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

Gia called Do-hee on her way to work.

“So… you’re saying you’re going to wait at Dora’s apartment today?”

[Yes.]

It was a surprising move for Do-hee, as Magia had never suggested anything like this before.

She had been serving as the general manager overseeing the first-generation members for over a year under Cheon Do-hee’s directive.
And yet, she had never personally met with them for meals or built any private friendships with them.

Even when she collaborated with Rain, standing on the same stage without hesitation, she still saw herself as nothing more than Lighting Fixture No.1 on that stage. That attitude hadn’t changed at all.

Just as she treated Do-hee as her CEO at the company—though she had become a little cheekier lately, she was still excellent at following orders—she maintained the same professional distance with the first-gen members, seeing them strictly as idols she needed to support.

Even just looking at their recent chat logs made that clear.

[Rain: Gia Gia Gia Gia Gia Gia Gia]
[Parallel Operations Team - Magia: Yes.]
[Rain: Dinner today? Yes?]
[Parallel Operations Team - Magia: No.]
[Rain: WHY?]

[Dora: Don’t be like that, I’ll just pretend my equipment’s broken.]
[Dora: Let’s all meet up at my place, hahaha.]
[Parallel Operations Team - Magia: Please keep that kind of talk out of group chats I’m in.]
[Dora: Hng.]
[Rain: LOLOLOLOLOL are you dumb?]
[Dora: What are you even saying, you forklift?]
[Rain: I’ll kick your ass.]
[Dora: (sticking tongue out emoji)]

[Komari: ㅠㅠ]
[Komari: Gia, you don’t want to hang out with us, do you?]
[Parallel Operations Team - Magia: No stealth guilt-tripping.]
[Komari: So mean.]
[Parallel Operations Team - Magia: Just pick a game for tomorrow already.]
[Komari: (puffed cheeks emoji) (pouting emoji)]
[Komari: (crying waterfall emoji)]
[Parallel Operations Team - Magia: Pick a game for tomorrow, attempt #2.]
[Komari: ㅡㅡ]
[Dora: Mari, come here, big sis will hug you.]
[Komari: Big sisssssss.]

[Maru: I mean, we’ll just see each other at work anyway, right?]
[Maru: Why are you all so desperate to meet up earlier?]
[Komari: Whoa, true.]
[Komari: Our first-anniversary motion capture is next week, right?]
[Rain: WHAT THE—]
[Rain: Maru, are you a genius?]

This was exactly why Gia wasn’t someone you could just pull in closer by tugging harder.

Some people joke that playing tug-of-war with a wall is pointless, and trying to get Gia to join in on their fun felt exactly like that.

Even if one member took a break, the others would still stream.
Even if all the first-gen members rested, Momo—who was practically an honorary employee—would still be streaming, which meant Gia’s primary job of monitoring never stopped.

If the first-gen members really wanted to push, they could force it.

Gia was small and cute, after all. Aside from Komari, who was around 150 cm, the rest of them could easily overpower her.

And yet, despite the size difference, none of them dared to pounce on Gia outright.

After all, how often do you find someone willing to rush over in the middle of the night to fix your streaming setup?

And it wasn’t just about the technical issues. When they struggled to pick a game, Magia’s recommendations were always eerily on point.

She knew the entire history of their streams and could instantly pinpoint games they hadn’t played in a while, selecting them like a perfect kill pass.

On top of that, she constantly gave off “I’m the designated introvert of the group” energy, so if they kept pushing and she decided to quit because she was uncomfortable?
That would just make things awkward for everyone.

Everyone knew how much CEO Cheon Do-hee valued Magia, so getting on her bad side would be career suicide.

So, today as well, the first-gen members would just have to keep watching from the sidelines, unable to close the distance between them and Magia…

Or so they thought.

But now, out of nowhere, Magia herself had volunteered to go.

Do-hee started listing off all the excuses Magia had given her in the past.

“You sure about this? If you’re there, you won’t be able to monitor the other streams properly.”

[I’ll bring my phone and tablet.]

“You always complain that the screen’s too small.”

[Well, it’s good practice to learn how to work from anywhere, right? You never know when I might need to go on another broadcast, just like you said.]

The moment she heard that, Do-hee immediately understood Magia’s thought process.

She had always considered herself an employee, someone beneath the first-gen members.
So, she couldn’t freely come and go in their personal spaces like a friend.

But maybe, after streaming with Rain, Gia had started to realize—

Have I been keeping too much distance from them this whole time?

Of course, Magia’s mind was a black hole of unpredictability, so trying to guess what she was thinking was meaningless.

Still, Do-hee was grateful that she had agreed to wait at Dora’s place.

Whether she left from the office or her own home, the commute took twenty minutes either way.
And at night, even a twenty-minute delay in fixing audio issues could be disastrous, sending viewers straight to bed and tanking the stream’s momentum.

That said, Do-hee still had some concerns about sending Gia alone.

“You do realize Dora might latch onto you once you’re there, right?”

[Ah.]

Gia muttered as if only now remembering something.

How long ago had it been?

Dora and Komari had played ten rounds of Nintendo mini-games, betting on who would be stuck playing a horror game as a penalty.

Komari had lost spectacularly.

When the time came, she cried so hard she couldn’t even progress, forcing Gia to go over to her place out of sheer concern.
And once she got there, Komari had practically turned into a stuffed toy in Dora’s arms, watching the entire horror game from within the safety of her embrace.

Even though Komari was one of the braver members, having Dora constantly jumping in fear behind her had made her scream along too. It was adorable.

Her unusually animated reactions that night had led to record-breaking views on the main stream, edited clips, and highlight reels.

And the reason this story mattered today—

Magia might end up playing Komari’s role this time.

Understanding Do-hee’s implication, Gia muttered,

[Well… If Dora can’t stream properly, there’s no helping it.]

Of course, she made sure to tack on her real thoughts afterward.

[It’d be better if someone else went instead. But it’s late, and they all have their own streams, so calling them over is tricky.]

Honestly, if she could just stop mumbling after saying something responsible, she’d be even cuter.

Not that it mattered—she was already plenty adorable.

After all, what boss wouldn’t appreciate an employee who just handled things without being asked?

[By the way, CEO. What if the other members are still streaming? I won’t be able to monitor them.]

“I’ll tell their managers to handle it. If something urgent comes up, they’ll contact you directly.”

[Got it.]

And lately, her speech had softened so much that even when she was being cheeky, she just seemed cute.

Before hanging up, Do-hee gave her one last warning.

It was something they both already knew, but it was still worth saying.

“If you do get caught, just watch what you say. It’s fine if your voice gets picked up, but be mindful.”

[Of course. I was planning to just sit quietly and watch the chat anyway.]

So, even now, she preferred staying outside the spotlight.

Sure, the viewers would probably prefer if she threw in a few quips here and there…

But if that was how she wanted it, Do-hee had no reason to interfere.

“As long as you’re comfortable, do whatever you want.”

***

A few hours later.

As I was packing up to leave the office, my team leader called out to me.

“Gia, I heard you’re heading over to check on Dora today.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s right.”

“Be careful on your way. I talked to the CEO, and I’ll be staying here tonight.”

“Huh? She only mentioned contacting the managers.”

“Well… that was the plan, but I figured it’d be better if I stayed. I’ve covered for you before when you took time off for hospital visits.”

Right.
Whenever I absolutely had to take a day off, the team leader would push back some of her own work to handle my monitoring duties.@@novelbin@@

Since it only happened once or twice a year, she was always the one to suggest it.

The last time I left my work in her hands was when I caught COVID, wasn’t it?

… Yeah. That time seriously felt like I was about to die.

I was lost in thought, recalling the start of the year, when my team leader gently nudged me toward the office exit.

“Hurry up and go. Don’t worry about things here. I’ll only call if it’s something I really can’t handle.”

Kang Ji-ho laughed softly as she walked me all the way to the office entrance.

Just as I was about to leave, I paused for a moment and said,

“Make sure to lock the office door at night. And when you leave, ask the security guard to walk you out. Call a taxi in advance, too.”

The area was surrounded by office buildings, so by the time I finished work, everything became eerily quiet.
Sometimes, the atmosphere could be overwhelming.

That’s why I gave her the warning, but…

For some reason, my team leader just chuckled and ruffled my hair.

“Sniff… got it. Thanks, Gia.”

… Why is she laughing?

I was being serious.

Still, I bowed politely and left.

By the time I stepped outside, a message from Dora had popped up.

[Dora: For real?]
[Dora: You’re actually coming, Gia?!]
[Dora: Holy crap.]
[Dora: I feel like I just gained Heavenly Momma’s blessing.]

… She meant Heavenly Thousand Horses.

But Dora’s ditzy charm was part of her appeal, so I let the typo slide.

Sure, a dumb character developing into a genius can be fun, but Dora had a habit of suddenly being randomly brilliant when people least expected it.
She was best left as the cheerful fool she was now.

There was a reason fans constantly said, “Please, just grow up healthy.”

[Dora: Oh]
[Dora: When are you getting here?]
[Me: I got in a taxi.]
[Me: I’ll be there in 20 minutes.]
[Dora: Oh]
[Dora: Uh, sorry, but…]
[Dora: Can you come in an hour instead?]
[Dora: My room is a total disaster right now ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]

Last time, when her audio interface broke, she panicked and opened the door without thinking.
But now that she had time to prepare, she was clearly embarrassed to let me see the mess.

Clothes scattered everywhere, unused exercise equipment doubling as a lingerie rack, neatly stacked empty bottles of water and alcohol…

Not exactly the kind of scene she wanted her fans to imagine.

It wasn’t like her audience didn’t know she was messy, but hearing about it and witnessing it were two completely different things.
The moment reality set in, the illusion would come crashing down.

That said, it was actually better for Dora to leave things as they were.

Even if she cleaned up everything else, she absolutely could not touch her computer setup.

There was no way I was letting expensive equipment get damaged under my watch.

If something broke, I’d have to submit another budget request.

[Me: Okay, I’ll time it for an hour.]
[Me: But don’t touch the soundproof booth.]

[Me: The moment you do, we’re at war.]