I Want to Be a VTuber

---

Low of Just X.

Seo-yeon was someone I had already encountered a few times.

After filming [Dream Future] with Ma Yeon-woo, we had several opportunities to meet.

Aside from that, I had seen him in high society before.

Back when they were promoting ‘Shine Moon.’

But looking at him now, he seemed to be in much better spirits than back then.

You could say he had a ‘freed’ look on his face.

Just his outfit alone was covered in luxury brands.

“Hey, Jo Seo-hee, do you go to arcades too?”

He grinned at Seo-hee, his tone quite friendly.

That kind of casual demeanor made Seo-hee frown.

Of course, it seemed Seo-hee wasn’t exactly on friendly terms with Low.

‘But knowing Seo-hee’s personality, she can’t just sit there and take something like that.’

Thinking that, Low added, “Min-young talks about you a lot.”

“…I guess you two have become quite close.”

“Come on, why do you speak so stiffly? We’re friends here.”

It seemed Low really wanted to be friendly with Seo-hee, as he kept pushing that warmth.

Seo-hee looked rather tired.

“What? Were you in a fighting match? I’m really good at fighting games, teach me a bit?”

“No….”

“Ah, looks like you’re in a match. Move aside, I’ll show you how it’s done.”

“Ha, sure, do as you wish.”

It seemed Low didn’t realize Seo-yeon was sitting opposite him.

Anyway, since the game had started, Seo-yeon furrowed her brows.

At the moment she was about to exact some revenge on Seo-hee, some weird guy jumped in.

‘No, wait, before using it on Seo-hee, I should try it out on him first.’

Seo-yeon disliked fighting poorly.

So, she believed using weak moves was pathetic and usually avoided them.

In a fighting game, isn’t it expected to fight with flashy combos and techniques?

Even though she generally disliked weak moves, to beat Seo-hee, there was no other choice.

It would also be good to warm up a bit before facing her.

So.

“Watch this character. The skills are pretty big, so… oh, dang.”

“What the… Why is that guy so slippery?”

“If he does that, there’s no way to react—wait, how is this even slipping by?”

Confidently stepping forward, Low was literally beat down by Seo-yeon’s weak moves.

Whenever he tried to use a skill, he got countered at impossible reaction speeds and was beaten down unilaterally.

Seo-hee, who had originally thought she’d let him have his way, widened her eyes at the one-sided battle.

‘She could have won without all that.’

Seo-hee couldn’t help but think Seo-yeon was looking out for her. There was no other explanation.

No, but considering she had been losing ten times in a row, it didn’t seem like that at all…

But the more she watched, the more Seo-yeon’s reaction times were absurd.

Seo-hee could tell.

Seo-yeon’s controls were reacting to the opponent’s attacks by ‘seeing’ them.

It was different from gamers who judge moves based on motions.

It was more animalistic, perhaps.

Bang!!

“Ah!! This is so frustrating! What the hell? Is this how you have fun in a game? Who are you anyway?”

After taking two perfect losses in a row, a furious Low stood up and slammed his fist on the arcade machine.

From his perspective, a perfectly good situation had just been drenched in cold water.

‘What a coincidence to run into Jo Seo-hee like this.’

For Low, who was running Shine Moon, Seo-hee was a customer he had to catch.

She was none other than the daughter of the Newlike Group, ranked fifth in the domestic business world.

And recently, with a series of successful ventures, she was bound to rise even higher.

‘I’ve got to thank Min-young. If it weren’t for Min-young, I wouldn’t have known Seo-hee was the daughter of Newlike Group’s chairman.’

Seo-hee was known in the entertainment industry only as an actress.

Although there were public rumors about her family’s wealth, no one really knew who was behind it.

However, after the recent performance at Mireye Park, there were whispers that she was related to that branch of the family.

Various speculations were flying around, but the real information came from Chae Min-young, whom I met at an earlier high society party.

‘Seo-hee has a significant reputation as an actress.’

Still young, she couldn’t quite be called a ‘big star,’ but it was clear she was on her way to greatness.

Moreover, due to her sociable nature, she had a wide network, and many wanted to get close to her.

As the daughter of the Newlike Chairman.

With numerous celebrities entwined around her.

Just catching her could yield countless benefits.

But did Seo-hee notice Low’s ulterior motive?

She had never properly responded to his contact.

Thus, he had been trying various means to get closer all this time.

Using Chae Min-young, who often cozied up to him, to maintain contact.

Still, it seemed Seo-hee couldn’t refuse young Min-young’s requests, so at least she was able to drop the honorifics.

Today, when he saw Seo-hee at the arcade, Low rubbed his eyes several times.

There was no way she would be in an arcade; she was actually playing a fighting game.

Coincidentally, Low had a bit of skill in fighting games.

So he thought he’d show a good performance here and move on to the next step.

‘And to think this opportunity would ruin itself like this?’

Low stomped over to the person sitting opposite him.

Of course, he had no intention of causing trouble, given the image of a celebrity.

But he thought he should at least see the person’s face to relieve this anger.

“…?”

And then, Low froze.

The girl sitting opposite looked extremely familiar to him.

‘Joo Seo-yeon?’

Was it a mistake?

Could that person who just thrashed him be Joo Seo-yeon?

No, wait, Joo Seo-yeon was also at the arcade?

‘No way, wait a second.’

Thinking back, Seo-yeon had been with Seo-hee when she came to the party before.

‘Are they close?’

Low’s head spun with thoughts.

Joo Seo-yeon.

Though different in style from Seo-hee, she was certainly a big deal.

She was the hottest celebrity this year, and more importantly, she caught immense attention overseas.

Especially for Low, who managed a business, he was well aware.

Recently, there had been significant interest in the ‘celebrity’ Joo Seo-yeon from abroad.

It wasn’t just her acting, but every aspect of her as a celebrity.

‘If I get close to her, could I also connect with Seo-hee?’

So that was why Seo-hee had come to the arcade—it must have been for Seo-yeon.

It was well-known in the entertainment industry that Seo-yeon liked games.

The proof was her participation in [If Turned On, to the King].

After Seo-yeon’s appearance, the show had extended its lifespan significantly, though it was almost at the end back then.

The way Seo-yeon presented herself there was undeniable proof that one must have a keen interest in games to be on such a show.

And if it was Joo Seo-yeon, Low had some words for her.

“Wow, I thought you were an amazing player, but it was you, Seo-yeon? Incredible!!”

“? Are you here for a fight?”

“Excuse me?”

Low froze, completely taken aback that she would ask so directly.

Seo-yeon tilted her head in confusion at Low’s reaction.

‘Isn’t this a frequent occurrence in arcades?’

Moreover, this time, Seo-yeon felt a little guilty for playing dishonestly.

She even heard the curses coming from the other side.

So she got even more excited and kept striking dishonestly.

After her character died, she kept hitting its lifeless body for 30 seconds in the air.

At this point, it would be strange if her opponent didn’t get furious and leave.

Seo-yeon had that knowledge and continued to beat on Low.

“Did you, by any chance, hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“That…”

Seeing Seo-yeon’s nonchalant reaction, Low swallowed hard.

He couldn’t bring himself to ask if she had heard him cursing.

If she had, he couldn’t predict her reaction.

And if she hadn’t, bringing it up would just create unnecessary drama.

“I did hear you calling this and that.”

“…….”

At Seo-yeon’s words, Jo Seo-hee narrowed her eyes, arms crossed.

She had much to say, but since she was next to Seo-yeon, she chose to keep quiet.

“The fact you’re an entertainer… it’s a bit rude to curse when someone might be listening.”

She simply said that.

Of course, Low felt a surge of anger at her words, but what could he do about it?

‘This is getting dangerous.’

Low was convinced that if things continued like this, he would never get a chance to speak to Jo Seo-hee again.

Not to mention, if Seo-hee held any ill feelings towards him regarding this incident…

A chill ran down his spine.

“I-I see. Seo-yeon, um, you see, if you play too well, sometimes it might come off a bit harsh, you know. Wow, but really, you’re too good. I play fighting games a bit too, but I never thought I’d get wrecked like this. Hahaha!”

Forcing a laugh, Low glanced at the two women looking at him.

Joo Seo-yeon, Jo Seo-hee.

With the two standing side by side, sweat began to drip down his back.

‘What are those looks?’

Low had been a pretty slick student back in school.

The kids he hung out with were similar.

He never engaged in bullying, though, so it never got out of hand.

In short, he had met girls who could be described as ‘bad girls,’ but these two were on another level.

Even those ‘bad girls’ would probably look down when faced with them.

Such were the thoughts that crossed his mind as he felt the weight of their gazes.

‘What should I do? Wait, speaking of which.’

Low quickly turned on his smartphone and scrolled through his list of contacts.

Not her. I broke up with her last time.

Ah, here she is.

“Ah, right, I should mention this first. Seo-yeon, I’ve been meaning to greet you for a while.”

“To me?”

“Actually, it’s a bit of a secret. By the way, you know how we keep each other’s private lives as entertainers, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’m seeing someone lately, and she’s an acquaintance of yours. It’s almost like we’re getting to know each other, you could say we’re halfway into dating.”

Why was he suddenly talking about his love life?

Seo-yeon looked at Low with that thought in mind.

Jo Seo-hee relaxed her frown slightly.

Hearing him mention another woman, it seemed she wasn’t planning to show interest in him after all.

Of course, it also felt like he was trying to lure them in with a different meaning.

‘Recently, rumors about that not-so-great club have been spreading.’

Chae Min-young, daughter of the Hyo-young Group and a close adversary to Jo Seo-hee, was a fan of Low and seemed to be hearing various rumors.

Especially it seemed Min-young had completely fallen for Low and had been to that club a few times…

‘Even if you deny it verbally.’

Minors in clubs.

It didn’t feel right.

Jo Seo-hee looked at Low with sharpened eyes.

Then.

“Here’s a photo! What do you think? This person is someone Seo-yeon knows, right?”

So, on the smartphone screen Low showed, he casually revealed a photo of Pyo Ji-woo with him.

Seo-yeon’s eyes widened as she saw it.

“…Ji-woo unni?”

“Yeah, Pyo Ji-woo. She’s been appearing in shows recently, and we happened to get closer when we met at the broadcasting station.”

Pyo Ji-woo was appearing as a supporting character in a currently airing morning drama.

While her role wasn’t significant, her acting had received praise.

Having just transitioned from theater, she still seemed to be figuring things out, but Seo-yeon thought Ji-woo would soon rise to greater heights.

‘Especially if she plays a villain.’

I was sure she’d earn a much higher acclaim than now.

Anyway, seeing Ji-woo live well unlike in the past reassured me.

“…Are they dating?”

“Yeah, so don’t be too wary~.”

Low’s light-hearted comment drew a chuckle from Seo-yeon.

A drugged idol.

Right away, a fellow member from Just X, Lee Hyun, who was known for being active in Shine Moon, came to mind…

So it was a bit of a clique.

Therefore.

‘Now is he guilty too?’

Such thoughts were inevitably creeping in.

Of course, neither had any intention to pursue that.

*

“Just in case, it’s better not to respond to any messages from that guy.”

Despite the slight bothersome incidents with Low in the mix, for the most part, Seo-yeon and Seo-hee had a fun time together.

It felt a bit odd to say, but Seo-hee and Seo-yeon had many compatible traits in their personalities.

Seo-hee was a type who approached most things without prejudice and enjoyed the unfamiliar.

Together with Seo-yeon, they seemed to have a good time wandering around places like Hongdae’s Animate.

‘I get why she has so many people around her.’

Aside from her looks, she had a knack for dealing with others.

For Seo-hee, today was fulfilling—except for meeting Low.

Before finally parting ways, Seo-yeon and Seo-hee talked about the upcoming filming of [Gyeongseong Young Lady] at a cafe.

“Starting tomorrow, Japanese staff will probably be coming to the filming set.”

“Japanese staff?”

“It seems they want to personally shoot something to promote [Gyeongseong Young Lady]. They probably want to tie it in with the OTT documentary we’re going to do.”

“So, they’re shooting in two places at once?”

“Exactly. We were going to hand it over, but the Japanese side insisted they wanted to shoot it themselves. They even offered more money.”

That was indeed a remarkable case.

They could simply air the footage once they received it, since they were the ones producing it anyway.

“Why?”

“Must be because of you.”

“Me?”

“It’s because you have this bizarre ability to draw attention.”

Seo-hee looked at Seo-yeon, sitting across from her in the cafe.

Seo-yeon’s eyes slightly shifted to the side.

Was it awkward?

Unintentionally, Seo-hee smiled.

“Honestly, I never thought I’d be having this conversation with you when we first met.”

“Is that the ‘parachute’ thing?”

“…….”

So she indeed remembered that! Seo-hee shut her eyes tightly.

Was she still using honorifics because of that? How unfair, really.

“But, well, there is a reason for it, you know? It’s…”

“It’s alright. I don’t think about it much now. Just occasionally.”

To say that means she thinks about it a lot, doesn’t it?

Seo-hee poked her lips out.

At her look, this time Seo-yeon chuckled softly.

It was clear that they no longer felt awkward together.