-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Resignation
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Seo-hwa didn't take long to leave the hospital room.
Walking along the darkened roadside, she fell deep into thought.
Just a short while ago, she never could have imagined her life turning out like this.
She'd been hit by a truck and died, only to wake up transformed into a little girl with cat ears straight out of some animation. And this wasn't some cheap joke—it was reality.
She wasn't just ordinarily beautiful, either. Her snow-white skin was flawless, and the gray of her irises burned with vivid intensity, like embers freshly consumed by flame.
Her height had shrunk a lot. By the feel of it, she barely topped 160 cm now.
Thanks to the smaller stature, she'd nearly gotten motion sick the first time she tried walking. She was used to it now, though.
And there was one thing that puzzled her.
All the information about Yoo Seo-han had somehow been replaced with Yoo Seo-hwa's.
Her bank accounts. All her messaging apps. Everything she'd checked was under Yoo Seo-hwa's name now, not Yoo Seo-han's.
It was as if Yoo Seo-han had been erased from existence overnight. Had some mischievous god played a trick?
'How is this even possible?'
Just then, her phone rang.
'The Team Leader...?'
Seo-hwa picked up, and a familiar voice came through from the other end.
"Agent Yoo. Feeling any better?"
"...Team Leader?"
"You said something about weird sensations in your head and tailbone a while back, then checked into the hospital, and we haven't heard from you since. I got worried and called to check in..."
The way he trailed off felt so familiar. At the same time, being called Agent Yoo Seo-hwa instead of Section Chief Yoo Seo-han felt strangely off.
Seo-hwa asked cautiously.
"Team Leader. Do you happen to know anyone named Yoo Seo-han?"
"Who's that? Some guy you're into? A boyfriend, huh?"
"...Nothing like that."
He had no idea. It seemed Yoo Seo-han had truly been wiped from the world. Not a trace left behind.
"Well, you're twenty-one now, so it's about time you started getting interested in that sort of thing."
From what the Team Leader said, her age was twenty-one.
'So it's not exactly the same.'
Yoo Seo-han had been a section chief at thirty-five. But Yoo Seo-hwa was just an agent at twenty-one. There were some differences.
'Twenty-one, though?'
Seo-hwa was a little surprised. The company she'd worked at was the kind you could call a top-tier conglomerate without exaggeration.
'She joined at twenty-one? How did she pull that off...?'
Even most people found it tough.
Just how elite was she? All Seo-hwa could think was that it was impressive.
"...Oh, right. Agent Yoo."
A sigh came through the receiver from the Team Leader.
"About what I mentioned before. I ended up deciding not to retire after all. My daughter threw a fit about wanting to study abroad, so I can't quit now."
"..."
"Sigh. If only I had a bit more time."
The Team Leader's dejected voice carried a hint of loneliness.
"...Take care of yourself, Agent Yoo. See you at the office tomorrow."
The call ended.
"..."
Seo-hwa gripped her phone for a moment.
Time sneaks up as the biggest obstacle when you're not paying attention. And now it had blocked the Team Leader's path.
Her head was a mess. She felt sorry for the Team Leader's situation, but she had her own to worry about.
'...What do I do?'
If Yoo Seo-han had been completely replaced by Yoo Seo-hwa, then just as the Team Leader said, she could go back to work the next day without issue.
Handle paperwork, take calls from clients, go about her routine at the office.
'...'
But for some reason, it didn't sit right with her.
-BEEEEEEP!
A motorcycle blasted past her with a deafening horn.
"...Eek."
Goosebumps erupted all over her body, and Seo-hwa hurried away from the road. She didn't want to lose this hard-won life so pointlessly.
As she walked back to her original apartment, one fact came to mind.
"...People can die anytime."
Humans are fragile. That's why death can come without warning.
She'd felt it firsthand. No one goes in order.
Waiting until she could do what she wanted might be too late—time was too short.
"...I'm quitting."
With that resolve, Seo-hwa hurried to her apartment.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The moment she arrived, Seo-hwa ran her first reaction speed test.
34ms. 27ms. 38ms.
"Just as I thought..."
It matched what the nurse had told her.
Her rare disease made cat-like traits manifest in a human body.
Not just the visible ones like pointed ears and tail—there were invisible changes too.
One of them was this.
Reaction speed.
Cats have incredibly fast reaction times. Whether it was that trait manifesting in her, the test results were absurd.
At this level, she far surpassed pro gamers.
She had no plans to go pro, but it was still an enormous asset for a game streamer.
Thrilled at having gained such a reliable boon for streaming, Seo-hwa wagged her tail happily.
Then she froze in horror at herself wagging it unconsciously.
Having cat ears and a tail didn't mean she had to act like a cat.
Seo-hwa grabbed her unruly tail to hold it still and hopped online.
The world was abuzz about the first VR game and all that.
Ariant World.
Even while working at the company, she'd heard the name everywhere. Seo-hwa had taken an interest herself.
The launch was now just a week away. Streamers seemed to be gearing up for VR broadcasts too.
The timing felt perfect.
For a game streamer, the main game was crucial above all. Picking a popular one let viewers dive right in, making growth easier.
...Or so Seo-hwa knew. The source,
From that book's perspective, Ariant World—drawing massive attention and hype—seemed ideal as a flagship title.
Seo-hwa searched the capsule price.
'...Ten million won?!'
She gasped inwardly. Way pricier than expected. But as a VR game, it kind of made sense.
After agonizing, she finally reserved a capsule.
They'd install it ahead of time, letting her log in right at launch. She could start ahead of everyone else.
Besides the capsules, there was streaming gear designed for them—clearly aimed at streamers.
Not cheap either.
'Ugh...'
But she needed it, so with trembling hands, Seo-hwa bought all the broadcasting equipment too.
Next, she logged into a certain site.
Streaming platform Abyss.
Despite the ominous name, it had a light vibe and was popular with game streamers. Plus, as a frequent viewer, Seo-hwa was familiar with it.
This was where she'd stream.
She picked a nickname.
Cheisi.
It came from a random nickname generator in an old game.
With multiple games, she'd stuck to one nick to avoid hassle, and now anything else felt off.
And so, Seo-hwa's Abyss streaming account was born.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
A few days later, Seo-hwa returned to the company where she'd spent so long as Yoo Seo-han and submitted her resignation.
It was approved without fuss.
Heading to her department for a final goodbye, she saw familiar faces hunched over their computers.
"...Huh?"
"Agent Yoo...?"
Every time their eyes met, she felt their gazes drift up to her head.
Well, how common was an employee showing up with cat ears, after all.
"What's with the cat ears on your head...?"
"It's my rare disease."
"...Are they real?"
The people she'd been close to as Yoo Seo-han gathered around. Despite her changed appearance, they didn't seem to mind at all.
It felt odd, but their familiar friendliness put her at ease.
"Whoa, so fluffy..."
"Eek..."
"Can I touch your tail too?"
"W-Wait a sec. Ahh... That's sensitive..."
Though she hadn't asked for this level of friendliness.
For a while, Seo-hwa endured her coworkers poking and prodding her ears and tail, letting out involuntary moans.
'Ugh...'
Having unfamiliar spots toyed with so relentlessly made her head spin.
Finally composing herself, she declared to the group.
"I'm quitting."
"Why?"
It was the Team Leader.
Seo-hwa answered calmly.
"Just... I want to do what I want."
She kept the part about dying once and wanting to spend her time meaningfully to herself.
The Team Leader stared silently for a moment, then chuckled.
"Enviable reason. What're you waiting for? Get out of here."
"Thank you for everything."
Seo-hwa bowed deeply and left the department.
'...Gotta protect the tail from now on.'
As she stepped out of the company, her steps felt lighter.
Clearing out such a big part of Yoo Seo-han's life left her feeling unburdened.
She had a premonition she'd never return here or see these people again.
She might miss it someday, looking back.
But she wasn't sad.
read at novelshub.org