I Told You I'm Not Going to Be a VTuber! R
I stared at the monitor, my small hands gripping the mouse like it was some kind of lifeline. The chat window on the right side of the screen was scrolling so fast it looked like a waterfall of text. Comments flying by at breakneck speed, all demanding the same thing.
A sigh escaped my lips. It came out higher-pitched than I expected, still catching me off guard even after all this time. I leaned back in the oversized gaming chair, my feet barely touching the floor. This body was so small. So frustratingly, inconveniently small.
This isn't what I signed up for.
My name is Seo Sua now. Not the middle-aged office worker I used to be, but a little girl with silver hair and eyes that looked like they belonged in an anime. The kind of design that would make any VTuber agency drool. Which was exactly the problem.
The comments kept coming. Relentless. Like a swarm of determined bees that refused to take no for an answer.
I rubbed my temples. Or tried to. My hands were too tiny to make the gesture feel natural. Everything about this situation felt like some cosmic joke. One moment I was a seasoned video editor with over a decade of experience in the broadcasting industry, the next I woke up in the body of a child who looked like she belonged on a VTuber screen.
And the worst part? Everyone around me seemed convinced that becoming a VTuber was my destiny.
"Sua, honey? Are you still working on that video?"
The voice came from behind me, warm and gentle. I turned to see my older sister, Seo Jiwoo, leaning against the doorframe with that familiar knowing smile. She was the one who had taken me in after... well, after whatever mysterious circumstances had turned me into this. In this new life, she was my guardian, my protector, and apparently my biggest enabler when it came to this whole VTuber nonsense.
"I'm not working on a debut video," I said firmly, my childish voice making the declaration sound far less authoritative than I'd hoped. "I'm editing a compilation for that indie game streamer I told you about."
Jiwoo raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. She walked over and ruffled my hair, something she seemed to take immense pleasure in doing. "The chat seems to think otherwise. Look at them go. They're really excited about you, you know."
I glanced back at the screen. The comments had only intensified.
My fingers hovered over the keyboard. Part of me wanted to type out a response telling them all to knock it off. That I had no intention of becoming a VTuber. That I was perfectly content being a behind-the-scenes editor, thank you very much. I'd spent years honing my craft in my previous life. I knew the industry inside and out—the editing techniques, the streaming meta, the audience psychology. Why would I throw all that away to stand in front of the camera?
But another part of me, a quieter voice in the back of my mind, whispered that maybe they had a point. The way my hands moved across the editing software felt almost magical now. Like this child's body had been custom-made for creation. The silver hair, the delicate features, the voice that could shift from cute to commanding with just a slight change in tone. It was all too perfect. Too suspiciously perfect.
"I'm not debuting," I muttered under my breath, more to convince myself than anyone else. "I'm not going to be a VTuber. End of story."
Jiwoo chuckled softly, that annoying older-sister laugh that suggested she knew something I didn't. "You say that every day, Sua. And yet here you are, streaming your editing process to thousands of people who are all waiting for you to finally take the plunge."
She had a point. When had this even started? What began as me simply recording my editing sessions to share tips with aspiring creators had somehow snowballed into this. A community. A fanbase. An audience that had decided I was their next big oshi whether I liked it or not.
I looked at the preview window where my latest project was playing. The editing was crisp, the cuts perfectly timed, the effects subtle but impactful. It was good work. Really good. The kind of quality that could launch careers.
But it was safe. Behind the scenes. No spotlight. No expectations. No risk of my new identity being exposed or complicated by the strange circumstances that had brought me here.
"The world isn't fair," I whispered, echoing a thought I'd had many times since waking up in this body. Some people were born to shine in front of the camera. Others were meant to help them shine from the shadows. I'd always been the latter. A professional. A craftsman. Not a performer.
Yet as I watched the comments continue to flood in, each one more enthusiastic than the last, I couldn't help but feel a tiny spark of something. Excitement? Ambition? Or maybe just the simple human desire to be seen.
No. I shook my head firmly, silver locks bouncing with the motion. I wasn't going to be a VTuber. I'd keep doing what I was good at. I'd help other creators. I'd build something from behind the curtain.
But even as I thought it, a small part of me wondered how long I could keep telling myself that lie.
The audience's expectations are growing. Your hidden talent refuses to stay hidden. The path to becoming a VTuber is opening before you, whether you want it or not.
I closed the notification window with more force than necessary. The system—or whatever mysterious force had brought me to this world—had been dropping these cryptic messages since the beginning. As if it was trying to guide me toward some predetermined fate.
"Not happening," I said aloud, my small voice filled with determination. "I told you I'm not going to be a VTuber!"
But even as the words left my mouth, I could hear the slight tremor in them. The tiniest hint of uncertainty that had been growing with each passing day.
The chat exploded with renewed energy, as if they could sense my weakening resolve.
I groaned and buried my face in my hands. This was going to be a long day. And if the pattern held, an even longer journey ahead of me.
Because no matter how many times I said it, no matter how firmly I believed it...
The world seemed determined to turn me into a VTuber whether I liked it or not.