I Want to Be a VTuber

---

Actually, I didn’t expect such a reaction from Ji-yeon, a friend who has known Seo-yeon for a long time.

Of course, Ji-yeon knows what the “red pill” refers to.

Well, she wouldn’t be oblivious to it being a Vtuber.

So intentionally, Ji-yeon had never directly mentioned ‘Ramiel’ to Seo-yeon.

Since she was exceptional from childhood, it was hard to predict how she’d react in such matters.

But who would have thought she’d faint at the sight of ‘Alice’s’ red pill?

And an hour later, when she suddenly opened her eyes—

“Oh, I’m so sorry.”

Seo-yeon said that.

“I fainted suddenly during the discussion.”

“?”

“It seems I was on my way to meet Seo-hee.”

Everyone exchanged glances at Seo-yeon’s words.

Could it be that she forgot everything about seeing ‘Alice’?

‘No, no way that could happen.’

Ji-yeon noticed Seo-yeon’s lips quivering.

Yeah, a little fainting wouldn’t make memories vanish.

‘A terrible oversight!’

Seo-yeon hadn’t exactly forgotten in the way Ji-yeon thought.

She just wanted to forget.

‘I completely forgot it was Alice’s streaming time.’

It seemed the pressure of being a corporate chairman and the fact that he was Jo Seo-hee’s father made her quite tense.

Of course, Seo-yeon didn’t associate Alice with Jo Seo-hee.

What that meant was that Seo-yeon was thinking of the Vtuber’s appearance as something completely detached from the person behind it.

…Of course, Ramiel, who was forcibly gulping down red pills, couldn’t be in the same boat.

Alice, on the other hand, had managed well enough not to show any signs, convincing her to think that way.

But it turned out she had ingested the most extreme red pill she’d ever encountered—all thanks to Ramiel.

“I don’t know how to look at Alice anymore…”

“…Is that so?”

Ji-yeon was taken aback by Seo-yeon’s reaction.

There was some relief in the fact that it wasn’t her who was embarrassed by the situation.

For Seo-hee, who had shown a humiliating side to her friends, this was just too unfair.

‘Hoohoo, did they hear me laugh? They must have, right?’

Seeing oneself on a show is fine.

But directly showing that to others is a different story.

Is it okay because I’m an actress?

But even actresses feel shame.

It’s only natural to feel embarrassed after performing in a way one assumed would remain unseen.

“Anyway, I’m glad you look healthy. It’s admirable that you’re doing your stream diligently even in this situation.”

“…When you say it like that, it feels like teasing.”

Ji-yeon said, handing over the fruit gift she brought along for Seo-hee.

Seo-hee accepted it and replied bluntly, then looked at Seo-yeon.

Seo-yeon found it hard to meet Seo-hee’s gaze.

It felt like returning to the moment they first reunited.

Feeling a bit gloomy, she pouted her lips.

“Seo-yeon seems to be angry.”

Jo Seok-hwan, who had quietly been observing, finally spoke up.

Seo-yeon is angry?

Could it be that she got upset seeing the red pill?

No way.

After all, Seo-yeon had just fainted and woke up just now.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You seemed displeased with her being an actress. So Seo-yeon was quite upset. She even directly shot words at me.”

“…Really?”

She never imagined Seo-yeon would think that way about her.

Seo-hee understood her father.

He was a man of stature, a corporate chairman with considerable bearing.

He naturally had an aura that made it hard to speak in front of him.

It wasn’t just the atmosphere—there was an intimidating presence coming from his position.

Could it be that Seo-yeon got angry at such a father?

Especially for her sake!

“That was just a coincidence.”

Finally, Seo-yeon’s face returned to normal.

Having seen Seo-hee from the side, she knew how sincere she was about acting.

But saying it like that could indeed make someone upset.

Of course, it felt embarrassing as it seemed like she spoke without understanding the other’s situation.

“I think I’ll get going now. You seem healthy.”

Feeling awkward, Seo-yeon said this while trying to get up from her seat. Jo Seo-hee raised her hand to stop her.

“Wait, wait. Now that you’re here, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“…What is it?”

“We’re going back to Japan for filming.”

This time it wasn’t to appear on a Japanese variety show or drama.

It’s purely for the filming of <Gyeongseong Young Lady>.

The scenery with snow piled up.

And the right building fitting for Michiko’s Mansion was precisely there.

Aside from that, there wasn’t really anything else to do.

They might chat a bit about the part regarding Seo-yeon contacting them earlier, but that’s uncertain.

“After wrapping up the last shoot, the Japanese broadcasters reached out.”

Currently, there are people from the Japanese broadcasting station at the <Gyeongseong Young Lady> filming set.

They’re filming the shooting site to later promote it in a documentary-like format in Japan.

It seems they spoke to Director Baek Min separately after the last shoot ended.

What did they say?

“Stella?”

“Yeah, Stella Baldwin. Asher Baldwin’s adopted daughter. The fairy of the century.”

Jo Seo-hee said seriously.

In this era, among actresses under 20, she’s definitely the best.

While her recognition isn’t that high in Korea, her popularity is at its peak in Europe.

At a young age, she starred in a hit movie based on a famous fairy tale and bagged numerous awards.

Since then, she has been walking a smooth path as an actress.

“But why is that actress suddenly interested?”

“It seems she wants to tour our filming set. She’s even willing to make a cameo.”

Cameo.

Seo-yeon’s eyes widened at the strange words.

She already knew why ‘Asher Baldwin’ reached out to her.

He was surprised by her previous cameo in a Japanese drama and contacted her.

Honestly, was that it?

That was her thought, but she figured it could happen.

She felt confident as her performance back then had been decent.

But suddenly wanting to see the filming set or mentioning “cameo” was oddly concerning.

‘It’s likely just a simple speculation, but…’

If it’s not mere speculation, there are a lot of aspects about Stella’s actions that pique curiosity.

Surely, Director Baek Min is recognized more overseas than domestically, that’s true.

But aside from that, there’s no way Stella would visit that much.

And wanting to participate as a cameo??

That’s just a lot to wrap one’s head around.

“So what did Director Baek Min say about it?”

“He said it was fine.”

“…Is that so?”

Given Director Baek Min’s nature, he would surely be extremely averse to having outsiders in the filming set.

Yet he permitted Stella’s visit?

Could it be that he allowed her to join as a cameo?

Certainly, if Stella participated as a cameo, it would have a large impact on the box office.

Yet, Director Baek Min isn’t a type of director to make choices purely for commercial success.

“Do you know the reason, Seo-hee?”

“I don’t know either.”

Jo Seo-hee crossed her arms, looking quite perplexed.

She probably didn’t understand Director Baek Min’s reasoning either.

Interestingly, actor Lee Sang-soo seemed to be okay with it.

So it would also have been awkward for Jo Seo-hee to oppose it.

“Anyway, don’t be surprised when you run into Stella at the filming set. Especially you, Seo-yeon, since Asher director contacted you, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then even more so. I’ve heard that Stella doesn’t simply respect her father, Asher Baldwin.”

“Got it.”

Jo Seo-hee’s words added weight to Seo-yeon’s speculation.

‘There’s a lot to think about.’

What she initially thought was a simple visit turned out to have a lot of conversations.

As for Stella Baldwin, she wouldn’t know anything until meeting her in Japan…

‘About Jo Seo-hee’s mother.’

It seems like she should familiarize herself with that situation too.

If she doesn’t know the details, she might make mistakes.

***

After meeting Jo Seo-hee, Seo-yeon found she had a little time to spare for the first time in a while.

First, various broadcasting stations, including the three main ones, had been calling Seo-yeon for love calls but she hadn’t shown any intention to appear.

Right now, she had <Gyeongseong Young Lady> and after that, she needed to shoot <Mine> soon.

And in the meantime.

‘Director Jo Bang-woo’s audition.’

In about a month or two, right?

That’s likely when it will come up.

Given Seo-yeon’s career, it would have been alright to bring it up first, but the issue is that she is an actress who has only been active for a year.

No matter how well she did this year, it feels awkward for a one-year actress to say, ‘Please include me.’

Moreover, Seo-yeon is still in her teens.

To other actors, she seems like a bright young kid.

So if she just jumps in without an ‘audition,’ she could get misunderstood or instill distrust.

‘Firstly, it doesn’t seem like there are any words regarding auditions yet.’

While looking up the overall situation on the internet, Seo-yeon nodded.

It feels like she needs to ask Park Eun-ha about this later.

“Well then…”

Next, Seo-yeon searched for the information she heard during her previous visit to see Seo-hee.

Specifically, information regarding Jo Seo-hee’s mother.

The Cinderella who married a corporate chairman.

And the people’s younger sister, the people’s actress.

Or the once-celebrated actress.

Information about Baek Se-ran.

Naturally, those articles were very old.

Most of them were written long before Seo-yeon starred in <The Moon That Hid the Sun>.

‘Ten years… no, even before that.’

Before Jo Seo-hee’s debut.

That is, even before she was called the princess in daily dramas.

Seo-yeon searched for the keyword ‘Baek Se-ran’ online, but a lot of those articles looked like they had been deleted.

Perhaps the Newlike Group requested the articles to be taken down.

No matter how much a journalist may wish, it would be difficult to keep articles that offend a conglomerate.

Especially if her death was quite unsavory.

But there was one that she could find connected to that.

[A Reflection on the Actress Who Sparkled Like Starlight]

That was roughly the title.

Seo-yeon hesitated for a moment before clicking on the article.

Something about it felt unsettling.

==

A year ago, the actress who sparkled like starlight left the world.

From her debut, she was known as the people’s younger sister, and when filming movies, her title was always attached to the ‘people’.

A night pondering when will such an actress ever appear in Korea again.

==

The article began like that.

It was oddly sentimental.

That’s why it struck a chord with her.

The emotions felt deeply connected to her memories of actress Baek Se-ran.

‘Most of it was about actress Baek Se-ran’s achievements.’

How incredible an actress she was.

How much impact she had on Korea through movies and dramas.

Such remarks filled the article.

From this, it seemed like a piece penned by a fan of ‘Baek Se-ran.’

No, perhaps it was written by a fan indeed.

However, the ending went like this.

==

But, the end of such a shining star came far too abruptly.

Before her fans could catch a hint of what was to come, the people who always accompanied her remained.

The flickering light faded away, leaving an overwhelming darkness that scared anyone from gazing at its conclusion.

It might be due to its brilliance that this darkness felt even deeper.

Who would have thought such a bright actress would make such an extreme choice?

I still find it hard to believe.

==

Extreme choice.

That phrase caught Seo-yeon’s attention.

It was making her hesitate to scroll down the article any further.

Much to her relief, thankfully, the article didn’t continue very long.

It ended just a few lines later.

The final line went like this.

==

They say the first one to discover her final moment was her only daughter.

==

After reading that far, Seo-yeon turned off the internet.

It was undeniably the ‘displeasing article’ Jo Seok-hwan mentioned.

An article that wouldn’t even show properly if you searched for Baek Se-ran.

To locate that article, you’d have to follow the trail of ‘starlight’ to even find it.

Suddenly, Seo-yeon recalled the first time she met Seo-hee.

The sight of Jo Seo-hee scoffing at “a parachute.”

At that time, Jo Seo-hee hadn’t lost her mother for long.

Thinking about that made Jo Seo-hee look rather formidable.

If the rumor that she was the first to discover her mother’s extreme choice is true…

‘W-Well, there was some reasoning behind that ‘parachute’ comment.’

Recently, Jo Seo-hee had made that excuse.

Thinking that far, Seo-yeon felt a chill run through her head.

‘…Did I perhaps do something wrong?’

For reasons separate from her Vtuber days, Seo-yeon became perplexed about how to view Jo Seo-hee’s face.