Chapter 85 : Happy Ending

Maruhanun, or rather, the grand project, has come to an end.

And.

Two months have passed since Yuki’s broadcast disappeared from the world.

As if she had evaporated from existence.

When the first announcement was posted, the Snowflakes refused to accept reality.

• Suddenly taking a break from streaming?
• Surgery? What kind of surgery?
• You’re joking, right?

But it wasn’t a joke.

That announcement was Yuki’s last, and she stopped all streaming activities.

[Hello. This is Shirahana Yuki.]

A short announcement stream that started with her familiar greeting.

Her voice was as clear as always, but there was a trace of melancholy in it.

“I’m… really sorry to suddenly bring this up. But the truth is, I have to undergo a major surgery.”

• Surgery? What kind of surgery?
• Yuki, don’t be sick ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
• Is this real?

But Yuki’s next words shattered any remaining hope.

“I think I’ll have to take a break from streaming for about two months. No, I have to. I was told that I can’t continue streaming in my current condition.”

At that moment, the chat fell silent.

No one was ready to accept this reality.

The one who always smiled brightly, who made everyone happy with her unique, energetic voice—she was suddenly disappearing.

And then.

“I’m really sorry, everyone. No matter how I think about it… this is too sudden, isn’t it? But still…”

She paused for a moment and took a deep breath.

“I will come back healthy.”

With those final words, the stream ended.

After that, there was no further news.

All that remained was a short message posted on Twitter.

[Once the surgery is over, I’ll be back. I’d be really grateful if you could wait for me.]

That single sentence was everything.

And the Snowflakes could do nothing but stare at it in shock.

During her absence, they did everything they could.

A new fan café was created to wait for Yuki.

Her stream clips were revisited, and fan art flooded in.

As if trying to hold onto any trace of her, people kept creating things.

But over time, that movement slowly faded.

As long as Yuki didn’t return, everything was just painful false hope.

[Still… no announcement.]
[Yuki, are you doing okay?]
[Should I just give up now?]

They could do nothing but watch helplessly as their hope faded away.

If Yuki wasn’t there, neither was the stream.

Neither were the stories she created.

Without her, none of it meant anything.

And so, the fans grew quieter.

The space without Yuki grew colder.

And as time passed, the silence deepened.

Two months was longer than they had expected.

Waiting endlessly with no news—

It was hard for anyone.

But some still held onto hope.

For the day she would return.

For the day she would smile again and start her stream like before.

She’ll come back someday.

She will come back.

There was nothing they could do but believe and wait.

No one truly knew Yuki’s situation.

How difficult this was for her.

How much she desperately wanted to return—

All the truth remained quietly hidden.

And in that waiting, those who longed for Yuki found themselves growing more and more exhausted.

But no one wanted to admit it.

Because they had always believed that Yuki would be there.

Because they had promised to wait.

For two whole months, just to make sure she wouldn’t be forgotten.

So that she could come back.

And so, everyone waited.

And then, finally.

[Hello! This is Shirahana Yuki!]

The period at the end of her sentence had turned into an exclamation mark, but that alone changed everything.

That sentence was the greeting they all remembered from Yuki.

But this time, something was different.

Was it the power of that exclamation mark?

Or was it the overwhelming joy of hearing her voice after so long?

The moment the stream title appeared—

All the emotions suppressed for two months erupted at once.

[She’s streaming again?]
[Yuki is back? For real?]
[This isn’t a dream, right? It’s real, right?]

Countless people received the notification and rushed to their screens.

Some fans had even declared that they wouldn’t breathe until she streamed again.

Everyone frantically logged in.

But the stream screen remained pitch black.

Nothing appeared.

No matter how wide they opened their eyes or how close they leaned in,

There was only endless darkness.

But it wasn’t just darkness.

It was—

‘A stage with the lights turned off.’

Those who realized it held their breath.

The darkness wasn’t an empty void.

It was a meaningful setup.

And soon, that darkness would break.

At that moment.

[Everyone! You’ve been waiting, right?!]

A voice suddenly rang out.

So familiar.

So missed.

Yet somehow, a little different.

The voice, which was originally clear, resonated even more cleanly this time without any noise.

Like a person who had never swallowed even a speck of dust, a perfectly refined sound.

And that sound stretched out long and high.

The moment her voice broke through the screen and spread out, the chat window exploded.

• Yukiya!!!!
• She’s really back!!!
• This is crazy, she really came back…

What’s with that voice? It’s seriously amazing.

• YukiYukiya!!!

Countless messages fluttered across the screen like snowflakes.

The fans cheered.

This was the moment they had been waiting for.

The voice they had only imagined in their hearts all this time.

Not a recorded sound, but the real, live voice reaching them.

How clear and soft that voice was, how naturally it tickled their ears, just that alone made it feel like everything had already been forgiven.

Yuki seemed to be smiling in the darkness.

Her voice.

Her presence.

After a long wait, she had broken through that darkness and returned.

“Alright, alright! Everyone, don’t react too intensely. I can see all the Snowflakes are about to have a heart attack right now.”

A playful voice.

But within it, warmth and joy could be felt.

She had returned.

So clearly, so unmistakably that no one could doubt it.

The broadcast screen was still filled with darkness, but that darkness was no longer just darkness.

It was the moment right before the curtain of the stage was lifted.

And Yuki was preparing for that stage.

“Ah, but you were really surprised, right? I didn’t expect to come back so suddenly either.”

“To be honest, I went through something pretty big this time… but I’m not sick, so don’t worry! I came back totally healthy!”

Her words flowed so naturally.

As if the time she was gone had been a lie.

But the fans knew.

They knew how hard that time must have been for her.

How much effort she must have put in.

And now, she had overcome all of that and was standing before them once again.

“So, for today’s stream… I’ve prepared something very special to celebrate my return.”

Yuki’s voice was filled with confidence.

She was no longer the same Yuki from before.

She had returned, stronger and more perfect than ever.

And the fans instinctively realized that.

“Everyone… did you miss me?”

• YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes!!!
• Of course, obviously!!! LOL
• Wow, Big Yuki is back!

Her voice carried a sincere smile.

And then, at that moment.

A soft light seeped through the darkness.

Like stage curtains slowly opening as the lights turned on.

Yuki’s 3D avatar gradually appeared.

More refined movements, more vivid expressions.

And… an overwhelming presence that made it impossible to look away.

And the ultimate symbol of a virtual idol…

• Waaaaaa!!!
• This is insane!!!
• Look at her!!!
• [Manager] I’ll let this one slide.

The fans held their breath once again.

She had truly returned.

After two long months.

Everyone cheered.

And Yuki accepted it all as she returned to their side.

She glanced at the chat window.

• [AviationCloud] You did great.
• [Misa] Unnie!!! Let’s collab again!!!
• [Yui] Mama, collab with me more than Misa!!!
• [U] You are truly beautiful. I hope we can stream together.

Pfft.

Suhyun smiled as she looked at the chat.

“Well then, shall we get started?”

Her laughter spread beyond the screen.

The end of waiting. And a new beginning.

And then, the song began.

???????

• This is totally Nanoka…
• If you say it’s not, then LOL
• It sounds exactly the same…
• The gallery is going to explode.
• Now that we’re here, let’s settle the Kang Suhyun same-person theory too.

Everything was starting anew.

Because the end of something always meant the beginning of something else.

“I Became the Mama of Popular Vtubers” [End]