Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Members Over-Immersed in RP
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The life of a delivery rider isn't exactly one that earns you praise.
You don't get compliments for delivering food quickly.
But if you're late, complaints come rolling in without fail.
Though it wasn't a job I did for all that long anyway.
Even looking back at other parts of my life...
During my school days, there was even less to be praised for.
No one paid me any attention.
I was like a wandering ghost, floating on the fringes everywhere I went.
That had been Jang Gyeon-u's twenty years of life in a nutshell.
But this body that had suddenly changed drew goodwill from everyone and pulled praise effortlessly.
Humans are adaptable creatures—any sense of alienation, like it was someone else's body, vanished within days.
In the end, if I could move it, it was my body. If I was living it, it was my life.
Being thrown into the world wasn't my choice in the first place, so getting picked back up wasn't all that shocking either.
Even if some bizarre blessing came my way, it was no more surprising than the misfortunes that had befallen me.
If there's such a thing as misfortune without reason, then happiness without reason must exist too.
That's how the universe stays balanced, right?
Still, it felt amazing.
Getting praised.
Receiving attention and goodwill from others.
Things that anyone would naturally enjoy—it made me happy.
"You're doing great. You're picking it up so quickly."
Gyeon-u and A-ri's first lesson was a resounding success—so much so that it stretched well past the scheduled hour, running nearly two hours.
Both the student and the teacher were having a blast, brimming with enthusiasm.
The joy of teaching a quick learner!
Click.
Just then, the door to the practice room swung open, and an unfamiliar woman stepped inside.
Her name was Han A-ryeong.
She was the next student scheduled for A-ri's lesson.
A-ri had gotten so absorbed in teaching Gyeon-u that she'd lost track of time, creating this chance encounter between people who weren't supposed to cross paths.
"Hello."
"Oh? Has it really been that long already? Sorry about that. We'll wrap up soon."
A-ri hurriedly summarized the key points of the lesson, preparing to send Gyeon-u off.
The next student stared in shock at A-ri and Gyeon-u.
'Has the teacher started coaching idols too? She said K-pop wasn't her specialty. A member debuting in Japan? A secret weapon for a major agency's overseas push?'
Why on earth was someone like that in this classroom?
Not that she was dismissing Song A-ri, but their vibes were from completely different worlds.
This was subculture territory—no way should a mainstream star with probably over a million SNS followers be invading this space.
'No, looks aren't everything. Don't get intimidated.'
A-ryeong tried to psych herself up.
But doubt crept in almost immediately.
'Actually, aren't looks pretty much everything?'
The longer you live, the more you realize it.
The truth society keeps shoving in your face.
Even that old English philosopher Francis Bacon said it:
Beauty is power.
Beauty is the best, the ultimate—it's straight-up authority and wealth.
If you're pretty, money flows in, attention pours in, opportunities knock, and perks galore.
Of course, average looks won't cut it.
But Gyeon-u?
Even regular pretty girls don't starve, and with a face like that, stardom seemed guaranteed anywhere she went.
'And why are her boobs so huge?'
Unfortunately, most Korean women are on the smaller side up top.
But this woman was like an invasive species wrecking the ecosystem—Holstein-level size, defying all reason.
In short, total defeat.
She'd already been nuked in the face and knocked out cold, then tea-bagged on her lifeless corpse.
As all these tangled emotions swirled, A-ri finished the lesson and sent Gyeon-u on her way.
"Sorry about that. I got so caught up I didn't notice the time."
"What does that lady do for a living?"
A-ryeong figured the answer would be idol or actress—something like that.
But the response was an unexpected bombshell.
"She's planning to debut as a Vtuber. She's a trainee right now."
"Pardon? A Vtuber?"
She had to ask again.
With a face like that, why a Vtuber?
It was the question anyone but the person herself would inevitably have.
Up to that point, though, A-ryeong hadn't paid Gyeon-u much mind.
She was flashy, sure.
But just a passing acquaintance—no reason to cross paths again.
"Hi! I love watching your streams."
Yet the following week...
The two ran into each other again.
And this time, Gyeon-u knew exactly who A-ryeong was.
Probably heard from Song A-ri.
But even so, it was surprisingly...
"You watch my streams?"
"Yes! You're such an amazing person."
She really was impressive.
Han A-ryeong as a person, Sia as her Vtuber persona.
With 300,000 subscribers and average viewers over 2,000, she was a big-league corporate Vtuber.
Not even company-backed—a solo act at the top tier.
A-ryeong had confidence.
High self-esteem.
Fame that most people couldn't touch.
Earnings unmatched by her peers.
The problem? The woman in front of her had the dazzling looks to make even those achievements feel dim.
Someone who looked totally out of place in subculture circles was watching Vtuber streams?
'She probably just glimpsed one once.'
Just polite chit-chat.
Something she'd stumbled across by chance.
But then Gyeon-u zeroed right in on that.
"I've been bingeing your videos. You're basically the Vtuber textbook. I went all the way back through your old ones too."
Gyeon-u had gotten into Sia's content purely for study.
The easiest way to get into something is watching how the masters do it.
Sure, there were monster Vtubers overseas, but to start streaming in Korea, you study the top Korean ones.
Market research, basically.
And Sia was more than qualified as a subject.
"R-Really?"
If that kind of fannish donation popped up mid-stream, Sia could've brushed it off lightly.
But as plain old Han A-ryeong, the Vtuber who hid her identity off-camera, real-life flattery felt a bit awkward.
Plus, her opponent was a stunning beauty—a walking ecosystem destroyer powered by raw visuals alone.
The gap scrambled A-ryeong's brain.
"I guess I am pretty great."
In the end, she went with bold confidence.
Meeting someone hotter didn't make her any less amazing.
There were tons of prettier people out there, but not all of them were famous or successful.
No reason to wilt now just because of a prettier face!
Not that it was just the face, of course.
Height, proportions, figure, chest—massive gaps all around, but whatever!
'Maybe she's boring as hell despite the looks. Then she couldn't match my streaming skills.'
With a face like that, she could probably just sit on cam and rake in cash.
One cute act and she'd melt viewers into spontaneous combustion.
No clue why she'd pick Vtuber, but that meant no relying on those looks.
Couldn't wrap my head around it, but if that's the play, pure entertainment value wins out.
Meaning A-ryeong had nothing to fear.
'Why the hell choose that path?'
Pushing the nagging question aside for the umpteenth time, A-ryeong took her lesson.
Gyeon-u had left the room before it started.
But as it wrapped up, A-ri made a proposal.
"How about grabbing a meal with Gyeon-u next time?"
"A meal?"
"She seems like a huge fan. She worked up the nerve to chat you up, but probably not bold enough to suggest hanging out. So I'm offering on her behalf."
Classic student favoritism from Song A-ri.
Gyeon-u had seemed eager to get closer but wasn't gutsy enough to swap numbers or set a date.
She's an introvert, after all.
So A-ri stepped in as the bridge.
Surely it'd be great for Vtuber industry sunbae-hoobae to bond.
Of course, it wasn't one-sided benefit for Gyeon-u.
In A-ri's eyes, Gyeon-u was superstar material destined to shine.
If the two hit it off in real life?
Win-win for both.
The start of a beautiful connection.
"She doesn't seem super outgoing?"
It was hard for A-ryeong to grasp.
How could someone like that be introverted?
The world wouldn't let her be.
She must've grown up showered in love.
For the record, A-ryeong was the quiet type in real life, turning into an online tyrant only on stream—total internet Yeopo vibes.
Not the sort to boldly approach strangers.
Without Song A-ri's stepping stone between these two introverts, no friendship would've sparked.
But A-ri was there, so the three ended up at a drinking session.
"Not surgery, real natural ones?"
"Who'd get augmentation when they could get reduction instead?"
Breast implants aren't magic.
You can't jump from A to F cup.
You need a base to build on.
Even with surgery, A-ryeong might hit B or C at best—not Gyeon-u levels.
"If you're reducing, give 'em to me!"
Alcohol's a magic potion.
It can turn awkward strangers into decade-long buddies, if only temporarily.
The hangover's on tomorrow-you, though.
Could tomorrow's Han A-ryeong face these words?
"Hug me! Wahhh!"
Could tomorrow's Jang Gyeon-u forgive today's clingy self?
'They really do click.'
Today's Song A-ri beamed with pride.
Just as expected—the two meshed perfectly.
Someday, reminiscing about this night, they'd think of A-ri as the matchmaker.
Perfect. It all worked out.