VTubing is profitable.
If you were to ask just how profitable the market is, I would tell you it's lucrative enough for a former delinquent like Kim Mijung to hide her identity and past just to pass the auditions for a debut group.
Just how much money are we talking about?
For the so-called small-fry streamers—those with an average viewership of barely five people—a single 1,000-won donation might be their entire day's earnings. But if you hit it big, it's a market where you can consistently pull in 20 to 30 million won a month.
In fact, if you manage to gather around a million subscribers, it's not impossible to earn 100 million won a month through YouTube ad revenue and Super Chats.
One Japanese VTuber, who has been active since 2020 and continues to this day, surpassed ten million subscribers and went on to create her own production company, which she now runs as a massive enterprise.
The advancement of virtual reality technology.
We've moved beyond simply jumping up and down in VRChat; we're now in an era where you can watch virtual concerts from the audience, just like a real idol performance.
Of course, when compared to actual idol or singer concerts, the market scale is different, so the ceiling for profits is relatively lower. However, the very fact that a business using virtual characters can compete with the earnings of an A-list singer is a significant indicator of its potential.
Depending on the VTuber, they are sometimes referred to as 'faceless singers' or 'singers who wear a cartoon skin instead of showing their face.'
Given this market situation, the moment I saw Kim Mijung, I couldn't help but tilt my head in confusion.
'With visuals like these, why would she want to be a VTuber?'
Did it have to be VTubing?
No matter how booming the VTuber market was, surely someone must have told her at some point, 'With a face like yours, you could easily pass auditions for one of the big three entertainment agencies.'
Unless there was a serious reason she couldn't show her face, debuting as a VTuber with such striking looks and physique was nonsensical.
It was a disservice to the parents who gave her such features, and to herself for cultivating her appearance.
So I considered it.
Back in the day, when what we might call 'female streamers' would just turn on their cameras instead of using an avatar, I wondered if she might have had a stalker.
Showing your face comes with the risk of attracting stalkers, but VTubing offers the significant advantage of being able to hide your personal information, a major benefit compared to traditional celebrities.
That's what I thought.
Until her reaction grew increasingly strange, and I started sensing the presence of a landmine.
"A VTuber who used to be a delinquent. All sorts of people enter the VTuber industry, but a delinquent is a rare case."
"..."
Kim Mijung remained silent.
Clutching one arm with her other hand and bowing her head, she looked exactly like the culprit in a detective manga who had just been exposed.
"Don't you have anything to say?"
"..."
"Or you can just listen in as we go through the process. PD Jin. The consultation revealed she was a delinquent. What are you going to do?"
"What do you mean, what am I going to do?"
"Are you going to keep her on?"
"!!"
Keep her on.
At those words, Kim Mijung suddenly lifted her head.
"What?"
"From the company's perspective, they'll have to determine if she's worth keeping despite the risk. There are cases of female celebrities who were delinquents in the past, but some managed to navigate it by building a 'tough girl' persona."
"Th-Then..."
"You know, when you look at VTubers, their 'red pills' come in all shapes and sizes. From a certain point of view, some companies might say being a delinquent is 'okay.'"
"Ah...!"
"However, Miss Kim Mijung."
I pointed down at the floor as Kim Mijung's face brightened with hope.
"As far as I know, the guideline here is 'absolutely no school violence risks.' I'm not sure if that policy is still in place."
"Ugh...!"
"PD Jin. What do you think?"
"To get straight to the point,"
Jin Sooyeon still had her hand on the doorknob.
"You're out."
"!!"
"The only reason I'm holding you here now is to wait for another staff member to arrive. I'm stopping you from leaving so you can sign a pledge before you're officially terminated."
"You...!"
Kim Mijung's fists trembled, but Jin Sooyeon didn't back down.
"Are you going to hit me? Go ahead. You're an adult, you can handle the consequences, right? If you throw a punch, we'll settle it legally. And it won't be me as an individual; it'll be our company's legal team."
"...!!"
"Trying to debut while hiding the fact that you were a delinquent is a breach of your obligations under the debut group contract. Do you remember the terms of the contract? I do."
"...So what if I was."
Through gritted teeth, as if suppressing a boiling rage, Kim Mijung finally spoke.
"So what if I was a delinquent!"
She shouted, admitting her past.
"I wasn't a top-tier delinquent, maybe second-rate at best! I was just a rebellious teen, not some monster you see in dramas or movies!"
"There's a photo here of you drinking and smoking."
"High schoolers can drink and smoke a little!"
Was this what they called audacity?
Or was it the desperate struggle of a woman with only a high school diploma, who couldn't even dream of debuting with a major idol agency under her own face?
"That's right. A VTuber can date, drink, and smoke. There's nothing inherently wrong with that."
Either way, the conclusion was already set.
"But not as a member of our company's 3rd generation."
"Ugh...!"
"The fact that you had this past, and that this photo..."
"It's a red pill! If no one digs up my past, no one will ever know!"
"You're not giving up, are you? How desperate. But Miss Kim Mijung."
I gestured between the computer and myself as I addressed the nearly weeping Kim Mijung.
"Even someone like me, who has known about you for less than two hours, was able to find a photo from your delinquent days. Do you really think you can handle the internet detectives with all the time in the world who specialize in digging up VTubers' red pills?"
"...!"
"Someone will eventually figure out that the person behind the avatar is you. And when they find out you're raking in 30 million won a month with an average of 3,000 viewers, don't you think that might cause some problems?"
"Ugh...!"
"Of course, it's the company's job to handle those problems. But to put it another way, the whole reason companies interview and reject hundreds of candidates for a debut group is to avoid those risks in the first place. Do you have any idea how much capital goes into debuting a single VTuber?"
I held up one finger.
"Just your character, the VTuber , probably cost over 100 million won."
"!!"
100 million won.
Kim Mijung's eyes widened in shock.
At the same time, a flicker of irritation crossed Jin Sooyeon's face.
It was partly due to the financial loss, but also because I had estimated the cost so accurately.
"Wh-What kind of character costs 100 million won?!"
"Commercial copyrights are incredibly expensive. From illustration and rigging to broadcast screen UI design and 3D avatar outfit creation... even the recording sessions at the company cost money, right? The plan is to scrap all of it."
"!!"
"The company is about to scrap a project that cost over 100 million won. Right now, your biggest worry shouldn't be that you can't debut. You should be seriously considering whether you'll have to compensate the company for damages."
"Y-You can just recycle it!"
Just as I expected.
A smile crept onto my face at Kim Mijung's desperate cry.
"I don't think you're cut out to be a VTuber."
"Wh-What did you say...?"
"If you're really set on debuting as a VTuber, you could try going independent, or perhaps find a company willing to take on your risks and re-debut there. That's another option to consider."
"Hey, Kang Minhyuk. I asked you to consult for the company, why are you giving her personal consulting? Are you trying to play good cop, bad cop?"
"Something like that."
The responsibility for her past as a delinquent was hers to bear.
Whether she debuted as an indie, acknowledged and repented for her past to live as a new person, or used it as a selling point to milk her fans dry—that was her choice.
But at the very least, she was not the kind of person who could walk the same path as me or Jin Sooyeon's company.
"Looks like people have arrived."
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock sounded at the door.
Jin Sooyeon opened it smoothly, and two broad-shouldered men in black suits and a man in glasses carrying a stack of documents entered the room.
"Miss Kim Mijung. We're from the legal team."
"Ah, ahh..."
How often would she have had the chance to meet actual legal professionals?
And had she ever experienced a situation where a legal team member was dissecting contract clauses one by one, comparing them to the current situation, and forcing her to sign a pledge?
Today.
One VTuber graduated before she even had a chance to debut.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
A short while later.
After ordering coffee at the company café, I found myself staying at Jin Sooyeon's company until it was nearly evening.
"What about the pledge?"
"She signed it. We agreed not to charge her for the production costs of Haroya, but if any of the other debut members' 'red pills' leak, we'll immediately sue her for damages for violating her confidentiality agreement."
"You went easy on her."
"Well, someone did offer her a way out."
Some people might say it's too harsh to judge someone for drinking and smoking before they were an adult.
But this is that kind of market, that kind of business.
If you're debuting as part of a group that promotes a pure and innocent image, not a delinquent-gyaru concept, you're bound to be kicked out if the person behind the avatar smells of cigarette smoke instead of a sweet perfume.
That's just how difficult debuting as a VTuber is.
"So, your 3rd generation will debut with four members?"
"I don't know. We have to start a non-stop meeting from this evening."
"Why? Did you already commission an original song assuming a five-member group?"
"...My junior is a bit too quick with that kind of work. Haha."
One member was gone, but filling the empty spot wasn't a simple task.
And you couldn't just slot anyone in to take her place.
"I may have caused this, but it looks like you're in for some trouble."
"Hey. Minhyuk."
"What?"
"Do you know anyone from Japan who could be an immediate asset?"
"..."
"Or even if they're new to streaming, someone with talent would be fine."
"Streaming talent..."
One person who was exceptionally good at games came to mind.
[No.] [I have no intention of making such a rushed debut when so much effort goes into preparing for one.]
"...Heh."
What a relief.
I felt the same way.
"That's a shame."
"What is?"
"There's a talented person, but... she said she's busy playing *A Dance of Fire and Ice* with one hand while eating a hamburger with the other."
"....?"
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