10,000 subscribers.
It might seem like nothing much to others, but to me, it felt like a gigantic number.
I used to think the same way before starting my Vtuber journey. Just 10,000? That kind of feeling, you know?
But looking around Vtuberland, there are channels with hundreds of thousands or even millions of subscribers, so my sense of scale got dulled a bit.
However, as I hired two editors and started uploading videos while seriously thinking about Vtubing, I naturally came to a realization.
Wow, this isn’t as easy as it looks.
Both personal broadcasting and Vtubing seemed easy from the outside, but once I dived in, it was a whole different story. As someone who just started Vtubing and broadcasting, I realized that even solo streaming takes some dedication. Call it your own selling point or whatever—how to attract attention, how to get people to click just once more, that was a constant struggle.
Still, ever since the Taker vs. Streamer tournament, which drew a lot of viewers, I saw some trickle of reactions coming in from the Vtuber side after posting that video.
People who watched the Vtubers from the tournament started flowing over to my channel. It was a sort of mutual support, and the positive cycle I had hoped for.
So, I thought I’d gather my initial goal of 10,000 subscribers pretty quickly, and I guess that time is now.
“Hehe…”
Listening to the viewers, I connected to my Vtube channel. Staring at the number 10,002, I couldn’t help but grin like a fool. Meanwhile, the numbers kept slowly but steadily climbing to 10,003, 10,004.
[Wow! 10,000 subscribers!]
[Chomo Company Kayak! OMG!]
[The rising star in the Vtube world, Kayak!]
[Isn’t the channel not even a month old? Insane!]
[I thought it wouldn’t happen as quick as this!]
[The tournament video went up just yesterday, and it seems like people are subscribing like crazy after watching that.]
[If only there was a drinking stream video of Agamamamatong, I would’ve shot straight to 100,000 subs!]
[Please upload the replays, too!]
“It’s all thanks to you guys! Thank you, thank you!”
All hyped up, I briefly turned on the camp screen that I hadn’t been streaming.
Carefully keeping my face hidden, I greeted the viewers.
Once to the left, once to the right. I bowed like a cute little mouse saying hello.
[Oh my… what’s with this cuteness?]
“Da….”
“Thank you thank you thank you!”
“The mischievous little troublemaker Kayak from the Abyss is gone, and suddenly, a snow princess appears.”
“She’s really freaking beautiful!”
“Where did you get your hair done, older sister? T_T The white hair is so pretty T_T”
“Wha-kyah HEH HEH BANG LOL Bang bang LOL”
“What’s this ambush stream?”
“Ah lol Those who missed today’s broadcast will regret it and hit the ground.”
“Someone must’ve clipped it, right? I believe so.”
“Clips don’t have the same feels as a live broadcast….”
It was my way of showing gratitude and at the same time reacting. After finishing the greetings, I turned the camera off and took a seat.
“I feel good! Hmm, I was a bit gloomy about not pulling Snowflake Queen Camilla, but now I’m feeling better. Well, I can just buy the skin, right? But you can’t buy VTube subscribers with money.”
“Ah lol Right, right!”
“There’s nothing you can’t do with money.”
“I could subscribe for just 1,000 won.”
“And then you’d unlock it later, right?”
“The teacher said to just go with the flow.”
“The broadcast host’s voice tone getting higher is cute!”
[Bts Bong Joon-ho Son Heung-min and Kayak donated 1,000 won!]
-Teacher, how about a short Q&A to celebrate reaching 10,000 subscribers?
Q&A. They must be talking about that thing where people ask questions and you answer them.
Honestly, I was a bit reluctant, but since today is a good day, I decided to accept it with an open heart.
“Q&A… Our dear viewers said they’d be recording videos anyway. Ah, they want to prioritize live viewers. Yeah, right, right. A live broadcast needs its own flair… So how about we take just 2-3 questions?”
As soon as I finished saying that, a flood of questions poured in.
[Three sizes three sizes three sizes]
“What were you doing before the broadcast?”
“What’s your hobby??”
“Favorite food?”
“Curious about your boyfriend status ㅎㅎ”
“Who’s the pro gamer you think is the best in the current meta?”
“Were you playing Camilla right from the start of the Abyss?”
“What do you do on your days off?”
“Do you have plans for collabs with others?”
I read all the rapidly climbing chat messages. But it was just too much.
“This is quite the dilemma, having too many questions. Pick any you want to answer… First of all, I definitely won’t be responding to the three sizes. Let’s see, hmm….”
With that, I paused for a moment. I was unsure which question to answer, and a part of me was intentionally stalling.
It was.
Then, the quick-witted viewer Hana quickly grasped my intentions.
< Jungnang-gu Heo Gyeong-yeong donated 10,000 won! >
– “Teacher, your collection skills are quite impressive.”
“Oh, you caught me? Hehe.”
[Collection Master]
[Has it only been a little while since the broadcast started and already such high-level techniques?]
[This guy is training his viewers, www]
[Haha, right? If you want to ask questions, pay up, haha.]
[Get rid of the freeloaders!]
[Do the people watching right now even have money?]
[If they’re watching, they must have money, right? How much money would they have to have to be watching at this hour?]
[Do you think I’ll let it slide just because you laughed it off?]
[Look at the laughter they want, like a siren.]
[I feel like I’d be able to resolve any couple’s argument if I had a fight once in a while.]
[Couple’s argument? LOL, did you fantasize about getting married?]
[The thickness of the broth is getting stronger… ]
I have to make a living too, you know. I already have two mouths to feed.
Besides, even if it weren’t me, there are plenty of streamers who use such techniques.
Things like delaying for effect, pretending to be dumb to induce donations, or only responding to donations while ignoring the chat completely.
By this point, I might not yet be a pro streamer… but I think I’ve escaped the realm of amateur streamers at least.
While I was at it, people who grasped the rules started asking questions through donations.
< Bollitybolly donated 10,000 won! >
– “What do you do on your days off, Teacher?”
“On my days off, I do whatever I want or need to do at that time. Like watching a movie this time, or on other days, I go for a walk in the morning… Exercise? I do need to exercise, but I don’t have plans for it right now.”
[So you’re not a very planned person.]
[So you’re saying you might randomly take a week off if something comes up like this time?]
[You’re a bit impulsive!]
Starting from the question about what I do on my days off, various questions started pouring in.
I answered the questions I could and cut off the ones I thought were inappropriate when suddenly, one question came in.
< Camilla Kangae Yo donated 20,000 won! >
– “Is the host’s voice intentionally similar to Camilla’s?”
“My voice?”
That’s quite a random question. My voice, really.
[Oh, this is a popular topic that’s been going around in the gallery a lot.]
[It is kind of similar to Camilla’s voice.]
[Is it an impression or something?]
[I don’t know, is it similar?]
[That uniquely disheartened voice sounds the same.]
[Ah haha, the master even copies the voice.]
[It’s Camilla incarnate, wow.]
[This is the realm of oneness.]
“Aha….”
I finally understand what they’re saying.
Well, it makes sense. I currently have the exact same body as Camilla. From my face to my arms and legs, every part is synchronized, including the vocal cords, so my voice must be completely identical too.
While I was pondering how to respond, the discussion among the viewers continued.
[Now that I think about it, Riri said the broadcast host Camilla looks alike.]
[Really? Did she say that?]
[She called her a ridiculously beautiful lady who looks a lot like Camilla.]
[Hmm… Did she just say she’s pretty?]
[No, if she meant pretty, wouldn’t she just say that instead of making a comparison to Camilla?]
[Teacher, have you become so much like Camilla that you are Camilla herself?]
I flinched.
For a moment, the answer popped up in the chat, and I couldn’t help but react slightly. Fortunately, the camera wasn’t on, so no one noticed.
But wait, did Riri actually say something like that without me knowing? It’s not entirely wrong, but I didn’t expect her to drop hints like this.
[Someone posted about seeing a woman who looks exactly like Camilla at the cinema.]
[Kayak sighting???]
[No way, could it be the teacher…?]
[In the story, Kayak had been loitering in the cinema for three days, then someone posted about a woman who looks like Camilla.]
[Is the teacher really an incredibly beautiful lady who looks just like Camilla?]
[By the way, has white hair? Haha, how did this match up so perfectly?]
Crisis. Major crisis.
I had no idea that such a post would lead to an almost interrogation-like Q&A session so quickly.
Naturally, since I’m not good at lying, I awkwardly smiled and opened my mouth.
“Well, it’s just that my voice is similar. Yes. I look like Camilla… or do I? Did Riri say that? Well, I think perhaps she just saw me overlapping with Camilla. Maybe we look a bit alike… I’m not sure.”
With that vague answer, I turned away from the buzzing chat and shouted.
“Let’s move on! Next question, please!”
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