Chapter 562: Baby-niku
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 562: Baby-niku
Babiniku.
I didn't know it at the time, but Oh Yun-ji explained the term to me later.
For those who don't know, like I didn't:
It’s short for "Virtual Beautiful Girl's Body worn by a Middle-aged Man."
How can a term be so linguistically violent?
I really had no idea such a word existed, but facing the reality of it right before my eyes was dizzying.
“…….”
And how must Oh Yun-ji feel, having come all this way to meet "her" for business?
She was looking down, trying to steady her breathing, but her tightly clenched fists suggested she was beyond furious.
“I-I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
A middle-aged man.
The real Hanae was bowing and apologizing to us repeatedly.
Now I understood why the voice sounded different. He was using a voice changer, but it was this guy using it.
“Senior, stay sharp. Yun-ji might suddenly snap and deck this guy.”
“I kind of want to hit him too.”
“…….”
If Senior Ju-hee hits him, he’ll die, so that’s a no-go.
A man in his 40s taking a punch from her is equivalent to getting hit by a truck.
For the record, a man in his 20s taking a punch from her is also equivalent to getting hit by a truck.
Actually, age doesn't matter; if you get hit, you're dead.
“Why did you do it?”
I asked on behalf of Oh Yun-ji, who was still trying to calm herself.
The "Fake Hanae" sitting next to him translated for the "Real Hanae."
“Well... he says he lost his job and tried it out of boredom, but it ended up being much more successful than he expected.”
At Fake Hanae’s explanation, Oh Yun-ji snapped her head up and pointed a finger.
“A grown man who’s held a job before tried to pull a contract like this?! Do you realize we could sue you for this? Do you have any idea how much we spent just getting here?!”
“Sumimasen! S-Sumimasen!”
It was my first time seeing a real-life dogeza.
The man prostrated himself on the floor, apologizing over and over.
Yun-ji’s outburst was in Korean, so he probably didn't even understand the words, but was he just apologizing instinctively?
He wasn't a former corporate employee in his 40s for nothing.
He was quick on the uptake—shrewd, in a way.
I wish he’d used that shrewdness before we got to the contract stage.
Yun-ji was currently glaring at Hanae with eyes that looked ready to commit murder.
“Haa, I’m going crazy. What kind of balls did you have to think you could actually sign a contract?”
Fake Hanae immediately translated Yun-ji’s question.
It was more of a rhetorical mutter, but Fake Hanae seemed determined to be as helpful as possible, as if that was the only thing she could contribute now.
“He says he thought he could keep the deception going as long as he broadcasted from Japan. Since Star Enter is based in Korea.”
“The guy used his brain for all the wrong things,” I muttered.
Fake Hanae translated that too. Hey, you didn't need to do that one.
“……Fuck.”
Senior Ju-hee muttered beside me. Fake Hanae translated that as well, and Senior Ju-hee smirked as if she found the whole thing amusing.
It is kind of funny, though.
But if I started joking around now, I’d be the one getting beaten up by Oh Yun-ji, so I had to hold it in.
“Haa, what the hell am I supposed to do with this? God, I’m losing it……”
When the "Real Hanae," still in his dogeza position, said something to Yun-ji, it was like pouring gasoline on a fire. She started screaming at him in Japanese.
“S-Senior! Get her out of here! Ugh! Yun-ji, we’re in a restaurant!”
I apologized to the owner, and Senior Ju-hee dragged Oh Yun-ji outside.
That left me with the two Hanaes.
“What did he even say to make her that mad?”
I asked, looking at Fake Hanae. She scratched her cheek awkwardly.
“He asked her not to reveal the truth. He said it would be a disaster for him if he got caught.”
“……Is he insane?”
Fake Hanae translated that immediately.
“Sumimasen!”
The Real Hanae rubbed his forehead where it had hit the floor and apologized again.
The guy should be worried about getting sued, yet he’s asking for favors? He really was out of his mind.
Should I just beat him up?
I was contemplating channeling my inner freedom fighter and teaching him a lesson.
Just then, Oh Yun-ji walked back in.
She snatched the contract off the table, tucked it away, and glared at the Real Hanae while saying something in Japanese.
“S-she said if she ever sees you again, she’ll kill you.”
“…….”
Fake Hanae’s translation performance was top-notch.
“Woo-jin, let’s go.”
“You’re just going to let him go?”
“Forget it. It’s a waste of time to deal with a piece of trash like that. Actually, it’s for the best. Someone like him will get caught soon enough anyway, and his streaming career will be over.”
Yun-ji marched out, her heels clicking sharply against the floor.
As I followed her, Fake Hanae went out of her way to translate what Yun-ji had just said for the man.
Is she a professional translator or something?
Outside, Senior Ju-hee was already waiting. She gave a bitter smile and shrugged.
“Things like this happen. It’s fine. The meeting ended early, so let’s just go back to the hotel and rest. We’ll eat something good.”
Senior Ju-hee comforted Yun-ji with a mature, practiced ease. Yun-ji let out a long, frustrated sigh and nodded.
“What I’m really scared of is that the same thing might happen tomorrow.”
“…….”
“…….”
Neither of us could flatly deny the possibility.
We had just witnessed the truth: that behind a cute, bubbly anime face, a 40-year-old man was acting all "aegyo."
“The world of VTubers…… is truly terrifying.”
When I muttered that, Oh Yun-ji glared at me as if she wanted to take her anger out on me, but then she just let out another long sigh.
“Yeah, tell me about it. I didn't know much about this side of things either. I’d heard stories, but…… I never thought it would happen to me.”
“We saw too much truth on the very first day. I’m actually scared now.”
At my words, Yun-ji brushed back her bangs and groaned.
“You think you’re scared? Imagine how I feel.”
……Fair point.
* * *
It was quite late by the time we returned to the hotel.
Yun-ji went straight to her room, saying she was exhausted, and Senior Ju-hee went down to the basement to use the hotel’s onsen.
Me?
I obviously had things to do.
“No, seriously. A 40-year-old man showed up.”
— Pwahahahaha!
— Pffft, hahaha!
— Guys…….
Seo Ye-rin and Yoo Ah-rin were dying of laughter.
Well, if I hadn't been there in person, I probably would have burst out laughing too.
Unfortunately, while it was a comedy for them, it was a documentary for us.
— So what happened? Yun-ji didn't flip the table or anything, did she?
“What do you think? She was furious at first, but in the end, she just sighed and told him to get lost. She is the CEO, after all.”
— Well, I’m glad she managed to pull herself together.
Choi I-seo sounded relieved.
Meanwhile, the other two were still being pests.
— Hey, who was it? Hanae? Holy crap, I have to look her up right now.
— Ah! I should have gone too! That sounds so fun!
“You wouldn't be saying that if you were here.”
The atmosphere was seriously murderous.
— You’re coming back on Sunday, right?
“Yeah. Looking at how things are going, tomorrow might be just as crazy. These VTuber people are something else.”
— Woo-jin, don't go developing weird prejudices. That person was just an outlier.
“……As expected, Choi I-seo is the voice of reason.”
She immediately corrected my rude assumptions.
Well, she was right.
Hanae was just a crazy bit—er, a crazy guy.
It was wrong to lump all other VTubers in with him.
— But it is objectively hilarious. I mean, how can a middle-aged man act like that behind an anime character?
— Wow, she’s cute! This guy is better at aegyo than I am!
It seemed Yoo Ah-rin and Seo Ye-rin were already looking up Hanae’s Neutube.
I chuckled at their immediate reactions.
“Anyway, it was wild here. How about you guys?”
— Oh, right! Woo-jin! I was going to send you a photo……!
— Hey! Don't! Don't you dare!
Yoo Ah-rin’s voice sounded urgent. It seemed she was pinning Seo Ye-rin down.
— Mmph?! Money is innocence! Poverty is guilt!
— What kind of nonsense is that?! Stop copying weird things!
— Sigh.
“What’s going on?”
When I asked, Choi I-seo gave a brief explanation with a sigh.
— Apparently, Ah-rin got caught taking care of business by herself in a sex room, and someone took a picture.
— I told you that’s not it! You crazy women! I was just looking around! How did the rumor get so distorted?!
I kind of wish it were true.
— How about you? Is Yun-ji trying to jump your bones?
“I don't know. She seems to be in a bad mood, so probably not? She even got a separate room, so I’m alone right now.”
— Yun-ji did?
Choi I-seo sounded surprised.
I was surprised too, honestly.
“Right? Knowing Yun-ji, I thought she’d book us together. You know, the whole 'I worked hard during the day, so I need to work hard at relieving stress at night' thing.”
— ……What exactly do you think of Yun-ji?
* * *
After finishing the call with the girls, I fell asleep quickly, feeling quite fatigued. I woke up to a rustling sound.
“Mmm?”
I felt a presence.
Suddenly remembering that Japan has many ghost stories and creepy incidents, I tried to force my eyes open, but my exhaustion made it difficult.
Just then.
Click!
The lights suddenly flickered on, and something with the agility of a cat pounced on top of me.
“Guh?!”
The weight took me by surprise, but that wasn't the important part.
“Hey, why are you sleeping?”
The person sitting on top of me was none other than Oh Yun-ji.
And she was wearing an outfit I would never normally see her in.
It was a glossy, skin-tight suit.
“W-what is that?!”
When I asked in shock, Yun-ji whispered secretly.
“I told you, didn't I? That I’d do the cosplay for you in Japan instead of Yoo Ah-rin.”
“……Ah?”
Right, I think she did say something like that.
“And. I worked hard today, so I need to relieve some stress.”
