Hobbyist VTuber

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In my past life, acting was something I had to do.

For those who were the first to bring “me” into existence in this world.

Just by not being abandoned, I had fulfilled my duty as a child, as they claimed.

Yet, the relief I felt unconsciously was because they smiled at me.

For the first time, those who had only shown me cold, disdainful gazes gave me a smile.

Of course, now that so much has changed, I know that it was all entirely wrong.

I also know that those smiles back then were not the kind of smiles I truly desired.

However, the memory of desperately wanting to be loved, even while acting with a pained body, remains clear.

I unconsciously knew that what they offered me wasn’t love, yet I couldn’t shake the foolish hope that one day, I would genuinely be loved.

Thus, I began to act once more, even as I dragged up bitter moments that wouldn’t do me any good.

‘…The winner of the Best New Actress at the 8th Korean Film Awards is─ Congratulations. It’s Lee Ha-eun from next door!’

Less than a year after that, just as my past self had wished, I found myself loved by many through my acting.

I continued to learn acting while surrounded by children who still disliked me, feeling a lingering sense of inadequacy.

For me now, acting is something I want to keep doing by any means necessary.

At the same time, I must constantly remind my past self, who acted only for others.

Ever since I began to be called someone else’s student, I have been striving for that ideal performance.

So, at this moment, as I pour all those efforts into the last scene where little Han Yoo-hwa appears…

“Senior Ha Yun-seong. Was I… okay?”

I felt like it would be alright to indulge in a desire I’d never shown before.

Unlike those people back then, I wished that not a single person in front of me would be smiling.

“Um, Ha-eun. Don’t you know best whether you were okay or not?”

The answer that finally returned from Ha Yun-seong, who had been looking down at me, was thankfully one that signified my efforts had borne fruit.

He seemed to expect that Seong-ah would say the same thing to him.

“I’m not sure what kind of assignment Seong-ah gave you, but after watching your performance, even if she wanted to fail you, she’d end up passing you.”

“Ah… Thank you.”

I started to walk alongside Ha Yun-seong to check the final footage.

However, the stains and dirt that got on my costume during the collapsing scene still bothered me.

“…I’m sorry. You told me not to fall.”

As soon as I confirmed there was nothing wrong with the final footage, I headed straight to the costume staff, bowing my head and waist to apologize.

At almost the same time, the staff waved their hands hurriedly, saying it wasn’t necessary to apologize.

“I just wanted Ha-eun to be a little more careful. If you fall before shooting, it might delay the filming while changing costumes.”

Not long after, they added that my previous performance was indeed impressive.

After I slowly expressed my gratitude for the kind words, I headed to change back into my original clothes.

After meeting Joo Jeong-yoon, who had been waiting with the car’s heater on, I unlike other days, lounged back with my seat fully reclined and closed my eyes.

“Jung-yoon unnie, I’m gonna… sleep a bit. Please wake me up when we arrive.”

Before long, I succumbed to the overwhelming wave of sleep and closed my eyes.

Today was the first time I had done such physically exhausting acting that drained all my stamina.

Perhaps because of that, the aftereffects of acting lasted two or three times longer than usual, but since I had almost finished filming all the scenes I needed to as young Han Yoo-hwa,

my mind felt lighter than ever.

*

“Hmm… What would be the best way to do this…”

It was about two weeks until the premiere of “You from the Stars.”

In preparation for the meeting that would start in a few minutes, PD Hwang Min-soo began to rewatch the footage from earlier, feeling his mind once again wavering.

Strictly speaking, there was nothing wrong with the footage itself.

There wasn’t a single scene that seemed awkward or that demanded re-shooting.

Rather, it was precisely because it was a perfect piece of filming.

How could PD Hwang find a way to make better use of this perfect footage? The thought swirled repeatedly in his mind.

Among the many concerns filling PD Hwang’s head, the biggest one concerned the drama’s teaser.

How to conceptualize a teaser video that serves as the equivalent of a trailer for a movie was his largest dilemma.

In any case, “You from the Stars” was a drama that the UBS Broadcasting Station had invested wholeheartedly in.

As the follow-up to the recently concluded drama [Successor], which had garnered high viewership, the higher-ups at the station had their eyes on “You from the Stars” as well.

Therefore, the teaser video had to not only amplify viewer expectations but also capture the hearts of the station’s higher-ups.

“What does Director Song think?”

“I don’t see any shortcomings in whatever direction you choose… But for the twist effect, I think Option B would be the best.”

“Right, no one would expect the young Han Yoo-hwa from hundreds of years ago to die like that. To make full use of Ha-eun’s “that performance,” Option B seems like the way to go.”

As time passed and the meeting finally began, they continued discussing the drama teaser.

In the end, the finalized form of the teaser was quite different from what they had originally conceptualized.

Of course, there was no change in the emphasis on the two lead actors, Ha Yun-seong and Yoo Seong-ah.

The fact that “You from the Stars” had become a major topic even before its airing stemmed from the massive fame of these two actors appearing in the same drama.

Strictly speaking, the name of Ha-eun, who took on the role of young Han Yoo-hwa, was mentioned in articles.

Although it didn’t garner as much attention compared to the two lead actors.

However, just moments ago, the footage that PD Hwang had rewatched featured Ha-eun in a way that would surely draw significant attention.

They decided to subtly use another hidden card that the production team of “You from the Stars” had secreted away, just enough to be woven into the teaser.

“People say kids these days are terrifying, but for some reason, Ha-eun feels several steps ahead.”

“That’s a relief in a way. From our perspective, there’s nothing but advantages, right?”

“Well, that’s true.”

At this point, before “You from the Stars” had even begun airing, Ha-eun was only receiving minimal attention as a supporting player who added some small tidbits alongside the performances of top actors like Ha Yun-seong and Yoo Seong-ah.

As has been the case for numerous young actors in countless dramas before, regardless of how much effort Ha-eun put in, it was believed she would not play a significant role between two top stars.

Most importantly, people have a kind of belief that if someone’s a protagonist, they cannot die or fall victim to any crisis.

If Ha-eun, who hadn’t garnered much attention yet, could shatter that narrow belief with remarkable acting skills uncharacteristic of a young actress,

“Another star is about to be born.”

“That’s true.”

Surely, the ripple effect could not be taken lightly.

Of course, jamming everything into a one-minute teaser video was realistically difficult, so they had to settle for merely hinting at something unusual about to happen.

In any case, a teaser is just a teaser.

What truly matters is always the main body of the drama.

Thus, building the foundations for success with the premiere episode, which revolved around Ha Yun-seong and Yoo Seong-ah, who had already garnered attention.

Then, letting viewers take note of Ha-eun’s astounding performance starting from the second episode.

“Whatever happens, whatever sounds you hear, do not turn around. Just go.”

Climaxes in the story wrapping up in episode five with Han Yoo-hwa’s tragic performance;

“Do you know, sir? I’m going to be a star. No one will be able to ignore me, a high and lofty star that anyone will have to look up to.”

If they were to show another side of Ha-eun that could be believed even by young Yoo Seong-ah,

Then, ‘…it would be strange if it didn’t succeed.’

The narratives of the two leading characters that had gradually accumulated until now would explode all at once, sufficiently providing the audience with yet another reason to tune in to “You from the Stars.”