I May Be a Virtual Youtuber, but I Still Go to Work-Chapter 157

Magia's oshi, Shirahoshi Momo, was the president of Parallel.

Since she was already a fan of the president, it wasn’t entirely impossible for her to extend that enthusiasm to the company itself.

But understanding something and accepting it were two different things.

After all, not many people in the world could handle a brutal work schedule just because they were "fans" of their job.

Every office worker on the planet had silently agreed on one thing—

People like that should be called lunatics.

‘She’s insane, isn’t she...?’

Of course, Regon couldn’t say that out loud.

Her corporate filter just barely kept it from slipping.

But after the initial shock, she couldn’t avoid reflecting on herself.

Because, strangely enough, her situation and Magia’s were almost identical.

Neither of them became VTubers by choice.

Both had full-time jobs but also had to stream. freeweɓnøvel.com

And yet, Magia was apparently thriving, to the point where people described her as "company-obsessed."

Meanwhile, Regon was practically counting down to her resignation.

‘It’s not me who’s weird, right? She’s the weird one...?’

Since she worked in the front office, every statement she made had to be fact-checked and scrutinized.

Naturally, she started analyzing the differences between herself and Magia.

First, their respective oshis.

Magia’s oshi was her company’s president.

It made sense that she’d have extreme company loyalty if she wanted her oshi to succeed.

But what about Regon?

‘Kesa retired years ago...’

She still supported the company’s players.

But the passion she once had was almost gone.

It was because her favorite pro gamer, Kesa, had retired.

Before leaving, Kesa had asked her to do her best for the younger players.

And she had—

but no matter how hard she worked, it wasn’t the same as doing it for Kesa himself.

If Kesa had still been on the team,

her approach to VTubing would have been completely different.

Maybe she’d have the same energy Magia had during her regular Fantasia streams.

So the environments Magia and Regon worked in were completely different.

With that theory established,

Regon moved on to gathering evidence.

Gong Seung-yeon, who was recording everything, seemed like a good target.

She kept calling Magia "Team Lead," so she was probably in the same department.

“So... do you think the fact that her oshi is Parallel’s president has a big impact on Magia’s company loyalty?”

Seung-yeon paused to check her recording before responding.

“I’d say so. You know how, no matter how much someone wants to be selfless, it’s not easy?

But when it comes to people they genuinely like, they’ll go above and beyond.”

“But watching someone through a screen and liking them as a real person are two different things, right?

Isn’t that even harder for VTuber fans?”

“Oh. That’s true. But...”

There were plenty of cases where fans got too close to their oshi

only to regret learning things they never needed to know.

And it wasn’t just a VTuber thing.

The entire entertainment industry was like that.

People on screen and people in real life could feel completely different.

But the opposite could also happen.

Sometimes, getting close only made it impossible to leave—

because the person behind the screen was just as captivating in reality.

Regon had felt that way about Kesa.

Magia had felt that way about Momo.

“It seems like our Team Lead never had that problem.

She just genuinely likes the president—both as a fan and as an employee.”

And Seung-yeon was another victim of this effect.

“It’s kind of similar for me, actually.

At first, out of our first-gen talents, my favorite was Komari.

Even now, she’s my favorite VTuber.

But in real life? My oshi is someone else.”

“Who?”

“Our Team Lead.”

There was a sparkle in Seung-yeon’s eyes as she said it.

As if she were wordlessly explaining exactly why she worked here,

why she pushed herself harder,

and why she wanted to stay.

“To be honest, when I first started, I thought monitoring streams sounded fun.

But... it’s actually mentally draining.”

“I can imagine. Even our team’s stream managers say that all the time.”

“But when I watch our Team Lead, even when I feel mentally exhausted, I recover fast.”

“Because... she’s cute? Just looking at her is healing?”

“Haha... That’s part of it.

But more than that, it’s because she’s amazing. She’s a total pro.”

Of course, having constant access to her favorite VTuber was appealing.

But Seung-yeon’s job wasn’t easy.

There were constant troll attacks.

People slipping past chatbot filters to send insults and twisted criticisms.

Far too many people thought hiding behind a keyboard gave them a free pass to be horrible.

Just like how staring into the abyss could corrupt a person,

dealing with those people tainted Seung-yeon over time.

It was impossible not to wonder,

How do people this awful even exist?

But every time she was about to break,

Magia was there to ground her.

This had happened countless times over the last six months.

It was only natural that Magia’s presence had become a shining beacon in Seung-yeon’s life.

[Team Lead: Handled it.]

[Team Lead: It’s a recurring type, so just ban them immediately instead of engaging.]

[Our Team Lead: I’ll handle the rest. Focus on something else.]

[Me: But you’re working off-site right now.]

[Me: Just tell me what to do, and I’ll take care of it.]

[Our Team Lead: No.]

[Our Team Lead: That guy’s 100% going to keep making alt accounts to stir up chaos.]

[Our Team Lead: Just follow my instructions.]

[😎Our Team Lead😎: This week's overtime slots are full, right?]

[😎Our Team Lead😎: Go home on time today. I’ll handle the rest when I get to the office.]

[Me: If you’re not resting, I can’t rest either!!]

[😎Our Team Lead😎: Komari is doing a participation stream tonight...]

[Me: I’m logging out now!!]

To Gong Seung-yeon, Magia was a torch cutting through the darkness.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Even after realizing how demanding the job was, she was still standing strong—because of Magia, who was not just a mentor and a dependable senior, but also the very reason she could keep going.

“In short, even though working here isn’t easy, I have someone to go through it with—a colleague and a partner. That’s what our Team Lead is to me. That’s why I call her my real-life oshi.

And I think Magia sees the president in a similar way.”

Regon nodded.

“Thanks for sharing. Magia and I are in similar situations, but she works with so much passion that I had to ask.”

“Oh, now that I think about it, that’s true. You also juggle both work and streaming, right? That’s seriously impressive.”

“Nah... I wouldn’t say I’m doing it well enough to deserve praise....”

“But you’re doing it! Not just anyone can! You should be proud of yourself!”

Thanks to her conversation with Seung-yeon, Regon’s thoughts became crystal clear.

Whether your oshi was close—especially within the company—that was the defining difference between Magia and herself.

A few years ago, when Kesa was still playing, Regon had worked so hard that she barely noticed how exhausted she was.

She wasn’t sure if she had ever worked as hard as Magia, but compared to her current self, she had been a completely different person.

‘If only Kesa was still here....’

Now, all she had left was the mission Kesa entrusted her with—to take care of the younger players.

She was stumbling along an unsteady tightrope called employment, never knowing when she might fall.

***

Surprisingly, it didn’t take long for the two of them to open up about their situations.

Lunchtime.

After eating the famous Dragon Meal at KG Dragons’ cafeteria, they were given a 30-minute break before the next schedule.

Magia had quietly slipped away to the first floor.

The next tour stop was the Hall of Fame, but she wanted to compare what she had studied about the club in advance.

She had considered bringing the other two, but they had locked themselves inside the players’ lounge, determined to try out the massage chairs.

As she stepped out of the elevator, she was greeted by someone who had arrived ahead of her.

“Oh, Magia. Why aren’t you resting upstairs?”

It was Regon.

Magia greeted her with a smile.

“I figured I’d check this place out in advance since it’s our next stop.”

“You’re really thorough... You already knew almost everything about our team when we talked earlier, and you’re still reviewing...?”

“This is a collaboration with clear expectations on both sides.

I need to put in the effort—not just for us, but for KG’s sake, too.”

“We really picked the perfect partner, huh?”

“You’re too kind. But more importantly...”

Magia gestured at the photo Regon had been staring at.

In the picture, Kesa was holding up a trophy, smiling.

And behind him, Regon was clapping with teary eyes.

It was from several years ago, when they won BCK.

“I heard you joined KG Dragons because of Kesa. Is that true?”

It was something Magia had gathered from her pre-visit research.

Regon let out a quiet sigh, trying to hide the bittersweet look on her face.

“Yeah... That was how it started.

Now that he’s retired, I just try my best to honor his will.

I make sure the younger players can focus on their matches.”

“That’s really admirable.”

“Admirable, huh...? I’m just barely holding on. Just barely.”

And then, a thought struck her.

‘What about Magia?’

Pro gamers retired. For idols, there was graduation.

For hardcore fans, those moments were pure hell.

The face they used to see regularly on streams was gone. The voice and mannerisms they loved disappeared.

All that remained were recordings. You could reminisce, but you could never interact again.

Sure, some fans would be satisfied watching old clips for a while.

But eventually, people get tired of rewatching the same things. They would face reality—

“My oshi is gone. The person I loved is no longer here.”

That was exactly what had happened to Regon.

She had worked without stopping for 365 days a year, never noticing how exhausting it all was.

But the moment Kesa retired, her world flipped upside down.

Her boss’s awful personality and pointless scolding suddenly became unbearable. Her low salary, the long commute, the lazy juniors—things she had ignored before became impossible to overlook.

Her workplace, which had once felt like home, had turned into hell.

Would Magia experience the same thing?

She liked Shirahoshi Momo more than anyone.

Wouldn’t Momo’s absence leave a gaping wound in her heart?

“Magia... if...”

Regon hesitated.

It felt wrong to directly ask,

"What if Momo left this industry completely, due to something other than health reasons?"

It felt too insensitive to say aloud.

So she swallowed the question—but Magia had already figured it out from the way she started.

“If the president graduates, I think I’ll make the same choice as you, Regon.”

She had already understood what Regon wanted to ask.

The regret in Regon’s eyes when she stared at Kesa’s [N O V E L I G H T] photo, the way their situations were too similar—it wasn’t hard to piece together.

“Oh. Was that what you were about to ask?”

Regon looked surprised.

She was relieved that Magia had answered the question before she could finish it. But at the same time, she felt uneasy about Magia’s decision.

“You’d stay in the company even without your oshi? Don’t do that. It’s brutal.”

Magia raised both hands slightly, a gesture of respect toward Regon.

“But you’ve already proven it’s possible. You’re enduring it, aren’t you?”

“...Yeah, but I won’t lie. It’s not easy....”

Regon was still hanging on, despite being on the verge of quitting.

And Magia understood why.

She didn’t want Momo to graduate.

But if the worst happened, she had already thought about it many times—and one reason always kept her from leaving.

“If we keep going, everything we built with our oshi stays alive longer in people’s memories.”

Regon’s eyes widened.

Magia continued, looking straight at her.

“An oshi’s legacy is ultimately decided by their fans.”