V-topia's Final Audition
"Honestly, Freeca is the only virtual group I really know. Mostly because a friend of mine runs the place. From what I've heard, they're dead serious about becoming actual virtual idols. So what's V-topia's direction going to be?"
"We don't do any of that. We're a survival-type crew. People who click, people who can generate real chemistry and synergy — we pull them together and go all-out on stream. That's V-topia's goal."
"Damn. That's solid. Honestly, I think that approach has a better shot of landing on Pangea TV. Idols on Pangea TV? Eh, feels like a stretch. Oh — and nobody tell Ssa-yo I said that, alright?"
"Oh! That last chat's a good one. I've honestly been wondering the same thing. Once you form a virtual crew, what exactly do you do with it?"
"Well… the possibilities are endless. You could run song battle content against other virtual crews, or put up my partner streamer support fund as prize money and host a V-topia Cup LoL CK against five LoL streamers."
"Damn! Unnie's got a plan for everything, doesn't she?"
"We just try a bunch of stuff and go hard at it."
"Alright, good. So for today's final audition… out of a hundred and forty applicants total, how many are you picking?"
At last, the icebreaking was over and we got down to business.
Fifteen contestants had made it to the final round. From those fifteen, seven would be selected.
"Don't overthink it. Just watch like you're casually browsing YouTube videos."
"Ah, these are the videos? Fifteen of them."
"Obviously. Fifteen finalists means fifteen videos."
"…"
"Alright, let's get started. Bong-sik, pick one. Which video do you want to watch first?"
"Hmm… ah, Dayo-nim over there. Isn't that Okku's LoL disciple? They did content together a while back."
"Oh! You actually did your homework. Yeah, that's right — Okku took her on as a student. Okay, everyone, we're starting right now."
First up was the video from Dayo, a nineteen-year-old underage virtual streamer.
The moment the video started, a white-haired long-haired avatar with red-and-blue heterochromia eyes appeared on screen. Instantly the chat flooded with waves of I CAN'T and HOLD ON.
Huh? The production quality on this video was actually solid.
A clean self-introduction, a showcase of her main game content — LoL — a short verse of a song to sell her charm, and a slyly included Half-Cam clip to hook the viewers. It was a remarkably smart strategy. Just floating the possibility that she could go Half-Cam was enough to dodge the no-cam streamer discrimination that still ran rampant on Pangea TV.
Chat reactions warmed up steadily, and when the tidy three-minute video wrapped, Park Bong-sik himself was the first to start clapping.
"Damn, that video was put together clean. Didn't drag at all — just hit the essentials. You can tell exactly what kind of vibe this 'Dayo' virtual has."
"Right? I had her prep it that way on purpose. There are still viewers who feel weird about virtuals, you know. Start mild. Then ramp up the intensity and get them hooked."
"Okay! I get what you mean. First contestant — check, check. Next up… Kim Reoa. That nickname just jumps right out at you."
"Yeah. Playing it now."
The videos rolled by one after another. Twelve-thousand-subscriber YouTuber Kim Reoa went second, followed by Hyun Dana, Dantz, Kim Deokryong, Hana Ringu, Kim Blub, and the rest.
Plenty of them earned praise, but the one Park Bong-sik zeroed in on was Dantz.
"Whoa. Short, but that video hit hard. You could just see it all right there — long streaming career, works hard at it, and is actually good at it."
"Right? I've got nothing more to add about this one. She's just good."
Viewer evaluations largely agreed — cleanest, most immediately striking video of the bunch.
"Last one already. You scored everything properly, right?"
"Wait, already? I was so locked in I lost track. This is actually really fun. Maybe next time I need applicants for content, I should take video submissions like this."
"You want to? It is pretty entertaining, yeah."
While the two of them cracked up, the final contestant's video was queued up. After a brief pause, Yu Seona opened her mouth about the issue attached to this particular applicant.
"This one's Choi Hongda. There's something you should know."
"What?"
"Uh… whether you'd call it a downside or not — this one multi-streams on Rabbit TV."
"Ah, is that so? I don't see that as a downside, though. You try both, then settle on whichever platform plays to your strengths. Rabbit TV's a great platform too."
"Glad you feel that way. Also, among today's contestants, this one has the most solid core fanbase. That's probably part of why she hasn't decided on a full transfer yet. And she can sing. Like, really sing."
"Huh? That good? Good enough for Seona unnie to hype her this hard?"
"You'll know when you hear it."
Yu Seona nodded with a confident little gesture and hit play.
Given her main activity on Rabbit TV, a 2D avatar stood out — different from the ones that had come before. A cat beastkin with a big bandage stuck to one side of her jaw. On a platform where even relatively human-looking 3D avatars still triggered resistance, a 2D avatar hitting the screen flooded the chat with variations of this is a bit much…
But the moment Choi Hongda's singing started, the entire atmosphere flipped.
The most electric chat reaction of every video so far. Watching it, I let out a bitter smile.
Regress once, and landmines start popping up everywhere.
Choi Hongda — a name that had carried serious weight as a singing pick in the early days of Pangea TV's virtual scene. She'd passed V-topia's first generation and been active for a while. Then a massive scandal and a string of incidents made her vanish from the virtual world entirely. A bolt from the blue, pure and simple.
We had to stay ready for bombs going off at any hour, any place.
Surely none of our crew members would pull something like that… right?
One of our own committing an unmanageable disaster? Just imagining it sent a chill down my spine.
"Seona unnie had a reason for hyping her from the start. She can really sing."
"Right? Just belts it out clean and powerful. At first I thought she was an actual rocker."
With Choi Hongda's turn as the last, every video had been reviewed. Park Bong-sik fiddled with his pen, face serious, finishing up his scores. Yu Seona took the score sheet, checked it over, and her eyes went wide.
"You thought the same way, huh? Guess people really do see talent the same. Though there's a surprising number of ties."
"Yeah. This one was a bit borderline, but I felt like with the right opportunity she could blow up on stream, so I scored her like this."
"Fair. That part bugged me too. Got the talent, just hasn't detonated yet. And first, second, third — those are solid, no argument."
So who would make the cut? My memories of V-topia from before the regression were hazy — I could only clearly recall about three of the members.
"Ah, right! Before we started, you said you'd give me one Super Pass. Can I use it now?"
"Oh! Got someone in mind? Of course you can. Go ahead and pick. Drumroll — what will the King of Pangea TV choose!?"
"Alright, good. Then I'm using my Super Pass on Dantz-nim."
"But that one was getting in even without the Super Pass."
"Hey! Still means I liked her that much."
Park Bong-sik joked around while Yu Seona cheerfully locked Dantz in as the first confirmed pass. After that, Park Bong-sik had a packed schedule and left early, and Yu Seona delivered the stream-end remarks to close out the audition.
"The remaining passers will be announced through a notice post. Thank you for watching today's stream!"
Whew. First real hit of dopamine I'd had in a while. Nothing beats the tension of an audition.
An hour after the stream ended, Yu Seona's notice went up.
Dantz · Choi Eunbin · Ppogeum · Choi Hongda · Sae Dalkom · Hyun Dana · Han Sebin
— 7 Members Selected —
A little late to the party, maybe — but the last crew that would make a name for itself in the early days of Pangea TV's virtual scene had finally arrived.