Not long after, the CEO dragged in Maru, who was currently in an unrecognizable state between a human and a limp seaweed, and carefully sat her down on a chair.

    Considering how bad Maru’s stomach was, there were times when she just couldn’t stop throwing up once it started.

    So, honestly, it was a relief that she stopped at this point.

    ...Oh, there’s still some leftover debris over there.

    While cleaning up Maru’s mess, I relayed what Komari had told me earlier.

    The CEO continued checking on Maru for a while before finally taking a seat.

    “So... Pino wants to handle the rigging work?”

    Both Komari and I nodded, and the CEO turned to Komari.

    “Did they send an official email?”

    “No, they just asked for Gia-unni’s email.”

    “Why Gia’s email...? Should I just CC Pino and have them send the request to the planning team?”

    “Yes.”

    Even though they were acquainted, rigging was still contract work.

    And since it involved money, proper documentation was necessary.

    It might seem a bit cold to handle it so formally, but in business, these details were essential.

    “Anyway... should we head out?”

    “Yeah.”

    “Can you two help me get Maru into the car? Gia, after that, make sure Komari gets home.”

    “Got it.”

    Komari rushed over to Maru and struggled to lift one of her arms.

    Then, the CEO grabbed the other side, forming a very uneven shoulder support.

    Even when the taller person crouched down to even it out, there was only so much they could do, and naturally, the smaller side took most of the weight.

    “Gi-Gia-unni, help me!”

    But... how?

    If this were before I got shorter, I could’ve easily carried her myself and thrown her in the car.

    But now? That wasn’t happening.

    Should I just stick to Komari’s side?

    That would only make things more awkward, and we’d just end up getting tangled.@@@@

    “This positioning is too weird, so I’ll just cheer you on from here.”

    The moment I said that, the CEO gestured for me to come over.

    In the end, we had to switch places.

    The CEO carried Maru on her back, while Komari and I supported her from the sides in what was possibly the strangest formation imaginable.

    Somehow, we managed to get her to the parking lot and shoved Maru into the back seat of the CEO’s sedan.

    And just like that, all three of us let out a synchronized sigh.

    The CEO, who had suffered the most, stretched first, then patted me and Komari on the back.

    “Get home safe. And Gia, you did great with the promotions today. Let’s talk about work tomorrow.”

    “Yeah, take care.”

    With Maru the Seaweed and the CEO gone, only Komari and I remained.

    I pulled up the taxi app, entered Komari’s home address, and made the call.

    Normally, I would have just booked one for both of us, but it was late at night, and the CEO had personally asked me to make sure Komari got home safely.

    It wouldn’t hurt to wait until she got inside before calling my own ride.

    “Dora and Rain already went home earlier, so once I drop you off, I’m officially off duty.”

    “Stop making going home sound like a quest....”

    “It is a quest. You guys just went out to have fun, but I have an actual objective.”

    “.......”

    The streetlight illuminated Komari’s big, round eyes as she stared at me for a moment.

    Then, she finally spoke.

    “Gia-unni... how about staying at my place until morning?”

    “Why would I?”

    “It’s dangerous at night....”

    ...That was new.

    Of all people, Komari was the most fragile of the first-gen members.

    She had always assumed I would be the one making sure she got home safely.

    But now she was worried about me?

    Damn. Getting shorter really changed my life.

    “Instead of worrying about me, worry about preparing for your stream tomorrow. Not that you would ever be late like Dora and piss off your fans.”

    “Obviously not... wait. That’s not the point! Are you seriously going straight home?”

    “Of course. I don’t have a reason to stay over.”

    When I stayed at Dora’s, it was for stream-related reasons.

    There was no logical reason for me to sleep over at my company’s idol’s house.

    But Komari wasn’t backing down.

    Instead, she used her first-gen intelligence—the same smarts that had earned the CEO’s recognition— and made a deal.

    “You last checked my streaming setup half a year ago. Isn’t it about time for a maintenance check?”

    Unlike the others, who had called me over due to unexpected tech issues, Komari had been managing her own equipment perfectly for the past six months.

    But she had a point.

    “...What the hell?”

    999+ new emails.

    A number she never saw next to her inbox.

    The toxic email brigade was back in full force.

    ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─

    Subject: Hello, Momo.

    From: asd31141

    To: Momo

    Hello, Momo.

    I’m a MongMong and a huge fan of your streams.

    I wanted to email you about something stream-related.

    I understand that you’re busy running a company and that your streams have been a bit neglected lately.

    As a CEO, it’s understandable that your content might lose a bit of focus.

    But if that’s the case, shouldn’t you at least bring in a substitute?

    I heard you brainwashed a certain employee into working for you.

    Someone who plays Battle Call better than you, can rap, and does perfect voice impressions.

    Wouldn’t it be a waste to keep her hidden?

    Your average viewership has been dropping lately.

    Wouldn’t that employee help boost things a bit?

    Honestly, I’m just worried you’re getting complacent.

    Stay strong!

    I’ll keep watching.

    ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─

    There were literally a thousand emails like this.

    If this wasn’t workplace harassment, she didn’t know what was.

    But Do-hee understood their psychology.

    If they typed that in chat, they’d get ignored.

    If they pushed too hard, they’d get banned.

    So the only remaining option was email.

    They knew a CEO couldn’t completely close off external communication,

    so this was basically a protest movement.

    Demanding Gia’s release.

    But seriously...

    So what?

    Gia wanted to stay in Momo’s evil lair.

    After sifting through hundreds of emails, deleting most, and bookmarking the legit business inquiries, Do-hee checked her corporate inbox for any messages from existing business partners.

    That’s when she saw a familiar name.

    “Pino.”

    The same Pino who had just asked Komari about Gia’s rigging.

    ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─

    Subject: Momo, it’s Pino.

    From: PIN0

    To: Cheon Do-hee

    ???? Attachments: workerD.cmo3, workerD.can3, runtime.zip, sample.mov

    Hello, Momo.

    It’s been a while since Komari’s new outfit.

    So, uh, I saw Worker D on stream today and thought it was a crime that she’s still so stiff...

    I asked Dora for an illustration and did a quick test rig.

    If you like it, I can formalize the project and finish it properly.

    The rate will be the same as Komari’s.

    Thanks,

    PINO

    Live2D Rigger

    ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─

    Pino was a corporate rigger who only worked with big-name clients.

    In fact, he was currently employed by one of Korea’s top subculture game companies.

    His workload was constant.

    He never took outside commissions.

    And even when he did, he only ever posted pre-approved work on his socials.

    So why was someone like him suddenly offering to rig Gia’s model?

    And more importantly—

    Why the hell had he already started?

    There wasn’t even a contract yet.

    ...What was going on?

    Do-hee opened the attachments.

    And froze.

    This wasn’t “slightly rigged.”

    It was already better than half the professional models on the market.

    Gia’s model wasn’t just moving—it was ridiculously expressive.

    It looked soft.

    So soft that Do-hee suddenly wanted to pinch its cheeks.

    “...This is not ‘slightly,’ Pino.”

    It was the same as Dora saying she’d put in “a little effort,” only to drop a fully polished character sheet.

    Pino had gone all in.

    There was no reason to refuse.

    Pino’s tastes were questionable, but his skills were undeniable.

    And if he was charging the same rate as Komari’s rigging, then it was practically a steal.

    But why?

    Komari’s rigging had taken weeks of persuasion before Pino finally agreed.

    What had possessed him to volunteer this time?

    [Me: Pino.]

    [Me: Aren’t you super busy these days?]

    [Me: I was surprised to see you reach out first.]

    Do-hee barely had time to blink before a reply came in.

    [PIN0: FREE WORKER D FROM HER PRISONNNNNNNN]