VTuber Interview
I could feel the intense stares of the people around me. Pressure like that was a pain. Luckily, it didn’t last long. From the interview room came a familiar voice, followed by a woman with a stern expression.
"It was noisy outside, so I came to check. Mirae. Is something going on?"
"No, ma’am."
That woman was Chae Eun? The one with 1.9 million subscribers?
There’s a saying in the streaming world that if you don’t show your camera, it means you’re ugly. It’s practically treated like gospel. But she was putting a complete lie to that. From the look of her, you could tell she never neglected exercise: a toned figure, long black hair, silver earrings, silver necklace. She had the kind of presence that made people shrink on sight.
According to the wiki, she used to work at a major corporation, then quit one day because she wanted to do internet broadcasting and started from there.
A mad monster who’d conquered the streaming world in style. She had wealth, education, and talent; I’d assumed she must be hiding her face because she didn’t have looks. But no—she had all of it. I may not be the one to say this, but life really was unfair.
The other applicants waiting nearby looked just as shocked as I felt, but they kept their mouths shut and their heads down.
"Has everyone arrived?"
"It seems a few people are still missing, ma’am."
"I see. People coming from far away can’t help being late, so if anyone shows up after all, let them know we’ll move them to the back of the line."
Thankfully, despite her intimidating appearance, she seemed kind. Come to think of it, one of her traits was Heart of a Buddha (S), wasn’t it? Maybe I didn’t need to be quite so tightly wound.
Meanwhile, Chae Eun swept her gaze over the seated applicants once. Her eyes met mine, and she looked at me with a faint what-is-that expression, but she didn’t ask directly and went back into the interview room.
"When it’s time, send in numbers 1 and 2 together. Two at a time."
"Yes, ma’am!"
As soon as Chae Eun disappeared into the interview room again, a sigh rippled through the tense applicants. I paid it no mind, because suddenly I was hungry. Come to think of it, I had the chocolate bar that the auntie had given me on the way here, didn’t I?
There was still plenty of time left, so I had more than enough room to eat it. I peeled open the wrapper right there in my seat.
How long had it been since I’d last had chocolate and sugar? Tears blurred my vision. Thank you, Auntie. Even if I fail here, I’ll still work hard and survive. Choked up, I took a sip of water, too.
"Ahh."
Now that was the stuff. My stomach was full and happy. All that was left was to ace the interview. One by one, the supposedly missing applicants started being called in. Then, last of all, a brown-haired girl with a gentle, good-natured face hurried over, slightly out of breath.
"Haa. I’m not late, right?"
"No. Just let me see your ID for a moment."
After receiving it and taking a look, she glanced at the girl again with a curious expression. Why?
Insight (SSS) has been activated.
Ah. So that was why she was Japanese. These days, apparently, a lot of Japanese people were coming to Korea to become VTubers, but seeing one in person gave the whole thing an oddly surreal feel. It was a little like going to Africa to learn how to make kimchi.
"Yes. Identity confirmed. You’re number 29. Please take a seat at the end."
"Okay!"
But what number was I again? Thirty, apparently. I’d gotten so distracted by the chocolate bar I’d forgotten. So that person called Mirae was the one who’d told her to sit at the end because she already knew my number. I’d thought she meant for me to go sit in a corner somewhere.
That was when Mizuki started walking toward me. Up close, her clear brown eyes were even more vivid. But she didn’t seem like she was just coming over to sit beside me because we were both numbers 29 and 30.
"You ate chocolate, didn’t you? Was it good?"
"???"
I’d gone completely blank and couldn’t react at all before she pulled a wet wipe from her handbag and gently wiped the chocolate from the corner of my mouth.
"Thank you for staying still while I cleaned you up."
Then she even patted my head.
"Just a moment..."
"Good girl. Such a good girl."
She seemed to have the wrong idea in a very committed way. This wouldn’t do. I needed to clear up the misunderstanding right now.
"Um, I’m not a kid. I’m here for the interview."
"E-eh?"
Only then did she stop patting my head. Her eyes went wide, and she looked utterly lost.
"Aah! I’m so, so sorry. I was nervous, and I just—!"
She kept bowing again and again. She was apologizing way too much. I’d needed to wipe my mouth anyway, and since she’d done it for me, I was grateful. When I told her that, she bowed her head once more and thanked me for accepting her apology.
A little later, the second round of interviews began.
"Numbers 1 and 2, please come into the interview room!"
Number 1, number 2. Then 3 and 4...
Time was dragging like hell. Was this why people said it was better to take the beating first and get it over with? I just wanted to do this, collect the interview fee, and go home.
"Hrrr-ruuu."
What now?
When I turned to look at Mizuki with a bewildered expression, she waved her hands and explained.
"Oh, I’m going to sing, so I’m just warming up my voice."
For a second I thought I was about to get ambushed again like before. Since there was still plenty of time, maybe we should chat a little. As we talked about one thing and another, I learned more about her. She’d come all the way from Japan to Korea because she loved K-pop.
"Then you must know a lot about Korean idol groups, right?"
I’d only tossed it out casually, but she lit up with delight. She said she’d been nervous, but once the conversation turned to something she knew, she answered without hesitation.
"Yes, I know them really well! Especially Red Blossom. Do you know them?"
"Sort of. Just that they’re a Korean girl group that hit it big worldwide. I’ve never actually listened to their songs."
"If you’re Korean, I think you absolutely have to know Red Blossom’s songs..."
"Hmm..."
Is it really that serious?
Then she handed me one earbud.
"Would you like to listen?"
"Sure. I’ve got nothing else to do."
Before I knew it, we were listening together, and that led me to hear what had been worrying her too.
"I’m going to sing this song later. Do you think I can do it well?"
Her voice trembled at the end. Unfortunately for her, she’d picked the wrong person to ask. I could barely keep my own head above water; who was I to comfort anyone? Besides, I was terrible at fake reassurance. Still, come to think of it, I did have Insight. I kept forgetting about that. Maybe I should take a look.
Insight (SSS) is being used.
It even converts that to Korean age? How thoughtful.
...
"What the hell."
With traits that absurd, and she’s asking me if she can do well?
W-what audacity. What a flex. Just kidding—she seemed to have no idea how genuinely impressive she was yet.
"W-why are you reacting like that?"
So I answered her with a bright smile.
"I think you’re definitely going to pass."
"Really? Thank you..."
Her eyes were shimmering with emotion. Anyone looking at her would think she’d already passed. But with traits like that, I’d say it was only a matter of time.
"You know, I don’t usually say things like this to strangers after coming to Korea, but this feels strange. I don’t know why, but I feel at ease. I hope we both pass together."
"We will."
Before I knew it, numbers 29 and 30 were called. Right. Me and Mizuki. I was glad I’d started talking with her ahead of time. I hadn’t planned it at all, but it made me feel a lot calmer. She seemed to feel the same.
Inside the interview room, there was a long table and the interviewers seated behind it.
Insight (SSS) has been activated.
The scary-looking boss I’d seen earlier, along with various other company staff. The one who stood out most was Sally, the VTuber from Shining Parade. If I remembered right, she was a fire spirit who’d taken on a human body and walked the path of a rocker. Her VTuber avatar had red hair and clothes that screamed rocker energy, and her real-life appearance was no less striking.
It wasn’t just that her traits were packed with S-ranks. Her orange hair falling to her shoulders, her bright, cheerful face, and the red choker around her neck all made it extremely disorienting. Mizuki beside me was the same. Wasn’t a VTuber supposed to be someone who couldn’t turn on a camera because they were ugly?
Still, I had to keep my composure. Just do what I prepared. Just what I prepared. I sat down next to Mizuki in the seats placed before the interviewers. The chairs were too big and awkward, but I’d long since gotten used to that sort of thing.
"Starting with number 29, please briefly introduce yourself."
"M-my name is Manaka Mizuki! I turned twenty-two in Korean age this year, and I came to Korea two years ago, right after becoming an adult, because I’d always dreamed of living here!"
I could hear the interviewers murmuring among themselves. Most of it sounded like praise. That made sense. From their perspective, she was basically a treasure that had rolled right into their hands.
"You’ve only been in Korea for two years, but your Korean is really fluent."
"Yes! I’ve loved K-pop since middle school, so I started learning Korean back then."
"Oh-ho."
Unbelievable. Just being good at Korean was earning her a mountain of compliments. If I was going to swap bodies with someone, why couldn’t they at least have made me a foreigner?
"Understood. I’m looking forward to this. Next, number 30..."
All right. What would be the first question?
"You are really yourself, right?"
What kind of question was you are really yourself, right? Still, I answered confidently.
"Yep! I’m Kim Haru, and I want to become the pinnacle of Unknown Universe. And my age—yes, I may not look it at all, but I’m twenty-two too."
Once again, murmurs broke out among the interviewers.
"He really does play Unknown Universe."
"So that application wasn’t a joke after all."
It didn’t sound like praise, exactly, but Sally’s exclamation made it feel like a lucky break.
"Hah. So you really meant it."
"Yeah..."
Chae Eun, the boss, looked like she had a lot of things she wanted to ask me. The first question she chose was this:
"But why Unknown Universe, of all things?"
Good. This was one of the questions I’d expected. I’d prepared my answer too. I nodded as if I were sharing Chae Eun’s feelings, then opened my mouth.
"Because this is a job someone has to do."
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
Yes, of course she’d be thrown off.
Now then. This is where it begins.