The North Wind and the Sun

"Yes. I was originally planning to debut as an idol under Birdess, you know."

The way she dropped such a shocking revelation so casually left me—the one actually hearing it—feeling flustered instead.

"Um. I'm an employee at Parallel, though."

"Pretty much everyone in the know already knows they took a former Birdess idol trainee and turned her into a VTuber for Rapits. And you were the one who asked, Jia."

"Rumors and the actual truth being revealed are two different things."

"What does it matter? You keep secrets well, Jia."

Just where did this trust even come from? ...When I stopped to think about it, it made sense. I was a VTuber company manager. People in this line of work have no choice but to keep their lips sealed. One slip of the tongue could blow up far more than just one or two things. Besides, I'd helped out a little during the tournament, so that factor couldn't be ignored either.

Of course, by my standards it was still a mistake. Maybe because both Maru and Serena talked a lot and weren't good at keeping secrets, they caused similar kinds of accidents. The way they went about resolving them was similar too, which was an interesting point if you found that sort of thing interesting.

"Or how about I buy you coffee and you pretend you didn't hear anything?"

As expected, offering compensation worked better for building trust than simply letting it slide. I nodded and took the lead.

"Sure. Let's call it even with that."

It was already close to midnight, so not many cafés were still open. After wandering around aimlessly, we finally found one that stayed open until 2 AM and settled in. We picked up our cappuccino and herbal tea, rubbing our chilled hands for a moment before taking sips. The conversation Serena had cut off earlier picked up again.

"To be honest, I'm a bit envious of Maru."

"Hmm."

"If I'd known things would turn out like this, I should have debuted with Parallel too~."

"Pfft."

Serena was doing the vast majority of the talking, so I'd decided to just drink my coffee. That nearly backfired when I almost spat it all over my clothes. Fortunately the t-shirt I wore today was black, so it probably wouldn't have shown. I swallowed the coffee in my mouth and froze up. Serena burst out laughing and waved her hands.

"Ahaha! The mood got way too serious. It was a joke, so relax your expression. And it's not like Rapits and Birdess are so awful they'd make you curse or anything."

"Yeah. Well. Of course."

"This won't do. How about a slice of cake too?"

"Sure."

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nibbled awkwardly at the slice of cake provided as payment for my silence and glanced at Serena. What was I supposed to say? It felt like listening to a not-so-close friend's heavy family issues, so I couldn't find the right words. Say the wrong thing in a situation like this and you become trash.

Fortunately, Serena's next words weren't entirely serious.

"Continuing what I was saying. It's just accumulated dissatisfaction from how people are treated. That's what built up. Since I'm personally close with Maru, I end up comparing us, I guess. It's not that the company is terribly bad, but it's not that great either. It's not like there's zero support, but... um. It's kind of half-hearted. They're busy taking care of the main idol group."

I thought I understood what she meant. The relationship between management and talent could never be perfectly smooth. Even if it looked good on the surface, both sides were often holding back a lot. The company thinking We've done this much—what more do you want? The idols thinking What company can't even handle something this simple? When communication breaks down and too many people distort things in the middle, it explodes into a massive scandal.

The team leader told me stories whenever he was bored, and the entertainment industry really wasn't easy. Of course it varied by company, and he said he'd been quite worried when he first joined ours. Since Rapits had spun out from the entertainment agency Birdess, maybe the atmosphere was similar to what he'd experienced before?

I didn't want to badmouth another company, so I kept things positive... but Serena's grumbling showed no signs of stopping.

"Still, you're rising fast and doing well these days. That's fortunate."

"That was thanks to your influence far more than ours, Jia."

"Um...."

"During the Wicker Town event. We barely received any support. The ten million won sponsorship only came after Iona unnie spent hours persuading them. At that rate our recognition would fall way behind Parallel's."

"It was that bad?"

"And then the moment the rumor spread that Rapits bread was a dud for Parallel coins, they panicked and threw in another ten million. That's legendary, you know. They're only fast when it comes to things like that. They should have used the money to make new outfits instead."

She really was like a young breadwinner, huh.

"The Parallel coin thing was a bit of a mistake on our side too. We had absolutely no intention of that."

"Right? I thought so. Saying Parallel picked a fight first or whatever. That operating team leader sure makes a fuss over nothing."

"Haha...."

"Still. These days it's really fun. Thanks to you, Jia, all our members are in a good mood. You remember the year-end party, right?"

"Yes. I still remember being surrounded in two layers and spun around...."

"I didn't spin you! I was protecting you. Tsk. There's no point protecting you, I guess."

"Thank you."

"Anyway, everyone likes it. Ona unnie seemed a bit suspicious at first, but after Wicker Town her thoughts seem to have changed. After all, no one would have expected a rival company's employee to help us go viral."

"I didn't expect the results to turn out that way either...."

"To the point that even my dad said this person is amazing."

Whoa. Recognition from Serena's father. I wasn't sure what that meant, but it sounded significant.

"Frankly, if you had been in that position instead of the all-talk operating team leader, Rapits would have at least caught the tail of VchuVchu KR."

VchuVchu KR's first generation had surpassed a million subscribers long ago. Wasn't she hyping me up a bit too much? Their best performer, Iona, sat at around seven hundred thousand, so the gap was roughly three hundred thousand. A gap like that wasn't something that could be closed so easily.

"First of all. Everything we talked about here, let's pretend I never heard it.... Can I ask you just one thing?"

"Sure."

"Does the operating team leader not help much with broadcasts?"

"He doesn't help. He just says try this or try that. When I go to the company to ask something, he's always just staring at his phone at his desk."

"Hmm."

"If I were the president, I'd kick a person like that out immediately and put someone like you in the position. From an employer's perspective, there's no one better than you, Jia. You work hard and you're capable."

That attitude was practically parachute-hire level. Was there really something between her and the president? At the very least, you should try to possess qualifications fitting for the position.

There are plenty of people who sit in positions without any qualifications....

I hadn't expected our conversation to go this deep, but to sum it up, Serena seemed envious of me—the person who worked hard for our members.

But I had plenty of worries these days too. It would be nice if the work I secured increased in proportion to my efforts toward the members, but it kept coming straight to me instead.

"The problem is that the work I secure falls too much onto me. I want to divert it toward the members somehow, but it's not going well."

Serena tilted her head.

"Isn't that a good thing? For Parallel, that would mean both Momo and you, Jia, are opening channels from both sides. Well, there might not be much that falls directly to Maru. But still, having the waterway open versus closed is a world of difference. If there's a path, there's at least a possibility for water to flow. If you just sit still, there's no possibility at all."

The worries I'd carried since the year-end party flew away with Serena's words. It wasn't the time to complain about why all the work kept coming to me. She was right. If I grew the official broadcast channel, that channel could become another president. With two presidents, naturally more would trickle down. I'd only thought about building connections to feed the kids and missed this obvious truth. As expected of a healing-type VTuber. I'd thought she was just venting her own grievances, but she had a hidden talent for psychological counseling.

Anyway, thanks to Serena my resolve had solidified. I'd run the Jitong Room and Fantasia as promised with the president, but I wouldn't obsess over work only coming to me. If the president allowed it, I'd do it all.

...Excluding Combative as much as possible.

I might need to increase my broadcast time.

It seemed like she was handling her job well, but there was still a lot I hadn't taught Seung-yeon yet. Things like creating three sub-accounts instead of the old main account I used to use while working at the company, for example....

For now, until the second generation arrived, we'd have to make do with the people we had. I needed to adjust work hours, handle operations team duties, and stream too. I always thought this, but it would be nice if a day had about forty-eight hours. Couldn't they count my Jitong Room broadcasts as outside work? If I framed it as volunteer work from pure fan spirit, would the president still reject it unconditionally?

As I sat with my chin in my hand, lost in thought, Serena asked.

"By the way, are you really not going to participate in our team's afterburner broadcast?"

"Ah. That."

"Since you're the tournament MVP, I'd love for you to come. I think the viewers would want it too...."

It had come up during dinner earlier. Before the auction for this Friday's Naore Dog Mother Tournament, so on Thursday, how about playing a game together? Originally after people who met by chance like this finished long-form content, they didn't just end with their own dinner. They did an afterburner¹ broadcast to show fans additional fun and connection.

Serena would decide the content, and since we'd avoid Combative, I was curious what she had in mind.

"What are we doing? Have you picked a game?"

Serena smiled brightly and showed me a video. Cute animal characters soft and squishy like jelly, grabbing each other by the collar in a chaotic brawl. A versus fighting game balancing physicality, strategy, and luck in that subtle space in between. It even supported 2:2:2 team battles. It was Teddy Bear League.

I'd purposely said I was busy in case Yeonggun dragged Kamik along and insisted on Combative. This seemed perfect for some healing.

"If they suddenly change it to Combative on the day, I'll desert."

"If they suggest changing it, I'll crack Yeonggun's skull myself."

She shot well and was a refined intellect when calling orders. Still, she was a healing-type VTuber after all.

...It was funny hearing someone like that say she'd crack a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠skull with such a gentle face.

The next day, in the president's office.

"Joint broadcast?"

I reported to Do-hee immediately. Other VTubers might have simply notified her about something like this, but since I was an employee, it was right to get permission first. I'd said I'd consult with the president about everything, after all.

"Yes. They suggested doing an afterburner."

"Aah. Well, after the tournament we should do one. Tomorrow right away?"

"Yes. The dog mother tournament auction is the day after. It would be good to do it before the schedule gets busy."

"Alright, alright. Do as you like."

"And if it's alright with you, after the second generation selection ends, can we hire one more junior employee at the right time? Someone to work with Seung-yeon."

"Hmm. Really?"

"After experiencing the tournament, I realized building broadcasting connections isn't as easy as I thought. It's not like it ends with one joint broadcast. We have to continue with afterburner broadcasts like this.... Right now Seung-yeon and I can manage somehow, but once the second gens arrive we'll definitely need one more person."

Cheon Do-hee looked a bit flustered. Even though it was for the kids, the Combative tournament itself must have been quite stressful for her. After coming back from the event, it felt like this kid had suddenly gained more ambition for broadcasting.

We definitely earned a lot on the Wicker server.

Seeing that money go straight into the company's mouth rather than hers and smiling happily about it—she couldn't not be crazy. The kid who used to say she preferred watching over broadcasting was now passionately participating in broadcast-related content. That alone was a miracle.

But at this point Do-hee grew even more curious about what I was thinking. She knew well how high my loyalty to the company was. So why had I pretended not to know about the offer from Yeon Seong-muk?

"Alright. I'll prepare so we can post the notice right away when you say the word. ...But are you preparing to change jobs or something?"

Do-hee's eyes stared straight at me. The silent signal was clear: You have something you didn't tell me, right? Answer quickly.

At that moment I realized my hidden secret had been exposed.

I giggled and said, "Ah. Since I've been caught, I guess I should go for an interview at Rapits."

Cheon Do-hee immediately pinched both my cheeks. "Even when lying, you should lie in a believable way."

"The kid who's hiring more people to increase the workload is going to switch jobs? Yeah right?"

"Ow ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ow, ow. It hurts."

I hurriedly rummaged through my wallet and sent a business card along with a voice recording file to Do-hee's DingTalk.

"Ow, it hurts. Since when did you know I hadn't told you?"

"I knew right from the year-end party."

"Hmm. Still, it's good that I didn't tell you. It should have cooled down just right by now."

"Can you stop talking about people like they're hot pots?"

"But if I'd told you right that day, you would have immediately contacted Rapits and argued with them, right?"

"I'm not that much of a fighting cock...."

"I know the Sashimi Master of Gwanro-dong from a few years ago, so I was cautious."

I chuckled.

"Anyway, since I have my own thoughts on the matter, please don't contact them first."

"What thoughts? What are you trying to do again?"

Not long ago in Wicker Town I'd been the one shouting for Rapits potions. So it was natural for her to feel uneasy about what I was up to this time.

But I simply ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠grinned as if to say not to worry.

"Do you happen to know the fable called The North Wind and the Sun?"

"The one where if the wind blows you don't take your clothes off, but if the sun shines brightly you do?"

"Taking clothes off. How can a VTuber say something so lewd so casually...."

"Hey...."

"Just kidding. Anyway, I'm trying to get a bit hotter."

I wasn't trying to do anything too big. I was just going to take care of the members and other likable VTubers the way I always had. Since I always consistently protected my position, I was the sun. Not the north wind that struggled desperately.

However, it seemed Cheon Do-hee had slightly misunderstood the meaning.

"You're not planning to heat up the bulletin boards or something, right...?"

"No."

"You didn't forget that we agreed to discuss everything, right? You have to tell me before causing an accident?"

"Ah, I won't cause any accident."