Since I Became a Woman, I’ll Do Cosplay

“2020… huh.”

Hayoon confirmed the calendar and recalled the general issues that arose around this period.

“Everything went to hell with the COVID outbreak starting around February…”

In March, the U.S. stock market crashed.

This was the historic low point – the prime opportunity to invest heavily and reap the rewards comfortably in a few years.

“I should probably ask dad to set me up with a brokerage account.”

However, Hayoon was only 17 years old – a fragile minor who couldn’t even open a bank account alone.

This was something she’d need to discuss with Min Jeong-kyun…

“Didn’t cryptocurrencies start gaining popularity around this year? Some coins skyrocketed by tens or even hundreds of times.”

But Hayoon didn’t know much about the crypto market. She wasn’t even familiar with how the market structure worked. Since she thought U.S. stocks offered sufficient returns, she saw no reason to get into cryptocurrencies.

While conservative, her basic mindset was that “I can make enough money with my own abilities.” She had enough savings to invest in U.S. stocks, which seemed sufficient.

“Oh, mining…”

She recalled that this was when the graphics card market started going crazy. With everyone stuck at home, those with computer skills began using graphics cards for mining, driving up demand and causing prices to skyrocket.

“I spent 120 bucks on a 3060… damn it…”

Though Hayoon hadn’t purchased in 2020, she remembered overpaying for a graphics card during the pandemic period. Reflecting on it, she had used that computer until traveling back to 2019 at age 22 without upgrading.

“This time, I’m going all-in on high-end components. Starting with the 2080, I’ll max out the CPU, RAM, and motherboard…”

Later, when the 4000 or 5000 series cards came out, she could invest a million won to upgrade just the graphics card.

This seemed like the optimal long-term plan.

“Maybe I should look into streaming…”

Hayoon was seriously considering internet broadcasting during the pandemic era. She recalled the most peculiar broadcasts at the time were ones for university entrance exam preparation.

Though there were some purely academic broadcasts…

Most featured women in revealing clothing, making eye contact with the camera and flashing coy smiles, pandering to viewers’ baser instincts. The pandemic, which made normal social interaction difficult, created an environment where many men’s wallets were emptied by these manipulative schemes.

Hayoon intended to guide these men into the world of 2D.

Using a cam to show only her hands and microphone for voice, she would take illustration requests and upload them to Pixiv.

Through this…

“Traffic to Pixiv will naturally increase, Patreon supporters will grow, and in turn, the Pixiv audience will become viewers, creating a positive feedback loop…”

Of course, some might criticize that this was still exploiting male viewers…

Hayoon’s situation was different. While professional “tamers” manipulate and control their audiences, Hayoon would be more like a caregiver providing appropriate stimuli.

She wouldn’t manipulate her audience, but she would nurture them by consistently providing quality content.

Honestly, the opportunity to commission artwork at affordable rates from someone of Hayoon’s skill level doesn’t come around often.

Thus, this would be an advantageous arrangement for the viewers.

Confident in this approach, Hayoon began acquiring equipment immediately.

#

Days passed.

Her newly assembled computer arrived, and while practicing broadcasting settings, her cam and microphone also arrived.

Setting up the cam to frame her drawing tablet and installing the microphone in a corner of her desk completed the basic setup.

With everything ready, Hayoon started her first broadcast:

[LIVE] Newcomer’s First Day Drawing Stream (1)

“Hmm…”

Perhaps the “newcomer’s first day” title lacked impact.

The viewer count fluctuated between 2-3, peaking at 5 before dropping back to 1.

Since that one viewer was Hayoon’s own account, the effective viewer count was zero.

“Does my title lack attention-grabbing appeal?”

Thus, Hayoon’s first stream ended with a bittersweet taste.

However, Hayoon wasn’t foolish. She had battled endlessly with the Pixiv algorithm in her quest to become a recognized illustrator.

She knew what kinds of introductions drew attention.

With everything prepared, she returned the next day.

[LIVE] Aspiring High School Girl’s Drawing Stream, Critique Please (21)

Change came immediately.

By prefixing the male-favorite “high school girl” with “aspiring,” she heightened the moral dilemma appeal, and by asking for critiques of her drawings and grammar, she attracted those eager to point out mistakes.

-Greetings.

-Nice to meet you.

-Which school do you attend?

-Critique (X) Evaluation (O)

-A baby was born in ’04?

As a result, the viewer count quickly rose to 20.

This was significant growth compared to the first day when no one watched, and no special techniques were needed to retain them once they arrived.

“Wow, so many people today.”

[1,000 won donation]

-Nice voice.

“Wow… 1,000 won, thank you. This is my first time receiving a donation.”

Thanks to her naturally well-developed voice, some viewers were willing to pay just to hear her speak a few words.

Considering Hayoon needed to earn 20 million won before schooling started, she was grateful for viewers who could spend so freely…

‘But 1,000 won isn’t enough.’

To gather more viewers and cultivate them into loyal patrons who would commission her illustrations, she needed to build rapport with promising ones.

“To be honest, it’s my first time receiving a donation, so I’m not sure what to do…”

In both the illustration and streaming industries, the intimate connection between creator and audience was essential.

To make them spend money…

“Yeah, that sounds good. Since you were the first to donate, I’ll draw something you request.”

-R, really?

“Of course. If I took your money and lied, I’d get in trouble.”

This was necessary to reduce the psychological distance with the audience.

Doing this would ensure the spending viewer continued to spend compulsively, and also gave other watching viewers a reason to spend.

“What kind of drawing would you like?”

-Uh… H-how about… A c-cat?

“…”

Of course, some viewers would end up like this – unable to take advantage of the opportunity despite it being offered.

Being human, viewers sometimes backed out to save face.

-Ah, boring…

-What’s with the cat?

-Missing the point.

Sure enough, the other viewers in the chat criticized the shy requester…

[10,000 won donation]

-Can I suggest the theme?

Just then, a wealthy viewer who couldn’t tolerate the “cat” suggestion took the bait.

“Hmm… Even though I’ve already received money, is this really allowed?”

[10,000 won donation]

-If it really bothers you, just draw an awesome cat-human hybrid. That seems like a reasonable compromise, right?

A sly smile appeared on Hayoon’s face, hidden from the cam’s view.

Cat-hybrids were her strongest suit.

Her specialty was clear – accentuating texture differences to create dramatic contrast, which worked perfectly for cat-human hybrids.

“Alright, that sounds fine. Since it’s not an external commission, I’ll compose the pose myself.”

[10,000 won donation]

-Solid. Thanks for the quick progression.

By the end of her second day of streaming, Hayoon had earned 31,000 won – an overwhelming pace. As if to repay this impressive earning rate, her rough sketch rapidly came together.

First, she set the main pose with a cat-like stance.

A hybrid must exhibit both human and feline characteristics.

She positioned the figure on all fours, with one hand raised claw-like beside the face…

-Woah, holy…

-Is the intensity…

-Is this appropriate…

To emphasize the upper body bent forward in the nude pose, she wrapped the arms around the chest in a way that accentuated it even more.

Adding contrast, a thin cat tail visible behind the head countered the broad pelvis…

-Holy…

-Insane intensity…

-Great…

-The coloring, quickly.

The audience was thoroughly captivated.

[100,000 won donation]

-Yes! This is it. Makes me want to spend. Please take care with the coloring.

“Woohoo! 100,000 won! Thank you so much! Let me know if you have any other requests later!”

The generous donation came in!

A little sound effect as a thanks!

[10,000 won donation]

-Um… Did the stream end? I tried sending the link to a friend after searching, but the channel doesn’t appear.

“Uh…?”

The broadcast went down.

24-hour streaming suspension.

Just on her second day, she received this punishment.

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