Chapter 4: Community Great Flame War – 3

After the 10 billion won incident involving a VTuber spread,  

Community users continued to share information about it the next day.  

The virtually ghost-like group ‘ABCD’ finally surfaced. 

However, the attention they received was largely mocking.  

「[General] Title: So, what does ABCD even do?」  

「I heard the person who received 10 billion is part of that group. All I know about domestic VTubers is Romantic Drive and those who just follow the crowd. Are there even others in Korea? lol」  

– They debuted early last year, yeah.  

└Really? I haven’t seen them on HiTube.  

└HiTube is a bloodbath, lol.  

└Pajijik is better in Korea.  

└I looked them up, but nothing came up….  

「[General] Title: LOL, ABCD is so ridiculous」  

「They tried to copy a Japanese corporate VTuber idol group, aiming to be a ‘3D performance idol group,’ but it seems like they ran out of money and crashed. So funny lol.」  

– 3D performance group (without 3D modeling)  

└Performance group (mostly just chatting streams)  

└Group (no collaborations, just awkwardly existing)  

└“ ” (VTubers who can’t even stream)  

└They’re better off not collaborating at all, lol. Who cares about these nobodies just hanging out and being friendly?  

「[General] Title: ABCD is actually famous in the industry」  

「I briefly worked in the industry, and they’re often cited as the reason why you should never try to create an idol-style VTuber group in Korea. They’re infamous in the industry.」  

– Wait, they got 10 billion from that…!  

– Thank you, Big Man oppa ♡ (packing my bags)  

– This is so funny lol.  

– Their viewership fluctuates between 10-20 people? They’re a total failure, seriously.  

The more you dig, the more it feels like a horror story.  

This is the kind of company we’re talking about.  

Aurora Prism Entertainment.  

A latecomer to the VTuber red ocean, suffering from delusions of grandeur, dreaming of creating a “serious virtual idol group” as an unlisted company….  

Their foolish startup’s VTuber idol group was ‘ABCD.’  

– No money but trying to copy big corporations lol.  

– Who even tries to make a virtual performance group in Korea?  

– They should’ve just focused on streaming like Romantic Drive….  

Users were laughing their heads off.  

– Not on HiTube or Pajijik, but stuck on some obscure streaming site… what were they even trying to do?  

└ Who knows??  

└ Dick!  

└ Trying to grab a chaebol oppa’s wallet and become Cinderella (fact).  

└ LOL, and when the magic wears off, the red pill is revealed.  

– Maybe they’re just trying to scam 10 billion from the company this time?  

└ LOL, Big Man’s dopamine explosion is hilarious.  

└ “Alright, now kill each other.”  

└ If this happens, the VTuber will probably cry tears of blood….  

– I still think the 10 billion donation is fake….  

└ Wasn’t it just a 10 billion viral marketing stunt by the agency?  

└ Seriously, I think so too.  

└ For real.  

The mockery continued for hours.  

As the mockery started to get old,  

They craved new dopamine.  

– Ah, so can someone give us updates on either Big Man or the VTuber?  

└For real lol.  

└Making fun of this loser is getting boring.  

└No news yet.  

└Really? Any updates?  

└Check the official site.  

└Official?  

└Aurora Prism.  

Those waiting for updates on the 10 billion incident rushed to Aurora Prism Entertainment’s official website. 

A new post had been uploaded at the top of the neglected site.  

「Notice regarding the VTuber project ‘ABCD’ and the operational direction of the ‘Idol Aspirant Akichan’ channel」  

“!”  

Users excitedly clicked on the post.  

‘What are these losers going to do now?’  

『Hello, this is Aurora Prism Entertainment.』  

『We sincerely thank you for the interest you’ve shown in our virtual idol project, ABCD.』  

『We are aware of the various speculations and opinions regarding this matter, and we have been discussing these concerns internally. We would like to address some of the questions you may have.』  

– Can someone summarize this in 3 lines?  

└“It’s us. We’re shocked too. It’s not a viral stunt.”  

└LOL, you’re a summary genius.  

『(1) Regarding the 10 billion won donation』  

『The donation was made based on the donor’s personal decision, and it will be properly transferred to the talent in accordance with platform policies and company regulations.』  

『(2) Operational direction of the ABCD project』  

『The direction of the group idol project remains unchanged. We plan to proceed with the project as originally planned. Additionally, we are working on better content and activities, respecting the opinions of our talents.』  

– “The 10 billion isn’t fake. We’re not stealing it. We’re not disbanding the group and will add more content. Our major shareholder is now Akichan.”  

└Thanks, translation genius!  

└How is this guy so good at reading comprehension?  

『We will strive to repay your support with better content and performances. We will share new updates through our official channel community soon, so please look forward to it.』  

『Thank you.』  

– “We’re using this money for 3D. Thanks for the viral attention. We’ll sue if you talk nonsense on SNS.”  

└LOL, this is hilarious.  

└If they stick to their word, they might actually be a decent company?  

└Yeah, right lol.  

The users’ reactions were mixed. 

Given their past track record, it was hard to fully trust their announcement.  

– This seems pretty reasonable, though?  

– You actually believe that? Anyone can write an announcement.  

One thing was certain… At least some people’s attitudes shifted from mockery to anticipation because of the notice.  

– Did Big Man plan this all along?  

– This is why people waste money lol.  

– He’s just a rich guy addicted to dopamine.  

– He’s probably already forgotten about it, busy partying on his yacht with girls….  

*  

I was strolling through Han River Park.  

…while riding a unicycle.  

“Hoit, hoit….”  

Squeak, squeak—  

The white unicycle sped down the bike path without hesitation.  

‘During my time with the circus troupe, I could even juggle with a long sword… but the more technical skills don’t carry over. That’s a shame.’  

Still, people enjoyed watching me.  

– What’s that, a unicycle?  

– They’re really good at it.  

Under the warm sunlight, passersby giggled and stared, but they were impressed by how well I rode. 

The kids especially loved it.  

“Wow! It’s a circus!”  

“…Not right now.”  

“Mister, are you a clown?”  

“Not right now.”  

“You’re really good!”  

“Thank you.”  

I pulled out some candy and chocolate from my pocket and handed it to the kids following me. 

They squealed with delight as they took it.  

“….”  

As I continued squeaking forward,  

I approached an old man collecting scrap metal.  

He was wearing a shabby vest, pulling a cart, and looked at me suspiciously.  

– What’s with this crazy guy…?  

“….”  

I got off the unicycle and handed it to him. 

He looked even more suspicious.  

“…?”  

“Here, take it as scrap metal.”  

“It looks fine, though.”  

“I’m done with it.”  

“…Weird guy.”  

Despite his words, the old man casually loaded the unicycle onto his cart.  

“….”  

I pulled out 10,000 won from my pocket and handed it to him. 

His eyes widened.  

“Here.”  

“What’s this?”  

“Buy yourself some makgeolli.”  

“….”  

He quickly took the money and muttered in a small voice.  

“…Thank you.”  

“No problem.”  

“Hmm….”  

“….”  

“…Want to join me for a drink?”  

“No, I get really bad hangovers from makgeolli.”  

“Damn it, you jerk….”  

“Take care.”  

After getting rid of the unicycle, I sat on a bench.  

“….”  

Ah, I’m bored.  

Isn’t anything interesting going to happen…?  

Still,  

Seeing the kids smile and the old man’s tsundere attitude was fun.  

‘I’ve never met these people in any of my regressions.’  

Human emotions are the most fascinating thing. 

More than diving from a luxury cruise ship, the emotions of people I’ve never encountered in my regressions are far more interesting.  

If even these small joys had faded,  

I might have gone insane from the endless regressions.  

In that sense, the sudden huge donation was…  

“…Ah.”  

Right.  

Akichan.  

I took out my phone and checked Akichan’s channel. 

But once again, the stream was offline.  

I ignored the community and SNS reactions. 

They’re just people talking nonsense without knowing anything.  

“…Did they quit?”  

Tilting my head,  

I checked the agency’s website.  

And I saw the notice posted there.  

“….”  

Basically…  

– We’re going to keep going for another year—!  

That was the gist of it.  

There was no sign of them chasing efficiency or making changes for money. 

They were just stubbornly sticking to their original vision, no matter how inefficient it was.  

“Should I call it art sickness or craftsman spirit….”  

Really.  

It’s such a rare sentiment.  

I couldn’t stop laughing.  

“Hehe….”  

This time,  

I think I’ve met some interesting people.  

‘…Just you wait, I’ll teach you a lesson with my donations.’  

The crime of making me entertained is a serious one.  

If I’m having fun,  

you better have fun too.  

Let’s go crazy together.  

*  

After posting the notice,  

ABCD decided to take a short break to regroup.  

– Once the money comes in from the platform, we’ll settle the payments and prepare for the 3D debut. The work is already done, so we can move quickly.  

– So, are we starting lessons again?  

– Yes, we’re preparing to re-sign contracts soon.  

While preparing to rise again,  

Aki sat nervously in the meeting room.  

In front of her were the company CEO, the operations manager, and the general affairs manager. 

They had no choice but to listen carefully to the talent who had suddenly become the company’s pillar.  

Aki spoke in a trembling voice.  

“Out of the money I’m receiving….”  

“?”  

“I’ll reinvest 100 million won into the company.”  

“…What?”