Participant Number 52, Choi Minseo!
Today was finally the day of the Starlight interview! I wanted to doll myself up, put on some pretty clothes, and head to the interview venue, but I ran into a massive obstacle. Makeup. How on earth do you do it? I had no clue! Over the last two days of preparing for the interview, I searched ViewTube to study makeup tutorials and poured my heart and soul into figuring it out, but the only thing reflecting back at me in the vanity mirror was a girl wearing sloppy Kabuki makeup.
"Oh my god. This is definitely not it." Mastering makeup in the mere two days leading up to the interview was an impossible task. At this rate, it was better to just go bare-faced. Should I go with a completely natural look? Or should I go to a salon and get it professionally done? But even if I wanted to do that, I didn't have the money!!!
And it's so hard to dress in modern styles. Where does my head even go in this one? And this one exposes my entire belly button. Women's clothing is so complicated. Trying to study women's fashion from scratch was giving me a massive headache. In my past life, my entire wardrobe consisted of nothing but tracksuits. I was just a regular guy who only wore men's clothes, so I knew absolutely nothing about women's styling. It wasn't like I used to crossdress or anything. This was seriously tough.
Maybe I should just wear a tracksuit. According to my frantic internet searches, VTuber interviews usually involved putting on VR gear and demonstrating how you move your avatar. In that case, wouldn't it be better to wear something comfortable? After all, this wasn't an interview for a webcam streamer; it was for a VTuber. Or was I being too complacent? Was it really okay to go to an interview with this kind of attitude?
"Ugh. What do I do?" In typical possession or reincarnation stories, the protagonist usually inherits the original body owner's memories or gets some kind of system correction to help them understand the world. But in my case, only our physical abilities merged, and I'm left with nothing but my own memories. It was incredibly frustrating. I had no idea how to solve this.
Well, there's not much time left, so let's just do the absolute best we can. After spending nearly three hours getting ready, I managed to make myself look as "neat" as possible. I just had to trust this body's physical capabilities and push through. Beginner's luck often favors those who move without overthinking, after all.
"Whew. I'm so nervous." My heart was beating way too fast. Would I be able to do well in the interview? Could I show off my strengths and charms to the fullest? Could I... actually become a VTuber?
Let's do this. Just taking on the challenge was a valuable experience. Even if I didn't make the cut for Starlight, I had no intention of giving up. With a voice, singing talent, and physical specs like this, not becoming a VTuber would be a tragic loss to the VTuber world.
My future fans are waiting for me. So don't shake, Choi Minseo. Get a grip. Giving up is not in my vocabulary. Time to move forward. Open the door. Onto the next stage.
Starlight's female CEO, Dankaeng—real name Jeong Hari. Thirty years old this year, Dankaeng had scraped together every last penny in her bank account to establish Starlight. The amount she poured into it this time was a whopping 400 million won. Without any backing from a major corporation, she had funded everything out of her own pocket, which easily swallowed up the entire 400 million won.
While it might be pocket change for the ultra-wealthy, 400 million won was an astronomical sum for an ordinary person, and even for a successful streamer, it was by no means a small amount. In fact, if she included the money she had lost after completely tanking her previous business venture, she had poured a grand total of 900 million won into the VTuber industry. She had literally staked her entire life on this.
So this time... I absolutely must succeed. Her hands still trembled whenever she thought about this 900-million-won gamble. If she failed, it was over. She would sink into oblivion, just like the other first-generation "Dullahans" (faceless streamers) who had collapsed and vanished. She had abandoned her faceless streaming identity and entered the VTuber market just to survive. She didn't want to crumble in vain without achieving a single thing.
If she failed again, she might end up making a "drastic decision." Simply put, she might prepare to end her own life. Please, let a talent appear in today's audition who can help me get off my antidepressants. Let there be no more nights where I have to drink myself into a stupor just to cope. This is my last chance. Please, show yourself. The talent who will become my gem. The applicant who will become my star! Dankaeng prayed desperately from the bottom of her heart.
Even as she maintained a blank expression while observing the candidates entering the interview room, she prayed over and over again in her mind. Please, let a talent who could leave a mark on this great VTuber era appear before her eyes. Just one person would be enough.
Yes, just one is fine. We have three avatars ready, and two slots are already filled. So please, just give me one more. Although the public announcement stated they were recruiting three members, Dankaeng had actually already handpicked two of them. One was a promising VTuber prospect she had worked with ever since she first dreamed of expanding into Japan, and the other was a former faceless streamer she had kept tucked away in her personal "treasure chest" back when she was heavily invested in the streaming scene. In truth, this audition was essentially held to fill the single remaining slot.
All the exceptionally talented kids are already active as VTubers. The talent pool has completely dried up. Dankaeng knew all too well that they wouldn't find three viable VTuber candidates from this interview alone. The truly talented ones were already shining elsewhere as established VTubers. Talent didn't just grow on trees, and even though the golden age of VTubers had arrived, it didn't mean the world was overflowing with qualified candidates.
Six hours had passed since the interviews began.
"Mm. Thank you, I've heard enough. We will contact you with the results at a later date."
"Thank you so much! Please look kindly upon me!"
"Yes, of course."
It had been six long hours. Quite a few candidates had already been disqualified during the background check of their social media accounts, and only one or two had managed to catch her eye. Dankaeng's concentration was rapidly hitting rock bottom. By the time they reached the candidates in the 40s, she was conducting the interviews with her brain half-asleep. No one had managed to break her boredom. The talent who could chase away her drowsiness had yet to appear.
Is this reality? Is there really such a lack of VTuber talent in Korea? Dankaeng was in despair. She only needed one person, but that one person was nowhere to be found.
"CEO. This is the last applicant. You need to keep your eyes open."
"Huh? Ah. Right, of course. Yes, the last one."
Jeong-o, a towering 190-centimeter-tall man who had been Dankaeng's manager for five years, handed her a throat lozenge as he spoke. For the record, Han Jeong-o—who was Dankaeng's manager and would soon take on the role of head manager for all of Starlight's VTubers—was already a happily married man.
"Alright, next person."
Shaking off her drowsiness slightly thanks to the lozenge Jeong-o gave her, Dankaeng called in the final applicant. The last candidate, who must have been waiting anxiously for six hours for her turn. The final contender.
"Uh... hello?"
It was Choi Minseo's entrance.
What's up with her? There had been a few eccentric applicants among the previous ones. But this last candidate was... fundamentally different, so to speak.
She's barely wearing any makeup, and her clothes are so simple. She had barely done anything to doll herself up. Did she want to show her raw, authentic self? It wasn't a bad approach. Dressing up flashily didn't necessarily make someone a good VTuber.
"First off, you are participant number 52, Miss Choi Minseo, correct?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Great. We've thoroughly checked all of your social media history prior to the interview, and there's absolutely nothing objectionable."
Dankaeng bluntly brought up the background check while closely observing Choi Minseo's face. She wanted to see her reaction. Those with something to hide would flinch, and those with serious issues wouldn't even dare step foot into the interview room. How would Choi Minseo react?
No reaction at all. Even after hearing that we dug into her background, she remains expressionless and unfazed. She's remarkably composed. This means she has absolutely nothing to hide. The fact that she's lived a clean life is a huge plus.
Parasocial VTuber fans were terrifying. They would use any means necessary to dig up a VTuber's past life or "red pill." In the process, any past slip-ups or controversial remarks made on private accounts or hidden social media would eventually be exposed. That was why a thorough screening process was absolutely essential.
"Alright. I've already read your application regarding your motivation for applying to our agency. But the reason is... wait, 'because the CEO is a woman'? Why is that a reason?"
"Uh, because I like women?"
Dankaeng nodded slowly at Choi Minseo's straightforward answer. Who is this girl? She chose this agency simply because she liked women? Of course, there were plenty of other reasons written down, but this particular line had somehow caught her eye. She had never read an application before that listed "liking that the CEO is a woman" as a reason.
"Are you, by any chance, a lesbian or..."
Dankaeng wasn't the type to beat around the bush. She looked Choi Minseo straight in the eye and asked bluntly.
"I am heterosexual!"
Choi Minseo replied with an unwavering gaze. It wasn't a lie. From her perspective, women were indeed the opposite sex. Of course, Dankaeng, who had no way of knowing the truth, felt a wave of relief. While having a boyfriend was a critical issue for an idol VTuber, she wasn't exactly looking to recruit a lesbian either.
Hmm. Her answers are bold. She doesn't seem to put on an act. Coming to an interview dressed like that with a bare face must have been a deliberate choice to show her true self.
She was wrong. Minseo simply had no idea how to apply makeup and was completely clueless about fashion, so she had just worn the neatest thing she could find.
Her confidence is off the charts. It's refreshing. Not bad at all. I can't seem to take my eyes off her. And her voice is much better than I expected. For some reason, she kept drawing her gaze. Dankaeng highly valued this quality. Since Starlight aimed to produce VTuber "idols," star quality and the ability to generate buzz were incredibly important.
"Alright. Well, I'm already familiar with your background through your resume. You listed your physical abilities and singing skills as your greatest strengths. I was quite impressed by your audition track, Force Majeure."
"Thank you! I worked really hard on the recording! I'm so glad you liked it. Hehe."
Minseo grinned like an idiot at Dankaeng's praise. Dankaeng quickly flipped through Minseo's documents, recalling her song. Her vocal tone was exceptionally beautiful, and her singing ability was undeniable.
"Great. Since you mentioned your strengths are your physical abilities and singing, we should put them to the test. Do you have a talent prepared to show us?"
"Yes! I'm confident in anything! I'll show you right away!"
An impromptu talent show. This was the perfect opportunity to gauge an applicant's quick wit and preparation. Some had played the violin, others had played the guitar. Some danced, while others demonstrated Taekwondo. Each candidate had expressed their unique talents in various ways.
She wrote that she doesn't play any instruments. And even if she claims to have good physical specs, she doesn't look like she has a single ounce of muscle on that body, so she probably can't do much. She'll definitely sing, right? Choi Minseo didn't know how to play any instruments. She couldn't dance either. In the end, she had to stake everything on her singing.
"I'll start with a backflip first."
"Excuse me? What did you say?"
"Just a moment."
Dankaeng had fully expected her to sing. However, shattering Dankaeng's expectations, Choi Minseo pushed her chair to the corner of the room and began to stretch.
"Hup!"
With a light exclamation, Choi Minseo executed a flawless backflip right on the spot.
"Next is a handspring."
From that moment on, she began performing all sorts of bizarre and difficult acrobatic maneuvers with absolute ease.
"W-Wait! Stop!"
"Huh? Ah. Yes! Stopping!"
"I mean... Miss Minseo, were you a gymnast?"
"No! I was just an unemployed high school graduate!"
"Then did you train in any sports separately...?"
"None at all! Oh, I do enjoy breathing exercises!"
"What is with this girl?"
Dankaeng was utterly dumbfounded. According to the background check, Choi Minseo was just an ordinary high school graduate you could find anywhere. But meeting her in person, she was anything but ordinary. Between her slightly eccentric answers and her ability to move her body with the grace of a national athlete, Dankaeng couldn't help but feel a deep sense of curiosity.
Most of all, the fact that Choi Minseo's self-introduction letter seemed completely devoid of lies struck a chord with her. She had only written down things she was genuinely, truly good at, briefly and without any flowery exaggeration.
"I... I fully understand that you are flexible and can move your body well. But you also wrote that your strength is on par with an adult male. Is that actually true?"
"Yes! It's absolutely true!"
"Jeong-o."
"Yes, CEO."
"Arm wrestle... with her."
"Uh. Um. Yes. Understood."
Dankaeng was a ten-year veteran streamer. And what is a streamer? Someone who lives and breathes entertainment. It meant she couldn't resist a golden opportunity for content. Furthermore, surviving in this industry for ten years meant she was a natural-born entertainer to her very bones, and the fact that she was still standing proved her instincts were as sharp as ever.
Indeed, Dankaeng found herself gradually drawn to Choi Minseo's dopamine-inducing charm, without even fully understanding why.
"Alright, let's begin."
"Yes!"
And so, the arm wrestling match between Han Jeong-o and Choi Minseo commenced.
Slam!
"Huh?"
"Wait, what?"
"Hehe. I won."
Just thirty seconds after the match began, Han Jeong-o was defeated. A man with a powerlifting total of 500 kilograms was utterly overpowered by those slender arms. A girl barely 165 centimeters tall with no visible muscle pinning down a 190-centimeter giant was nothing short of a miracle.
"Miss Choi Minseo."
"Yes!"
"Um, lastly, could you sing a song for us?"
"Which song would you like?"
"Whatever you sing best. I really, really like you right now, Miss Minseo. So... give me that final blow that will move my heart. Give me the ultimate 'reason' why I must choose you."
"Yes, CEO! I'll sing. The song I'm going to sing is..."
Fan Service. Choi Minseo played the instrumental track of Fan Service on her phone. As the incredibly familiar melody flowed from the phone's speaker, Choi Minseo's voice filled the entire interview room. If you were a VTuber, or if you loved VTubers, there was no way you didn't know this song.
"Wow..."
Dankaeng gasped in awe. Fan Service. It was a staple graduation song for countless VTubers, a song that served as a heartfelt letter to their fans. As Choi Minseo sang the first verse in Japanese and transitioned into the Korean translation for the second verse, a single tear rolled down Dankaeng's cheek. It felt as if Choi Minseo was speaking directly to her—telling her that even though her expansion into Japan had failed, they could start anew together.
She's shining. At this moment, the person looking at Choi Minseo was no longer the VTuber, the CEO of Starlight, or the streamer "Dankaeng." Today, the human Jeong Hari was witnessing the birth of a star named Choi Minseo.
Jeong Hari was no longer sleepy. She wasn't bored either. After all, the talent she had searched so desperately for had finally appeared right in front of her. The third star of Starlight, whom Dankaeng had spent so long searching for, had finally revealed herself!