I May Be a Virtual Youtuber, but I Still Go to Work
Chapter 199

There wasn't anything particularly special, but

Magia was able to form quite a strong bond of friendship with the members she interacted with at the gathering.

Especially as the drinking session deepened, it naturally turned into a singing session, and that's when her true talent came to light.

Shakei, heavily drunk, playfully pointed at people, saying things like, “This one can’t sing,” and “That one can sing,” making each person try singing a song.

Magia, without hesitation, flawlessly performed the songs of the people she was pointed out to.

You know, when singing the same song, some people struggle to reach high notes, while others can effortlessly glide through them, hitting every note smoothly and gently?

Magia was the latter.

She even covered most songs with a range so absurdly wide that it seemed almost unreal.

The drunken group had fun, making her sing all sorts of songs, as if they had found a new jukebox.

After that proper initiation, it was already late at night.

The men, exhausted from the drinks and fatigue, went to sleep in the house across the hallway, while the women rested somewhere in Kiri’s house.

Magia, though, stayed wide awake and followed Kiri around, helping with the cleanup.

Her habit of helping with post-party cleanups at the company and her usual nocturnal lifestyle made it possible for her to do this.

Kiri must’ve appreciated it, because she left Magia with these words:

“I’ll show you how quickly I can release the cover song once I start.”

Magia, clearly stating that she hoped there wouldn't be any issues with Kiri’s schedule, agreed.

Kiri assured her that since the gathering coincided with her holiday, there was no need to worry about time.

“You know, if I want to help someone like you, who's growing so fast, I need to keep up the pace, right?”

Anyway, the chaotic gathering came to an end.

The next day, for the Bachubachu headquarters visit, Magia, though late, slept in the vacant bed Kiri had shown her.

***

The next morning, when Magia woke up in Kiri’s bed, there was a bit of a commotion.

She had apparently taken the place of the “god’s” bed, which was not acceptable.

Magia had just laid there because the homeowner was sleeping there, not realizing the issue.

After apologizing, it was revealed that this, too, was part of the initiation.

Immediately after, Magia made a resolve—

Next time they met, she would definitely prank Kiri a lot more.

She wanted to tease, but still felt a little distant, so she held back.

Clearly, she’d poked the wrong bear.

The next event was the visit to Bachubachu’s headquarters.

Since Magia was an outsider, she couldn’t enter the office, but she could at least tour the reception desk, gates, and the waiting room for outsiders.

When Magia and Cheon Do-hee had done preliminary research for Parallel’s establishment three years ago, they had received help from Bachubachu and Yoruas, but back then, they had never entered the headquarters building, so even just seeing the entrance was exciting for Magia.

The building was huge.

“We could build a building like this one day,” “We should,” they had said.

Anyway, Bachubachu had grown even more in the three years since their «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» last visit.

The original huge building now had an additional structure beside it, a large but low one.

“The building... grew, didn’t it?”

“That’s it. The world’s largest motion studio, built two years ago.”

“Oh, that 30 billion won one?”

“Yeah. Pretty massive, right?”

“Really massive.”

It was a scale that was just enviable.

We had to rent space every time we wanted to hold an online concert.

Being rich really is the best, isn’t it?

Of course, Bachubachu had put in an enormous amount of effort to reach this point, so there was no denying that.

Magia just envied them.

No jealousy or resentment.

‘We’ll be fine soon enough, anyway...’

Once our studio, which is currently under construction and is about five times the size of the one next door, is done, it should be enough to cover at least up to our third generation.

Yeah.

It’s a little frustrating, but we’re still doing well.

Magia clenched her fist, determined not to be outdone by Bachubachu’s momentum, and strutted into the building with an exaggerated, confident step.

After reaching the gate, she filled in the visitor information and submitted her passport and business card.

The employee who had been smiling at her throughout the process glanced at the documents and tilted his head.

First, he was surprised to see that Magia was born in the year 00.

Then he was surprised to find out she worked at Parallel.

“You’re from Parallel...?”

The gate employee looked over at Iyura.

Magia wondered why, but the reason was quite unexpected.

“Iyura... Even if she’s an acquaintance, bringing an employee from a competitor directly into the headquarters like this...”

“I trust her. And look, she’d probably get mistaken for a lost child if she wandered around on her own. So I brought her. Please let her stay in the waiting room for outsiders.”

“Just a moment. I’ll report this to the higher-ups and let you know.”

Iyura seemed a little sorry for the delay and apologized, but Magia was actually in a good mood.

“Did you hear what they just said?”

“...? What?”

“They called us competitors.”

While Iyura tilted her head, Magia was already celebrating in her mind.

Bachubachu officially recognizes Parallel as a competitor (yay!).

Magia, who’d been working every day with the thought of at least getting a finger on Bachubachu’s ankle, couldn’t have hoped for a better evaluation.

‘Are we almost to their level...?’

When the rain is heavy, people don’t worry too much if it only reaches their ankles.

They think, “This will pass soon enough.”

But once the water rises to the knees, and the walking becomes hard, that’s when things get worrisome.

How long will this rain last?

If the water reaches my waist, or worse, my neck...

Three years ago, when Magia and Cheon Do-hee visited Japan, they were welcomed by a mid-level manager from Bachubachu’s managing team, who had no problem giving them some insider information.

That was possible because they didn’t pose any threat at all.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

But now, just by showing up with Iyura, they had to report to the higher-ups. There was clearly a lot more caution this time.

It must be because of the offline concert...

A rival.

Bachubachu and us, rivals.

For now, we’re still at the stage where we’re just trying to grab Bachubachu’s ankles and say, “I’m your rival!”

But hey, that’s something, right?

Soon enough, the employee returned after finishing the call and approached Magia, who had been waiting on the sofa.

Iyura had to go up first for her schedule.

“They said it’s fine for you to stay in the waiting room for outsiders.”

“Thank you for your kindness.”

“No problem. I’m actually sorry for the delay.”

“It didn’t feel like an issue at all.”

“Our team leader said, next time, just submit a visitor request as a Parallel employee in advance.”

“Really?”

“Yes. If there’s no meeting with our staff, you won’t be able to enter the building, but for other matters, we’ll guide you to the waiting room directly, just like today.”

“Thanks.”

Whether rude or not, Magia was just enjoying herself.

Her smile didn’t fade, and it felt even better to confirm Parallel’s growth outside the country for the first time.

***

Magia's happiness continued into the following week.

Kiri's cover song was completed at an unbelievable speed.

On October 31st, ten days after the exchange event on October 21st,

it was posted on Kiri's YouTube just two days before the offline concert ticket sales closed.

[🥔Nutube]

Common Fan (Fan_C) - Kiri Cover

Kiri🎵 | 9.429 million subscribers

Views: 1.81 million | 16 hours ago | Trending Video #1

#Fan_C #Common_Fan #Kiri #Saturn

In just one day, the views hit 1.8 million.

The emotional line, similar to her song My Song, where she sang about her feelings for her senior, caught attention.

The video quickly climbed to the top of the trending charts, and Fan_C, the utaite, was introduced to the world.

Naturally, the surge in interest was also reflected back positively on the original version, Fan_C's YouTube.

[🥔Nutube]

Common Fan - Fan_C

Fan_C🎵 | 1 million subscribers

Views: 2.41 million | 2 months ago

#Fan_C #Common_Fan #CAT

Although it was her debut song, which had initially not caused a huge stir,

after the release of Frenemy last month, and now with Kiri's cover, it experienced a resurgence.

People's evaluations were pretty consistent.

Although Kiri did an impressive performance, the cover, which was made hastily before the holiday, didn't have the same overall polish as the songs Kiri had previously released.

On the other hand, Fan_C's debut track was filled with effort, and the music video, produced with full commitment by CAT Entertainment, and the insane mixing quality stood out.

Because of this, comparing the two was essentially impossible—

It was just a matter of taste, and the general consensus was that both were exceptional in their own way.

Countless experts began to back up the claim that Fan_C was truly a skilled singer.

Two days later, on Concert D-1, when ticket sales ended at 5 PM, a loud cheer erupted from the CEO's office, where the staff had gathered.

“Sold out!”

“Sold out!!”

The day before had been the last day for full refunds, so there were some canceled tickets.

There had been some internal debate about whether it would sell out,

but in the end, it was a complete success.

The name value of Parallel, proven by Bachubachu, and the attention poured onto Fan_C combined to create this triumph.

“This is thanks to Magia, our team leader. If Kiri hadn't done the cover, the last-minute push would’ve been hard.”

“I was even considering revealing Fan_C’s identity to stir up some drama. But I held back that secret weapon.”

At the mention of the “secret weapon,” Team Leader Ra Seunghyun asked,

“Right, you made a good call. If we’re not revealing the identity, you better not mess up the opening stage. Got it?”

For this concert, all four first-generation members would be performing on stage in 3D.

I would be the first to appear on stage, singing Common Fan as a representative of the fans. Afterward, I would thank the fans and the first-generation members, then sing Finish Line, the group song I featured in, and exit.

While people would only see my silhouette,

since I had already appeared on broadcast in various ways (even in 3D broadcasts),

there was always the risk that my words or actions could give me away.

However, the chance of a mistake was extremely low.

I would be speaking in English, and since my accent is a mix of my mom's and dad's, any slight change in tone would likely go unnoticed by most.

And just to be safe, I wouldn’t move a muscle.

I’d turn into a stiff log, so to speak.

“Are the subtitles ready?”

“Yep. You’ll stick to the script, right?”

“Of course.”

Congratulations on the grand offline concert.

Because of you, I am able to sing today.

You’ve been my beacon, and I look forward to your continued brilliant performances.

Parallel, fighting!

I love you, and thank you always.

After singing the first-generation group song I featured in, I would exit, and that would be the end of my role as Fan_C on stage.

Unless something went wrong with the performance, I would be busy supporting the members from behind the scenes, so there would be no need for me to reappear in front of the crowd.

This concert was the dream and ideal for the members.

It was a festival to be enjoyed by both the members and the fans.

Honestly, if I had any worries, it would be for the kids.

This was the first offline stage for both the first and second-generation members.

I hoped they wouldn’t make any mistakes.

With my palm extended toward the sky, I said,

“Shall we give a fighting cheer?”

The team leaders in the CEO’s office all put their hands on top of mine.

Finally, Cheon Do-hee added her hand and shouted,

“Offline concert, fighting!!!”

“Fighting!!!”