Chapter 205

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Back to Square One (4)

“Fuuuuu…”

“Good work, Yeoreum.”

“I wouldn’t call it work exactly…”

I staggered out of the streaming room and Toya patted my shoulder.
Burnt to a crisp…
All I’d done was sing, yet my whole body was soaked in sweat.
If I did this every day I’d probably catch a cold.

“Keep this up and you really will end up doing a solo live this year, huh?”

“Come on—that’s just chat hyping me up.”

“Hmmm…”

“…Toya?”

Don’t tell me… That username looked awfully familiar—a fan‑name from way back in my Han Yeoreum days.
I had a hunch, but—was that REALLY Toya in chat stirring everyone up?
Quit building false hope in my stream, dummy!

“Hey, I didn’t do anything! I was just quietly watching, quietly.”

“Liar.”

“Not lying!”

I gathered what little strength I had and flailed a fist at her—producing only a pathetic pat‑pat.
Didn’t even count as a massage; Toya just smiled.

“Well, well… Guess I’ll have to put in the effort now, too~♪”

“Effort for what?”

“To join Nat‑chan’s first live, I’ll have to—”

“No you won’t!!”

It’s not like I get to decide these things on a whim!
I pouted; as expected of a Nat‑sumin—no, worse, Toya was the ultimate Summer‑dan troll.
How had she restrained herself so far?

“Still, you do want to do it soon, right?”

“….”

“You promised, remember? To work hard again—like before.”

“….”

I averted my eyes and stared at a blank wall—but in my mind I saw a giant billboard:
HAN YEOREUM SOLO CONCERT.
I’d gotten so close, only to fall.
Thinking about it still hurt.

Back then…
Pain, sadness, despair.
Just as I touched a dream I thought unreachable, fate slapped me down.
I never imagined another chance would come.
Now that it had, I wanted to seize it before it slipped away again.

“…I dunno.”

“Hmm, but I think I do~”

“…Hmph.”

“I know something Yeoreum doesn’t~ Ufufufu~♪”

“Eh—w‑wait… ah!? St‑stop…!”

I surrender! I surrender!
Toya’s finger poking my side turned into a merciless tickle attack in seconds.
Not the ribs! Not the ribs!
Even after gaining weight, that spot was still all bone—my weakest point.

“Okay, okay! You’re right! Happy? Ngh!”

“See? Admitting it quickly is so much better.”

Any longer and I’d have shown a truly disgraceful face.
I wiped the drool that had trickled down my chin and sighed.
Toya once avoided tickling me for fear of triggering hiccups—seems she trusted my health now…

…Except—

“Hic!”

“…Huh?”

“Hic—hic—hik!”

“Y‑Yeoreum?! I‑I didn’t tickle you that much!”

Hiccups burst out.
True, she hadn’t tickled long—but maybe the surprise did it.
Holding my breath didn’t help; they kept coming.
Ugh, this could get bad fast—hiccups were never a good sign for me.

“W‑want some water? Lukewarm?”

“N‑No—hic! If I drink—hup! I’ll choke—hik!”

One word per hiccup.
If I drank like this it could flood my lungs; worst‑case I’d land in the hospital for months.
My body was healthier now, but only relative to old me—not normal yet.

…Except…

Wait.

“Hic… hic… hik…”

Something was off—my chest didn’t hurt.
There was mild discomfort, but none of the razor pain of the past.
Old hiccups were hell; now they felt like a middle‑schooler’s punch.

“I‑I’m sorry… so sorry, Yeoreum…”

“I‑It’s—hic!—fine! See?”

I puffed out my chest to reassure Toya’s trembling eyes.
Look—I can even stand straight while hiccupping!
Back then I’d be curled in a ball, shaking.

“Hic… I’m okay, really.”

Thump‑thump— I tapped my sternum to calm the spasms.
Phew—almost thought I’d die—well, not really, but PTSD had my body on edge.
Sweat from singing mixed with cold sweat from panic—what a mess.

Someone might mistake me for Summer‑mode Yeoreum.
I flicked a hand; sweat smeared on my forearm.
Note to self: No tickles after singing.

I raised both hands—I’m fine—and shuffled toward the bath.

Sliding the door—

“Oh, you’re here?”

“Melting away, I see, Koyuki.”

“Mmh… melting like a snowflake in a hot spring…”

Koyuki was using our tub like her own.
Seeing her bliss‑droopy face made me sigh; imagining myself like that felt… unflattering.

“…What’s ‘unflattering’ supposed to mean, dummy?”

“Nothing.”

“It’s definitely something. I read your mind!”

“Shut up and help me wash.”

Ignoring her puffed‑up cheeks, I pulled up a stool and sat.
Alright, wash my hair.
I closed my eyes—no water fell.

Don’t tell me she—? I opened my eyes just as—

Shaaah!

“Kyah!?”

“Puhuhuhu… When you ask a favor, be polite, okay?”

“…Ugh.”
Now I looked like a drowned mouse—well, we are here to bathe.
White fluff stuck to my face; crimson eyes peered back from the mirror, like some yokai.

“Don’t I look like a Yeti?”

“More like a snow‑bunny.”

Shaaah—another warm rinse. Heavenly…
The fatigue melted; I might fall asleep before even entering the tub.

“And anyway, Yeti aren’t this small.”

“Small Yeti could exist.”

“There are no Yeti, Yeoreum.”

“…Right.”
Why were we debating Yeti sizes?

Koyuki started massaging shampoo through my hair—surprisingly thorough for someone who’s usually the one getting washed.

Shaaah— rinse.

“Thanks, Koyuki.”

“No need to thank me. A big sister can do at least this for her little sister, right?”

“…Little sister, huh.”

Grumbling, I still appreciated it.
We finished washing and slid into the bath.
It was built for one average adult; with our petite frames, the two of us still had room.

“You sang really well.”

“R‑Really…?”

“If you can do it, maybe I can too.”

“Sure. So keep training—exercise regularly.”

“…I know, okay?”

Did Koyuki want to be like me?
Her eyes burned with a complicated light.
Starting VTubing, showing interest in singing—it wasn’t just imitation; it was… admiration?

“…Koyuki?”

“N‑Nothing! It’s nothing!”

The thought felt like mine, yet not; her voice in my head?
She hid her beet‑red face behind her hands.
You’re so transparent, Koyuki.

I thought of teasing her more but decided against it—she might actually faint.

“Someday we’ll sing together, right?”

“…We will. For sure.”

I smiled.
Yeah—someday, let’s sing side by side.
Me, Koyuki, Toya—maybe a whole stage full of friends. ​

Fables