"Boss."
9 a.m.
While heading to the Ilsan International Exhibition Hall where the Mane Festival was being held, Magia, sitting in the passenger seat, absentmindedly fiddled with her phone and muttered,
"We might run into Pino at the festival."
"Huh?"
Pino’s social dia account had beco famous in a niche way—as an unusual Live2D rigger.
Usually, to create a moving illustration, you'd need a highly detailed piece with an absurd number of separated layers.
But Pino worked from publicly available illustrations. In other words, he took single-layer images and retouched the necessary parts himself to create vivid, dynamic Live2D models. His skill was bizarrely good.
His work was so impressive that he ended up swamped in contracts from Mimax, the top ga company in Korea, handling their Live2D outsourcing.
But at the sa ti, he had the worst luck with investnts—lost all his money, ended up in debt, and had to look for new gigs. That’s how he wound up in the VTuber rigging scene.
So in the doujin and especially the VTuber community, hardly anyone didn’t know the na Pino... but—
He was also a bigger shut-in than Magia, a man who truly lived by the motto, "Outside is dangerous."
No one had ever actually seen his face.
There were even rumors that the outsourcing manager at Mimax, who regularly commissioned him, didn’t know what he looked like.
So the odds of him coming outside just to buy rch were basically zero.
That’s why Do-hee’s response was half-hearted.
"He’s coming all the way out here just to buy rch? No way. I an, yeah, it’s easier to get here now with the GTX line open, but still. If you don’t have a car, it’s such a pain coming from Seoul."
If you’re wondering why these two even know where Pino lives—
Just recall the ti he didn’t deliver Komari’s rigging on ti and nearly had his front door broken down.
Still, Magia spoke with a weird certainty, like she was sure he’d crawl out of his cave this ti.
"Maybe, but look at this."
"You’re telling a person who's driving to look at sothing?"
"Just a quick peek. I’ll read the rest out loud."
—————— From Z —————— PIN0☑ @pin0_live2d - 2 hours ago
Why are you all lining up so early
Please just go ho
My Gia rch is in danger
———————————————————
It was just a sentence, no photo attached.
But even that was enough to tell where he was headed.
"I wasn’t trying to find out, but it turns out Parallel’s booth has more of my rch than usual this ti."
These days, with online pre-orders and specialty platforms, it’s a lot easier to track what’s being traded and what’s in demand.
From what Magia had seen yesterday, about half of Parallel’s booth was dedicated to selling her rch.
Considering that Parallel doesn’t officially sell any of her goods, and her connections with Momo and the rest of the mbers were being highlighted lately—it probably stirred up the fanbase.
"No wonder. So that’s why the guy’s crawling out of his cave..."
"Which is why we should be careful how we speak. If it’s him, he might recognize just from my voice."
"Yeah. I was planning to stay alert anyway."
Do-hee, still fiddling with the steering wheel, glanced over at Magia a mont later and asked,
"Wait—was that based on your own experience?"
Gia’s answer was sharp.
"Yes. When I first saw your face, I was like, 'That’s Momo?' But the mont you spoke, I knew imdiately."
"Hey. 'That’s Momo?' Really?"
"I just didn’t expect my oshi to have such a stern look, y'know—ugh—"
"You know I can still pinch your cheek even while driving, right?"
***
The goal of the cosplay was to hide a tree in a forest.
That goal turned out to be surprisingly easy to accomplish.
Just like all the other cosplayers arriving at the venue, the two of them instantly drew the attention of cara-toting fans.
What made the difference was the high-quality cosplay of Magia, who was dressed as the protagonist of the currently popular series The Aizela.
Even better—standing next to her was the matching cosplay of Hero Kain, widely shipped as the main pairing of the series. Double the impact.
Since they had queued in the cosplayer entrance line, getting inside wasn’t an issue.
But from the general admission line a little farther off, tons of people were staring, so even whipping out their caras and snapping photos without hesitation.
Even other cosplayers in the sa line asked if they could take pictures with them.
So even before the event began or they officially entered the hall, they’d already taken group shots with over ten different cosplayer teams.
This was particularly exhausting for Magia.
Just because she was in disguise didn’t an she could ignore people’s requests—she tried hard to pose and adjust her expression to match what the photographers wanted, which took a lot out of her.
As soon as they entered the exhibition hall, Gia made a beeline for the corner, slumping against the wall with her back.
Quite the contrast to Do-hee, who looked like she was having a blast soaking in all the attention.
"Do people usually take this many pictures when you cosplay?"
"How would I know? This is my first ti. But damn, this is fun. I didn’t expect to be this popular."
According to the pro cosplayer who helped with Gia and Do-hee’s makeup and setup—
With cosplay, half the battle is the hanger, apparently.
Perfect outfits, wigs, gear, and makeup always look better on attractive people.
At the event, popularity and photo requests definitely shoot up depending on how good you look.
And Magia—without even wearing contacts—naturally had the sa eye color as Aizela. Her milk-pale skin made the elf ears look absurdly natural.
That’s why she was such a hit.
Even her brief mont of resting—hands gripping her staff, face buried in her shoulder while leaning against the wall—looked picture-perfect to soone. Another person ca over wanting a photo.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
But since the whole idea of cosplaying was Do-hee’s plan to help her stay anonymous— And Do-hee was the one who asked her to co along for this business trip—
Seeing Magia clearly exhausted already, she couldn’t just stand by.
"Sorry, she’s taking a short break. Could you maybe take a picture outside later if there’s a chance?"
"Oh, sure."
Thankfully, the would-be photographer backed off without protest.
The event organizers had even recomnded against taking too many photos of cosplayers inside the hall, to avoid disrupting their chance to actually enjoy the booths.
Do-hee turned to Magia, who was clearly drained.
"You okay? Want to go back to the car and rest?"
"No, this is exactly when the turret needs to work the hardest. Honestly, I’m just glad the attention’s on and not on you. Choosing to cosplay Kain instead of Tasha was a good call."
"Yeah... I’ll try to block more photo requests for you."
Maybe it was the effort that touched her, but—
Magia, for the first ti in a while, spoke words of genuine gratitude.
"Thank you."
Of course, being bombarded by caras was exhausting.
But getting to hang out with Do-hee? That was a separate joy all on its own.
Maybe that’s why—throughout the rest of their wandering, Gia couldn’t stop smiling.
It might seem weird to enjoy yourself this much during a work trip, but—
Magia always felt like everything she did with Do-hee was a kind of play.
She firmly believed she was one of the rare, lucky few among the MongMong who’d been granted a peek into her oshi’s everyday life.
That positive mindset always translated into the best possible performance.
She studied how company booths were laid out, how foot traffic was guided, what kind of rchandise was being sold, how the staff were arranged.
She observed in detail, snapped photos, took notes as needed, and imdiately sent them all to Do-hee without forgetting a beat.
Particularly at the Bachubachu booth—and their rival Yoruasai’s booth, locked in a global VTuber turf war—she picked up a ton of practical insights.
“There’s definitely a huge difference in sales depending on the mber and fanbase type.”
“Totally.”
One notable example: Natsuki Luna from Bachubachu’s KR fourth gen sold way more rch in sets that depicted her eating with other mbers than she did solo goods.
It was because she was a total social butterfly, always sweet with her seniors—fans loved it.
On the other hand, third-gen’s Ōkami Haroko was more of a gar-type like Komari, so her individual rch—especially limited-edition versions commorating specific ga highlights—was what sold best.
Luna’s personalized dishware, engraved with her na or autograph, was flying off the shelves thanks to # Nоvеlight # her habit of grilling at during altis with senpai.
For Haroko, it was mousepads and keycaps that were the hot items.
Of course, venue location and event timing were other factors to consider.
But since this event fell squarely during sumr break and peak vacation season, at least those variables were already favorable.
And surprisingly, during all their busy work, no one asked to take their photo.
Most likely thanks to Do-hee, who kept throwing sharp glares and practically radiated murder every ti soone holding a phone or cara got too close.
Normally, Magia would act as the turret for her oshi during streams.
But today, Do-hee was the one turret-ing for Magia.
***
After nearly two hours of combing through the company booths—
The two of them headed to the food truck zone on one side of the hall to grab a quick lunch.
Magia, who’d been a bundle of energy during work, had turned into a slouching, drained gremlin.
Do-hee leaned down and whispered into Gia’s ear.
She couldn’t speak too loudly—it was way too noisy all around.
“Is the staff heavy? Want to carry it for you?”
“No... I kinda need it just to stay upright right now.”
“Okay, just be careful not to break it. Though honestly, you’re so light it probably doesn’t matter.”
Magia sighed softly, rembering her past self.
“Back then I could power through until the end of the day. Maybe I really need to build so stamina.”
“You? Exercise? Please.”
“I could do it if I wanted to.”
Do-hee stared at her and asked,
“Wait. Isn’t this where you’re supposed to say sothing like, ‘Unlike the boss who promises to stream and then doesn’t,’ right after?”
“...Too tired.”
Even a gremlin could be cute sotis.
Do-hee let out a little snort and reached for Gia’s cheek.
Just then, the custor in front moved away, and the food truck worker called out.
“Next!”
“Oh, let’s go.”
Do-hee tugged the sagging Gia along toward the counter.
The food truck worker, a woman in her thirties, glanced at them and asked with concern,
“Is your little one okay? She looks really tired.”
Do-hee tilted her head, confused.
But the only one who could remotely be called a “little one” was Magia.
Everyone else around them was clearly an adult, dressed in black.
“Oh. She’s not a—”
Do-hee’s denial was cut off by Magia, who suddenly stepped in.
“Mom... I’m hungry...”
“...?”
“Oh no, you must be starving! What do you want to eat?”
“I want a hot dog.”
“That might be hard to eat with your little mouth. Want to cut it up with scissors for you?”
“Thank you.”
“My goodness, and so polite too. What a pretty kid.”
“Uh. Um. Yeah...”
What the hell.
Just like that, Do-hee had beco a woman in her twenties with a daughter two years younger than herself.
As soon as they got their order slip and sat down at an empty table, Gia—now fully recharged—giggled uncontrollably.
“She really thought I was your daughter. That’s hilarious.”
“I’m not even married and now I’ve apparently got a fully grown child.”
“You should be thankful I gave you such a special experience.”
“Thankf—like hell I am.”
Do-hee barely stopped herself from bonking Gia on the crown of her head.
Today, with all the bobby pins securing the wig, it might’ve actually left a dent.
So instead, she pulled at her cheek.
Magia’s pale face stretched like mozzarella cheese—for the second ti today.
“Anyway, you okay? Got enough energy to check out booths this afternoon?”
“If I flip the work switch in my brain, I think I’ll be fine.”
“...Sotis I seriously worry you might be a real workaholic.”
“I an, working is probably less exhausting than getting my picture taken.”
Judging by their goofy chatter, any tension about being recognized on-site had long since disappeared.
No one had recognized them in the last few hours.
That food truck mont had been hilarious.
And even though they were technically working, they were having a pretty good ti at the event.
Which is probably why—while they were busy snickering—neither of them noticed a man approaching.
“Sorry, could I borrow a chair for a mont?”
It was a four-person table.
Gia and Do-hee were sitting across from each other, and the empty seat beside Gia had their staff and sword resting on it.
The man who walked up seed to be asking for the one remaining chair.
Do-hee turned toward the voice.
Magia followed her gaze—and then...
“...Huh?”
“...?”
Both of them recoiled at the sa ti, startled.
And for good reason: the man, his hat pulled low, was soone they definitely recognized.
They’d been so focused on watching out for Pino showing up...
They never expected Mugeon—who only recently got into subculture thanks to Parallel—to pop up here of all places.
To make matters worse, a shopping bag dangled from his wrist—clearly a Magia rch bag.
Sticking out of it was a long, unmistakable item: a Magia desk mat.
They’d both agreed not to react if they ran into soone they knew.
But Magia couldn’t stop the words from bursting out of her mouth.
“What the fuck.”
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