Beyond the Screen

"If I separate from Han-cut, does that mean you'll protect me less?"

I didn't answer that question. Answering would drag the conversation in the direction Sohwa wanted. Not answering would let her read the silence in the direction she wanted. Neither option let me win.

But tonight, the only choice I had was to change the subject.

"Sohwa."

"Yes."

"Next week, you're collabing with Reina."

A beat.

"...Reina sunbae."

"Yes."

"Did the agency contact you?"

"Reina proposed it herself first. She'll handle talking to her agency directly."

"Why."

"Reina will explain the reason herself."

"You know, don't you, Han-cut."

"Yes."

"You won't tell me."

"No."

"...."

"Sohwa, this collab is a great opportunity for you."

"I know. In terms of follower count."

"...Besides numbers, what other reason is there."

"Standing next to Reina sunbae changes what people expect from me."

I set my cigarette down in the ashtray. Sohwa already knew the part I hadn't said. The moment she stands next to Reina, she's no longer just the "pure horror gamer Hakko." She becomes the "next-gen Hakko standing beside a mid-tier."

That shift in positioning reshapes her entire fandom. Some of her current fans will leave, and a new fandom will come in. If the turnover happens fast, the current "editor bait" will bury naturally with the old fans.

This was the core of the structure Reina proposed. Overhauling Sohwa's fandom once.

Sohwa knew it. And she knew she had to accept the collab anyway.

"Sohwa."

"Yes."

"If it's too hard, you don't have to do it."

"I'll do it."

"Quick decision."

"It's the judgment you made to protect me."

"...."

"I'll accept every judgment you make."

"Sohwa, that's not a healthy relationship."

"It doesn't have to be healthy."

I stared at the DM window for a long time.

"Sohwa."

"Yes."

"After this collab ends, I'll make one decision."

"What decision."

"Whether to keep handling you or not."

There was no reply for a long time. The typing indicator flickered on and off repeatedly.

"Han-cut."

"Yes."

"For that decision, tell me directly after the collab."

"Yes."

"Not Manager Min, not Reina sunbae. To me."

"...."

"Promise me."

"I promise."

"Thank you."

The DM window closed.

I sat in my chair for a long time. Sohwa's final "Thank you" meant she already knew there was a chance I'd drop her as a client. And proceeding with the collab anyway meant she was treating this as her "last" one.

Thinking of it as the last makes people bolder than usual. That was what I feared.

Sohwa might do something extreme at the official collab stage. She might cross the line in front of her fandom.

But the only one who could stop that possibility was me, and all I could do was edit.

The next afternoon, a collab schedule came from Reina.

"Han-cut, Sohwa's agency's collab approval came through."

"Fast."

"Her handling manager processed it quickly."

It was Min Seo-jin. The moment Reina made the proposal, Min Seo-jin moved the internal agency procedures. Before Team Leader Park Jin-woo could object.

"What's the collab schedule."

"Two days from now, 6 PM to 9 PM. Three hours."

"Theme."

"Co-op game. Story-based two-player play. I picked one with heavy dialogue."

"Heavy on dialogue."

"Yes. It's structured to go viral through talk more than gameplay. Gives the editor the most material, too."

"You picked it, Reina."

"Yes."

"You're setting it up to produce lots of good editing material."

"I wanted to create an environment where you could do your best editing."

I almost smirked. Reina had designed this collab as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an "environment good for Han-cut to edit." A stream made for editing.

VTubers tailoring broadcast concepts for their editor wasn't industry standard.

"Reina."

"Yes."

"This is too much burden on you."

"No burden."

"Making the collab focus on Sohwa, giving lots of material this time."

"Han-cut."

"Yes."

"I want to see the edits I do turn into great results. That's all."

"The edits you do."

"...The edits Han-cut does."

Reina corrected herself a beat late. I heard that beat. Pretended not to.

"Yes. I'll prepare well."

"And one more thing."

"Yes."

"On collab day, both Sohwa and I will stream from the same space."

I held my breath once.

"...Same space."

"Yes. Our agency's studio."

"Your agency."

"Yes. Collabs are usually done from home, but this was planned together from the start. Two seats prepped in the studio."

"Sohwa's agency agreed."

"Yes. Manager Min is coming along."

"...."

"Han-cut, what are you worried about."

"Sohwa entering Reina's studio could tense her up too much."

"That's the worry?"

"Yes."

"...I thought it was something else."

"What else."

"Wondering if you could come there."

I placed my hands on the keyboard and froze. Reina was inviting me to the collab site.

Editors showing up at broadcast sites was rare in the industry. Usually, you get raw files and edit in your workshop. No reason to be on-site.

But Reina wouldn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠invite without reason. There was one.

"Reina."

"Yes."

"What's the reason for me to come on-site."

"Sohwa will need you."

"...Me."

"Yes."

"And you."

"I don't need you."

"Liar."

A beat.

"It's a lie."

Reina took it straight.

"I need you too."

"...."

"But Sohwa needs you more. That's fact."

I closed my eyes. Reina admitted her feelings while ranking them precisely. Few would say first that they ranked below Sohwa.

Between two VTubers treating the editor as competition, one yielding rank first was near surrender.

Yet Reina declared surrender while pushing the collab. One reason.

She knew this collab meant something to me too. If it did, she wanted to be there. Even after Sohwa.

This wasn't Reina lowering herself. It was her calculating herself accurately.

"Reina."

"Yes."

"I'll come to the site."

"...Really?"

"Yes."

"Don't you never show your face, Han-cut."

"I'll wear a mask."

"That should ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠be fine."

"Yes."

"One more thing."

"Yes."

"Should I not tell Sohwa, or will you tell her directly."

"I'll tell her directly."

"Yes."

The DM window closed.

I sat in front of the monitor for a long time. Agreeing to go on-site was impulsive, honestly. But not really.

I'd been considering this possibility for days. Just denying I'd even thought of it.

Seeing Sohwa in the flesh.

Three years ago, I'd never seen that VTuber I handled in person. All screen people. Even when she decided to quit, I never stepped out of the screen.

Looking back, I could have. Gone to the agency, met her manager, seen her face once and talked.

I didn't. Editors stay in the screen—that principle protected me, but not her.

I didn't want to repeat that mistake with Sohwa. That was my real reason.

But voicing it meant abandoning the distance principle I'd kept for three years. Abandoning it meant admitting feelings beyond editor for Sohwa.

Could I go on-site without admitting it? I don't know.

4 PM. DM. Harukong.

"Benefactor."

"Yes."

"I heard about the collab in two days."

"Where from."

"Posted on Sohwa's fan cafe."

"She announced already?"

"Yes. An hour ago."

I checked Sohwa's fan cafe notice.

Fan cafe comments were already in the hundreds.

The fan cafe comments were peaceful. All welcoming the collab. No suspicion at all.

Partly because fan cafe mods delete suspicious ones, but basically, people there already support Sohwa.

I closed the fan cafe and opened the gallery.

The gallery's tone was completely different from yesterday. Yesterday it was "swap the editor." Now it was "collab board got bigger."

Reina's proposed structure was working exactly. Bigger events bury small bait.

The editor bait wasn't buried—it was just pushed aside. But the immediate crisis was resolved.

"Benefactor, you're editing this collab, right?"

"Yes."

"Can I ask one thing?"

"Yes."

"Will you go to the collab site, Benefactor?"

I stopped my fingers.

"Harukong, why ask that."

"If you're going, can I go too?"

"...You?"

"Yes."

"You're not a collab guest."

"I know. But as someone who gets your edits, I want to say hi."

"That's an excuse."

"Yes, an excuse."

Harukong admitted honestly. That honesty was her harmlessness. Harmless wasn't innocent cheer. It was laying out her desires plainly.

"Harukong."

"Yes."

"Better not come to the site."

"Why."

"This collab is huge for Sohwa and Reina. No extra variables."

"I'm a variable?"

"Yes."

"...Got it."

"Harukong."

"Yes."

"Yield this time."

"This time?"

"Yes."

"Then next time I can go?"

I pulled out a cigarette.

"We'll talk about next time when it comes."

"Promise?"

"Not a promise."

"I know. Still looking forward."

The DM window closed.

I lit the cigarette and stepped out to the balcony. Decided to go to the collab site. Turned down Harukong. Invited by Reina. Sohwa doesn't know yet.

These three moving around me—the structure was getting tighter. Tighter meant it could shake hard at some point.

Who shakes hardest when it does? Not sure yet.

Dawn came while I smoked it to the end. The neighborhood in front of the workshop still quiet. One convenience store sign still lit.

I DMed Sohwa's sub-account.

"Sohwa."

"Yes."

"I'll be at the collab site in two days."

A beat.

"...Where."

"Reina's agency studio."

"You, Han-cut?"

"Yes."

"Is it common for editors to go to collab sites?"

"No."

"...."

"Sohwa."

"Yes."

"This isn't for editor work."

"Then what."

"Going because there's a reason I have to."

"What's the reason."

"I'll tell you when we meet."

Sohwa was silent a long time.

"Han-cut."

"Yes."

"I don't think I can sleep well tonight."

"Sorry."

"Why apologize."

"Made you tense."

"No."

"...."

"Han-cut."

"Yes."

"I'm not tense because you made me that way."

"Then what."

"Because I'm so happy you're coming to see me."

I stubbed the cigarette out early.

"Sohwa, I'm not coming to see you."

"Knew you'd say that."

"...."

"Whatever you say, I'll think you're coming to see me."

"Sohwa."

"Yes."

"Two days."

"Two days."

"I'll tell you there."

"What."

"Whether I'll keep handling you."

No reply in the DM for a long time. Typing flickered on and off.

Then one line came.

"Han-cut."

"Yes."

"I won't watch any edits for two days. All your edits."

"Yes."

"One request instead?"

"What."

"When you enter the studio in two days, look at my face once."

"Yes."

"That's enough."

"Understood."

The DM window closed.

I returned to the workshop and sat on the bed. Two days. In two days, I see Sohwa outside the screen. She sees me too.

But I'll have a mask; she'll be her real face. Don't know what that asymmetry does to me.

Same for Reina. First time seeing her off-screen. The real face behind the wine-red bob avatar.

Min Seo-jin was already off-screen, her manager role keeping distance. Reina and Sohwa are different. VTubers. Clients. Screen people becoming real.

Don't know if I can go back to my old self after this change.

4 AM. I turned the monitor on one last time. Opened the gallery tab.

I stared at that last comment a long time. "Not clean? Editor swap opinion solidifies."

This collab wasn't just an event. It was my test.

The fandom demanded "cleanliness" in how I edited Sohwa and Reina. Cleanliness meant no trace of my feelings for the two in the edit. Their relationship with me looking like ordinary freelance editor-client.

But I'd stopped being ordinary freelance for them long ago. Hiding it in edits would make me an actor, not editor.

Could I act?

6 AM. DM. Min Seo-jin.

"Han-cut."

"Yes, Manager."

"Heard you're coming to the collab site."

"Yes."

"I'll accompany."

"Yes."

"One thing to confirm."

"Go ahead."

"Was it Sohwa side's request for you to come, or Reina's."

"Reina's request."

"...I see."

"Manager?"

"Yes."

"Reason for confirming."

"Yes."

"Go ahead."

Min Seo-jin paused a beat.

"I think I should have requested first. Felt out of order for Reina to ask first."

"...."

"Personal feeling. Not business judgment."

I froze at the keyboard a long time. First time Min Seo-jin preempted with "not business judgment."

"Manager."

"Yes."

"What's your reason for coming to the site."

"Sohwa's accompanying manager."

"Official reason."

Long silent beat.

"Because you said you're coming."

I reached for a cigarette, stopped.

"Manager."

"Yes."

"That won't be recorded, right."

"Yes."

"Just to me."

"Yes."

"...Understood."

"Han-cut."

"Yes."

"See you in two days."

The DM window closed.

I sat in front of the monitor a long time. Two days from now. Sohwa, Reina, Min Seo-jin, and me. Four in one space.

Each for different reasons. But all their reasons tied a bit to me.

I didn't make this structure. But I was at its center.

Center can't escape the structure. Trying collapses it all.

For two days, I'd think one thing. Whether to keep handling Sohwa. Just that.