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

I explained the situation to the security guard and considered bringing her into the monitoring room where I was staying.

But then I realized letting her sleep in the company office might bring up all sorts of legal complications—special allowances, workplace policies, and other annoying bureaucratic headaches.

An internet café was an option, but if she fell asleep there, she might wreck her back.

There weren’t any nearby saunas, either.

After some thought, I decided to take her to a 24-hour room café nearby.

It had heated floors, plenty of blankets and cushions, and was a decent enough place to rest for the night.

After I paid for the room and we stepped inside, Seung-yeon looked around in awe.

“Thank you! I’ve never been to a place like this before!”

It was only my second time here too.

The first time was with the CEO.

Before Parallel leased the Eunha Building, we had scouted out office spaces, and the timing was a bit off, so we stopped by here to rest.

The CEO had pulled an all-nighter streaming the night before and needed a nap, so I found this place.

While she slept inside, I sat outside watching a Bathtub Bathtub stream.

I still remember it vividly—the legendary warship, Sango Libya, and the rest of the Bathtub crew.

"I’m Wolf."
That mafia-style deduction game was a masterpiece.
Especially that clutch chandelier drop by Libya, taking out three people for a game-winning turnaround—

“Um… Magia?”

“Oh.”

I had gotten lost in my own nostalgia again.

I smiled slightly and turned back to Seung-yeon.

“For now, just rest here until your interview tomorrow. If you need anything, you can use the café’s amenities. I’ve already covered the cost.”

“Ugh. Thank you so much. I feel awful for showing up too early and being such a burden…”

“Better than showing up late.”

If she had shown up late, the CEO would have gone full blindfolded dual-wielding demon mode and booted her on the spot.

I think I mentioned this before—people who showed up drunk or late lost their interview slots despite passing the brutal application process.

Back when the CEO was still streaming regularly, she had never been late once (this was before Parallel’s founding), and she seemed to hold everyone to that same standard now.

Even Dora, who’s chronically late nowadays, had managed to pass the CEO’s strict requirements back then.

A high bar wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“Anyway, I’ll be in the next room getting some sleep. Knock if you need me.”

“Yes…! Thank you so much…!”

I stepped into the neighboring room, locked the door, and immediately set up a cushion.

I needed to sleep.

I had an interview to conduct tomorrow.

This unexpected engagement had already cut into 30 minutes of my sleep…

Just as I was about to drift off—

— Alright, D-Rain, let’s introduce ourselves.
— Oh, hell yeah. Puddles! Drop the Rain from the sky. I’m here to drench this dry land today!

I immediately recognized it.

It was a clip from Find Rain, the game show I had participated in earlier this month.

— Hey, hey. Everyone, shut up. Calm down. It’s so obvious I’m the real one. A-Rain is obviously legit. Why don’t you get it? I’m disappointed in you.
— What the—this is crazy. A, chill. No matter how hard you try, the Puddles aren’t falling for it. It’s me. I’m the real D-Rain.

I already knew Seung-yeon was a Parallel fan.

…But watching highlight clips instead of sleeping when she had an interview in just a few hours? That was unexpected.

Is she really fine with skipping sleep?

I didn’t care if she stuttered during the interview.

Her job wouldn’t require much public speaking anyway.

But if she walked in looking like a sleep-deprived zombie, that was a different issue.

Well, she’ll figure it out herself.

She must have wanted this job badly to show up here at 2 AM.

With that level of determination, I trusted she’d pull herself together for tomorrow.

Meanwhile…

“…Unbelievable.”

Gong Seung-yeon was tired.

But she couldn’t stop replaying that voice in her head.

The voice of the person who had just helped her.

It sounded familiar.

Similar to the girls, but subtly more polished—like someone used to the working world.

So, she immediately opened Rain’s YouTube channel and rewatched two videos.

Then, she watched Dora’s Pandemic Village stream.

Finally, she skimmed through Komari’s “Holding Back Advice” challenge.

And the realization hit her like a truck.

“…Is it really StaffD?”

She had been suspicious ever since they met.

But the more she replayed the voice, the more convinced she became.

Didn’t StaffD always complain about being too busy to stream?

And yet here she was, sitting in an office where the lights were completely off at 2 AM.

“Even the panel looks just like them…”

The last video she rewatched was Komari’s "Holding Back Advice" challenge—the one where StaffD appeared.

The only difference between the 2D StaffD panel and the real-life StaffD she just met was the dimension.

It reminded her of those AI-powered real-life redraw filters that were trending on YouTube Shorts for a while.

If you took StaffD’s 2D panel and ran it through an AI filter, it would probably spit out Magia’s real-life face.

The most shocking part?

Even Gong Seung-yeon, a hardcore 2D enthusiast, found herself slightly drawn to the real-life version.

She had zero interest in 3D people.

But even an anti-3D fanatic like her had to admit—

Magia looked… kind of cool.

“…No way. There’s no way I’ll actually be working with them… right?”

She completely forgot that Magia was in the office until 2 AM.@@novelbin@@

It didn’t even register that StaffD had been the hottest topic among Parallel fans lately.

They were an enigmatic figure, keeping a low profile despite insane demand for them to stream.

And now—this person was her potential future coworker?

“…Holy sht. Holy sht. Holy sh*t. No way. If this is real—wow.”

But she shook her head.

What mattered was the interview tomorrow.

A sleep-deprived brain wouldn't function properly.

So she set an alarm, closed her eyes, and focused on getting some rest.

Tomorrow, she would prove herself.

***

"Hello…"

"Welcome, Gong Seung-yeon. Please have a seat."

"Ah, yes. Yes."

Following Cheon Do-hee’s lead, Gong Seung-yeon sat down, but her eyes shook like an earthquake had struck.

She had run countless simulations in her head, but never—never—had she imagined Magia would be one of the interviewers.

Wait. Was she actually way higher up than I thought?!

In the center was Momo, the CEO—undeniably.
To her right sat an older man staring daggers at Seung-yeon, like he wanted to murder her.

And then… there was Magia.

A regular employee sitting here? That made no sense.

Her voice sounded young, and the fact that she’d been in the office so late at night made Seung-yeon assume she was some lower-level staff member.

But maybe—just maybe—she had been completely wrong.

A hidden powerhouse disguised as an unassuming girl.
That was Magia.

…I didn’t say anything stupid last night, right? Please tell me I didn’t…

While Seung-yeon’s mind was spiraling into chaos, Cheon Do-hee, who had been flipping through the resume, spoke.

"Let’s start with a one-minute self-introduction."

"Yes!"

No. Focus.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime interview.

Seung-yeon took a deep breath and recited her prepared speech like a machine.

"Hello, my name is Gong Seung-yeon. I graduated from Chungnim University this summer with a degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, and I am currently seeking employment. My hobbies include watching Parallel’s streams and participating in viewer events. My special skill is repairing broken electronic devices. I applied because I want to support the first-gen members of Parallel—whom I cherish deeply—as well as the future generations who will follow them. Thank you!"

Do-hee smiled immediately.

"You repair electronics? Yourself?"

"Ah. Yes. Things like my friends’ phones or tablets. When they suddenly won’t turn on, I try fixing them. I usually get help from YouTube, Google, and GPT…"

"That’s impressive. What do you think, Team Lead?"

Magia—who had been sitting silently to Do-hee’s right—blinked once, then spoke in a clear voice.

"Honestly, professional repairs or replacements are better. The skill itself isn’t that important. What’s more critical is quickly identifying the cause of the malfunction and assessing the damage."

"…Ah."

"I’ll ask you something specific. Let’s say a stream that was running smoothly suddenly crashes. You’re the one responsible for fixing it. Excluding travel time, can you find and fix the issue within 10 minutes upon arrival?"

Magia’s voice was the same as yesterday.

But now, there was an added weight—the realization that Magia wasn’t just an ordinary employee.

And a lingering concern—did I inconvenience her by showing up so late last night?

Both factors combined into a massive pressure weighing on Seung-yeon’s shoulders.

But she had to overcome it.

She wasn’t just here to support the members—she also wanted to work with StaffD.

"Yes. If it’s not a major hardware failure, I believe I can fix it within 10 minutes. But if the equipment is completely fried, I’ll take full responsibility for making an announcement and protecting the VTuber."
"And, of course, I believe the most important thing is prevention. If I’m given this job, I’ll ensure regular maintenance to minimize potential issues."

Magia’s lip twitched slightly—almost like she was amused.

Then, she asked another question.

"As you probably know from watching streams, most broadcasts run late at night. Let’s say it’s past your shift, and you’re home. A major issue occurs. What do you do?"

She tried to look intimidating, but with her pouty expression, she was just… a grumpy girl.

But since Seung-yeon thought Magia was in a high position, she answered with full sincerity.

"I’ll immediately take the call and head over to fix it."

"Even if it’s at, say, 3 or 4 AM?"

"Since the members’ streams run late into the night, I believe that’s just part of the job!"

At that, Magia nodded and smiled.

"Good answer."

…That smile was really cute.

…Wait, why am I thinking that?

Get a grip.

Did I seriously just call a high-ranking person cute in my head?

While Seung-yeon shook her head to snap out of it, Do-hee moved to the next question.

"Let’s talk about your motivation. We already know you’re a fan of Parallel, so let’s skip that part. What I want to hear is how you became a fan and why you decided to apply for this job."

Ssshhh. Haaaah.

Seung-yeon had prepared a long speech for this question.

This was the most important thing she wanted to say.

"Parallel is my sanctuary. I still remember it clearly—it was during my graduation exams, and I was completely drained. That’s when I happened to hear Komari’s cover of Top of the Top."

She took a brief pause.

"It was pure coincidence. I had stopped by an internet café for research, and an employee was playing it in the background."

Top of the Top.

An upbeat J-pop song with energetic guitar sessions, violin highlights, and snare drum accents, designed to maximize excitement.

The lyrics carried a powerful message—

No matter what obstacles come your way, push forward with courage and hope.

"I’ve been learning Japanese since I was young, so I understood the lyrics right away. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be anxious. Be brave. Hearing those words—especially in Komari’s powerful voice—filled me with determination."

Before, she had almost given up on her studies.

But after hearing that song, her motivation exploded like a volcano.

At this, the HR director stifled a laugh.

It was rare for a nervous applicant to speak so flawlessly and with such passion—and her phrasing was just plain entertaining.

"So from that day on, I decided—if I ever got the chance to use my electrical engineering skills, I would join Parallel. No matter how tough or exhausting the work might be, I’d do everything I could for the members."

She sat up straight.

"This application is the result of that resolution. If you hire me, I will give my all."

When someone speaks with true love and sincerity, it’s impossible not to feel it.

Even Magia gave a small nod.

"You really love Komari. Is she your oshi?"

"Yes! I’m a Golden Leaf!"

"Wow, then you must’ve donated a lot."

"Hehehe… It’s a little embarrassing, but over ten months, I’ve donated about five million won…"

"Where did you get that money? This is your first time job-hunting, right?"

"I took on every part-time job I could find. If I wanted to send Komari encouragement, I had to do that much."

"Then… did you watch Komari’s Holding Back Advice challenge stream?"

"Ah."

Her expression fell immediately.

"I was busy preparing for the interview, so I only watched the edited version…"

"At least you saw it. That’s good."

"Yes…! It was fun seeing a different side of her! Especially when StaffD was trying so hard not to swear during that awful movement sequence—he kept repeating the same words over and over. Komari, who usually never makes mistakes, kept messing up, and it was hilarious…"

Magia chuckled.

"Yeah, that part was funny. Did you watch the Rubber Duck House stream the next day?"

"I was worried about Komari’s mental state. She got over 1,000 cursed donations that day…"

Magia smirked.

"So, did you send any cursed videos?"

"………No."

Magia stared.

"Are you sure?"

After a long silence, Seung-yeon clenched her fists.

"…Actually, I sent 51."

Silence.

Then—

Magia jumped out of her seat and declared—

"Hired."