“Everyone has one of these by now, right~?”
[Oh VR lololol]
[*sigh*… Still waiting for the right time to buy one]
[If you’re still waiting at this point, you probably have no intention of buying one, right?]
[Characteristics of chronic procrastinators) They even procrastinate on flipping meat while grilling until it burns]
I proudly pulled out my set-up VR headset.
I had thought about spending the day doing a facecam stream, but aside from viewers’ reactions, I felt bored and awkward myself.
When I checked if the stream was working properly, seeing my face filling up the cam screen made me feel embarrassed.
[What VR games do you play? I’m a veteran in VR Chat]
[If you’re a veteran at that, you might seriously have some issues]
[What game is that anyway]
[It’s probably one of those male corruption competition games]
[???????]
“Today I won’t be playing any special games… Just doing some light testing.”
Due to my high expectations for VR, I had prepared several interesting things I’d researched beforehand.
The first thing I was going to try was VR Google Earth.
[Oh]
[Is it a game where you view Google Maps in VR?]
[World tour with Daeju in VR… Is this… what a successful life looks like?]
[You know what I mean without saying it, right?]
[You b*stard]
[Oh my; Now the Daeju fans are imagining insults and counter-attacking…]
“I’m going to travel with this”
[Cyber travel wow]
[Just go outside for real]
[The world’s gotten so good, you can even travel from home]
[Is this really traveling…?]
[Well… At least you can go far from home like this…]
Actually, I had never been on an overseas trip in my life…
No, I hadn’t even been anywhere in Korea except Incheon and Seoul.
So when I discovered VR Google Earth while searching for VR content, I couldn’t help but be captivated.
Above all, even when I went to Seoul before, I absolutely hated being around crowds. I disliked situations where shoulders brushed against each other, people bumped into you if you stood still, and the noisy sounds of crowds.
Being able to enjoy famous tourist spots in VR while avoiding all these downsides.
Of course, the impact wouldn’t be as strong as seeing it in person.
But even considering that, the advantages were more than enough.
As soon as I put on the VR goggles and earphones, I could already see a three-dimensional Earth in front of my eyes.
“Um, where should I go?”
[Why are you so excited? lololol]
[It’s his first overseas trip lololol]
[You know you have to take off your underwear at the airport security check, right? You have to take off all your clothes since they could be used as weapons]
[What are those weapon-using b*stards doing not arresting this girl lol]
[Let’s experience the airport first]
“The airport’s not bad?”
As someone who never travels, I had a certain fantasy about airports.
The rattling luggage, the excited feeling, the massive airport, the flying hunk of metal
Just thinking about it made me excited.
When I searched for the airport and clicked move, my view from above Earth was pulled towards Incheon International Airport as if magnetized.
“Ooh…”
[Wow what’s this]
[The all-seeing airport perspective wow]
[It’s my first time seeing an airport from above like this]
[Can’t you see inside?]
While the airport’s grandeur from above was impressive enough just from its size, I was also curious about the interior, so I tried manipulating the controller and was able to check inside.
“Whoa, is this the airport interior? This is insane…”
At first it looked like an unusually long subway station, but as I moved around a bit.
The size was no joke. Maybe due to Google Earth’s limitations, while the exterior was fine, not all of the building’s interior was implemented, so the viewable interior was limited, but even that seemed quite massive.
Going to photos let me see more details.
“This is the luxury brands section…”
[Does anyone actually buy luxury goods there?]
[Well, people tend to be more generous with spending during trips]
[I want to try traveling once since I can’t believe it… but going alone is awkward, guess I have no choice but to go with Daeju…]
[What does Daeju think about that]
[Not my business]
“Seeing this makes me want to travel”
[Do you have someone to go with?]
[Hey~ Stop assuming Daeju has no one to go with just because you don’t!]
[Daeju must have people nearby? Let’s see, Yeonhee, Geum Taeyang, honorary Daeju fan Soo-ah. Huh?]
[lololol What’s with that lineup, are you some AV location scout going abroad? lololol]
[Daeju…. Looking at how there’s not a single normal person around you… this must be your fault!]
Reading the chat, I chuckled while realizing just how unique the personalities of the people around me were.
Actually, I might unknowingly have the strongest personality of all.
After all, the first thing I did after coming from another world was streaming from my room while stirring up drama.
Anyway, since I might end up traveling with someone someday, I started properly exploring cities famous for tourism.
“Hmm… Maybe I’m not the type for these tourist spots…?”
The VR itself was excellent.
It felt good enough to feel like I was really traveling.
But even looking at famous tourist spots, I didn’t feel much impact.
The Eiffel Tower being a prime example.
[You have to experience this in person for real]
[I’ve been to the Eiffel Tower in person and it was just okay for me. It’s grand but not like, worth going to France just for this]
[Isn’t it just a fancy transmission tower?]
[This f*cker lololol No matter what, the tower doesn’t deserve that kind of treatment]
[Actually, when everyone keeps saying it’s amazing and incredible, it makes you feel it’s not that special when you actually see it]
And Tokyo Tower too.
[Maybe you just don’t like things built like this?]
[Honestly, Japan’s landmark is Mt. Fuji]
[Yi Wan-yong][1]
[Damn, you won’t let us say anything. Still, I think among mountains, Hallasan and Baekdusan are the real ones]
[Yi Sun-shin][1]
I definitely preferred massive natural formations over structures.
Mountains, seas, rivers, waterfalls, cliffs – seeing these formations in such realistic detail gave me a special feeling.
Especially with mountains and cliffs, even though I absolutely hate hiking, seeing the scenery made me understand a tiny bit of why people like hiking.
Just looking at it made me feel refreshed, like the air was clean.
Well, the clean air feeling was probably because I’d been running the air purifier for an hour.
Looking at some mountain in China, it really felt like someone might appear suddenly using martial arts.
“Don’t you think there might be a hidden master somewhere in a place like this?”
[Enter the supreme master]
[Supreme master? Wow… I haven’t read martial arts novels but maybe I should]
[That’s not what they meant you crazy person]
[In my opinion, these days even secluded masters would come down the mountain because of slow internet]
[They’d do YouTube for real lol Would one martial arts video get them a Gold Button?]
The VR stream I did as a test ended with the mountains.
I was so focused, and maybe because this “boyfriend look” outfit wasn’t as breathable as a hoodie, my hair was wet with sweat.
I didn’t notice while immersed in VR, but when it was time to take it off, I felt my wet hair.
[Oh lol]
[Are you trying to be s*xy for us right now?]
[Oppa, you’re so handsome ㅠㅠ]
[I appreciate the compliment but if you keep talking like that, it kind of irritates me]
[ㅠㅠㅠ Unnie is scary ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[Dad]
I noticed the chat was noticeably softer than usual.
I could somewhat understand the mindset of male cam streamers.
If my chat was this gentle, I wonder how much softer the atmosphere would be for guys who only do cam streams.
The chat might be as gentle as grandparents watching their grandchildren perform.
“Hehehe”
[That laugh completely breaks the illusion]
[Ah lol This was Daeju?]
“By the way, today’s cam stream will probably be uploaded to YouTube pretty soon”
This wasn’t my decision, but what the editor directly told me.
It was about quickly stirring up drama for my YouTube channel’s growth.
At first I wondered if showing my face with just a mask would create much drama.
But looking at today’s viewer count, it seemed quite possible.
And the editor said to trust them about YouTube drama, they were an expert.
I was skeptical but.
When I saw their daily average YouTube watch time was 8 hours, I understood.
Their… persuasiveness was monstrous.
“And… you know how I have an MCN agency.”
I blurted out before ending the stream.
I wasn’t planning to mention it, but with so many viewers, I wanted to ask once.
[You joined an agency?]
[Is there any benefit?]
[There are some. Lots of ads come in, they help prepare large-scale content…]
[Which one did you join]
“No, I’m not joining one, I’m thinking of creating one… nothing’s confirmed yet.”
[???]
[Wait, are you trying to become the CEO?]
[Waaah I’m a baby NEET, please ‘hire’ me]
[I want to be hired under your desk]
[*sigh*… Our CEO’s under-desk is mine…]
[But why suddenly?]
“Well, I feel confident I can find some… amazing raw talents?”
Most of the famous streamers and YouTubers from the previous world weren’t visible now.
But they might exist.
Sujin’s appearance created that possibility.
If such people existed, maybe it wouldn’t be bad to discover these raw talents and establish my own agency.
Though it wouldn’t be easy.
After just dropping that possibility as bait, I ended the stream.
***
“Member, what are you looking at so intently?”
Se-na asked with a subtle pressure to a female member who was sitting and resting during exercise.
“Ah, no, my arms were really sore so… I was just watching something while resting.”
“Hmm…”
Se-na watched the YouTube video that the female member showed her.
Though they were wearing a mask, somehow their eyes felt familiar. While wondering if it was someone she knew, looking at their hairstyle and clothing, it was someone she’d never seen before.
And somehow—
She felt attracted.
“Huh…?”
Se-na was a bit bewildered by her own feelings.
***
(End of Chapter)
T/N:
- The Yi Wan-yong/Yi Sun-shin exchange is a historical reference – Yi Wan-yong was a pro-Japanese collaborator while Yi Sun-shin was a Korean naval hero, used here as opposing reactions to Japanese references
