Now That I Have Become a Woman, I Am a Vtuber - Chapter 154

I lost the bet.
I was so confident…

I glanced at Hyunsoo, who was carefully avoiding my gaze.
…What an honest kid.
He didn’t even falter at my gentle persuasion.

“Aha! Ahaha! I won!”

Lee Hyunjun was absolutely delighted.
Was it really that exciting?
Well, I guess I would’ve been just as happy if I had won…
Damn, this is annoying.

“What was that? Tone Mafia? Puhaha!”
“Shut up.”

I clenched my teeth, but Hyunjun wouldn’t stop laughing.
If his fans saw him like this, their illusions would be shattered.
Or… would they actually like it more? You know, unexpected charms and all that.

“Hahaha, Hyunjun, maybe calm down a little?”

Hyunjun finally quieted down when he realized he had been making a fool of himself in front of his industry seniors.
Oh, his face turned red.
Guess he just realized how embarrassing that was.

Still, seeing him this happy…
I suppose he actually cared about this bet.
I had heard he was competitive, but I didn’t think this much.

“Hyunjun, you were really into this, huh?”
“Yeah, he must’ve been really invested.”

And just like that, the mischievous seniors—who loved teasing their juniors—latched onto Hyunjun.

“…Well, Suhyun was acting so confident…”

Oh?
So now he’s trying to drag me down with him?
This bastard won, and now he wants me to suffer too?
Not happening.

“Me?”

I widened my eyes in mock innocence.

“Huh? But earlier, you definitely—”
“Hahaha, how could I possibly win? This was just a fun little bet, right?”

I took a step back, feigning humility.
A loser should quietly step aside.

“Since I lost, just decide on your wish and let me know.”

And with that, I smoothly exited the conversation.

“A wish? Hyunjun, you…”
“So this was your goal all along?”
“Hyunjun, you dog.”
“An idol pulling this kind of stunt…”

As expected, the seniors pounced on the opportunity.
Hyunjun looked horrified and turned to glare at me.

“Wh— Whaaaat?!”

“Well then, I’ll be going now.”

I still needed to hear the rest of the album, but from the looks of it, they weren’t playing it just yet.
And more importantly, Hyunsoo—who was supposed to start the playback—had sneaked off right after the bet.

…So this kid thought he could run?
Oh no, no, no.
Time to hunt him down.

I eventually found Hyunsoo lounging on a sofa near the recording booth.

“Found you.”
“Ahaha…”

Hyunsoo gave an awkward laugh, clearly guilty.

“At least you know to fear for your life.”
“Well… If honesty is a crime, then I accept my fate.”

…This punk.
Fine.
If he’s that committed to his moral integrity…

“Sigh Whatever. It was my mistake for getting impatient when the votes were split.”

I plopped down next to him.
Man, this sofa really was nice.

“To be honest…”
“Hm?”
“It was a tough choice. You both featured on my songs, after all.”
“Aha.”
“But since you made it easier for me, I appreciate it. You did it on purpose, right?”
“…Oh, uh, y-yeah. Totally.”

Did I?
Not at all.
I only had one goal: winning.

“Well, thanks anyway.”
“…Sure.”

Now that he actually thanked me, it was harder to hold a grudge.
Not that I was planning to, but still.

“So, how do you feel?”
“About what?”
“Your third album.”

Hyunsoo’s debut album put his name out there.
His second, Illusion, cemented him as a rising star.
And now, his third album.

“Oh, and it’s also your first album as an adult.”

The first album after turning twenty.
Actually, now that I think about it, he’s only twenty and already on his third album?
That’s insane.

“Eh, I don’t really feel much. Just making songs and releasing them.”

Huh.
Well, he never seemed like the type to care much about wealth or fame…

“Oh, but making music is fun. When melodies and lyrics just come together in my head, that’s the best part.”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re a genius, we get it.”
“What about you?”
“Me?”
“Your new song with Kang Woohyun is coming out soon, right?”
“Yeah, I guess so?”

No idea when exactly, but yeah, it’s about time.

“I don’t really feel much either.”

Releasing a song wasn’t going to change me.
It was just a good opportunity, so I took it.

“Same here, then.”

For a moment, neither of us said anything.
From the distance, I could still hear the seniors mercilessly teasing Hyunjun.
Serves him right.
Let him suffer for his victory.

Then, Hyunsoo spoke up again.

“By the way, what are you going to do about your stage name?”
“My name?”
“Yeah, you said you’d decide last time. We need to officially register it now.”

Oh, right.
We did talk about this during the recording.
I couldn’t just keep using a placeholder name forever.

Back then, I thought I’d only do one feature.
But things were different now.

“I should probably decide soon. And besides, my identity’s already out.”

Hyunsoo shrugged.

“Yeah, everyone knows you featured on Wonderland. And now, you’re releasing a song with Kang Woohyun.
You can’t keep your name a secret forever.”

“I actually thought about it a little…”
“Oh? Got a name in mind?”
“How about Mirror?”
“Ooh… That sucks.”
“You wanna die?”
“Haha, I mean it.”

Okay, fine!
I admit it’s kinda lame.
But does someone named Slim Gold really have the right to criticize?

“Why Mirror, though? Because it sounds like Miro?”
“No, not really.”

There were a lot of reasons.
But mostly, it just felt right.

In a way, I might have similar naming instincts to that Suhyun.

“What about just Suhyun?”
“Suhyun?”
“Yeah. Lots of artists just use their real names.”
“I mean… I could.”

But…

“Nah, I’ll stick with Mirror.”
“Even though it sucks?”
“Who cares? I like it.”

“As long as you’re sure.”
“I am.”

Just then, Hyunjun approached us.

“Hyunsoo, they’re calling you back. Time to play the rest of the songs.”
“Oh, finished getting bullied?”
“Do you want to die?”

Oh, actually…
I should get his opinion on this too.

“Hey, Hyunjun.”
“What.”

Still sulking, huh?

“What do you think about the name Mirror?”
“You mean, like, the mirror?”
“Yeah.”
“As your stage name?”
“Wow, you caught on quick.”

Hyunjun stared at me like I was an idiot.

“…Do whatever you want.”
“You sure?”

He just sighed.

“What matters is the content. I mean, The Beatles literally means bugs.”
“…Wait, really?”

I never knew that.

“Hyunsoo, it’s actually Beat plus Beetles—”
“Shut up. Close enough.”

Hyunsoo immediately shut his mouth.

“Anyway, do what you want. Let’s go—everyone’s waiting.”

We listened to the rest of the album, which was phenomenal.

Afterward, we took a group photo.
And then, of course…

“Alright! Time for the afterparty!”
“Meat! We need meat!”

Yeah, no.

“I’m heading home.”

I had a stream to do.

“Already?”
“Yeah, I gotta go.”

I’d already attended one gathering.
That was enough.

On my way out, I stopped Hyunjun.

“Hey, sign this for me.”
“Huh?”

He gave me a confused look.

“I made a friend in Japan. She’s a huge Beastz fan.”

Hyunjun’s face immediately brightened.

“Oh? Well, in that case!”

After getting the autograph, I finally left.

“…Phew.”

I watched my breath linger in the cold night air.
Then, I headed toward the subway.

Time to go home.
My day was far from over.