Here for the Interview
Time had flown by, and it was already the third day in Neru's body. They say humans are creatures of adaptation, and sure enough, I was starting to get used to living in this fragile little frame.
"So this is what emotional changes feel like..."
I could definitely sense the shift that the questionnaire had warned me about last time—not bone-deep or anything, but real enough. Ramen that used to be no big deal for me now set my mouth ablaze if it had even a hint of spice.
"Suddenly craving all this sweet stuff..."
Me, Lee Se-hyun—the guy who'd only ever ordered iced Americano at cafes. Well, girl now, I guess. Maybe I should get a slice of cake? And strawberry latte to go with it. Oh, and that trendy DukJjanGu everyone's raving about.
"Wait, why is this so damn expensive?"
Just three items in the cart, and it was pushing 20,000 won. I grumbled a bit, but my fingers were already heading for the pay button.
Thirty minutes later, delivery arrived. I counted to ten, then dashed out to grab the bag.
"This tiny thing costs 8,000 won?"
I stabbed a thick straw into the strawberry latte and took a sip. Nyum nyum. The sweet strawberry pulp burst in my mouth, filling that sugar void in the best way.
"...No, I shouldn't be doing this."
Whatever. I'd already ordered it. Throwing it out would be a waste.
"Slice of cake... meh, nothing special. Gotta try somewhere else next time."
Hold up. Did I just casually think about ordering from somewhere else next time? I was starting to get what Neru meant by emotional changes.
"Ugh, this is creepy. But it's too pricey to waste..."
Last up: that trendy DukJjanGu. It was supposedly past its peak hype, but honestly, even as a guy, I'd been curious. How could something smaller than my fist be worth that much?
I took a bite. Crunchy crunch. Chewy chew. ...Damn, it was good.
"Hm, not bad."
Still, next time from a cheaper spot. Ah, there I went thinking about next time again. Whatever, no one's watching.
With the cafe haul demolished, I was stuffed.
"Time to fire up Log again?"
I'd only played one round last time, so I needed more practice today. Get a better handle on the recoil too.
I launched Log, and almost immediately, a new message notification popped up.
"Huh, a message?"
I opened the chat window naturally, and there it was—from [UNV_iori], the friend I'd added last time.
She must've been waiting a while. Guess I wasn't that bad for a total noob. Hoping to duo today?
Up for some games?
Wait, no, that's not it...
Something else on her mind? The "typing..." indicator lingered for a bit before a few lines dropped.
"Huh?"
I rubbed my eyes and read it again, slowly. Universe—the virtual idol group. Of course I'd heard of them. Back when I was designing Neru, I'd researched every VTuber out there for market analysis. Not a superfan or anything, just watched streams now and then for demand insights.
Come to think of it, UNV was short for Universe, and iori at the end. So the others from last time... Universe Rei, Universe Seira...
"Oh."
I hit alt-tab and jumped to Zzzk. I'd played Log two days ago. Pulled up Kagura Iori's channel and checked the replay.
"...It's real."
Cross-verified, and it all clicked—this was legit.
Alt-tabbed back to messages. A few new ones.
Of course, feel free to say no!
No way I'd say no. Becoming a VTuber was already my plan to rack up Humanity Points and get my body back. Universe would be a massive leg up. Going corporate instead of indie was unexpected, but an undeniable golden opportunity.
I typed a positive reply and hovered over enter... then paused.
...But if I join, gather all the Humanity Points, and switch back? They'll remember Neru, but I won't be her anymore. What then?
"...Getting my body back comes first."
No more hesitation. Hit enter.
"Not locked in yet, so probably just one of the candidates."
Fired up Discord and sent the friend request to the ID Iori gave. Had to be that Yuseol. Universe's founder and top corporate VTuber. I'd researched her plenty.
Accepted instantly, and I got invited to a server. Just Yuseol, Kurose Ritsu, and me. She was already in the voice channel, probably waiting.
"...Suddenly nervous."
Like getting a phone call chance with a celeb I'd always admired. Though technically, I was here for an interview.
Ding-dong— the join sound chimed, followed by a low, womanly voice.
"Hello? Is that Neru?"
"Ah, yeah... this is Neru."
"Just like I heard. You've got a great voice."
"Th-thanks..."
Cool tone, but warm words. Still, her voice alone radiated authority.
"Eaten lunch?"
"Oh, yeah...! Cake and latte, that kinda thing."
"Oh... yeah, lunch should be light anyway."
Light? I was stuffed.
"So, we're recruiting for Universe's 2nd gen right now. Thought you might wanna give it a shot. I heard you're thinking about streaming."
"Ah, y-yeah... super grateful for the offer."
"Mm, no rush to decide. We've got time before recruitment closes... and yeah, I'm kinda impulsive like that."
She was easing the pressure, being considerate. Spot on, honestly. My Universe knowledge was surface-level at best. No real industry experience, no clue about the daily grind.
"Fun fact: Iori from 1st gen? Met her in-game and scouted her myself."
"No way!"
"Yep. She wasn't into streaming at first, but now she loves it."
Makes sense—Iori had that bright energy in-game; perfect for streaming. Didn't know she actually did it, though.
"Explaining over voice is tricky, right?"
"Yeah... honestly."
"Wanna swing by our office sometime? Seeing it up close might change your mind."
"Really? I'd love to, but..."
Do they go this hard for every recruit? Felt like I was putting her out.
"Is this... common? The president giving tours and all..."
"Nah. Don't know much about you yet, but I've got a hunch."
That successful-person intuition. Scientifically dubious, psychologically iffy, but you ignore it at your peril. Einstein said true genius is imagination and intuition over knowledge. Steve Jobs preached following your heart and gut.
No clue if I'd live up to Yuseol's hunch, but I was this far in—no backing out.
"...Yeah, I'd like that. Thanks."
"Great. I'll follow up. Got a phone number?"
"Sure... I'll drop it in chat."
And just like that, my first interview with potential-future-boss Yuseol wrapped smoothly.
Two days later.
"Whoa... the building's huge..."
The appointed day had arrived!