Chapter 153
Chapter 153
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 153
Chapter Title: Fiery Debut Aftermath
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Ji-an felt like she was about to faint after witnessing her peer's catastrophic debut broadcast firsthand.
"This, what am I supposed to do about this?"
It had gone completely off the rails right from the start.
"Is that sister for real?"
She blurted it out without thinking.
No matter how you sliced it as an RP concept, to her eyes, Seo-hyun's actions had crossed the line by a mile.
And sure enough.
The community boards were flooded with nothing but talk of Veronica and Arian.
On the flip side, whispers about the other third-gen members were starting to circulate.
Along with mentions of Ji-an, A-yun, and So-yul.
[What about the other third-gens?]
The first third-gen to debut is already setting everything ablaze from the jump lololol
Of all people, she had to poke the most vicious fanbase with Arian;;
-But didn't Arian's side throw the first punch by calling her a crazy bitch?
-Even if that's true, you just bulldoze through that stuff with sheer numbers, so it'll still end up being her fault anyway?
Ji-an quickly checked the group chat. A-yun and So-yul seemed just as bewildered by this unexpected mess.
[Jin A-yun: Is this really okay?]
[Han So-yul: No clue;;]
[Lee Jian: Veronica unnie, is that really okay?]
[Veronica: Yeah, it's fine, so just focus on your own broadcasts. Already sorted it out with the seniors.]
Ji-an tilted her head at Veronica's response. Really fine?
Just then, there was a notice from Haesol telling everyone to hop on messenger.
Ji-an didn't hesitate and opened it up.
-Can you hear me?
-Yes, President. What's going on?
-I'll explain step by step. Figured everyone except Veronica is probably panicking right now.
-Honestly... yeah, pretty much.
-What happened?
So-yul and A-yun chimed in too. They couldn't make heads or tails of the situation either.
-It was a pretty bold debut broadcast, huh?
-Pretty? Feels like way more than that...
-Is this really okay?
Despite their worries, Haesol and Veronica insisted it was fine.
-It's good. Already wrapped up the talk with Lian, and we coordinated on doing it this way beforehand.
-So no need for you all to worry. Just focus on your debut broadcasts.
The other three exchanged uncertain looks at their words.
...Is it really okay?
Just glancing at the posts flooding the communities nonstop, it didn't seem like it'd blow over easily.
But while they fretted, the president and Veronica were casually chatting away.
-This direction isn't half bad. Anyway, you holding up mentally, Veronica?
-I'm good, President. Wasn't the type to get rattled by this stuff to begin with.
-...Fair point.
-What did Arian sunbae say?
-Found it hilarious, actually?
-That's a relief.
-Um, President? Was there a reason for giving Veronica unnie this kind of RP concept?
-Back in the day, it took first- and second-gens forever to warm up and mingle. Ended up missing out on a ton of fun early-debut experiences. You can build up so much right at the start, y'know?
-...True.
-So we figured we'd try something bold. Sticking just with your peers limits your content eventually. And most importantly... we've nailed the buzz factor, right?
Ji-an couldn't wrap her head around Haesol's explanation even more.
Pathfinder was such a massive agency that new debuts were guaranteed viewers no matter what.
They already had a huge audience—why go for something like that?
-But then, isn't the Pathfinder name enough on its own...?
-VTubers keep popping up, all with fresh concepts. We could get left behind anytime in this ever-changing market. Better to take swings at something.
-...I see.
-And those swings carry low risk when you've got the clout. That's why now's the perfect time... plus Veronica herself hated anything vanilla.
-Wanna light some fires yourselves?
-No way. If we did too, it'd be a total disaster. How are the sunbaes reacting?
-They love it? First time seeing a spicy concept like this. Especially your sunbae Yuri... er, Piony. She was like, "Think she'll come at me next?"
-Honestly, once is plenty, don't you think, President?
Haesol chuckled at Veronica's words.
-True enough. First-gens are basically sacred cows in our fandom, after all.
-Arian sunbae counts as one too, technically.
-Still, she debuted with her own blaze and has her own karma to answer for, so it's fine. Anyway, solid start—chat with Lian and take it from there.
-Got it.
* * *
Not a bad launch. Things went exactly as planned, and we've more or less squared away with the seniors.
In the group chat with everyone, a senior messaged me.
[Arian: Looks like it landed well for now. What's the play going forward?]
[Veronica: Gotta put out the fire a bit. Can't keep it raging forever after that flare-up. Start simple with a game.]
[Arian: Field of Glory?]
[Veronica: Yeah. Have you play it like your usual self, and folks'll clock it's WWE, not UFC.]
[Arian: Oh right, you're living overseas now, yeah?]
[Veronica: Yep. California... and Paradise.]
[Arian: Paradise? Isn't that the mutant city?]
[Veronica: I'm a mutant. That's where my language skills come from.]
The president hadn't spilled detailed info on first- and second-gens yet.
All we knew were personalities and on-stream vibes.
So this much should be safe to share.
We can open up more once we're tight after a few months.
And truthfully, I've got a base in California now too. Nia heard my story, thought it'd be fun, and straight-up made me a new ID.
Not as Yoon Seo-hyun, but as Veronica.
[Arian: Whoa... for real? Wild. How'd you end up debuting as a Korean VTuber...?]
[Veronica: Oh, don't get it twisted. I live in California, but I'm Korean. Just got hooked on Paradise and ended up staying.]
[Arian: Still wild....]
[Veronica: Drop the formalities. Need to keep it casual for the WWE vibe.]
[Arian: Rude question, but age...?]
[Veronica: Twenty-six.]
[Arian: ...Unnie it is, then.]
[Veronica: Age ain't a big deal. VTubing's all like that anyway. Just go casual. Debut order's what matters in this biz.]
[Arian: Gotcha, okay. Next broadcast on Field of Glory... how we doing it? 1v1?]
[Veronica: Basic setup's 1v1. But I won't use one hand.]
[Arian: That works...?]
[Veronica: Yep. It does. Don't sweat it. Told ya I'm a mutant? And if anyone's skeptical, I've got handcam ready as backup.]
FWIW, this was the president's idea.
Even when I questioned starting with handcam in virtual, she was blunt.
Better to just drop one upfront than deal with endless suspicion.
Pathfinder does handcams pretty often anyway.
Of course, only if push comes to shove. Best if it never does.
But... odds are it will.
[Arian: Handcam right out the gate...?]
[Veronica: You did it debut too. Fell for that body-bait troll.]
[Arian: ...Ah.]
[Veronica: President's cool with it too. Was gonna go public as a mutant anyway. Gotta prove the one-hand thing somehow.]
[Arian: So, what kind of mutant?]
[Veronica: Crow-type mutant.]
* * *
Before long, A-yun, So-yul, and Ji-an's debut broadcasts wrapped up too.
No spicy edge like Veronica's, but each nailed their charm and steadily built solid viewerbases.
If anything, Veronica's fireworks boosted interest in the other third-gens.
Fans desperately wanted to know if they were all cut from the same cloth.
And once they saw the others were normal, the fandom breathed a collective sigh of relief.
[Thank god the others are normal lololol]
Was legit worried she'd set a psycho precedent, but the rest seem chill?
-That screams WWE staged beef, right? UFC has kayfabe sometimes too.
-Could be, but Arian gets legit salty when she gets picked off in games;;
-Tries to play it cool but her win streak obsession is hilarious lol
[If Kim Haesol's got balls, collab them next stream]
Mandatory lololol
Real UFC? No collab possible ㅇㅇ
-For real
-But her haters seem extra pissed this time. Hope she can handle the toxic ones lololol ㅇㅇ
-Arian stans are rabid, and they felt dissed toward their queen on top of it;;
Pathfinder responded that it was all just broadcast planning and announced the Arian-Veronica collab.