Chapter 1: Even if my body changes, the illustrator never rests.

“…Huh?”

Since when was I lying on the floor?

I blinked twice and lifted my body. For some reason, my body felt light.

In a half-dazed state, I got up and pulled back the curtains. It was morning. Or maybe it was already noon.

I yawned once and headed to the bathroom. Even if I hadn’t eaten, brushing my teeth was a must.

That thought in mind, I stepped into the bathroom.

“Whoa.”

A gasp of admiration escaped as I caught sight of the reflection in the mirror.

But the admiration didn’t last long. It was because the voice of that gasp had a distinctly high-pitched tone.

Well, that alone wouldn’t have been a problem. If only that high-pitched tone hadn’t come from my own mouth.

“Did I drink too many Hot Sevens last night?”

Had something gone wrong with my mind? Or had I developed some kind of mental disorder after working too long?

The girl in the mirror was staring back at me with wide eyes. That couldn’t possibly be me, right?

And it’s not like there’s a girl living in my house—let alone a stunningly pretty one like her.

So what could it be? Was I hallucinating?

No matter how much I denied reality, nothing changed.

“This… is me?”

I muttered as I stared at the mirror. It still didn’t feel real—whether this was reality or just a dream was beyond me. But for now, I decided to accept it.

And as if to affirm that this was indeed reality—

Throb. Throb.

“Argh?!”

A sudden, intense headache struck, rattling my brain.

The pain brought me to my knees, leaving me drenched in cold sweat and tears. My mouth hung open from the agony, and saliva began to drip out.

“Ugh…”

And then, through that unbearable pain, new memories started to embed themselves into me. They weren’t mine—they belonged to this girl.

Unable to endure the pain, I eventually lost consciousness.

When I came to, I opened my eyes again.

I was still in the bathroom, leaning my back against the wall, drenched in sweat.

“…I guess I need to wash up.”

With shaky legs, I forced myself to stand.

The headache had vanished as if it had never existed, but my mind was now filled with this girl’s memories instead of my own.

Or maybe it was the other way around. Perhaps I had entered this girl’s body.

But you know what’s truly surprising? Her life was exactly the same as mine.

If that was the case, what was the point of all that pain?

Pouting in frustration, I puffed out my cheeks and looked into the mirror.

The disheveled hair and pale complexion caught my attention, but apparently, this was her usual appearance.

If you don’t see sunlight, you’d obviously be pale. Otherwise, you’d be no different from the vampires in those comics.

Anyway, I needed to wash up first. It didn’t smell bad, but it felt gross.

I dried my hair with a towel and then used a fan to finish the job.

The white hair that was now longer than when I was a man.

Although it was a bob cut, drying it still took some time.

After drying my hair, I turned off the fan.

I sat back down in the chair to continue working.

Even though my body had changed, my life hadn’t. The work I was doing yesterday remained exactly as it was.

I figured I could think about everything else later.

Over the next three hours, I drew and saved designs for two outfits.

The original deadline had been midnight yesterday, but sending it now wouldn’t be an issue.

After completing a total of six outfits between yesterday and today, I felt utterly drained—just like before I went to bed yesterday.

“Still, I should send the work before I rest.”

I sent the six designs to the client and leaned back in my chair.

Now, I could finally piece together what had happened yesterday.

I missed the deadline last night, drew a pretty girl, and then woke up as that very girl. It was as if I had become a parallel version of myself where every detail of my past matched perfectly.

“Just my luck.”

In my old life as an ordinary, unremarkable person, I had a completely average appearance.

But in this world, I had this stunning look, and yet, I still holed myself up indoors just to draw.

Still, what could I do? She was me, and I was her. Our personalities were identical, and the things people said to us were also the same.

It seemed like the only path available was to become an illustrator for VTubers.

To sum it up, only my body had changed.

I used to think like that too, back in those days.

Ding!

A reply arrived from the email I had just sent.

[Tsupi: Even though it’s a day late, the designs look great, so I’ll let it slide~^^ But please make sure to meet the deadline next time!!! Also, would you be available for a meeting with the JP team regarding this outfit? If it’s difficult, it’s fine to decline. Honestly, I’d rather have you stay in KR! Please, just refuse the meeting… okay?]

Tsupi was the team lead for KR Märchen Live, officially in charge of overseeing all VTubers in the KR branch.

How many people can casually exchange emails with someone of such a high position?

[Muil: Thank you. I’ll make sure to be more mindful next time. As for the meeting, I think it would be a good idea to attend. After all, we’re part of the same team anyway. And about that request to refuse the meeting—I’ll pretend I didn’t see it. By the way, if you ever need a new outfit, feel free to reach out. I’ll make one for you for free—just once.]

There’s no need to worry about whether it’s okay for someone in a managerial position to act so casually. Despite appearances, Tsupi was actually a very intimidating person.

Now, about the meeting. The JP side already has illustrators for outfits, so why me?

It was hard to understand, but not impossible. My art style is significantly different from theirs.

To put it simply, KR’s designs tend to be sleek and soft, with a frame equivalent to about 120.

On the other hand, JP’s designs focus more on appearance than functionality, resulting in a frame closer to 60.

This meant my hands were always working overtime, but the work was still manageable.

[Tsupi: Whoa, I’d be so grateful if you did that! Also, I have so much to discuss about the new outfits for the 4th gen. Would that be okay?]

[Muil: That’s fine. I have plenty of free time, so feel free to call me anytime.]

[Tsupi: Great! I’ll get back to you once the schedule is set!]

Exchanging emails like this is inconvenient, but there’s no helping it. It’s not like they’ve shared their phone number with me.

Anyway, today’s work was successfully completed.

Now, should I try getting some sleep?

[Tsupi: Where are you?]

[Muil: Almost there. About five minutes away.]

[Tsupi: Hurry up! I feel like I’m going to suffocate!]

[Muil: Aren’t you supposed to be the team lead…?]

I crossed a small pedestrian crosswalk. They had said it was somewhere around here.

I glanced around, searching for the meeting spot we’d agreed upon.

Ah, there it is.

The name of the shop Tsupi mentioned came into view: Tranquil Café.

That’s not a description—it’s the actual name of the place.

With a puzzled look at the name, I stepped inside the café.

“Welcome~,” the staff greeted me warmly.

I gave a small nod in response and scanned the seating area.

Green hairpin, green hairpin…

I glanced at people’s heads, looking for the green hairpin.

Found it—in the corner.

By the window sat a woman wearing a green hairpin. Across from her was another woman who looked Japanese.

‘She’s younger than I expected.’

This was my first time meeting Tsupi. Since there was never any reason to meet in person, all our communication had been via email.

“Hello,” I greeted.

“You’re Muil?” Tsupi asked.

“Yes, I am.”

“Whoa.”

The woman with the green hairpin—Tsupi—gawked at me, her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide.

“Wow. Just… wow.”

“…What is it?”

“You’re just so pretty! Oh my gosh, if I’d known, I would’ve met you sooner!”

Startled by her overly enthusiastic reaction, I instinctively took a small step back and nodded.

Even from her emails, I could tell she wasn’t an ordinary woman.

When my gaze shifted to the other woman sitting across from her, Tsupi introduced her on my behalf.

“Oh, this is Yura Auka. She’s also a professional costume illustrator like you.”

“Nice to meet you. Please, just call me Auka.”

You speak Korean more fluently than I expected. Unlike me, you seem to be a bit older as well.

“Hello, I’m Muil. Nice to meet you, Auka.”

“Nice to meet you. Shall we sit down and order some coffee first?”

“Oh! I’ll go place the order! Muil, what would you like?”

I sat down next to Tsupi and thought for a moment.

“There’s no plain espresso here, right?”

“Uh… probably not?”

“Then I’ll have an iced Americano.”

“Got it. And you, Auka?”

“I’ll take a caramel macchiato.”

“Understood~.”

Tsupi took both of our orders and headed to the counter.

With Tsupi gone, an awkward silence lingered between the two of us until Auka broke it first.

“When did you start drawing, Muil?”

“I don’t remember exactly, but I think it was around the time I started elementary school?”

“Oh my, you’ve been doing it for a long time.”

Exuding a distinctly mature vibe, Auka continued to ask me various questions.

By the time Tsupi returned, the conversation was still ongoing.

“Alright! Let’s eat and drink first, and then we can talk!”

“Why did you get dessert…?”

“Because I wanted to eat it. But it’s too much for me, so please help.”

Though I was practically forced to eat it, I couldn’t complain about the taste. The strawberry tart was delicious.

Once our stomachs were reasonably full, it was time to get to the main topic.

I took a sip of my Americano, looked at Auka, and opened my mouth to speak.

“First, I’d like to hear why the JP branch is reaching out to me.”

“Alright. I’ll get straight to the point. Would you consider transferring to JP?”

“W-wait a minute! That wasn’t part of the discussion!”

Auka answered my question, and Tsupi looked flustered at her response.

“I’m sorry, but I wanted to bring it up at least once. There’s been a lot of talk about your skills in JP.”

Auka sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead.

Her explanation was this: KR had overtaken JP in terms of prominence, partly because of the designs and art styles.

She was right—KR’s reputation had long since surpassed JP’s, and it had stayed that way ever since I joined Märchen Live.

In the end, this was just a recruitment attempt. And my answer was already decided.

“Thank you for the offer, but I’ll have to decline. I prefer KR.”

“That’s fine. I appreciate you even listening to me.”

“Phew…”

“Instead, feel free to adopt my art style if you’d like.”

At my words, both of their eyes widened in surprise.

“We’re part of the same team, so I should help in whatever way I can. Even if I can’t do it myself.”

“Wow. That alone means a lot. Really, thank you.”

Seeing Auka bow her head in gratitude made me feel uncomfortable.

When I quickly told her to lift her head, she smiled faintly. She looked genuinely happy.

“You’re such a kind person, Muil.”

“Well, we work for the same company.”

“Even so.”

Tsupi was looking at me with a curious expression.