Now That I Have Become a Woman, I Am a Vtuber

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“Wow, you’re close with Soo-hyun.”

“Yeah, yeah… we got close while filming…”

“That kid has a pretty wild network.”

Thus began the conversation between Ah-young and Han Se-ryeong.

There’s nothing particularly remarkable, but I find myself quite intrigued by it.

Ah-young seems indifferent, but doesn’t that atmosphere around Han Se-ryeong feel like something out of a comic or drama?

Park Kang-seok is truly blessed.

Life should be like Park Kang-seok’s.

“Manager.”

Anyway, while watching that scene, I casually spoke to Park Kang-seok sitting next to me.

“…What is it?”

“Which side do you prefer?”

“…Don’t joke around.”

Oh come on, this is getting a bit mischievous.

I can see why they get all overexcited in morning dramas.

“Excuse me, Mr. Soo-hyun.”

As I teased Park Kang-seok and observed the conversation, other members of the girl group approached me.

“Oh, yes, yes.”

I had completely forgotten for a moment as I was focused on Han Se-ryeong.

But having popular idols come over like this still feels a bit surreal.

Is this what they call star pressure?

“I’m really enjoying the song you released this time.”

“Wow, that’s an honor! I listen to a lot of songs too.”

“Oh, is it the new single?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Well, we did come in first this time.”

…Was that just lip service? You actually ranked first?

Impressive indeed.

My song has long since dropped out of the music charts.

Well, summer has officially started, so it’s been quite a while.

I might have snagged first place momentarily, but it’s about time to pack up and leave.

“By the way, Kang-seok oppa seems to have lost some weight.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes, yes. He wasn’t really chubby to begin with, but he’s definitely looking more refined.”

Indeed, Park Kang-seok gained weight while hanging out with me, but now he’s gone through a normalization process and looks even slimmer.

I don’t feel much difference, but I guess someone who hasn’t seen him for a while might notice.

“I think it’s because he’s been exercising with Soo-hyun lately.”

“Oh, so you’re working out together.”

“Yes, he’s my PT teacher.”

“That’s enviable. If it’s Kang-seok oppa, he must be able to teach you really well.”

“Definitely, ugh, he’s so intense with the coaching…”

At this point, I should vent a little about how much Park Kang-seok puts me through when we work out.

While I was appealing to the girl group members who knew Park Kang-seok about just how tough he makes it for me…

Vrrring—

I felt a gaze somewhere.

I turned my head briefly and saw Han Se-ryeong looking at me with envy.

Ah, was it a bragging moment for her?

That wasn’t my intention at all!

I guess my hell of a gym might be heaven for someone else.

“What are you doing, noona?”

Anyway, as I got caught up in the conversation for a moment, the rest of the party, excluding Ah-young and Park Kang-seok, approached us.

“Oh, Slim Gold?”

And this time, I recognized Hyun-su from the idol side of the crew…

“Ah… hello!”

“Wow, I listen to your songs a lot!”

It’s definitely Hyun-su’s charm that shines through.

Even the popular girl group listens to Hyun-su’s music.

Still, it’s a bit unfortunate.

Now that he’s going to the military, what’s the point of the attention?

“Ah, thank you! I listen to a lot of songs too.”

And Hyun-su seems to be accepting this situation, appearing somewhat enlightened.

“Oh right, are you on Instagram?”

“Yes, yes, I am.”

“Then let’s follow each other!”

Anyway, the interaction with the full girl group ended up only as an Instagram follow, since we had to get going soon and they had to head for rehearsal.

And it seems we’ll probably meet again tomorrow.

“Soo-hyun, let’s meet again in a private setting next time.”

“If it’s a private gathering, the manager won’t be there.”

“…I asked just to see you.”

“Ah, yes, yes.”

After greeting Han Se-ryeong, we left the festival grounds.

As planned, we came to a restaurant for a meal.

“Here’s your utensils.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“Just getting Soo-hyun’s?”

“…I planned to give it later.”

The restaurant was one of those barbecue places with separated spaces, just like we always go to.

I don’t think I’ve caught the celebrity disease, but when I go out to eat with friends, I find myself preferring such places.

Moreover, with the lingering influence of being number one on the charts, I get recognized a lot—even without sunglasses.

It’s probably going to get worse once the drama we filmed is released.

Well… honestly, it doesn’t really matter anymore; I hope the drama does well.

I wonder if the survival game genre will catch on with the public, even if I find it fun.

“By the way, Kang-seok.”

Anyway, while everyone was seated and waiting for food at the restaurant.

“What’s your relationship with Se-ryeong, who I talked to earlier?”

Ah-young brought up a shocking topic.

“…What do you mean?”

How did she catch on to that…? Is this the intuition of an insider?

I’m quite impressed.

I thought I hadn’t made it obvious…

“Don’t play dumb! It seems like you’ve got a risky person here!”

“…Is that what it was?”

As expected, Ah-young seems to have a lot more on her mind, full of mischief directed toward Park Kang-seok.

On the other hand, the band members nearby look shocked.

“What a fortunate fellow.”

“I’m feeling quite betrayed right now.”

“…That’s really not it.”

However, since Ah-young started pressing the matter, the other band members began to join forces against Park Kang-seok.

“Please, stop it….”

Due to his natural physique, it seems he has no resistance to such attacks. Park Kang-seok was flustered and under pressure.

“Hyun-su, here’s a drink.”

“Ah, thank you.”

As for me, I casually exchanged drinks with Hyun-su.

“Don’t you feel regret?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re meeting such beautiful ladies, yet you’re off to the military.”

“….”

By the time you reach the level of a girl group like Han Se-ryeong’s, it’s just around the time they’d start dating.

I guess that must be a bit regrettable.

“…Actually, I’m not too worried about it.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, after all, it’s something I have to do, I’m the one who decided to go earlier.”

Hmm… that’s true.

Going early isn’t a bad thing at all.

I think there will be plenty of people around his age in the military now, anyway.

“And dating can wait until after I come back from the military.”

“Is that so? You sound confident.”

“I’m an alpha male, so I’ll work on my body while I’m there.”

“Yikes, that’s annoying.”

It’s funny how he refers to himself as an alpha male.

Why does that sound so convincing?

Right now, he’s a monk who doesn’t want to go to the military with a buzz cut.

But he might come back as Golden Sun (Jin).

Anyway, today ended with just a meal together, and we all disbanded early for the festival tomorrow.

**

The next day.

“Wow, there are so many people!”

“It’s different from yesterday, isn’t it?”

We arrived at the festival grounds, which were packed with far more people than during the rehearsal yesterday.

“Whoa….”

Good thing we’re entering through the staff entrance and not the main one.

If we had gone in there, we would have been torn to pieces.

Just to be safe, I took off my sunglasses for a moment and watched the crowd flowing in.

“Whoa….”

Why are they all dressed so revealingly?

And as soon as they enter, they’re splashing water on each other… is this a festival for the popular crowd?

Compared to those, my stage outfit looks like something a conservative daughter from a good family would wear.

Well, to be honest, even objectively, it’s not too daring.

Since I’ve made adjustments to my outfit, the bottoms are now nearly jogger pants.

Of course, I’m still wearing a sheer cardigan over a sleeveless top.

Anyway, I continued to observe the crowd a little longer rather than heading to the waiting room immediately.

Hmm… everyone seems to be having fun.

They’re splashing water on each other and listening to the loud music playing from the festival grounds.

Just watching this lively scene made me feel energized, yet everyone is in such a great mood.

Thinking about performing on a stage where all those people have gathered makes me feel a bit tense.

“Soo-hyun, aren’t you going in?”

“Ah, I’ll go in now.”

After watching the crowd, I followed Ah-young into the waiting room.

“Today, make sure not to get your guitar wet.”

“I have to be on stage to get splashed.”

“Not my guitar, the backup guitar that Soo-hyun gave me.”

“Um… good luck.”

In the waiting room, there were already band members who had come in early while I was watching.

The atmosphere was pretty much the same as yesterday.

Well, no one is really in the mood to be nervous yet.

Seeing that I feel my own tension starting to decrease.

Yeah, I practiced a lot, so I shouldn’t mess up.

“The previous team’s performance will be shown on this monitor.”

“Oh, so it will.”

In the waiting room, a large TV, which had been off yesterday, was now on, showing a stage that hadn’t even started yet.

When does the stage start again?

Given that it starts a bit early and runs late into the night, it should be about time.

“This will be fun. I want to see this live.”

“Right? I saw everyone was already super excited earlier.”

Even though I’m here to perform, now that I’m at the festival, I have a faint desire to enjoy the show as an audience member.

But…

“Still, going out there might be pushing it, right?”

“Yeah….”

No matter how you look at it, going out into that crowd sounds risky.

Going out to watch isn’t the problem.

But what if someone recognizes me?

At that point, it wouldn’t be a festival; it would be a hellscape.

I’m not confident in handling the countless autograph requests from the excited crowd.

“Oh, it’s starting now.”

“At least watching it on screen means it won’t be boring.”

“Yeah, there’s a certain thrill in watching.”

“Should I get something to eat? Do you want snacks, Soo-hyun?”

“…I’ll eat after the festival is over.”

In any case.

So, sitting in the waiting room, we closely watched the festival stage kick off for real.