I Want to Be a VTuber

---

“The red pill is quite dangerous, huh?”

Jo Seo-hee became a Vtuber because of Seo-yeon.

To be precise, it was because she sought advice from Lee Ji-yeon to improve her relationship with Seo-yeon, who was oddly sulking at that time.

“There’s a better way, but honestly, I’m not sure if you can do it.”

That was the sudden comment made by Ji-yeon while she was chatting about various things.

That’s just how people are.

Even if it’s nothing special, hearing, ‘I don’t think you can do it,’ can spark a sense of determination.

Seo-hee was no different back then.

Of course, there was also the fact that this method was the closest way to Seo-yeon.

“A Vtuber?”

It was a completely foreign occupation to Seo-hee.

She had heard of regular YouTubers and streamers, but broadcasting using a virtual avatar?

There was a bit of confusion, but hearing that Seo-yeon absolutely loved it served as the catalyst that got her started.

And as mentioned earlier, Seo-hee actually enjoyed broadcasting quite a bit.

It was a decent way to relieve stress.

Sure, there were some undesirable fans and issues that could arise in this realm, but most problems get resolved by the law.

The legal team of the group Seo-hee was part of was one of the most reputable in Korea.

Even the so-called corporate sector couldn’t compare to the Newlike Group, which was Seo-hee’s backing.

At present, the cultural industry in South Korea is solidifying into a duopoly led by the Newlike Group and GH Group.

Originally, GH was significantly ahead, but after Chairman Jo Seok-hwan took office, Newlike Group has taken the lead.

“And, one of the blades GH Group has prepared to overturn that situation is Joo Seo-yeon.”

Starting with <Mine>, it was evident they were preparing various things.

Anyway, Seo-hee didn’t really care about that.

As an actress, she had never received any backup from Newlike Group.

Her father’s work was his business.

And she had her own work.

Honestly, for Seo-hee, even falling behind GH Group didn’t matter much.

After all, it’s pretty much the same, right?

Just that kind of feeling.

Sure, the amount of money might vary a bit, but for someone like her who didn’t have to worry about money, it felt just like that.

Truthfully, even if the company went bankrupt right now, Seo-hee would still be in a position to live well on her own.

Anyway, setting aside such trivial company matters, what mattered was being a Vtuber.

“Honestly, I was skeptical.”

It all started because of Seo-yeon, but now Seo-hee was quite serious about it, which was honestly a bit unexpected.

Well, she had heard it.

“Seo-yeon, stop joking around and wake up.”

“Huh? Wait, are you really fainting?”

“…Really?”

Seo-hee, who had been poking Seo-yeon’s cheek, was taken aback.

She never expected that the red pill would be that dangerous.

“I told you so.”

Of course, Lee Ji-yeon just casually remarked that way.

But still, when she searched about the red pill, she often saw comments in online communities like, ‘Ugh, it’s the red pill.’ and ‘With looks like that, no wonder she’s a Vtuber, haha.’

But it was only to that extent; who would have thought she would just faint like that?

“Just like Ji-yeon said, she really does love it.”

Then every compliment she made while donating to her virtual avatar “Alice” was genuine?

“If only she could be that kind to me.”

When broadcasting as Alice, Seo-yeon was not that warm at all.

– Ah, I really have a weakness for young lady characters.

– Alice is so cute, ㅠㅠㅜ

Along with chats like that, receiving 100,000 won donations every time was honestly a bit awkward.

Receiving money from a friend in that way felt extremely peculiar.

Furthermore, Seo-hee had never received something in that manner before.

“Did she forget I’m from a wealthy family?”

While it could be understood when seen solely as an actress, hadn’t Seo-yeon become aware of it to some extent by now?

After all, she had taken her to the Milky Way Park previously.

Yet it seemed she was purely giving money to “Alice,” no matter who was behind the character.

“Here’s the money I received this time.”

“……Isn’t this a bit much? Almost the same as what I get?”

“Huh?”

The money Seo-hee received went straight to Ji-yeon, and it seemed Ji-yeon then handed it over to Seo-yeon’s parents. That money was supposedly used for pocket money or living expenses.

“Almost the same? Ah, no way…?”

Seo-hee quickly grasped what Ji-yeon meant.

It probably meant that the donation amount from Seo-yeon had nearly matched Alice’s, right?

Since there had been a significant gap before.

“Hehe, am I going to end up receiving more than this?”

Seo-hee covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled.

In a way, it was Alice’s gesture.

Seeing Seo-hee like that, Ji-yeon’s expression became even more mischievous as she looked at her.

“I’m going to work hard on broadcasting for a while too.”

“……Huh? You remember we’re filming, right?”

“The acting of Yeon Seon-ye references Ramiel a lot, so it’s kind of helpful.”

Is that so?

But in reality, Ji-yeon’s acting this time was really good.

She was so on point that even Seo-hee got caught up in it.

Sometimes, an actor’s ad-lib can far surpass the existing script.

However, for directors who dislike ad-libs, it’s like going against the current.

Director Baek Min was just like that, so Seo-hee felt a bit tense.

Honestly, with Director Baek Min up to this point, it wouldn’t have been strange if he just reshot it as it was.

But this time, it seemed the scenes were executed beautifully.

Especially the scene where Michiko runs off holding hands with Yeon Seon-ye was epic.

The script simply described it as “the scene where Michiko helps the fallen Yeon Seon-ye up,” but the impact of the shot was overwhelming.

“If we add background music here, I think it could be genuinely good?”

Even the sound director said so.

Director Baek Min gave a small warning, but he nonetheless acknowledged Ji-yeon’s improvisational skills.

“That kind of quick thinking isn’t something built through effort.”

Seo-hee thought as she looked at Ji-yeon with a blunt expression.

Her acting skills might not compare to Seo-hee or Seo-yeon, but her reflexes were in a totally different league.

There’s a reason Ramiel’s broadcasts grew so rapidly.

The instinct that suddenly pops out is indeed in the realm of talent.

“Talent…”

For Seo-hee, it was quite a complex word.

When she was young, everyone praised her as a genius actress, but at some point, that praise disappeared.

Of course, it’s not that she had no talent at all.

To debut in the performing arts, you need at least some level of talent.

But it felt as if she didn’t possess a talent akin to her mother’s.

Those who learned of Seo-hee’s identity naturally tended to compare her with her mother.

“She’s definitely impressive, but…”

It felt like someone was layering another person over Seo-hee’s face with those comments.

In the past, such remarks would have hurt her pride, but now she just ignores them.

Anyway, Seo-hee knows.

The reason those reactions occur is that she doesn’t carry the same starlight that Seo-yeon does.

As her father said, she isn’t gifted with much talent for acting.

That she didn’t inherit her mother’s brilliance.

“Anyway, Seo-hee, don’t get too cocky. I’ll make sure to widen the gap again next time.”

“Huh? No, no. I’m not planning to compete over this!”

“Yet you’re grinning while saying that.”

With Ji-yeon’s teasing, Seo-hee crossed her arms.

Well, winning is fun, after all.

Whether it’s Vtubing or acting.

Even if she feels slightly lacking now, she definitely plans to grasp the goals she’s set for herself one day.

Even with her scarce talent, she vaguely thinks it’ll be alright… someday.

So, feeling good after one-upping Ji-yeon, Seo-hee cheerfully headed to the filming set.

Today, there weren’t too many scenes to shoot, and since it was a day she’d be filming with Seo-yeon, she thought of suggesting to wrap up quickly and go shopping.

“Acting with Seo-yeon definitely makes me feel like my skills improve a little.”

Among her peers, there was no one who could match her acting properly.

Yet Seo-yeon not only matched Seo-hee’s acting but also brought out a potential beyond that.

“Just like back then, when we were tussling.”

Seo-hee was definitely more immersed than normal during that time.

Just like Seo-yeon was deeply absorbed in “Kasugayama Yuina,” she too was lost in “Michiko.”

That’s what they call method acting, right?

It felt like a very distant concept for Seo-hee, yet she felt she grasped what it was.

Completely losing herself in the character was a somewhat unfamiliar experience for Seo-hee.

“Hey. About shopping after we finish… what’s up?”

While she joyfully spoke, Seo-hee had to ask back due to Seo-yeon’s peculiar reaction.

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Seo-yeon’s face while answering distinctly looked like that of a ‘guilty puppy.’

According to Lee Ji-yeon, that was the expression Seo-yeon made whenever she’d done something wrong.

***

‘Should I just speak casually now?’

Seo-yeon was lost in thought.

It was often called a ‘tallulah’ moment, right?

This was probably because she knew about Seo-hee’s past and was starting to wonder if she had done something wrong.

“But it was me who first called her a parachute…”

Even if she attempted to justify it, it was true that she had prolonged that sentiment for a while.

Seo-hee had already apologized back then.

Of course, Seo-yeon was joking as well, but knowing this background made it hard to convey her feelings.

“Undoubtedly, at that time, Seo-hee had just lost her mother.”

To be precise, Seo-hee’s active period began after her mother, Baek Se-ran, passed away.

This meant that she started acting after her mother died.

Seo-yeon couldn’t even imagine what Seo-hee was thinking when she began her acting career back then.

If the prior version of herself hadn’t understood aspects of emotions, that version wouldn’t have thought much of it at all.

But now, with many insights gained, Seo-yeon found it hard to imagine.

What if something like that happened to her mother, Su-ah…?

Seo-yeon isn’t particularly weak-minded.

However, she couldn’t fathom how she would feel if she were to lose things she had just acquired.

After all, she has only recently become aware of the emotion called “liking.”

“In such a situation, she began acting, but there hasn’t been any mention of the Newlike Group.”

To be precise, there wasn’t any reference to Newlike Group or Baek Se-ran in the stories of young child actress Seo-hee.

This means she originally started purely as “Jo Seo-hee” from nothing.

From her perspective, Seo-yeon’s sudden descent, recommended by the director, might have led her to take a dim view of her.

Given the background, it wouldn’t be strange to call her a parachute.

“How strong-willed does she have to be?”

Separately, gazing blankly at Seo-hee, Seo-yeon could only feel horrified for the first time.

It feels a bit awkward to say, but even when Seo-hee was young and they first met, she had a face void of shadows.

“And it’s said she was the first discoverer.”

Seo-hee had discovered her mother’s lifeless body.

It wouldn’t have been strange if it haunted her for life, yet there she stood, seemingly perfectly fine, showing that she was truly extraordinary.

For Seo-yeon, who had fainted from the Vtuber red pill, Seo-hee’s mental state was nothing short of shocking.

Normally, Seo-yeon’s mental state holds up pretty well, aside from fear.

Oh, she wouldn’t dare say she didn’t feel fear anymore.

She’s totally weak against fear.

Yikes.

That’s the kind of feeling.

Anyway, she doesn’t waver over most other things.

However, hasn’t that surpassed the usual threshold?

Anyhow, seeing Seo-hee looking so composed, it’s probably why Jo Seok-hwan told Seo-yeon and Ji-yeon those words.

They both knew that even if they brought it up, Seo-hee would respond nonchalantly.

What kind of trust must that be?

“Seo-yeon, want to go shopping? Filming will wrap up soon anyway. Should I call Ji-yeon too?”

“……Yeah, fine.”

Seo-yeon hesitated a bit before responding to Seo-hee.

Then.

“……You’re speaking informally?”

Seo-hee said that without thinking to the unexpected drop in honorifics from Seo-yeon.

And then she clamped her mouth with both hands.

Wait, the nuance of that word is a bit strange, isn’t it?

The way she said, ‘informal?’ makes it sound like she’s saying, “You’re speaking informally to me?” Seo-hee shook her head.

Almost as if to indicate she didn’t mean it that way.

“……I’ll stick to honorifics then.”

“No, no, no, informality is totally fine! But why?? What suddenly blew in to change that?”

“……”

How could Seo-yeon explain what had suddenly changed?

She couldn’t say, “I read an article and felt like I should be more honorific,” right?

‘Why did I bother with such informal speech? Should’ve just said it normally.’

She decided to see how it went for a while while using honorifics.

After a while, she would find the right moment to drop this formality…

‘Is this called self-sabotage?’

Seo-yeon reflected.

From now on, she would try to be more open-minded and treat others generously.

And so, a few days later.

“Hey? You must be Joo Seo-yeon? Your eyes seemed redder in the video, are those lenses? Quite a unique preference, huh?”

Before she encountered a cocky little fairy.