Chapter 17: Fish-shaped buns, odeng, beauty salon, and a pretty girl
by Afuhfuihgs<Minor Gallery – Korean VTuber Thread>
[Yuki x Rin Collab Stream Kicked Off──!!!!!]
https://www.nestube.com/watch?v=gRhuabXa0ts
A collab stream between Yuki and Rin?! Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you
[Upvotes 3] [Downvotes 0]
– YukiRin is live huh;;
– What are they even doing?
– Horror game
– I’m jumping in right now
– Lmao you can’t resist a horror game
– Yuki playing horror? This is gonna be gold lmao
[If Yuki <<< Noob, then upvote this]
Honestly, the horror game saved everything.
She used to be just a one-trick lewd-joke auntie, but this stream was genuinely hilarious.
[Upvotes 12] [Downvotes 1]
– One-trick lewd joke VTuber…?
– Yeah if she only did lewd stuff, it would’ve gotten old fast
– fr lol
– Thank god for the collab this time
– She was screaming her lungs out lmaoooo
[☆ Volume Warning) Yuki Scream Compilation.mp4]
(Thunder.mp4)
(Stairs.mp4)
(Shadow Monster.mp4)
(The Dog.mp4)
(Game Over.mp4)
Damn~ This girl’s got a great scream!!
[Upvotes 31] [Downvotes 5]
– KYAaaa!!
– Sir… the audio’s been gone for a while now…
– LOL
– It’s fine. My ears are just bleeding a little
– My ears hurt…
– Her scream is so clean… How’s her throat not wrecked?
– She screamed like hell in the singing stream too, wish she’d take better care of her voice
– For real, kinda worried now
The collab with Rin ended pretty abruptly.
Well, I did end up crying on stream, after all.
There was no way we could’ve kept going after that point.
‘UwaaaaAAAAAAHH~’
“Y-Yuki! Pull yourself together!! It’s just a game!!”
“No no no no no nooooo!!! I don’t wanna play scary games anymore!!!”
…
Yeah, okay. That’s enough reminiscing.
Any more and I’m just gonna traumatize myself further.
According to Rin, the game autosaved when we reached the third floor, so we should be able to pick it up again later.
Maybe not right away—this trauma’s still fresh—but after a little time passes, I’ll be fine.
It’s not like I’m the kind of person who’d cry over a single game or anything.
…Right?
“Anyway, let’s get outta here.”
Today, I had something important to do before my next stream.
My bangs were overgrown and poking into my eyes, and my hair in general looked like a total mess.
So I decided to hit the hair salon.
Back in the day I would’ve just hacked it off with scissors myself, but now that I’m a working professional, I can’t get away with that anymore.
Gotta at least look like a proper human being.
Manager scolded me about it the last time I went into the office, too…
Click.
The moment I opened the front door, a chilling wind hit me like a slap in the face.
When did it get this cold?!
I swear, Korea only has two seasons: summer and winter.
If we actually had four seasons, winter wouldn’t be this aggressively miserable.
“Pffff… It’s freezing out here…”
I huffed into my hands to warm them and started walking.
As soon as I stepped out from the apartment building, the wind really started to pick up, blowing my long hair every which way.
Still, it was warmer than when I kept my hair short.
Come to think of it, I cut my hair into a bob right after I became a girl.
Probably because I thought it’d be easier to maintain, like when I was a guy.
Yeah… that was a mistake.
At least I got a short break from the hell that is washing long hair, so maybe it wasn’t all bad.
Anyway…
Huff… huff…
About five minutes into the walk, the tips of my fingers, ears, and nose started stinging like they’d been slashed by knives.
Should’ve worn something thicker…
I seriously underestimated Korean winters.
Now I’m regretting it all the way down to my freezing bones.
With my reddened hands shoved deep into my pockets, I trudged along, trembling like a leaf, until—
Sniff sniff… What’s that smell?
A warm, buttery scent tickled my nose.
Steam rising from a distance.
And all of it coming from a tiny street food cart.
[Golden Taiyaki – 3 for 1,000 won]
[Busan Fishcake – 1 for 500 won]
“Taiyaki…!!”
Yes.
That crispy shell, filled with rich custard cream.
And fishcake soup to wash away the sweetness afterward?
There it was—right in front of me.
“……”
I shoved my hands into my pockets, praying to find some money.
All I found was the cold glass of my phone screen and some crumpled receipts.
And one lonely 500 won coin.
“Don’t I have a thousand won anywhere…?”
Digging deeper, I pulled out the card I was going to use for the salon.
And then—just maybe—behind the phone case…
Jackpot. A crumpled 5,000 won bill.
“Oooooohhh!!!”
I’d totally forgotten I stashed some cash back there after withdrawing money for groceries!
With 5,000 won, I could buy taiyaki—heck, I could even throw in a fishcake or two.
Technically, this was my emergency fund, but…
Taiyaki is an emergency, right?
Yeah. Totally justifiable spending.
On a brutally cold winter day,
If you sink your teeth into a piping-hot taiyaki…
The crispy shell crumbles with a snap,
And the sweet cream wraps your tongue in warmth…
Then you finish with a hot, savory gulp of fishcake broth…!!
Gulp…!
Saliva pooled in my mouth before I realized it.
No way I could resist that kind of temptation.
Sorry, Manager!
I just blew part of the 100,000 won you gave me…
On fish-shaped pastries filled with gooey custard.
“Eh, I’ll just pay you back later.”
I mean, I’ll earn it back soon enough.
Monetization’s going live in a few days, and I’ll probably get money-thrown at me like crazy.
If I get a 100,000 won superchat, I’ll honestly cry like a dog.
Or clap like a seal and act out some ridiculous voiceplay scene.
I used to do that a lot whenever someone sent a huge donation.
I’m pretty confident in my ability to moan and make it sound real…
“…But yeah, probably shouldn’t do that anymore.”
Even if I’m technically a corporate VTuber, I should maintain some sense of decency.
No explicit words, no politics.
“Three taiyaki with custard, please!”
“Sure~”
The lady used tongs to pack the pastries into a paper bag right after I ordered.
As soon as I had the warm bag in my hands, I pulled out the 5,000 won bill and pointed at the fishcakes.
“I can just pay per skewer, right?”
“Of course. Just toss the sticks in that box when you’re done.”
“Got it~”
I immediately fished one out of the steaming broth, dabbed on some gochujang sauce, and took a huge bite.
Chomp!
The spicy, salty sauce hit first,
Followed by the springy texture of the fishcake,
Flooding my mouth with cheap but irresistible umami.
But then—
“HOT HOT HOT!!!”
Way spicier than I expected.
I totally forgot I can’t handle spicy food anymore after the body change.
Did I lose my Korean buff when my hair turned silver?
Should’ve just gone with soy sauce instead of showing off…
Too late now.
All that’s left is a burning tongue.
To neutralize the capsaicin fire, I bit into one of the sweet taiyaki.
Crunch!
The crisp shell gave way instantly,
Releasing warm, gooey custard that blanketed my tongue in sweet relief.
Now that I think about it—taiyaki is kind of like a cream pie, huh?
Even if it’s shaped like a fish, inside is this thick, white, sticky filling…
When it’s half-bitten, it always reminds me of a used Tenga…
…Okay. Time to stop.
No lewd thoughts during meals.
After scarfing down all three taiyaki and four fishcakes,
I finally turned toward the salon.
Oh, and I totally downed a cup of that hot fishcake broth before I left.
Because on a cold day, that’s just how you live.
When I walked into the salon, it was nearly empty.
Guess that’s what happens on a weekday when it’s freezing out.
Good news for me though—I got seated right away.
“How would you like it cut?”
“Hmm… just make it look decent.”
“…Sorry?”
“Just trim the bangs so they don’t poke my eyes, and do whatever else you think looks good.”
Ordering at a hair salon is hard, okay?
I’m the kind of person who’s an extrovert online but an introvert in the real world.
So I just go to a place that looks trustworthy and tell them to freestyle it.
Let’s be real—the finishing touch on any style is the face.
And I’m a pretty anime girl now, so I’ll look cute no matter what I do.
…Except maybe a shaved head.
“Alright, I’ll just tidy everything up then…”
“Yep.”
Snip, snip.
“Wow, is your hair naturally silver?”
“…Yeah.”
“No wonder. It’s so smooth and shiny~”
“…Mhm.”
“……”
I gave the stylist vague, uninterested answers as she tried to start conversation.
Eventually, she gave up and cut my hair in silence.
Snip, snip.
Huh.
Was the sound of scissors always this soothing?
The heater was blasting too,
And slowly…
Snip, snip…
Ah. Crap.
I’m getting sleepy.
But seriously, how am I supposed to stay awake?
I’ve got a full belly from taiyaki, sitting under a heater,
Getting my hair snipped…
The only way I could stay conscious is if I downed a double-shot Americano.
Snip… snip…
I give up.
I’m done fighting it.
I’m closing my eyes and embracing the void…
“Mmmhh…”
Snip…… snip……
Just like that, lulled by the sound of scissors,
I fell asleep in three minutes flat.
“Miss, your cut is finished. Please wake up.”
“…Huh? Wha?”
“Time for shampoo.”
Groggily, I opened my eyes.
Reflected in the mirror wasn’t the usual scruffy gamer girl—
It was a real-deal, well-groomed anime beauty.
Having clean hair really took ten years off my look.
I bet if I told someone I was a high school girl, they’d believe it.
(JK = joshi kousei, Japanese for “high school girl.”)
A different staff member escorted me to get my hair washed.
For some reason, the slightly damp hair made me feel like I’d smell like goat milk.
But it dried fast and fluffed up nicely.
After the cut, I headed to the register with my card.
The part-timer who washed my hair gave me a bright smile as she rang me up.
“That’ll be 20,000 won for the cut.”
“…Sorry? 20,000 won?”
“Yes. Your hair was really tangled, so there was an additional fee.”
“……”
Yeah, fair enough.
My hair was a disaster zone.
All I ever do is wash it—no real care or styling.
Even when I go out, I just brush down whatever’s sticking up.
With a shaky hand, I passed over my debit card.
As soon as I stepped outside, my phone buzzed with a stream of payment notifications.
[Mirae Card]
[Dazzling Hair ─ -20,000 won]
Twenty thousand won… just to get my hair cut once.
Still, it was a necessary expense.
Can’t keep showing up to work looking like I’ve been electrocuted.
Yeah… definitely unavoidable…
“…Sniff.”
But somehow, it still made my heart ache.
Next time, I really need to take better care of it…
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