I May Be a Virtual Youtuber, but I Still Go to Work

Komari threw out a fist, while Maru went with paper.
The outcome was obvious, and Maru shouted in protest—but wasn’t something missing?
"Wait, wait a second! Do it again. Rain and Dora didn’t go yet."

Dora grinned and extended her fist forward.
A stroke of luck for Komari.
"Come on, do it again. That was so cheap."

Maru smirked, puffing up with pride.
"Seriously, spoiling the youngest isn't easy. It’s only because I’m such a kind unnie."
"If you're an unnie, act like one—"

"So, Rain unnie?"
The trip was only going to take two hours.
They’d stop at a rest area along the way, so maybe two and a half hours in total.

And even if they were deciding seating arrangements, Magia’s seat was bound to be in the middle of the 2x3 seating layout.
Even if it wasn’t right next to her, playing with Gia wouldn’t be a problem.
Among the four, Rain was the only one who wasn’t particularly obsessed with getting Magia’s attention. She shook her hand dismissively.

"I’m taking the front seat by force. We needed someone to kick Gia to the back."
"Huh? Rain unnie, you’re really taking the front seat? No rock-paper-scissors?"
"I wouldn’t even get a single whimper out of Gia anyway. You guys do it. I’ll take the hit for boss."

With Rain stepping back, Dora, Maru, and Komari exchanged glances before all shouting in unison.
"Rock, paper, scissors!"
Komari threw out a fist, while the other two went with scissors.
With her victory secured, Komari smugly mimicked a recent opera short she’d seen.

"A lady always picks rock~."
***
The CEO’s car was an MPV that also doubled as a company vehicle.

People called it a ‘dad car’—a nine-seater that was fairly well-known.
Of course, the fourth-row seats in the back were cramped and uncomfortable, so they were rarely used, mostly for carrying luggage.
That left six available seats.

Normally, Team Leader Kang would take the passenger seat, but since she had driven her own car today, I had taken that spot.
"Gia, switch seats with me."
But as soon as I arrived at the meeting point, Rain yanked open the passenger door and demanded that I get out.

"Out of nowhere?"
"My back. Go. Back. I’m the DJ today."
"Ugh."

I refused to move, but Rain unbuckled my seatbelt on her own and lifted me right out.
I tried to get back in, but the door was already locked shut.
Left with no choice, I had to move to the back seats.

Rain did sometimes act as the car’s unofficial jukebox, but the passenger seat?
When the CEO was driving, she never stopped talking, turning it into something close to a one-on-one interview.
I could keep up with her, and I enjoyed the banter, so I usually took that spot.

Seeing Rain voluntarily take the brunt of the CEO’s rambling was rare. Why would she do that?
Naturally, I ended up sitting right behind the CEO. Komari, who had taken the seat next to me, rummaged through her tiny bag and pulled out a small, individually wrapped foreign snack.
"Unnie, want one?"

"Oh. Yeah."
Next was Dora, sitting behind me.
"Gia-nim, try this too."

"Oh. Thanks."
A bear-shaped gummy.
And then, diagonally across from me, Maru joined in on the gift-giving relay, handing me a pack of Choco-TongTong—the energy snack of choice for soldiers.

Since they’d given them to me, leaving them untouched felt awkward, and I’d skipped breakfast, so I started unwrapping them one by one.
Luckily, when the CEO and I had stopped by the drive-thru at Starbucks earlier, I’d gotten a cappuccino.
It paired perfectly with Choco-TongTong.

Munching in silence, I started with the Choco-TongTong when Komari, who had been watching me, spoke up.
"Unnie, do you like chocolate?"
"No, I just didn’t have breakfast."

"Aha…"
Maru puffed up proudly.
"I knew it! That’s why I prepared it."

But Komari couldn’t resist throwing in a jab.
"You act like you brought something special when it’s just a Choco-TongTong…"
Ever since the I’m Wolf collab stream last week, I thought they had finally settled down, but now the bickering was starting up again.

"What?! Then you should’ve made some kimbap or something!"
"I barely managed to wake up at 9 AM when I usually get up at 2 PM. How was I supposed to prepare that?"
"Oh, what a flex, huh?"

Seeing the two of them squabble wasn’t anything new, but I was a bit concerned. Even in private, they were still at it.
"Are you two still not getting along? Was that fight during I’m Wolf real?"
"What? No way. We’re just doing our usual WWE routine."

"Lately, WWE seems to involve some real low kicks."
"I was just messing around! Maru unnie, chill. Maru jongjong~."
"Hey!"

Unfortunately for Komari, Maru was sitting right behind her, so her hand shot out and pulled Komari’s cheek.
"Ugghhyaahh."
"I held back last time, but not today!"

The chaos in the back seats got so out of hand that the CEO had to step in.
"Hey, if you kids keep that up, I might just turn this car around and send everyone home."
"We’ll be quiet." "Shutting up now…"

As expected, the ultimate riot suppressor: the CEO’s sashimi knife glare.
But that peace was only temporary.
At the rest stop, I tried to slip away to the bathroom, but Dora followed me.

When I came out, Maru and Komari, who had seen this, stood side by side, growling at each other like tiny chihuahuas.
Later, at the coffee shop, I laughed at Rain swaying to a Korean trot song playing from a vendor’s stand, only for Komari and Dora to creep up beside me and start dancing too, each claiming to be the better dancer.
Worried that someone might recognize us, I grabbed both of them by their collars and dragged them back to the car—only for them to start growling at each other again.

Normally, I would’ve just enjoyed watching their chemistry like any other viewer.
But after the I’m Wolf collab, I had a nagging feeling that I’d somehow worsened the rift between them.
There were plenty of different pairings among the first-gen members.

Out of all of them, I personally liked Komari-Maru the best.
If my presence was getting in the way of that, then it was only right for me to step back.
Anyone who enjoys watching girls running wild like this would probably understand.

And so, I naturally drifted toward Team Leader Kang, who had joined us at the campsite.
"Did something happen before I got here?" she asked.
I simply smiled and shook my head as if nothing was wrong.

Sorry, team leader.
Just for today, I’ll let you take the hits instead.
*

With Magia sticking close to Kang Ji-ho, the members naturally had no choice but to hold a reflection session.
"Honestly, this is all Maru unnie’s fault. If you lost at rock-paper-scissors, you should’ve just given up your spot."
"That was just for the car! Nobody said it applied all day!"

"It’s not just that, okay? Every time I try to spend a little time with unnie, you barge in and get in the way. That’s why Gia thought she was interfering and ran off!"
"T-That’s not true! And you were just as bad, Komari!!"
"…I wasn’t."

"Wow. At least change your expression if you're gonna lie."
"What are you even saying!"
Dora slung an arm around both Komari and Maru and grinned.

"You two aren’t actually fighting for real, right~?"
"Of course not." "Obviously not."
Their responses came in perfect sync.

No wonder fans always paired them together whenever they collabed.
"But Maru unnie is actually serious." "It’s because Komari takes things too seriously."
Their words were so similar that Rain burst out laughing.

"Pfft—! Are you two clones? That’s hilarious."
"Don’t laugh…" "What’s so funny! This is serious!"
"Kyahahahaha!"

Dora sighed.
With the eldest unnie too busy laughing, the second eldest had no choice but to step in.
"If this keeps up, we’re not gonna get anything done. Gia-nim needs to feel comfortable with us before we can pull off the surprise later, don’t you think?"

The "Operation: Make Magia Cry on Her Birthday" plan had two key steps.
First, they had to completely integrate her into the first-gen group.
They’d shower her with attention, respond positively to everything she said, make sure she was well-fed, and either hold her hand or link arms whenever they moved anywhere.

The goal was to make her feel like a natural part of the group, to establish a strong sense of belonging.
Then, in the evening, they’d flip the script.
At dinner, for some strange reason, only Gia’s plate would be missing.

Everyone else would be pouring drinks and making toasts, but Gia would be left out.
Her things would mysteriously disappear, yet no one would acknowledge it.
Just when she’d start feeling like an outsider—like maybe she shouldn’t have come at all—the surprise would spring.

A cake would appear, along with an acapella performance of "Happy Birthday" from all four of them, kicking off an emotional beachside party.
But if things were already falling apart this early, the whole plan was doomed.
"Maru, you’re the one who came up with this prank. You can’t let your emotions mess it up now."

Maru’s eyes glistened with unshed tears.
"But I just wanted to go to Gia whenever I saw her…"
"And that would’ve been fine—if you didn’t end up bickering with Komari every time. Komari, same goes for you. If you agreed to do this, can you at least hold off on arguing with Maru until we go to bed tonight?"

"Tch. It’s because Maru unnie keeps picking fights…"
"Komari."
They had never actually fought before.

No matter how much they bickered on stream, one of them always backed down in the end, smoothing things over before it escalated.
That was fine for content, but in reality, if they kept this up, it could start looking like a real fight.
Magia would probably think the same.

Anyone who could tell the difference between an act and reality would be worried.
"Anyway, just hold off until the prank is over, okay?"
Finally, after some hesitation, the two exchanged a quick hug.

For them, that was as good as a truce.
It was a habit they’d developed early on, back when they actually did argue during their trainee days.
"Now go clear things up with Gia. Show her you two aren’t actually fighting. Otherwise, she’s not coming back."

"Okay." "Got it."
First-gen was getting serious now.
Kang Ji-ho and Cheon Do-hee were already on their side for today.

This might have been their anniversary trip, but they’d already received plenty of love through streams and concerts.
What they really wanted was to celebrate the birthday of the person who had worked so hard to make that grand concert possible.
Now, they just had to win over Magia.

If they could keep the peace and show her how close they were, eventually, she’d find her way into their arms.
***
But there was one big flaw in their plan.

Magia wasn’t always friendly with them.
She only acted warm when it involved their streams. Outside of that, she was stubborn, headstrong, and fiercely independent.
"Are you sure you don’t want to hang out with the others? You came all this way, shouldn’t you be spending time with people your age instead of an old lady like me?"

Even when Kang Ji-ho tried to nudge her back toward the group.
After witnessing them argue over her, Magia had no intention of going back.
"They’ll have fun without me. Unless… am I in the way of your vlog? Should I go sit with the boss instead?"

"Hmm~ Nah, don’t worry about it. It’s fine."
In the distance, first-gen kept glancing toward Kang Ji-ho.
Maru had sent her a message: "I want to explain things to Gia."

Kang Ji-ho wanted to send Magia back.
If they were panicking this much, it meant their plan was already crumbling.
Luckily, she knew the best way to persuade Magia—by giving her a job.

"Gia, hold this. I need to run to the restroom real quick. Can you record the kids for me?"
"Oh. Yeah, sure."
"Try not to get their faces. We can always edit it out, but I’d rather not have it in the footage at all. Just focus on the ground when you can."

"Got it."
And with that, Magia took the camera and casually wandered back toward the group.
The members let out a visible sigh of relief.

Komari and Maru approached to explain themselves.
But as soon as Magia saw them coming, she instinctively took a step back.
Then another.

Then, without realizing it, she started running.
"Wait, why are you running?!"
"Why are you chasing me?!"

A sudden footrace across the sandy beach.
Despite her short legs and the gimbal in her hands, Magia was surprisingly light on her feet, gliding over the sand effortlessly.
Komari, who had decent athleticism, kept pace.

Maru… did not.
Not only was she bad at games, she was bad at physical activity in general.
So naturally, she tripped.

Thud.
Face-first into the sand.
Her entire body was covered in beige grains, her clothes completely ruined.

"Huuu…"
Komari gasped and stopped running, rushing back.
Frantically, she used the sleeve of her hoodie to brush the sand off Maru’s face, making sure not to scratch her skin.

"Unnie, are you okay?!"
"Hic… I-I’m fine… sniff…"
"Stay still. Ugh, you’re gonna have to change your whole outfit."

No matter how much they bickered, when things got serious, they always looked out for each other.
As the temporary vlogger, Magia couldn’t pass up on such a golden moment.
Silently, she approached and started recording from Maru’s feet up.

Then she paused the recording and commented dryly.
"That was a good shot. I’ll keep filming."
At that, Maru’s tears spilled over.

After all, who was the reason she ended up like this?
"Huuuuu… Hiiiii… Hiiiiiiiii!!"