Chapter 560: VTuber
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 560: VTuber
We arrived at the Japanese airport.
I didn't think it would be much different from Korea, aside from everything being written in Japanese, but...
"Whoa, what the..."
It was like there was an anime convention nearby; the entire area was covered in anime characters.
I’d heard they had a lot of this stuff here, but seeing it in person was something else.
"Senior, look at that. That’s crazy. They hung it up so high."
"…I don't really know much about anime, but what kind of character is that girl?"
"That’s a male character."
"…?!"
Startled, Senior Ju-hee pointed at the character and asked again.
"How—how on earth is that a man? Look at the shoulders, and the hair length—!"
"That’s the trend these days. Drawing a girl and insisting it’s a guy."
"No, but still, that’s just wrong. I think I even see some chest there?"
"They draw them like that on purpose. Making the clothes look baggy to hide it."
"Is this… Japan?"
Senior Ju-hee muttered, looking like she’d just suffered a cultural soul-crushing blow.
While Ju-hee and I were busy looking around in wonder, Oh Yun-ji checked the time on her wristwatch and spoke with a hint of impatience.
"The hotel is a bit far. We’ll grab lunch, drop off our bags, and then go straight to the meeting."
With that, Oh Yun-ji took the lead.
"What did we decide to eat earlier? Was it ramen?"
Seeing her like this made me realize all over again that we weren't here for a vacation.
Right, we were here for work.
I followed behind Yun-ji and nodded.
"Yeah, ramen. There was a ramen place among the ones Choi Jin-ah recommended. So I’m planning on going somewhere else."
"Right, the ramen Jin-ah recommended—"
Yun-ji stopped mid-sentence. She glanced back at me and tilted her head.
"So you're not going there?"
"Going there feels like I'm losing somehow."
"…What a strange way of thinking," she muttered and started walking again. Senior Ju-hee and I followed in her wake.
* * *
In front of the hotel rooms.
I was staring at Oh Yun-ji with a grumpy expression.
"I bet you thought I only booked one hotel room."
Yun-ji smirked at me, looking quite proud of herself.
"But unfortunately for you, that’s not the case. I booked separate rooms for the men and women, so stay in yours."
"…Why?"
When I asked, genuinely baffled, Yun-ji narrowed her eyes and answered.
"I have to work. If I stay in the same room as you, you’ll just keep trying to do lewd things."
"…?"
I tilted my head, my eyes sparkling with feigned innocence, as if to ask what could possibly be wrong with that.
Meeting my gaze, Yun-ji let out a sigh and warned me.
"I told you we have to head out again soon, right? And we have to meet two people tomorrow. Do you know what that means? It means there’s no time for that."
"…."
"I told you. We’re not here to play. So just bear with it and help me—"
"Senior Ju-hee, do you want to stay in my room?"
"Oh, can I?"
"…."
Seeing Senior Ju-hee immediately move toward my side, Oh Yun-ji’s face soured.
"Are you really doing this, Unni?"
"Ahem, well, I am a bodyguard."
Look at how shameless she’s become.
She’s starting to take after her boyfriend.
"Sigh, fine. We’ll talk about the rooms later. For now, let’s just drop our bags and get out of here. We really have to go."
As Yun-ji said, we dropped our luggage in our respective rooms first.
Usually, when you get to a hotel, you change into comfortable clothes, but we did the opposite.
Yun-ji looked like a capable career woman in a shirt and skirt, the kind she wore at the office.
Senior Ju-hee put on the suit she wore for protection detail, firmly entering work mode.
And then there was me.
In a T-shirt and shorts, I looked like the quintessential tourist.
Standing awkwardly in front of the two of them, I tried to make an excuse.
"…These are the only kinds of clothes I brought."
Senior Ju-hee glanced at Yun-ji’s reaction. Since Yun-ji was the leader of this trip, she was worried about how she’d respond.
Yun-ji answered calmly, as if she’d already expected this.
"It doesn't matter. The other side won't show up in anything grand anyway. Having someone in casual clothes like that might actually make them feel less pressured."
I couldn't tell if she was just that good at her job that she’d anticipated her companion’s attire, or if she just knew me so well that she was making excuses for me.
Regardless, we headed out.
"Hey… you rented a car?"
A tiny light car was sitting all alone in the hotel parking lot.
"Then what, are we going to take taxis everywhere? We have a lot of places to visit. You know how expensive Japanese taxis are, right?"
"Who’s driving?"
"I am."
Oh Yun-ji pointed at herself with confidence. She usually drove her own car, so normally I wouldn't have thought twice about it.
"You know the sides are reversed here, right?"
That was the problem.
Korea uses left-hand drive vehicles, but Japan uses right-hand drive.
From what I knew, it took some time to get used to it, and I had no desire to be in a car driven by someone who was still "adjusting."
It looks like a great way to die.
However, Yun-ji frowned and gestured with her chin.
"Ugh, just get in. We don't have time. It takes almost three hours to get to the meeting spot, so we need to get there early and prepare."
"If it takes three hours to get to the meeting spot, why did you book the hotel here?"
"Because the two people I’m meeting tomorrow are only thirty minutes away from here."
I see.
Well, anyway, she drives every day, so she’ll probably adjust quickly.
Oh Yun-ji took the wheel, I sat in the passenger seat, and Senior Ju-hee sat in the back.
After fiddling with the controls a few times, Yun-ji said she understood and started the car.
It was going quite smoothly and steadily, so I was watching her, but as we pulled out of the hotel, the wipers suddenly went up.
"…."
"…My mistake."
Watching her quietly lower the wipers and then turn on the blinker, a strange sense of anxiety—
"Hey! Hey! You’re going to hit that side!"
"…."
I shouted in a panic as I saw us almost brush against the car next to us.
Yun-ji took a deep breath and gripped the steering wheel tight, focusing hard.
It felt like I shouldn't talk to her for a while.
Still, it was only awkward at first; as she kept driving, she seemed to get the hang of it.
Since we happened to stop at a red light, I asked something I’d been curious about.
"By the way, what’s the name of the VTuber we’re going to meet?"
"Oh, did I not mention it? It’s Hanae. She does broadcasts with a cute concept. She’s surprisingly good with words, and from what I’ve seen, she knows a bit of Korean."
"Oh."
"So I’m going to talk to her about recruiting her. Her fandom is quite large, but for some reason, she isn't signed to an agency."
Hanae?
I did a quick search on Neutube, and she actually popped up.
"150,000 subscribers? That’s a lot."
"Right? Her concept is cute and she’s good at broadcasting. She has some Korean viewers too, so I don't think she’ll have any trouble promoting in Korea."
"Let me see too."
Together with Senior Ju-hee in the back seat, I played one of Hanae’s Neutube videos related to Korean.
At first, I honestly couldn't understand a word of the Japanese she was rambling.
Then, she started speaking Korean awkwardly in the middle of the video.
— Me, Korean, do a bit. Sibal.
— This, right? Sibal.
— Oh? Is it a swear word?
— Sorry, sorry. Something else, I’ll do.
— Me, this, like. This, in Korean, what?
— Gaji? Gaji-muchim? This, good. It was delicious. I went to Korea and tried it.
"She likes seasoned eggplant? We can feed this girl anything."
At my comment, Oh Yun-ji let out a chuckle.
"It looks like she’s visited Korea a few times. So living there shouldn't be too difficult for her."
It seemed Yun-ji was preparing all sorts of things for Hanae. Seeing her so passionate about wanting the girl to like the offer felt quite intense.
She’s really cool when she’s like this.
I remember feeling this way when I first fell for Oh Yun-ji.
* * *
The meeting place was a Korean restaurant.
Usually, you’d pick a cafe, but apparently, Hanae herself said she doesn't drink coffee, so we came here.
"Let’s order some simple dishes too. This place is actually quite good. We should show her that Korean food is great."
She really prepared thoroughly.
True to a Korean restaurant, side dishes were served, and seasoned eggplant was right there.
"Did you know about this too, by any chance?"
When I glanced at her and asked, Yun-ji smirked.
"I didn't know it would be here. But we’re in luck. I have a feeling this will go well."
Seeing Yun-ji so confident made me feel like it would work out too.
"…I think she’s here."
Just as Senior Ju-hee, who was watching the entrance, said that, the door opened and a woman who looked to be about student age but with a bit of a sturdy build walked in.
She looked around before spotting us and cautiously approached.
"Ano…."
Yun-ji stood up with a smile and greeted her.
"Hajimemashite, Star Studio-no daihyo-wo tsutomete orimasu, Oh Yun-ji-to moshimasu—"
What the hell is she saying?
Well, I couldn't understand it, but the other person seemed to.
They started talking in Japanese…
"Senior, doesn't her voice sound different?"
When I whispered to Senior Ju-hee, she nodded, looking a bit embarrassed.
"It is a bit different. Maybe she uses broadcasting equipment or a voice changer?"
"Is that allowed?"
"Hmm… I don't really know the ecosystem of this field, so I’m not sure."
Well, I didn't know much either.
If they use anime characters for their faces, I guess using a voice changer wouldn't be that strange.
I could see that even Yun-ji was slightly taken aback, though she didn't let it show on her face.
"Hello."
As she sat down, Hanae greeted us in Korean.
Hearing a foreigner greet us in Korean made my uneasy feelings melt away a bit.
Unlike her image, she was a bit sturdy and her way of speaking felt a bit rough, but she didn't seem bad.
"I told her let’s eat first."
As Yun-ji suggested eating and the atmosphere shifted toward the meal—
"I’m not going to Korea."
Hanae suddenly cut in before we even started eating.
"I’m going to broadcast from here."
It was a firm resolve never to go to Korea.
Yun-ji’s expression stiffened, but on the other hand, it didn't mean she wouldn't sign the contract.
They could still sign a contract with the condition that she broadcasts from Japan.
To lighten the mood, I pushed the seasoned eggplant she liked toward her.
"Seasoned eggplant, have some of this. It’s really delicious."
Building rapport is important.
I hadn't eaten it, but I’d pretend I did and emphasize how good it was.
"Nasu? Nasu nigate desu."
Hanae smiled and politely pushed the seasoned eggplant back.
"Huh?"
When I tilted my head in confusion, Hanae smiled and told me in Korean.
"I hate eggplant."
"…?"