Chapter 2: Debt has increased
VTuber Ariel’s real name is Lee Ria.
How do I know the secrets of an idol?
Because I, Lee Ria, am Ariel.
To be precise, I became Lee Ria.
The original me was Lee Haneul, an ordinary young man.
‘…Can I really call myself ordinary?’
Well, if you’ve got all your limbs and no criminal record in Korea, that’s ordinary enough, right?
Looking back, Lee Haneul’s life was pretty tough.
Growing up in an orphanage, scraping by day after day.
Poverty was a constant shadow, and I fought tooth and nail to escape it.
Dishwashing at restaurants, construction work, loading delivery trucks, handing out flyers.
If there was a job, I took it.
There weren’t many places that’d hire an orphanage kid who didn’t go to college.
Still, I lived each day to the fullest.
…Never quite shook off that poverty title, though.
After getting discharged at twenty-three, I rode a motorcycle for Baemin delivery to make ends meet.
Then I slipped on an icy road, and that was the end of my life.
No regrets.
I was always content with what I had, finding meaning in living each day well.
Life is tough for everyone.
No point blaming others.
What surprised me was that I got another shot at life.
“Uh…?”
The smell of medicine filled the air, and a black plastic bag held charcoal briquettes.
I could guess what happened to this girl.
Soon, I inherited Lee Ria’s memories.
The strange thing was, our backgrounds were similar.
Lee Ria was an orphanage kid too.
Her name, meaning “grow brightly,” was given by the orphanage director.
Unlike me, she had a clear dream.
To stand on stage as a singer.
That was Lee Ria’s dream.
Tragically, that dream drove her to an extreme choice.
Despite her tough circumstances, she became a trainee at a major agency, but she was cut from the debut lineup.
She’d poured everything into becoming a singer.
To support herself, she dropped out of high school to work part-time.
Maybe because her all-in gamble failed, she couldn’t handle the rejection.
She made an extreme choice, and that’s how I became Lee Ria.
When I inherited all her memories, one feeling rose in me.
‘I’m jealous.’
I envied that she could have a dream.
It was impressive, too.
Chasing a dream in tough conditions isn’t easy.
In my past life, I learned not everyone gets to do what they love.
I sure didn’t.
So I made up my mind.
I’d live Lee Ria’s life.
‘I think I can do this.’
Though she failed, looking at her life, I felt confident.
One day, she’d succeed.
Unlike Lee Haneul, Lee Ria had talent.
“Is this… me?”
Lee Ria was beautiful.
Even her weary face in the mirror was stunning.
Her voice was amazing.
Her singing? Out of this world.
She made it to a major agency’s debut lineup, after all, even if she didn’t make the final cut.
Unlike Lee Haneul, Lee Ria was born with talent.
I decided to try again.
But there was a problem to solve.
Her long trainee years had left her in serious financial trouble.
‘I’ve gotta eat to live.’
I needed a job that paid fast and used my strengths.
That’s how I found VTubing.
Right then, I heard Stellaris, a company on Twitch, was creating a virtual idol group.
I joined the Children of the Stars project and debuted as a member of Astra with the others.
One year later.
As everyone knows, I faced another failure.
There’s a reason I’m laying out this life story.
“…This is a real mess.”
I stared at my empty bank account.
That wasn’t all.
[“Income Tax Notice”]
[“Electricity Bill”]
[“Contract Violation Penalty Claim”]
A pile of letters.
All demanding money.
Just like that, I became a debtor overnight.
*
Beep!
As VTuber Ariel, I made decent money over the year.
Compared to Lee Ria’s trainee days, the digits were different.
Being a corporate VTuber meant splitting profits with the company and platform.
Still, I earned enough to get by.
‘…Haa, I didn’t expect it to be this much.’
Taxes, fine.
Paying income tax meant I’d made it as a VTuber, right?
The real issue was the penalty.
Even if it wasn’t a clean exit, having to pay a penalty…
Beep!
“Five thousand won. Thank you for your visit.”
“Uh, yeah. Can I ask something?”
“Yes?”
“Can I get your number…?”
The voice came from a convenience store customer.
Looked like a college kid buying cigarettes.
“Sorry.”
I shut it down cold, keeping my face blank.
‘If my rep tanks here, I’m screwed.’
This part-time job was hard to come by.
It fit my schedule, too.
With money troubles already stressing me out, I didn’t need more problems.
“Do you work this shift regularly?”
“…Yes? Yes.”
“Got it.”
With that, the customer left, looking annoyed.
“Phew.”
I sighed only after their shadow was gone.
Being Lee Ria had upsides, but this was a downside.
‘I’ll ask the boss to tweak my shift days.’
Hopefully without hassle…
I didn’t have room for more worries.
After work, I headed to my studio apartment near the store.
A small place with a bathroom, but my first home as Lee Ria.
Rented, sure, but a home’s a home.
For the past year, VTuber Ariel’s streams came from here.
Small room, but decently equipped for streaming.
The downside of corporate VTubing was the cut they took from donations.
The upside? They provided streaming gear.
Though most say the downsides outweigh the ups.
The problem now was I couldn’t use this gear.
I’m not VTuber Ariel anymore.
‘…This is a real mess.’
The biggest issue was the avatar.
Ariel’s avatar was an original owned by Stellaris.
The company sentenced Ariel to a record wipe.
I heard Byeolmuris on forums were already calling me “that white-haired one,” avoiding my name.
‘What can I do now?’
A week had passed since my last stream.
I reflected on my life.
The past year—year and a half with prep.
Being VTuber Ariel was for Lee Ria’s dream, but also for me.
It was the best thing I could do.
I poured my passion into it.
The ending wasn’t great, but I think I achieved something.
‘Plus, it was fun.’
Not every day was good, but there were plenty of fun ones.
Playing with viewers was a blast, bantering with members was great.
Best of all, I could earn money using my strengths.
So, my conclusion?
‘I’ll do it again.’
I’ll try again.
As a VTuber.
‘No job’s better than this.’
Across two lives, streaming was the easiest gig.
Sure, it came with tons of stress, but unwinding from it was fun.
I made up my mind to do it again!
Not as Astra’s Ariel, though.
My YouTube account was gone, and I couldn’t log into Twitch.
‘They really took everything.’
I didn’t know the company moved this fast during streams.
When the scandal hit, they were lightning quick.
Ariel’s IP belongs to Stellaris, they said.
Everything I had as Ariel was taken.
After the black screen stream, it all moved like clockwork.
‘Oh.’
I didn’t even get to say goodbye to the fans.
I left Astra with a stained name.
‘…They’d probably just hate me more.’
They must all hate me.
I tarnished Astra’s rising path.
The other members probably feel the same.
No DMs from them since the apology stream.
I get it.
‘It’s better if we don’t cross paths.’
It was likely their best call.
I feel wronged, but I had no platform to speak.
It’d just turn into a mud fight.
We’d all end up hurt.
‘That’s not what I want.’
Maybe what I wanted to protect was Astra?
That’s why I made that choice in the apology stream.
And I’m the one paying the price.
“…Haa, what do I do now?”
The price was too steep.
Click.
I mindlessly surfed the web.
Since the scandal, just seeing community posts gave me PTSD, so I stuck to news.
Then a headline caught my eye.
[Forest Co., Ltd. Announces Metaverse IP-Focused Business Expansion]
“…Huh?”
Maybe a new opportunity was coming.