[Yeah, but the sponsorship is at 200 now—no, 210. Anyway, you're really throwing away 210? For real?]
So, basically.
A mindset where she'd sacrifice her own body for money?
Wouldn't the bosses of some black company love an employee like that?
If Magia hadn't been picked up by Cheon Dohee, she'd probably be the type getting her salary skimmed by some sleazy convenience store owner.
'But... it's kinda funny that she's insisting I take the job when she could just let it go?'
While Dohee hesitated to make a decision, the mission reward had already doubled from before.
:: Mission ::
:: Voice chat with a Parallel employee who's great at Rain impressions - 2,777,000 Clouds ::
It was rocketing straight into orbit.
Did all the workers in Korea get paid on the same day or something?
And the bigger the amount got, the wilder her inner capitalist rampaged.
Jia, still on the line, was relaying the sponsorship updates in real time, prodding Dohee to react.
Who does she think I am, some money-crazed maniac?
[2.77 million... 2.79 million... 2.82 million... 2.88 million...]
"...It's distracting, so stop talking. I can see it myself."
[We're almost at the office. We'll talk more there. 2.89 million.]
Her freewheeling broadcast, like some reporter in a blizzard, didn't stop relaying until the call finally ended.
Anyway, they'd see each other in the office soon, so Dohee set her phone down and turned her attention to the stream screen, asking Rain.
- Private Message -
[Momo: Is that chairman sponsoring almost all of it right now?]
[Rain: Whoa]
[Rain: As expected of the boss, how'd you know?]
[Rain: Stream elite super clever grandma]
[Momo: Obvious...]
[Momo: What the hell is that last one, you wanna die ㅡㅡ]
[Rain: Boss is sponsoring like crazy for the foreigner ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
No wonder Jia had been steadily rattling off the sponsorship changes earlier.
The amount was climbing periodically, for real.
And if she had to name the main culprit behind the surge, it was none other than the chairman who'd tanked hard in yesterday's content.
Genuine guilt for failing to find the real Rain, trying to make up for it with cash.
Plus, calling in a fake Rain was a pretty strategic move to quell the backlash against him—though calling it backlash was a stretch; it was just the usual slugfest (pro term: WWE).
But this was also a demonstration aimed at boss Momo.
This evil Demon King Momo.
I'll keep jacking up the mission price.
Decide whether to release the imprisoned Princess Magia or not!
...Something like that.
Come to think of it, it was kinda pissing her off?
Why was Dohee suddenly in the Demon King position, agonizing over this?
She hadn't done anything wrong.
Magia had just suddenly burst out with a talent she'd been hiding away.
In other words, it was like some girl protesting in front of the Demon King's castle, so they dragged her inside—turns out she's a princess, so they send a hero to rescue her.
Soon, the office front door burst open, and a tiny figure—just the top of her head visible over the partitions—dashed down the hallway and knocked on the president's door.
"Come in."
140 cm tall.
Looked like an upper elementary schooler at best, but the suit she wore gave off a bizarre vibe—that was Magia's entrance.
—Dohee had considered asking her to dress casual, but figured that must be her image of a "working adult," so she'd left it alone till now.
The phone screen in her hand showed Rain's ongoing live stream.
She pulled out her earbuds, her jewel-like blue eyes sparkling as she said,
"Boss, 3 million."
"Hey."
"3.03 million now. Anyway, it's still climbing."
"...Got it. That's not the important part right now."
"3.06."
Only when Dohee narrowed her eyes did Jia finally stop the sponsorship relay.
It was definitely an insane amount.
3 million won.
Considering 1 million got you a special reaction from the 1st Gen, Rain would practically have to throw a mini-concert the moment the mission succeeded.
But did the viewers only want Rain's singing?
The mission itself was about dragging Jia onto the stream.
Now that she was on stream, she'd have to do a special reaction too, right?
Wouldn't the viewers at least want Jia reacting alongside?
Whether singing or doing impressions.
However, this channel belonged to Rain, first and foremost.
There was a star who needed the spotlight, and as president, Dohee wanted to avoid putting Magia in that spot.
"Fine. You wanted to do it, so go on Rain's stream and wrap it up. But you get it, right?"
Jia perfectly caught the implication in those curt words.
It was her creed, after all.
Employees shouldn't steal the show on a company VTuber's stream.
Jia nodded like she understood, and as she turned to leave, Dohee grabbed her shoulder and said,
"This probably won't be the last time. You might have to appear on streams again."
"Really?"
That's why she could say it so casually—not realizing how others saw her character.
But when Dohee let out a big sigh, Jia served up a heavy bowl of straight facts.
"If you're worried, just tell me not to go."
"It's... the situation."
"But boss, you know it too, right? If I don't go now, it'll bite us later."
Dohee was speechless, hit right on the mark.
Riding the momentum, Jia continued.
"Not sure if I'm in a position to advise, but I remember most of your calls in situations like this turned out right. Sure, there were times public opinion tanked, but."
She could've skipped the last part, but it was just plain facts anyway.
As Jia said, Cheon Dohee had faced countless crossroads and played the optimal move each time.
In short, what Jia wanted to say was,
Trust your instincts this time too—don't second-guess yourself.
...Even though the biggest part of that dilemma was Magia herself.
Oblivious to that.
But what could she do?
Things had snowballed this far—if it led to Jia debuting, Cheon Dohee would have to deal with the fallout.
As Jia put it, Cheon Dohee already thought sending her out was the best move.
"Alright, help Rain out. If something feels off while you're watching, I'll let you know, so share your TokCode."
"Yes."
Magia left a crisp reply and headed to the motion studio.
Dohee couldn't help but chuckle dryly at the small but spirited back of her figure.
Not in a position to advise?
That was something she couldn't accept.
Lately, with business keeping her busy and streams barely squeezed in, who was Cheon Dohee getting her latest industry insights from?
NeyTube videos and community posts that Magia, who watched over twenty domestic and international VTuber streams, regularly compiled and sent.
Plus, back when Dohee was running a mid-tier company with 30,000 followers, who was it that gave her the "streamer tormented by toxic snipers" title and wings?
"...Jeez, her skills are top-notch, but she'll never admit it."
*
The motion studio's one-person streaming booth thrummed with tension.
I had Rain's stream up on one screen, TokCode on the other, and started chatting with her first.
[Parallel Ops Team Magia: Boss says it's okay to go on]
[Parallel Ops Team Magia: You decide when I should join, Rain]
[Rain: OK OK!!]
I slipped on my headset, pulled the condenser mic stand closer, and leaned back into the chair for a moment.
"Already at 3.5 million."
Watching the stream like that, the mission amount showed no signs of slowing.
It was already barreling toward 1.5 times my monthly salary.
So how could I give this up?
It wasn't my money, but showing up would make the mission succeed, so wasn't it basically the same as them sponsoring me directly?
...Or not.
Anyway, lost in random thoughts, before long Rain—who'd stepped away to the bathroom—sent me a DM.
- Private Message -
[Rain: Gia]
[Rain: One favor before we start]
It was a surprisingly bold request.
I'd figured she'd just call me on, chat briefly, and done.
[Rain: I'll do anything—beef, whatever—like the Normalization God]
[Rain: So]
[Rain: Next week or next month, wanna co-stream once?]
[Rain: Plz Gia GOAT]
The 1st Gen had never invited me as a guest on their streams before.
Even if they did, I wouldn't turn on my voice, so options were limited.
At best, carrying in Battle Colosseum as a carry machine.
But as you know, carries work best with other VTubers.
Me, who doesn't stream, wouldn't synergize much.
But after yesterday's [Find Rain], with me as an employee exposed to the world, things had changed.
I still didn't get why the 1st Gen was clinging to me after I asked them to play nice.
But if it'd help Rain, I'd go on.
Boss approved too.
I might not be as talented as our company's VTubers, but I could keep up with games or content.
This was the dignity of Parallel's official supporter!
[Parallel Ops Team Magia: Sure]
[Parallel Ops Team Magia: Let's do next week]
[Rain: Thanks!]
[Rain: Any day good?]
[Rain: Content meeting too]
[Rain: Dinner first? Good?]
[Parallel Ops Team Magia: Just avoid boss's stream days]
[Parallel Ops Team Magia: For dinner, can we include the boss?]
[Rain: Of course!]
I thought that wrapped it up.
But Rain added a few more lines.
[Rain: If it feels overwhelming, dump it on me]
[Rain: I'm a stream pro now?]
She gets cuter, and all kinds of stuff happens.
She always needed my help, took my harsh feedback, then came running back asking for more—like I was her babysitter.
Of course, not super trustworthy.
I could already see her pulling the foreigner shield.
Still, gratitude's gratitude, so I thanked her properly.
[Parallel Ops Team Magia: Thanks for looking out]
Around then, the chairman stopped tossing in firewood (sponsorships), and the mission hype finally cooled.
:: Mission ::
:: Voice chat with a Parallel employee who's great at Rain impressions - 4,022,000 Clouds ::
The call started.
*Ring ring, ring ring.*
The TokCode connect sound hit, and viewers went nuts.
— Whoa
— Whoa, she here?
— She's here
— For real
— 4 mil too much to pass up lol
— Chairman delivers, solid performance
— Free D Rain ㅏㅏㅏㅏ
— Evil boss Momo, release the employee ㅏㅏㅏㅏㅏㅏㅏ
I skimmed the chat scrolling up and down like crazy, then tapped the mic.
Checked it was good, and cautiously spoke.
"Hello."
— Whoa
— Wait, voice is cute
— Gasp
— What ㄷㄷ
— Cute?!
— Sounds familiar
— Whoa...
— ㄱㅇㅇ
— ㅈㅉㅇㅇ?
— Cute
— ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋWhoaㅋㅋGaspㄱㅋㅋㅋㅋ