I woke up staring blankly at the ceiling, my mind still wrapped in thick drowsiness. 'Where am I?' The thought drifted lazily before reality settled back in. I sat up slowly and looked around the small, faded apartment.
'Oh, right. I got reborn.'
A wry smile tugged at my lips as I rubbed my still-drowsy eyes. For a moment I just stared at nothing, letting the weight of everything sink in again—the military, the guilt, the truck, the contract. And this gentle, serene body that felt both alien and like the safest place I had ever been.
I lay back down and reached for the pillow, pulling it into a hug out of habit. My fingers brushed against something hard underneath. I froze, then sat up quickly and lifted the pillow.
There it was—the phone and wallet I had been wondering about earlier.
I grabbed both and checked the phone first. It was a plain black-cased smartphone, nothing fancy. I pressed the power button. The screen lit up: 8:37 PM. I slept from sometime around noon until now—nearly eight hours.
No nightmares. No voices. Just deep, dreamless rest. The contract with Rin really had quieted everything.
I slid my finger upward. The lock screen asked for a password, but a biometric prompt appeared right after. I pressed my thumb to the sensor out of instinct. It unlocked immediately. This body's fingerprint still worked.
I tapped the messaging app that looked like the equivalent of KakaoTalk. After all, I needed to know more about the original owner of this body—who her acquaintances were, if she had friends, and whether any family remained.
Only two contacts showed up: "Unnie" and "Manager-nim."
My heart gave a painful twist when I tapped on "Unnie" first. The chat history was one-sided in the most heartbreaking way. The original owner had kept sending updates to her dead sister—little daily messages about what she ate, how work went, random thoughts. She was still talking to her as if Unnie could still read them.
I smiled sadly, fingers hovering over the keyboard. Technically, this Unnie was my sister now too. I didn't feel guilty about taking over the body—I hadn't stolen it. I had simply woken up inside it. And ever since the contract with Rin, I could sense another soul quietly dwelling within me.
The two consciousnesses were merging, slow and steady, like threads being woven together. My old self as Military Park Shiwon remained the dominant voice, but the original Park Shiwon's feelings and memories were starting to surface gently, without force.
I typed a short message anyway: Hello, Unnie.
Then I exited the chat and opened the one with "Manager-nim." After skimming the recent messages, everything clicked. The original owner had been a part-time night-shift worker at a convenience store. She had asked for leave today because she "felt kind of sick." There was also mention of a coworker.
'It's fortunate she called in sick today,' I thought. At least that gave me some breathing room.
I glanced at the contacts again. No parents mentioned anywhere. Unnie's old messages never brought them up either. My suspicion had been right—we were on our own.
I set the phone down and opened the wallet. Inside were a few cards and 220,000 won in cash. Not a fortune, but enough to last maybe a week if I was careful with food and necessities.
"Ha… I need to think of the next step," I said out loud, my voice still heavy with lingering drowsiness.
I placed the phone near the old computer, sat down at the desk, and powered the machine on. Since I was seriously considering the VTuber route to gather spiritual power, I needed actual knowledge. The novels I had read (including this world which I presume is a novel from my previous life) only gave me surface-level ideas. If I was going to do this, I had to be smarter about it.
I searched for beginner rundowns of the VTuber industry and started watching a few videos. The explanations were helpful—Live2D models, streaming schedules, fan interactions, how agencies worked. I took mental notes, trying to imagine how my new serene voice and gentle appearance might translate into a virtual avatar.
My phone suddenly vibrated on the desk.
I glanced over and picked it up. The notification was from the app similar to Naver. When I tapped it, my eyes widened.
It was from Saebyeok Entertainment.
I opened the message quickly. They had reviewed my application and… I was one of the selected participants. They were now requesting an audition clip.
"Wow," I breathed, a genuine smile spreading across my face. "They respond fast."
I had expected to wait at least 3 or 4 days. This was way sooner than I imagined. I read the message over and over, checking for any hidden catches, but everything looked straightforward and professional.
Relief and nervous excitement mixed in my chest. Now came the real challenge.
'What should I do for the audition?'