Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Slam Dunk as Life's Masterpiece
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To be honest, I was a bit arrogant.
More precisely, I had underestimated the virtual streaming industry.
I figured no normal person would think to slap on a 2D avatar and start broadcasting.
But I was wrong.
Some guy in a cheap avatar was belting out pro-level vocals, while others powered through tough musical numbers without missing a beat.
And there were so many people with amazing voices in the world.
I had confidence in female Kim Suhyun's looks and voice, but I couldn't show my face, could I?
With just pure voice alone, it was tough to stand out against the other contestants—they were no pushovers.
I passed the first round, thankfully, but I felt a real sense of crisis.
'...Am I not gonna make it?'
Thinking about it, even if female Kim Suhyun knew a fair bit, it was all from a viewer's perspective. And my base knowledge? Pretty much zilch on the male Kim Suhyun side.
No matter how I sliced it, this wasn't gonna cut it.
I needed to shape a character that was uniquely mine.
The avatar already had that playful big-sis vibe, which matched female Kim Suhyun's intent...
But it felt a little lacking.
The audition I entered was for VTubers, sure, but essentially picking idols.
With my vocals lagging behind the others, I had to compensate elsewhere.
Individuality, maybe? Something to grab viewers' eyes or stand out in a crowd.
'Hmm... what could work?'
Female Kim Suhyun had just vaguely hoped it'd go well and hadn't prepped anything—especially not expecting this level of competition.
'Guys have to like it.'
VTubers' core audience was obviously dudes.
Specifically, the otaku types giggling at 2D characters on their screens and dropping cash from their basement lairs.
I pondered what might hook them, and a few ideas surfaced.
First, give them a point of relatability.
Female Kim Suhyun was otaku incarnate, so just lean into that without overdoing it.
But push the concept too hard, and it might backfire with revulsion...
"Ha... this is fuckin' tricky..."
VTubing really wasn't easy.
I slumped back in my chair and reached for a cigarette, sticking it between my lips.
"Can't smoke in here, though..."
I got up and headed outside.
Sometimes I absentmindedly wanted to light up in my room, but I knew better.
Once you start smoking indoors in a one-room, you've crossed the point of no return.
Clothes and every corner reek of smoke, and once the limit breaks, butts pile up endlessly...
I'd seen it in too many friends' places, so today I patted myself on the back for the self-control and stepped out, squatting in an alley a short walk from my one-room.
Back when I was a guy, I'd topple over trying this, but in this female body? Perfect for a smoke.
Savoring the nicotine filling my lungs like that, a shadow fell over me.
"...?"
I turned at the sound of footsteps to see a guy approaching hesitantly.
"Um... I live in that villa next to this alley."
He pointed at the building beside where I was smoking, and I stubbed out my cig, standing up.
"Ah, did smoke drift in? I'm really sorry."
I'd lit up without thinking—did it waft inside? With female Kim Suhyun's non-smoker memories, I knew how infuriating that could be, so I apologized right away. But the guy waved it off.
"No, no! I'm a smoker too, it's fine!"
"Huh? Then what's up...?"
That's when something familiar hit me from him—maybe from female Kim Suhyun's memories.
Not his looks, exactly, but his behavior.
The fidgety fingertips, the sneaky glances at my face, the phone clutched in one hand.
Male Kim Suhyun had no clue what that meant, but female Kim Suhyun's big data had already crunched the prediction, and sure enough, his next move matched perfectly.
"Uh, since we bumped into each other, maybe your number...?"
"Ah, sorry, gotta run—urgent errand."
I bolted from the number-asking dude in horror.
'What the fuck?'
Him asking for my digits? Sure, it happened plenty in female Kim Suhyun's memories, but experiencing it firsthand? Nasty vibe.
"Where the hell do I smoke now..."
Maybe switch to vaping and do it in the room?
Nah, the cig feel is... ugh, dunno.
More importantly, I had an epiphany.
Female Kim Suhyun was the type who gets hit on by guys even squatting in front of their house for a smoke.
Yeah.
Put bluntly, with looks like this, guys take a shine whether I'm smoking in their alley or whatever.
Why had I, as a former guy, forgotten that?
And voice is your second face, behavior the third.
So I could make guys like me just by being my natural self.
More precisely, sprinkle in bits from female Kim Suhyun's experiences, and viewers would fill in the blanks on my "real" self, building hype.
And if they found out? Even better.
No plans to get caught on purpose, but with this face? That so-called red pill reveal would be gold.
Regaining my lost confidence, I headed back to my one-room.
Second interview was tonight.
I'd planned to whip up a concept, but scrapped that.
Rushed masks crack and shatter fast.
I'd answer boldly, straight from the heart—or more accurately, female Kim Suhyun's memories.
That was the plan.
It really was...
I squeezed my eyes shut and clamped my mouth.
The speaker blared the interviewer's question.
[Do you have a favorite all-time anime or manga?]
Female Kim Suhyun's answer would've been Demon Slayer—trendy and a massive hit.
But...
Come on...
'Isn't that kinda shallow?'
Rurouni Kenshin or Bleach edge it out for sword fights, right?
And tons of higher-quality stuff by my standards, no contest.
To female Kim Suhyun, who only watched recent fluff anime, Demon Slayer was peak—hell, her memories showed her bawling over it.
But...
From male Kim Suhyun's memories of borrowing manga with neighborhood bros at the comic cafe...
That old nostalgia...
No matter what, the answer here was set.
I leaned into the mic and spat out my life's masterpiece.
"...Slam Dunk."
Female Kim Suhyun, you're benched.
Dumbass who knows jack about manga.
***
"Ah, the new movie just came out, right? Did it leave an impression?"
Taesan, the mid-tier streamer interviewing for this 'Heavenly Realm Project,' nodded at Miro's response.
'Slam Dunk gets the nod.'
In his thirties, he still remembered passing around Slam Dunk volumes with friends in school, so he related hard. Plus, the recent movie had broadened its reach.
"Nah, haven't seen the movie—just read the manga."
Not even the movie, just the original manga? The sheer fundamentals had Taesan nodding again, and the chat stirred.
- Kya lollll
- Fundamentals overflowing
- Slam Dunk wrong?
- Old head smell lol
- Slam Dunk approved
- Movie's decent tho
- Hmm... that level?
"O... You're the first contestant to pick Slam Dunk as your all-time fave—any reason why?"
Taesan breezed past the chat and tossed the prepared follow-up, but Miro's reaction was off.
"...Interviewer, you haven't read Slam Dunk?"
"Huh? No, I have."
"Then why ask for a reason?"
'...Fuck, is she a contrarian?'
Taesan froze for a sec, but as a seasoned mid-tier streamer, he recovered with a grin.
"I rank Dragon Ball higher? You some kinda manga expert?"
In a normal audition, no chit-chat between judge and contestant, but this was a live internet stream—more casual, jury-rigged vibe.
It was Q&A to probe anyway, so Taesan figured this banter would spice up the boredom.
"Pretty much the most knowledgeable here, yeah."
"Hmm... Confident, huh?"
"Yeah, full-on manga otaku."
Miro's avatar stayed blankly neutral as always, but off-screen, Kim Suhyun was smiling.
Impulsive, sure, but solid character potential?
Glad this streamer rolled with it—Kim Suhyun meant that sincerely.