Chapter 150
Chapter 150
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 150
Chapter Title: Pathfinder 3rd Gen Preparations
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The selection process wrapped up faster than expected, so I asked the CEO about it. She explained that having me as the central pillar allowed them to finalize the picks more quickly.
“Uh… really?”
-Since you’re the most important central character, things just fell into place once that was set.
A bounty hunter RP.
From there, all the narratives wove together into a single cohesive structure.
-The concept became much clearer. With the wanderer frame, you can introduce all sorts of human archetypes.
“Ah.”
-When the world falls into chaos, people tend to split into various types, right? Like the bounty hunter you chose, Seo-hyun-ssi, or an ambitious leader gathering people to seize new power, or a righteous savior helping others. We settled on the concept and picked kids who fit it.
She was more serious about the worldbuilding than I’d thought. It felt like she’d be disappointed if I didn’t fully embrace the RP.
But whatever. That’s that, and actual streams are streams.
I absolutely did not want any mukbang streams.
She occasionally suggested I show some airheaded moments… but that might be tough for me. I’m not the airheaded type, after all.
“Anyway, I’ve set some streaming rules of my own. First off, any mukbang-related chats get banned on sight.”
-That’s a great idea. It’s our motto too. All our girls ban that stuff immediately during streams. Same goes for you, Seo-hyun-ssi.
“That’s music to my ears.”
-Most people don’t handle that kind of chat well anyway. We block it preemptively, but once you get used to it, you could bait them into it if you want.
“…I doubt I’ll ever have to deal with that.”
-Well… yeah, I think so too.
“Oh, by the way, is there a leader among the 3rd gens?”
-Nominally, yes… but we want it to be you, Seo-hyun-ssi.
“Me?”
No way. Leader, at this point? What’s that about?
-The kids we picked this time are all younger than you.
“Ah.”
I was the oldest? Well, then…
-It’s leader in name only. Nothing specific to do. Just think of it as a nominal position.
“Ah, got it.”
-Anyway, contact me if there’s more to discuss. The kids need to start full debut prep now.
“Yes. Thank you always.”
* * *
After that, the CEO sent me the names and ages of the selected members.
Jin A-yun.
Lee Jian.
Han Soyul.
All around the same age bracket. Ages in order: twenty, twenty-one, twenty.
Younger than me by six or seven years. I was around twenty-six now.
This lineup made me think they’d planned to make me leader from the start.
While I checked out my soon-to-be peers’ RPs.
Jin A-yun: Saint. Lee Jian: Revolutionary. Han Soyul: Outlaw…
Solid, straightforward RPs. Shouldn’t be too hard for them to adapt.
They probably considered each member’s personality when assigning them.
I decided to keep info on them to just that much for now.
I’d learn the rest gradually.
This could be pretty fun. Collaborating like this with total strangers sounded enjoyable.
Group projects excluded, of course. But this wasn’t a group project, so it was fine.
The CEO had a good eye, so she’d picked good kids.
* * *
Ji-an couldn’t believe it.
She’d made it.
Into Pathfinder.
She wanted to scream, but she couldn’t.
Her rundown single room had zero soundproofing.
Anyway, she’d made it.
Rent was already tight in this dump, so this was her escape hatch.
A ray of light piercing her hopeless life.
She’d been an idol trainee originally.
Her singing was killer, but her lack of coordination was on another level, so she kept failing auditions. Then her parents’ business tanked suddenly, leading to bankruptcy, and her life plummeted.
It didn’t take long for the red eviction notice to hit the door.
On top of that, her parents’ suicide.
A clichéd, trashy misery porn story, but she never imagined it’d happen to her.
At least she’d renounced inheritance, so no debts to pay, but she was just a twenty-one-year-old ex-trainee.
Years as an idol trainee didn’t prepare her for the real world. All she could do was hop between part-time gigs.
Drifting from job to job, growing distant from training, lost on what to do next—then she stumbled on VTubing.
Maybe she could turn her life around if she nailed it. On a whim, she applied to Pathfinder.
And she made it.
Never dreamed she would.
A faint hope sparked in her dead-end life.
From then on, her days blurred into nonstop busyness.
Nailing the concept, prepping debut, creating her VTuber name…
Then the CEO’s message hit, and her heart raced.
-Next week, you’ll meet your batchmates in person. Let me know a good time, and I’ll schedule around it. First meeting, but they’re all good people, so no need to worry too much.
“Yes, yes!”
-And while we’re at it, we’ll lock in the debut date. Once that’s set, build friendships with your batchmates gradually.
“Got it!”
* * *
Naming was the hardest part, as expected.
The CEO told her to come up with a VTuber name, but nothing clicked after ages of pondering.
What name fits a bounty hunter?
Just pick anything…?
Lost in thought, she settled on Veronica.
No deep reason. Just something she found flipping through character dictionaries.
The CEO approved it as a solid name, so Veronica it was—her VTuber identity.
And according to the CEO, they’d each meet batchmates next week.
She’d also create a group chat for communication.
…A chat was better than total exclusion, but no in-person meet meant they might keep their distance from her.
She could close the gap through activities later, so she didn’t sweat it.
Sounded kinda fun, actually.
Was this what “hype” felt like?
Wonder what the batchmates are like.
In-person would be way later, but hopefully good people.
* * *
Ji-an had no idea how she’d ended up here in this state of mind.
Blown away by Pathfinder HQ’s grandeur, for one.
Then babbling incoherently upon meeting CEO Haesol, only to get dragged here by the hand.
“Come on in. Idol trainee, huh? Way prettier in person than photos.”
“Th-thank you. But not anymore.”
“Right, not anymore. You’re Pathfinder 3rd gen now. Yeah?”
Ji-an nodded at Haesol’s words. True. Failed idol trainee was the past.
“…Yeah, I guess so.”
“Everyone’s waiting.”
“A-am I the last one?”
“The other two just came ridiculously early. You’re right on time.”
The other two? A question mark popped on Ji-an’s face. Weren’t there three batchmates?
“Two…?”
“Oh, one’s overseas right now, couldn’t make it. You’ll meet eventually.”
“Ah…”
“Alright, let’s go meet them.”
“Yes!”
Opening the conference room door, Ji-an deflated for a whole different reason.
‘This a VTuber company? Why are there two idol-level stunners here?’
She’d heard she held her own looks-wise anywhere, but these two matched or exceeded her, sitting awkwardly.
“Introductions, everyone. This is Lee Jian-ssi, the last of Pathfinder 3rd gen. This is Jin A-yun-ssi, and this is Han Soyul-ssi.”
“Ah, hello…”
Ji-an bowed awkwardly to the other two.
A-yun and Soyul returned awkward bows.
“Now that we’re all here, let’s talk debut properly. We can warm up gradually.”
“Yes!”
At Haesol’s words, the three’s expressions flipped instantly. Right. They were here for debut.
“B-but what about the other one…?”
“Oh, Veronica-ssi already knows all this. No worries.”
“Ah… Her name’s Veronica?”
“She prefers not revealing her identity, so VTuber name it is. Might hear the real name once you’re close.”
“That sounds fun.”
A-yun and Soyul looked intrigued; Ji-an, baffled.
…What’s that supposed to mean?
Regardless, Haesol explained the day’s agenda.
“I already went over your RPs and directions last time, right? Today, we check avatar designs, discuss additions, improvements—whatever works best. This is your future alter ego, so scrutinize carefully.”
“Yes!”
“Once finalized, grab a meal to ease the awkwardness a bit.”
The three nodded awkwardly still.
Haesol watched them, thinking the road ahead was long.
She was glad she hadn’t revealed Seo-hyun. With her here, these three would’ve suffocated.
No, suffocation would be the least—they’d probably be shaking.
Seo-hyun meeting them in person would come after they’d bonded somewhat through streams.
Haesol started looking forward to that moment.