I Want to Be a VTuber

---

While resting at a Japanese broadcasting station, I got a call asking if I wanted to participate in a variety show.

Of course, that’s not something that typically happens.

Is there really a need to propose a broadcast appearance for a Korean actor in Japan?

If it were an idol, maybe the recognition would be there, but for an actor, that’s pretty rare.

But maybe it was because of the big issue that happened recently.

Seo-yeon’s participation in the variety show got the green light almost immediately.

‘Of course, it seems like it’s also for promoting the movie.’

There was something similar during <The Chaser>.

Didn’t we end up on a deserted island during that one?

I don’t think we managed to promote the movie properly, though.

“Y-You’re serious, Seo-yeon? Option 3? You’re really going to Aokigahara?”

Park Eun-ha repeatedly asked Seo-yeon, almost in disbelief.

Why on earth would they choose such a place? There are plenty of easier options!

Especially considering how easily frightened she is!

‘Looking at her face right now, you can tell she’s scared!’

Seo-yeon shot a sharp gaze at Park Eun-ha.

That look made Park Eun-ha flinch.

‘Please, just hold off on that look!’

Seo-yeon typically has a blank expression that doesn’t show much emotion, so a glare like that could easily intimidate even Park Eun-ha.

“Yes. I think this is what makes a variety show interesting, right?”

“Well, I bet the Japanese PD will love it… but…”

Are you really okay with something that scares you?

Seo-yeon nodded at Park Eun-ha’s gaze, which was filled with concern.

‘You can’t run away forever.’

Seo-yeon had experienced significant humiliation out of fear several times already.

But now, that wouldn’t happen.

‘If it’s one of the seven mysterious places, it’s perfect for pushing my fears!’

Seo-yeon steeled herself.

Although she was initially ignorant of her feelings, she recently learned something important.

Emotions, surprisingly, can become familiar if they are revisited repeatedly.

Commonly, the threshold for fear raises, causing one not to feel the same feelings as before.

‘So, if I get accustomed to this place, I won’t feel fear towards anything else.’

Goodbye to the trembling Joo Seo-yeon.

Not wanting to see herself scream in terror anymore, Seo-yeon decided to take drastic measures.

Besides.

‘Look at them, they think I’ll never choose option 3.’

Of course, Seo-yeon would prefer a comfortable option 1 or 2 to go camping and return.

Having recently enjoyed a camping anime, she was genuinely considering it, especially since Fuji mountain camping was featured.

But then again.

‘Will Seo-yeon definitely go with option 1? Well, she wouldn’t choose option 3.’

That thought was evident on Park Eun-ha’s face.

A provocation!

Seo-yeon absolutely could not decipher that feeling and ended up unable to pick option 1 or 2.

“Well, since you’ve made up your mind, let the broadcasting station know.”

“Hmm, got it.”

“By the way, it’s kind of funny to ask if there’s someone else joining me, but is there anyone else I’ll be appearing with?”

From what I hear, it seems like not just Seo-yeon, but also Lee Ji-yeon and Jo Seo-hee are being asked to participate.

Jo Seo-hee had asked if they got a request from Japan right away.

“Oh, right. You three will be doing the show together. Seo-hee, Ji-yeon, and Seo-yeon.”

“Uh? But doesn’t she have filming to do?”

“She was told to take it easy for a bit since she’s worked hard for a while now.”

It sounds like they’re extending the stay in Japan a bit more and scheduling the filming with some wiggle room.

Which makes variety show participation possible.

Seo-yeon nodded.

“But can I pick the location by myself?”

“Well, since you are the main focus in Japan, the rest is really more of an afterthought? It seems like someone else also got contacted… but I’m not sure about that.”

“One more person?”

Oh, did Stella get a call too?

Suddenly that thought crossed her mind.

Since they seemed to want her to appear in the variety show in Japan.

‘Speaking of which, it seems like a permanent goodbye from her.’

It would be hilarious if they just came back like that.

“Also, another Japanese actress.”

“…A Japanese actress?”

“Yeah, it seems they’re trying to throw her into the mix too.”

I think Park Eun-ha added that she might be trying to appeal to Asher Baldwin.

‘What? So it’s Stella then.’

Looking at it, it seems like they’re trying to get Stella and the Japanese actress to befriend Asher Baldwin, attempting to win him over.

‘Didn’t Asher Baldwin dislike the actresses the broadcasting station was pushing?’

While filming <Gyeongseong Young Lady>, Seo-yeon had befriended a few of the Japanese staff secretly.

Through them, she learned that the offer for her participation in the Japanese film initially stemmed from a rejection of a Japanese actress.

So right now, they’re trying to both promote <Gyeongseong Young Lady> and create connections with Stella and the Japanese actress to persuade Asher Baldwin… it’s truly an elaborate plan to catch two birds with one stone.

‘Usually, that means losing both.’

Seo-yeon thought to herself.

Such things in life never tend to be that easy.

***

In the forest near Mount Fuji.

Aokigahara’s mystery.

Japanese staff, decked out in safety gear, prepared for filming with serious expressions on their faces.

The theme of this variety show is “Survival.”

To put it simply, it’s about “surviving for two days in Aokigahara.”

“Is Seo-yeon out of her mind?”

At the entrance of the forest, Ji-yeon said that.

“Why would anyone pick option 3? It’s obviously better to choose options 1 or 2!”

“Options 1 and 2 look boring from the start.”

“…When did you start caring so much about variety shows?”

Currently, Lee Ji-yeon was experiencing huge regret.

‘If I had known this was going to happen, we should have discussed picking option 1 or 2.’

The reason they passed the choice to Seo-yeon was for several reasons.

First, as Park Eun-ha said, they were supporting characters, and Seo-yeon was the protagonist of the show.

Secondly, they believed that Seo-yeon would never choose something frightening.

‘That face, showing that she got one over us, is infuriating.’

As if reading Ji-yeon’s thoughts, Seo-yeon giggled, puffing her shoulders in delight.

Ji-yeon thought for a moment she wanted to slap her, but it was clear that wouldn’t accomplish anything.

“Hmm? Are we really going to spend a night here?”

In Jo Seo-hee’s case, she blinked, unable to believe the terrifying sight that was the forest.

They say it looks pretty ordinary by day, but the overcast sky made it look quite scary right now.

Despite appearing this way, Jo Seo-hee is a young lady.

She’s hardly been to dangerous places.

In fact, she’s hardly participated in any variety shows—she’s a true young lady actress.

“I hear there are bears in this forest.”

A Japanese staff member who could speak Korean approached her.

“B-bear?!”

Jo Seo-hee was startled enough to almost jump.

A bear, of all things.

Is it even possible to film in such a dangerous place?

Japanese variety shows are something to be frightened about.

Are they really just going to leave celebrities here like that?

Sure, they had proper preparations in place for such events, but that didn’t change the fact that the mere mention of bears was significant.

“Seo-yeon, they said there are bears here!”

“That’s fine.”

“?”

Seo-yeon was more scared of monsters or ghosts—things she couldn’t fight—rather than wild animals she could.

“Bears are cute, you know.”

“…But if you meet one in the forest, I doubt it’ll be cute.”

Is that so?

Seo-yeon shrugged.

Frankly, what’s so terrifying about bears?

Animals are fine.

She might think about dinosaurs, though.

‘By the way.’

Seo-yeon narrowed her eyes at a woman mingling among the Japanese staff.

To her surprise, it was a familiar figure.

Not Stella, as expected…but the Japanese actress who’d agreed to participate.

None other than Koto Reika.

‘She was the actress who ignored Sora back then.’

To be precise, she was the woman who dragged along the actress who ignored Sora.

Seo-yeon wasn’t sure about her personality, but she carried a pretty bad image in Seo-yeon’s mind since she didn’t stop her colleagues.

And how did Koto Reika react to Seo-yeon’s gaze?

‘Scary…really scary.’

For various reasons, she was genuinely trembling in fear.

Initially, they thought they were just going to go camping, but actually arriving here in Aokigahara had given her second thoughts.

Moreover, the two women she was going to appear with were no ordinary folks either.

Just looking at Joo Seo-yeon was frightening enough, but the other two were pretty much on the same level.

‘Why on earth did I come to Aokigahara?’

Thanks to this, Jo Seo-hee had truly become the embodiment of a walking Tomie.

‘Where on earth is Stella?’

Originally, her purpose for coming to the variety show was to get close to Stella.

But now, what they were saying was.

“Umm, she might or might not come? She probably won’t show up until the second day.”

What on earth does that even mean?

Why would she not come until the second day?

‘More importantly, is she really coming?’

If she doesn’t show, does that mean I have to stay here in Aokigahara with these three women?

And does she even know Japanese?

『Hello, how are you?』

“What is she saying?”

Seeing Koto Reika quietly ask Lee Ji-yeon, Jo Seo-hee thought, ‘Don’t tell me she doesn’t know Japanese?!’

How is she going to appear on a variety show like that?

As she pondered, Jo Seo-yeon casually replied.

『Hi there. I’m doing well.』

Fortunately, Jo Seo-hee scanned Koto Reika from head to toe, responding with curious eyes.

In any case, Jo Seo-hee was incredibly charming around actresses.

And she had a decent grasp of the names of actresses being promoted in Japan.

Koto Reika, regarded as one of the top young actresses currently in Japan.

“What? Jo Seo-hee, you can speak Japanese?”

“Yeah.”

“How many languages do you know?”

“A lot.”

Jo Seo-hee laughed to herself as she answered, and Seo-yeon was amazed.

‘I want to answer like that next time.’

It sounded pretty cool.

Seems like as a rich kid, she learned various languages from a young age.

No wonder her vocabulary was good.

“By the way, Jo Seo-hee, this is a prop.”

“Huh? A fan?”

“The Japanese staff suggested using it for the young lady concept.”

“…What’s the point of having a young lady concept in a forest? Oh, maybe it’s because of <Gyeongseong Young Lady>?”

It took a moment for Seo-hee to understand the reason the Japanese staff had requested that.

They likely wanted to promote the movie, so they were asking for a “young lady” type of image.

『Wait a moment!!』

Seeing Jo Seo-hee holding the fan, Koto Reika couldn’t restrain her astonishment.

As she drew everyone’s attention with her sudden shout, Koto Reika whispered in a small voice to a nearby staff member.

『How did this happen? Our concepts are overlapping!』

Koto Reika was an actress who had been marketing herself as a young lady character in Japan.

Even her name was quite fitting for a young lady, and her actions were relatively graceful, leading to that image.

In truth, Koto was from a background slightly below the middle class.

Yet for some reason, stories about her being the daughter of a famous group or a celebrity’s child were often told.

Thus, she had a group of followers swooping around her, but she didn’t seem to mind and let it be.

However, upon seeing Jo Seo-hee holding the fan, Koto Reika felt a sense of urgency.

‘Oh, her aura really makes her look like a young lady.’

Firstly, her high nose and the way she oddly tilted her chin while playfully flicking the fan made her look just like a villainess from a comic.

『Um, um, the theme of this variety show is “Fierce Young Ladies,” you see.』

It’s essentially a parody of “Little Women.”

But what on earth do Aokigahara and that have in common?

Please let them only do that.

『Can I have a fan too?』

『Huh?』

In any case, as a representative young lady of Japan, she couldn’t back down.

With that spirit, her competitive flame against Jo Seo-hee ignited.

***

『For now, you don’t need to worry too much about safety. We will take care of that as much as we can.』

The PD of YHJ Broadcasting Station, Amaya Hiroki, nodded at the four actresses.

Visually, they all certainly seemed like young ladies.

Although Lee Ji-yeon didn’t quite give off that vibe, she seemed good enough.

『In the variety show, we won’t be following you around, and you’ll film freely. Yes, really.』

Of course, Koto Reika didn’t believe the PD’s words.

Japanese variety shows often promised safety like that before doing outrageous things.

‘But please, not in this forest.’

She hoped they would hold back her fears; the gaze of Seo-yeon staring at her from behind didn’t help.

『So, for three days, we’ll be covering our own meals, I presume?』

The first to raise her hand and ask was Jo Seo-hee.

At her question, Amaya PD nodded.

『Yes, I thought you’d want to know that. However, to be on the safe side, hunting or gathering fruits is out of the question.』

『Then?』

『We’ve hidden various ingredients and tools for cooking within the confines of the forest, so you’ll need to find those to cook.』

『Oh.』

In other words, they had hidden items like meat, vegetables, and cooking tools in the forest for them to find.

‘What do you mean by casually saying “Oh”? We have to go into that forest to look for them!’

Koto Reika fidgeted as she thought about the terrifying experience of hunting for items in Aokigahara.

After all, Aokigahara was also known as a suicide hot spot.

What if she were to stumble upon something gruesome while wandering around?

‘That Japanese actress, she doesn’t seem to trust the staff at all…’

Seeing the incredulity painted on Koto Reika’s face, Jo Seo-hee clicked her tongue.

In a sense, she appreciated how honest Koto appeared.

At least she was easier to deal with compared to Stella.

『Then, good luck for the next two days.』

With those words from PD Amaya, the filming for the variety show began.

“First, let’s decide who will be doing the cooking.”

The person responsible for fetching the ingredients had already been decided.

Joo Seo-yeon.

She declared confidently that she would go fetch them herself.

‘Overcoming fears!’

She showcased that strong will power.

‘Overcoming the terrifying Joo Seo-yeon… it sounds like a title from a monster hunter game!’

As Seo-yeon moved confidently, Ji-yeon inadvertently thought something.

Truth be told, it didn’t feel all that different from the situation.

“…Why is no one raising their hands?”

Jo Seo-hee looked at the three of them, who seemed lost in thought, and a panicked expression crossed her face.

“I can’t cook.”

“I can’t cook either.”

『Me neither.』

“……”

Naturally, Jo Seo-hee couldn’t either.

She was a girl who’d never held a knife in her life.

In fact, she’d never even held a pot—she was a super young lady.

Well, she might have a housekeeper, but the others didn’t!

“Why can’t you cook?”

“My dad said he’d be too scared if I held a knife.”

“I just seem to mess it up whenever I try.”

The first was Joo Seo-yeon, and the later was Lee Ji-yeon.

Surely, it’d be frightening if Seo-yeon held a knife.

As for Ji-yeon, while it was quite surprising, it didn’t seem like she was lying.

‘Could it be a concept for the show?’

Hastily, Koto checked her, and Koto shook her head rapidly.

She truly could not cook.

Even though she came from a middle-class house, she had been treated like a princess at home.

Especially after she began focusing on the young lady concept, she distanced herself from cooking even more.

But at this point, the four young ladies gathered here realized there was a severe problem within the variety show.

‘This is a disaster.’

Seo-yeon was starting to feel a sense of crisis.

‘I can’t believe we might have to starve for three days!’

Or would they have to find ingredients and eat them raw?

At this moment, the four young ladies found themselves in an unexpected predicament.