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There are many charms that a VTuber possesses simultaneously.

From addictive speech patterns to unique avatars and surprisingly good singing skills, their diverse charms are the weapons and characteristics of a VTuber, not limited to just one attraction.

However, I believe that the foremost charm among the various charms of a VTuber is empathy.

No matter what kind of charming VTuber it is, the ability to communicate with the audience is almost a must-have.

One of the basic prerequisites for communication is to empathize with the other party.

Therefore, I thought that in order to attract people to meet VTuber Dia, I must first be able to empathize with them.

After all, people tend to want to meet someone who empathizes with them rather than someone who doesn’t.

“Common interests.”

I thought that one of the most solid ways to empathize with people is to share similar tastes with them.

Fortunately, the tastes of those who watch VTubers overlap to some extent, so if I understand that well, I can manage the stream smoothly.

Even before passing the幻想郷 audition in the future, I could align my tastes with those who would watch my stream.

Thanks to this, during my peak adolescent years in middle school, I frequented the new manga café that opened near my house.

I also dabbled in many areas.

There were some fields where I distanced myself unknowingly because it felt too overwhelming, but…

“Wow, that’s really surprising. How do you know so much? Usually, people like celebrities aren’t interested in subcultures, right?”

“Hey, it’s someone who watched your stream since kindergarten. Haeun was exceptional from the start.”

Seeing their satisfied expressions to my answer, it seemed my efforts to cultivate new tastes weren’t in vain.

To be honest, I was a little nervous until just before the interview. Thankfully.

“Um, Haeun. From now on, this isn’t an interview but a discussion about the future, so please don’t feel burdened and speak comfortably.”

The questions that followed were related to the broadcast.

Mostly, inquiries about what time I could stream and how to set up the broadcasting environment came from the two interviewers alternately.

“Personally, I think D.A., I mean, you Haeun should stream during the evening when you’re watching my broadcast.”

“Even if we follow your word regarding the broadcast time, I wonder how we should set up the broadcast… Do your parents allow soundproof booths, Haeun?”

“Oh, I already have one.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“A soundproof booth.”

Almost simultaneously, sparkling eyes resembling the word ‘surprise’ focused on me.

“You have a soundproof booth at home?”

“Yes. I’ve set up the microphone too.”

Since it’s a microphone setup arranged by Dobli, a professional singer, I probably wouldn’t need to do much additional setup.

So, I added that I’d just need to set up the VTuber avatar.

“…Celebrities are different in their level of preparedness…”

Jiheemin’s ambiguous mutter tickled my ears.

Still, it’s true that I’ve worked hard to prepare, so I wouldn’t deny it.

However, it bothered me that not a single other applicant was in sight.

I recalled nearly 200 applicants from my previous life.

No matter how strictly they reviewed the application emails, it didn’t make sense that I was the only one to reach the interview stage.

After all, the <幻想郷> group consists of a total of four VTubers.

Moreover, I wanted to meet other applicants at least once.

Finally, I opened my mouth to ask about the other applicants.

“Um, Daramji. When will the other applicants arrive?”

“Oh, the other applicants will arrive… in three hours.”

“?”

However, the response I got from Jiheemin was quite strange.

I checked the audition-related notification email again, worried I’d mistaken the interview time, but all I found was that I hadn’t made any mistake at all.

This meant that the interview time for the other candidates, excluding me, was three hours from now.

Curious about how this happened, I looked at the two interviewers with question marks in my eyes.

“Um, you see, Haeun. This lady has shown quite a bit of interest in you… I mean, in D.A.”

The one who opened his mouth wasn’t Jiheemin but the man sitting right next to her, Lee Dongjin.

Then, he explained why I was the only one having a separate interview.

“The audition shouldn’t be influenced by acquaintances. If there’s any hearsay, it can get complicated.”

“You saw the videos Haeun sent, right? To be honest, no one is as sincere about <幻想郷> as she is.”

“You were already thinking of selecting her even before Haeun sent the videos. If D.A. and Dia are the same person, you’ll definitely choose her.”

In a way, it turned out that the nickname Dia was remembered by Daramji as intended.

However, it seemed I had left a more lasting impression than I thought.

“For now, we decided to call in just Dia first. It would definitely look odd to ask about the relationship between D.A. and you in front of other applicants.”

“…Thinking about it, that makes sense.”

To prevent any issues during the幻想郷 audition, they’d advanced my interview time.

Right after that, we began discussing my VTuber avatar.

“All avatars must share the same worldview. I think we’ll need to create details and imagery through discussions with the other members later, is that okay?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Then, we’ll adjust the schedule on our end and contact you separately!”

With Jiheemin’s handshake request, the幻想郷 interview came to an end.

It was a little different from what I expected, but in the end, I guess I passed.

“Ah, Haeun. You don’t even need to ask about the audition results.”

Even back in the van with Joo Jung-yun, my heart was still racing with joy.

The corners of my mouth were slightly upturned as well.

However, given that there was still a schedule remaining,

I had to postpone savoring the joy of passing幻想郷.

The good thing was that the last schedule of the day, the action school, was not a schedule I particularly dreaded.

In fact, it was a schedule I was looking forward to just as much as the幻想郷 interview, so my energy was still high.

“Ah, welcome, Haeun. I’ve been waiting.”

Thus, I met my health trainer for quite some time…

No, Kim Kyutae, who would become my historical drama sword-fighting acting teacher.

As the head of a quite renowned action school, he was someone who stood out even from his neck’s thickness.

He was nothing but solid muscles from head to toe.

Even though it was our first meeting, he was trustworthy.

*

“Hmm, no matter how much Director Jin is his friend, I doubt he expects a perfect sword-fighting scene. Expecting a flawless scene without even practicing the coordination is literally a thief’s mindset.”

After that, Kim Kyutae looked over the script for Cloud Cutting Moonlight and started talking about the classes I would receive.

As he did for countless actors before, he explained step by step from basic stamina training to lessons on coordinating with other stunt actors.

However, to check what Haeun’s physical abilities were like, I had to change into comfortable clothes.

He called one of the female instructors among the action school staff to take me to the changing room.

The unexpected fact that Kim Kyutae learned came afterward.

“Uh, Professor. Is Haeun really 18 years old?”

“Yes. What’s the problem?”

“Well, it’s not that it’s a problem… but she has quite a bit of muscle for a high school girl.”

Then, the instructor hesitantly added that I had a notable 11-line six-pack that was clearer than his.

At that point, I thought he was joking.

However, after the brief body composition measurement time and the subsequent stretching time ended.

When the intense hour-long jogging and basic stamina training time, which most actors struggled with, began, I thought, ‘…Why isn’t she getting tired?’

Even though I told her that she could rest and sit down whenever she wanted if she felt it was too much, she didn’t seem to think about resting at all.

She resembled a strong, long-lasting battery from a commercial.

The more she sweated, the more blissfully happy her expression appeared—this was evidently not an illusion.

Haeun’s basic expression was calm and composed, so just a slight smile could be seen immediately.

To exaggerate a bit, she looked like a ghost that had died from not exercising.

Even as seasoned stunt actors struggled with stern expressions, it was impossible not to notice Haeun’s cheerful demeanor.

Still, it was certainly better than showing weakness and suffering.

Originally, I had planned to start sword fighting lessons after building some stamina, but decided to start immediately today.

“Okay, first we’ll show you a demonstration, so please watch with the mindset of memorizing one move at a time.”

Then began the sword-fighting scene featuring Kim Kyutae against multiple opponents.

Plastic sword props clashed, fell, and after several exchanges, one side’s sword flew far away—an action performance unfolded before Haeun’s eyes.

This was entirely based on the script for Cloud Cutting Moonlight.

However, since Haeun had already read the original novel of Cloud Cutting Moonlight, in her eyes, it looked ‘more splendid than expected.’

It was much more exaggerated and flamboyant than the descriptions in the novel.

Considering that dramas need to capture the so-called “viewing pleasure” compared to just text, it made sense.

Thus, all the demonstrations shown by Kim Kyutae and the other stunt actors were captured in Haeun’s eyes.

Not long after, at the moment Haeun finally held a plastic sword prop in her hand.

“Okay, for the first session, we’ll go at the original speed. From the second practice, we’ll slow it down!”

Kim Kyutae’s voice, stating the first practice would be at the final difficulty level, penetrated Haeun’s ears.

Experiencing the final difficulty level first would help Haeun gauge how much she needed to improve her sword skills.

Soon after the plastic swords that had flown towards Kim Kyutae began to soar toward Haeun.

The sight of several hefty stunt actors aiming their swords solely at Haeun entered her eyes.

And at that moment, she grabbed the sword in the same stance that Kim Kyutae had just shown.

In less than a second, with the blunt end of the sword, she drew a line in the air.

-Slap.

She knocked the sword of the frontmost stunt actor to the ground.

Then, taking another step, she struck horizontally.

Yet the sword tip, which had not stopped, drew a long curve within a one-step distance.

The other stunt actors had no choice but to step back.

Immediately after, she pierced right through the closest stunt actor’s shoulder.

The innocence that Haeun had shown just a while ago had now transformed into a deep hostility toward her opponent.