From VTuber♂ to VTuber♀ - Chapter 0

January 1, 2024) A New Year’s Special Broadcast… was the plan.

—So, are you streaming tomorrow, boss? Is that it? Don’t tell me you’re abandoning your viewers on New Year’s to go cuddle up with your girlfriend?

“I don’t even have a girlfriend~ I barely go outside as it is, so I might as well stream.”

—I’m trusting you, okay? You’re all I’ve got left now, so I’ll be waiting for the stream notification.

“I’ll definitely go live. I mean, have I ever skipped a stream on a holiday? If I had a girlfriend, I wouldn’t have done that ‘Merry Solo-Christmas’ stream the other day.”

—Ah, aaah…

—This is the same boss who did a solo Christmas stream a few days ago, no way he has a girlfriend, lol.

—Well, he could have gotten one since then.

—But he never even leaves the house—how would he get a girlfriend?

—Wait, you’re not gonna pull a “here’s my New Year’s girlfriend~” and start playing a dating sim, right?

“Ooh, maybe I should play a dating sim to celebrate. Getting a girlfriend in a game might not be a bad experience… I mean, how many years have I been single now?”

—The nation weeps…

“Anyway, I’ll see you all tomorrow. Not that many hours left, so get your teasing jokes ready. I’ll come up with some good comebacks too.”

—Bye, boss!

—Later, boss!

—See you soon, boss, lol.

—So it’s another New Year with Hanyeoreum…

—Might as well change your name to Hanyeowool (Midwinter), right? You’re definitely more of a winter guy than a summer one, lol.

—Bye, boss!

[The stream has ended.]

---

New Year’s—12 hours to go until January 1, 2024.
He’d wanted to keep the stream going all the way until the new year, but since he’d already pulled an all-nighter for the countdown broadcast, he needed a bit of proper sleep.

Maybe he should have taken it easier and saved his energy for the New Year’s stream.
His body ached from sitting for so long, and he stretched with a groan.

At least he ended the stream early—any longer and he might’ve been forced to go live again right at midnight.

“…Honestly, I didn’t expect this many people to show up.”

Ever since the rise of VTubers in Japan, online streaming had undergone a massive transformation.
Attractive voices, animated characters moving like those in anime—it had become a sensation.
What began with people asking, “What even is this?” soon turned into a major trend where even faceless streamers adopted virtual models.

He was one of those who had benefited from the VTuber wave.

[Incoming call! Incoming call! Incoming call! Incoming call…!!]

“Yes, manager.”

—Didn’t I tell you not to stay up all night? Are you okay? Will you be able to get up in a bit?

As the rapid-fire concern came through the phone, he pulled it away from his ear.
Seriously, this person worried way too much.

This is the same person who once streamed four straight days without turning the stream off, remember?
Not that he’d do something that reckless now.

…Let’s chalk that up to youthful folly. It was early in his streaming days, and no one was around to stop him back then.
Now that he was part of a company, he had plenty of people to rein him in.

“I think I’ll be fine if I get some sleep now. Don’t worry too much, manager.”

—Sure, sure. Even if it’s just a virtual character on screen, you’re the one doing the streaming, so take care of your body.

“Yes, I know. Don’t worry.”

Seriously, they worry too much.
He didn’t want to wash up before bed—washing woke him up. But he also couldn’t sleep properly without it.
Such a terrible dilemma.

With a sigh, he got up and started washing up anyway.
His body felt heavier the more he moved, but he chalked it up to the all-nighter and climbed into bed.

“2024, huh…”

Up until now, he’d been swimming in a blue ocean—but the VTuber scene was only going to get more competitive from here.
He wasn’t likely to crash right away—he was more corporate VTuber than indie—but still.

No, no. He shouldn’t think about crashing. He should focus on growth. Yeah.
He’d never had this much success in his life, so maybe that’s why dark thoughts kept creeping in.

It’s okay, Hanyeoreum. This is just the reward for all your hard work.
Don’t be afraid. Just keep going like you always have.

Yeah, just keep going like this—

---

[Why isn’t the boss streaming?]
[Didn’t he say he’d take a quick nap and go live right after? So why hasn’t he started yet?]
ㄴ[Maybe it’s not past 12 yet?]
ㄴ[But he usually starts at least an hour before midnight…]
ㄴ[Don’t tell me he actually got a girlfriend?]
ㄴ[Yeah right, lol.]
ㄴ[Maybe he just overslept.]
ㄴ[It’s rare, but he has overslept before. He streamed all night, after all.]
ㄴ[Manager! Wake him up! Now!!!]
[I ordered chicken early to eat with the stream… it’s cold now.]
ㄴ[Isn’t this a bit too late, though?]
ㄴ[Didn’t he go to bed around noon? Even with a nap, he should be up by now.]
ㄴ[He’s not the kind of idiot to forget a New Year’s broadcast.]
ㄴ[No announcements either… he must be sleeping.]
ㄴ[Does the agency have anything to say? Usually they post a notice if he’s going to be late.]
ㄴ[Probably coming soon. The boss usually posts himself, but if he can’t, they’re probably figuring things out.]
ㄴ[It’s okay if you’re late, boss—just stream sometime today!]
[Why’s everyone making excuses like oversleeping or girlfriend stuff, lol.]
[His head probably just exploded from stress, lol.]
ㄴ[But didn’t he do an all-nighter on Christmas too?]
ㄴ[If a usually reliable person doesn’t show, it’s normal to worry.]
ㄴ[Look at all the random haters crawling out now, lol.]
ㄴ[He did blow up after joining the company, though.]
ㄴ[He would’ve succeeded even without joining. He’s got talent.]
ㄴ[People who didn’t watch him from the beginning shouldn’t talk.]
ㄴ[If you’re salty, maybe you should’ve gone VTuber too instead of clinging to your failing 2D model, lol.]
ㄴ[Alright, enough. Anyone starting fights gets blocked.]

[Wait, did the boss go to meet Toya?]
[I remember him saying he wanted to visit her in Japan someday. Don’t tell me he actually went?!]
ㄴ[You’re reaching, lol.]
ㄴ[Info: Toya is currently doing a New Year’s stream. She said she’s also single and will be streaming nonstop.]
ㄴ[They’re both single, but one’s streaming and the other isn’t. Tragic.]
ㄴ[Hey, maybe it’s not intentional. Let’s be patient.]
ㄴ[Boss, if this keeps up, you’re doomed. Your channel’s gonna die!]
ㄴ[Put the chicken in the fridge. I’ll heat it up when he’s back.]
ㄴ[No updates, no announcements… guess I’ll go watch Toya’s stream.]
ㄴ[Do you even understand Japanese? lol.]
ㄴ[She only speaks Korean when streaming with our boss. Otherwise it’s all Japanese~]
ㄴ[Wait, Toya’s not Korean?!]
ㄴ[lololol]

---

January 1, 2024. New Year’s Day.
He should’ve gotten up before midnight and started the broadcast.
But due to unavoidable circumstances, he couldn’t.

And what were those circumstances?

He was sick.

“…Ugh.”

He’d heard flu cases were on the rise lately, but he didn’t think he’d catch it.
He barely went outside, didn’t eat cold foods, even got a flu shot to avoid interfering with his streams.

There’s no way it’s the flu… right?

He tried to move, but his feverish body felt like an overloaded machine—totally unresponsive.

…He needed to call his manager.

“I… have to stream. Really…”

His breath came out hot.
He hadn’t measured his temperature, but this definitely wasn’t normal.

It felt just like the flu he had when he was a kid.
Like his whole body had turned into a soggy lump of paper towels.

If he was going to get sick, why couldn’t it have happened earlier? Why now?

[Incoming call! Incoming call! Incoming call! Incoming call…!!]

“…Phone…”

Even with the phone ringing right beside him, he couldn’t pick it up.
He didn’t need to look at the screen to know who it was—his manager.

He usually went live by 11:30, so it was no surprise the manager was calling.

He wanted to pick up.
But just staying conscious felt like the limit.

‘…Just a bit more sleep.’

He couldn’t post an update or answer calls, but for now, the best he could do was rest and recover.
He trusted his viewers and his manager. That belief let him finally drift off to sleep.

…Once he was better, he’d make it up to everyone. Maybe with a hardcore apology stream.