What are company colleagues to me?
They're like ghosts from office ghost stories—existing only in the company records.
In reality, I was assigned to the operations team, with my desk right next to the operations team lead's. But at the same time, I was half-isolated from the team's actual duties.
That odd structure had formed where the boss gave me my assignments and received my reports directly.
It made sense—sudden incidents kept popping up like cases for a private investigator, and no one was better suited for it than me. Routing instructions and reports through someone else would just slow down the response.
To survive in a live chat hellhole where drama erupted whenever things got quiet, even the boss had no choice.
So I'd never even imagined working alongside anyone.
Watching multiple VTuber streams at once?
During big collab streams, I'd start with at least five people on screen, and up to ten at peak times.
Not every stream can be a highlight reel nonstop. Outside of the main focus, I'd just mute them and switch attention as needed.
Early on, compiling industry trend reports after every stream was a pain, but once I figured out how to summarize just the data the boss and planning team wanted, it became second nature.
It stung having to force myself to watch company VTubers instead of my favorites.
But even that cleared up after two months.
The boss's handpicked stars dazzled with their unique charms as they blew past me, and for someone like me who claims "stan culture is a car crash," there was no escaping it.
Sure, outside of streams, they were blunder-prone weirdos who stirred up trouble at the drop of a hat. But once the broadcast started, they were stars worthy of worship—shining kids following in the footsteps of my oshi, Momo.
All things considered, my job satisfaction was at an all-time high.
I'd never felt overwhelmed by the workload or worried it'd balloon out of control.
Who wouldn't love a gig where you get paid just to watch, analyze, summarize, and report on your favorite VTubers?
Sure, I was also stuck with tons of minor tasks: managing stream gear, handling mid-broadcast issues, overseeing chat and donation rules as head manager, relaying real-time warnings to the other managers, and so on.
But these were all jobs I'd chosen to take on.
Even with my limited perspective, it was clear that our top grads and experienced pros were better off focusing on profitable collabs and events, plugging operational holes, instead of wasting time on that stuff.
When they put their heads together and grind, it creates better products and more fun events—which directly ties to Parallel's healthy finances.
Anyway, aside from that chaotic period right after launch when roles were a mess, I'd always been solo.
"Juniors, huh…"
Honestly, worry outweighed any excitement.
I'd been alone so long that instead of team rah-rah vibes, we'd probably all just fend for ourselves.
Filling a report for the boss with every single one of my tasks?
It was basically saying, "I'm not gonna sit down and patiently teach some newbie, so just hire someone who can handle things like me."
If push came to shove, it was also a hint that we didn't need to hire anyone.
[Bossnim: Teacher]
[Bossnim: Not listing all your tasks, okay?]
[Bossnim: Can you list what you'd want a junior to help with?]
But the boss was dead set on hiring.
In that case, I should play along.
If I had to pick the most crucial traits, these three?
1. Someone who watches every member's streams with genuine love.
2. A multitasking pro.
3. Tech-savvy with a sharp memory.
1 and 2 were for stream monitoring and reports.
If I had to step away, they could whip up a rough draft in my place—huge help.
3 was similar: if I was supporting a specific member's stream and gear issues popped up elsewhere, they could jump on it instantly.
…Truth be told, I could've kept going with 4, 5, 6, but I stopped here.
No need to spell out personality or diligence.
The boss already filters for that as a baseline.
I fired off the doc via email and checked the clock—it was already 2 p.m., time to head in.
"Time flies."
I slipped the fully charged tablet into my massive work bag.
I usually skipped it because it weighed down my shoulder, but I'd been lugging it around for days now for a reason.
Watching someone else's stream—especially a non-VTuber's—on a company PC felt too conspicuous.
This might be the first time in my life I'd tuned into some random guy's cam stream, and live at that.
But the foe I'd face from here on was Mugeon, ex-pro.
To land a solid hit, I couldn't afford to underestimate him.
Know thyself, know thy enemy—invincible in a hundred battles.
He even hosted practice sessions at dawn, so I'd snipe one after work.
Gaming together might reveal weaknesses that streams never show.
* * *
Mugeon's streams kicked off around 6 p.m. on weekdays.
He'd usually start with an eating-and-chatting mukbang, tidy up post-meal, then dive straight into the main game.
As a former pro, his skill was his biggest asset.
But what really drew gasps was his nickname: Magnet Aim—the way he yanked shots at the last second, like they were pulled by a magnet.
Arm him with a sniper rifle, and he'd demolish close- or long-range foes alike, making him infamous for countering backstab attempts and throwing games off-kilter.
Battle Coliseum's shields prevented one-taps, but above Diamond tier, shredding a full mag to drop someone was routine.
Snipers usually folded to flanks due to their DPS loss, but Mugeon shattered that norm.
Of course, if he only excelled at snipers, he wouldn't have gone pro-turned-streamer.
— lmao
— holy shit
— Pistol Day again? lol
— Aim is insane lol
— Tracking for real?? ㄷㄷ
— Is Mugeon a god? Is Mugeon a god? Is Mugeon a god? Is Mugeon a god? Is Mugeon a god? Is Mugeon a god?
— Mind blown ㄷㄷ
His sniper prowess defined his pro career, but he crushed with any single-shot weapon.
Pistols, shotguns, snipers—even scavenged hunting bows.
That's why Mugeon took an interest in Signal Flare.
Pandemic Village aimed for realistic horror with sluggish mouse response, yet the staffer embraced the clunkiness, quick-aim-checked, and charged the boss fight.
Nailing every final-boss headshot for a cool exit.
Sure, plenty could down pattern-locked AI bosses.
But for a pro like Mugeon, that clip reignited his fire after ages.
His three-day pistol fixation stemmed from that irresistible urge.
Every gun guy dreams once in life of channeling Killer Losing His Pet Dog for a headshot mad movie.
Yet after three days of pistols… nada.
He'd cranked headshot ratio to 50% by obsessing—insane, considering tourney averages hovered at 25%.
Still, something felt off.
Even 50% in a flashy hero shooter was bonkers.
But that nagging "one more game, maybe 100% heads" itch wouldn't quit.
Pro life meant victory shots over perfection.
Now, as a solo streamer?
No one to judge dumping efficiency for crazy goals.
"…Gotta call it here today."
Lost in the zone, it was suddenly 4 a.m.
Stream end loomed.
"Time's flown—let's wrap up with two random squad normies."
— gogo
— Already?
— Where'd my time go
— Snipe time~
:: Mission ::
:: Win and take it - 100,000 clouds ::
"Ayy, 100k thanks. Win in two, coming up."
— let'sgo~
— Win goooo
Final game of the night.
Mugeon queued, hyped for teammates.
Left slot filled first, then right—poof.
Crazy Shot.
Perfect timing—didn't someone just make waves with Crazy Shot and Double Barrel?
Viewers and Mugeon alike zeroed in on the nickname.
[ 3p : Mugeon is a Famous Momo Hater ]
"…?"
Not quite Signal Flare vibes.
Felt more like a toxic viewer hating on Mugeon-Momo buddy moments.
Wondering if they'd voice chat, Mugeon opened mic first.
"Hey, what's up. You watching the stream?"
A beat later, the reply.
[You come well. Game with me. Fun expected. Thanks.]
TTS voice was weird enough, but the phrasing? Bizarre.
Like a foreigner nailing voice chat via crappy translator.
"Do you get what I'm saying? You understand my talk?"
[Yes. I high skill. Korean listen good.]
— lmaoooooooo
— wtf is this guy lololol
— Open VC and a comedian drops in lololol
Mugeon figured comprehension was enough.
Normie game—chill and have fun.
But when the "comedian" viewer threw down a challenge, shit got real.
[Bet want. You and me. I win—you shout. Mugeon overrated. I lose—I reveal. Real voice.]
— What's that mean lolol
— lmaoooo
Viewers baffled, but Mugeon had seen foreign randos before.
"Cool, I'm in. What's the bet?"
— Wait, a bet??
— Nah, not overrated—underrated af lol
— lmaoooo
TTS foreigner:
[Kills. Most number.]
Neru-tube jackpot after ages.
Rare guest clowning chat from jump.
Normie game, Mugeon's muqiang streak—he'd never lose kill count.
Perfect pre-end fun bet.
Viewer or not, bets meant no mercy.
Mugeon grabbed sniper and trusty pistol.
"Sweet. Let's roll."