Chapter 6 : I don’t want to be a VTuber

I don’t want to be a VTuber.

It was the day when the cold of winter seeped into the room.

When I opened my eyes, the clothes in the closet were scattered everywhere, as if a bomb had hit them.

What the hell is this…

Ah, it’s not like martial law was declared in the middle of the night, so what is going on?

Who gave me this trial, when I don’t even have any reason to go out?

“There’s no… no clothes.”

For someone like me who’s lived for over ten years, only rotating between black hoodies, this is quite a public occasion.

I must have thought about my outfit so much that now, just looking in the mirror makes me want to throw up.

Even though the combinations are all similar and the only thing that differs is the logos… I thought at least one would look somewhat respectful.

“Seriously, damn…”

Skulls, or melting smiles.

Latin or English phrases that seem meaningful…

Chains hanging on parts I would never use.

No matter how much I try on, there’s no normal outfit.

“Haha… it’s ruined.”

To understand why I, who never cared about fashion, am making such a fuss, you need to know the message I saw this morning.

Ding!

No matter how much the clock says it’s 1 o’clock, it doesn’t matter as long as I’m sleeping like it’s 6 o’clock.

Heh. If you treat the afternoon like the morning, it becomes the morning.

Ah, poor afternoon. Are you resisting?

For someone like me, who can change the “worldline” even without a microwave?

“Hehehe… maybe I’ll just laze around until 8 today.”

I know it must look concerning to someone who doesn’t know my situation. But my bank account is rich enough for me to relax for a while.

That unknown English nickname… it started with a Q, what was it again?

Anyway, the records I had with that person disappeared, but a mysterious 10 million won was deposited into my account.

It was something I couldn’t understand… but the idea of a man moving into a woman’s world was weirder, so I decided to stop thinking about it.

With that 10 million plus the personal savings I had, I am now enjoying temporary financial freedom.

After enjoying the unemployed life for about a month, I plan to start working again.

I probably wouldn’t have experienced this freedom if my body hadn’t changed. The food expenses for a woman, Kang Suhyun, were much lower than when I was a man.

When I solved all my meals with a single ramen, even I was astonished.

I didn’t even put rice or eggs in it, and I couldn’t even believe it was possible.

Heh.

Thanks to that, my food expenses for the month dropped drastically, and I had extra money to spend in various places.

What happens next can be considered later. With these drawing skills, I’ll definitely earn more than before, so I can take it slow…

Ding!

[Flying_cloud: Hello. WhitePalette-nim. This is the manager of LumiLive, FlyingCloud…]

“Huh?”

A work email?

The blanket falls as I unconsciously lift my body.

Though my bare white belly is exposed in the comfortable clothes I wear at home, that’s not the important part right now.

A huge opportunity came rolling in without any warning.

It might be the biggest opportunity I’ve ever had in my life…

“I’ve made work emails before, but I’ve never actually written one…”

I can’t believe the day has come for me to write this.

An email arrived in a clean, untouched inbox.

The tone of a professional… it was long, but to summarize, it was this:

Whether I could continuously draw for LumiLive, including for members like Hanasaki Yui.

They want to meet and discuss the details in person… it was a very adult and calm message.

“If you want to meet, we can decide the place after talking through SNS messages…”

Me, going out to meet someone?

The only time I went out after this change was for Yui’s debut.

Even then, I completely hid my face with a mask and sunglasses.

Would it be rude to meet with a mask on?

If I claimed to be a genius illustrator with a fourth-dimensional personality…

“That can’t be…”

I’d probably just not want to go through with the contract.

But if I go out like this, things will definitely get noisy.

As someone who’s read countless works, I can say…

Even if you exclude the clichés in TS (Transsexual) stories, there’s no way there isn’t a scene like that.

Scenes where passersby gossip and convenience store employees imagine confessions.

“Mask, sunglasses, hat… Hmm. I think I’ll have to give up on the sunglasses.”

When I went to the café, I realized something. It’s winter now.

In fact, it’s deep winter, with heavy snow falling, and the sun almost completely blocked by the clouds.

Wearing sunglasses is no different from broadcasting, “I want to hide my face~.”

“Right. The mask and hat are for warmth, so I can just say that…”

Now, the only problem left is the clothes…

To find at least a decent outfit, I ended up turning my room into a mess.

They say not to regret things after you do them, but… when should I clean this up? Should I call a cleaning service?

It was around twenty minutes after I had been sitting blankly that I got a message from FlyingCloud on SNS.

[Flying_cloud: Hello, WhitePalette. Have you read all the emails?]

[WhitePalette: Yes! I just finished reading them all.]

Hmm. Even I feel guilty about that red lie.

The truth is, I was busy trying to figure out what to wear and turned my room into a disaster, but that’s a secret.

FlyingCloud would never know, but I feel a bit guilty about it anyway.

[Flying_cloud: Yes. If you are unsatisfied with the contract after we meet, of course, you don’t have to sign it. We value making the best choice for our artists, so you don’t have to draw illustrations you don’t want to.]

[WhitePalette: I see… If we have a more detailed conversation, where would be a good place to meet?]

[Flying_cloud: Since I’m the one requesting, unless it’s too far, I will adjust to your convenience, WhitePalette.]

[WhitePalette: Thank you. Then, would you be able to come to ‘Cafe Tree’?]

I sent the address of the café we visited before.

Cafe Tree isn’t that famous since it’s a small café in our neighborhood.

But since our neighborhood is easily accessible from anywhere in Seoul, it should be fine, though a little awkward.

[Flying_cloud: Do you often go to Cafe Tree?]

“Eh.”

What does that mean?

This isn’t the question I was expecting…

[WhitePalette: Yes. I go quite often. At least once a week…]

[Flying_cloud: It’s true that Cafe Tree is different from other coffee brands.]

“…Eh?”

[Flying_cloud: Looks like we’re neighbors.]

In a quiet corner of Cafe Tree, a hand with a luxury silver ring engraved with a cross gripped the cup.

The long, pale fingers twisted around the cup like a snake, slowly bringing it up to meet lips with an alluring smile.

The rich espresso disappeared silently.

“It’s really delicious.”

With a husky and lazy voice, she quietly muttered as her yellow eyes slowly folded.

Her slim figure, wrapped in a fitted leather jacket, stood out, with only her white wrist visible.

While the leather jacket covered most of her upper body, her slim legs, visible through the skinny jeans, created an intriguing contrast.

FlyingCloud glanced at her phone.

It was 5:35. There were still 25 minutes left until the meeting time.

Since she had been out when sending a message to WhitePalette, she had decided to wait in the café.

It was a pleasant coincidence that WhitePalette had free time—though it had always been free, this time it was especially so.

FlyingCloud, who doesn’t usually show much emotion, was slightly surprised. She didn’t expect them to live so close.

[WhitePalette: Our meeting is at 6, right? Is there any distinguishing feature that might help me recognize you…?]

[Flying_cloud: I’m a woman in my mid-20s sitting alone in a corner of the café, drinking coffee. I’m wearing a silver ring, a leather jacket, and blue jeans. You can come slowly.]

[WhitePalette: Got it! I’ll be wearing a black hoodie, long pants, a hat, and a mask!]

“Hm… looks like you’re not really into fashion.”

FlyingCloud muttered in a nonchalant voice.

It doesn’t matter. The members of LumiLive are all beautiful, but we’re not going to expose them to the public anyway.

If their real appearance, revealed by digging into their past, looks like that, they’ll be satisfied and disappear.

People know it’s unreasonable to expect beauty from illustrators who are drawing pictures.

Hoping that at least their voice might be decent, FlyingCloud took a sip of espresso.

Ding!

When the espresso had decreased by half, the bell at Cafe Tree shook.

FlyingCloud murmured, “It’s about time,” and casually shifted her gaze.

“Uh. Ah… Hello?”

A clear and melodious voice rang from the entrance, causing the lazy yellow pupils to dilate.

Under a small black cap, silver hair fluttered brilliantly, as if soaked in moonlight. Eyes, as green as a winter lake, anxiously shook.

A pure yet unique impression that even the mask couldn’t hide. Despite minimizing exposure, the skin on the hands and around the eyes, revealed awkwardly, was as fresh as freshly fallen snow.

FlyingCloud immediately recognized the curves beneath the oversized hoodie. Bandages.

She looked like a beautiful girl who could easily be the visual lead of a popular idol group.

“Jackpot.”

FlyingCloud smiled broadly.