You Two-Timed Me.
Time travels back two weeks.
"Producer...."
"...Sorry."
It was the first time I went live on air.
The result of two weeks of feverish preparation was a full-day suspension.
As expected, I had been warned before, yet I had ignored the warning, so the issue of responsibility was crystal clear.
"Please don’t do that again next time."
"Got it. I had a hard time with the timing since it was my first time going live."
"Yes... but I believe the producer will do well."
"You carry a lot of weight on your shoulders."
No matter what, the broadcast had exploded right then and there.
All that remained was to continue with the personal streams we had prepped after Nature’s broadcast.
The soundproof booth had already been set up, and every member of Nature had their own account created. All that was left was to tap the button and we’d be live.
"Ah, about that part...."
"Hm?"
'If it were the original plan,' it should have been.
"Ah, the illustration side isn't finished yet, so it might take a little longer."
"You've got a camera, right? Just use that to go live and you're done."
"Thank goodness."
"Hm?"
It was a relief.
Hyewon smiled at me.
"I feel like I understand 'this side' a little better."
"...Bark."
"Bark... so, could you please speak more nicely?"
"Is a water spirit going to act like one?"
I summoned Seiren and had her sit on my lap.
[Kind Master! Seiren loves kind Masters!]
"Good good."
While stroking her head, I looked at Hyewon.
It wasn’t some grand gesture of force, but at least it meant I was going to lay everything out in the open.
"...There’s no way a producer like me would hide anything from you, right?"
[Bad child?]
"Actually, I might be hiding something a little, but—!"
[Yes! Good child!]
Mmmuuuuhhh...!
Hyewon looked genuinely disappointed that I had taken the initiative away from her in a single moment.
In the end, it seemed there was no helping it, so she pulled a tablet from her pocket and showed it to me.
"This is the graph I researched about the 'male-cam BJ.'"
"You really went after a male-cam too?"
"I said I did a data investigation, right? Anyway, that’s not the important part."
A YouTuber.
And the possibilities it held.
Hyewon laid out her PPT presentation and explained it to me.
"Supply and demand. We have to provide exactly what the people who demand it need."
And in terms of supply, a YouTuber holds a massive advantage.
"We can fulfill the fantasies of the owners."
The viewers of a personal stream have a fantasy about the male-cam.
For example, just like how someone who claims to be a virgin after losing it will still use a 2D illustration as a background to keep claiming the same thing.
Even if the actual person isn’t a virgin, we can still appeal to them as 'setting-wise' virgins.
In short, they can have a fantasy far beyond a 'normal male-cam.'
"And we can add a twist too."
The 2D illustration hides the fact that the person behind it is a Spirit Contractor, an awakened being.
And those awakened people inevitably get their appearance altered.
Even if they’ve eaten the so-called 'red pill,' they’ll still clap and say, 'It’s actually pretty good.'
"Hold on. That doesn’t make sense."
There is one flaw in this claim.
"After all, this is a broadcast for Nature, right? So where’s the twist?"
Just from the tone, it sounds like we’re going to hide the fact that we’re Nature and broadcast.
Hyewon flicked her fingers left and right and answered.
"Nature is an idol group. Not just any ordinary idol—a 'Spirit Idol,' a Spirit Contractor who transforms."
"So? Why not just sell that and invest in the personal stream side—"
"—and the fantasy becomes reality."
"........"
Hyewon turned the tablet screen.
What appeared beyond was...
"You’ve given up even trying to hide now?"
"Shut it!"
Kira Kira Aramod something or other PreXer.
The protagonist’s usual appearance and transformation illustration, placed side by side. It looked like something Sujin would love to see.
"Hmph. In any case, a YouTuber is a job that sells exactly these 'fantasies.' And Nature has the ability to turn those 'fantasies' into 'reality.'"
It wasn’t the mindless photorealism of some small island nation.
Reasonable appearances. Reasonable settings. Reasonable abilities.
And when we threw in the fact that we could actually pull off a Spirit Union, the effect would be doubled.
"Of course, the producer’s words carry weight too."
We’ll get the recognition we need as fast as possible by going live immediately.
People themselves will gather quickly.
Besides, aside from the fact that they’ll have Youhee behind them, each of them has their own charms.
"But... we’re the kind of people who look at the future, aren’t we?"
Yet for one step further.
A little stronger. A little bigger.
"The explosion that even the bastard behind him can’t stop."
Hyewon wants it.
A sun so massive and intense that it can’t be covered by Yoo Hanseong’s authority either.
"That’s why. Producer."
So now she’s submitting.
Head bowed low, power being stockpiled.
"Do you understand me? This me?"
"....Whatever. I don’t mind either way."
I nodded appropriately to Hyewon’s words.
"You’re the investor, and I’m the hired hand, right?"
"Oppa!"
"Time’s up. You’re nervous, so you called me oppa?"
"Even though I look like this, I’m super nervous, you know??"
"That’s obvious just by looking at you."
How nervous did I have to be for the kid to proudly show me a PreXer?
Anyway, that’s it.
It’s hard to put exactly into words...
"Is it really just that?"
"Hm?"
"Is it really just that we’re making the Nature members into YouTubers?"
"........."
She doesn’t answer.
I scratched Seiren’s crown and asked.
"Do you have any personal bias?"
"....Businessmen are people who realize their dreams in reality."
"I see. Personal bias."
"Whaaat...! You keep saying PreXer PreX Cure like it’s some kind of lewd joke aimed at me?!"
In the end Hyewon stood up as if she’d had enough.
Dinging—♬
"Eh?"
At that moment an alarm went off on the tablet.
I reached out to check the window and saw that a comment had been posted in an internet community....
[○○○: After going all out, is the Nature new song PreXer theme not plagiarism?]
".........."
I slowly pulled out my phone.
"Wait a sec, oppa. No. No, really?"
"Wait and see."
I searched for the PreXer theme on YouTube.
I played the top result that came up.
'....This.'
The rhythm poured out immediately. The song. The beat. The guitar. Everything.
"...If it’s plagiarism or not, where on earth is there a song in this world that isn’t?"
"Yeah. That’s right."
I searched who wrote the theme song.
And then I searched who wrote the actual song for Nature.
"Hyewon-ah."
"....Yes."
The internet was fast.
"You’re on the same team as Sujin, too?"
"............"
The meeting ended right there that day.
***
The next day.
Since we were starting the YouTuber thing, we started preparing with full resolve.
"First, let’s begin with the character descriptions."
"Hold on, there’s one thing I’m curious about."
"Yes. Tell me, Yeonhwa."
"Th-that... YouTuber, right? Why do we have to do that?"
"Ahaha. Well—"
—That was the content of yesterday’s meeting.
Looking at Yeonhwa, I could tell she had no idea what half of it meant, but she seemed satisfied that I’d said it without thinking.
Or maybe she was just tired of the overly sincere look on Hyewon’s face.
'She’s sneaky in a lot of ways.'
I should say 'diligent,' but while she looks like she’ll sweep everything away without fear, she backs off the moment she hits exactly what she wants.
She showed a rare 'self-control' that would make one think she wasn’t a fire Spirit Contractor.
"Anyway, that’s fine."
Hyewon continued to explain after that.
"So first, Sujin. As Sujin herself said before, she’s the defeated nun who ran away from the hikikomori world!"
".....Eh?"
"No need for acting! Sujin is already a character in and of herself!"
"Eh eh eh...?"
Her expression looked flustered.
Half-crying, she looked a little hurt.
But even through that, her mouth curled up when she realized nothing would be done to her, and...
'Amazing.'
I couldn’t help but clap.
"Next is Yeonhwa. As Yeonhwa herself said before, she’s the devil who sends people who ruin nature to hell as punishment!"
"What exactly do I do?"
"That’ll be explained in the documents after the meeting!"
After Yeonhwa’s explanation ended,
"Harin is an angel who loves nature and protects nature!"
"An angel?"
"This part has also been prepared as documents, so don’t worry!"
"Eh eh eh...."
After Harin’s explanation ended.
"Producer. You’re not running away, are you?"
"........."
Tsk. Caught.
I lowered the hand that had been gripping the doorknob.
"I won’t tell you to go live. Just be a suitable, secret helper for everyone like a producer would—P!"
"It’s all written in the documents, right?"
"Please♬"
Liar.
I let out a small sigh and looked over the documents.
[Performance Bonus Additional Salary Notice]
"...President."
"Producer."
I lifted my head and asked.
"Do you think money is the only thing that matters?"
"No. But in a society where money is soon 'recognition,' isn’t it?"
"You’ve got a point."
That was the sign that I was 'recognized.'
When it went this far, I couldn’t say anything else.
"I won’t tell you to go live right away. Instead, in one week. I hope you’ve prepared everything by then."
".....Yes."
Answers that looked like they had a lot of thought.
I looked like I was going to have a lot of thought too, but before dissolving the meeting, I added one more line.
"By the way, we’re going live again tomorrow?"
"Eh?"
Sujin looked panicked.
As expected, the moment something related to work came up, her reaction sped up because she hated working.
"We’re preparing personal streams. The regular live broadcasts will stay the same."
"Th-that... th-that...."
"After all, we’re just adding filming to what we usually do. What’s the problem? We don’t even have to prepare anything."
"Bu-but...."
Her face grew gloomy when she thought of 'working,' and her energy disappeared.
No matter what happened with the work, tomorrow was coming anyway, and
[The broadcast has been suspended.]
[Suspension Period: 3 days]
[Reason: Indecency]
"....Fuck?"
I got two-timed again.
By the way,
"Duhu... duhuhuhuhu!"
Sujin was laughing.