Chapter 1: I became the VTuber I created

“Is this a bug or something?”

The scene was from ETube, one of the largest video streaming platforms in the world.

On-screen, a virtual YouTuber’s graduation broadcast was underway.

“Seven hundred and fifty thousand people watching live… That can’t be real.”

Live viewership had crossed 500, 600, even 700 thousand.

Before long, it had hit 750,000.

Sure, she was from a major company, and it was a grand graduation concert for a founding member of the agency.

But still—750,000 live viewers?

The kind of number I had never seen before made me feel a weird sense of awe.

“This is nothing like the place I used to work at.”

The phrase “graduation broadcast” brought back memories.

Memories of my time working in the VTuber industry.

Not particularly pleasant ones.

I was in charge of character setting—creating the overall worldbuilding and adding details to each character.

It wasn’t exactly what you’d call a crucial job.

It didn’t pay well either.

Which is probably why someone like me—a nobody writer—was even able to land the role in the first place.

‘Still, it was fun.’

Virtual YouTubers. Or VTubers for short.

I watched quite a few of them regularly.

And the idea that I, a mere viewer, could enter that industry and work behind the scenes? I was genuinely excited.

I was motivated and gave it my all.

I came up with a simple universe and created characters according to the company’s request. Filling out the proposal documents didn’t take long.

Collaboration with the illustrators and 3D modelers went smoothly too.

Everyone was incredibly skilled and well-known in the scene. The whole thing moved like a well-oiled machine.

But in the end—

Like most small to mid-sized agencies who were latecomers to the VTuber boom,

The group I helped build ended up disbanding within a year.

The VTuber scene was already a saturated red ocean.

Top-tier agencies like Third World Idols and Stellize.

A handful of other corporate players, and big-name streamers who transitioned into VTubing, dominated the top ranks.

With massive streamers firmly holding their ground, there simply wasn’t any room for newcomers.

Sure, nothing in this world is absolute. Some people beat the odds and succeed.

But the group I worked on wasn’t one of them.

The whole team sank quietly,

And the company evaporated into thin air.

A memory as lonely as autumn leaves falling.

“I mean, I really poured my heart into Yoo Seo-yeon, though.”

Yoo Seo-yeon.

A character I created for that failed VTuber group.

The one I put the most effort into. The company had high hopes for her too.

[A shy girl who discovers her hidden talent and sets out to conquer the gaming world.]

There were plenty of detailed traits layered into her design, but if I had to sum it up—she was a genius gamer girl.

Basically, a VTuber in the “skilled gamer” position, what fans would call a pro-tier gamer beauty.

‘Considering the person behind her, it was a fitting setup.’

This wasn’t just about making a cool concept.

When designing a VTuber, it’s incredibly important to base the character on the person behind the screen.

If the streamer is introverted, then you make the character shy and reserved.

If they’re bubbly, then the character should be cheerful and bright.

Of course, sometimes they throw in absurd traits—like being 300 cms tall or a four-year-old with a D-cup.

But aside from those gag elements, the character is usually built to reflect the real person behind them.

[Shy, but with unfathomable gaming talent.]

That was Yeo Seo-yeon’s core concept.

And that concept had a solid foundation.

The girl behind Seo-yeon? She was an aspiring pro gamer.

A bit of exaggeration, sure—but her gaming skill really was on par with active professionals.

Even if this was an era where RP—roleplaying a character—wasn’t as essential anymore,

It would’ve been awkward if her character was a “genius gamer” and she sucked at games.

Her outstanding gaming talent was the very essence of who Yoo Seo-yeon was.

In short, she was designed to be one of the rarest kinds of VTubers: a female streamer with actual elite-level gaming ability.

She had other traits too—

[A dazzlingly beautiful appearance.]

Small stuff like that, but we never emphasized it much.

In the VTuber world where everyone’s a pretty anime girl, pointing out that your character is pretty felt redundant.

Still, we put serious effort into the model.

Far more than your average VTuber.

A cute, petite height that triggered your protective instincts.

Amber eyes that looked like molten gold, paired with flowing silver hair that shimmered like starlight.

From design to modeling, everything was a masterpiece. The designers poured their soul into it.

She was meant to be the team’s ace. Of course we went all out.

There’s a common thread between streaming and water.

The human body is 70% water.

And 70% of a VTuber’s stream? It’s gaming.

Makes sense. No matter how well you sing, you can’t belt out tunes for hours every single day.

Even if you’re good at talking, it’s not like you can run a full-time radio show.

Unless there’s a special event, chatting is usually just a warm-up.

Sure, there are other talents people bring to the table—but if you’re streaming daily, there’s nothing more reliable than gaming.

Especially for VTubers, who are limited in how much they can move.

They can’t go outside and do IRL streams or mukbangs like other streamers.

(TL note: Mukbang is a popular online phenomenon, specifically a Korean term, where people livestream or create videos of themselves eating large quantities of food, often with a focus on the sounds of eating (ASMR) and interaction with the audience. The term “mukbang” combines the Korean words for “eating” (먹는, meongneun) and “broadcast” (방송, bangsong), essentially meaning “eat-casting”)

That’s why expectations for Yeo Seo-yeon were sky-high.

Her main content—games—was where she shone the brightest.

She was good enough to debut as a pro in her main game.

Though it was her first time in online broadcasting and her talking skills were untested,

Her gameplay alone could capture attention.

A female VTuber with serious gaming chops? That’s a guaranteed hit.

‘Damn, she could go pro tomorrow.’

Everyone at the company said that after watching her gameplay clips.

And then—

They say words have power.

The girl behind Yoo Seo-yeon actually did debut as a pro—and ghosted us.

‘It was chaos.’

And so—

The VTuber group, now down to four members, debuted without Yoo Seo-yeon… and quietly flopped.

In an already cutthroat, oversaturated market—

Losing the team’s core member made it almost a miracle we even launched.

Eventually, everyone graduated and the group disbanded.

If only Seo-yeon had stayed—

Would we have failed anyway? Or maybe pulled off a miracle?

No one will ever know.

‘Not like it matters now.’

After that, I quit writing and went back to college.

Not just because of the “streamer ghosting” incident.

I just didn’t have what it takes to survive as a no-name writer.

Besides, having a college degree really helps with job hunting.

So I walked away from the writer life,

And became a normal student who stayed up late watching streams.

Still, having worked in the industry, watching a flashy graduation live like this gave me a strange feeling.

“How would that feel?”

Knowing 750,000 people are watching you? Must be terrifying and exhilarating.

I wonder—

If I debuted as a VTuber, would I get what that feels like?

‘Yeah, no way.’

Male VTubers weren’t really my thing,

And debuting as a female VTuber? Impossible.

I mean, there’s the whole chromosome issue.

There are some people—called “bamyook”—who are male but debut with female VTuber avatars.

But that wasn’t the route I wanted.

As I was lost in thought, the live broadcast reached its end.

The final performance wrapped up,

And the stream ended with a closing message.

Maybe it was the contrast from all that noise, but now the silence felt overwhelming.

Caught in that indescribable feeling, I shut down the computer and laid on my bed.

In the darkness of my room,

All the real-world worries I had shoved away came crawling back.

Stuff like the report due tomorrow, or the looming job hunt.

“Agh, I wanna be a VTuber too.”

If I were a popular VTuber, I wouldn’t have to worry about classes or getting a job.

As I buried myself deeper in the blankets, lost in an impossible dream—

---

“Ughhh…”

Blinding sunlight stabbed at my eyes.

I forced myself to wake up and stretched out the stiffness in my body, then reached for my phone out of habit.

6 a.m.

Way too early for a healthy college student to be up.

I tossed my phone to the corner of the bed and pulled the blanket over myself for a bit more sleep.

“…Wait a second.”

Something felt off.

‘The face in the reflection of my phone.’

Before the screen turned on, I’d caught a glimpse in the dark glass.

Instead of the familiar face I’d lived with my whole life—

It looked like something else entirely.

Still groggy, I figured I was just imagining things.

Tilting my head, I grabbed the phone again.

‘Huh?’

Even the way it felt in my hand was weird.

The phone felt… bigger somehow.

Or maybe my hand was smaller?

Something was definitely wrong.

I turned on the selfie camera.

“……”

A dazed-looking girl stared back at me from the screen.

“Wha—?!”

That jolted me awake.

And the voice that came out of my throat—thin, girlish.

Panicking, I bolted out of bed and dashed to the bathroom sink.

The lower perspective as I ran threw me off. And when I reached the mirror—

“Huuuh?!”

A silver-haired girl with a stunned expression stared back at me.

I blinked.

Who was this girl pretending to be me in the mirror?

And then it hit me—that old truth, as natural as knowing food fills your stomach:

A mirror reflects your own image.

So that means…

“This is… me?”

Wait. This has to be a dream.

I pinched my cheek and pulled.

Soft skin stretched like mochi.

(TL note: “Mochi” in the context of the provided search results refers to both a type of Japanese rice cake and a shoe brand. As a Japanese rice cake, mochi is made from glutinous rice and is often enjoyed in sweet and savory forms. It is a popular dessert and a common food in Japan.)

And the faint sting that followed told me this wasn’t a dream.

“But this face looks familiar…”

I stared into the mirror for a long time before it clicked.

Amber eyes that looked like melted gold.

Long silver hair cascading past the shoulders.

Slightly upturned eyes.

Every feature fine-tuned to perfection.

A beauty so surreal she looked like she’d walked straight out of a comic book.

‘Ah.’

Yeo Seo-yeon.

A face I’d seen more times than I could count while building her character.

If Yeo Seo-yeon came to life—she’d look exactly like the girl in this mirror.

“W-What the hell is happening…”

My legs gave out, and I collapsed to the floor.

So basically—

I went to sleep as a guy…

And woke up as a girl.

Not just any girl.

As the VTuber I created.