The next morning.
Dohee, who had just woken up, was checking the messages she received overnight on TingTalk when she noticed one from someone she was happy to hear from.
[Moogun] (3)
“…What’s this? What’s going on?”
Moogun, whose real name is Lee Dong-geon.
Until two years ago, during the heyday of the Battle Coliseum League, he competed in numerous international tournaments, sweeping awards and gaining considerable popularity among active players. He’s a former pro player.
After retiring, he leveraged his former nickname, “Magnet Aim,” to become a prominent Battle Coliseum streamer.
As for Dohee, they became close after being on the same team in a streamer tournament, to the point where they now casually exchange insults like “You jerk” or “You idiot” whenever they meet.
By this point, anyone familiar with the Vtuber world might wonder:
Wouldn’t her entanglement with a male streamer have caused chaos, with unicorns and angry fans wreaking havoc in her streams?
Could she have already purged her audience once?
In the beginning, there was indeed significant backlash from toxic unicorns every time they played games together.
Rumors flew—claims that they were secretly dating, spending weekends together, or even planning to marry.
However, over time, one surprising truth emerged that left everyone dumbfounded:
Moogun was a true Battle Coliseum fanatic who had never even met Dohee in person.
Someone had checked his ranked game records from the time he appeared on Dohee’s streams. Aside from playing with Dohee or a few others, he was grinding ranked games for up to 16 hours a day.
Even when he showed up on Dohee’s streams, his comments were almost formulaic:
“I feel like playing Battle Coliseum. I need a teammate. Oh, you’re streaming. Wanna play?”
After playing for two hours, he’d say, “Good game,” and coolly log off.
Even the most toxic unicorns found it impossible to spin these interactions into juicy gossip.
Plus, Moogun was so immersed in gaming that his nagging during matches could put any mother-in-law to shame.
“You’re going to stay stuck in Bronze forever at this rate.”
“You say you want to rank up, but you don’t act like it.”
Naturally, this would make Dohee snap or get frustrated, which her fans found oddly entertaining.
Given how fiercely proud Dohee is about Battle Coliseum, she rarely listens to anyone unless they’re high-tier players like Moogun or Magia.
As a result, fans eagerly anticipated their collaborations.
However, as mentioned earlier, Moogun only contacted her during streams—and only when she was playing Battle Coliseum.
So, Dohee couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
Not only had he messaged her in the middle of the night, but his usual casual tone was replaced with an odd, salesman-like formality:
[Moogun: Hello, sir. How have you been?]
[Moogun: I have an inquiry for you.]
[Moogun: Do you know someone named “Signal Flare” at your company?]
Already suspicious about his sudden contact, Dohee was even more perplexed by the mention of “Signal Flare.”
What on earth could Moogun want with Magia?
Unable to ignore her curiosity, Dohee immediately called him.
It was 6 a.m. A time when, as a streamer, he should’ve been fast asleep.
Realizing it might be pointless, Dohee was about to hang up when—
[Oh, hey! Long time no see!]
Moogun’s voice came through, still sounding alert. He hadn’t gone to bed yet.
“What? You’re not asleep?”
[Oh, I just wrapped up my stream. I was about to sleep now.]
“So, what’s this about? Why ‘Signal Flare’?”
[What? You don’t know yet?]
Soon, Dohee’s phone buzzed with a vibration.
It was a TingTalk message from Moogun.
Switching the call to speaker mode, Dohee checked the message—it was a clip from Dora’s live stream the previous night.
[That clip features your colleague playing. Their aim is insane.]
“…?”
Dohee was puzzled.
What could have happened overnight for one of her colleagues to make the real-time highlight reels?
Granted, her initial concern came from her tendency to assume the worst, given her history.
In reality, things were far from sinister.
“Jiya played on Dora’s stream?”
She opened the clip, and sure enough, the person absolutely decimating the final boss of Pandemic Village in under two minutes was Magia.
Piecing together the situation from the comments section, which was buzzing with debate, it seemed Dora had issued a challenge, and Jiya had accepted, leading to the showdown in the clip.
“Jiya accepted a challenge?”
Dohee was even more surprised.
“Not to mention going over to her place? Is she really… changing her mindset about these things?”
But what stood out the most was Magia’s jaw-dropping accuracy.
The boss darted erratically across the floor, walls, and ceiling, yet Magia managed to land all twelve shots precisely on its wildly moving, wobbly weak spot.
Even when the boss lunged at her for a bite, Magia calmly planted every bullet without missing a beat.
The display of skill was so mesmerizing that Dohee couldn’t help but replay the clip.
As she was about to watch it again, Moogun spoke up.
[So, here’s the thing. Next week, our crew has an internal match scheduled. One of us can’t make it, so we’ve got a spot to fill. And, well, after seeing this clip, I looked her up on TreeWiki. Turns out, she’s pretty famous.]
“Ah, I see.”
[So, I was wondering if you could introduce her. Just for two games—one warm-up and one proper match. That’s all.]
Although it was an internal match, the crew’s matches were broadcasted.
The crew itself consisted of former Battle Coliseum pros, making any participant the center of attention.
In short, if Magia accepted, she’d be thrust into the spotlight whether she wanted it or not.
“…I’ll talk to her”
While Magia enjoyed Battle Coliseum, she didn’t seem like the type to go out of her way to participate in someone else’s match, let alone appear on a stream she hadn’t planned on.
But there was one thing Dohee overlooked: the existence of the “Shadow Magia Lovers”—a small yet vocal group within the community that loved to downplay Magia’s skills.
While Magia had never openly shown any hurt from their remarks, it wasn’t entirely untrue that they got under her skin. Somewhere deep down, she harbored a desire to prove herself once and for all.
“Sure, when’s the match?”
Surprisingly, Magia readily accepted Moogun’s offer.
After all, the team and opponents were all former pros.
It was the perfect opportunity to truly test her abilities.
Among Battle Coliseum players, there’s a joke that the “Diamond” tier doesn’t actually exist.
The gap between Diamond, Master, and Challenger is so vast that the latter two are considered god-tier.
Meeting Masters in ranked matches is rare enough, so why not take this chance to face them directly and see the difference in skill?
When Dohee heard the news, she was so shocked she asked,
“Wait… you do know who Moogun is, right?”
Imagine a skill-based stream filled with the deep, gravelly voices of professional players suddenly featuring Jiya’s cute, energetic voice.
It was bound to attract attention.
Fans of Battle Coliseum, Moogun, and Momo who all had overlapping audiences—would quickly recognize her.
“Wait, that’s Signal Flare!”
The news would spread like wildfire, especially to Parallel Galaxy (패러랠갤) forums and affiliated communities, where people were always curious about the 2nd-gen members’ activities.
And as fate would have it, Parallel fans would likely be feeling particularly down that day.
After all, the entire 1st-gen was on break for the motion capture shoot.
Normally, if their oshi (favorite) wasn’t streaming, fans would find refuge in other members’ streams.
But on that day, it would be a total blackout for all of Parallel.
For a fandom in such a gloomy state, the news of one of their own confidently playing alongside former pros would be a perfect mood-lifter.
Dohee, who deeply respected Jiya’s Battle Coliseum skills, was certain of one thing: the fandom would rally and flood Moogun’s stream.
On average, about 23,000 people were tied to Momo and Parallel streams, even accounting for overlap. At least half of them would tune in just to see Jiya.
Combine that with Moogun’s own audience—who, despite his unannounced streams, easily numbered around 10,000—and the stream would easily attract a viewership of over 20,000.
20,000 people, witnessing Jiya’s Battle Coliseum skills and her near-obsessive devotion to the double-barrel shotgun.
It would be impossible not to make headlines.
“You’re planning to use the double-barrel shotgun again, aren’t you?”
Without hesitation, Jiya nodded.
“Yes. I’m curious to see if it’ll work against pros.”
Jiya, Dohee thought, if you do that and then don’t debut, people are going to lose their minds.
The world will push you into the spotlight like a swollen river overflowing its banks.
…But Dohee couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud.
“Yes, I’m a pro, after all. There’s no way I wouldn’t know while watching your stream, boss.”
“Right, that’s going on air. Are you okay with that?”
“It’s not like I’ll die just because it gets broadcast. It’s only two rounds of a game.”
“…Well, I guess that’s true.”
“And isn’t it all online anyway?”
“Yeah.”
“Then just let them know to match the date for next Tuesday.”
Next Tuesday is the day of the first-generation members’ first-anniversary song motion capture.
It’s an external schedule, and since it involves intense and prolonged physical activity, they had already announced a break for everyone.
In other words, once the studio wraps up taking care of the first-generation members that day, Jiya won’t have anything scheduled at night.
It’s the perfect day for something special.
However, if Jiya appears on Moogun’s broadcast that day, something extraordinary is bound to happen.
‘This could be…’
Moogun isn’t the type to announce his guests in advance.
He usually just invites them to the show, introduces them naturally through conversation, and skips introductions entirely if the guest prefers.
Since his guests are typically professionals with enough skill to compete in games at a high level, people are often drawn to their abilities even without introductions.
In short, news of Magia joining Moogun’s crew for an internal match will only spread after the broadcast starts when Magia’s nickname and voice are revealed.
A cute, lively voice suddenly appearing in a high-skill broadcast typically dominated by gruff male voices?
Naturally, it would attract attention.
Among Battle Coliseum players, Momo’s fans, and Moogun’s fans, someone would undoubtedly say:
“Ah, this is a big moment!”
The news will quickly make its way to Parallel’s fan communities, especially those who are always eager for updates about their idols, and spill into related fan forums.
On that day, Parallel fans might be feeling a bit down.
After all, the entire first-generation group, including Momo, will be on break due to filming.
Usually, when their favorites are on break, fans can turn to other members’ streams, but that day, the entire Parallel team will be silent.
For a fanbase in such a gloomy state, the news of Jiya confidently gaming among professionals will hit like a beacon of light.
Though Dohee isn’t entirely sure, she respects Magia’s gaming skills.
In that moment, the fandom will rally and flood Moogun’s stream.
If you exclude overlapping viewers, about 23,000 people are typically associated with Momo and Parallel. At least half of them would likely tune in for Magia.
“Add Moogun’s audience to that…”
Moogun’s Battle Coliseum streams, despite being surprise broadcasts, easily gather an average of 10,000 viewers.
That means around 20,000 people will witness Magia’s Battle Coliseum skills and her obsession with the Double Barrel.
This would inevitably cause a sensation.
“Are you planning to use the Double Barrel again?”
Without hesitation, Magia nodded.
“Yes. I’m curious if it works even against pros.”
Magia.
If you keep this up and don’t debut, people are going to lose it.
Like a swollen river after a storm, the world will surge against you.
…But Dohee couldn’t outright warn Magia.
That warning might sound to Jiya like, “The trend is pushing you, so shouldn’t you debut already?”
But telling Jiya not to join Moogun’s crew’s internal match also seemed unreasonable.
Letting it go, however, would definitely stir up a commotion.
While the managers could handle the broadcast itself, there was a chance the sub-managers of the various streams might approach Jiya directly.
Asking her outright, “Can’t you just debut already?”
Complaining that managing the chat was too difficult.
That too would amount to pressure on Jiya, potentially forcing her hand toward debuting.
‘That can’t happen.’
Ultimately, Dohee, who wanted to respect Magia’s wishes, had to think of a way to diffuse the 20,000 viewers’ attention.
A method, a plan…
“Boss”
As if she knew exactly what Dohee was worrying about.
“Since the kids’ streams are all on break that day, don’t you think a lot of people will tune in? Moogun’s stream already has a pretty big audience.”
Before Dohee could even blink in surprise, Jiya continued.
“So, what if we got permission to use a small sample of the anniversary song and made a teaser video to show that day? The 3D is almost done—just some details left—so we could show silhouettes at least…”
Magia wasn’t the type to take initiative or lead things on her own.
But even she seemed to have moments where she couldn’t hold back.
Having watched so many broadcasts, there were times when she was quicker to think than Dohee—like now.
What did this signify?
It meant Magia was no longer just an office worker; she was now ready to fully step into the broadcasting world.
From D-Lane, the Battle Coliseum collab, to shining on Dora’s streams—she’d already shown her prowess.
And now, even her resistance to broadcasting itself seemed to have melted away.
A worker who always exceeded expectations had grown yet again without Dohee even noticing.
“Alright, I’ll check into that. I’ll handle that part, so you focus on planning how you’ll present yourself during the match.”
With that, Dohee entrusted Jiya with full control over the presentation for the day.
Normally, the PR team would be consulted, but Dohee couldn’t help feeling curious about how Magia would handle it.
“Anything else you want me to do?”
“Nope, that’s all. Once the promotion’s done, enjoy yourself.”
“Got it~.”
And since Dohee was asking Jiya to do something out of her usual scope, there had to be a reward.
“By the way, are you free on the weekend after the crew’s match? Wanna go play some games together?”
Jiya blinked in disbelief, as if stunned.
“Huh? Uh, wait. Why? You don’t want to?”
“No, I just didn’t think you’d bring it up first.”
“…?”
“Come on, you’re always making excuses about being busy. If I don’t ask, you never would’ve said anything.”
“Ugh, never mind. Forget it. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Oh? Then I won’t do the promotion either.”
“You little…”
With a playful laugh, Jiya dashed out of the office.
“Just kidding~!”
* * *
Moogun readily agreed to Cheon Dohee’s request.
[Do whatever you like. I can pin the link in the chat notice.]
He was never the type to stop guests from promoting themselves on his streams.
His reputation was so massive that smaller streamers would often hold back from promoting themselves out of nervousness.
As long as the promotions didn’t involve a boring 10-minute introduction that killed the vibe, Moogun was the kind of person who’d even carve out time for it.
[But if you’re going to do that, it might be better to change your nickname, don’t you think?]
“…Ah. Really?”
[Of course. If I keep reading your nickname throughout the stream, it’s basically free promotion. There was even someone whose subscriber count jumped from 10,000 to 50,000 because of it.]
“Uh… well, I’ll think about it.”
In truth, when it came to this sort of thing, Jiya was more of an expert than Dohee.
Her knack for crafting bizarre and hilarious nicknames had made plenty of people laugh over the years.
[Dohee: Jiya]
[Dohee: Apparently, we can use your nickname for promotion.]
[Dohee: I’ll even cover the renaming fee, so why don’t you think of something?]
Jiya’s response was razor-sharp.
[Jiya: BracketWorkerSashimiMasterLetsGo]
[Dohee: Don’t joke around.]
[Dohee: You’ll die.]
Once she got serious, Jiya only needed about two minutes.
The result?
[Jiya: MoogunIsAFamousMomoAnti]
[Dohee: Hey.]
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