Fox God!
Four years old, and reborn.
My daily routine was rolling around in bed, chasing off the boredom. The environment was far better than my past life. A small part of me still fretted over whether I deserved any of this, but four years had passed without a hitch, so I didn't lose sleep over it.
No matter how many times I look, I just can't get used to this.
A stubby little body. Stubby little arms and legs. Hands and feet to match. Everything was small and strange. People said you got used to it with time, but the awkwardness never quite went away.
I'm bored...
What exactly could a four-year-old do stuck at home? Throw tantrums at the parents. Play with toys. That was the whole list.
Ugh... If this is how it's going to be, at least let me look at some stocks...
Watching crypto and the market used to be my one real joy. Being a little kid meant I couldn't even do that freely. Not that I'd ever been any good at stocks — but there was a flavor to just watching. How fun was it, watching the ants post their meltdowns on the forums? I missed their clown memes.
I let out a long breath and sat up. From the corner of the bed I grabbed the fox mask, wiping the surface clean with my sleeve.
The Fox God Mask. My parents had bought it on their honeymoon in Japan, before I was even born. It was a little big for me, but wearing it was never a problem — the strap adjusted, after all. More than anything, my parents loved it. And if they were happy, I was happy.
Mask in hand, I climbed down from the bed and left the room. Last year I still couldn't reach the doorknob. In a single year I'd shot up enough that my fingers found it easily.
Truly, a giant leap for mankind.
I headed for the living room. Empty — of course. My parents were working. A tablet tossed carelessly on the couch caught my eye. I padded over, climbed up, grabbed it, and powered it on.
Let's see...
A live streaming site. Better known as VADA.
All kinds of streamers broadcast on VADA — young ones, older ones, every age and every gender. The place had long since blown past "red ocean" and into a blood-soaked free-for-all. Getting big could take months, even years, and even then the fame might be temporary. That was streaming for you.
And yet, even on a gambling table like that, a few people managed to keep broadcasting at a comfortable pace...
Two of those people were my parents.
I tapped into a familiar channel, and a familiar screen filled my view. A spacious room, a soundproof booth, the usual gear — and my parents, a handsome man and a beautiful woman. I glanced briefly at the wall behind the couch, then looked back at the screen.
The stream was in full swing. Viewership sat in the ten-thousands — big-company numbers. And they were young. Both of them. Mom and Dad were twenty-four.
I lay back on the couch and watched the tablet. More precisely, I watched the stream.
"Honey, what do you want for dinner?"
"Hmm. What should we eat. We do have leftovers in the fridge we should finish..."
"Want me to make brisket doenjang stew?"
"Doenjang stew sounds good. Oh — we should eat that meat we bought last time too. Let's have that."
My parents talked to each other and, every so often, glanced at chat to engage with the viewers. Normally a stream with a man and a woman together would be full of "omg they're so cute" and "my heart" reactions. But these two had gotten married before they ever hit go live — so the broadcast had settled into something lazy and mellow.
And yet ten thousand people still tuned in. Partly because their banter was fun. The real reason, though—
"Wooshin? She's in her room, isn't she. Probably still asleep."
"Our little Fox God is still off in dreamland~"
—was me. For reasons I still didn't fully understand, more than half the viewers' attention was pointed straight at me.
Unlike most streamers, my parents ran a mixed variety-and-cam broadcast. That meant I showed up on stream every now and then... and people liked it way more than I'd expected. Maybe because I was still a little kid. The chat mostly just spammed heart-eyes emotes and melted.
"Tsk. Dispose of that one trying to interrupt my baby's nap time."
"Yes, ma'am."
One unfortunate viewer got the boot on the spot. Chat boiled over for a moment, then settled under the streamers' words.
On this stream, at least, the Fox God reigned supreme.
Except I'm not asleep. I woke up a while ago.
I'd just been flopping around in bed before I came out. I had slept, sure — but that was a while back now.
Hmm. What to do. Plenty of people wanted to see me...
"Hup."
I let out a tiny burp and hopped to my feet. Feeling generous, I decided to make a guest appearance.
I walked up to the soundproof booth. Before opening the door, I settled the Fox God Mask over my face. The narrowed field of vision was a little annoying, but not enough that I couldn't see where I was going.
I took the doorknob and turned it.
What should I talk about today.
I needed a plan in advance.
Yu Su-hwan stretched out in his chair and stifled a small yawn.
Lately everything felt sluggish, like a cold was coming on.
Or maybe it's just the change of seasons.
Yu Su-hwan, man among men. A little seasonal weather was nothing he couldn't tough out.
...Maybe he'd swing by the clinic tomorrow. If he caught a cold, his wife and daughter could both get it. No harm in being careful.
He kept the stream going, half-thinking through tomorrow's schedule. His wife, Kim Si-yeon, was chatting with the viewers as she watched the chat scroll by.
Then — the sound of a door opening. Both of them turned on instinct.
There was one more person in the house besides the two of them: their daughter, Yu Si-a. On stream she went by the Fox God, and she was the most filial child either of them could ask for.
"Aww, Wooshin's up? When did you wake up?"
Su-hwan stood from his chair and went to her. Si-yeon rose too.
"Earlier. Firty minutes 'go?"
"Yeah? Ah — Mommy and Daddy are streaming right now. Wanna say hi, Wooshin?"
"Mm."
Su-hwan scooped Si-a up into his arms. Si-yeon pouted like something precious had just been stolen from her.
"I wanted to hold her too..."
"She's mine today~"
They settled back into their seats, and chat promptly lost its mind.
Si-a gave the raging chat a tiny wave. Su-hwan sat down, and Si-a settled automatically onto his lap.
"Alright, Wooshin~. Say hi to the viewers?"
"I already waved tho."
"One more time~."
She tipped her head up just slightly, the look under the mask saying, Ugh, so annoying, seriously. Our little Fox God.
Su-hwan and Si-yeon found their daughter impossibly cute. The viewers, for their part, looked ready to shove their fists in their mouths.
With no other choice, Si-a gave one more small wave — then went limp in Su-hwan's arms.
This utterly unbothered, everything-is-too-much daughter of theirs did make them a little worried about her future. But she'd grow out of it. Probably.
LookingForA40YOMarriedMansWife donated 10,000 won!
"Thanks for the donation. Very gentlemanly nickname you've got there... Today's Fox God schedule was one hundred percent nap."
"Mm. Nappy."
Su-hwan ruffled Si-a's hair. Before long Si-yeon had claimed one of her hands and was squishing the little fingers. Si-a looked like a doll with its strings cut — but this was just a normal day for their family.
"Everyone thinks our Wooshin is so cute."
Su-hwan had moved on to pinching her cheeks. Si-a tried to stop the big hand with her tiny fingers, but he showed no signs of quitting. She gave up and let her arms droop.
What were they supposed to do with a creature this adorable. While Su-hwan and Si-yeon were busy thinking exactly that, Si-a herself seemed to be thinking about nothing at all.
They left their limp daughter right where she was.
"Oh right, chat. Wooshin's four now. Think it's about time she started daycare?"
"I've been wondering about that too lately."
Si-yeon had been looking up daycares for Si-a herself. The timing felt right — maybe it wouldn't hurt to send her.
Si-a listened to the whole conversation in a state of perfect blankness.
"Some people say she should go, some say it's too early..."
"Why don't we just let Wooshin decide? If she wants to go, she goes. If not, she can stay a little longer."
"Yeah, that works. Wooshin, what do you think? Wanna go to daycare?"
Su-hwan looked down at her, still squishing her cheek. Si-a thought for a moment, then spoke from under the mask.
"Wanna go. Home's too boring."
Apparently just lying in bed all day had gotten a little too stifling.