My Daddy-Long-Legs

"Thank you so much!!!"

Why am I so grateful right from the start, you ask? Donations, of course!

"Whoa!!! DoriDobang!!! Another 100,000 won!!! Thank you!! Arigato! Thank you! I appreciate it so much!!"

The 100,000-won donation punches had begun. It all started right after I finished my first song, "Flying Duck."

A viewer named SongWave had donated 100,000 won with the message: "Your singing is insane."

At this moment, what should a rookie VTuber ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠do?

1. Express gratitude using a prepared script.
2. Do a backflip and give a top-tier reaction.
3. Act flustered and say it's your first time receiving such a huge amount.

The answer? Number three, obviously!

Simps. Do you know when those simps—especially the ones who throw around 100,000-won punches—get the biggest thrill?

It's when the VTuber genuinely panics over the amount.

One hundred thousand won is by no means a small sum. It's the kind of money you only get after a grueling day of manual labor. For some, it's a daily wage; for others, a precious allowance; and for some, a week's worth of groceries. That's the kind of money we're talking about. How could I not be grateful?

But being a VTuber is a job where you can make 100,000 won just by singing a single song.

Eventually, people get desensitized and fall into mechanical, formulaic reactions. They get jaded. And jaded reactions are boring.

This raw, unscripted panic can only be experienced right now, at this very stage. A fresh, uncorrupted rookie VTuber. A complete newbie who still smells of a small-time streamer. The alluring scent of a fresh beginner.

The big-spender simps are absolutely obsessed with a VTuber's "first time."

Men are just wired that way. Everyone wants to be someone's first, not the final resting place for someone who's already jaded.

There's a reason big spenders latch onto small-time streams. There's a method to the madness.

A small-time VTuber who barely scrapes by on a trickle of tiny, text-heavy thousand-won donations suddenly gets hit with a cool 100,000-won donation. The sheer ecstasy of their reaction is enough to feed a viewer's soul for three days. The flustered stammering, the raw confusion of not knowing how to handle such a massive sum—that raw reaction makes the big-spending simps absolutely lose their minds.

Anyway, enough overthinking. It's time to react. This reaction will set the tone for my future. Let's give them the ultimate fan service with a top-tier reaction!

"Whoa! What! SongWave-nim! Whoaaa! 100,000 won! What is this! Thank you so much for the huge donation! Wait, are you pushing yourself too hard? Thank you...!! I've never received 100,000 won before...!!!"

I jumped up and down as I showered them with thanks. After all, the only reason people donate is to see this exact reaction. The most important skill for a VTuber isn't singing, dancing, or gaming. It's reacting.

"I will serve you with reactions that won't disappoint. Come on. Keep those donations coming! Pump up my energy! And in return, I'll shower you with love."

"W-Whoa!! Another 100,000 won donation!! Thank you! Wait, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠what is happening! Oh no, what do I do? I don't even have a donation reaction prepared yet. I'm so sorry I didn't prepare one in advance!"

Of course, I deliberately hadn't prepared a reaction. It was pure lip service. But for a VTuber, lip service is their lifeblood. Nothing is more important.

"But seriously, no lies, thank you so much, NoTomorrow-nim! Thank you! You couldn't hold back, pfft...! You don't have to hold back at all. Hehe."

A blend of playfulness and sincerity. I didn't have a prepared reaction, which only made my raw, heartfelt gratitude feel even more genuine.

Alright, they're taking the bait. The power of a name-drop is truly immense.

The most crucial part of a 100,000-won reaction is mentioning their username. Those who want their names remembered by me will absolutely donate. They have no choice. It's their golden ticket to getting noticed.

This is a stream with five thousand viewers. In the future, I might not give this much attention for a mere 100,000 won. Right now is their best chance to engrave their name in my mind.

The donations started exploding. Every time a song ended, an average of 400,000 won in donations poured in. The 100,000-won alerts kept stacking. Wait, how much have I made already?

Since I'm a corporate VTuber, it's not all pure profit, but so what? I've already made well over a million won today. And that's just two hours into the stream.

No, it wasn't just a million won. If I do some quick math... On the very next day after my debut stream, I pulled in four million won. Game over. The end.

"Thank you so much!!!!!"

Who am I for them to throw this kind of money at me? I just sang some songs. What is this? Is my singing really that good?

No, putting aside my business mindset, I mean this from the bottom of my heart. I'm actually tearing up a bit. Who are these people? We haven't even known each other for that long. Why are they supporting me this much?

We only just decided on our fan nickname today. You guys don't even know what kind of person I really am. Is it really okay for you to donate like this? Are you all rich? No, you're not. I know you're not. Don't push yourselves. If you get betrayed after doing this... No, I will never betray you. I would never do something like that.

"T-Thank you. Sniffle. N-No, I don't want to cry. Ah, I'm sorry. Just a moment."

Thank you. Thank you so much.

"J-Just a moment. I need to go to the bathroom. I'll go wash my face. One second."

I took off my VR gear. I must have disappeared from their screens now that the gear was off.

"Haah... sob..."

I sat on my bed and wiped my tears. I wasn't crying because of the massive amount of money I received today. It was just... because I knew how they felt. Because I used to be just like them.

To be remembered. Because they want to be remembered. Because they like me. Because they're falling for me. That's why they donate. I know. I know that feeling all too well.

I don't love you guys yet.

But it's not like I dislike you either. So, we're still just getting to know each other.

I decided to live Choi Minseo's life, and I decided to live as Riu. The life of a VTuber. The most important thing in this life is the support of the fans. Today, my heart completely melted from their overwhelming support. Honestly, wouldn't anyone feel the same? Anyone would cry if they suddenly made four million won in a single day.

I'm way too emotional.

My emotions and sensitivity definitely feel much more vivid now. It must be because of this body's natural tendencies. I ended up crying over something so trivial.

It's too early to shed tears of joy.

My goal doesn't end here. Anyone watching would think I was doing a graduation stream. Let's put the gear back on. And let's sing with a smile. I love singing. Choi Minseo's vocal cords can perfectly pull off any song. Singing wouldn't be fun if I were bad at it, but since I'm the absolute best, it's incredibly fun.

"Everyone! I'm sorry. No, actually, this is all you Bangsaengis' fault! What's with this donation train! Why are you making me cry! Hehehe, I'm just kidding. Thank you. I was just so grateful for your support that I teared up a bit. No clipping allowed! Don't you dare upload clips of me crying!"

"What do you mean, merch? Pfft. Do you guys know how hilarious your chat is? Hehehe. Alright, let's change the mood. I'm going to sing the last song I prepared."

Ah, someone already put my name in their username. That feels pretty nice.

"My throat doesn't hurt yet, but it's almost 3 AM. Some of you have school or work tomorrow! Let's make this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the final song for today! Riu will be back tomorrow, so no crying emotes allowed!"

The last song will be one of my favorites.

"The final track is 'Pianissimo.' It's by my favorite rock band. 'Flying Duck,' which I sang as the first song, is also ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠by them."

Remember me. Everyone, please remember me. That's the feeling I'm pouring into "Pianissimo." My absolute favorite song.

"Whew! Thank you! That's it for today's karaoke!"

With that, seventy-seven songs. That's the number of songs I sang in just my second stream. There are probably tons of song clips uploaded to the Starlight official website by now. The clip board must be flooded with my singing.

"Alright, let's do a quick just-chatting segment before I sign off. It's 3 AM right now, so I'll head out at 3:10."

The post-karaoke chatting segment is incredibly important for squeezing out a few more donations, but I'm getting too tired to keep going. Besides, I've already made so much money I can't even keep track. This is more than enough...

"Huh?"

The moment the karaoke ended, it exploded.

"O-One million won?"

A cool one-million-won donation. Someone who threw down a million won without saying a single word. My name embedded right in their username: Byulbit Riu. The big spender. The Chairman. On the very first day of my regular streams, I had found my Daddy-Long-Legs.