Now That I Have Become a Woman, I Am a Vtuber - Chapter 71

**Early afternoon.**

I stepped out of my room, still feeling the lingering fatigue from last night’s late stream. As soon as I entered the living room, Bokshil ran up to me, barking excitedly. So, he’s inside the house today instead of the yard. I picked him up expertly and plopped down on the couch, zoning out a bit.

Peaceful.

With most of my tasks done, now all that’s left is to occasionally work on the new song project. Come to think of it, I haven’t posted anything on my art account in a while. Maybe it’s time to get back to it? The thought of wanting to draw again hit me suddenly, perhaps thanks to the fun I had sketching that portrait yesterday. Should I settle down and draw later?

Sounds good.

For now, I should play with Bokshil for a bit. “Come here!” I called, and he responded with his cheerful barks.

Just as I was playing with him, my phone buzzed in my pocket. Who would be calling at this time? It’s only early afternoon. I pulled out my phone to see it was Hyejeong. “Is something up?” I thought, a bit surprised. Ever since I moved, we usually just message each other and rarely call. Maybe there’s news about the college I dropped out of? I answered.

“Hey! You… You’re KSH, aren’t you?” Hyejeong’s urgent voice filled the line.

Is something wrong? And KSH—that’s my art account.

“Uh, yeah, that’s me. Why?”

“Did you… did you meet Hyunjun?”

Hyunjun? Wait, who is—oh. 

“The Beast?” I said, hesitating.

“Beasts!”

“Uh, yeah… why are you mad? And how did you even know?”

What’s happening? And how does she know I met Lee Hyunjun?

“The fans are going nuts!”

“What? Fans? What do you mean?”

She sounds panicked, but using fandom lingo out of nowhere won’t help me understand.

“Our oppa’s fan club… Never mind! Just check the link I sent you!”

What on earth happened? Did Lee Hyunjun post something strange? Although he didn’t seem like the type. Well, judging people by appearances isn’t fair… but did he really post something weird?

With a growing sense of unease, I clicked the link Hyejeong sent me.

When I opened the link, it led me to a summarized post in some online community. I wondered what the fuss was about, that someone even bothered to compile a summary.

After all, I only met that idol, Lee Hyunjun, yesterday. So I started reading. The first thing mentioned was a post Lee Hyunjun had uploaded on social media. It was just a harmless post where he uploaded a drawing I had done for him, mentioning that it was made by an acquaintance of an acquaintance at a friend’s studio. There was no problem with the post itself. 

So why was there any controversy? I read through it line by line, sometimes frowning, sometimes admiring. After reading the entire summary, I tapped my forehead in realization. 

“These crazy people…” 

Had I underestimated the fans of a male idol who sells a million records? 

“Wow, how did it end up like this?” 

To summarize the post, his entire fanbase somehow launched a massive investigation into who had drawn that picture. Since I didn’t hide my style, it only took a few hours to identify me. 

Alright, it would’ve been fine if it ended there. After all, my account, “ksh,” is already known for creating album art for Hyunsoo, and Lee Hyunjun even posted a song challenge video together yesterday. Everything checks out, right? Nothing strange there. 

But then… 

“Wow, they really dug into this?”  

[You’re acting too nonchalant, aren’t you?] 

The problem was my past records — or, to be precise, the online history of Kim Suhyun, the woman I used to be. She wasn’t one to hold back in conflicts online, and she would let loose with harsh words first. 

And do you know what Twitter is like? In South Korea, it’s an anonymous community with a high proportion of women, many of whom are intense anime fans. Add in a fair amount of cliquish behavior, and it’s an environment Kim Suhyun, who relied on her looks and cruised through life, couldn’t adapt to. 

So, what did she do? She fought, of course. I saw traces of her online battles in the summary post. I’d found a lot of these myself, but when someone compiled them, there was so much more. 

Kim Suhyun, who defended her family’s honor in League of Legends by pounding her keyboard, was like the legendary warriors Xiang Yu or Lü Bu on this platform. What rule would anyone follow in a fight? She defended her version of justice with every insult and personal attack available. 

And Lee Hyunjun’s fans picked up on this and went nuts, wondering why he would associate with someone like her. Since they couldn’t go after Lee Hyunjun directly, they zeroed in on my account. 

“But really, what can they even do?” 

So, what did I even do wrong here? Being harsh online?

What are they going to arrest me for, exactly?  

[Are you sure your account’s okay?]  

Well, my account might be ruined, but they’re not going to keep this up forever. Honestly, I can just see it as free noise marketing. But more importantly…  

“I should probably apologize first.”  

[For what?]  

“In a way, it’s because of me.” To Lee Hyunjun, of course.  

[Yeah, that might be a good idea. How are you going to do it? Posting on social media? You don’t even have an account.]  

“I can just call him.”  

[Wait… do you even have his number…]  

“Well then, I’ll hang up. Thanks for letting me know.”  

After ending the call with Hyejung, I immediately called Hyunsoo. How else would I get Lee Hyunjun’s number if not through him? After a few rings, Hyunsoo picked up.  

[Hello?]  

“Hey, Hyunsoo, are you doing okay?”  

Come to think of it, didn’t Hyunsoo also post one of my drawings? This situation feels like a virus spreading.  

[Oh, that? My fans haven’t really said much.]  

“So you know what’s going on?”  

[I didn’t, actually. But Hyunjun mentioned it.]  

“Lee Hyunjun?”  

[Yeah, didn’t he call you? He got your number from me.]  

Got my number?  

“I haven’t heard anything. When was this?”  

[Not too long ago.]  

“Really? I guess I should call him first, then.”  

[You think so? I wouldn’t know.]  

“You’re still a high schooler, huh? Just text me his number.”  

[Sure, I’ll send it over.]  

But now that I think about it, is it really okay to get an idol’s number this way? Then again, I can’t believe he already gave him my number. I’m a (virtual) idol myself, you know.  

“…Hey, Hyunsoo, isn’t it a bit much to just hand out my number like that?”  

[I didn’t think either of you would care. Was I wrong?]  

Well, I didn’t really have anything to say to that.  

“Alright, got it. Take care.”  

[Good luck with everything.]  

Ending the call with Hyunsoo, I dialed the number he sent over right away. Hopefully, he’s not in the middle of a schedule right now. If he doesn’t pick up, I’ll just call back later.  

Click—  

[Hello?]  

Fortunately, my worry was unnecessary as the call connected.  

[Hello? This is Lee Hyunjun.]  

“Hi, this is Kim Suyun. We met yesterday.”

[Ah, um… I’m really sorry.]  

Lee Hyunun immediately apologized as soon as he picked up the phone, sounding genuinely remorseful. But he shouldn’t be the one apologizing. In a way, the problem lies with me and his fans.  

“No, it’s my fault. I didn’t think things through.”  

[Ah… I saw the chat history.]  

He saw the chat history? That’s insane! Knowing someone who actually knows my face saw that makes me blush.  

“Some of the language was a bit harsh, wasn’t it? I tend to lose control online.”  

Technically, I can control myself, but the other Kim Suhyun couldn’t.  

[You’re quite honest. Anyway, I’m sorry. My fans can be a bit intense.]  

“It’s fine, really.”  

It genuinely is. As I thought earlier, it’s not really my fault, and I can just leave the account alone for a bit. This will blow over soon enough.  

“I guess I’ll just play some games to pass the time.”  

[Still, I feel responsible for the trouble…]  

It felt like the tables had turned. I called to apologize, but here I am receiving an apology instead. At least it seems like the issue hasn’t reached Lee Hyunjun directly, so that’s a relief.  

“If you really feel bad, you can send a gift during the holidays.”  

Suggesting a meal would feel like flirting with an idol, so this should suffice.  

[Ah, haha. If you say so, then I’ll take that into consideration. Once again, I apologize.]  

“Really, it’s okay. You don’t have to feel bad. Take care.”  

With that, I ended the call. I sighed in relief, feeling like things had been resolved, and lay back on my bed.  

But now what? It’s too early to stream. I like to stream before bed. There’s something blissful about finishing a stream, taking a shower, and then lying down all relaxed.  

I didn’t feel like drawing since I thought my account was in shambles. Maybe it’s time to play a game after a long while. I have a pretty good computer that I’ve only been using for streaming, which feels like a waste. Since I have a better setup than any PC room, I should indulge myself a little.  

Sitting at my desk, I turned on the computer, and familiar characters and a bunch of disorganized icons appeared on the screen. What should I play?  

League of Legends… If I play that, I’ll really hit level 30. Once I hit that, my viewers will be nagging me to fulfill rank promises, so that’s a no-go.  

Then there’s Civilization and Rogue… Shouldn’t I save Civilization for my stream later? I moved the mouse a few times and clicked on the Royal Ground game icon.  

Was the last time I played before moving? Such nostalgia. I should only play a few rounds. Each game takes a while, so a few rounds should take me right up to stream time.  

With a relaxed mind, I entered the game, but then…  

Ding ding—  

[awxt1004: Are you available now?]

[awxt1004: Want to play together?]  

I received a message from a friend I hadn’t heard from in a long time, someone from the island nation game. Should I join them?