At the Core, I Love Gaming Streams
Before taking a shower, I always turn on my favorite J-pop on my Bluetooth speaker. Then, I wait a moment for the water to reach the perfect temperature. Once it feels warm enough, I let the stream hit me right on the head, washing away all the sweat of the day.
"Ahhh, so refreshing."
This is the life. Nothing beats a hot shower after a long day's work. If the water's too hot, it ruins your skin, but soaking your body under just the right temperature? That's pure heaven.
"So good..."
As the water cascades down, a grin spreads across my face at the thought of today's donations. My Bangsaengis really went all out today, showering me with donations and throwing endless thousand-won punches to cheer me on.
"Those rascals. I guess I was pretty cool today."
The sheer hype of it all makes me blurt out something incredibly cringey. But honestly, even I have to admit I was kind of badass. I mean, I went one-on-one with a ghost that would make anyone else run for the hills! And I actually won! Is that even possible? No, it's absolutely insane. I've got talent.
"Pfft, hahahaha!"
I spin around in the shower, wrapping my arms around myself in a tight hug. But even as I force a laugh, my hands start to tremble. My legs feel like jelly, too. With the shower still pouring, I quietly huddle into a ball in the corner of the steamy bathroom.
"It was terrifying."
Yeah, that's the honest truth. I was scared. Scared out of my mind. I thought I was going to die. I mean, who wouldn't be terrified when a seven-foot-tall female ghost with blood-red eyes charges straight at them? Earlier, I was too exhausted to process it, but now that the adrenaline is fading, the shakes are setting in. Is it delayed shock? Probably. I got thrown out of a second-story window, after all. That's bound to rattle anyone.
"But... I'm glad I won."
Because I held that ghost back, Seowoo and Jihae Eonni made it out safe. I feel incredibly proud of myself, so I give myself a little mental pat on the back. Who knew protecting someone could feel this overwhelming? What is this? Do I have the makings of a hero?
"Hehehe. A hero, huh?"
Right now, I feel a surge of absolute certainty. I am strong. Stronger than anyone.
"I don't think I'll lose. No matter who my opponent is."
The trembling slowly fades. Courage floods my heart once more. Filled with determination, the lingering image of the mansion's ghost vanishes from my mind.
"Whew. Ghosts? I'm not afraid anymore."
It feels as if I've unlocked some kind of fear resistance; I've completely overcome the terror. I won't let that mansion ghost scare me ever again. After all, I won. Driven by the sole desire to protect my friends, I faced a monster and emerged victorious. Winning allowed me to conquer my fear. Never giving up until the very end—that is the path of the VTuber I strive to be. I stand back up and lather shampoo into my hair. Better wash up quickly. Seowoo and Jihae Eonni will be here soon.
"By the way..."
I think this every time I wash my hair, but is it too long? If there's one major inconvenience to becoming a girl, it's definitely this long hair. Periods are manageable since I can just take medicine when the time comes, but this hair gets in the way all day long.
Should I just chop it all off?
Minseo had clearly been growing it out for a long time. It's pitch-black and reaches all the way down to my waist now. It's definitely time for a trim. On my next day off, I'm going to a salon and getting a bob.
Drying a bob will be so much easier.
It takes over an hour just to dry this mane, which makes me dread washing it in the first place. This won't do. Living as a clean, sweet-smelling girl requires diligence, but it's not easy. It's decided. On my day off, I'm heading to the local salon and getting a short cut.
"Yaaawn."
My body feels pleasantly heavy after the shower. But I can't fall asleep yet; Seowoo and Jihae Eonni are on their way.
We'll eat tteokbokki, watch a movie, and when I get sleepy, I'll cuddle up with Seowoo! Hehehe.
It's not like I have any weird, perverted intentions. It's just... well, Seowoo, Jihae Eonni, and even the President—they're all so soft and squishy. I like it.
Not that I feel any romantic flutter.
It's already been over three months since I woke up in this body. In all that time, I haven't felt a single romantic spark or attraction toward women. And it's the exact same when I look at men. It's like I've become incapable of feeling anything beyond friendship for either gender. Sure, I still prefer girls over guys, but it's not a sexual attraction. Since I'm not drawn to either, maybe I've become the exact opposite of bisexual? Asexual, perhaps? Anyway, that's how it is. I adore Seowoo, Jihae Eonni, and the President, but I don't feel the kind of romantic love I would have felt back when I was a guy. My male mind and female emotions have probably jumbled together, leaving me in this weird, limbo-like state. At this point, the only thing that actually makes my heart flutter is my beloved Bangsaengis and the endless support they send my way.
I love my Bangsaengis.
It's only been two days, but I already adore my parasocial simps who cheer for everything I do. I don't know their faces or their names, and they don't know anything about the real me either. Yet, we're connected through the screen. Yeah, this is enough. Since I can't feel romantic love for either gender anyway, spending the rest of my life hanging out with my fans sounds like a pretty sweet deal. Most of them have probably dedicated their entire lives to VTubers anyway, so they're probably doomed to be single forever too. Why not grow old together?
Ding-dong!
"Ah, they're here."
I was drying my hair while pondering the nature of love when the doorbell rang. They've arrived. Seowoo and Jihae Eonni are at my place.
"Minseo! We're here!"
"Come on in! Welcome, Eonni."
"Thanks for having us."
Seowoo and Jihae Eonni had their hands full of snacks. They've got great manners. You should never visit someone's house empty-handed.
"We got chips, sodas, and beer!"
"Ooh, nice!"
I hate soju because it tastes awful, but beer is actually drinkable. They only bought a can each just to set the mood. Well, Jihae Eonni isn't a big drinker, and Seowoo can barely hold her liquor anyway.
As for my tolerance...
I don't think I can even get drunk. About a month ago, I drank alone at home to test my limit. I'm pretty sure I downed five bottles of soju and felt completely sober. My alcohol tolerance must have scaled up along with my physical strength.
"But seriously, Minseo, your place is always so spotless. No trash anywhere, and the dishes are perfectly done."
"Hehe."
Jihae Eonni looked around, showering me with praise. Well, of course it's clean—I clean it every single day. I'm a girl now. I'm not the same guy who used to live in a dingy semi-basement. I need to keep my appearance, mindset, and lifestyle neat and tidy. Of course, I don't force this strictness on others. It's just... since I was blessed with such a pretty voice and face, living like a slob would be a waste. Plus, I wanted to preserve the cozy studio apartment exactly as the original Minseo had decorated it.
"I already ordered the tteokbokki, so let's find a movie to watch while we wait."
"Yes! Let's watch a romance!"
"A romance?"
"Yeah! We need to inject a lethal dose of romance to cure the trauma from that horror game!"
"Totally, totally."
Jihae Eonni enthusiastically agreed with Seowoo's suggestion. Personally, I find romance movies pretty boring, but if they both want to watch one, who am I to complain?
"Here, Eonni, you take the remote."
"Thank you."
I handed the remote to Jihae Eonni. She's a bit of a movie buff, so she'll find something good. I don't know the first thing about romance movies anyway.
"Waaah! It's so sad!"
"The ending was a bit of a tearjerker."
"Right, Jihae Eonni? Sniffle. The main characters are so pitiful!"
"Is it really that sad?"
I thought to myself. I mean, did they really need to cry over that? The male lead went his own way, and the female lead met a successful guy, got married, and had kids. Isn't that a happy ending?
"Minseooo... hic. Are you a T?"
"Huh? Oh. Am I?"
"Yeah. You're a T. Definitely a T."
Seowoo accused me of being a thinker, and Jihae Eonni nodded in passionate agreement. Come to think of it, Seowoo was a one hundred percent F (feeler), and Jihae Eonni leaned heavily toward F too. Seowoo was a notorious crybaby, and Jihae Eonni teared up pretty easily herself.
"Hehe, crybabies."
Just a quick side note for anyone who might not know what T and F mean: in MBTI terms, T stands for 'Thinking' (logical and analytical), while F stands for 'Feeling' (emotional and empathetic).
"Whew. I feel so much better after a good cry."
"Mhm. Romance is definitely the best cure after a horror game."
"Totally. We were so awesome today."
"Yeah, especially Minseo. I watched a bit of the VOD earlier, and you were practically flying!"
"Jihae Eonni, I literally was flying. Because I got blasted."
"Ah... Y-you worked so hard! You're amazing, Minseo!"
Jihae Eonni wrapped me in a tight hug. Seowoo immediately joined in, sandwiching me between them. Being pampered and cuddled by the two of them feels so good I think my brain is melting. They both smell amazing. Fighting that ghost was totally worth it.
"By the way, what are you guys streaming today?"
"Huh? Today? Oh, it's past midnight."
"Yeah."
"Hmm, I think I'll just do a casual PC game."
"Ooh."
It looked like Jihae Eonni was planning to stream a simple PC game from her room instead of a VR game. Just because virtual reality games had taken over the world didn't mean the console or PC markets were dead. They were still actively developing games for those platforms. Besides, to play VR games, you needed to buy 'Gear,' which was ridiculously expensive.
"What? Jihae Eonni, you're playing a PC game? Which one? Which one?"
"I found this trash game called Michael Up."
"Wait, is that the one where you climb to the moon using only your head?"
"Yep, that's the one."
Jihae Eonni answered Seowoo's question calmly. Michael Up, huh? I'd seen gameplay videos of it, and it was brutally difficult. The real question was whether she'd push through with sheer grit or rage-quit and bury it in the graveyard of forgotten games. If she actually beat it with pure determination, she'd build an incredible bond of camaraderie with her viewers. Though she'd probably lose half her sanity from the stress in the process.
"What about you, Seowoo? What are you doing tomorrow?"
"I'm doing a World Cup stream!"
"A World Cup? What kind?"
"A J-pop World Cup!"
Ah, the classic "World Cup" bracket streams—always a reliable crowd-pleaser. If she started with a round of 128, she could easily keep going until sunrise.
"What about you, Minseo? Do you have anything planned?"
"Me? Hmm."
What should I do? Since I'm in a world where virtual reality is fully commercialized, I really want to try a VR game.
"I was thinking of starting light with The Legend of Luna."
"The Legend of Luna? Oh, that one! I know it. The monsters are super cute, but the gameplay is insanely hard, right?"
"Yep. That's the one."
Just as Seowoo said, it was notoriously difficult. Despite its PG-12 rating and cartoonish art style aimed at kids, the physical movement required made it incredibly challenging and frustrating for younger players.
"That game is way harder than it looks. Oh, wait. For you, Minseo, it might actually be easy."
Jihae Eonni, who also knew of the game's infamous difficulty, started to worry but quickly nodded in understanding once she remembered who she was talking to.
The Legend of Luna. A strangely difficult game for a PG-12 rating. To get used to virtual reality gaming, I decided to play it tomorrow. It's a game where you become the protagonist, Luna, and must rescue a princess with nothing but a single sword.
No matter how hard it is, it can't be worse than a Soulslike.
If tomorrow's stream goes well, maybe I'll dip my toes into a Soulslike game next. Apparently, VR Soulslike games exist in this world, and they boast an absolutely ridiculous level of difficulty. I'm so curious!
I'm curious about dungeon-crawler roguelikes, tower-climbing games, and post-apocalyptic survival games too.
There are so many games to play. With such a vast library of virtual reality games at my fingertips, it would be foolish not to become a variety streamer. When the universe lays out a path like this, you have to walk it. Yes, I'll become a variety gamer.
Even the VTuber Emperor said so: at the end of the day, gaming streams are the best. I'll become a VTuber idol and a master of variety VR games. If I can play well enough to send my viewers' dopamine levels through the roof...
I might actually be able to aim for the title of Korea's VTuber Emperor.
Singing as the foundation, variety gaming as the secret ingredient. Alright, time to go claim it—the crown of the VTuber Emperor.