Throat Candy Rie
True to her word to me, Rie posted an announcement that she'd apply to the VTuber Academy. The sudden surge in her song streams that followed was nothing short of a massive boon. Of course, given her small-time status, no one even knew she existed, let alone that she was auditioning—but even so, I quietly cheered her on.
Time passed. They say hard work never betrays you, and sure enough, her singing improved by leaps and bounds. Clips of her songs started popping up on NewTube, spreading word-of-mouth buzz. Reactions to her voice were mostly positive. Before long, she hit 50 viewers. Her chat window was no longer my exclusive domain—though I was still one of the core regulars.
But maybe it was the price of her bone-deep effort. After singing steadily for nearly five hours straight, her throat started giving out. Her raspy voice broadcast through the mic, cracking on multiple occasions.
She sounded genuinely apologetic, her spirits utterly deflated. Seeing her avatar with its head hung low stirred an instinctive urge to protect her. The hiatus hurt my heart, but for her throat's sake, even I could see she needed the rest. Yeah, I could survive a few days without her. She'd pushed this far without a single break, after all. As a fan, I had to understand.
With that, I tearfully entered my Rie withdrawal phase.
"Hey, you okay? You don't look sick or anything, do you?"
Minji tapped my shoulder and asked.
"Yeah! Oppa, your face has been so gloomy lately. Like a total corpse."
Ji Hye chimed in, staring at my face along with Minji.
Was it that bad? Naturally, I wasn't sick or anything. And there wasn't really any reason for my mood to be in the dumps.
Well, except for one thing.
"Nothing's wrong, so let's start the meeting." I waved it off to signal I was fine. There was no way in hell I could say, "My favorite VTuber's on hiatus, so I'm bummed!"
Still, I couldn't shake the funk so easily. And I wasn't the only one off—when Minji asked Han Seol for her input, a hoarse voice replied.
"...Yeah... I'm fine..."
It was seriously raspy. Caught a cold or something? Hearing Han Seol's voice made me think of Rie struggling somewhere right now. As I looked at her with pity in my eyes, Minji clutched her forehead upon hearing it too.
"Can you even do the presentation?"
"Yes."
She affirmed it, but it was far from ideal. Minji scowled openly, making no secret of her displeasure, while Ji Hye next to me let out heavy sighs. Why did they hate her so much? I didn't pay much attention to people outside my circle, so I had no clue about the details.
She seemed aware of the awkwardness too, her eyes darting around before she bowed her head.
"Seol, the presentation's right around the corner. If it flops because of you, you gonna take responsibility? Be straight with me."
Minji, my classmate who'd been handling the core research, adjusted her round glasses and pressed her. She was the type who lived for her grades, so I got why she'd be annoyed. Still, it wasn't like Han Seol chose to get a hoarse throat—ganging up like that felt a bit off.
Unsure of herself, she answered in a more timid tone.
"...Yes. It's just a mild cold."
"...Fine."
Even she, usually so bold and sharp, seemed a little cowed by Minji's glare.
"Hey, Suhyeon Yoo, you're good, right?"
Now it was my turn. I flashed a relaxed smile and shrugged.
"Yeah, I'm A-OK."
"...Sure you are."
My playful vibe seemed to lighten the mood a bit. With that awkward tension lingering, the meeting kicked off.
The research and topic weren't bad at all. Nail the presentation, and we'd ace this group project. Which meant the top priority now was practicing with my junior partner.
To that end, Han Seol and I decided to sync up separately. Our parts required coordinating anyway, so even she—who clearly hated being around guys—nodded silently.
We headed to a nearby cafe to hash out ideas. On the way, she didn't walk beside me but trailed behind. She really must despise getting close to guys. Some might call it rude or over the top, but I didn't care. Once this project ended, she'd just be "that junior sitting next to me" again.
The cafe door chimed as I held it open. I ordered an Americano; she got iced tea. We sat at a table.
"Throat feeling better?"
It was just polite small talk. She gave a sullen nod.
"Yes. It's really just a mild cold. Should be gone by tomorrow."
"Good to hear."
No point dwelling if she said so. She'd insisted she was fine earlier, so she probably was. I pulled out my laptop right away and loaded the materials from the team—files I'd prepped in advance, knowing this might happen. A reliable senior's always prepared. Go on, admire me.
"...!"
For some reason, Han Seol's eyes went wide. What? Actually impressed? Nah, her face wasn't awe—it was pure shock. What the hell?
The mystery cleared up quick. I turned the screen to check for anything weird, and there it was: a huge VTuber Academy ad plastered across it.
Ah.
"Sunbae, you like... that stuff...?"
Her voice trembled as she desperately fought back a laugh. Rude brat. Worst kind of junior—no respect for her senior. I calmed my shaking fist under the table and played it cool.
"Oh, that. Must've popped up when my cousin borrowed the laptop."
"...Really?"
"Yeah. No idea what it even is."
She nodded cautiously at my words. Shit, she totally bought it? Nah, "cousin" excuse is way too cliché.
"Anyway, let's review the materials."
"...Okay."
I tried steering past the awkwardness from that slip-up, but she was already quiet by nature. I desperately yanked the topic back on track, but it was too late. She kept drifting off, itching to bring up VTubers, and I'd frantically deflect every time.
"For real, I don't."
"Got it."
Only after I got serious did she back off. Didn't peg her for the type who gets a thrill out of teasing people.
"But... is it really that embarrassing?"
She wanted to poke more, huh. Now I was genuinely pissed. I wasn't one to burn