Chapter 1

A new body, a new life, a new name, a new… family that I never expected to gain.

Amidst the process of gradually becoming accustomed to all this newness, the thing I was most concerned about was my health.

I was aware that I had become a completely different person from my previous life, but just in case.

Whether I ended up as a model, an actor, or a Virtual YouTuber, if my health was poor, it would all be futile daydreaming.

Although I had no response when someone might ask why a mere six-year-old was worried about health.

Anyway, I did not want to experience the same thing as my past life ever again, so I enrolled at a general hospital before the local kindergarten.

I pleaded and insisted on undergoing even trivial tests that I would not normally have needed, just to be safe.

“Um, doctor. Am I okay?”

“Well…”

However, for some reason, the doctor hesitated at the end of his words, and my heart dropped.

My mother, who was standing right next to me, was frozen as well.

I felt my mouth getting drier by the second as I waited for the doctor to speak again.

Soon enough, the slowly opening mouth continued with the narrative.

“Other than slightly poor eyesight, you are very healthy. It was almost a waste of the examination fee.”

It was enough to make a six-year-old decide to run away early due to disbelief.

A deep sigh, hard to believe was that of a child, escaped involuntarily.

The doctor’s smiling face, after having tricked me so thoroughly, looked quite annoying.

It was a relief that there was no complicated and incurable disease, but I had little resistance to this kind of joke, making it hard to manage my expression.

“Goodbye~.”

“…Goodbye.”

While performing a playful bow like a child, I prayed to the deities I only knew by name, wishing never to meet that mischievous doctor again.

That sly temperament, while part of their nature, was something I hoped not to encounter again in a general hospital.

Whether it was because of that, from that day on, I dedicated a few hours each day to exercise for health management.

In fact, it was barely anything more than jumping rope or using a children’s hula hoop. Still, it was better than doing nothing.

I brushed off my father’s jokes about not growing taller due to my exercises.

However, he occasionally played catch with me and made it a point to play while exercising, which certainly qualified him as a good father.

Even if he teased me with a chuckle every time he dropped the ball, it was nothing compared to my past life’s experience.

As time passed, I began to notice that I was getting a bit healthier.

‘…What should I name myself?’

I started to come up with various settings and broadcasting content I would need to live as a Virtual YouTuber in the future.

In any case, a Virtual YouTuber was also a form of entertainer.

To succeed as an entertainer, one must be differentiated from the existing ones, be unique, and possess a distinctive kind of fun.

There were ways to mimic the Virtual YouTubers I remembered, but I decided to keep that as just a reference for now.

In a way, being a Virtual YouTuber itself embodied uniqueness, so I thought it would be better to stand out with my unique characteristics.

The aspect that could most vividly express my individuality as a Virtual YouTuber was undoubtedly my voice.

While the visuals of the virtual avatar are important, that falls under the domain of the avatar creator, not me.

“Ribbit, ribbit, the frog sings…!”

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

“What? Why…?”

“Seven seems too little, but nine seems too much.”

‘…What is this?’

There were several times when my spirits were almost crushed by my father’s grading standards, but I took comfort in the fact that I hadn’t heard that I was singing poorly and persevered through my vocal practice.

Truthfully, I wanted to practice singing or vocalization secretly from my parents.

However, I realized early on that it wasn’t easy for a kid my age to avoid their parents’ eyes, so I gave up on hiding.

Still, thinking back, to others, it was merely singing practice, nothing more or less.

I thought that even my father’s playful feedback could be of some help.

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

“Hmm, that song I haven’t heard before. Who’s it by?”

“Oh, that’s… my original song.”

“I see, it’s the song of Lee Ha-eun living right in front of me. You seem to have a talent for songwriting.”

I continued to have singing assessments against the judge, who still maintained a poker face that was hard to discern if it was genuine or playful.

Thanks to that, whether by luck or fate, I earned a score of 96 in a karaoke trial I went to once.

The song I chose was a famous children’s song titled “Delicious Cotton Candy.”

As time went on, and not until real flowers began to bloom instead of snowflakes did I focus on vocal training.

I knew how I would be perceived as a child who opted for a book of nursery rhyme lyrics over dolls and preferred playing as a singer rather than engaging in pretend play.

There was certainly an element of calculation involved.

If a generally quiet and reserved child suddenly declared they wanted to become a Virtual YouTuber, it would lose credibility.

It was better to portray myself as a child who enjoyed showing off and singing from an early age.

Thus, I could understand if people mistook my future aspirations as wanting to be a singer or celebrity.

Thanks to consistent and perhaps somewhat meticulous physical exercise daily, I almost never found myself exhausted while singing.

For that reason, it wasn’t strange that people might mistakenly see me as having a “stage presence.”

However, no matter how you slice it.

“Our daughter, would you like to try throwing the first pitch?”

I hadn’t anticipated that an audience of nearly two thousand would be dramatically increased, being only my mother for the catch.

***

“Our Ha-eun is going to be a star.”

“Thinking of making a kid who hasn’t even started elementary school into a star already… no, just joking. Joking.”

With a suddenly fierce gaze, Ha-eun’s father, Lee Sung-Yoon, hurriedly withdrew his previous statement.

No matter how much it was a joke, there are some things that ought to be joked about and some that shouldn’t be.

After that, he firmly declared that he viewed Ha-eun as more precious than anyone else, and only then did Song Nayeon continue her speech.

“I believe we need to let Ha-eun have as many diverse experiences as possible for her future.”

Even though it was impossible to know at that moment exactly what profession their daughter would pursue, her firm voice suggested they should do their utmost as parents to widen her options.

Feeling a semblance of resolve in his wife’s voice, Sung-Yoon thought, “Is it really necessary?” but shrugged it off.

As more significant discussions began immediately afterward, it was no longer a matter of merely nodding along.

“Our Ha-eun is so pretty, isn’t she?”

“Yes. She is pretty.”

“Objectively?”

“Well, there’s nothing about her looks that can be outright criticized.”

Until that moment, I thought those were the ordinary lovey-dovey compliments usually said in passing.

However, exactly three seconds later.

“The child who was supposed to throw the first pitch has been hospitalized with gastritis?”

“Yes. Seems she’s in no condition to pitch. Apparently, they are desperately looking for a replacement.”

After starting to talk about a friend working in professional baseball, it became clear that the conversation had developed considerably.

“Is it really that simple to pick someone for the first pitch?”

“Apparently, upon seeing our Ha-eun’s photo, they instantly approved.”

‘What a disorganized operation!’

Becoming troubled whether pitching at such a significant venue would be a good or a bad experience for Ha-eun was unavoidable.

It was a situation where I couldn’t fully support or oppose the idea.

In one way, throwing the first pitch was certainly a unique experience not anyone could have.

It usually only lasted about five minutes.

“You haven’t played catch with me in quite some time now. If our Ha-eun pitches, won’t her beautiful face and skills that are not typical for a child draw attention?”

There was no denying that, as Nayeon remarked, Ha-eun’s throwing skills surpassed those of her peers.

This was made possible because Ha-eun had practiced consistently and systematically in various sports.

But it was uncertain whether Ha-eun could withstand the pressure stemming from the watchful eyes of the crowd.

Even Sung-Yoon, who lived a life far removed from being serious, couldn’t easily assert that she would manage.

“Hey, would you like to throw the first pitch?”

So he directly asked Ha-eun.

Unexpectedly, after a brief moment of daze, I heard words from Ha-eun that she would give it a try.

[Speed of 42 km/h. A very clean fastball! A textbook pitch.]

[Her expression is comparable to that of an adult. She exudes charisma.]

Hearing the commentary from the massive speakers about Ha-eun’s well-executed pitching made me feel some relief.

There was indeed some pride in seeing her succeed.

“Our Ha-eun is amazing!!”

Sure enough, Nayeon cheered loudly as Ha-eun finished her pitch flawlessly.

Although I felt somewhat embarrassed watching her not care at all about the surrounding attention, it didn’t seem like something that required intervention.

-Click.

At some point, I had started taking photos of Ha-eun and Nayeon alternatingly with the digital camera that Nayeon held in her hand.

No matter the case, today would surely be a memorable day.

However, ultimately, that day became memorable for slightly different reasons than what Sung-Yoon had expected.

This was because…

“I am Director Kang Eun-tae. I would like to use our Ha-eun as a model for a children’s nutritional supplement commercial—”

The snowball effect from the first pitch began to roll in an entirely unexpected direction.

The man named Kang Eun-tae, who had just appeared before the family that was about to return home, elicited a question mark to slowly rise above Sung-Yoon’s eyes.

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