This Might Be a Problem
I walked into the coffee shop with Kim Woojin, who'd lost the bet. He locked in his order first, while I stood there turning over what to drink. The moment I finally asked for mine, he paid — and said something odd.
"You sure you're okay with that?"
Okay with it? All of a sudden?
I was still turning the question over when the coffee came out.
"Thank you."
I took the cup, popped the lid, and drew the steam in through my nose. A bitter, full-bodied aroma punched straight into my head. I didn't even have to taste it to know they'd used good beans.
"I'll enjoy this."
"...Right. But... does that actually taste good?"
"This?"
I looked down at the cup in my hand. Because it was takeout, it wasn't one of those tiny in-house glasses — just a regular to-go cup, and it was only half full of espresso.
"This is the good stuff. One cup of this and my eyes snap wide open even at dawn."
In my past life, I'd survived every all-nighter on this. By now it was inseparable from me. If you took me apart, espresso would probably run in my veins instead of blood.
...Ah. Not anymore, though.
Come to think of it, this is the first time I've had coffee in this body.
I'd only been drinking water or sports drinks. For reasons I couldn't explain, the sports drinks had always sounded better than coffee.
I took a small sip of the steaming cup.
"Ugh..."
A fierce bitterness bloomed at the tip of my tongue. My brow furrowed for a second, but it wasn't bad. This body just wasn't used to espresso yet. I'd get used to it from here on out.
Do something enough and you adapt. That's practically a law of nature.
"You actually drink that like it's nothing. But... are you really sure about this?"
Kim Woojin asked the same question as before. It landed differently this time, though. Earlier it had been about the coffee. Now...
"Is this about the drama club?"
"Yeah."
He nodded. So it hadn't been about the coffee after all.
"Senior Heo Min already accepted you. So why are you still 'thinking about it'?"
"Saying I want to be fair to everyone... that wouldn't really explain it, would it?"
"Yeah. That doesn't explain anything."
I fell quiet for a moment. Tell him the truth? Or mix in a little lie?
My answer was:
"I just... got interested in other clubs too."
"Why bother? With your skill, you could rack up real results in the drama club. Why take the hard road?"
Kim Woojin tilted his head, genuinely lost. I was just as lost, honestly. But still.
"It's personal. I can't explain everything... I just can't stay in the drama club and nowhere else."
I was an actress — and on the other side of that, I was an idol too.
Even now, if I looked at the comments on the VTuber Music Project...
The comment section was wallpapered with that kind of thing. Even if I wanted to go live the way the viewers were demanding, the agency still hadn't given permission.
"Personal reasons... that's why you couldn't come to school either."
Kim Woojin put on a grave face and nodded to himself, as if he'd understood everything. I had the distinct feeling a misunderstanding was piling up... but did I really need to clear it up?
This much misunderstanding was just right. He wouldn't get in my way, and he wouldn't keep pushing me either.
"Alright. I get it. But... why the hell are you stuffing your face?"
"Hm? Me?"
"Yeah. You, you little shit."
Kim Woojin turned his glare sideways, pinning Choi Wooseok, who was happily working through his drink.
"Slurp, slurp... mm. Yum. Free coffee tastes amazing."
Choi Wooseok flashed a thumbs-up and a smile.
"You crazy bastard. Pay for your own damn drink!"
"Aw, come on. Friends can't even buy each other one drink? Is it that precious to you?"
"Yeah. It pisses me off that much. Money. Now."
"Sheesh~. Treating your one and only friend like this... Jiwoo, don't get close to a guy like him. You'll get hurt."
Choi Wooseok heaved a long, theatrical sigh and pulled money from his wallet.
"Bullshit. Anyway... I've got practice, so I'm heading out."
Having successfully shaken him down, Kim Woojin left. Off to acting practice, most likely. It was about time Kang Ho-yeon would be calling anyway, so I started getting ready to go myself.
"Hey... Jiwoo, I overheard a little earlier. You're interested in the VTuber club?"
Choi Wooseok's mouth tugged up at the corner, and his dark eyes lit. They were nothing like the dead, bored eyes he'd had in the auditorium.
"...And?"
A bad feeling crawled up my spine.
"So... which VTuber are you into? That bastard Woojin only cares about acting. He's hopeless when it comes to this stuff."
"Uh... I...."
Honestly, VTubers for me had been a brief mention during the project and nothing else. Beyond that, I'd only looked them up to study.
"Uh... Ku-Kuro?"
"Kuro?! You watched that stream too? I knew it... Kuro's the best. God, I don't get why she won't stream. She could just turn the broadcast on and sing and the money would pour in... such a waste."
There was real regret in Choi Wooseok's eyes. Not fake. This guy...
He was actually my fan.
"You feeling okay?"
"Ah, no...?"
"Yeah? You suddenly started sweating, so I wondered."
I touched my forehead and found cold sweat I hadn't even noticed.
The car hummed around me. I sat in the vehicle that had come to pick me up and stared out the window, saying nothing.
"What happened at school today? You're not getting bullied, are you? Don't tell me... you got in a fight?!"
Kang Ho-yeon launched into the most ridiculous nonsense at the sight of me looking so down.
"Why would I get in a fight. It's just... haah..."
A heavy sigh dragged itself out of me. I had no idea how to even begin explaining this. A kid in my own class was my fan — of Kuro, a VTuber who'd shown her face exactly once.
"Unnie... what happens if my identity gets found out?"
"Hmm... well, it'd put you a long way from that ordinary life you wanted, wouldn't it? Is that what's been bothering you?"
I already knew that. The moment you chose to be a celebrity, an ordinary life receded into the distance. One fake news story was enough to crater an image — that was the job. The flip side was that celebrities also made a ridiculous amount of money. A double-edged sword, through and through.
"No... if it's for my goals... I can live with that. It's just... a little embarrassing."
"Embarrassing? Ahh... you're worried your classmates will see you in the drama, right? It's fine. It's only like that at first. Later on, you'll learn to enjoy the attention."
Kang Ho-yeon smiled a little, telling me not to worry. Fair enough. Celebrities lived on the public's eyes and interest. Awkward and embarrassing at first, and later you were supposed to enjoy being watched...
"That sounds a little perverted. Enjoying people staring at you."
I was still wearing a wry smile when the car began to slow, then stopped.
"We're here. Starting today we begin training for VTuber idol work, so steel yourself."
"I'm already steeled."
I regret it. The me from ten minutes ago.
"Jiwoo! You'll never get through a single song with movements like that! Move!"
The dance coach's voice climbed. Ten minutes ago she'd still been all gentle encouragement.
"Hah... hah..."
The air wouldn't even reach my lungs. It just swirled around in my mouth and escaped. Ah... I'm gonna die like this...
My legs tangled. My head swam. About twelve hours after tasting heaven this morning, a brand-new heaven was starting to shimmer into view.
"Hey... Jiwoo! Stay with me!"
The coach's voice cracked with alarm. She finally registered the state I was in, rushed over, and laid me out on the floor.
"Are you okay? Are you with me?!"
"Co... Coach..."
"Okay. Let's rest for now. And... Jiwoo, we're going to have to build your stamina first. With fitness like this..."
She sighed. I knew what she was about to say. An idol had to sing and dance at the same time. With my stamina, doing both at once was nowhere near possible.
I looked up at her.
"Do you need anything?"
Need anything... I did.
A thunderous growl rolled out of my stomach. She had to have heard it too.
"Hungry? Well, it is about time for dinner. But... you know this already, Jiwoo. Even if a virtual avatar hides your face and your figure, this isn't acting. So."
"D-don't tell me..."
Dread settled over my whole body. Please, anything but that...
"We'll have one sweet potato and a single egg."
"N-no... Coach. If that's all I eat, I'll die. I'll actually die."
"Don't worry. I've trained a whole truckload of idols by now! Every last one of them is still alive, so you can do this too, Jiwoo!"
No amount of pleading made a dent. The dance coach had no intention of listening.
"Coach... please..."
"Don't worry, just sit up and rest. If you lie down too long your body goes slack. We eat, then we practice again."
She stepped out of the practice room. Gone to fetch my dinner, apparently.
Now's my chance.
I grabbed my trembling legs and staggered over to the bag I'd tossed in the corner. There should still be snacks in there from this morning.
I unzipped it and peered inside.
"Oh... no...."
As far as I remembered, I'd only taken snacks out to eat once. I rummaged. All my hand found was the sound of empty wrappers. There was nothing left inside.
"It's all... it's all gone... I'm finished..."
Falling into despair was a feeling I hadn't had in a very long time. I couldn't even remember the last time. At least not in this life. Then it would have been my past one — and a very long time ago, at that. Probably when I'd studied like a madman, gotten into a good university on nothing but my own strength, and landed a company job.
Feeling despair meant you were still holding onto that much hope. Without hope, there was no despair either.
"Haah... I never thought I'd end up enjoying this celebrity work this much."
That was when the practice room door opened.
"Jiwoo, I brought dinner. Eat this and hang in there."
The dance coach stepped in.
"Jiwoo?"
Her startled gaze landed on me. Why was she looking at me like that...? Ah.
The chocolate wrapper in my hand.
"Coach, this is..."
"Looks like you don't need dinner after all, Jiwoo."
"Ah... no..."
I hadn't meant to go this far.
"It's fine, Coach. I... I have a body that never gains weight no matter how much I eat. It all goes to my chest."
"...."
An icy stare pinned me in place.
This... might be a problem.