VTuber RP Is Not a Concept - Chapter 109

I placed the shopping bags held in both hands on the floor. I shifted my weight onto my toes in that position.

Beyond the corridor railing, the second floor was clearly visible.

A structure with an open center. Stores arranged in a semicircle around the escalator on each floor.

Among them, a man standing next to a pillar on the second floor.

A smartphone in his left hand.

The lens was undoubtedly facing us.

My body reacted first.

I inhaled and tensed my abs.

Then, I threw my body downwards.

In an instant, my vision dimmed.

The air was pushed away from my back.

I tilted my body diagonally.

I turned halfway, adjusting my center of gravity to ensure a precise landing starting from my lower body.

Thud.

My shoes pressed against the smooth marble floor. I felt no impact. The weight settled into my legs as the ground softly received my body.

I didn’t flinch, nor did my balance waver. My breath remained steady. I stood completely still, quietly, in that spot.

In front of me stood the person who had been taking photos.

He looked at me. His eyes widened in shock.

I took a step forward. And silently approached him, slowly.

He took a few steps back.

“Did you just take that?”

His voice rang out low and clear.

“Can I see it?”

He couldn’t say anything, fumbling to pull his smartphone towards his chest.

I didn’t react to his movement.

I simply stood there expressionless, not taking my gaze away from him behind my sunglasses.

“Excuse me…”

His awkward tone. The soft voice that spilled out was almost like a breeze brushing against my ear.

The man’s hand trembled.

When he took his phone out and turned on the screen, I could feel a slight vibration in his fingers.

One photo appeared on the screen.

It was me, taken when I had distanced myself slightly from the members.

“Our photos, all of them.”

Only then did he swipe through to show the others with a few touches.

A few pictures.

Not just my face or body, but Koharu, Sara, and Karen were also in the frame.

Seeing that, I thought it was indeed correct to act promptly.

I was aware that I attracted attention everywhere due to my appearance. So I didn’t want to overreact every time I was photographed.

But this time, all the members were captured without consent. So I had no choice but to act quickly.

“Could you delete it?”

Tap. Another tap.

The man stupidly moved his finger without hesitation. The cold sweat beaded on his forehead spoke volumes about the pressure he felt.

“I’ve done it… I’m really sorry…”

His hair swayed as he bowed deeply.

“Your Korean is really good.”

I answered like that and turned around quietly.

I could hear the sound of footsteps fading away behind me. The sound of someone running, as if to escape.

In the meantime, the surroundings had become quite silent.

Everyone’s gaze was focused solely on me.

People stopped in front of the stores on both sides of the corridor. The woman holding a drink in the café, and the couple standing in front of the storefront.

Silently, they blinked at me as they stared.

Other than the store’s music, the only sound was the light rustling of a paper cup lid falling somewhere.

I raised my head as it was.

Upstairs.

The corridor railing on the third floor, seven meters above.

There stood Koharu, Sara, and Karen. They were still staring down at me vacantly, not yet able to speak. Perhaps from the position I had jumped from.

I slowly raised my right hand, palm up.

‘I’ll be up soon.’

I didn’t add it verbally, but it must have been conveyed adequately.

Just as I set foot on the third-floor corridor, the members rushed toward me.

“Sister!!!”

Koharu was the first to dash in my direction.

As if she was about to open her arms wide, she paused. Her eyes widened in shock, and she froze in place.

“Did you really jump? Really? You just… jumped down from the second floor!?”

“Be quiet. It’s not a big deal.”

“It’s not a big deal? How can a person just drop down like that and… eek!”

Koharu flailed her arms and spun in place. A mixture of shock and excitement filled her expression.

Following her, Karen approached. Her usual calm expression was present, but her eyes were shaking.

“…What on earth were you thinking?”

Her voice was low but definitely stern.

“How could you do that without saying anything…”

I slightly tilted my head as I met her gaze.

“I didn’t think it was a situation that required an explanation.”

Karen closed her mouth. There was a tremor in her breathing that caught in her throat.

Lastly, Sara approached.

Slowly. But surely.

“Cho-eun.”

The way she called my name felt quite heavy.

“I’m not surprised by you being shocked until now…”

She tilted her head back, looking at the railing from which I had jumped.

“This time, it’s really… unbelievable. How do you think to jump from such a height?”

“Can you see the goosebumps on my arms? I really thought my heart would stop for a moment…”

Koharu whispered beside me.

Sara let out a small sigh and looked at me again.

“Are you okay? Don’t you need to go to the hospital?”

“I’m completely fine.”

“Well, that’s a relief, but…”

Seeing the eyes still gathering around us, Sara shook her head.

“Let’s go somewhere quieter to talk.”

※※※

A quiet café nearby.

We settled into a corner, each with a drink in front of us, and a short silence lingered. As she lifted her cup, Karen paused for a moment.

Ria spoke up. There was a man taking pictures from afar, and we were clearly captured in one of them. That’s why she acted right away.

The other two were initially surprised by the fact or briefly angry.

Eventually, the conversation returned to that scene.

“…But still, did you really jump down?”

“How can you land from such a height? You’re really not human…”

Following Sara, Koharu marvelingly said. Karen sipped her drink without a word.

It was only at that moment that I felt something was strange.

Back then, it was too sudden. The feeling of surprise took precedence, leaving no time to mentally organize my thoughts.

Just by lightly recalling it, that moment vividly replayed before my eyes.

The movement was so smooth. At first, I didn’t even realize I had fallen.

There was no hesitation, no shaky instability.

What I saw… could that simply be explained by having good motor skills or being fearless?

Unconsciously, I fiddled with my fingertips.

“…Dohui?”

Koharu tilted her head, calling out to Karen.

“Why are you quiet? You were really surprised, right?”

Karen shook her head slightly.

“Yeah, I’m just… still processing it.”

Then, she quietly stared at Ria.

‘Is there really something more to that RP that Ria said was true?’

Ria’s expression as she drank her beverage was as if nothing had happened. She neither smiled prominently nor seemed particularly tense. When our eyes met, she tilted her head.

“Are you still shocked enough to not say much?”

“Uh, yeah. I was wondering if the joint structure of an elf is very different…”

“Ugh! Even Dohui is catching the Ria disease! Run away!”

Koharu made a fuss beside me, but Ria showed a meaningful smile.

The words I spilled out by accident couldn’t possibly be true. While thinking it was absurd—

Karen pressed down a much larger question in the corner of her mind, greater than before.

※※※

[Blooming Core Minor Gallery]

—

Title: I think I saw the 3rd generation students taking the red pill today…

Content: I was waiting for my girlfriend at the department store, and there was this foreign guy who was with a group of girls that was ridiculously pretty…

I took a few photos because she was so pretty, but when I zoomed in to look closely, she looked just like Ria’s avatar? I can’t be sure because of the sunglasses.

If that’s Ria, then the other three must be her friends, which means all the 3rd generation students are blue.

But there was some distance, and suddenly the woman who I assumed to be Ria jumped down a whole level;;;; It looked like almost 6m? 7m?

I didn’t hear a sound from her landing, and it was like she appeared right in front of me;; I just came to my senses and she was right there;;; it felt like zero-gravity landing?

d*mn, I felt like I was possessed by some ghost for a moment…

I asked to see his phone, and when I gave it to him, he said to delete everything, and he really did delete it.

So quietly…

I could’ve left one or two photos, but I regret deleting everything as he asked.

Looking back, I think her voice was actually similar to Ria’s? It’s really strange how can she look exactly like her avatar.

—

Comments:

– What are you saying? Is this guy delusional?

– Hahahahaha, what is this 3rd generation student? Are they X-Men?

– I died laughing at “zero-gravity landing” you crazy person lol.

– Every time a post like this comes up, I really feel the average intelligence of the gallery.

└ For real, it seems like the desire to see Ria in real life has destroyed my brain cells.

└ (Post writer) Blooming Gallery: I don’t believe it either, but she really jumped down;;

└ Stop it, it’s scary because it really sounds like a delusional person.

– Today is a day off for all 3rd generation students, but…

└ They probably wrote the story to match that.

– If it’s true, isn’t he a voyeur? Why is he proud of posting it?

└ (Post writer) Blooming Gallery: I just thought she was pretty, so I only took a few… and in foreign countries, it’s okay to take photos in public places.

└ Then go abroad.

└ Are you in your right mind writing about taking covert pictures of the members in the gallery?

└ I feel creepy that there’s no sense of guilt.

└ (Post writer) Blooming Gallery: I was a little scared… I tried to pretend to be a foreigner, but it didn’t work out.

– What are you getting angry about lol? It’s clearly just a humorous post.

└ How can I believe that Ria, who looks just like her avatar, does some hero landing? lol.

└ (ConfoundXCon)

└ (Post writer) Blooming Gallery: It’s not a hero landing, more of a standing landing. Also, I think she was prettier than the avatar.

└ You should stop too, it’s just too ridiculous.

—

Title: What’s that deleted 3rd generation red pill thing below?

Content: If anyone saw it, please let me know~

—

Comments:

– It’s nothing special. Just a crazy person’s drama.

– But what if that story is true? Would the gallery explode?

└ No kidding, it’s likely to blow up the whole community.

└ No, I’m asking you to tell me what it is.

– ■ㅇㅇ: Ah, do these idiots forget my personality… I told them not to spin the red pill plot in the gallery.

└ Armband, do your job. There’s a lot of new people in the gallery because of Ria lately.