Something Feels Off About My Agency Coworkers (3)

The Unimori Office’s second conference room had always felt more familiar to me than anywhere else in the building. Whenever the agency called me in, this was the room I was summoned to. But today, I couldn’t let my guard down even for a second. Six people were gathered here—including me—and every single one of them was a woman. An undeniably beautiful one, at that. Just breathing felt difficult.

“Hehe…”

“…”

The most uncomfortable part was definitely Lee Se-rin, who sat directly across from me wearing a bright, cheerful smile. If I’d known it would be like this, I would’ve picked the seat farthest away instead of this awkward middle spot!

While I pretended to study the table and ignored her piercing stare, the president seated at the head of the room glanced around at everyone.

“Have you all had a chance to talk? Some of you may have already guessed, but the people gathered here will become Unimori’s third generation. I brought you together today to go over a few things and to help you get acquainted.”

She delivered the brutal final blow in the most casual tone imaginable. Crap. I was really hoping I was wrong…

So it was true. The Imperial Princess really was going to be my VTuber coworker.

I forced my stiff neck to turn toward Se-rin. She caught the meaning in my gaze immediately, smiled, and gave a small nod.

Stop reading my mind.

No, seriously—there are problems from start to finish here!

First of all, was it even allowed for an imperial princess to become a VTuber? There was the honor of the royal family to consider, not to mention the public image she was supposed to maintain. This was completely different from the celebrity path she’d built so far; she was going to get strange looks. Plus, Se-rin’s voice was distinctive in the best way possible—her identity would be exposed almost immediately. And once that happened, my own identity as someone debuting in the same wave would get dragged out at school too…

Hiiik. No thank you!

A classmate being an active VTuber would only end in the worst kind of attention. Every time I walked through the gates, people would point and whisper, “That’s the weird girl who pretends to be the snow woman.”

What on earth is the president thinking…?

No matter how I looked at it, the odds that the agency didn’t know her real identity were extremely low. During the document screening they’d collected personal information including name and age. Even if she used a pseudonym, Se-rin’s face and voice couldn’t be hidden. This wasn’t something a clumsy lie could cover up. It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was practically illegal.

Which meant the president had known she was the Imperial Princess and accepted her anyway…

Was this really okay? Why was I the only one panicking while everyone else looked perfectly calm? This was unfair!

“Then shall we start with some light self-introductions? It’s everyone’s first time meeting, after all. We should at least remember each other’s faces and names. Let’s begin with Eun-jeong.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You’ll be the dedicated manager for the third generation. It’s important that you get close to the girls.”

Self-introductions? I wasn’t exactly in the mood. Feeling like the lunch I’d eaten might make a reappearance at any moment, I sneaked a glance around the room. Aside from me, Se-rin, and the president, the other three were complete strangers. They didn’t reach Se-rin’s overwhelming level, but… they were still stunning. If you only looked at their appearances, you’d think they were about to debut as idols, not VTubers.

From what I’d heard, the third generation was planned as a five-member group. It was a relief to see that, aside from Se-rin, no one seemed likely to cause immediate problems.

“Ah, I’m Ryu Seolhwa. I’m a first-year in high school. Um… I like FPS games. Please take care of me…”

As the fourth person to speak, I gave my name and a modest specialty before sitting back down. Everyone else had only mentioned their name or age, so I figured that was enough.

Finally it was Se-rin’s turn. She stood without a trace of nervousness. Maybe it was the thick glasses, but she gave off an even purer, more innocent aura than usual.

“I’m Lee Se-rin. I’m seventeen, the same age as Seolhwa. My specialty is singing. I hope we can build positive relationships going forward.”

It was… perfectly ordinary. Where had that eccentric energy she always showed me gone? The person standing there was the flawless, impeccable superhuman I saw every day at school.

Wondering if she was playing favorites, I stared at Se-rin as she sat back down quietly. She noticed my gaze and gave me a tiny wink.

I hadn’t exactly been hoping for that, but…

Once the still-awkward self-introduction round ended, the president clapped her hands lightly to regain everyone’s attention.

“Now that we’ve introduced ourselves, let’s move on to the main topics. First piece of news! Your official debut schedule has finally been decided. Let’s have a round of applause!”

“Woaaaah!”

“Ooh…!”

“It’s finally set?”

The very first announcement was already shocking. The debut date that had been vaguely referred to as “sometime early next year” was now official. I clapped along with everyone else, ears perked for whatever the president would say next.

She announced that the dates were set for January 10th and 11th of next year. Three members would debut back-to-back on the first day, two on the second, and then everyone would gather for a collaboration stream at the end to show the group’s unity.

It made sense. A normal debut stream took about an hour. If all five of us tried to debut in a single day, that would mean five straight hours of broadcasting—a brutal schedule. Taking viewer fatigue and the agency’s momentum into account, splitting the dates was the reasonable choice.

As I was nodding to myself, thinking it was quite logical, the president pointed at the woman beside me, then at me, then at Se-rin.

“So the first day’s order will be Jia, Seolhwa, and Se-rin. You three.”

“Eek! I’m first?! Wow, I’m so nervous!”

“Last on the first day… I’ll do my best.”

“Hmm, n-not bad…”

That was a lie. Of all possible orders, I was placed right before Se-rin. This was the absolute worst position—there was no way I wouldn’t be compared to her! It was too much pressure!

Ugh. In the end, someone like me is just a sacrifice to highlight the Imperial Princess’s dazzling entrance. A mob character born with a low ceiling, destined to be someone else’s stepping ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stone!

While I was quietly sniffling over sorrows I couldn’t voice out loud, the president suddenly approached and tapped the top of my head as if telling me to focus. Ow.

“And the second piece of news… Your generation name has been decided!”

“Hmm…”

“It doesn’t really roll off the tongue…”

“Just use it! It’s cool, isn’t it?! Baekgwi Yahang!”

The president raised her voice slightly at the lukewarm reactions. Had this name been her own idea…? Come to think of it, she was an old-school otaku who had watched anime for a very long time. I could roughly guess which part had inspired her.

Outwardly she didn’t seem like the type to be interested in subculture, but if she weren’t, she probably wouldn’t be running a VTuber agency in the first place.

Personally, I didn’t mind it. A yokai concept made “Night Parade of a Hundred Demons” feel perfectly natural once the whole group was together. It might feel unfamiliar at first, but I figured we’d get used to saying it soon enough.

“Aaaah, fine. Moving on, moving on.”

“Wait, there’s more?”

“Of course. The first two were just small things. This next one is the most important, so listen carefully.”

Clearing her throat, the president looked at us with an unusually excited expression. Then, beaming as if she knew we’d have no choice but to be happy, she made her announcement.

An original song. Even Se-rin clearly hadn’t expected this. I saw her eyes widen in surprise across the table.

It really was an incredible piece of news no one could have predicted. We hadn’t even debuted yet, and we were already getting an original track? From what I knew, even average quality would cost ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠several million won. With a famous composer attached, this was probably a large-scale project worth close to ten million.

So this was why they’d suddenly called us in on the weekend. At this level, I could accept the urgent summons.

Amazing… Is this the power of Unimori, considered one of the biggest names among VTuber agencies? Hmm. It’s true they’re one of the top agencies in the industry, but they’re not exactly a massive corporation overall.

Then maybe this was because of… I subtly shifted my gaze toward Lee Se-rin sitting across from me. No matter how I thought about it, it didn’t seem likely she had zero influence on the situation.

But she immediately understood the meaning behind my look and simply shook her head as if to say it had nothing to do with her.

I told you to stop reading my mind. I’m not accusing you of anything.

Sigh… An original song. So the day of my VTuber debut is really coming.

When I’d first passed the audition, it had felt like something far in the distant future. Now that it was taking concrete shape right in front of me, my feelings were complicated.

*

After the meeting ended and we were dismissed, I stopped by the restroom on my way out. As I neared the exit, I spotted Se-rin standing there. No matter how you looked at it, she was clearly waiting for someone.

Not wanting to get tangled up with her, I thought of another exit and quietly turned around. But after only a few steps, someone suddenly wrapped an arm around my shoulders and whispered in my ear with a tickling voice.

“Seolhwa, even I feel a little hurt if you avoid me that obviously…”

“Eek?! W-when did you—”

“Hehe. Walking silently is one of my little specialties. Did I surprise you?”

“Of course you surprised me! I thought my heart was going to fall out of my chest!”

What exactly did she do in her daily life that she’d developed a skill like that?

Still trembling from the shock, I whipped my head around angrily—only to find Se-rin’s face far too close. I quickly turned the other way and muttered.

“U-um… Could you step back a little…?”

“Hm? Ah, I’m sorry if it was unpleasant. I was in a hurry and forgot to be considerate.”

“No, it’s not that it’s unpleasant…”

Your face is just too dangerous up close.

I swallowed the words that had risen to my throat, fanned my slightly flushed cheeks with my palm, and created some distance. Only then did I fully register how much taller she was—nearly half a head. I wasn’t even 160 cm, so she had to be close to 170 cm.

Hiding the envy I felt, I cleared my throat lightly and asked, “So why did you suddenly grab a random passerby? Is this about keeping me quiet? You don’t have to worry about that. As you can see at school, I don’t have any friends to talk to anyway.”

“I wasn’t particularly worried about that… I just wanted to tell you something while I had the chance, Seolhwa.”

She had something she wanted to tell me? The Imperial Princess?

Unable to read her intentions at all, I thought it over and arrived at the most logical conclusion.

“A-are you trying to seduce people like this so you can use them as slaves? I don’t have any money to offer as tribute or anything…”

“Pfft. Your thoughts really do roll in a simple, negative direction. Do you have some kind of distrust of humanity?”

“…I probably have something like a phobia.”

Even if I looked like this now, I’d suffered a miserable failure back in middle school.

While I subtly avoided her gaze, Se-rin seemed more interested in my rejection than anything. She smiled brightly.

“As I thought, this is a topic you’d hate if I dug any deeper. All right. I’ll stop prying here.”

“Wise decision… Honestly, I’m already close to my limit. Can’t you just let me go?”

“If you promise to make time for me later, I can leave without hesitation. How about enduring a little future inconvenience for the sake of current comfort?”

“Ugh… I’ll endure it a little longer…”

This was the pattern where saying “later” would only come back to bite me with something I couldn’t handle. Sensing that, I barely suppressed the urge to run and looked at her.

Realizing I was finally in a state to hold a proper conversation, Se-rin took one step closer. She pulled an expensive-looking smartphone from her pocket and held it out to me.

“I’d like to exchange contact information.”

“That much is fine… We are coworkers.”

“And since I’m still new to the VTuber world, if I have any questions, would it be all right to message you?”

“…If I’m not busy.”

What was this conversation? It sounded like Se-rin was hitting on me and I was playing hard to get. But I absolutely could not misunderstand. The one at a disadvantage here was me. The other party possessed virtually everything—looks, wealth, talent, power.

In a way, it might have been like winning the lottery, but it felt less like a blessing and more like eating overly rich meat that sat heavily in my stomach.

I suddenly ended up with the Imperial Princess’s personal contact information… I definitely won’t be the one reaching out first, though.

If it had been a famous idol, maybe I could have handled it. But a princess was on an entirely different scale. My brain felt like it might explode. There were still terrifying imperial fan clubs scattered across the country. It was scary.

After confirming our contacts had been successfully exchanged, Se-rin took her phone back, covered her mouth, and let out a small, elegant laugh.

“Hehe…”

“Why… why are you laughing like that?”

“Because I’m happy. You’re the third person who knows that I, the Imperial Princess, am interested in VTubing.”

“Third…”

It was an oddly ambiguous number to be happy about. There were more people who knew than I’d expected. One of them was definitely the president, I assumed.

Honestly, I didn’t know what was what anymore. One of my VTuber coworkers turned out to be a princess of completely different status. She’d waited for me at the exit like it was the most natural thing in the world and exchanged contacts with me. Every single situation was beyond what I could process.

I felt like I was just floating on the ocean, drifting wherever the current took me.

Then, as if she’d decided to take one more bold step forward, Se-rin’s eyes sparkled behind her glasses. She looked at me and made a suggestion.

“Do you have time tomorrow? If you’re free, would you like to go to the goods store together…?”

“Ah, sorry. I have plans tomorrow.”

“Ah… I see. If you already have something scheduled, it can’t be helped. May I ask what it is?”

She was persistent. Did she think I was making up an excuse to refuse? There was one thing this Sunday that I truly could not give up.

Still, I didn’t want to explain the details. If she made fun of me, I had a feeling I’d feel incredibly sad for some reason.

But my reluctance to speak must have shown, because she clearly wasn’t going to back down. Twisting the ends ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of my hair, I glanced at her and answered unwillingly.

“Tomorrow I’m participating as a viewer in Mari… senior’s birthday content. I have to do rehearsal early, so I won’t have any free time.”

“Viewer… participation…?”

“Yeah. It’s going to be V-Craft content. If you have time, you should watch! I didn’t look at the details, but the way Mari’s been dropping hints for the past few days makes it clear she prepared really hard. I’m sure it’ll be really fu—n…”

Oh no. Just talking about Mari had made my tension shoot up.

I’d almost gone into full fan mode. I barely hit the brakes right before falling off the cliff.

Se-rin stared at me with wide, round eyes, then covered her mouth with the back of her hand and giggled.

What was so funny?

“Seolhwa, I’ve been thinking this for a while…”

“Yes?”

“Your atmosphere is very different from how you are at school.”

“That’s…”

Obviously. How could I show this kind of otaku side at school? I was working hard to wear a mask because I wanted to live a somewhat normal social life too.

But what was she trying to say with that comment? Was she making fun of me?

I looked at her sulkily. Se-rin met my eyes with a gentle smile.

“Let’s get along well, Seolhwa.”

“Well… sure.”

We were going to be involved as VTubers from now on anyway. There was no point in creating unnecessary trouble, but… no matter how much time passed, it didn’t seem like my heart would ever feel completely at ease.

Sigh. I have no idea what’s going to happen from here on out.

The expression on the Imperial Princess’s face gave no hint of what she was truly thinking.