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

Parallel 1st Anniversary Online Concert Pre-Event <Another 1 Year>

Broadcast Start Time: 6:00 PM

However, since various technical tests and equipment setups needed to be done, most streams started a little earlier than their scheduled time.

That was why the pre-event broadcast went live at around 5:45 PM.

[Parallel / PARALLEL]
@parallel_official | 142K Followers
Official channel of the VTuber group, Parallel.

[(🔴Live) Pre-Event | Online Concert on November 12 at 3:00 PM!] 👪 18,028 viewers
#Parallel #Another #1stAnniversary #PreEvent

It was the weekend.

Excitement had been building from the 3D showcase relay.
The first-gen fans, deprived of content due to concert preparations, were desperate for something to watch.

On top of that, Magia—who, despite being a skilled gamer, had always avoided lengthy conversations—was now participating in a 4-hour stream.

Some tuned in just out of curiosity, wondering how the infamous smoke bomb troll would handle being a host.
Others joined in to see Staff D’s fully rigged model after the rumors spread.

By the time the official start time approached, the stream had already surpassed the expected peak viewership.

[Chat Before Start]
— OPEN THE DOOOOORRRRRRR
— Open up!
— (Open the door, con)
— Let us in, host!
— Movgun: OPEN THE DOOR!!!
— ?
— Was that the REAL Movgun just now?
— We KNOW Staff D is there
— OPEN THE DOOR!!!!
— OPEN!!!!!!!!
— Wait, did I just see something I wasn’t supposed to? LOL
— Hand over Staff D, and no one gets hurt!
— Bring out the kidnapped Staff D!!!

First, Do-hee ran a mic test.

"Ah-ah. Mic check, one-two-three. Mic check, one-two-three."

The moment her voice cut through the background music, chat exploded.

— Boss Mo, hiii~
— Moha!
— Moha-moha!
— I was dying all week without a Momo stream 😭
— The showcase was amazing, Boss Mo!
— MongMongs were FREEZING TO DEATH out here…
— Wow, what an angelic voice.
— UN-DENG-YI DDDDD
— Undengyi? LMAO

:: Anonymous has donated 1,000 Clouds! ::
:: Undengyi can only be revived by Staff D’s voice. Donate 1004-1004 to save Undengyi! ::

— Wandichan, MagitenSHIIIIII
— Hurry up and speak!
— FASTER!!!!
— PLEASE, JUST DO IT

Then, it was Magia’s turn.

"One, two, three."

That was it.

No follow-up. Nothing.

Even though the actual stream was about to start in a few minutes, the chat could not handle waiting.

— ?
— That’s it?
— Say more!!
— Why so short?!
— So… are you debuting today?
— Show us the model, heuuung~
— Even short lines are nice.
— (Bangs desk, con)
— Ehehehe, Wandichan~

Momo was supposed to be the real VTuber here.

But somehow, the chat’s reaction was exactly the same whether she or Staff D spoke.

"MongMongs, if I catch any of you acting feral, I’m banning you from my stream."

— Wait, what?!
— Alt account ON.
— You think I only have one account, Momo?
— Instant disguise mode activated.
— LOLLL~

:: Anonymous has donated 10,000 Clouds! ::
:: Who cares? I’ll just watch on my alt. Both accounts have 78 months of subscription anyway~ ::

— Damn, this guy is for real LOL
— BOTH accounts are 78 months, wtf LOL
— I’m making money off you, keep paying that friend fee!

Time kept ticking forward.

5:59 PM.

With her mic muted, Do-hee turned to Gia.

"From here on out, I won’t be giving you any more directions. Just assume everything outside the script is pure ad-lib until the stream ends."

"Got it. I’ll trust you, Boss."

For the record, Do-hee did trust Magia.

And Magia trusted Do-hee.

Which meant… there shouldn’t be any major issues.

The real challenge was figuring out how Gia could redirect the overwhelming attention on her toward the first-gen members.

She had pulled off miracles during the Movgun civil war.

She would have to do it again.

"Don’t push yourself too hard. If it gets tough, just let me know."

"Understood."

Even though it looked like Do-hee and Magia were leading the event together—

Tonight, Magia was the chaos.

And Do-hee’s job was to steer the ship, making sure it didn’t sink.

To the viewers, it was all part of the act.

The stage was set.

10 seconds.
5 seconds.
2 seconds.
1 second.

The clock hit 6:00 PM.

Do-hee switched to Screen 1—the pre-prepared introduction scene.

Before diving into the main event, this part was for the two hosts to introduce themselves and chat for a bit.

The screen showed a news desk-style setup, with Do-hee seated slightly off-center.

"Hello, Woldeungs! I’m Shirahoshi Momo, the star shining in Parallel’s sky! I’ll be your host for tonight’s pre-event. It’s great to see you all!"

— WAAAAAAHHHHHHH
— 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
— Good to see you, Momo~

"The weather is getting colder, isn’t it? It’s only mid-November, but it already feels impossible to go outside without a heavy coat."

— Yeah…
— It’s cold, brr.
— But if Momo is here, I’m warm~

"Aww, thanks. I feel warmer because of you guys too! But you know what? It still feels a little chilly tonight. Hosting alone can be lonely… So, I brought someone with me! Let’s call them out together! Staff D, come on in!"

— STAFF D, COME OUT!!!
— Get in here!
— If you don’t come out, we’re dragging you by the hair!!!
— STAFF D! STAFF D! STAFF D! STAFF D! STAFF D!

Then, a girl with deep blue hair and piercing blue eyes gracefully rose from the bottom of the screen.

It was the same model used during the Movgun civil war and the Naore collab with Komari.

But tonight was different.

This model reacted to even the slightest movement—mirroring every little shift, every tilt of the head.

A fully rigged, living avatar.

Deputy Magia.

Right on cue, Do-hee placed two pastel-colored nameplates in front of them.

One pink panel, labeled Shirahoshi Momo.
One navy panel, labeled Deputy Magia.

"Hello, everyone. It’s nice to officially introduce myself. I’ll be co-hosting today’s event with our CEO. Until now, you’ve known me as ‘Staff D,’ but I’m actually Deputy Magia from Parallel’s operations team. I look forward to today!"

Two weeks ago, the model behind that navy panel had been stiff and lifeless.

Now, its gentle blinking and shy smile mirrored her every move, like a reflection in a glass.

And that was a direct hit to the hearts of the viewers—especially those who had been obsessing over Staff D.

[Chat Explodes]
— LOOOOOOOOOOOL
— KYYYYYYYYYYYYYYA
— OH MY GOD
— UHYOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
— I BELIEVED IN YOU, PINO!!!!!!!!!!!
— HOLY SHIT, IT MOVES LOLLLLLLLL
— KYAAAAAAAAAAKSGKSDHFAKJFHAFJAFHFAJFAGD
— ASCENDED
— HUFF HUFF HUFF HUFF HUFF
— HYPERVENTILATING
— EHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE KYAKYAKYAKYAKYAK
— I CAN DIE HAPPY NOW
— Why is everyone ascending all of a sudden?
— DON’T DIE
— SOMEBODY CALL EMERGENCY SERVICES
— OMG
— KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
— I’M DEAD
— TOO CUTE
— My heart is LOCKED UP
— Deputy LOL
— CUTE!
— IS THIS A DEBUT?!
— DAMN IT, MY STAFF D IS MOVING
— I’m so glad she’s alive
— How is this a company employee???
— TOO CUTE, CHU~
— NUOOOOOOOHHHHHHH LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
— HELP I CAN’T BREATHE
— If she has a name, it’s basically a debut, right? LOL
— (RIP Chat Con)@@novelbin@@

So many messages flooded in at once that the chat lagged—it would freeze, then suddenly surge upward in one massive wave.

And then—

BAM BAM BAM!

:: PIN0 has donated 100,000 Clouds! ::
:: MAGIA!!!!!!!!!!! ::

:: PIN0 has donated 100,000 Clouds! ::
:: MAGI!!!!!!!!! ::

:: PIN0 has donated 100,000 Clouds! ::
:: TENSHI!!!!!!!!! ::

— OH SHIT, IT’S REALLY HIM LOL
— LMAOOOOO THIS GUY IS UNHINGED
— YOU FINALLY DID IT, YOU LOLICON!!
— PAPA LOLICON!! YOU MADLAD!!
— BUT DAMN, LOOK AT THE QUALITY OF THIS RIGGING LOL. PINO NEVER MISSES.

Three consecutive $100 donations.

Just like that, Pino took first place on this month’s donation ranking for the official channel.

Since Parallel’s main channel rarely had live streams, the leaderboard was practically just him—but the fact that he opened with a $300 total was still a milestone.

"Gia, you need to do a donation reaction."

Because even non-streamers weren’t exempt from donation reactions.

Friends. Family. Siblings. Casual guests.

EVERYONE bowed before the sacred act of donation reactions.

"Oh. I didn’t prepare one."

"Then let’s make one now?"

"Hmm."

Any donation over $10 was considered a big donation.
Any donation over $100 was considered a gigantic donation.

A simple "Thank you so much!" would not cut it.

Gia thought about it for a moment.

Since she wasn’t a real VTuber, RP (roleplaying) felt pointless.

Her character sheet had a witch theme, but without a robe or hat, she looked more like a regular office worker.

There was no need for magic spells or fancy gimmicks.

For now, she was just a company employee. A worker. A normal Staff D.

"Thank you, Pino. Out of the 300,000 Clouds you donated, a portion will be taken as a platform fee by Pazzik."

"The remaining amount will be allocated to first-gen’s new costumes, original songs, group covers, and other content production expenses."

"In other words, your donation will be wisely invested as business funds for Parallel."

"Thank you for supporting the settlement and activities of our first-generation travelers from another dimension."

A completely expressionless, monotone corporate response.

Even the most seasoned viewers had never seen anything like it before.

— ?
— LOLOLOLOL
— WHAT THE HELL IS THIS
— Excuse me????
— No way LMAOOOOOO
— This… feels too real…
— Cute voice, but such a lifeless reaction LOL
— It has a weird appeal…
— Why does Wandichan sound like a bitter old office worker…

And yet—despite everything—the message was clear.

The worldbuilding was flawless.

The first-gen members of Another had the lore of being mystical travelers from another Earth.

So naturally, Gia’s deadpan corporate speech about donation funds helping them settle in made perfect sense.

Even Do-hee decided to lean into it.

"Gia, don’t you think that was a little… too formal?"

"I work in an office. It’s only natural for me to be formal."

Since the serious tone kept going, chat took it as a roleplay hook and ran with it.

— Fair point, LOL
— HAHAHAHA
— OH, SO IT’S LIKE THAT?
— Got it. She’s a financial manager.
— Understood. She handles interdimensional assets.
— Oh, this is a Men in Black situation.

The Movgun viewers—who were still new to VTuber culture—looked confused.

But this was VTubing 101.

If someone didn’t fit into the lore, you forced them in.

Gia knew this.

She didn’t resist.

She simply let chat decide her fate.

It was her survival strategy—to minimize her own ego and blend into whatever they wanted her to be.

And just like that, chat had decided her identity:

A corporate administrator managing four otherworldly travelers.

Ironically, this wasn’t far from reality.

Much like an author writing a story based on their personal experiences—

When fiction and reality blurred, the words just flowed naturally.

"Thank you for the 10,000 Clouds."

"I’m not sure if Parallel is a black company or not, but… last week, I took paid leave and still ended up coming to work."

For a brief moment—chat went silent.

Then—

THE CHAINS CAME OFF.

— ?
— ??
— WAIT, WHAT???
— HUH?
— WHAT DO YOU MEAN
— EXCUSE ME?!
— HELLO????
— WHAT IS GOING ON
— WAIT A SECOND
— DID SHE JUST
— SHE TOOK LEAVE AND STILL WORKED????
— GIA GIA, WHAT ARE YOU SAYING

The stage was set.

From here on out—

The chat was never going to let this go.