From VTuber♂ to VTuber♀ - Chapter 18

—

My Precious Friend

“Toya… san?”

“Pfft, ‘Toya-san’? That sounds so weird!”

As Toya said this with a bright giggle, my heart started pounding like crazy.

Really? It’s really Toya? It’s really Toya?

The slightly odd Japanese tourist I gave directions to… was actually Toya?

This wasn’t some hallucination I was having on the verge of freezing to death, right?

“I never imagined the fairy who gave me directions was actually you, Yeoreum!”

“…You’re really Toya?”

“Of course! Who else would I be?”

As she cooed “Such a cute face~” and gently patted the top of my head, the warmth of her touch finally made me realize—this person in front of me really was Toya.

So it’s true. She’s really Toya. The real Toya.

The familiar texture of the keyring nestled between my frozen fingers was vivid and sharp.

As that feeling of reality finally hit me, my vision blurred, and big teardrops began to fall.

But my lips were curled into a smile, so I ended up crying with a smile on my face.

“There, there, don’t cry. It’d be such a shame to start our first meeting with tears, right?”

“…You really are Toya.”

Raising her energy even more when the mood is heavy—that was just like the Toya I knew.

I never imagined we’d meet like this.

I knew she was coming to Korea, but I never thought she’d find me this quickly.

To be honest, it still felt like a dream.

If I reached out to hold her hand, I was afraid she’d disappear into mist.

“Let’s go, Yeoreum.”

“…Ah.”

The warmth I felt told me that my thoughts were wrong.

When Toya gently pulled me to my feet, smiling brightly with our hands still clasped, I could feel it again.

She was real. This wasn’t a dream. She was truly here.

I’d thought it again and again, but now, it finally hit me that this person in front of me was really Toya.

“Hwaaah…”

“Yeoreum?!”

“M-My legs… they won’t move…”

The moment reality hit me full force, my body gave out.

I must’ve used up all my strength running all that way…

As I collapsed to the ground with a weak grunt, Toya flailed in panic in front of me.

She looked completely unsure what to do—but only for a moment.

Then, Toya reached out and carefully picked me up in her arms like something precious.

“Yeoreum, you’re super light.”

“…”

I knew I was small, but I didn’t think I’d be light enough for someone to lift me like this.

Wait, I was feeling grounded just a minute ago—why does everything feel so surreal again?

As my vision suddenly rose from being lifted, I instinctively grabbed Toya’s clothes. She let out a soft laugh.

Toya really does laugh a lot.

Even though this was our first time meeting in person, she looked just like the Toya I’d seen so many times online.

“Alright, let’s get you back. Everyone’s been super worried about you, Yeoreum.”

“…Okay.”

Talking face-to-face was really different from chatting online.

Maybe if our eye levels hadn’t been so aligned, I wouldn’t feel so embarrassed.

Toya’s smile was so bright as she looked at me that I had to turn my head away.

…This feels awkward. It’s comfortable, but that comfort makes it feel even more awkward.

“By the way, did you fall a lot while running here? Your clothes are a total mess.”

“Oh…”

It wasn’t like I got them dirty, but snow had clung all over them and soaked them completely.

Ugh, Han Yeoreum, the more time passes, the more trouble you cause…

I hadn’t noticed while running, but now that I was being carried, my body began to feel chilly.

So cold. So cold.

The wet clothes stuck to my skin, and I shivered instinctively.

“I’ll get us back as fast as I can. You look freezing, Yeoreum.”

Cradled in Toya’s arms as she walked quickly, I slowly closed my eyes.

The cold and the relief made it impossible to stay conscious.

—

“Aigoo, Yeoreum! What were you doing outside in this cold?! Your body’s already so weak!”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, I’m just worried. Come in, come in, it’s freezing out here!”

“…Thank you.”

When we returned to the convenience store, one of the regular customers—an older man—had been watching over it.

He was surprised to see Toya carrying me, but quickly ushered us in once he saw my state.

Toya set me down in front of the space heater, and my shivering began to ease a little.

…It’s starting to get better. A little.

“I’m sorry. This all happened because I said something thoughtless…”

“It’s alright. Honestly, it was my fault.”

The woman who approached me nervously was my grandmother’s daughter.

I was the one who had done wrong—so why was she apologizing?

Her expression looked so sincerely regretful that I bowed my head in return.

“I’m really sorry for the trouble…”

“No, no, it’s me who’s sorry, little lady.”

“…Little… lady.”

I thought I mumbled it softly enough that no one else would hear, but I heard a small chuckle from beside me.

…Toya probably heard that.

Or maybe she could just tell from my face—I always made a weird expression when people called me that.

After a few more rounds of “I’m sorry” and “It’s okay,” I finally let myself relax.

“You’ve been working at the convenience store, Yeoreum?”

“Yeah… Are you disappointed?”

“Not really. If it’s something you like, then I’m happy with it too.”

I hadn’t expected her to respond so positively.

I found myself staring at Toya’s bright, cheerful smile and felt all my energy leave my body.

I was exhausted.

I hadn’t noticed when I was freezing, but now that I was warm, everything started to hurt.

I was completely drained. My body ached, my head spun.

When I breathed in slowly, I wheezed softly.

“…Yeoreum, are you okay?”

“…”

Okay—no, I don’t think I am.

I never really understood what it meant to slowly lose consciousness until now.

I couldn’t even tell whether I was drifting away from the world or the world was drifting away from me.

I tried to hang on, but in the end, I couldn’t fight it and closed my eyes.

…Toya’s going to be surprised.

—

Cold. Bruising. Mild frostbite and asthma.

As the doctor listed off the conditions, my face grew serious.

So Yeoreum quitting streaming because she was sick… it was true.

I couldn’t believe how fragile her body was.

Under the thick clothes it hadn’t been visible, but once they were removed, I saw bruises covering her thin frame.

“You’ll need to stay by her side and take care of her. Honestly, until she can fully understand her condition and take proper care of herself, she shouldn’t be left alone.”

“Yes.”

She was in that bad of a condition?

After the consultation, I returned to the hospital room where the little girl lay hooked up to an IV, breathing heavily in her sleep.

Yeoreum.

I never imagined that Yeoreum—that Yeoreum—would be this small, this fragile… or this cute.

But more surprising than her appearance was just how weak she really was.

She had seemed so energetic when streaming, and now here she was, sick and suffering. It made my chest ache.

“Yeoreum…”

“…”

“What were you so afraid of?”

I gently wiped the sweat from her face with a damp towel and whispered my question, not expecting an answer.

It was the kind of question I wouldn’t be able to ask if she were awake.

What had scared her so much that she’d wanted to disappear from the world, even if it meant giving up streaming—the thing she loved so much?

“I was so scared you were really going to disappear.”

So please, don’t go.

I squeezed her hand tightly, holding on with all my heart.

Her hand was so small, it didn’t even seem adult-sized.

This hand must have typed on her keyboard, clicked her mouse…

I slowly imagined her streaming in my mind.

‘She’d be so adorable.’

Just sitting there was enough to make anyone want to shower her with love. And to think she was working so hard while looking like that…

Even just imagining it filled my mind with cute images.

Like her struggling to climb up on her chair, or her tiny hand clicking her mouse.

Yep. So cute.

“Alright, I’ve decided. I’ll take care of Yeoreum until she’s all better.”

She quit being a VTuber because of her health. So when she gets better, she’ll come back.

And when that happens, we can stream together again, just like before.

So get well soon and let’s have fun together again, Yeoreum.

Got it?