Chapter 2: Chapter 1

A new body, a new life, a new name, a new…family.

As I gradually got used to all the new things in my life, the thing I paid the most attention to was my health. I knew I was a completely different person now, but just in case…

Whether I wanted to be a model, an actress, or a VTuber, none of it would mean anything if I wasn’t healthy. Though I was only six years old, far too young to be worrying about health, I didn’t really have a reply if someone pointed that out.

Anyway, I didn’t want to go through what I’d experienced in my previous life again, so I went to the general hospital even before I started kindergarten. I begged and pleaded to get every little test done, even the ones that weren’t necessary.

“Uh, doctor, am I okay?”

“Well…”

The doctor’s hesitation made my heart sink. My mom, standing next to me, also froze.

As the seconds ticked by, my mouth grew dry, and I waited for the doctor to continue.

And after a moment, he finally spoke.

“Except for a slight vision issue, you’re absolutely fine. Almost a waste of the exam fees.”

As a six-year-old, this made me feel utterly robbed. I let out a heavy sigh that sounded far too mature for a child.

The doctor’s smile as he tricked me and laughed about it was infuriating. I was relieved there was no mention of any complicated, incurable disease, but I had no tolerance for this kind of joke, so keeping a straight face was tough.

“Take care~.”

“Goodbye…”

I bowed like a polite little kid and secretly prayed to every deity I’d heard of that I’d never have to see that prankster doctor again. It wasn’t just his cheeky personality but also the fact that I hoped never to need a general hospital visit.

Maybe that’s why, from that day on, I spent at least a few hours each day on exercise for my health. Sure, it was just skipping rope or playing with a kid’s hula hoop, but better than nothing. My dad’s jokes about stunting my growth with too much exercise went in one ear and out the other.

Still, he was a pretty great dad. He’d even play catch with me sometimes, helping me exercise while we played. He would chuckle and tease me whenever I missed the ball, but compared to certain people in my past life, he didn’t come close.

As time went by, I began to feel myself growing stronger and healthier.

‘…What should my name be?’

I started coming up with various ideas for my future VTuber persona—things like settings and stream content. After all, a VTuber is still an entertainer.

To truly succeed, an entertainer must be distinct, unique, and captivating in their own way.

Sure, I could just copy the styles of VTubers I remembered, but for now, I’d keep them as references. Since VTubers were already unique by nature, I figured it’d be even better if I stood out with something that was uniquely mine.

The key to a VTuber’s individuality is, of course, the voice. While the avatar’s visual design is crucial, that’s something the designer handles, not me.

“Ribbit ribbit, little frog sings his song…!”

“Alright, that’s enough. I give you 8 points out of 10.”

“Huh? Why…?”

“7 points seemed too low, but 9 felt a bit much.”

‘…What’s with that?’

My dad’s incomprehensible scoring criteria almost discouraged me, but at least he hadn’t said I was bad, so I managed to continue practicing my voice.

Honestly, I wanted to practice singing and vocal training without my parents knowing, but I quickly realized that hiding from them wasn’t so easy at this age.

In the end, I figured other people would just see it as singing practice, nothing more, nothing less. And maybe even my dad’s playful feedback would be somewhat helpful.

“Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo!”

“Hmm, I haven’t heard that song before. Whose song is it?”

“Ah, well… It’s an original song by… Lee Ha-eun.”

“Oh, an original by Lee Ha-eun, who lives right before my eyes. A true composer, I see.”

It was hard to tell if he was joking or being sincere, but he kept his poker face as he continued to judge my singing. Thanks to that, I eventually scored a solid 96 at a karaoke test. My song choice? A famous children’s song called *Tasty Cotton Candy.*

As time passed, I dedicated myself to improving my voice until real flowers began to bloom outside, replacing the snowflakes.

I knew what kind of child I’d appear to others when I’d rather read children’s song lyrics than play with dolls, and chose to pretend to be a singer instead of playing house.

I had calculated to some extent. If I were a quiet, reserved kid who suddenly announced I wanted to be a VTuber, people wouldn’t take me seriously. It was easier to become the kid who enjoyed performing and singing from a young age.

I could live with people mistaking my ambitions for wanting to be a singer or celebrity. Thanks to my daily exercises, I almost never ran out of breath while singing.

So, people assuming I had what it took to perform on stage didn’t really bother me.

But still, no matter how much that was true…

“Ha-eun, would you like to throw the first pitch?”

I never expected the crowd at my next catch practice to increase by a factor of two thousand.

***

“Our Ha-eun is going to be a star.”

“Planning to make her a celestial star already when she hasn’t even started elementary school… I-I was joking. Just a joke.”

Her father, Sung-yoon, hastily backtracked after seeing the sudden stern gaze of Ha-eun’s mother, Na-yeon.

Even if it was a joke, some jokes are better left unsaid.

It was only after Sung-yoon carefully affirmed how precious Ha-eun was to him that Na-yeon continued.

“For Ha-eun’s future, I think it’s important to give her as many experiences as possible.”

Though they couldn’t know what career their daughter would eventually choose, as parents, they were determined to expand her options as much as possible.

Sung-yoon hesitated a bit, thinking, *Is that really necessary?* But he understood that it was the kind of determination a mother would naturally have for her child.

It was right after this point that the conversation took a turn he hadn’t expected.

“Our Ha-eun, she’s pretty, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, she is.”

“Objectively, too?”@@novelbin@@

“Well, she doesn’t have a face you’d call unattractive.”

Up until then, he thought it was just typical parental bias.

But after exactly three seconds passed…

“The kid who was supposed to throw the first pitch caught a stomach bug?”

“Yeah, it seems they can’t do it. So they’re urgently looking for a replacement.”

When Na-yeon started talking about a friend who worked in pro baseball, Sung-yoon realized the conversation was already heading in an unexpected direction.

“Is it that easy to choose who throws the first pitch?”

“Apparently, they saw Ha-eun’s photo and immediately said okay.”

‘What a sloppy way to operate.’

He couldn’t tell if letting Ha-eun step onto such a big stage would be good or bad for her. It was impossible to decide.

After all, the chance to throw the first pitch was something unique, a rare experience.

And it would only take about five minutes.

“It’s been a while since you played catch with her. Don’t you think people would love her cute face and surprisingly skilled throw?”

Na-yeon was right; Ha-eun’s throwing skills were exceptional for her age.

That was thanks to her dedicated, structured exercise routine, far surpassing most kids her age.

But whether Ha-eun could handle the pressure of thousands of spectators’ eyes on her was a different question. Even Sung-yoon, who rarely took things seriously, couldn’t easily answer.

“So, Ha-eun, do you want to throw the first pitch?”

He decided to ask Ha-eun directly.

To his surprise, after a moment of blank staring, Ha-eun said she wanted to give it a try.

[42 km/h. That was a remarkably clean fastball! A textbook pitch.]

[Her expression is as composed as an adult’s. She’s got real charisma.]

Hearing the announcers on the stadium speakers compliment Ha-eun’s pitch form, Sung-yoon sighed in relief. He felt a touch of pride in her smooth throw.

“Our Ha-eun, you’re amazing!!”

Na-yeon’s cheers rang out as she watched Ha-eun finish the pitch with style. Sung-yoon felt a bit embarrassed by her disregard for others’ stares, but he didn’t try to stop her.

-Click.

He began snapping pictures of Ha-eun and Na-yeon from afar with Na-yeon’s digital camera, thinking that today would surely be memorable.

However, the day ended up becoming memorable in a way he hadn’t anticipated.

“Hello, I’m Director Kang Eun-tae. I’d love to cast Ha-eun as the model for a children’s vitamin commercial─”

Because the snowball of that pitch rolled in an unexpected direction.

Just as they were about to head home, a man named Kang Eun-tae approached them, causing a question mark to appear over Sung-yoon’s head.