

Press.

There was a secret reply.

The person who posted the reply was me.

I had no memory of it at all.

Looks like another shadow version of me posted it for me.

Could you maybe get me in touch with Hako?
ㄴ R-rated Doujinshi: Whoa, your oshi are both, holy crap, of course that’s fine.
ㄴ Oshi? Yoshi! I contact you?
ㄴ I’ll leave a secret post in Hako-chan’s guestbook!
ㄴ Thank youuu.

A conversation reeking of booze.

I searched it up and saw that oshi meant ‘favorite.’

“Stop randomly throwing around Japanese.”

This is Korea.

If King Sejong scolds you, don’t look at me.

I don’t know how it happened, but maybe we got in touch, because a chat log with Hako was left in my gaming messenger.

[Hako, should we practice a collab tomorrow morning?]

Up to the first message, it was normal, like I’d somehow kept my head on straight.

[Huh? A collab?]

[Collab is not conffident for meeeㅡㅓㅇㅍ.]

[I’m on break tomorrow though!]

[Then plz.]

[Message me tomorrow! Haha.]

“Hah, damn it.”

Even my chat smelled like alcohol.

I shook the can on the desk.

It was still heavy.

Did I only take one sip?

The smell of alcohol made my head throb.

I took the can to the sink and poured it out.

I didn’t even think it was a waste.

‘I should message her, at least.’

Should I apologize even now?

What if she’s been waiting?

All kinds of thoughts circled in my head.

My head was a merry-go-round.

I was barely holding the reins to make up for my mistake.

The moment I let go, I’d fall.

I opened my gaming messenger and opened my chat window with Hako.

[Are you awake by any chance?]

I sent the message.

“Ugh—”

The moment I sent it, something hot surged up from inside me.

I ran to the bathroom to fire off a breath attack.

‘Please don’t be too late.’

I didn’t want to turn my room into Pompeii buried in volcanic ash.