In a dim room with blackout curtains,
the only source of light came from the computer screen illuminating the space.
The room was filled with silence, quiet enough that you could hear an ant crawling. The only other noise came from the hum of the computer fan.
In such a room, a tiny sound broke the stillness, proving that a person was present.
“Yawn….”
A woman stretched her arms up, letting out a big yawn.
Her name was Yusia, one of the editors working for the streamer Kayak.
She had just finished a hefty editing job that Kayak had asked her to tackle.
Despite Kayak giving her a whole week, Yusia managed to wrap it all up in just two days.
– Yusia: Please check it.
– Boss: No way, you finished it already?
“Hehe.”
As she continued messaging Kayak, she couldn’t help but smile widely.
When her somewhat grumpy and emotionally reserved boss reacted with surprise, it always brightened her mood.
– Yusia: Do you have more for me to do?
– Boss: Take a break! You worked all night again, didn’t you? I told you not to do that.
Seriously, why was she working so hard?
Yusia questioned herself. Had she been this passionate while freelancing before?
‘It doesn’t feel like I used to be like this….’
For a long time, Yusia had been juggling various editing gigs, and recalling those times, if anything, she would have been more likely to be scolded for not finishing her edits on time rather than rushing to finish them and asking if there was more work to do.
In all honesty, she was more on the lazy side than hardworking.
Her personality hadn’t changed. Yusia was still lazy and careless, troubled by her chronic apathy, unable to even clean her room properly.
It was probably just part of her nature.
Despite the passing time, her fundamental character remained unchanged.
Yusia hadn’t changed; what had changed was her situation, or more accurately, her employer.
Since becoming an employee of Kayak’s, Yusia had become diligent. She became motivated.
She developed a passion that allowed her to overcome her laziness and apathy, and whenever she saw the growing KayakTube channel, she felt a swell of pride.
Whenever I watched the KayakTube channel, I felt so proud.
‘The growth rate is impressive.’
It was still the same even now. I was on the verge of collapsing from fatigue, yet I was still checking on the growth and trends of KayakTube.
Looking at this, all the fatigue that had piled up vanished, and I felt a strong urge to work even harder.
‘Is it because it’s Kayak’s channel?’
It wasn’t just about the fun of growing the channel.
Of course, the speed at which the channel was growing was incredible, and there was joy in watching that, but that wasn’t the only driving force behind Yusia’s efforts.
The real reason lay with her boss, Kayak. The genuine fondness Yusia had for her made her continue to work autonomously.
– Yusia: I’ll brainstorm some content.
– Boss: ;;
Despite my boss’s objections, Yusia kept turning her brain, wondering if there might be some decent content.
*
Currently, I was at a small cafe near my house.
I had a simple reason for visiting the cafe, a place I generally avoided alone: I had to meet someone.
I asked the haggard-looking woman sitting in front of me, “Um… what do you want to do?”
“It’s like an observational reality show vibe? A vlog? What should I call it, um. Well, that’s, you know, the thing.”
This woman, with tired eyes, was named Yusia, one of my editors.
She suddenly stopped speaking, as if she couldn’t find the words, pressing her eyelids and letting out a faint groan.
Come to think of it, she had mentioned chronic insomnia. I knew that feeling; I wasn’t suffering from it now, thanks to Camilla’s healthy body, but I’d once dealt with all sorts of ailments, including insomnia, so I could empathize.
Lack of sleep made words tangled, and thoughts didn’t come easily.
“Take your time, speak slowly.”
At my words, she gulped down her iced coffee and finally spoke up.
“Ah, now that I’ve had some caffeine, I feel a bit better. So, observational reality shows are trending these days, right? I’d like to make a video like that…”
Yusia waved her arms as she continued explaining, her sunken eyes sparkling with a hint of madness.
With a vacant look and a glimmer in my eyes, I continued to speak, feeling a bit of madness creeping in.
So you were really serious about content planning, huh? I told you to take a break!
“To summarize, it’s a 24-hour observation-style vlog? You mean you plan to film and edit my entire day to show what I do? Am I understanding this correctly?”
As I asked, Yusia fervently nodded in response.
“Yes, I titled it ‘Kayak’s Life.’ It seems there are more people than I thought who are curious about what a super-duper cute girl gamer and rising star streamer does in her daily life.”
“That’s quite an extravagant description.”
“Well, but it’s all true. It’s not extravagant at all.”
Yusia had a tendency to say things that made you blush just by listening, without a care in the world.
However, by now, I had heard such things so often that I was somewhat immune to it. Hearing compliments like “You’re pretty” or “You’re cute” made me happy, but I was past the point of feeling embarrassed.
Anyway, I understood what Yusia was trying to say. An observational variety show, vlog, documentary—something like that. Focusing on my life as the main character.
It wasn’t really that strange. I didn’t watch them much, but it had been quite a while since those kinds of observational content had gained popularity, and it was still going strong.
“Still, you know? You can’t capture everything too realistically. Leave out the uncomfortable or awkward bits and all that.”
There were some concerns, of course. In my opinion, the biggest drawback of these observational shows was that they could lead to a sense of disillusionment.
To use celebrities as an example, their glamorous lives may seem entertaining to observe, but when certain aspects make them feel so different from regular people, viewers can feel that gap.
Most often regarding financial aspects. Watching celebrities live in homes that scream luxury and drive flashy sports cars can make my own life seem painfully ordinary when returning to reality.
Yusia agreed with my point, acknowledging, “I get it, I get it. I have some sense too.”
Well, we’re not broadcasting live anyway, and since it’s getting edited for VTube, maybe it’s not something to stress too much about.
As I contemplated, Yusia carefully asked again, “Is this okay? If Kayak-nim feels uncomfortable, we don’t have to do it. Honestly, the VTube channel is growing just fine, and it might be enough to keep posting game videos regularly…”
“It seems like I might have to split it…”
I was thinking for a moment, but it seemed they interpreted it as a negative response.
There wasn’t a big reason to refuse. It wasn’t a live stream, and it was an editable video, plus I wasn’t living a life I couldn’t show to others.
“Then does that mean you’re giving permission?”
“Uh, well… there’s no reason it can’t be.”
“Yay!”
I’m not some kind of celebrity, and I’m not sure if filming what I usually do will turn out to be interesting.
“I think it’d be fun even if we just came out and had a meal together, right?”
“Hmm…”
I didn’t know much, but if Yusia, our VTube analyst and the main contributor to growing the channel this much, said it, it had to be true. At least she’d know the subscribers’ needs better than I did.
“So, Kayak’s life? Life of a streamer?”
“Kayak’s life.”
“Okay, let’s go with that. When should we start filming? I’m fine anytime. Oh, but it has to include my broadcasts, so it probably can’t be on days I take breaks.”
To this, Yusia calmly replied, “How about we film at Kayak’s place right now? I actually brought all the equipment with me.”
And she showed the bag she had brought. Seriously, she packed a lot.
However, looking at Yusia’s face, I shook my head.
“I’m okay with filming quickly, but Yusia, you really need to sleep first.”
“Huh?”
“Look at the bloodshot eyes. Dark circles are hanging down. Can I make someone like this work? I can’t have you filming like this.”
Am I supposed to get scolded for making an employee work without letting them sleep?
“Or how about we go to my place, get some good sleep, and then film? People who can’t sleep usually end up sleeping well when they come to my house.”
“…? You mean you went to sleep after coming over?”
Both Nicang and Riri had come recently, and even Sebi came over and had a great sleep. Maybe my house is like one of those spots where you can sleep well.
“Aha… everyone has come and gone…”
Hearing my words, Yusia slightly drowsily opened her eyes before nodding.
“Then I’ll be taking advantage of your hospitality.”
“Um, sure. Come and rest comfortably. They say people who work from home can’t relax at their own place.”
“That seems right, hehe…”
After that, I headed home with Yusia.
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