Now That I Have Become a Woman, I Am a Vtuber - Chapter 45

“I’ll buy it for you next time.”

“Alright… You better.”

In the end, Hyejeong ended up at my parents’ house, joining us for some braised short ribs.

“Oh, how cute!”

Well, she seems satisfied enough to see Boksil, so maybe it’s okay?

After eating enough braised short ribs to make her belly full, Hyejeong played with Boksil in the living room while Mrs. Jang and I unpacked the things we had brought home.

“Oh, do you play the guitar too?”

Mrs. Jang lifted a guitar that appeared while we were unpacking, a wistful expression on her face.

“Your dad used to play the guitar a lot too. I guess you can’t hide what’s in your blood.”

“Dad did?”

“He played it nonstop during his college days, then just stopped all of a sudden.”

To think Mr. Kim had such a past… I don’t think I’ve ever seen him play guitar at home.

“Give it a try.”

“Now?”

“Yes, we have plenty of time, and we can take our time unpacking.”

“Well, alright…”

I took the guitar from Mrs. Jang and adjusted it lightly.

I felt the familiar weight of the guitar, recalling the songs I had been practicing in my mind.

A song from a Japanese band with a difficulty level that was neither too easy nor too hard.

Of course, it’s still a bit challenging for a beginner like me.

Ting—Tiring—

I plucked the strings lightly with a pick and settled into the right position,

Focusing on the placement of my hands, I began to play.

Ding—Diding—

Fortunately, it seemed my practice hadn’t been in vain; I managed to produce some decent sound even as I adjusted.

“Oh…”

“Not bad, huh?”

Hyejeong, who had come closer with Boksil, also watched my guitar playing.

“So, how is it? Do I look cool?”

“Up until you said that?”

“Saying it just ruined the mood, huh.”

“Ahem…”

I got a bit of teasing in the middle for speaking out of turn, but still, I managed to play about 70% of the song.

“You can’t play the whole thing?”

“Not yet, still need more practice.”

I replied to Hyejeong’s question while recalling the time left for the challenge I had with my viewers.

Not much time left, huh?

At this rate, I might actually have to do a 24-hour stream.

“What should I do if I have to stream for 24 hours? Should I finally play that horror game everyone’s been asking for? Or maybe a cooking stream wouldn’t be so bad. If I do it in the kitchen at my parents’ house, I can cook, and then the cleanup…”

“What are you thinking about so hard?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Just then, Mrs. Jang seemed to sense something, interrupting my train of thought.

“Oof, but once this is done, is that everything?”

“No, there’s still a bit left.”

I haven’t packed the streaming equipment yet. 

Well… I still have to stream when I get back to my apartment tonight.

“Right, your dad’s quite happy to hear you’re coming back home for a bit.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

“When’s Dad coming?”

“He said he might be a bit late today.”

“Then I guess I won’t see him.”

“Are you not staying over?”

“No, I’ve got things to do when I get back.”

If I stream today, I might have to take a few days off.

Even after moving the equipment to my parents’ house, I’d still have to set up a soundproof booth in my room.

The room is big, but… to install the soundproof booth, I’d probably have to pack up about half of my merch and store it in the storage room.

Just thinking about all that feels overwhelming.

Now I understand why everyone says moving is such a hassle.

Still, if I do this now, I might be able to settle in for a few years until I move out again next time.

I finished unpacking at my parents’ house, thinking thoughts that would probably get me a smack on the back from Mrs. Jang if she had heard them.

***

[Special Announcement (Jin)]

After getting back home in the evening, I started my stream. Since I’d be taking a short break due to the move, I needed to announce it.

More than half of my viewers never check the notifications on the community page, so I have to inform them directly like this through the stream.

Other streamers just post a notice on the community page… Sigh, I guess this is just one of the quirks of my audience.

– ???

– What’s the special announcement?

– Graduation hype!

– A new song is coming out, huh?

“- Are we having a singing stream today?”

Watching the viewer count climb rapidly, I spoke my first words.

“Hello, everyone.”

– Ah ah  

– So, what’s the special announcement?  

“I’ll tell you when a few more viewers join.”

– Can’t you just say it now?  

– Just spill it already  

“If I say it now, I’ll just have to repeat myself for the viewers who join later.”

It’s obvious that people who join midway will keep asking what the announcement is… but it’s better to wait until there’s a decent number of viewers.

– So, what are you going to do?  

– Hurry up and tell us; I have to put my phone down.  

“Alright, while you guys listen to my guitar…”

– Ugh, no!  

– Please, no  

– Just tell us a story or something  

– How about a manga review for old times’ sake?  

– I’m good at waiting  

Why does everyone hate my guitar so much…? Mrs. Jang and Hyejeong seemed to like it when I played it at my parents’ house.

“…Actually, I don’t have my guitar right now.”

– Whew  

– Did you sell your guitar?  

– Finally, you got rid of it  

– Aw, I wanted to hear it  

– Why didn’t you bring your guitar?  

“So, the reason I don’t have my guitar is actually related to today’s special announcement.”

– ??? No way  

– Are you that broke?  

– Moving out?  

– What is it?  

As the viewers kept urging me, I glanced at the viewer count. Looks like everyone who’s going to join is here.

“I’m moving.”

– Oh, really? So, what’s the big announcement?  

– Gasp, where to?  

– But when are you going to tell us the announcement?  

“So, I’ll need to take a few days off from streaming.”

– Lame  

– This sucks, for real  

– Not cool  

– This is a bit much…  

– Lame  

– Not cool  

– This is totally terrible  

[OO님, thank you for the 1,000 won donation!]  

“Why not stream from an internet café?”

“An internet café…? There’s so much setup involved; it’s not that simple.”

A VTuber stream requires a surprisingly huge amount of setup. Besides, if I set up a camera and stream at an internet café, it would be more than just an inconvenience; it would definitely attract unwanted attention. I’d rather just stream from home without a soundproof booth.

– So… you’re taking a break from streaming?  

– Can’t you just do it quickly if we give you one day?  

– Why make a big deal out of moving?  

– But why are you moving, anyway?  

“Why am I moving? Well, since my lease for the apartment is ending, I’m planning to go back to my parents’ place.”

– Oh, I see  

– So, how are you going to stream?  

“I’ll have to set up a soundproof booth first, I guess.”

[OO님, thank you for the 1,000 won donation!]  

“Do your parents know you’re setting up a nerdy streaming station there?”

“…They don’t know. I’ve covered it up with something else.”

– LOL  

– Are you embarrassed about being a VTuber?  

– Hey, are we embarrassing you?  

– I’m canceling my oshi support  

– Disappointed, Miro…  

– I’ll find someone else to support  

– This is so lame  

Expecting this reaction, I calmly watched the heated chat room and then opened the community page.

By now, a flaming chat like this doesn’t bother me at all. Bring it on.

“Alright, I guess I should make an official announcement.”

I went into the now somewhat active Miro-exclusive section of the forum and quickly wrote a simple notice.

More than half of my viewers don’t check the community page, but there are still some who do, so it’s good to update these announcements diligently.

[Streaming Break]  

Reason: Moving  

Duration: 2-3 days  

“No point in writing a long message if no one’s going to read it, right?”

– LOL, if you don’t want to write it, just don’t.  

– Why even bother posting an announcement if they don’t watch the live streams?  

[OO님, thank you for the 1,000 won donation!]  

“But why go back to your parents’ place? Why not look for another place?”

“You know I dropped out, right? I was living near the university, but since I’m not going there anymore, I might as well go back home.”

– Still, wouldn’t it be better to live independently?  

– Wouldn’t it be more convenient to rent a place if you’re going to keep streaming?  

“Well… I don’t want to deal with household chores…”

LOL  

– Housework is the worst  

– Hmm… no longer a candidate for a bride  

– Disgraceful daughter  

“Anyway, I’ve posted the break notice. Now, let’s do this.”

I said that as I switched the screen.

– ??  

– ?  

– No way  

– Hahaha  

The screen I switched to was none other than the game screen of *Royal Ground*.

I had set up the match in advance while writing the notice.

This way, the chance of getting sniped is almost zero.

– Please, give us a chance to snipe…  

– Playing solo this time?  

– Not playing with that Japanese player you friended last time??  

“The Japanese player I friended last time? Oh, did you guys know they were a VTuber?”

As soon as I brought up the topic, the chat began scrolling quickly, considering there hadn’t been much reaction in the stream chat despite the big drama in the community last time.

– Yeah, we knew  

– They have a lot of subscribers  

– Around 20k?  

– Really? Are you serious?  

– Are you guys pretending not to know or do you really not know?  

“I only found out after my manager told me after the stream. Apparently, they’re quite a famous person?”

– Wow, lucky Miro  

– This guy’s luck… unreal  

– Just pure luck  

– So, you’re not playing with them again?  

“I don’t know? They were offline just a moment ago.”

I said that and then focused on the game. It felt a bit strange to play solo since I usually played in duos or squads, but I was steadily looting.

Bang!  

I got sniped and died while walking down the road.

– LOL  

– No side-to-side movements?  

– Seriously…  

– I told you to drive a car  

– Golden Goblin strikes again  

[Jangin Miro님, thank you for the 1,000 won donation!]  

“Should I go for a snipe now? LOL”

– Let’s do it, LOL  

– Let’s see if you can hide your match this time, LOL  

– Bring it on, LOL  

These guys… they’re excited. I sighed as I watched them get ready to snipe me the moment the match ended.

“Sigh… Should I just go for a random duo?”

Playing solo like this, I end up looting and then dying. It’s fun at first, but if it keeps happening, the stream will get boring.

– Please, yes…  

– Can’t you pick a viewer to play with?  

[Jangin Miro님, thank you for the 10,000 won donation!]  

“How much to play duos?”

“Hey! Thanks for the 10,000 won, but I’m not doing duos for money.”

This should be something random to make it meaningful. You have to have a bit of that suspense of who you’ll meet in each game, right?

– LOL  

– Where did the old Miro, who bowed to money, go?  

– Miro, you’re out of the race for a good wife!  

– Just take my money and play with me, come on?  

“Nope, I said no. Alright, let’s start the matchmaking. Snipe me if you want.”

I was satisfied with the one game without snipers, so I gave up and decided to match up and meet the snipers. Just then—

Ding—Ding—

A message notification started popping up from my friend list.

“Who is it?”

The only people on my Royal Ground friends list are members of the Celestial Project, corporate YouTubers from The Six that I collaborated with before, and that Japanese VTuber from last time.

There’s no way the Celestial Project members or the corporate YouTubers from The Six would be sending messages during a stream… Could it be?

[awxt1004: Let’s play together!]  

[awxt1004: Together!]

“Uh…”

As expected, it was that Japanese VTuber from last time sending me a message.