The Parallel Song World Cup

MoovGun felt a stark sense of dissonance the moment he heard those words.

“What a weird person…”

In MoovGun’s mind, the words that defined Employee D were three in number: malicious, sniper, attention-seeker. The fact that she had sniped him without consulting CEO Momo in advance, the way she had suddenly demanded first place and told him not to hold her back, the way she had thrown a grenade the moment someone badmouthed the CEO—every single one of those actions had been extraordinary. They were things no ordinary person would ever do in front of a celebrity like him.

Yet that same person, who had been acting like today was her own debut showcase, was now suddenly asking for a Parallel song world cup?

“I thought the 1st gen promotion was just an excuse and her own debut came first… Did I misread her?”

But that wasn’t the case. To the viewers, Mazia was also a strange person. The same office worker who had been wearing a tie on her head and passionately singing trot with a flushed face just moments ago would suddenly turn serious, speak clearly, and start pitching the products she had stored in her bag, leaving everyone flustered.

If Employee D were simply a malicious attention-seeker, that would be one thing. But she possessed game skills that worked even against former pros, top-tier voice acting and rapping, and the ability to speak her mind without hesitation even in front of awkward people. She already had plenty of broadcasting talent, yet she kept drawing a line by periodically declaring, “I’m not that kind of person.” It made viewers strangely irritated, the same way one might feel annoyed at people who have everything yet complain that they can’t do this or that.

Whether she was avoiding debut due to her own stubborn resistance or the company’s protection, the latter might have its reasons, but the former still made her seem like a strange person no matter how you looked at it. That was why even MoovGun started to feel curious. Would this loyal employee remain outside the letterbox forever? Did she have no intention of stepping onto the screen herself?

Meanwhile, having grown tired of waiting for a reply, Mazia asked in a thorny voice.

[So. Are you going to do the Parallel song world cup or not?]

Anyway, returning to the original point—MoovGun liked Employee D’s crack play. He liked the massive ripple it had created in the otherwise calm internal match. However, this exciting atmosphere could only be maintained if she was present. Employee D’s character was that unique. Even though MoovGun had never watched a VTuber stream or even a cover song despite being friends with Momo—

—he had no choice but to accept the offer. Only then would he have a reason to call Mazia back into the internal match.

“Alright. Let’s just open the club today and do it.”

* * *

To celestial realm players, Diamond was just a pebble. There were plenty of them compared to the celestial realm, and they were so common you could kick them around. In other words, when Mazia first appeared as an internal match member, everyone thought the same thing.

She was obviously here to ride the bus. VTuber? Parallel? If it was just for promotion, she probably wasn’t worth much.

But after watching her play the warm-up round, everyone changed their minds.

Don’t get close to the smoke. It’s dangerous if you do. That guy isn’t a pebble—he’s the size of a bowling ball. Kick him and you’ll break your ankle.

So each team’s strategy completely changed. Instead of targeting Mazia in the front line, they went back to the old method of focusing on MoovGun first. They were confident that if they took care of him while he was isolated, the remaining two could win with numerical superiority.

However, as mentioned earlier, MoovGun’s team was a pair trawler. Mazia ran ahead while the supporter and MoovGun followed behind. If MoovGun got isolated, Mazia would come rushing back after hearing the gunfire—actually, because of the kill bet. If MoovGun held his ground? Smoke would start flying and one of the three would definitely end up on the floor from a double barrel.

In a ranked game, retreating to plan for the future would have been the right move. But this was an internal match. And losing twice to the same opponent was a matter of pride for celestial realm players. If they fought back, the smoke fight would ultimately be Mazia’s victory. Outside the smoke she went down surprisingly easily, but inside the hazy smoke it was as if she had some kind of combat stimulant effect—she was a monster in her own right.

…And so, when the first official game ended, everyone’s perception of Mazia changed once again.

Don’t enter the smoke. If you see smoke, retreat immediately. She wasn’t ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even a bowling ball anymore—inside the smoke, she was an SCP or cosmic horror. The speculation that she had just gotten lucky disappeared completely. The moment she fought with smoke, Mazia became a celestial realm player.

As a result of every team stubbornly insisting on retreating whenever they saw smoke, MoovGun’s team recorded 1st place in the first official game, 2nd in the second, and 4th in the third, gradually declining. Still, they finished with the highest total points and secured the 1 million won prize money.

However, MoovGun always gave up the prize money even when he won, and Mazia also ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠declined it, saying that the promotional opportunity alone was enough. In the end, the entire 2 million won—including MoovGun’s 1 million won from the kill bet—went to supporter Park Won-hyuk, who had shown insane care by following behind Jia all day.

[Thank you so much. I’ll play the Parallel 1st anniversary song ten times on my stream. It was November 5th, right?]

[Yes. Thank you for your interest.]

[No no. I’m the one who should be thanking you. Please drop by the internal matches sometimes! Your double barrel today was really cool!]

[You’re too kind. Your care as the backbone was really good too.]

[Thank you!]

And so Supporter Park Won-hyuk also left the talk code. Once all the internal match members had exited, Mazia, now alone in the talk code, muttered as if for MoovGun to hear.

“…My one million won.”

There had been a fierce battle until the very end. MoovGun, who had wanted first place in the internal match, became more obsessed with winning than the kill bet and ultimately lost to Mazia by a single kill. In a way, it could be seen as the difference between a former pro and an amateur who risked their life on a kill bet. But a bet was a bet.

[Do you acknowledge MoovGun under Employee D?]

“Yes, I’ll acknowledge it until the next kill bet.”

[There won’t be a next kill bet.]

“Huh? Why?”

[If you want to do internal matches or collabs, please contact our CEO. Can I do some promotion now?]

“Ugh… Understood.”

Though it was unfortunate for MoovGun, now was the perfect timing for promotion.

Even after the internal match ended, the viewer count barely dropped from its peak of 38,000, which spoke volumes. It meant that the viewers’ interest had shifted from Mazia to the 1st gen’s 1st anniversary new song.

After the song world cup request, the atmosphere changed dramatically. After all, people who sent donations and chatted during streams did so because they wanted a reaction from the broadcaster. Most of the people who had gathered today had come because they were curious about Employee D. So the viewers, wondering how they could hear more of her voice while she was busy playing games, realized something.

Huh? If I mention this she reacts? Then what if I send this kind of donation? What if I send this kind of chat?

[Yes, it’s already been a year. Time really flies, doesn’t it?]

[It’ll be released after the internal match ends, before MoovGun’s Parallel song world cup. Please wait just a little longer.]

As a result, it turned into a relay of questions and answers. Even those who hadn’t been interested gradually became interested, and Mazia’s voice gradually grew more cheerful. Thanks to that, even though it was MoovGun’s stream right before the video release, the atmosphere was almost like a Parallel festival. The viewers were happy to have successfully drawn attention, and Mazia was happy that people liked the 1st gen.

[Now then, news from Parallel. I think I’ll deliver it now. You probably all have some idea because of the nicknames. Anyway, I have a prepared video, so I’ll show you that first and then explain.]

After the screen went dark, a one-minute video began. Thump, thump, thump, thump. A powerful kick drum accompanied by a synthesizer. What followed was the pre-chorus right before the song’s chorus. A feast of sounds that grew more intense and built up. Viewers who had listened to a bit of music expected the chorus ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to burst out around this point. Even those who didn’t know much were already waving glow sticks and creating a festival atmosphere.

MoovGun added his own evaluation while shaking his head.

“Not bad?”

Among the many glow sticks, many people also gave direct evaluations. It’s good, the feeling is insane, it’s exciting, and so on. Eventually, the intense melody and beat that come to mind when thinking of K-pop boomed. Along with the addictive hook song’s main vocal, it came rushing in like a flood.

Addicted to this pull, falling into it—

This love is so real, it’s taking me high

The world of you and me, endlessly connected

Together we shine, like stars in the sky

Dora and Maru showcasing their vocal prowess in turns. Between them, Komari and Rain’s rap flowed naturally.

Just as people were focusing intently, a short 3D silhouette dance video created using today’s recorded motions flashed by.

Perhaps… a huge promotional success?

* * *

I wasn’t really interested in VTubers, but the songs seem pretty good. Thanks to MoovGun hyung, my playlist has a lot of new songs lol

Doesn’t she have a channel or something? I want to subscribe and donate