Now That I Have Become a Woman, I Am a Vtuber - Chapter 44

“So, what’s with that dog?”

“Bokshil?”

“Yeah, you never mentioned having one.”

I pointed toward the yard with my eyes.

It’s cute, but why a dog all of a sudden?

“Since the one kid isn’t coming home, we got a new one.”

“Pfft!”

“Hey! Watch it!”

The water that spurted from my mouth splashed onto the table.

“I mean, you just said that out of nowhere.”

“Did I say something wrong?”

“Still, calling your daughter a ‘kid’? What’s that about?”

“Then would you rather be called a brat?”

Well, I suppose I was one…

“Anyway, get along with Bokshil. If you two fight, the eldest daughter who never comes home will have to leave again.”

“Am I really second to her?”

“Bokshil ranks higher than even your dad.”

“Wow…”

This house really has gone to the dogs.

“Let me bring her inside so you can bond.”

With that, Mrs. Jang went out to the yard, picked up Bokshil, wiped her paws with a wet towel, and set her down on the floor.

“Gasp!”

“Hmm…”

Bokshil’s black button-like eyes panted as she stared at me.

Does she like me?

“Has she been spayed?”

“Yep, all her shots are done too, so no worries.”

Just as I suspected, they’ve been removed.

Well, it’s supposed to be healthier for her…

I picked up Bokshil’s now incapable-of-reproducing body.

Heavier than I expected, her fur was incredibly fluffy.

“Cute, right?”

“Yeah… she’s kind of cute.”

Who wouldn’t find her cute? Just holding her makes me feel like coming home was the right choice.

But is this feeling really mine, or is it a lingering trait from the female Kim Suhyun ? It’s a question I’ll never have the answer to.

“Oh, right. Do you want to check out your room?”

My thoughts were interrupted by Mrs. Jang’s casual remark.

“My room?”

“Yes.”

My room… Now that I think about it, what was the room where the female Kim Suhyun lived like?

A quick thought brought it back to me.

It was the biggest room, aside from the master bedroom, spacious with a pink bed, a large desk, and all around…

“Let’s go check it out right now.”

I immediately stood up.

Since my room was connected to the living room, a few steps from where I stood brought me right to the door, and I opened it.

“Whoa, what’s the rush?”

I ignored the voice coming from behind me, and the scene before me was, thankfully, exactly as I remembered it.

“Phew… You didn’t throw anything away.”

“Yeah, I figured if I did, the house would turn upside down, so I didn’t.”

Luckily, the goods displayed or stuck around the room were all intact.

It would have been a pity if they had been thrown away, right?

These were things the female Kim Suhyun bought with her saved-up allowance instead of spending it outside.

You could say they were symbolic in their own way.

“Still, there are a lot. You should throw some of it out.”

“No way.”

That’s how I replied to Mrs. Jang, but honestly, seeing it for myself, it did seem like a lot.

Posters, figures — it really was an otaku’s room.

No wonder I guarded this door fiercely whenever relatives visited.

It’s fortunate that she was a girl; if she had been a boy, the room would have been opened long ago and turned into a playground for the nephews.

“Everything looks the same as when I left.”

The goods were one thing, but the fact that there wasn’t a speck of dust in the room was a little surprising.

“Yeah, every time I cleaned there, I barely resisted the urge to throw it all out.”

“Haha… I guess I’ll start heading out now.”

I’ve seen everything I needed to, so I should get going.

“Already? Why don’t you stay for dinner?”

“No, I have things to do at home. Besides, I’ll come back tomorrow with my stuff.”

The things I do at home mostly involve streaming… streaming… and more streaming.

“Alright, make sure you find a good moving company.”

“Don’t worry. There’s not much to bring over.”

“What a boast.”

Since I had initially rented a fully furnished place, all I needed to bring was my streaming equipment and some random clothes.

I’ll have to leave the rest behind, though it’s a shame, but there’s already a desk and bed in my room here at the main house.

After saying goodbye to Bokshil, who was clinging to my leg and refusing to let go, I finally left the main house, which I hadn’t visited in a while, and headed home.

When I got back, I checked my phone and saw a text message.

(Hyeonsu): Noona, is it okay if I talk about you on the variety show?

It was from none other than Hyeonsu.

That kid… Is he really appearing on a variety show?

It looks like he’s on his way to becoming a real celebrity now.

(Me): Sure, but keep it reasonable.

I responded casually, knowing that Hyeonsu wouldn’t be tactless enough to spill everything.

He does have some sense, after all.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t told him about releasing a new song… Well, he’ll probably figure it out once the song comes out, so I didn’t bother mentioning it.

After replying, I started preparing for the move.

It’s better to handle this while I have a bit of time; once I get busy preparing for the new song and everything else, it’ll be hard to find the time to pack leisurely like this.

I took all the clothes out of the closet and sorted them into things to keep and things to throw away.

Surprisingly, there were quite a few things worth keeping, given that I’d spent over a year here.

It was one of those situations where it felt like too much to call a moving company for but also too much to transport alone in a taxi.

A really awkward amount.

But if it’s hard to do it alone, why not call someone for help?

I quickly picked up my phone.

I had just the right person to call for moments like this.

The next day.

“…What is all this?”

“Morning exercise?”

“OF!!”

Hyejeong, who rushed over to my place at the promise of Hanwoo beef, looked enlightened as she saw the pile of stuff in the living room.

“I thought it was unusual…”

Feeling burdened by her steady gaze, I slyly avoided eye contact.

“…You’re going to help, right?”

“If I don’t help, then what about the Hanwoo…?”

“Then my dog Bokshil will eat it.”

“Hah… And who’s Bokshil now?”

Rather than explaining that Bokshil ranks second in our house, even above Mr. Kim, I kept it simple.

“A dog we have at the main house.”

“You’re raising a dog too?”

“Yeah, I just met her yesterday.”

“Sigh… I’m jealous.”

Hyejeong stretched her limbs, looking resigned, and approached the moving boxes.

“Well, there’s not much here. Let’s just get it over with, okay?”

It seems that since she specializes in dance, which involves a lot of physical activity, she’s confident in manual labor.

…I, on the other hand, am not confident at all.

Isn’t that obvious?

The female Kim Suhyun was someone who mostly spent her time being an otaku in her room.

She’s tall for a woman, but she doesn’t have a large build. In fact, she’s rather skinny.

So, what are my physical abilities like?

“Huff… Huff! Ugh!”

“Seriously, you can’t even lift that one?”

The answer is: extremely poor.

At first, I didn’t realize it, but I’ve come to know over time.

Why I sweat buckets after walking just a little, why I get fatigued playing FPS games, why I only stream for two hours at most, and so on.

It all leads to a simple answer: I lack stamina.

And strength.

Right now, I feel like I could lose an arm-wrestling match against a middle school boy.

“Ugh, I’m useless!”

Therefore, I am a minor.

Yes, a being who deserves to be protected.

Watching Hyejeong carry the boxes downstairs while I sit crouched in the corner is not because I’ve been exiled for being a nuisance; it’s a crucial process where the adult Hyejeong is protecting me, someone with less physical ability than a minor.

She’s… grown into a real adult.

Feeling a bit proud like a lazy grasshopper, I watched as the ant-like Hyejeong sweated profusely, moving the boxes down to the first floor.

Those boxes will be taken to my house by taxi, and there will be more labor waiting there, but isn’t it fine as long as I treat her to a delicious meal?

Since my income isn’t exactly small, I plan to treat her very generously.

This could also be considered a farewell gift to Hyejeong, who, despite living in the same neighborhood, allowed the female Kim Suhyun, who was holed up at home, to at least catch a whiff of human interaction.

It’s not a permanent goodbye, but moving back to the main house means we won’t see each other for a while.

Just as I was determined to treat her to a really good meal and mentally listing restaurants, she suddenly spoke up.

“Huh? What’s this?”

Hyejeong was holding up an album from one of the boxes.

“‘Fantasy’? It even has a signature?”

“Oh, that?”

It was none other than the album Hyunsoo sent me, personally signed, when he released it.

“You know that song I played at the cafe the other day? That’s the album.”

“Oh, that one… Right! But wait a second.”

Hyejeong, who had been thinking for a moment, narrowed her eyes and glared at me.

“How did you get your hands on a song before it was released?”

She strode over to me and stretched my cheek.

“And what kind of person makes someone guess like that?”

“Ugh… Ahhh…”

“I’ll let go if you explain.”

“It was a joke…”

Stretch—

“Ow, ow!”

“Ugh! Your skin is annoyingly nice!”

Hyejeong kept stretching my cheek like it was a piece of mochi, then finally let go with a snap!

“Ouch…”

“So how did you get it?”

I raised my hand and pointed at the album.

“I drew that.”

“This cover?”

“Yeah… I think so. Anyway, I did it.”

“Wow, I knew you were good at drawing, but…”

Hyejeong marveled, holding the album in her hand.

“So, did you see Slim Gold in person?”

“I did.”

“Isn’t he really handsome?”

“What? You know what he looks like?”

The first time I searched, nothing came up.

“Seriously? Don’t you know he’s all over YouTube Shorts lately?”

With that, Hyejeong took out her phone, tapped a few times, and showed me.

“Oh… It’s true.”

There were all sorts of Shorts being produced, starting with titles like “The 19-year-old Genius Singer Making Waves.”

Hyunsoo… He’s really becoming a celebrity now.

No wonder he mentioned being on a variety show.

“So, what’s he like in person?”

“He’s exactly the same as in these videos, you know.”

“Sigh… So he is handsome, huh? I’d like to see him in person too.”

“If I get tickets later, I’ll give you some.”

“Really? You mean it?”

If Hyunsoo ever holds a concert, I should be able to snag a few tickets, right? I can give them to her then.

“But anyway, you’d better treat me to something really delicious today.”

Hyejeong said, pointing to the back of the living room.

The boxes that had been piled up earlier were now almost all gone.

“Don’t worry, I’ll treat you to Hanwoo omakase.”

“Seriously? I’m looking forward to it, okay?”

What’s so hard about treating her? Once we move everything to the house, we can head straight to eat Hanwoo beef.

What could possibly go wrong?

“Oh my, Hyejeong, are you here? Stay for a meal before you go.”

“Haha…! That would be lovely, thank you.”

“Mom, Hyejeong said she doesn’t want to eat here; she wants to go with me for Hanwoo omakase instead.”

“Is that so? Well, have a good time then. I’ve made some braised short ribs, but I guess I’ll save them to eat with your dad later.”

“Oh, no! No, that’s not it! I’d love some homemade food! Suhyun, be quiet!”

…How am I going to make up for this?