First Meeting
In Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra, there is a line that goes:
Man is something that shall be overcome.
It means that human beings are not finished products — that they must always keep striving toward something higher.
I was living that philosophy with every fiber of my being.
"One! Two! Come on, little one, lengthen that stride!"
"Back straight! Chin tucked!"
"Hah…! Hah…! Y-yes…"
It had been over a week since I started joining the Jumma-run aunties for morning exercise.
When I first signed up, I couldn't even make it halfway to the turnaround point before collapsing on a bench. These days my lungs still felt ready to burst and my legs still shook, but at least I could match the aunties' power-walking pace.
"Our little one's finally become a real person!"
"At first I honestly thought she needed an oxygen tank. Look at her go now!"
I gasped out a reply between breaths.
"Hah… hah…! I-it's all… thanks to you, aunties…"
"Aigoo, listen to those pretty manners!"
And just like that, we finished a full lap around the lake park.
As always, the Jumma-run members gathered on the benches in front of the clock tower to rest.
"Here, drink this. I packed one for our little one."
Auntie Mi-hee held out my portion of misutgaru as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Ah… thank you."
Somewhere along the way, having a snack set aside just for me had become the default. I was going to have to treat these aunties to a meal one of these days.
I took the misutgaru and sipped at it while watching the aunties chatter among themselves.
Still… I have no idea what to wear to Monday's meetup.
Back when I was a man, I would have just thrown on jeans and whatever T-shirt I grabbed first. But in a way, Monday's appointment was an extension of business. Showing up looking sloppy would be disrespectful to the crew members I was meeting for the first time.
The problem was that I possessed zero fashion sense for a woman in her early twenties. Dressing like a guy wasn't an option either… and it wasn't as if I had anyone I could ask—
Wait. I do, though?
I looked over at the aunties mid-gossip.
"Um… aunties, can I ask you something?"
"Hm? What is it, little one? Spit it out."
"I have plans next Monday, and… I don't know what I should wear."
In that instant, every auntie who had been chattering spun her gaze onto me. The noisy space in front of the clock tower went dead silent.
"Plans?"
"On a Monday?"
"Our little one has plans?!"
The aunties shot up from their seats and crowded in around me.
"Is it a date?"
"How old is the guy? What's his job? Where did you meet him?"
"Oh my, and here Hye-suk's boy and my nephew never even got a blind date! So she already had someone!"
"Aigoo, with a face like that, of course men aren't leaving her alone! Obviously!"
The aunties had gone fully off the rails.
"It's not a date. They're just colleagues I'm meeting for work."
"Oh, please~ That's how it always starts — work, then sparks!"
"And for the record, every single person I'm meeting is a woman…"
I said it, but it wasn't nearly enough to stop them.
"That's how it always begins — girls hang out first, then a few guys casually join the table~"
"Exactly, exactly. And the more it's an all-girls gathering, the harder you have to dress up, you know? You can't lose the vibe war!"
"You have to dress bright and pretty! Our little one's skin is so white — pastels would look perfect on her!"
"Wear a dress, little one. Women wear dresses. You've got those long legs — pants won't do them justice."
"What are you talking about? Who still wears dresses these days? Jeans and a white tee are the prettiest look. With her figure, that will show everything off."
"My daughter's got a pile of clothes she never wears — want me to bring some over? They're practically brand new."
"Your daughter's clothes are fine, thank you."
"A dress, I said!"
"Jeans, I said!"
At some point the Jumma-run gathering had turned into a debate hall. I clearly wasn't getting a usable answer anytime soon.
I sighed.
Monday arrived in no time at all.
I must have been more nervous than I realized, because my eyes opened before the alarm. When I checked my phone, the Jumma-run group chat was already piled high with messages.
After sending my reply, I opened the wardrobe and took out the outfit I'd already chosen.
Black pants and a neutral short-sleeve knit top — the conclusion of a full hour of wrestling with my closet the day before. I'd worried the knit would be too warm, but once I put it on it was thin and cool. The pants had a little too much flare, which felt awkward, but the mere fact that they weren't a skirt was enough to put me at ease. The ventilation was surprisingly good, too — nearly as comfortable as the baggy sweatpants I'd worn as a man.
Once I was fully dressed, I looked in the mirror. Head to toe in neutrals, Jeong Eun-gyeol's almost unnaturally pale skin and catlike eyes stood out even more sharply.
Cold city girl.
If I had seen Jeong Eun-gyeol back when I was a man, I would have instinctively dropped my gaze and walked past. The ice-queen energy was overflowing.
What about the hair? Even without any real care, it fell in glossy waves all the way down my back. It wasn't as if I knew how to put it up in anything fancy, so a simple brush-through would have to do.
Makeup… sunscreen, I guess. Jeong Eun-gyeol's vanity drawer was full of mysterious objects whose purposes I couldn't begin to guess, but the only thing I could actually handle was sunscreen. Even without makeup, though, her skin was almost unnervingly clear.
Next, shoes. There were high heels in the shoe rack — probably a gift from her younger sibling Han-gyeol — but of course I wasn't wearing those. My choice was a pair of low-heeled loafers.
Alright. Nothing forgotten?
"Let's go."
I stepped out the front door.
It took about thirty minutes by subway to get to Hongdae. The midday Monday train was only moderately crowded. Waiting in front of the screen doors, I checked my phone — the group chat Hina had made was already lively.
I let out a short laugh. They were having fun, at least.
Can I really fit in with these people?
I was still browsing the chat when I got the distinct feeling someone was looking at me. I glanced toward the sensation — some middle-aged man who had been staring blankly at me hastily looked away.
…And it wasn't just him. A young man, a boy who looked like a high schooler, even an old man and a few young women — I could feel all of them stealing glances.
Well… considering Jeong Eun-gyeol's looks, it was only natural. None of them meant me any harm, and people were bound to look at something attractive. I just had to accept it.
I turned my eyes back to my phone.
Along the way a drunk passenger clung to the subway doors and caused a scene, which made me about ten minutes late. I sent a message apologizing, and they told me to take my time and be careful.
The restaurant Hina had reserved was a short walk off Hongdae's main strip — a quiet pasta place with a small, understated sign that didn't try to stand out. When I opened the door, a staff member approached.
"Do you have a reservation?"
"I'm with the party under the name Lee Da-som."
"Ah, yes! Right this way — private room in the back."
As I followed the staff member, I suddenly became aware of a strange sensation.
Nerves…? No. It was closer to the feeling you get right before walking into an exam hall.
"Here we are."
The staff member opened the door to the room.
And three pairs of eyes locked onto me at once.
Half a second later—
"Wha— wait, what?!"
The tiny girl sitting furthest inside shot up out of her chair. Standing only made her look smaller. Her dyed hair fluttered like puppy ears.
What was that color called again… ash blonde? A kind of gray with a blonde sheen to it. She looked like a fairy.
"Owack!"
In her rush to stand she must have slammed her leg into something under the table.
"Welcome. You must be Unknown, yes?"
The woman sitting by the window spoke. Her smile was easy, her voice steady — an overall impression of cool, open warmth. Judging by the voice, this had to be Hina.
But compared to her avatar…
She looked completely different. How to put this… she had clearly drunk her milk very diligently during her growth years. I barely managed to keep my eyes from wandering to one particular area.
And the last person.
Raven-black hair cut straight in a hime style, black clothing from head to toe. She was a black cat made flesh, just like her username. If you took her avatar and rendered it photorealistically, this is exactly what you'd get. Had she based the model on her own image?
Either way, I was certain this was Kuroneko.
She looked at me and murmured in a low voice.
"…Indeed. Even the face reading suggests you are no ordinary person."
You're the one whose opening line is anything but ordinary.
I gave the three of them a polite bow.
"I'm Unknown. Please take care of me."
As I raised my head, the fairy girl — presumably Ha-rang — who had been rubbing her knee planted a hand on the table and stood up again.
"Unknown-nim! Whoa! Why are you so pretty?!"
"Ha-rang, that's a bit much for a first meeting…"
Hina tried to rein her in, but the fairy girl only got more worked up.
"No, that's not what I mean! The voice is totally Professor, but the face! The face!"
Ha-rang flailed her hands in the air, unable to find the right words. She seemed to have failed at proper conceptualization. I understood. Language, by its nature, can never fully contain reality.
"Well… she's not wrong, but Ha-rang, sit down first. Unknown-nim, please, have a seat over here."
Hina smoothly indicated the chair beside her. Once I sat down, she smiled and spoke again.
"Let me introduce myself properly. I'm Lee Da-som. I stream as Hina."
I made a concerted effort not to let my gaze drift to certain parts of Hina. Her energy was completely different from streams or phone calls, too. On stream she'd seemed a bit more childlike, but in person… she was relaxed. Almost slyly amused.
"…Yes. It's nice to meet you."
"Totally different from the avatar, right? Everyone makes that face the first time they see me. It's fine — I've seen it so many times it's almost endearing at this point."
So my reaction had been thoroughly average. Still, my eyes kept wanting to wander to that one spot…
Next was Kuroneko's turn.
"Seo Ga-on. I stream under the name Kuroneko."
She gave a slight nod as she said it. Her tone was a little cold, but true to VTuber form, her voice was excellent.
Kuroneko lifted her head and fixed me with a steady look.
"Unknown-nim. Seeing you in person only confirms it. There is something behind you."
What was she talking about…? Technically it was true that the original owner of this body wasn't me, but she couldn't possibly have figured that out for real.
"The only thing behind me is a wall."
"I am not speaking of that dimension. Well… I shall leave it as a hypothesis until it can be empirically verified."
I'd prefer you rejected the hypothesis entirely, but okay.
Finally, the fairy thrust her hand high into the air.
"Lee Ha-rang! I stream as Harang! Unknown-nim, I've watched every single one of your streams! The ant-shaking stream, the outdoor stream live — all of it…!"
"Thank you."
"But seeing you this pretty in real life is seriously cheating, right?! When you walked in I thought I was actually going to pass out!"
She was like a tiny puppy yapping with pure excitement. I almost wanted to pat her on the head.
"You're too kind."
And with that, the introductions were over.
To my left sat Hina; across from me, Kuroneko and Ha-rang.
An angel, a black cat, a puppy… and a professor, I suppose.
"Well then… shall we order first? Everyone's hungry, right?"
Hina picked up the menu.