I Want to Be a VTuber

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Yeo-hee stumbled upon Seo-yeon quite by chance.

After filming the sound room scene, on her way to the bathroom.

It was certainly not intentional for Seo-yeon to be along that route.

‘I should go somewhere else…’

With that thought in mind, she was supposed to casually turn around.

Yet somehow, before she realized it, she found herself naturally standing next to Seo-yeon.

‘Wait, did I do something wrong? I could at least say hi or something, right?’

After all, Seo-yeon is a junior in the entertainment industry, isn’t she?

Not that she’s a senior as an actress, but at least Yeo-hee is quite a bit ahead as a singer!

So it wasn’t particularly strange for her to approach a junior who looked like they were troubled.

“Hmm.”

However, since the moment Seo-yeon greeted her, she stared at Yeo-hee with a rather suspicious look.

It was a gaze that seemed to wonder something but couldn’t quite bring herself to ask.

Could it be that?

Are you still into my dad? Is that the kind of look?

‘What do you see me as!’

No matter how you slice it, that would be an affair.

Yeo-hee might have a bit of a wild streak, but that’s pushing it a bit too far.

Who would have thought to receive such a gaze from a junior so much younger?

Anyone else might be excused, but you absolutely can’t do that.

I could have been your mother… or not, but still.

“Why, why are you like this?”

As the feeling of guilt made Yeo-hee flinch, Seo-yeon seemed to snap back to reality.

Of course, Seo-yeon had no idea what kind of impure thoughts Yeo-hee was harboring.

She simply wanted to ask this ‘unrequited love pro’ how to have a more fulfilling crush.

‘No matter how I look at it, asking that is a bit…’

In a past life, it might have been different, but now that she understands emotions, it’s not something she could ask lightly.

Honestly, she was curious about what kind of response she’d get, but it wasn’t a light question.

Above all, she’d heard about it from her mother, Suah.

It was quite the juicy story, so she remembered most of it.

To be honest, her overall impression of what she had heard was:

‘Both of them were digging their own graves.’

The most advantageous childhood friend, the woman, was far too late to realize her feelings.

Yeo-hee had delayed her confession due to pride.

The moment she realized her feelings, Suah rushed in and effortlessly took the lead.

‘Well, I wonder how many could resist when someone like my mom swoops in.’

The fault lay with both of them—caught off guard while such a formidable opponent was nearby.

Or maybe they underestimated her because of her seemingly gentle exterior.

‘But still…’

Seo-yeon looked at Yeo-hee.

The past is the past, and all Seo-yeon knows of Yeo-hee is the present Yeo-hee.

In [Masked Singer], Yeo-hee’s singing.

The music, which called forth memories, had certainly touched Seo-yeon’s heart.

Thanks to that, she has now sorted her feelings and is moving forward toward her goals step by step.

Thus, if the opportunity arose, she felt the urge to give a little back.

“Well then.”

Seo-yeon nodded and bent her waist in a bow to Yeo-hee.

To be honest, there were many questions she wanted to ask, but Seo-yeon had her wits about her.

If she were to ask those, it would surely be challenging for Yeo-hee, no matter who she was.

She had no intention of unnecessarily digging up old wounds.

“Joo Seo-yeon!!”

Just then, someone dashed towards Seo-yeon.

Intrigued, she turned around.

“Why are you here?”

Joo Seo-hee, panting after running, appeared.

Is she really tired just from that little run?

I should teach her some exercise later.

With such low stamina.

“I came about the Gyeongseong Young Lady thing. Did you come for the same?”

“I’m here for the Dream Future project.”

“Then it’s similar. It’s all because of the Japanese broadcast, right?”

Ah, now that I think about it, [Gyeongseong Young Lady] was also hurriedly imported from Japan.

It seems they had talked about that today.

“But why is KMB involved?”

“Apparently, they want to air a documentary about the film’s shooting in line with the movie’s release. In other words, they’re going to film us while we shoot and broadcast it as a documentary. It’s set to be released on OTT in Japan.”

“Do they really do stuff like that?”

“It’s my first time hearing of it too. I guess it’s like an extended version of a making film? Anyway, there’s no harm in filming this. Exposure is always advantageous.”

Nodding at Seo-hee’s words, Seo-yeon agreed with her.

That was definitely true.

But does that mean Lee Ji-yeon is here as well?

‘Why didn’t she give me a heads up?’

After all, she’s one of the main trio too, so it’s strange to leave her out.

“No, Ji-yeon didn’t come. I’m here because my dad is the investor.”

“Oh.”

If that’s the case, then there’s nothing to be done.

Seo-yeon nodded and then suddenly looked back at Seo-hee.

“But wasn’t Newlike usually disinterested in actors’ work?”

“I don’t know. I was going to decline… but they said it wasn’t because of me.”

Seo-hee said that while looking at Seo-yeon.

Though unspoken, the surface-level reason her father mentioned was ‘Seo-yeon.’

“He’s investing not because he wants to look out for you, but to help your friend.”

That’s what she said.

Not for Seo-hee, but for that friend.

To nurture Joo Seo-yeon.

“Isn’t it good if your friend succeeds too?”

Faced with her father’s remark, Seo-hee had no choice but to close her mouth.

‘Of course, it probably isn’t just that.’

Seo-hee knew her father well.

He wouldn’t go out of his way to make things easier for her friend just like that.

Certainly, he must have believed it would turn a profit.

If he directly mentioned Seo-hee, he’d be straightforwardly rejected, so mentioning Seo-yeon was clearly a strategy.

He must have known how easy it was for Seo-hee to be gentle with Seo-yeon.

“Oh.”

As Seo-hee was lost in those thoughts, she finally turned her head and spotted Yeo-hee awkwardly standing next to Seo-yeon.

Currently one of the most representative singers in South Korea.

To be honest, Seo-hee didn’t know much about singers, but while practicing acting with Ji-yeon, she had gotten to hear Yeo-hee’s songs often.

Ji-yeon was a huge fan of Yeo-hee.

Because of that, Seo-hee had also become a fan of Yeo-hee.

Finding out only later that she had appeared in [Masked Singer] was quite the shock!

Especially since that person was none other than Joo Seo-yeon, making the final stage incredibly exciting for Seo-hee.

“You’re Yeo-hee, right? I’m Jo Seo-hee, the actress. It’s an honor to meet you.”

“Oh, uh, really?”

Seo-hee’s bowing and greeting was truly graceful.

Seo-yeon had her own unique aura, but so did Seo-hee.

This wasn’t something innate; it was a grace nurtured over time.

The phrase ‘noble lady’ isn’t an exaggeration, it felt like.

‘To conquer the old man, shoot the horse.’

Anyway, Yeo-hee wanted to get closer to Seo-yeon.

There truly were no impure intentions.

It was purely because she was a friend’s daughter.

In many ways, it was only natural to be drawn to her.

But clearly, Seo-yeon was showing signs of avoidance.

Then, she should just aim for another close friend…

“I saw [Masked Singer]. The song you performed was so romantic.”

“W-was it?”

“Yes. It was the opening of a game we all made back in high school. And the romance that unfolded there.”

“…Huh?”

“I lost track of time reading all the posts about it on the internet. And there was a man you had a crush on in the game development team, right?”

“….”

“You made the game together, and he supported you through thick and thin when you nearly quit music. But he ended up with someone else…”

“….”

“But at the graduation ceremony, at the very last moment, you sang a song almost like a confession!”

Jo Seo-hee said this with rare glimmering eyes.

After all, Seo-hee was a girl of her age too.

Naturally excited when love stories come up.

“Moreover, I heard you haven’t given up on that feeling yet.”

Above all, Yeo-hee’s story seemed somewhat dramatic.

Leaving for Seoul in the end and achieving great success.

Seo-hee genuinely thought Yeo-hee was amazing.

“To rise above the pain of heartbreak and turn it into song. I’ve learned so much. If that man saw the current Yeo-hee, he’d surely reconsider… huh?”

While Jo Seo-hee was saying this, Seo-yeon poked her shoulder.

“You’ve looked into everything, but did you not see the most important thing?”

“What?”

“The object of affection is my dad.”

“…Huh?”

Did that happen?

Jo Seo-hee was momentarily lost in thought.

She had been so focused on Yeo-hee’s story that she’d forgotten who the actual subject was.

To be honest, the image of Young-bin from [Golden Duckling] and the image of Young-bin in Yeo-hee’s story were so different that she had completely overlooked they were the same person.

So what she just said was…

“Oh.”

Cold sweat beaded on Jo Seo-hee’s forehead.

For reference, Yeo-hee was already kneeling down at that point.

For a moment, Jo Seo-hee looked back and forth between Yeo-hee and Seo-yeon.

Then softly, she knelt down beside them.

*

Jo Seo-hee seemed quite flustered, but Seo-yeon didn’t particularly feel bad about it.

On the contrary, thanks to Jo Seo-hee, a natural atmosphere for conversation with Yeo-hee had been created.

“Honestly, I’m a bit interested too.”

“W-what’s that?”

“Love stories.”

That was an unexpected statement, and Yeo-hee felt a bit taken aback.

To be honest, Seo-yeon seemed completely unrelated to romance.

“Learning to like someone and how to fall in love. I can’t even grasp the feeling.”

“…Hmm.”

I wonder why you’re asking me, but it seemed like a typical worry for a girl of her age.

‘I see, so this is what you wanted to ask earlier.’

It felt like she had unlocked the reason behind that subtle gaze.

Even if she hadn’t asked, the reason was roughly understandable.

“Honestly, I think she might explain it better than I could…”

“She?”

“Young-bin’s childhood friend. Anyway, since she’s a novelist, she’d probably do a better job describing things than I would.”

But Yeo-hee had no intention of reaching out to him for something like that.

Having been beaten down by life already, she felt utterly drained.

Concerned about Jo Seo-hee here shifting awkwardly, she decided to laugh it off instead.

“We should make plans to all meet up later. This is about the movie, right?”

“How did you know?”

“….”

It was a bit strange that Yeo-hee seemed so in tune with Seo-yeon’s schedule, but they happily made plans and parted ways.

Seo-yeon was curious about the stories from her high school days that Suah hadn’t shared with her.

And also, she wanted to emotionally connect with the ‘romantic’ feeling that had gotten Jo Seo-hee so excited.

Several days passed after parting ways with Yeo-hee.

“Joo Seo-yeon.”

The day before the next shoot, Jo Seo-hee visited Seo-yeon’s school.

This time, she wore quite a serious expression.

With a mask and sunglasses on.

She was hiding her identity, yet wore a school uniform which only stood out more.

“Did you sell your Benz? You’re always on that bicycle now.”

“Hmph, you said I had no stamina, didn’t you?”

Now that she mentioned it, she did say something like that last time they met.

Telling her to exercise since she seemed out of shape.

Seeing people around, Jo Seo-hee today gave off a vibe like a true villainess.

Her gaze was sharp, and if she glanced around too quickly, the kids taking pictures would be shocked and run away.

“…Aren’t you being too reckless?”

“I tend to leave it alone at school.”

“Such generosity.”

After responding that way, Jo Seo-hee tapped lightly on the seat behind her.

As if to invite her to sit.

Seo-yeon shook her head.

“Why? I can still give you a ride, you know.”

“That’s too much.”

“? ”

No, she was being serious.

Moreover, it would be faster for Seo-yeon to run than for Jo Seo-hee to ride her bike.

“But where are you going?”

“I came to invite you to watch a movie together.”

Jo Seo-hee smiled brightly and pulled out two tickets from her bag.

Seo-yeon stared blankly at her actions.

Why the sudden movie?

“It’s a romance movie. The rating is surprisingly high. These days even 15-rated movies are quite intense.”

“Have you seen it already?”

“Yeah. But I don’t mind watching it again.”

In other words, it was an apology for the last time.

What Jo Seo-hee said to Yeo-hee that Seo-yeon overheard was quite rude.

“I think it’ll definitely help you.”

Seo-yeon hesitated for a moment at her words.

Honestly, she felt Jo Seo-hee didn’t need to apologize.

It was something they could easily forget.

After all, the parties involved would probably just laugh it off.

Only Yeo-hee would feel embarrassed.

“…Alright.”

Eventually, Seo-yeon nodded.

She acknowledged Jo Seo-hee as a talented actress.

If she recommended a movie, there must be a reason for it.

‘Well, even if it’s intense, how bad could it be?’

Seo-yeon thought to herself.

And then—

‘Huh?’

Seo-yeon froze.

At the skin-tingling scenes unfolding on the screen.

‘Wasn’t this rated 15?’

Of course, that wasn’t the only important factor.

The emotion lines were incredibly dense and profound.

If she stole a glance to the side, Jo Seo-hee was munching on popcorn with a completely nonchalant expression.

You’d think she’d make a fuss while watching something like this, yet when it came to movies or dramas, she was boundlessly serious.

Naturally, Seo-yeon was the same.

‘This is, um…’

Seo-yeon curled her toes and began to fidget with her fingers.

Something felt really embarrassing all of a sudden.