Methodology for Becoming a Vtuber (2)
GS27 convenience store near Seoyeon High School.
Part-timer Lee Hyun-seok (22, college student) let out a soft sigh as he checked the time on the smartphone he'd hidden beneath the counter.
‘Haah. Still a long way to go before my shift ends.’
The reason Hyun-seok was slaving away at this cramped convenience store for minimum wage was simple. His parents covered his college tuition, rent for his studio apartment, and basic living expenses, but they drew the line at gacha spending and streamer donations. Thus, he had thrown himself into the grueling labor market to earn money for pulls and to support the streamers he followed.
‘...But the irony is, I started this job to save for gacha, yet now I can't even watch streams because of work.’
That was the cruel dilemma born of this age-old labor system.
‘Ah. Who was it that said, “If you don't pick up the sword, you can't protect yourself. But if you hold the sword, you can't embrace yourself”? I don't remember the poet, but they must have been famous.’
Moreover, he'd taken the first job that came along for quick cash, only to discover the convenience store was far from ideal. It sat in a notorious avoidance zone, swarmed after school by elementary kids from the nearby apartments who spilled cup-ramen broth across tables before fleeing, and cranky elders who argued over every single 100-won coin. With an elementary school, high school, and apartments clustered together, the foot traffic was relentless.
‘As soon as this month's paycheck hits, I'm quitting for real.’
Hyun-seok was mentally drafting his resignation letter for the umpteenth time, fiddling with the barcode scanner, when the storeroom door slid open and the manager emerged with timid steps.
“Um... Hyun-seok-ssi.”
“Yes, Manager.”
“Well... the kid scheduled for the weekend night shift suddenly bailed. I was wondering if you could cover a bit more of the weekend shifts...”
The manager's voice grew increasingly meek. He knew that piling weekend work onto the already brutal weekday shifts might prompt this poor part-timer to declare, “I'm quitting today,” and bolt—leaving the manager to cover the full 24-hour weekend himself, a total disaster.
“Ah, it's too much, isn't it...? Sorry, sorry, let's pretend you didn't hear that...”
Just as the manager began waving his hands and backing away at the sight of Hyun-seok's hardening expression—
Ding—
The convenience store door opened with a clear chime. Both men turned toward the entrance, and their thoughts froze in unison.
A female student in school uniform walked inside. Sunlight caught her brown hair, making it shimmer softly. Her small, egg-shaped face held clear, bright eyes. Even the ordinary uniform of a nearby high school looked like a page from a luxury photoshoot—an unreal beauty stripped of any ordinary reality.
Hyun-seok unconsciously held his breath. If he'd discovered a streamer with this appearance while watching streams alone in his rented room, he would have torn at his hair, let out an inhuman scream of disbelief, and fired off a massive donation on the spot.
The girl unhesitatingly grabbed a pack of strawberry yogurt and approached the counter.
“Please ring this up.”
Her voice was plain yet clear and lovely; even her tone was beautiful.
Hyun-seok stood frozen with the barcode scanner in hand, mouth agape. Under his dazed gaze, the girl smiled awkwardly and slid her card forward.
“Excuse me, the payment...”
“Ah! S-sorry! It's 4,500 won!”
Hyun-seok's face flushed crimson as he fumbled for the card. His hands trembled so badly he botched the scan three times. As the girl accepted the receipt and yogurt bag, bowed lightly, and left, his eyes remained fixed on the glass until she vanished outside.
A brief silence settled over the store.
The manager, mouth still hanging open, snapped back to reality and muttered regretfully, “Haah, the weekend shift is too much after all...? I'll try listing it on the job board again, Hyun-seok-ssi.”
At that moment, Lee Hyun-seok's expression changed completely. The uniform the girl wore was unmistakably from the nearby high school. He seized the manager's hand, eyes sparkling.
“Manager.”
“Huh?”
“I'll take the weekend shift.”
“What?! Really?!”
“Of course. We should help each other in tough times. Aren't we all in this together?”
‘She might come by for yogurt on the weekend too.’
Of course, Seo Da-young never visited the GS27 near school on weekends.
After parting with Kim Chae-eun at the café, I stopped by the convenience store on my way home and bought a pack of yogurt. Using my brain too much had left me craving something sweet. Even without the mental strain, I would have bought it anyway.
As I opened the front door and snapped the straw into the yogurt, my eyes met Mom's in the living room where she was folding laundry.
“Seo Da-young! You're drinking yogurt the moment you get home again? I've told you so many times it'll rot your teeth and ruin your health!”
“Yes, yes~ I love you too~.”
“Haah. You used to listen to Mom so well and were like an angel. How did you turn out like this...?”
With a soulless reply, I brushed it off and slipped into my room, leaving Mom's exasperated sigh behind.
As soon as the door closed, I tossed my bag under the bed and flopped onto the mattress. Sucking on the yogurt, I powered on the tablet PC beside me. Launching the Pazizik app out of habit, the main screen filled with live-stream thumbnails. One in particular caught my eye—the broadcast of the Vtuber Myomyo, whom I'd been watching closely lately.
A cute pink-haired 3D avatar in a fluffy pink hoodie. She looked like a typical idol-type Vtuber at first glance, but in truth she was a hardcore streamer specializing in obscure retro games and punishing genres.
[Breaking News) I'm Definitely Clearing This Shitty Game Today lol]
Tapping the stream while nibbling the straw, the screen switched to show the avatar screaming into the mic at the game-over screen, voice tearing.
“No, wait a second! How can it be this unfair right here?! Creator-nim, why are you doing this to me?! Do you have some kind of grudge?!”
The pink-haired avatar banged the shotgun in frustration while the chat flooded with laughter and teasing comments about the unfairness. I found myself smiling without realizing it.
A broadcast where she didn't shy away from breaking character—raging at shitty games with her cute avatar and screaming in genuine frustration.
Ah, this style really suited my taste. The so-called “all-rounder game streamer type Vtuber.” Unlike the RP-focused virtual idol style Chae-eun dreamed of, this was essentially a regular hardcore streamer wearing a Vtuber skin. If Chae-eun aspired to shine as an idol on the corporate stage, my preference was definitely this side—the kind that holed up in a corner, clinging to weird shitty games, banging shotguns and screaming.
Myomyo on screen was still whining pitifully, as if inquiring after the creator's extended family.
“Everyone, I'm really going to try just one more time. If I can't clear it this time, I'm ending the stream today. For real.”
In the blink of an eye, over a dozen chats poured in. Though only a handful, considering she'd only recently started streaming, it showed impressive growth. Her skills were average, but she possessed the persistence to stay up all night clearing any weird game recommended to her, and the mental fortitude to rage in WWE style without crossing into discomfort for viewers. The broadcast itself was fun to watch, and as a senior already walking the path I aspired to, there was plenty to learn.
Ah. While thinking that, she died again.
At Myomyo's renewed scream, I chuckled and typed a message.
“Everyone, do you know something?”
“Actually, I haven't even shouted ‘challenge’ yet.”
“Pfft.”
At Myomyo's shameless remark, I couldn't help but laugh. Then my lips, still on the straw, suddenly stopped. Gazing at the overflowing chat and the viewers' reactions, a faint resonance slowly rose from the depths of my chest. That kind of atmosphere. The space where people laugh and chatter at every word I say.
...Someday, I too...
I slowly turned off the tablet. The sparkling screen faded to black, and my reflection appeared on its dark surface like a mirror. Lying on the bed, staring at my own face in the black glass, I murmured softly.
“Someday.”
A small smile formed on my lips.
“I won't just be watching from beyond that screen.... I'll stand there myself.”