Steal Me If You Can
I was determined to show them, beyond all doubt, the power of the youngest daughter of a chaebol family.
Honestly, though, no matter how I looked at it, this was absurd and infuriating, wasn’t it?
Me—the brand-new sprout just starting to take root, the one Lilith and Mallang-i had praised for having a natural instinct for broadcasting—getting picked clean this early? Seriously?
"I don’t know which idiot it is, but I’m going to make them regret messing with the number one business empire in South Korea!"
Chief of Staff Lee Eunbyul would probably find this whole story ridiculous too!
─ ♬
Surprisingly, Chief of Staff Lee Eunbyul didn’t pick up right away... Ah. It was 1 a.m., wasn’t it?
"What is it, Seah, miss?"
Even at one in the morning, Lee Eunbyul’s voice didn’t sound all that different from usual.
No, why wasn’t it different? Was she working overtime like it was the most natural thing in the world?
"Are you okay? I’m calling because something incredibly infuriating happened, but I guess the hour is a little awkward."
"I’m fine, Miss Seah. Please speak comfortably. Did something unpleasant happen?"
Mm-hmm. She really hadn’t become chief of staff for nothing.
"Ahem! Do you remember when I said I was thinking of trying internet broadcasting as a hobby?"
"Yes, I remember. Is there a problem with the room I set up for you?"
"No, nothing like that! There’s an account on YouTube impersonating me!"
I heard a brief clatter over the phone.
"What is the account ID? Could you send me a screenshot, perhaps?"
"Oh! Wait a second!! I called the moment I saw it, so I’ll tell you right away."
I tapped quickly at the screen with my thumb.
"Let’s see... the ID is... LaBelleard!"
"LaBelleard...?"
Lee Eunbyul’s voice turned oddly strange.
Why? Did she already know this thief?
"Miss Seah, if you press the more button, is there an advertising inquiry email listed there?"
"Yes! There is! This bastard really has some nerve. I’ll read you the email address too—[email protected]!"
"Ah... my goodness."
There was the faint sound of laughter from the other end of the phone.
"Eeeeh? Why are you laughing all of a sudden, Chief of Staff Lee Eunbyul?"
"Haha... I’m sorry, miss. I had planned to explain this tomorrow, but you found it already."
"Explain what? Please, go into detail."
"The account Miss Seah found is one that will be managed by your personal MCN from now on."
...
Was my brain broken because it was the middle of the night?
"Could you say that again? I think I must have heard you wrong."
"I thought that once you started internet broadcasting, you might run into all sorts of inconveniences, miss."
"I understand that much."
"So I prepared an MCN to help you from now on."
That kind of outrageous thing was possible?
"You never said anything like that before. And didn’t I tell you I didn’t need an MCN?"
"Yes, miss. Since you said you didn’t want to feel burdened, I prepared a separate, independent MCN just for you, rather than using the existing StyleOn."
What kind of chaebol daughter asks for a personal MCN to be built for her?!
"W-wait, Eunbyul unnie!!! D-don’t you think this is, like... a little too over the top?! What kind of lady in the world asks for a personal MCN just because she’s going to do broadcasts?!"
"But when I said I’d proceed with the work last time, you said that was fine, remember?"
Listening to the absurd explanation coming over the phone, I clutched my head with both hands.
* * *
"Ugh..."
The next day.
Chief of Staff Lee Eunbyul came to the house around lunchtime.
"We’ve decided on the company name: Luxedia. It’s a combination of Luxury and Media."
"Hold on... you’re saying this Luxedia company was created for my internet broadcasting?"
"Yes, Miss Seah. It was established in a form completely independent from Hansung Lifestyle so that you wouldn’t feel pressured."
Lee Eunbyul’s voice was deadly serious.
It didn’t feel like some hidden-camera prank, and it didn’t even sound like flattery.
She was simply doing her job and reporting to me.
"I don’t need a company to this extent."
The company I took a look around had a surprisingly legitimate air to it.
There was even some unknown suit sitting there as a paper CEO.
"Please just pretend this never happened."
Internet broadcasting could end as a joke.
If a problem came up, I could handle everything on my own.
But a company was a different story.
I was happy that a company had been created just for me, yes...
But honestly, this is way too much pressure. Fun stops being fun when you make it into a real operation!
"I’m doing this as a personal hobby... I mean, for my dopamine and enjoyment."
If you build a whole company around it, there are too many things to be responsible for.
"Then wouldn’t this company help you even more, miss?"
"I think it’ll be a burden instead."
"Once you start broadcasting, you’re very likely to run into all sorts of annoying, complicated issues. In situations like that, Luxedia will be a great help."
Lee Eunbyul’s eyes shone with seriousness.
"Copyright problems, malicious comments, even profit settlement and tax filings. If Luxedia exists, you won’t need to lift a finger over any of those troublesome matters."
...Wait a minute.
There was a problem in a very realistic place, wasn’t there?
So I could think of it as “automation” only the owner of a one-person MCN gets to enjoy?
"And if you want, it will also remove any worry of your identity being exposed."
"Huh...? I have absolutely no feel for that, so could you explain it to me?"
"To give you a simple example, once you start broadcasting, you’ll begin receiving what people call homework—advertising offers."
Oh, those ads everyone argues about, whether they’re front-loaded or hidden in the back?
I’d never do it just for the money.
But if an expensive ad came in, wouldn’t that feel like proof that I was doing well?
...Whew. Yeah, this would be proof that I’d succeeded! There’s no reason to turn it down.
"If Luxedia handles it, the contract can be made company-to-company, so your identity won’t be exposed."
"Ah... so you’re saying the other side won’t be able to tell that I’m Kwon Seah?"
"That’s right. It’s also why many of today’s popular VTubers don’t have their identities revealed through a single advertisement."
Wasn’t this the sort of thing I should accept rather than reject because I felt burdened?
"So I just broadcast as Labellehar, and if an ad comes in, Luxedia handles the contract for me, which means my name doesn’t get exposed—is that right?"
"Exactly. The only thing you need to worry about is the live broadcast itself. Luxedia can be a tremendous help with advertising, sponsorships, even profit settlement and content production."
"...You can help me hire an editor too, right?"
Lee Eunbyul smiled brightly.
"Of course, miss. If it’s an editor with good skills, I can find one for you anytime."
"Heh, hmmm...! Could I choose the editor myself? Skill isn’t the only thing that matters—the important part is that they love and adore me, right?"
"You may choose however you wish, miss. Luxedia is a company made for you, after all."
...This didn’t seem bad.
No, no matter how I thought about it, this seemed good, didn’t it?
"Then what exactly would I have to be responsible for?"
"Nothing at all, miss. Luxedia was established solely for your peaceful and enjoyable internet broadcasting."
"Still, I’m not at the point where I’m making massive profits yet."
I had gotten a few huge donations, sure, but honestly, not enough to cover someone’s salary.
"You needn’t worry about that either. As before, it will be handled through payment from the Ireland corporation."
Was this what they meant by pleasure without responsibility?
At this point, there really didn’t seem to be a single thing I needed to feel guilty about.
"Then..."
I sprang up from my seat, grabbed my smartphone, and held it out to Lee Eunbyul.
I was now sitting with my rear planted on her body, but that wasn’t important right now.
"Please fix this YouTube channel first. Isn’t it way too lame? The vibe is awful!"
I pointed at the channel’s header and icon.
"Just slapping the name Labellehar up there is so boring. Don’t you have some pretty character or icon or something?"
"I was still deciding on the design, but do you already have a certain image in mind?"
"Mm~~~! I want something that makes people instantly think of me! Something not too common! But not too flashy either! I want it to leave a strong impression that this is the channel of Labellehar, the streamer! Ah, but please don’t make it too Chinese-inspired with gold everywhere."
And so, less than ten days after I had started broadcasting, I ended up with a YouTube channel managed by Luxedia instead.
* * *
"Wooooow... you really did cosplay, huh?"
(Photo of Lilith in cosplay)
She really kept her punishment promise with Arnyang!
The bunny-girl skin had only just come out, so it was hard to get, but it was pretty, and I liked it!
Really, Lilith’s cosplay photo was obscene.
It didn’t feel like she’d accidentally taken a sexy picture; it felt like she’d calculated it so people would get turned on when they saw it.
"Whoa... is Lilith actually pretty busty in real life? The bunny suit doesn’t cover everything—the side boob... oh, and her hips look ridiculously full too?"
How did they capture all of that in a photo?
The only disappointing thing about the cosplay shots, which were otherwise an absolute knockout from every angle, was that her face didn’t show.
Well, she was a VTuber, so in a sense maybe that was a plus?
"Seriously... what, they’re posting this knowing I collabed with her?"
I kept fidgeting with my smartphone screen with my thumb for no reason.
"First of all, her body is obviously way better than mine, so who are you calling ugly, and who are you saying has a trash body? With a figure like that, she could honestly be a model and still not look out of place...!"
My temper started burning for no clear reason, and I got out of bed and gripped my phone with both hands.
"I should take a picture too... no, no, no! Stop! Kwon Seah! Get a grip! What the hell are you even thinking about doing!"
It was the moment I realized how stupid I looked, about to let rage carry me all the way into taking a selfie.
"Ugh... and I’m the one getting so worked up about this. I wasn’t even a woman to begin with..."
Still, what could I say?
It really pissed me off when they insulted the beauty I’d ended up with.