I explained the situation to the security guard and considered bringing her into the monitoring room where I was staying.

    But then I realized letting her sleep in the company office might bring up all sorts of legal complications—special allowances, workplace policies, and other annoying bureaucratic headaches.

    An internet cafe? was an option, but if she fell asleep there, she might wreck her back.

    There weren’t any nearby saunas, either.

    After some thought, I decided to take her to a 24-hour room cafe? nearby.

    It had heated floors, plenty of blankets and cushions, and was a decent enough place to rest for the night.

    After I paid for the room and we stepped inside, Seung-yeon looked around in awe.

    “Thank you! I’ve never been to a place like this before!”

    It was only my second time here too.

    The first time was with the CEO.

    Before Parallel leased the Eunha Building, we had scouted out office spaces, and the timing was a bit off, so we stopped by here to rest.

    The CEO had pulled an all-nighter streaming the night before and needed a nap, so I found this place.

    While she slept inside, I sat outside watching a Bathtub Bathtub stream.

    I still remember it vividly—the legendary warship, Sango Libya, and the rest of the Bathtub crew.

    "I’m Wolf."

    That mafia-style deduction game was a masterpiece.

    Especially that clutch chandelier drop by Libya, taking out three people for a game-winning turnaround—

    “Um... Magia?”

    “Oh.”

    I had gotten lost in my own nostalgia again.

    I smiled slightly and turned back to Seung-yeon.

    “For now, just rest here until your interview tomorrow. If you need anything, you can use the cafe?’s amenities. I’ve already covered the cost.”

    “Ugh. Thank you so much. I feel awful for showing up too early and being such a burden...”

    “Better than showing up late.”

    If she had shown up late, the CEO would have gone full blindfolded dual-wielding demon mode and booted her on the spot.

    I think I mentioned this before—people who showed up drunk or late lost their interview slots despite passing the brutal application process.

    Back when the CEO was still streaming regularly, she had never been late once (this was before Parallel’s founding), and she seemed to hold everyone to that same standard now.

    Even Dora, who’s chronically late nowadays, had managed to pass the CEO’s strict requirements back then.

    A high bar wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

    “Anyway, I’ll be in the next room getting some sleep. Knock if you need me.”

    “Yes...! Thank you so much...!”

    I stepped into the neighboring room, locked the door, and immediately set up a cushion.

    I needed to sleep.

    I had an interview to conduct tomorrow.

    This unexpected engagement had already cut into 30 minutes of my sleep...

    Just as I was about to drift off—

    — Alright, D-Rain, let’s introduce ourselves.

    — Oh, hell yeah. Puddles! Drop the Rain from the sky. I’m here to drench this dry land today!

    I immediately recognized it.

    It was a clip from Find Rain, the game show I had participated in earlier this month.

    — Hey, hey. Everyone, shut up. Calm down. It’s so obvious I’m the real one. A-Rain is obviously legit. Why don’t you get it? I’m disappointed in you.

    — What the—this is crazy. A, chill. No matter how hard you try, the Puddles aren’t falling for it. It’s me. I’m the real D-Rain.

    I already knew Seung-yeon was a Parallel fan.

    ...But watching highlight clips instead of sleeping when she had an interview in just a few hours? That was unexpected.

    Is she really fine with skipping sleep?

    I didn’t care if she stuttered during the interview.

    Her job wouldn’t require much public speaking anyway.

    But if she walked in looking like a sleep-deprived zombie, that was a different issue.

    Well, she’ll figure it out herself.

    She must have wanted this job badly to show up here at 2 AM.

    With that level of determination, I trusted she’d pull herself together for tomorrow.

    Meanwhile...

    “...Unbelievable.”

    Gong Seung-yeon was tired.

    But she couldn’t stop replaying that voice in her head.

    The voice of the person who had just helped her.

    It sounded familiar.

    Similar to the girls, but subtly more polished—like someone used to the working world.

    So, she immediately opened Rain’s YouTube channel and rewatched two videos.

    Then, she watched Dora’s Pandemic Village stream.

    Finally, she skimmed through Komari’s “Holding Back Advice” challenge.

    And the realization hit her like a truck.

    “...Is it really StaffD?”

    She had been suspicious ever since they met.

    "As you probably know from watching streams, most broadcasts run late at night. Let’s say it’s past your shift, and you’re home. A major issue occurs. What do you do?"

    She tried to look intimidating, but with her pouty expression, she was just... a grumpy girl.

    But since Seung-yeon thought Magia was in a high position, she answered with full sincerity.

    "I’ll immediately take the call and head over to fix it."

    "Even if it’s at, say, 3 or 4 AM?"

    "Since the members’ streams run late into the night, I believe that’s just part of the job!"

    At that, Magia nodded and smiled.

    "Good answer."

    ...That smile was really cute.

    ...Wait, why am I thinking that?

    Get a grip.

    Did I seriously just call a high-ranking person cute in my head?

    While Seung-yeon shook her head to snap out of it, Do-hee moved to the next question.

    "Let’s talk about your motivation. We already know you’re a fan of Parallel, so let’s skip that part. What I want to hear is how you became a fan and why you decided to apply for this job."

    Ssshhh. Haaaah.

    Seung-yeon had prepared a long speech for this question.

    This was the most important thing she wanted to say.

    "Parallel is my sanctuary. I still remember it clearly—it was during my graduation exams, and I was completely drained. That’s when I happened to hear Komari’s cover of Top of the Top."

    She took a brief pause.

    "It was pure coincidence. I had stopped by an internet cafe? for research, and an employee was playing it in the background."

    Top of the Top.

    An upbeat J-pop song with energetic guitar sessions, violin highlights, and snare drum accents, designed to maximize excitement.

    The lyrics carried a powerful message—

    No matter what obstacles come your way, push forward with courage and hope.

    "I’ve been learning Japanese since I was young, so I understood the lyrics right away. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be anxious. Be brave. Hearing those words—especially in Komari’s powerful voice—filled me with determination."

    Before, she had almost given up on her studies.

    But after hearing that song, her motivation exploded like a volcano.

    At this, the HR director stifled a laugh.

    It was rare for a nervous applicant to speak so flawlessly and with such passion—and her phrasing was just plain entertaining.

    "So from that day on, I decided—if I ever got the chance to use my electrical engineering skills, I would join Parallel. No matter how tough or exhausting the work might be, I’d do everything I could for the members."

    She sat up straight.

    "This application is the result of that resolution. If you hire me, I will give my all."

    When someone speaks with true love and sincerity, it’s impossible not to feel it.

    Even Magia gave a small nod.

    "You really love Komari. Is she your oshi?"

    "Yes! I’m a Golden Leaf!"

    "Wow, then you must’ve donated a lot."

    "Hehehe... It’s a little embarrassing, but over ten months, I’ve donated about five million won..."

    "Where did you get that money? This is your first time job-hunting, right?"

    "I took on every part-time job I could find. If I wanted to send Komari encouragement, I had to do that much."

    "Then... did you watch Komari’s Holding Back Advice challenge stream?"

    "Ah."

    Her expression fell immediately.

    "I was busy preparing for the interview, so I only watched the edited version..."

    "At least you saw it. That’s good."

    "Yes...! It was fun seeing a different side of her! Especially when StaffD was trying so hard not to swear during that awful movement sequence—he kept repeating the same words over and over. Komari, who usually never makes mistakes, kept messing up, and it was hilarious..."

    Magia chuckled.

    "Yeah, that part was funny. Did you watch the Rubber Duck House stream the next day?"

    "I was worried about Komari’s mental state. She got over 1,000 cursed donations that day..."

    Magia smirked.

    "So, did you send any cursed videos?"

    ".........No."

    Magia stared.

    "Are you sure?"

    After a long silence, Seung-yeon clenched her fists.

    "...Actually, I sent 51."

    Silence.

    Then—

    Magia jumped out of her seat and declared—

    "Hired."