001. I Want to Be a VTuber (1)
It was, so to speak, a day when the summer cicadas were crying noisily.
When I opened my eyes, I was in the arms of an unfamiliar woman.
"Our daughter Seoyeon is so truly pretty."
"Usually, babies aren't often this pretty, but your daughter truly has such a lovely face."
I could hear the conversation between that woman and another woman.
I wasn't sure exactly who the woman holding me was, but the woman conversing with her was a nurse.
'What in the world is this...'
I was dizzy.
What in the world was going on?
'I definitely collapsed and...'
I couldn't remember exactly.
I had barely escaped being jobless, and while working at the company I had just joined, I felt a pain in my chest.
I heard the sound of an ambulance, and being loaded onto a stretcher was my last memory.
And then, I woke up to find myself like this.
'Hmm.'
I sucked my thumb once before coming to a conclusion.
My fingers were just as small as my tiny mouth.
'I've been reincarnated...'
Having thought that far, I decided to just go to sleep first.
My body was not yet sturdy enough to fight off the overwhelming drowsiness.
***
Time passed.
Looking into the mirror, a girl of about five or six years old was crossing her arms and glaring at herself.
'Cute.'
Raising a hand, I lightly flicked my long hair tied up in twin tails.
That was also quite cute, which I liked.
And when I brought my face closer to the mirror, slightly reddish pupils caught my eye.
'It's not some strange disease, is it?'
The doctor had said that aside from the color, there were no other issues.
Well, it wasn't a stark red, so from a distance, it just looked like a light brown.
'Anyway, I still haven't gotten used to it.'
When I first reincarnated, I hadn't noticed.
However, it didn't take long for me to realize the fact that I had been reincarnated as a girl.
In my past life, I was a man.
So, you can imagine how bewildered I was to be reincarnated as a girl.
Even now, I haven't fully adapted, but I've grown quite used to it.
Looking at my reflection in the mirror and striking various poses, it honestly felt more like I was looking at some cute kid rather than myself.
The reason I still haven't gotten used to it even after five years is probably due to my appearance.
Honestly, haven't I become way too cute compared to my past life?
"Ah."
Even my voice is cute.
Seeing myself in the mirror, I was truly satisfied with how ridiculously cute I was.
Reincarnation is definitely something worth experiencing at least once.
If I had been this cute in my past life, Director Kim wouldn't have bullied me so much.
"My, our daughter. What are you doing in front of the mirror? Are you trying to be a model?"
The woman speaking to me was none other than my mother in this reincarnated life.
Honestly, having had a poor relationship with my parents in my past life, having a mother this affectionate felt a bit stifling.
"Mm, I'm not going to be a model."
"Why? Our daughter is this cute, though?"
"I know, but I still won't."
It was just typical mom talk anyway, so I didn't pay it much mind.
I had a truly perfect plan in mind ever since I realized I was a girl.
That's right, to put it simply.
I was going to become a VTuber.
***
There were a few main career routes a man who had undergone TS could take.
Streamer, celebrity, VTuber, and so on.
Among them, my choice was VTuber.
'First of all, I don't have to show my face at the start.'
I examined my face in a hand mirror.
I was incredibly cute right now, but who knows how I'd turn out after growing up.
After all, there is such a thing as a reverse transformation.
'Of course, they say no one who undergoes TS ever experiences a reverse transformation.'
The problem was that those examples were strictly fictional characters.
It was unknown whether the invincible TS cells would apply in reality.
In that sense, being a VTuber was a safe asset with nothing to worry about, even if I did go through a reverse transformation.
'It's still an era where VTubers haven't hit it big yet, though.'
What I realized after reincarnating was that I had returned to a time earlier than when I had died.
And that this was a time when the concept of VTubers didn't even exist yet.
VTubers would properly boom 8 years from now, and the market would expand about 13 years later.
If I get in early and secure a good spot...
"That's why I need to prepare steadily."
Given my diligence that had barely failed to get me into an In-Seoul university for the CSATs, starting preparation now would surely yield great results.
"First, vocal exercises."
For a VTuber, whatever else might be lacking, a good voice was a must.
Of course, my current voice was plenty cute, but merely being cute would make it hard to compete in the market.
"Aaaah~."
That was why I started doing various vocal exercises alone in my room.
As naturally as possible, while watching the stretching exercises on TV.
***
"Honey, I think Seoyeon wants to become a celebrity."
Min Sua, Seoyeon's mother, who had been secretly watching her, wore a delighted smile.
She was a daughter who had never cried or thrown tantrums since she was little.
She was even a child who, unlike most kids, always spoke politely.
She always found things to do on her own, and without ever resting, she was constantly doing this and that.
"A celebrity?"
Joo Youngbin, her husband who had been watching the news, felt skeptical at his wife's words.
'...Her?'
She was his daughter, sure, but she had her eccentric sides.
It was true she was very well-behaved, and a cute daughter so adorable and precious.
However, there were times when he had no idea what was going through her mind.
"Look, our Seoyeon does vocal exercises every day while watching Children's Garden?"
"Well, I suppose that's true."
Was that vocal exercises?
She was chattering away to herself about this and that, but he couldn't understand how that had anything to do with vocal exercises.
"When I secretly watched her, she was doing various acts. She was so cute that I wanted to hug her, you know?"
'Hmm, is that it?'
Youngbin felt skeptical, but couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.
It was the typical attitude of a mother who loved her daughter too much.
"Our Seoyeon started talking so early, too. Wouldn't it be great if she did something like acting?"
Seeing how she practices acting every day like that, she's definitely interested in it.
"Hmm, if she's really that interested, how about having her try out for a child actor audition?"
Usually, for things like this, showing them reality was the best approach.
Youngbin thought his daughter was really cute, but he also knew that becoming a celebrity was never an easy feat.
How many kids were there with overflowing talent?
His daughter was unique, but she didn't seem to have that kind of natural flair.
'Besides, acting is all about early education nowadays.'
Seoyeon's family wasn't poor, but they didn't have the money to invest in that kind of arts education.
Among kids who had taken proper acting classes, what could Seoyeon, who merely practiced while watching Children's Garden, achieve?
"Should we?"
Meanwhile, Sua brightened up and smiled broadly.
She seemed serious about it, which made Youngbin feel a twinge of guilt.
Wondering if he was being too harsh in evaluating his own daughter.
'Then again, who knows? She might actually have talent.'
Watching his wife eagerly search for child actor auditions, Youngbin scratched his head.
Yeah, he figured it might be good to let her try properly since they were going to do it anyway.
"Huh? ...A child actor audition?"
However.
This was far removed from the future Seoyeon had been hoping for.