Han Donghoon, 21 years old.
Studying at a prestigious university in Seoul, he arrived at the class reunion venue driving a Mercedes he had begged his father to lend him.
"Ahem, khm…"
As he took the wheel to head toward the parking lot behind the barbecue restaurant, he cleared his throat and repeatedly checked his hair in the mirror.
"Hoo…"
Satisfied with the way he looked after getting styled at the salon, Donghoon thought of the one person who was scheduled to attend the reunion that day.
Kim Suhyun.
He had never told anyone, but she was the girl he had secretly loved for three whole years.
Popular with everyone in class regardless of gender, she never shortened her skirt like the other girls, nor did she wear heavy makeup. Yet her looks were on an entirely different level.
He remembered how she shone while talking about comics among the girls huddled in the corner drawing pictures.
Unlike the other cheap, flashy girls, she had that pure, delicate air—yet she always spoke her mind, that principled attitude of hers…
She never seemed interested in boys, so she probably still didn't have a boyfriend, right? At the very least, in the profile pictures he checked regularly, there wasn't a single photo with another guy—no boyfriend, nothing—so Donghoon felt reassured.
How he had worried that she might meet some shady guy and get "tainted" in college. And yet, comparing himself to her radiant presence, he had never once been able to contact her directly, spending those days agonizing alone.
"Do well today, Donghoon. You've got nothing to be ashamed of."
He hypnotized himself.
A prestigious university, a Benz, and honestly, a pretty decent face.
With his confidence boosted, Donghoon parked the car, slipped the key neatly into his pocket, and got out.
"Shhk… hoo…"
And then he saw her.
His first love, wearing an oversized sweatshirt and a cap pulled low.
"Huh? Han Donghoon? Long time no see."
Smoke drifted from her mouth as she spoke his name, a small white stick held in one hand.
"Why are you just standing there? We should go in."
She tossed the cigarette butt onto the ground and crushed it out with the heel of her sneaker—so practiced and natural. Donghoon froze in shock.
"What's wrong? You sick or something? I'm going in first, okay?"
She walked past him, leaving Donghoon standing there stiffly. Watching her back as she went inside, the first emotion he felt was, ironically, excitement.
'…Not bad?'
Having learned about women from the internet, Donghoon believed women were supposed to be pure and obedient.
But that delinquent-looking image of her smoking just now—it was attractive in its own way.
After following Kim Suhyun into the barbecue restaurant, Donghoon let out a dry laugh inwardly.
'These assholes…'
He looked at the male classmates, every single one of them dressed up, and smirked. Of course, it never crossed his mind that he probably looked exactly the same.
'…That was close.'
Leaving Han Donghoon behind, I let out a breath of relief.
He was a friend I'd still met regularly after entering college, going to PC cafés together and the like, so I almost greeted him warmly out of habit.
But now, I was a woman.
And not just any woman—a drop-dead beauty. I was trying to avoid giving my old friends any pointless fantasies, so I held myself back and went inside.
Among the classmates already gathered in small groups, I found Hyejeong and sat next to her. She frowned and thumped my shoulder.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"Bitch, you reek of cigarettes! Since when did you start smoking?"
"This isn't smoking. It's curing. It enhances the flavor of the meat."
"Get away from me!"
Looking dejected, I scooted a bit farther from Hyejeong.
"Oh? Kim Suhyun, you smoke? Wanna go together later?"
At that moment, a classmate with bleached blond hair across from me waved.
I flipped him off and leaned back against my chair.
Then it hit me.
'Ah, right. I'm a woman now.'
That blond guy was someone male Kim Suhyun used to hang out with fairly often back in school, so I treated him casually out of habit. But from his perspective, a not-that-close female Kim Suhyun acting like this might've been a little shocking.
Who knows.
But if a pretty beauty like me insults you, isn't that what people call a reward?
I brushed it off and focused my gaze on the meat grilling in front of me.
'Hmph… this is uncomfortable.'
It's not that I hate drinking gatherings, but people keep sneaking glances at me from all sides, so it's hard to even eat properly.
If they're going to talk to me, I wish they'd just do it outright.
Otherwise, they should stop hovering, trying to find the right moment.
Sitting there, I started to understand—at least a little—why Kim Suhyun dislikes going out.
Ignoring the stares as best I could, I picked at the meat and accepted a few drinks, enjoying myself in moderation.
When I was nicely tipsy, that blond-haired guy from earlier quietly shifted seats and came to sit next to me.
"Hey, don't come any closer."
"Huh? O-oh…"
Ah—was that too blunt? Drinking really messes with my self-control.
"Hahaha… I'm kidding, I'm kidding!"
I hurriedly laughed to smooth things over. The blond guy smiled awkwardly and scooted his butt to come a little closer. I looked at him, my expression instantly turning cold.
Seeing my face, he froze mid-scoot, stuck in an awkward half-moved position. Watching him unable to go forward or back made me laugh without meaning to.
"Pfft… hahaha! Just sit right there."
"O-okay…"
After seating the blond guy there, I traded a few more drinks with Hyejeong beside me. As the mood gradually warmed up, a male classmate who'd been chatting with others in the middle suddenly stood up.
"Since we're all here, let's take a picture!"
He said this while holding his phone high, and immediately everyone posed for the camera.
"Oh, Suhyun, come over here!"
Drunk Hyejeong waved at me. I moved closer, and she pulled me into a shoulder hug. I smiled lightly and made a V sign with my fingers.
Click!
"Alright—uploading the photo to the group chat!"
Judging the timing, I figured we'd taken the picture and it was about time, so I slowly stood up.
"Suhyun, you're leaving already?"
As I got up, Hyejeong asked. I nodded and waved my hand.
"I'm sleepy. I think I'll just go home and sleep."
For some reason, the drinking party wasn't that fun. It wasn't bad—just… I was drunk, that's all.
More than anything, I really wanted to go home and sleep.
Had the habits of homebody Kim Suhyun rubbed off on me?
Or maybe, since I am female Kim Suhyun, this is just how it's supposed to be.
"Hmmm… aren't you a bit disappointed? We finally met after so long."
At Hyejeong's question, I chuckled and waved again.
"I've got stuff scheduled tomorrow, so I need to sleep early."
Starting tomorrow is the third round of auditions.
Which means it's time for personal streaming.
Well, I'd be turning it on in the evening anyway, so staying up late today wouldn't really matter… but yeah, it was just an excuse to go home.
Ignoring the disappointed voices of my other classmates, I left the bar.
It was time to return to being homebody Kim Suhyun.
**
The next afternoon.
I finished setting up my stream at my computer desk, crossed my arms, and fell into thought.
'What kind of style should I go with for my personal broadcast?'
Originally, I'd planned to just act according to female Kim Suhyun's memories, but last time, when I answered more like male Kim Suhyun, the reaction hadn't been bad, had it?
Thinking about it, a VTuber who sings well and has a nice voice—and also gives off a sense of familiarity as a guy—could use that as a unique appeal.
Right now, I have duality.
Female Kim Suhyun, an otaku who devours every corner of subculture without discrimination.
Male Kim Suhyun, who studied hard, got into a prestigious university, and drowned in endless assignments.
Male Kim Suhyun, who regularly met neighborhood friends and stayed up all night doing assignments with college friends, always surrounded by people.
Female Kim Suhyun, who hates going out and finds ultimate happiness in lazing around at home.
Female Kim Suhyun, who—like Hyejeong—can't stand the smell of cigarettes and dislikes smokers.
Male Kim Suhyun, who learned to smoke from a senior in college and hasn't been able to quit since.
There are countless differences like that.
Despite having the same parents and attending the same schools, male Kim Suhyun and female Kim Suhyun are drastically different simply because of gender and appearance.
"Hm… but isn't this actually a good thing?"
It's like a hybrid car.
One that can run on both electricity and gasoline.
One that understands both otaku and normie needs.
I realized my situation was an incredible advantage.
And the moment I realized that, I turned on the stream.
You're asking if I'm not going to think about how to show off my strengths?
That's something you do when your strengths are half-baked.
I'm an awl hidden in a pouch.
An awl that doesn't even need to be taken out—it naturally pierces through the fabric and sticks out on its own.
As I started the stream, I smiled and set the broadcast title.
[True Telent will always shine through,regardless of attempts to hide it or the cirumstances]
True entertainment is born from being natural.
Thinking that, I let out a dry laugh.
To think I'd come to the same conclusion as I did before the second audition.
The only difference was that back then, I'd decided to show only the side of female Kim Suhyun.
Now, I had no intention of holding back the side of male Kim Suhyun either.
Just a simple comparison shows it—I have twice as much to offer.
As expected, I really do have talent for streaming.
On the second monitor, my broadcast screen was still a black background since I hadn't set up a waiting screen yet. My face was reflected there.
A face so beautiful that, back when I was a man, I wouldn't have been able to look at it properly—now clearly wearing a smile.
A smile filled with absolute confidence.
And just like that, my first stream began.