Is It Real, or Just Acting? (1)

In this industry, there's a saying: "Burnsal." It means, "VTubers suddenly get cute starting at thirty, so that's when the real fun begins."

"Tada!"

"Cheers."

Watching Yuja-cha, who had gotten tipsy from just a single can of beer, I finally understood how true that saying was. How could a person be this adorable?

"Hehe, did you run there and back? You were gone for less than three minutes."

"No. I took my time."

"You can't lie to save your life! That's so unexpected!"

Of course, because it was my favorite's request, I had sprinted to the convenience store right in front of my building. I just hadn't expected her to notice so quickly and tease me about it. Even if she was still a small-time VTuber, there was a reason she'd managed to stream for ten years without any major incidents.

"…Did you drink more while I was gone?"

"Nooo! Drinking alone isn't fun! That's why I'm sharing it with you, Baekseolgi!"

I asked if she'd kept drinking while I was out, and she shook her head vigorously in denial. No matter how I looked at it, this felt like we'd crossed the line between a regular editor and a streamer.

Even the chat, which usually teased Yuja-cha by calling her an ajumma or saying she was already thirty, was now united in her defense. They seemed to think I was the only chance left to save her stream that had never escaped small-time status. After all, an editor-streamer romance was considered so taboo in the streaming world that it had massive ripple effects, enough to bury every other issue.

"But you really did go buy beer, right? You came back so fast, I'm suspicious…"

"Would I lie about going?"

I'd been in such a rush that I replied to a game message without even checking it properly. The username looked familiar, but since they were asking for a 1v1 match, it was probably just some troll. I politely declined.

"Show me on a video call! Just your hand is fine!"

But Yuja-cha, still unconvinced, demanded proof.

"…Do I really have to?"

I glanced at the Miracle Ranger premium toy displayed behind me and felt my voice waver slightly. It would be bad if that showed up by accident.

"Yes! Even Dotori's virtual marriage stream ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the other day used a half-cam! Let's try something similar!"

"Understood."

She'd gotten a little bold from the alcohol, but this was clearly just buildup for the virtual marriage content we'd already planned. I checked the angle and framing on my phone first, then called her back on Codecode with only my hand visible.

"Can you see it okay? The quality might be a bit rough since it's just a phone camera."

I waited for her reaction while keeping an eye on her stream and chat, worried it might look blurry or weird.

Even though I was preparing virtual marriage content with Yuja-cha, I couldn't quit my job. So I'd just started the stream still wearing the black dress shirt from work.

"Should I change into something more comfortable?"

"No, no! Absolutely don't!"

I'd only asked in case it was distracting her stream, but her voice came back urgent, followed by the sound of her swallowing hard.

"…You've got quite a bit of muscle."

"Ah, I go to the gym as a hobby. Moving my body helps when my head's a mess or I'm stressed."

The truth was, I'd been skinny as a kid because we couldn't afford much food. But I'd started working out after hearing Yuja-cha once say she liked cool-looking male characters from games. Of course, it wasn't until I became an adult that I realized she was talking about an adult-oriented otome game.

"Your veins are kinda hot."

"You shouldn't say things like that."

"What does it matter? It's true, isn't it? Hehehe, I like it~"

Yuja-cha's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠usual streams were known for being straightforward and honest without any pretense. Combined with the recent virtual marriage trend, the chat's reaction wasn't bad. I'd worried about a flood of hate comments in her inbox after the stream, but she'd mentioned that even that kind of attention would be welcome.

"You guys jealous~? I've got a real-deal fan editor~ He's the first person to ever get my viewer count into three digits~!"

"That's enough drinking. You're really drunk."

"Hehe, but I don't wanna~ I'm way too happy today~"

Earlier she'd said she liked that I wasn't trying to get close personally or confess, yet here she was acting all cutesy. It was hard to adjust when the same person who used to keep things strictly professional over email was now clinging to me on stream.

And right after that, a secret message arrived through Codecode. She was calling out to me while typing.

Was she really not drunk? If even the typos were part of a plan to make me misunderstand, then she should've become an actress instead of a streamer.

Right. No misunderstandings. After all, unlike me, Yuja-cha was a ten-year veteran VTuber. She was far more used to seizing the initiative with issues and moving viewers' hearts than an ordinary person.

"How old are you, Baekseolgi? You don't seem that much older or younger than me~"

"Pfft— *cough*! *cough*!"

I choked on my beer in surprise when Yuja-cha suddenly asked about my personal info right after telling me not to misunderstand over Codecode.

"Ahaha, did it go down the wrong pipe? Drink slowly! Even if you're in the room next door, don't make it so obvious~"

"There's no way you're next door…"

"I'm joking. Just joking. You seem to be keeping too much distance compared to when we game together."

Even if she didn't know what the person on the other side looked like, as a VTuber she mimicked gestures and expressions through tracking. I caught her fingers fidgeting. Was this genuine, or was it acting?

"I've personally been curious about what kind of person you are for a while now."

"Me?"

"Yeah. You found the fun parts in my stream when I only had double-digit viewers and edited them so carefully. It made me really happy. Honestly, until a few days ago, I thought you were actually an AI!"

"It must've been a mess at first…. Thanks for looking at it kindly. Later on, I stopped because I was worried it'd negatively affect your stream, Yuja-nim."

"Ooh, you're even reading the chat now? And calling me Yuja-nim too. You're a pro streamer now!"

"You just told me not to keep my distance."

I matched Yuja-cha's energy and spoke a little more casually. Virtual marriage content relied heavily on buildup and story, so if it felt too forced, viewers would catch on immediately.

"I'm twenty-five ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this year."

"Oh, you're younger than me? I thought you'd be the same age or older."

"Why did you think that?"

"Just from the way you sent emails, you seemed like a very mature, grown-up adult. You always acted like you had zero interest in me, Baekseolgi."

Of course I had to. Even though I'd joined the same agency out of pure fanboy feelings and become her official editor, I couldn't do anything that would burden a streamer.

"Anyway, I sent you a gifticon on Codecode, so eat it later. Ice cream's pretty good for sobering up after drinking."

"Choco Seollem? You did that on purpose, right? Out of all the ice creams, why this one?"

"Because I don't like the one I wrote. It was also the ice cream I ate a lot as a kid."

Choco Seollem was one of the cheaper ice creams with a big portion. It was something I'd only eaten on special summer days when I had to save every penny because my family was struggling.

"Wow, you must've charmed a lot of girls~ You're a total player~! Guys, I'm getting flirted with!"

"I'm not…. I just gave it to you because it's my usual favorite. And it's not expensive either."

Yuja-cha was proudly showing off the gifticon she'd received on stream, and the chat was buzzing with an unusual atmosphere.

"Want me to sing a song as thanks? What kind of songs do you like?"

Then, fitting the mood, Yuja-cha made a suggestion. She looked happiest when she was streaming. What should I ask for? The song she sang during her first song request stream? No. That would just make me look like a stalker.

"…Im Mu-jin's Sparrow. I heard it recently because it popped up in the algorithm, and the lyrics were nice."

"Hoho, so you like songs like that!"

I named a song that had recently appeared in my YouTube recommendations. It was inspired by the saying "A sparrow trying to follow a stork ends up tearing its legs," written to comfort people who had failed. Listening to it made my own past failures in front of my dreams feel like nothing. There had been a time when I'd hoped Yuja-cha would sing it someday if the chance came.

"Ah, but the lyrics are a bit heartbreaking. This doesn't feel like the right song to sing today! It'd be kinda embarrassing while drunk…"

"No, you can just listen to it casually. Honestly, you don't have to sing it. It's a guy's song, so it'd be hard for a girl to sing anyway."

I thought it wasn't really appropriate for a three-digit viewer celebration stream, so I politely told her it was fine. But—

"…Baekseolgi, do you get told often that you have no tact?"

"Huh?"

Instead, she was scolding me with a slightly sulky tone and expression on her virtual character.

"It's not as fun as I thought. I need to change the mood! Baekseolgi, I'm thinking about releasing some merch this time…. What do you think?"

"…Huh, what?!"

"My viewer count hit three digits! If I hit four digits next time, I figured it'd be fine to make merch and give it out!"

"Why would I quit streaming? Honestly…, if my viewer count was still in the double digits by the end of this year, I might've considered quitting. But thanks to the guy I'm drinking with right now, I can see a possibility!"

"Ah, the person who just used profanity will be chat-banned for thirty minutes. No matter what, please watch the stream as a stream. What if our editor-nim gets burdened and refuses to collab anymore?"

After handling the chat while maintaining her saintly RP, Yuja-cha cleared her throat and whispered to me softly.

"Anyway."

She must've moved closer to the mic, because her virtual character moved largely and her voice grew louder and stickier.

'I'm thinking about releasing a breast mousepad this time. I'm only going to make one to increase its rarity…♡'

Her eyes turned pink again. This time, Yuja-cha's seductive voice as she roleplayed a succubus pierced straight into my ears.

The reaction was explosive. Not only new viewers who came in through this clip, but even the existing hardcore fans seemed to want merch.

"…I'd rather you didn't."

But I couldn't help thinking that Yuja-cha didn't need to show such an explicit side.

"Why? It's coming from this appearance! Ah, of course it'll be a bit sexier! If it's a succubus, she has to charm men!"

Even if it was a mousepad of her virtual character and not her real self. Still, she was my first love. I just didn't want the beautiful memories I wanted to keep getting taken away by someone else.

"I think it'd be better if you hid that side of yourself a bit more, Yuja-cha. Too much exposure isn't fun either, you know?"

I gave a reasonable excuse while hiding my personal feelings as much as possible. If I said I hated it or liked it outright, it'd obviously become a nuisance.

"Aha, that's a shame though. I thought this would bring in even more viewers."

"Viewers gained that way are also easy to lose later."

In the end, even the way she'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been slyly seducing me just now was all acting for business. If her viewer count grew and she joined a big company, it was a relationship that would have to end someday.

"Ah, but I'm confident about my chest! I didn't say that without any basis!"

That was something I knew better than anyone. She was the one who could do things like occasionally raising her hands in the air beyond just the virtual character modeling. And I was the one who'd had to rewatch those moments multiple times for editing.

"……."

Looking at her playful message that had secretly arrived through Codecode, I couldn't say anything and just lowered my head with a sigh. This person… was she actually a succubus who charmed men?

* * *

The next day, after sobering up, I saw a shocking scene on Yuja-cha's stream.

Cha Seungwoo, a former pro and current streamer, had sent a mission telling us to do a couple co-op game together.

"Ah, thank you for the mission! 500,000 won! This is a super famous game among streamers! I've always wanted to try it!"

One player becomes a blind saintess with the screen completely blacked out, while the other becomes a knight protecting the saintess, deducing clues and guiding her forward using only their voice. It was an infinite regression romance fantasy pure-love co-op game.

For Rosemary's Happiness.

"…I've never had a male friend before, so I couldn't try it!"