People die when they do something they've never done before.
Even if it's something as trivial as taking the stairs instead of the elevator they always use.
Stumble.
"...Ah."
Losing balance on the unnoticed wetness of the stairs, they tumbled down with a crash.
Their entire body throbbed from the lingering shock, but the pain in their head was particularly sharp.
Moments later, crimson droplets began to fall onto their pristine white hospital gown.
Overwhelmed by the unbearable throbbing, they closed their eyes briefly. When they opened them again, they were already being carried away somewhere.
"You can't fall asleep, patient! Keep your eyes open!"
All he could hear was a voice thick with urgency.
All he could see was the blinding light of a penlight blinking every second.
Yet, less than ten seconds had passed.
Swish.
He felt the boundary between consciousness and unconsciousness blurring, and finally, he closed his eyes.
He knew, whether he wanted to or not, that he would never open them again.
Just as the saying often found in famous poems and novels went, it had been a truly wretched life.
Pat, pat.
Pat, pat.
A strange sensation.
"Aww, who did our Haeun take after to be born so beautiful?"
"Hmm, they say daughters usually resemble their fathers..."
"What was that?"
An unfamiliar voice.
"Of course, we can't ignore the mother's DNA either. Actually, looking at her now, she's the spitting image of you."
"...Really?"
"Yeah, really."
An unfamiliar atmosphere.
In this landscape devoid of anything familiar, the hypothesis that it was all a fleeting memory was decisively refuted.
Faced with this paradoxical scene—both utterly surreal and yet undeniably real—only one conclusion remained: reincarnation.
...This feels strange.
Normally, people who do good deeds go to heaven, while those who do bad deeds go to hell.
Was I sent back to the mortal realm because I'd accomplished nothing of note during my life?
Thinking about it that way, it didn't seem so strange after all.
Yes, a life spent languishing in illness until the end was a bit... lacking.
"Our Haeun, try saying 'Mommy'! Mom-my!"
"What are you saying to a baby who isn't even a year old yet?"
"Who knows? Maybe our Haeun will be the genius of the century!"
I felt a pang of guilt as I gradually grew drowsy under the woman's gaze, which was half hopeful and half affectionate.
It seemed my resistance to sleep had been recalibrated to approach zero as my life progress neared zero.
Before long, I had drifted off to dreamland.
But then again, I hadn't been able to perceive the passage of time in the real world either.
"Happy 6th birthday, Haeun!"
"Congratulations, my daughter."
By the time I came to my senses, I was already old enough to walk on my own and easily say the word "Mommy."
Before I knew it, my infancy and toddler years had been Thanos-snapped away.
"Haeun, if you blow out all the birthday candles in one breath, your wish will come true! So, blow as hard as you can!"
The candles flickered briefly and were extinguished with a single puff.
Watching the candles vanish so quickly, I felt a pang of regret for the time that had slipped away in an instant.
Of course, there wasn't much a child who hadn't even started elementary school could do besides eat and sleep.
Perhaps it was the lingering memories of my previous life, where I had lived with a terminal illness, that made me yearn to spend even the smallest moments more meaningfully.
It was the morning after my sixth birthday.
I picked up the small hand mirror from the vanity in the master bedroom.
Gazing at my reflection, I attempted a sort of conversation with myself.
This was purely to seriously contemplate what I should do in the future.
It was just that I hadn't quite grown accustomed to the image of the young girl reflected in the mirror.
"Hmm..."
As is typical for those who have experienced something as fantastical as reincarnation, I possessed a rather cute and beautiful appearance.
Of course, even I had to admit that my mother's reaction—acting like she was about to die from cuteness every time she saw me—felt a bit exaggerated.
Her face was so striking that even a polite lie couldn't call her ugly.
If someone asked about her future aspirations, she could confidently say "model" or "actress" without feeling embarrassed.
However, she hadn't yet firmly decided on either career path.
While her appearance was flawless now, who knew what might happen as she grew into adulthood?
For a long time afterward, she pondered deeply about the future of her life as Yi Haeun.
"...Why is the visitor so engrossed in something else instead of checking on the patient?"
Ah, this is a VTuber—
A memory buried deep in her mind briefly surfaced, its words echoing in her ear.
Come to think of it, that career path did exist.
I'd read several stories about someone suddenly turning into a woman and becoming a streamer or VTuber, so imagining a future as a VTuber wasn't difficult.
Back then, I never imagined I'd actually find myself in such an absurd situation... but what choice did I have?
Surprisingly, the more I thought about it, the more appealing the VTuber option seemed.
Especially considering we were in an era before the concept of VTubers was even widely known.
Even now, the competition to become a model or actor is fierce.
The entertainment industry is far from a Blue Ocean; it's a Red Ocean through and through.
But if I start preparing diligently now for a career in a field that hasn't even been pioneered yet, let alone become a Red Ocean...
If I patiently wait for the tipping point where the internet's influence surpasses that of traditional broadcasting, and then dive into the Blue Ocean of VTubing before anyone else...
I could achieve what people commonly call "success."
No one but God knows what the future holds, but that's precisely why I should choose the path with the least risk of failure.
As I reviewed the memories of VTubers lingering in my mind like a panoramic display...
I carefully opened my mouth, meeting the eyes of the girl in the hand mirror who still felt somewhat unfamiliar.
"Haaah... yawn."
As a test, I tried to mimic the way a VTuber would puff up her cheeks in response to a donation during a broadcast, making my face as round as possible.
Less than a second later...
"Ribbit ribbit. Playing with Mommy's mirror first thing in the morning? Ribbit ribbit."
"Ribbit ribbit. I guess you were really impressed by the Frog Prince story I read you last time. Ribbit ribbit."
"...!...!!"
Two shadows standing behind me suddenly turned me into a frog with their teasing voices.
My cheeks flushed instantly, becoming even redder than tomatoes—a bonus effect.
I unintentionally experienced the panic of VTubers whose true identities had been exposed, all while stuck in the body of a pre-debut toddler.
...This is already going to be tough.
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