Chapter 18 : Encounter

Encounter

“…So, what should I do now?”

Well.

After defeating FlyingCloud, the boss that was right in front of me, it feels like there are no urgent quests left.

Though that might not actually be true.

Earth Online, as expected… it’s way too open-world.

Shouldn’t they divide habitats by level, depending on the player?

Monsters like my brother should be placed in places like Dagestan, Russia, and fragile people like me should be somewhere else…

“Sigh.”

Complaining here won’t change anything.

At least the broadcasting equipment dropped by FlyingCloud… seems useful.

But selling them secondhand requires communication with people, and that’s just bothersome.

Ugh. If that person wanted to apologize, they should’ve just given me cash instead of causing me more trouble.

Of course, FlyingCloud probably didn’t know I already had equipment.

Not my problem, though.

Apologies are more about the person receiving them, after all. Mm-hmm.

“I really have nothing to do…”

Ah, I’ve already prepared for my VTuber debut.

I mean, I already had the silver-haired, blue-eyed, cute girl avatar even before becoming a girl.

Though, I’m not sure if calling an avatar that looks exactly like me is accurate.

The rigging work was entrusted to an expert recommended by LumiLive.

They said it’d be done by next week, so until then, I’m short on content.

Lazing around on my bed eating snacks feels like such a waste of time.

The only thing I consistently do is… Oh, what was it called? Oshi?

Anyway, I make sure to watch my favorite Yui’s streams every day.

Since I’ll be debuting as a VTuber soon, she’s a good example, and honestly, it’s just fun to watch.

Like when she confidently messes up while gaming.

Or when she shows her signature graceful charm during collaborations…

But no matter what, Yui’s debut stream is truly legendary.

I’ve been rewatching that part for days.

The way my eyes tear up every time is a bit of a problem, though.

Yui said that part wasn’t even scripted…

Ah, speaking of which.

“Should I start writing my debut script…?”

Flop.

I buried my face into the large, white, anglerfish-shaped cushion on my desk.

It’s soft enough to heal my tired heart.

“Sigh.”

Even big companies like HanahLive use scripts during debuts…

Having one is definitely better than not.

Who knows when the power of ‘Female Kang Suhyun’ might grow stronger again?

Even if it’s not real, stuttering in front of so many people might bring back my trauma.

…Debut.

“Hmm. Debut, huh…”

Swish.

I twirled my silver hair around my index finger.

The soft strands wrapped gently around my finger.

I’ve developed a habit of fiddling with my hair when thinking.

A habit I definitely wouldn’t have had back when I was a guy.

I never expected to become a girl, let alone debut as a VTuber…

Honestly, it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, pushed by that crazy lunatic Flight Streak.

Even Killog Note sent me an apology saying I didn’t have to debut.

What a pointless apology. I have to debut anyway.

When I appeared as a guest on that LumiLive collab last time, I felt it strongly.

This peak introverted shut-in grows so much just from one stream.

“If I want to live normally, I need to debut first…”

The growth won’t always be this fast, but progress is progress, right?

If I keep at it, maybe I can deliver good news to Ji-woo Lee, who’s basically acting as my mom.

Ji-woo keeps texting me, even though she probably knew I’d refuse.

[Ji-woo: Suhyun, are you sleeping?]

[Kang Suhyun: No]

[Ji-woo: Really? Want me to recommend a good drama?]

[Kang Suhyun: Oh]

[Ji-woo: Hold on]

I don’t particularly want to remember what came next.

She painstakingly annotated and explained every drama recommendation.

It was so transparent and so overbearing.

[Ji-woo: This one’s a historical drama called The Bird That Misses Flowers. The ‘actors’ have such impressive ‘acting’.]

[Kang Suhyun: Oh]

[Ji-woo: And this one’s an action drama called The Chasers. The ‘actors’ in this one are also…]

Ahem. Let’s stop there. Ji-woo’s looking a bit too desperate.

Still, my memory feels oddly incomplete.

Considering Ji-woo’s bizarre obsession with my acting, something must’ve happened during those two years before I dropped out of high school.

“Sigh. I don’t know.”

I thought she’d lived a similar life to mine.

But it seems like the owner of this body lived a far more dramatic life than I realized.

“Let’s just write the script.”

I brushed away the endless stray thoughts.

No point stressing over unchangeable things.

Right now, the script is the most urgent and important task.

Hmm. Okay. Let’s imagine.

The most important stream for a VTuber is their debut.

Sure, monetization matters too, but that’s more of a mainland concern.

“How should I start my first greeting…?”

Starting like Yui, showing my feet first… feels a bit weird.

Most indie VTubers just reveal their face first, right?

And as for my lines…

I can’t pull off Yui’s bright and bubbly vibe.

My fingers, which had been typing confidently, froze.

Ugh. If I’m stuck from the very beginning, what am I supposed to do?

And it’s not like I can ask for advice on this either.

I stared at the laptop screen, tapped my head a few times, but no ideas came.

My introverted nature was too big of a shackle.

I can’t be as bright and radiant as Yui…

“Sigh. Maybe writing the script can wait until next…”

Ding!

[Hanasaki Yui: Mama. What are you doing?]

Ah.

I do have someone to ask for advice.

Tap. Tatak.

[WhitePalette: I’m trying to debut as a VTuber… but I’m struggling with the script.]

[Hanasaki Yui: Oooh! If Mama debuts, we can hang out more! (Cat emoji with sparkling eyes)]

It’s been a while since we last talked.

I never messaged her first because I was worried it might interrupt her streams.

Thankfully, Yui didn’t pry or ask if something had happened, so the conversation flowed naturally without awkwardness.

[WhitePalette: I’m looking forward to it, too. But writing a debut script is so hard. How did you write yours?]

[Hanasaki Yui: Fufu. That’s easy-peasy. Want me to help?]

[WhitePalette: How will you help?]

[Hanasaki Yui: If you have time tomorrow, it’s just about time for me to take a break from streaming, so let’s meet up! I’ve missed you, Mama!]

Ahh. Another person wants to meet me in real life.

What if they get disappointed after meeting me or, worse, end up obsessing over me like Flight Streak…

[WhitePalette: Sure. Send me the location for tomorrow.]

[Hanasaki Yui: Okay! I’m really looking forward to tomorrow!!! (Happy smiling cat emoji)]

“…I was worried for nothing. Really.”

What was I even thinking about such a pure girl…

She’s honestly just too cute.

[Hanasaki Yui: Oh, now that I think about it, I do have another appointment tomorrow… Hmm. But you don’t need to worry about it! (Sweating cat emoji)]

…?

What’s that supposed to mean now?

The weekend was ending uneventfully.

The scenery on Sunday was sharp and cold.

As if to prove that a new year didn’t mean spring had arrived.

Snow was piling up rapidly on little Arin’s window sill.

Though Arin, tangled in her morning sleep on the bed, didn’t notice at all.

Riiing! Riiing!

The alarm clock shook and shouted noisily.

The current time was noon.

For Arin, who usually stayed up all night streaming games, noon was practically morning.

Thunk.

Two big, cute red eyes peeked out, full of discontent.

Normally, she would’ve smacked the alarm clock with her pillow and gone back to sleep…

“Ugh, just five more minut– Ah! Today’s the day! Yui…! I’m meeting Ah-hyun today!”

Hop!

Arin threw off two thick blankets in an instant and jumped out of bed.

She triumphantly raised both hands to the sky in a sun-worshipping pose.

Her oversized pajamas slipped down, revealing her pale shoulders.

But thanks to Arin’s inherent innocence, the scene didn’t feel suggestive or inappropriate in the slightest.

“Time to brush my teeth!”

Boing.

If someone had been watching, they might’ve looked on with concern.

For Arin, just getting from her bed to the floor took immense courage and determination.

“Hoiyt.”

Boing!

While the last jump was from above to below, this one was from below to above.

Standing on a chair to see the bathroom shelf, Arin stretched her hand out to find her adorable character toothbrush.

“Um… Where did I put it…?”

Ju Arin.

A girl who plays the fox spirit Yoshida Misa on LumiLive.

Her signature traits are her incredibly petite size and her aura of cuteness that even her tsukkomi partner, Rie, can’t resist feeling motherly toward.

“Hehe! Found it!”

Arin triumphantly held up her toothbrush and began diligently brushing her neatly aligned teeth.

Ever since her kindergarten teacher told her to brush for three minutes every day, Arin had been faithfully following that advice with all her might.

After finishing, she smiled brightly and walked towards her wardrobe.

But then, a memory from kindergarten popped into her head, and her face crumpled into a frown.

“…Hmph. Starting tomorrow, I’m only brushing for 2 minutes and 55 seconds.”

She huffed, making a firm resolution.

The teacher had said that if she listened well, she’d grow taller. She definitely said that.

“Teacher! I brushed my teeth well today, and I even let Seongha play with the toy first!”

“Oh my! Arin, you were such a good friend today! You’ll definitely grow taller soon!”

“But Seongha always says ‘bo…kkyu?’ and runs away, yet why does he keep growing so tall?”

“Ah… well… that’s…”

Seongha kept growing and ended up reaching 175cm.

And now his avatar was the stunning Yamamoto Emi—tall, curvy, and dazzling. Honestly, Arin was a little jealous.

But what about her? A mere 144cm.

In elementary school, her classmates joked that they memorized the square of 12 faster thanks to her height.

Even now, as an adult, her height remained unchanged.

Arin felt a tiny, just a tiny bit of betrayal.

“Ugh, whatever! Today, I’m not listening to anything the teacher said!”

She stomped over to her wardrobe with a loud shriek.

Today, she was meeting Seo Ah-hyun—the person behind Hanasaki Yui, the leader of LumiLive and practically the captain of their 1st generation members.

Clunk!

Arin flung open her wardrobe.

Her bright red eyes took in the sight of what looked like a high-end children’s clothing boutique.

The sizes were almost suspiciously small for an adult woman to wear.

The colors were mature, but the sizes would barely fit even middle school students.

“Hmm… This one’s definitely the cutest.”

Arin pulled out a white sweater from the wardrobe.

The fluffy, thick sweater seemed perfect for blocking today’s chill.

“This hairpin… this fur coat… and this skirt.”

Choosing cozy, fur-lined clothes, Arin smiled and stepped forward.

“Alright! Let’s go!”

She had a feeling that today was going to be a great day.

It was just a simple promise—a casual plan to eat grilled pork belly together.

What could possibly go wrong?

What kind of unexpected variable or unwelcome guest could appear?

With a bright smile, Arin flung open the door.

“I’ll be back!”

At that moment, Arin was still smiling.

Completely unaware that her innocent smile was about to be betrayed.