Newbiebacker (1)
There was one question nagging at me: 'Does life really change just because you get rich?' Then something happened that uprooted that thought entirely.
I'd blindly bought into whatever people recommended before getting scammed out of a huge sum—and one of those coins hit the jackpot. Net worth: one trillion won. Sure, I wasn't rubbing shoulders with the world's top conglomerates, but it was more than enough to live extravagantly for life without ever running dry. That settled the question about life changing. The world wasn't some complicated mess; it was just capitalism, plain and simple.
'Not changing would've been the weird part.'
I'd been scraping by in a tiny studio apartment smaller than 200 square feet, but now I had a place over 1,600 square feet in Seoul. I could buy anything without checking price tags. Game items I'd scrimped on from part-time gigs were suddenly fully geared to endgame. The only downside? No one to share this happiness with.
Clink, clink.
I ate alone at a marble dining table big enough for a whole family.
Maybe get a girlfriend? But nah, I wasn't the type who suddenly brimmed with confidence just because my bank account ballooned.
Internet streaming? Not really my thing. VTubers were fine in anime clips, but real Korean ones felt awkward since they spoke the language.
Even living in a Han River Penthouse didn't change much. 'Up again today.'
Coin news dominated the feeds nonstop. Ten million won here, debating if it'd hit a hundred million there. Thanks to the hype, prices kept climbing. People say even 100 billion is plenty—and they're spot on. Life had changed. No more skimping on electricity, no more dealing with rude customers at the convenience store gig. I even took a leave from my extension college classes, which I'd only taken to live "normally." Every problem solved? Not an exaggeration.
Boredom or unhappiness? A quick game session or a peek at my cyberpunk-themed PC room chased those away. People? Call, and they come—asset planners, managers, secretaries. Especially the secretary; I hired purely on looks, but her skills were top-notch, so loneliness wasn't an issue.
'But... nothing to do.'
Upgraded from average Joe to baller, yet I had no clue how to spend it. Luxury brands? Knockoffs suited me fine; pricey clothes didn't feel that different. Food? Top-shelf arrived automatically. Too lazy to go out, so I hired a pro chef—super convenient. Four-shift rotation at eight-figure salaries meant any dish done in twenty minutes. Worst case, delivery.
'Maybe I should actually sponsor someone.'
I grabbed my phone and downloaded a streaming app.
[Chillin' in the daytime stream~]
[Watching famous anime together~]
[24-hour broadcast!]
[Request songs—I'll sing what I know~]
Skipped the popular ones. The point was fun, and unwanted attention sounded exhausting.
"Hmm."
Scrolling to the bottom revealed pitiful viewer counts. Zero, two, one. Curious what they chatted about, I popped in—only silence and faint singing.
"Sigh."
They said VTuber algorithms needed hundreds of viewers to kick in. These folks recover costs? Brutal.
'Hmm...'
Browsed more, but nothing clicked. Wrong approach. I closed the app and hit up the Gallery to post.
📰 Post Title: Just turned 20 adult woman here, teach me how to shake off haters!
Hi. Any good hakko VTubers? Wanna throw money at one.
— Virgin? Proof?
[Your virginity. Actually a bearded uncle.]
— Username
[Why no blonde pink-eyed virgin?]
— Ag gro fuck
[Guys fine too.]
Not this either? Figures—I'd never posted questions anywhere. Just stirred aggro, then tossed gift icons to calm the mob.
📰 Post Title: Just 20-year-old lonely girl, anyone wanna meet up?
(Chicken gift icons, burger gift icons, coffee gift icons. 5 each)
Sincerity shown. Currently streaming hakko only pls.
— OP insane?
[Whew... Passing this once cuz giftcons, sir.]
— Score! #1 mine~
[Yum yum~]
⭐ Top Comment
— OP: Don't just eat, reply. No live hakko?
[Do it yourself]
[No ㅎ~]
[No ㅎ.]
[No ㅎ.]
[My hakko only for me~]
Brats. Showed sincerity, got this? No more donations here.
Then one comment popped up.
— O Cheol-deuk: This person's fun.
...O Cheol-deuk? Searched it—a female VTuber. Netkama? Algorithm pushed it once, but I noped out. Viewers: 0. Tough.
Clicked in: no song, just keyboard clacks.
"O... Cheol... deuk... fun... this... person... good."
Gallery pinged—exact comment from her. Self-promo?
'Not bad.' Passionate at least. No whining about zero viewers. Voice though... total loner vibe. Not streamer-optimized; barely conversational.
— Unemployed Guy: Hi?
Five seconds. Ten. Fifteen. No read. Just more typing.
What the—
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Unemployed Guy donated 1,000 milk.]
[Hi?]
TTS hit.
"Hiiiyaaaaak!"
Horror-game scream material. I rubbed my ears, cranked volume down.
"Ah... Hello! I'm O Cheol-deuk, 32nd descendant of the Oh clan!"
Her pace and style? Hilarious. Not "funny ha-ha," just how does someone even?
"O as in iron! Cheol as in iron! Deuk!"
Hearing that, I thought: 'Her?'
No real reason. I'm kinda a hipster—drawn to the weirdos.
"Unemployed Guy. That's you."
She chewed on my nick, mumbling. A few viewers trickled in, dipped quick. Her mumbly delivery was hard to follow without focus; needed precise audio tweaks. Loud for intros/prepped lines, whispers otherwise. Casual viewers? Energy drain.
'But that's the appeal.' IRL it'd flop, but anime eats up yandere/mentally fragile types. True otaku heaven for me. Wild—real-life version exists.
— Unemployed Guy: Curious. How much for the VTuber avatar?
She tilted head, confused.
"Um... I made it. Can't talk to people."
Impressed at first, then sighed at the reason. First deep dive into VTubers, but from peeks and algos, hers was high-quality.
'But because she can't socialize...'
Talent or curse? Definitely not streamer-suited.
"Everything else mine too... Mic from online shop, hundred thousand won."
I pondered her worth.
'Planned to cover avatar costs plus fill the gap, but mic's it...'
Donation screen: typed zeros, deleted, repeat. Hundred thou fine, but going big.
'Solo living costs?' About 1.5 mil won. Streamers take 40% cut... Whatever. Ten mil it is. Overthinking kills vibe.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Unemployed Guy donated 10,000,000 milk.]
[Take it.]
Volume down—high-pitch incoming.
"Hiyaaaaaaaah!"
...Wilder scream than expected.