I Want to Be a VTuber

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When Stella first arrived in the forest, what she witnessed was nothing short of catastrophic.

To be honest, at first, she thought they were corpses.

Well, if anyone was just sleeping in the bushes, you’d think the same.

It’s a wonder they could sleep like that at all.

‘Isn’t that a tent?’

What truly shocked Stella was what they were sleeping on.

A canvas with four women sprawled out.

At first, she thought it was just a regular cloth, but upon closer inspection, it was a tent.

Who sleeps on a tent without setting it up? What a novel idea.

“Can’t you just sleep inside the tent?”

Normally, Stella would have smiled brightly at such absurdity, but today, she couldn’t muster the courage.

In a situation that strayed far from common sense, she was even devoid of the mindset to act.

“Nobody here knows how to set it up.”

“…Tent assembly, you say.”

Staring blankly at the girls looking at her, Stella was left speechless.

They looked like they had never been camping in their lives.

Surely, even if they didn’t know how to put up a tent, they could at least figure that out, right?

Stella felt her common sense waver.

Is this normal in the East?

“More importantly, food.”

“Food?”

“Cook me some food.”

Seo-yeon spoke with quite some urgency.

It probably wasn’t just Seo-yeon either.

Before the filming of this variety show started, there had been one request from the Japanese PD.

“For the sake of realism, please restrict food the day before filming.”

Stella had wondered why that was, but it seemed like they were told this because the shooting period was three days and they wanted to experience an empty stomach.

To be blunt, they could just tough it out.

However, at this point, having fasted for two days, it was evident everyone was worn out from hunger.

Everyone had given up on pitching the tent for nothing.

They were exhausted and fatigued, making it all the more bothersome to bother with tents.

Seeing their reactions, Stella stared for a moment before breaking into a smile.

“Yeah, no thanks.”

“Why not?”

“Well, isn’t it more fun this way? I can fill my stomach first and then go a bit longer without food.”

Wouldn’t it be more amusing to tease them like this?

As she chuckled to herself.

“Reika, grab that.”

Jo Seo-hee pointed at Stella.

Then, Reika, who had quietly approached, swiftly caught Stella from behind, preventing her from escaping.

“Uh? Who are you?!”

Stella was never good at distinguishing faces.

Seeing three people gathered together, she had guessed it was Seo-yeon, Lee Ji-yeon, and Jo Seo-hee, but the last one was entirely unrecognizable.

Since someone was stealthily approaching, she had just thought it was staff.

But who would have thought she would be caught from behind?

‘Reika? The Koto Reika?’

It was the name of an actress who kept pushing to be the lead for her father, Asher Baldwin.

So, in Reika’s case, she needed to boost Stella’s liking for her in any way possible.

“What’s up with you? Isn’t the goal to get friendly with me?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know. I just want to survive!!”

“You won’t die from this. What on earth are you saying?”

As Stella flusteredly remarked, Reika held her tight while three other women encircled her.

Seeing them up close, she started to distinguish their faces a bit.

“What… what are you doing?”

As Stella awkwardly asked, they subtly moved closer, placing their hands on her sides and around her neck.

And then.

“Ahaha, st-stop that! Stop! Don’t tickle me! Seriously! Okay, alright, I get it!!”

Tickling has always been a superb method of torture.

After about five minutes of relentless tickling, Stella had no choice but to surrender.

***

‘…Why did I even come here?’

Stella genuinely regretted appearing on this variety show.

She had been smiling brightly, but looking at the three women sprawled nearby, it was hard not to think that way.

“First, we’re making the tent.”

“Okay.”

“Hold that, secure it on top. Then stake it in next to it.”

“What’s a stake?”

“Those nail-like things.”

“Do I just push them in with my hand?”

Lee Ji-yeon asked while holding a long nail-like object.

“How can you do that with your hands?”

When Stella replied as if she found it ridiculous, Lee Ji-yeon pouted.

“Hey, Seo-yeon, come here and press this down.”

“No, that won’t work just by pushing it with your hand….”

Seo-yeon, who had subtly approached and pressed down with her palm, managed to drive the stake into the ground.

Is it really possible to do that with sheer strength?

Stella stared blankly at the sight while Lee Ji-yeon, mischievously smiling, acted as if she had done something extraordinary.

“Huh, huh, it’s just about pounding it in.”

Anyhow, under Stella’s leadership, the troublesome items they had collected yesterday.

In other words, the tents were finally taking a proper shape.

Once they had set up the tents, Stella gathered the remaining chaotic ingredients.

‘Perhaps I should make a decent meat stew.’

Given the leftover ingredients, that was about all she could manage.

While moving with her pot in hand, Stella found herself making eye contact with a bear looking at her with innocent eyes.

Upon seeing that bear, Stella was initially so startled that she nearly fell backward.

“Hey, Seo-yeon.”

“Yeah?”

“Is that bear here for filming?”

“Yep, I brought it.”

“?”

Stella tilted her head at Seo-yeon’s confident reply.

What did she mean she brought the bear herself?

Did she perhaps accompany it when fetching it from the zoo?

But, no matter how she looked at it, that bear didn’t seem to have been taken care of.

“Anyway, I need to cook… So is there anyone who can help?”

At Stella’s question, everyone quietly averted their gaze.

Even Reika.

‘Weren’t you supposed to be here to get close to me?’

Stella genuinely wanted to ask.

Regardless of everyone else, Reika was supposed to somehow win Stella’s favor to catch the attention of Asher Baldwin.

But what was she to do if she looked like, ‘Oh, I don’t even know anymore’?

‘They say this kind of thing is called a “Dooly” in Korea.’

While studying Korean and browsing the internet for cultural knowledge, Stella saw a meme.

A green dinosaur scratching its behind while saying, ‘Give me food’ and a man venting his frustrations with, ‘I can’t take this anymore!’

Right now, Stella felt like that man.

The sight of the three staring blankly at her was just like the expression of the green dinosaur demanding food.

Watching them, it was evident that Stella’s usual bright smile was cracking.

“If you cook for me, I promise I’ll do a favor for you later.”

Maybe feeling a bit guilty, Seo-yeon spoke up, and the cracks in Stella’s smile reverted to their original form.

Instead, she looked a bit intrigued.

“Huh, really? That doesn’t sound too bad.”

With a strangely plotting smile.

Seeing that smile, Jo Seo-hee squinted her eyes and asked.

“That’s quite a meaningful smile there.”

“Huh? Not like I’m going to make some grand request.”

Holding a pot filled with vegetables and meat to make stew, Stella said.

“After all, I’m leaving for America the day after tomorrow. How significant of a favor could I possibly ask for?”

“Hmm, is that so?”

Jo Seo-hee opened up a relatively neat fan and elegantly covered her mouth.

She looked like she was deep in thought.

Did she really need to use a fan for that?

‘Is it a habit?’

Seo-yeon thought as she tilted her head.

Now that she thought about it, she seemed to recall seeing a similar action when she attended a high-society party last time.

Thanks to that, she could see Reika frantically fanning her face beside her to cover it.

Did she not want to appear in the young lady concept?

“….”

When Seo-yeon shifted her gaze from Jo Seo-hee and looked back at Stella, she felt Stella’s subtle gaze on her.

Sometimes, Stella looked at her with those eyes.

As if trying to look into Seo-yeon’s innermost thoughts.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Uh~? No? Just.”

Having regained her composure, Stella smiled like an angel.

“I’m just looking forward to tomorrow.”

Tomorrow, when the filiming ended.

Stella genuinely anticipated that day.

***

Anyway, after that, filming proceeded smoothly, almost as if the earlier chaos had been a lie.

However, it turned out a bit different from what the filming crew expected.

“We were expecting Stella to be a bit more airheaded.”

“Right?”

The public image of Stella generally leaned toward an angelic persona.

Of course, she had no rough edges with the staff either.

But you never know how things will turn out when she’s with her fellow actresses.

In extreme situations like Aokigahara, she might show some troublesome behavior again.

After all, she was supposed to be that airheaded young lady character.

But who would have thought.

“Is it just me, or does she seem remarkably used to situations like this…?”

“Hmm.”

She cooked well with scarce ingredients, pitched tents, and managed to sleep soundly even in quite harsh conditions.

Her unexpected demeanor was somewhat impressive.

Thanks to that, they appropriately resolved what might have been a dangerous filming experience.

“I think we’re ready to give the next mission.”

The camera captured Seo-yeon and Stella together.

Either way, they both had visuals that were very appealing in Japan.

Just being together created such a pleasing scene.

As the staff admired the five young ladies with contented smiles.

“But when are we going to get rid of that bear, by the way?”

“Ah.”

They hurriedly rushed over to address the belatedly arising issue.

Naturally, they couldn’t simply remove the bear, so it was only after all filming had concluded that the bear and its companions were separated.

“They say it has a crack in its rib.”

“….”

“It appears it was significantly beaten on the face and arms too.”

“….”

“It seems it got chased out from a fight with another bear to come here.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, it was lucky. The bear’s injuries weren’t severe enough for it to act properly.”

“That’s a relief….”

Afterward, numerous police and special units appeared and took the bear away.

Since it was acting strangely, they couldn’t just let it go as it was.

Later, when Seo-yeon heard the story from staff members who could speak Korean, she mechanically nodded.

So it seemed it was quiet and obedient.

But in reality, it had been groaning in pain all along.

Still, given how well it ate, it seemed to blend in nicely with the group.

For Seo-yeon, who rode around on the bear until nearly the end of filming, that was a bit disappointing.

“Since it’s got such a good personality, it might end up going to a zoo. It seems like a pretty rare breed.”

“Is that so?”

“Since it appeared on a variety show and Seo-yeon rode it, it would be a shame to set it free.”

For reasons unknown, the bear, which was sent to the hospital, was said to be very obedient to the orders of people with black hair.

Thanks to that, they found it easy to examine.

“Haah, but at least the filming ended safely.”

With all filming complete, Ji-yeon emerged from Aokigahara and let out a sigh.

After Stella arrived, the ordeal had lessened, but on the other hand, it felt more entertaining that they could perform a mission together.

On the first day, there was the bear, and the incident of whether they set up a tent or cooked was adventurous, but by the second day, they had nothing.

If Stella hadn’t come, it would have just been two days lying around.

Thinking back, it might have been a little hair-raising.

“But Seo-yeon really has a weakness for scary things.”

Jo Seo-hee remarked in fascination while observing Seo-yeon.

After filming ended, in the bus ride back, she recollected the final mission from yesterday.

Last night, Seo-yeon had completed the final mission alongside Seo-hee.

To put it simply, they were tasked with finding a red ribbon hidden by the staff in Aokigahara forest.

As they approached the mission location, Seo-yeon couldn’t even meet Seo-hee’s eyes.

‘Do I really look that frightening?’

Jo Seo-hee began to get slightly bothered by that aspect.

Now, everyone only saw her as “Tomie, Tomie,” so it hung heavily on her heart.

‘Hmm, not really alike though.’

The face she found online definitely looked scary yet beautiful.

That girl looks incredibly mean.

“But when is the broadcast?”

“Probably needs editing and a lot of other stuff to be done, so it’ll air about a month later.”

At the staff’s words, Seo-yeon nodded.

A month was quite long.

‘By then, the filming for Gyeongseong Young Lady will have finished, so we can all watch it together.’

But after Gyeongseong Young Lady wraps up, Seo-yeon would have a bit more breathing room.

The next movie she was looking into was directed by Jo Bang-woo, titled ‘Seoul Escape.’

The audition was scheduled for roughly December.

‘I hope I can pass the audition.’

If she does, then in the meantime, she would likely have to film Mine.

Although no one had communicated this yet, it would be a hassle if it overlapped with Seoul Escape.

Seoul Escape was a critical movie for Seo-yeon.

She absolutely couldn’t let it slip away.

“We’ve arrived.”

Leaving Aokigahara, they arrived in Tokyo.

As the group stepped off the bus, each exchanged farewells.

Thanking one another for their hard work and offering those clichéd sayings.

“Ah, I’m so tired.”

“I’m going to sleep the moment I get home.”

“Me too.”

“…Do you understand Korean?”

“Ah, no. Just by the nuance.”

Reika thought to herself.

What is this, Asher Baldwin’s film shoot?

Forget about it and just head home to nap instead.

She resolved to tell her agency she just had a tough time.

“Then Stella will part ways here… What are you doing?”

“Uh?”

Stella, who had been staring at Ji-yeon and Seo-hee, moved close to Seo-yeon.

“Ahaha, remember what I said yesterday? You’d cook for me, and then Seo-yeon would do me a favor.”

“…But?”

“I want to ask for that favor now.”

“What?”

With that, Stella spun toward Seo-yeon, who was looking blankly at her.

The gaze of Seo-yeon had neither affection nor aversion.

It was a perfectly simple gaze that Stella found very appealing.

The clarity of Seo-yeon’s face was likewise refreshing.

“You know I’m returning to the States tomorrow, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Then~.”

And then she slyly glanced at Seo-hee and Ji-yeon before breaking into a bright smile.

A playful grin.

The moment Stella smiled, Seo-hee’s eyes narrowed.

Her lips parted.

“Today, spend time with me.”

“Huh?”

In a moment’s confusion, Seo-yeon looked at her with slightly flustered eyes.

Then.

“I’m asking you out on a date.”

Taking a step closer to Seo-yeon.

“You don’t want to?”