Chapter 15
Could she be in love with me?
Deputy Yoon Juhee threw herself into supporting Kim Haru with genuine dedication.
She had crossed the line from simple business partner long ago.
Beyond the rudeness of showing up to a meeting in sweats, the girl looked so pure it looped right back around to clueless.
In truth, it wasn’t unheard of when dealing with streamers.
Plenty of them had zero social experience, holing up at home doing nothing but broadcasts and never learning basic etiquette.
Yet Yoon Juhee had chosen to make an issue out of something she could have easily overlooked, using “meeting manners” as an excuse to buy several hundred dollars’ worth of clothes.
Of course, Kim Haru was an ultra-premium rookie and already a major VIP, so corporate card coverage had been possible.
Still, the decision itself had come from Deputy Yoon Juhee.
The extra paperwork required to process it all had been no small headache.
Even if the money wasn’t coming out of her own pocket, the favor had cost her genuine effort.
Then a minor incident occurred.
Using apologies and cleanup as her pretext, Yoon Juhee began dropping by Kim Haru’s place constantly.
She filled the empty fridge with side dishes, cooked meals, helped clean, and occasionally organized the chat window too.
Kim Haru found herself wondering.
Does she like me?
The thought quickly leveled up.
Is she in love with me?
Once it evolved, it became a real worry.
What do I do if she confesses?
It was all pointless anxiety.
Yoon Juhee’s interest in Kim Haru was closer to maternal affection.
That little mouth munching away at dinner! Those chubby cheeks! I just want to pinch them!
A mother who wanted to date her own daughter was rare enough to be practically nonexistent.
So the worries ended up going nowhere, but Yoon Juhee still paid close attention to Kim Haru.
She was especially interested in her streams.
It’s such a waste.
Since the two of them were business partners, they talked a lot about broadcast direction.
What Yoon Juhee regretted most was one simple fact.
No-cam at all.
Objectively speaking, Kim Haru’s face was outstanding.
Hiding a face that cute is a loss for all of humanity, for the entire universe, isn’t it?
Treasure-level adorableness like that should be used for children’s clothing modeling, cast in dramas, put in movies.
Or streamed, at the very least.
In any case, it was only right to share it widely with as many people as possible.
But the person in question remained indifferent.
“I hate doxxing, stalkers, and yuksu popping up. All of it.”
Yoon Juhee flinched.
If she herself wasn’t one of those obsessive male fans, what was she?
Even though Kim Haru looked so young, she was in her twenties.
Maybe something had happened during her growth period.
“How about a beautiful-girl virtual avatar? With your streaming sense, Haru-nim, becoming a top virtual idol isn’t just a dream.”
She had even suggested switching from a cheap five-dollar model to a proper 2D live virtual girl.
Kim Haru had shot it down instantly.
“Aegyo? Lewd kisses? Girlfriend roleplay? Absolutely not.”
Not every virtual streamer was like that, but it was true that the audience’s expectations heavily leaned in that direction.
Kim Haru might look clueless, but she seemed surprisingly well-informed about the virtual streaming industry.
Market research?
At any rate, Kim Haru had no intention of turning her camera on or cultivating obsessive fans.
At this point a slight worry crept in.
Does she hate men?
If she planned to live her whole life in female-dominated spaces and female-dominated workplaces, it wouldn’t matter.
But the internet streaming world was overwhelmingly, even extremely, male-dominated.
Declaring herself a feminist there would be the same as pressing a self-destruct button.
Yoon Juhee couldn’t help but worry.
“Do you visit community sites?”
“Not often. Sometimes?”
Gulp. Here it comes.
“Which ones?”
The moment the site name left her lips, Yoon Juhee was sure she would feel a headache coming on and have to press her forehead.
Yet when she heard Kim Haru’s answer, she was surprised in a completely different way.
What kind of kid is this?
They were all notoriously male-dominated communities of the worst kind.
In a female-dominated workplace inside a female-dominated society, someone who frequented those places would be ostracized.
Fortunately, Kim Haru was a streamer operating in the extremely male-dominated internet broadcast scene.
Society might not ostracize her, but she was already ostracizing society first. Anyway.
“Talking about social or political topics on stream could cause problems. You saw the clause in the contract about maintaining dignity, right? And the part about actions that could cause social controversy.”
“I know that much, obviously. I’m not a child.”
She says that while looking exactly like one.
Kim Haru’s channel, the broadcasts of the streaming genius Kim Haru, was growing noticeably every single day.
Donations had already surpassed the hobby level, but several things were still missing before it could become a proper career.
An MCN to handle advertising and contract negotiations.
A YouTube channel that could serve as an archive, a promotional hub, and a model for diversifying revenue.
Yoon Juhee wasn’t a complete expert, but as a member of a major game company’s marketing team she had plenty of industry connections.
“Do you have any plans to sign with an MCN and run a YouTube channel?”
Kim Haru, suddenly receiving advice that far-reaching, looked flustered.
She couldn’t understand why Yoon Juhee, who was only supposed to be the game company’s partnership manager, would concern herself with such details.
Is it because she loves me too much? What if she confesses?
In reality the thought wasn’t that far off the mark.
If she hadn’t possessed an appearance so charming, proud, and lovable that anyone would brag about it, she wouldn’t have drawn this much attention.
The direction of that love just happened to be maternal rather than romantic.
I want to take care of her.
That was Yoon Juhee’s honest, unvarnished heart.
“I’ve received a lot of emails, but… well, I’ll have to look into them properly.”
She had no close seniors in the industry.
Kim Haru had no choice but to dive into the sea of internet trust where only truth was written and search for herself—which companies were trash and which were excellent.
“You have an expert right here.”
Yoon Juhee smiled.
Rather than relying on the internet that only wrote the truth, it would probably be better to listen to advice from a real industry insider like Yoon Juhee.
At the same time, however, Kim Haru felt a little uneasy.
“It feels like I’m receiving too much help. What’s left for you then, Deputy Yoon?”
“Then shall I ask for compensation this time?”
Kim Haru tensed for a second.
Was she a viper who approached me for money from the very beginning?
“Send me one selfie every day! How about it?”
The world was softer than Kim Haru’s thoughts.
“Selfies?”
“It’s too much, having a face this pretty and cute yet refusing to take pictures or use social media. What remains are photos and memories, you know.”
One of the things that had shocked Yoon Juhee after getting to know Kim Haru was the fact that she not only avoided social media entirely but also never took pictures of that priceless face.
It was a waste for all humankind. She had repeated that thought too many times already.
At any rate, it was something that should never be allowed to continue.
“There’s a perfect MCN. Once you see the contract you’ll be satisfied—no, you’ll be shocked.”
Reading the sincerity in Yoon Juhee’s eyes, Kim Haru nodded.
Without the slightest idea what kind of bizarre person Yoon Juhee would bring as her contract partner.
Normally Deputy Yoon drove, but this time an actual vehicle with a chauffeur came to pick me up.
I was stunned, unable to guess what kind of event could possibly be waiting.
The place we arrived at after getting in the car was Yeouido.
The moment I reached the first-floor lobby, I could feel the atmosphere was different.
It was nothing like the warm, friendly feeling of the mixed-use shopping centers people usually visited.
This place gave off a subtly cold vibe, as if uninvited guests would be thrown out immediately.
After passing through a security gate that required pre-registration, we reached the elevator hall where a middle-aged man in a suit bowed deeply.
“Are you Ms. Yoon Juhee and Ms. Kim Haru, invited by CEO Kang Ichae of Black Hole Media?”
“Yes, that’s us.”
It felt like being invited to a castle in a foreign country.
Or maybe I simply hadn’t known—were there places like this in Korea too?
A place I would never have visited in my entire life under normal circumstances.
“Welcome, Ms. Yoon Juhee, Ms. Kim Haru. It is an honor to serve you both today. The CEO instructed us to treat such esteemed guests with the utmost respect and courtesy. I will escort you and ensure you experience no inconvenience during your visit.”
Is this even real life? Am I dreaming?
Princess treatment that would make any girl lose her mind.
At this point the hospitality had gone beyond surprising and reached a level I never thought I would experience in my lifetime. I stepped into the elevator feeling completely out of my depth.
Even the elevator required a card key to operate.
Just where had I been invited?
The suited man from earlier stepped in, tapped his card key, and escorted us.
Escort. The word felt incredibly awkward even as I thought it, yet nothing else seemed to fit the atmosphere.
“This elevator connects directly to the sky lounge and takes approximately forty seconds. The high-speed ascent may cause your ears to feel slightly plugged, so swallowing gently can help.”
Never in my life did I imagine the day would come when I received an explanation about an elevator.
When we arrived at the ultra-high floor, the view of Seoul spread out beneath us at a glance, while the interior was divided into private rooms.
Thank goodness I don’t have a fear of heights.
If I did, I probably would have screamed.
“CEO Kang Ichae is waiting for you in the private sky lounge.”
The level of service was so high I couldn’t even guess the price.
My single thought was obvious.
Instead of treating me like this, just give me the money.
Pearls on a pig.
What a waste of money.
The fact that I couldn’t stop thinking those two things proved I was, at my root, a true commoner.