Chapter 1: I’m Also A VTuber

Ring–

Friday afternoon.

My heart was pounding more than ever.

[Haewon Broadcasting Final Announcement]

I had lived as an aspiring voice actor for 11 years.

This open recruitment was the only one where I reached the finals in this batch.

I calmed my trembling heart and opened the message.

[You have been eliminated in the final round…]

I immediately turned off my phone.

Maybe I just had bad luck.

If my acting or voice tone had been bad, I wouldn’t have made it to the finals.

“Ha… hahaha….”

However, it was a test that left me with that much regret.

I had passed the first round multiple times, but this was the first time I reached the finals.

Even people around me expected me to pass this time….

Given the current situation, receiving their calls would be difficult.

In my narrow, dark room, I quietly drank soju.

Because I had no money, I just drank plain soju without any snacks.

“Ha… what am I going to do about next month’s academy fees?”

***

“G2 crushes BLG and advances to the quarterfinals!!!!”

“Paris, come out!!!”

Late Sunday dawn.

I was drinking alcohol, not caring about Monday.

“G2 actually won this.”

The League of Legends World Championship was in full swing.

I was witnessing that historical moment.

“Wow, that Baron call was insane. Is this why they’re the number one in Europe?”

I am a warrior who fears going to work on Monday.

But why was I watching this?

The answer is simple.

…

“What could this be….”

I looked in the mirror again.

A woman who looked good with the long black hair I always wanted.

Her jawline curved artistically and softly, highlighting that advantage even more.

Her fair skin and blue eyes felt like looking at lapis lazuli.

A small face, small height… even small shoulders.

Everything had become smaller, but the only thing that had gotten bigger was my chest.

The swaying weight was so heavy that my back was starting to ache.

‘Is this really me?’

My reflection in the mirror was still unfamiliar.

Not the body of a familiar man, but the perfectly different body of a woman…

No matter how much I looked, I couldn’t get used to this.

“Ahhh. Ah! Ah….”

Among men, no, even expanding the scope to male voice actors, I had a very good voice tone.

Voice acting teachers always showered me with praise.

My voice tone, changed to that of a woman, was still sweet.

So this was what my voice as a woman sounded like….

It was as if this body wasn’t mine; everything felt unfamiliar.

Slap!

Just in case I was drunk, I slapped my cheek hard.

As expected, it just hurt and felt hot.

“If this is the case… what about going to work tomorrow?”

I absolutely had to go to work.

At my uncle’s convenience store, 9 hours a day.

I go to work every day except weekends.

That’s the only way I can afford the academy fees.

My uncle covered for me just for Friday, so I really have to go tomorrow.

“…I guess I should just sleep first.”

Maybe it was because I’d had some alcohol.

Let tomorrow’s troubles be for tomorrow’s me.

***

–Uncle, I don’t think I can go to work today.

Buzz–

I declined my uncle’s incoming call.

–Oh, Eunseo. Just call. What’s wrong?

Because this wasn’t my original voice, I couldn’t explain anything to my uncle.

–I got COVID-19… Could another kid work in my place? She has a lot of convenience store experience, so it should be okay.

–Well, do whatever you need to do.

–Yes, thank you, Uncle.

My uncle readily agreed.

Now I really had to go to work….

“I don’t have any women’s clothes.”

I searched my closet inside and out.

However, there were no women’s clothes at all.

Once I got to the convenience store, there was a women’s uniform….

“Hmm… is this okay?”

I checked the mirror again.

My face reflected in the full-length mirror still looked pretty.

A simple black sweatshirt and jeans with a tightly cinched belt…

Because the jeans were so long, I had to roll up the hems many times to finally match the length.

I don’t know what my current height is, but I’m definitely much shorter.

“I don’t… don’t have any underwear….”

Fortunately, our convenience store is quite large and spacious.

They do sell women’s and men’s underwear.

For the first time in my life, I was going out without underwear.

And even in a female state.

I wore a thick outer jacket, covering my whole body tightly.

As I stepped onto the street, I felt various people’s gazes.

Well, maybe it was because I was wearing clothes that were too big.

…No, they were definitely looking at my face.

Everywhere I went, people started directing their gaze not at my clothes, but at my face.

To overcome my embarrassment, I casually rewatched yesterday’s Lol World Championship match.

In the rattling subway, wearing wired earphones, I focused solely on the screen.

“E-excuse me.”

“Yes?”

Suddenly, someone spoke to me from behind.

I took out one earphone and listened to what he said.

“You’re really my type, I was wondering if I could get your Instagram….”

“…I don’t use Instagram.”

I genuinely didn’t use Instagram at all.

Let alone Facebook, I hated SNS itself so much that I hadn’t even created an account.

“Huh? Oh, then maybe your number….”

“I’m sorry.”

When I politely apologized, he left without lingering regret.

I never thought I’d get hit on by a guy….

My head started to ache.

Was it simply because I was getting attention from a guy?

No.

Then, was it because of yesterday’s hangover?

It was simply because I didn’t want to hear that man’s voice.

After years of studying voice acting, my enthusiasm would just vanish if someone’s voice wasn’t good, more so than their face.

Of course, I had no desire to date a man whatsoever.

[This stop is Gangnam-gu Office Station. Gangnam-gu Office Station is next…]

Fearing that another man might approach, I hurried towards the convenience store.

Since I couldn’t find a weekend night part-timer, the convenience store could only open if I went to work.

Therefore, no one was working there beforehand.

Click– Dingaling~

“Thank goodness. Thank goodness….”

I quickly grabbed women’s underwear from inside the convenience store and paid for it.

I locked the door and decided to put on the uniform first.

First, put on the panties… is this how you put on a bra?

“Oh? Oh… it’s harder than I thought.”

Reaching my hands behind my back was a very awkward task.

But after watching a few videos, I could pretty much do it quickly.

Once I was fully dressed in the uniform, the earlier embarrassment subsided.

Anyway, since showing my whole face was embarrassing, I wore a mask too….

…Was the mask this big?

My face really did get much smaller.

“Welcome.”

Beep– Beep–

It was a convenience store shift like any other day.

However, one thing was different.

The male customers’ gazes were unusual.

Even if I just said “Welcome,” they would look at the counter in surprise.

It seems my voice was that good at captivating people.

Ding-

“Welcom….”

Late afternoon.

My uncle suddenly came into the convenience store.

“H-hello! I’m the substitute worker….”

“Huh? Eunseo. You said you had COVID-19, are you feeling okay?”

What was he talking about?

My uncle cut me off and called me Eunseo.

“Yes? Uh, that… doesn’t something feel strange?”

“What are you talking about? Oh, right. How did the voice actor open recruitment go?”

“Ah… I failed.”

“That’s a shame. Don’t be too disheartened, there’ll be another chance. They say the competition for women is quite tough.”

As my uncle said that, he put 100,000 won into my hand.

“Ah, ah yes, thank you, Uncle. I’ll do my best next time.”

“Okay~ I was worried because you said you’d send a substitute, but it’s a relief to see Eunseo looks fine. Don’t take off your mask~”

“Yes, goodbye….”

My uncle left the convenience store leisurely, not sensing anything strange.

“What is this…? Isn’t this, isn’t this situation strange?”

In this confusing situation, I tried to find a clue.

“…What is this.”

I took out the resident registration card from my wallet.

“…Why did I get younger.”

My resident registration number, which had gotten a full 10 years younger.

Along with the photo, the numbers after the hyphen had also changed.

What I could deduce was that in this world, I had become a complete woman.

Moreover, with my age reduced.

…Thinking about the hardships I went through in the military, it feels a bit unfair.

‘If this is the case… maybe I can quit the convenience store part-time job?’

I had seen countless aspiring female voice actors until now.

Among them, quite a few chose the path of broadcasting.

Although some failed, the majority who succeeded had taken the path of a VTuber.

Above all, voice actors and VTubers have a strong connection.

That is, they don’t expose their faces.

Despite that, they show their character.

Even the expressions of the vividly moving characters.

As a voice actor isn’t an actor, the character has to express everything through voice.

I had always wanted to try it at least once, so how about trying it now with this opportunity?

Despite my parents’ opposition, I came up to Seoul to become a voice actor….

My parents didn’t provide any financial support whatsoever.

I didn’t graduate from a decent university either, and academy fees were getting more expensive by the day.

But what if I succeeded as a VTuber, which I wanted to try?

It would be more than enough to cover the voice acting academy fees.

–Uncle, I’m really sorry. I’ll only work until today and then quit.

–Okay, you must be quite disappointed. I’ll send you some money, so go on a trip or something. You can always come back whenever you want.

[Receive 5,000,000 won transfer]

“Huff… Uncle, seriously….”

The amount was so huge that I had to cover my mouth with my hand.

–Thank you! Thank you!! I’ll go on a trip!

–I’m giving it to you because you’ve worked diligently until now~ Don’t worry about it~~ ^^

I have a clear advantage over other VTubers.

Voice tone, acting skills, vocalization, etc. These could also be strengths….

Above all, it’s that I know what points men find attractive.

I would know much better than anyone else what makes a man like something.

I quickly looked for VTuber audition announcements on the internet.

Around this time, one or two usually popped up….

[Lumi Live Recruiting 3rd Generation!]

-Recruitment Size: 4 people

-Deadline: From announcement date until October 19th

-Recruitment Link

‘Lumi Live…? Isn’t this a huge company?’

Lumi Live, a major corporation that contends for 1st or 2nd place in Korea, where you’re guaranteed to succeed if you get in.

Just then, the recruitment announcement for the 3rd generation had been posted.

If I passed this audition, I would definitely lay the foundation for success.

Although they say singing is the most important, I also learned vocals for several years to pass the open recruitment.

It’s the best talent I have to showcase.

Without an ounce of hesitation, I applied for the audition.