Chapter 12

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 12

Chapter Title: I Became a Vtuber at 18 [04]

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I took a deep breath and opened my eyes.

Under the blue sky, green meadows stretched out endlessly. The fresh scent of grass tickled the tip of my nose.

Birdsong echoed from somewhere.

Is this really virtual reality?

It was so hard to believe that I snapped my head up.

A gentle breeze brushed against my skin.

My hair and the hem of my skirt swayed lightly.

I wondered just how realistic the physical sensations were.

Suddenly, I got curious.

Everyone would probably lose it in a situation like this.

I raised my hand and touched my body.

I ran my fingertips along my arm.

The texture of my skin felt vividly real.

I gently pressed my cheek with my fingers and stroked it softly with the back of my hand. It didn't hurt. But the sensation of touch was unmistakable.

Squeezing my thigh firmly or slapping my forearm with my palm yielded the same result.

There was no pain, but the pressure, temperature, and texture were transmitted perfectly.

They called it virtual reality...

But these sensations felt way too real.

...Right.

This wasn't the time to just stand around.

I had to prepare for the live stream.

I almost forgot.

Let's see...

They said I could control it with voice commands, right?

"Open the menu."

As I mumbled it, a translucent blue window smoothly floated up in the air.

Its edges glowed softly, like light rippling on the surface of water.

I reached out and groped at the empty air.

There was nothing to touch.

Just placing my finger on a button sent a faint vibrational feedback through my fingertip.

Let's see, the broadcast switch is...

Found it. There it was.

I got nervous. What if I messed up and said something stupid?

What if I fumbled around awkwardly?

All sorts of worries swirled in my head, making my fingertips tremble faintly. I took slow breaths.

Whoosh. Whoosh.

Okay, I'm good now.

I pressed it without hesitation.

The window flashed brightly once.

A small red light appeared in the corner of the screen.

At the same time, a new window popped up beside it.

It was the chat window.

Messages started appearing one by one in the previously empty window.

The viewer count was displayed at the top of the chat window.

75,320. 82,300. 112,300.

The numbers were skyrocketing in the blink of an eye.

"Uh, uh...!"

A voice slipped out before I knew it.

This many people? All real humans?

The absurd number made it feel unreal somehow. But thanks to it, my tension eased up.

Alright, let's start as planned.

I cleared my throat once and waved at the chat window.

"Hello, this is Lumina. Everyone! Can you see me okay? I'm inside virtual reality right now. For real. I'm still not used to it—the boundary between virtual and reality is completely gone. It's so amazing."

Even as I spoke, the chat messages flew by busily. The viewer count had already surpassed 150,000.

"Yes, I can smell the grass. I feel the wind too. There's temperature. Honestly, I'm still half-dazed right now. My head gets that it's VR... but my body just can't quite grasp it. I want to share this feeling with all of you."

A chuckle escaped me.

Well, it's natural to think that way.

I didn't know either until I experienced it myself.

Hmm hmm~♪

A tune naturally flowed from my nose as my steps grew light.

I strolled through the field, changing directions here and there.

I paused for a moment and looked up at the sky.

White clouds drifted lazily by.

Hmm, hmm~♪

I kicked at the grass with my toes and spun around once.

Then I looked back at the chat.

"Everyone, pay attention here. You all have VR headsets, right? They're basically household appliances these days.

I'm about to share a QR code—download it. Virus? Come on, it's Luminous Group; no way.

Give it a try. Stream-exclusive event? Come on, hurry up. Quick quick!"

Suspicious messages filled the chat for a while.

Then, little by little, the mood shifted.

Verification posts started trickling in, then flooded the chat in an instant.

It was pandemonium.

Well, I couldn't believe it at first either.

No one knew the VR headsets had a hidden sensory sharing function.

They launched with it disabled for safety reasons, but now it was the chance to unlock its full potential.

There was more complicated stuff from the tech team, but...

I don't really get it.

"Everyone, stay calm. Next up, visual sharing, auditory sharing QR codes..."

Seeing everyone freak out made me laugh.

If they were losing it over this...

I still had so much more prepared.

Imagining all those faces breathlessly watching this moment from beyond the screen made my lips curl up involuntarily.

I wondered what expressions they'd have by the end of the stream. I was already looking forward to it.

The viewer count had easily surpassed 200,000. The chat was in full meltdown mode.

Messages scrolled so fast it was nearly impossible to read individual ones.

Not just Korean—Chinese, English, Japanese, all sorts.

I took my eyes off the chat for a moment and looked around.

The wind blew again, tousling my hair slightly.

Beyond the meadow, gentle hills rolled out, and at their end, the silhouette of a small village hung in the distance.

Next stop was over there.

I hadn't even unpacked half of what the tech team prepared.

I flashed a playful grin at the chat.

"This isn't the end. You see that village over there? We're going there too. And..."

I trailed off on purpose. The chat seemed to pause for just a beat.

"Taste sharing is possible too."

I held back a laugh and turned my body.

The hem of my skirt fluttered in the wind.

My footsteps were already headed toward the village.

I finished the stream and climbed out of the capsule.

The staff who watched live looked pleased, so it must've gone well.

Good.

I'd been so worried about my first stream...

Finishing without a hitch left me feeling proud.

I headed to the changing room, switched back to my uniform, and came out.

I was dying to dive into the internet ocean.

There were sure to be tons of fun posts waiting. But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I decided to hold off today.

Knowing myself, once I started, I'd binge all night. And that would just start a bad cycle.

My body hadn't felt great all day anyway.

Better to restrain myself for my health?

I never wanted to see Seo-rin's worried face again...

I wanted to see her smile ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as much as possible.

Seeing her sad expression up close hurts my heart.

"I'll head out first. Good work, everyone."

"Take care going home, Yu-na."

I gave the staff a light bow and slipped out of the studio.

Glancing at my watch, it was almost 11 p.m.

It had gotten dark all around.

Maybe I'd take the car Seo-rin sent like usual and head home.

The familiar car pulled up toward me.

But something was different today.

Someone was opening the door and getting out.

"What, Seo-rin came too?"

"Yeah. I was worried about your condition."

Seo-rin answered calmly.

But her gaze stayed fixed on me.

"No fever? Not dizzy?"

"I'm fine. Doubt me? Feel it yourself. Here, go on."

I casually tilted my head forward. Seo-rin hesitated a moment, then quietly spoke.

"Then, excuse me."

She stepped right up.

Regardless of who was around.

Seo-rin's hand touched my forehead.

It lingered there briefly, then moved to my cheek, and finally my nape.

"...No fever. That's a relief."

She muttered shortly and tried to pull her hand back.

Before it fully left, I grabbed her wrist.

"Let's go."

"Yeah."

Seo-rin's fingers wrapped around my hand.

We got into the car still holding hands.

The door shut, and the engine hummed softly.

"You know, about what happened during the stream..."

I started babbling all sorts of meaningless things to Seo-rin.

She listened quietly from the side, chiming in at the right moments. Something about it made me smile.

How long did I ramble like that?

Suddenly, sleepiness crashed over me.

My eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

Still so much to do, just a bit more...

"Sleep if you're sleepy."

"Still manageable."

"I'll lend you my shoulder, so go ahead."

My body tilted sideways, my head sinking into her shoulder. It smelled nice. I wanted to keep smelling it.

Seo-rin's hand slowly settled on my head.

The gentle stroking made my eyelids even heavier.

I tried to resist, but it was no use.

My eyes slowly drifted shut.

"You don't have to do anything, Yu-na."

Before those words even faded, cool, soft lips brushed my cheek ever so lightly.

As if afraid it might shatter, with utmost care. That warmth lingered on my cheek for a long time.