I Want to Be a VTuber

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“Are you going to Japan again?”

Soo-yeon, who was stuffing her luggage into the carrier messily, replied with a worried expression.

What kind of girl packs like that so boldly?

“What about cosmetics?”

“People will take care of that for me.”

“You packed your underwear, right?”

“…….”

Well, come on, she wasn’t a kid anymore.

Naturally, she should have packed the basics.

As Soo-yeon subtly averted her gaze, Soo-a flinched.

“But you know, Soo-yeon, you can be a bit hopeless when it comes to traveling. Like that time you forgot to bring…”

“Wait a second.”

Where exactly was this conversation going?

In the end, Soo-yeon grumbled as she started packing her things one by one from the very beginning.

‘Well, there’s nothing wrong with packing carefully.’

It did seem a bit unfair to leave everything to Manager Park Eun-ha.

Then she suddenly grabbed the landmine outfit she bought in Japan last time.

A moment of contemplation.

‘It’s probably not something I’d wear in Korea.’

Ah, so that’s why I’m wearing it in Japan?

Soo-yeon thought to herself.

But since this time she wasn’t going as an individual, she hung it neatly in the side closet.

She could try it on when she visits next time.

“Speaking of which, if we go to Japan, it’ll be right around finals, right? My daughter, have you studied?”

“Of course.”

That wasn’t a lie.

This time, Soo-yeon had been studying hard little by little.

Of course, she didn’t do it all by herself.

“With ‘Sky Garden’ hitting it big, there’s no way the protagonist Lee Yoo-joo could be failing, right?”

Jo Seo-hee and Lee Ji-yeon argued that way and studied together during breaks while filming.

‘I want to play games though.’

Despite those feelings, even Soo-yeon couldn’t refuse their offers to help.

Thanks to them, surprisingly enough, she managed to clear most of the exam materials.

Of course, that didn’t mean she could expect grades as good as Ji-yeon’s, but at least it would be the best among Soo-yeon’s grades so far.

Vaguely, she felt hopeful.

Anyway, after packing everything, Soo-yeon was just waiting for the filming day.

Among the three who had major roles in “Gyeongseong Young Lady,” Soo-yeon had a comparatively smaller appearance.

Well, that’s natural since her basic role was the villain.

Plus, Director Baek Min had been considerate and scheduled all her shoots back-to-back, so it made sense she had spare time.

‘Should I have a meeting with Éclat Étoile or Aids?’

After filming ‘Sky Garden,’ both places had been consistently contacting her.

However, it seemed like it was a bit tricky for Éclat Étoile to keep the concept of ‘students’ from ‘Sky Garden.’

They hadn’t filmed ads targeting minors for long, and since Soo-yeon’s age and the image of Lee Yoo-joo were still present, filming for adults probably seemed difficult.

In contrast, Aids immediately got in touch as soon as they learned that Soo-yeon was currently filming ‘Gyeongseong Young Lady.’

“I watched the Japanese variety show you appeared on! It was hugely popular in Japan, right? Our company has also been aiming for the overseas market recently. Where do you think our first target is? Exactly, Japan! We’ve already set up our own agency, but we just haven’t found the right advertisement to film.”

Though it seemed they were diversely selling through the internet and shopping malls.

Aside from that, they hadn’t launched any TV commercials.

In that situation, it wasn’t surprising they contacted her after she made a huge splash in Japan and appeared in ‘Gyeongseong Young Lady.’

The amount they proposed was staggering, making Soo-yeon almost nod absentmindedly.

‘It’s not like the amount of money matters right now.’

Honestly, Soo-yeon wasn’t in dire need of money at the moment.

How diligently had she been active this year?

She already had enough money in her account that she could go without filming one or two commercials.

Of course, the greed in her father Young-bin’s eyes when he saw her bank account didn’t go unnoticed.

Although with her mother and Soo-a glaring at him, he wouldn’t dare to touch that topic, he was subtly asking for various things.

“Dad has been wanting to play a certain game recently…”

“I hear UMPCs are all the rage these days. You know Dad works at a gaming company, so I need to keep up with the trends…”

Well, it wasn’t like he was asking for anything too extravagant.

When he mentioned it, she feared she might get hit if she wasn’t fully armed against it.

Of course, before Soo-yeon could hit him, she was dragged along by Soo-a.

Honestly, no matter how much of a handful she was, she wouldn’t hit her parents.

She just couldn’t help but wonder how he thought of her.

Sometimes, it was hard to tell whether he was joking or serious.

‘By the way.’

As Soo-yeon reflected on her busy past activities, she suddenly realized that she hadn’t visited KMB Broadcasting Station in a while.

‘Recently, the Drama Department 2 was opened.’

After ‘Sky Garden’ ended and ‘Grand Game’ finished its run, KMB had opened its Drama Department 2.

Of course, the head of the department was Baek Tae-soo.

Although ‘Sky Garden’ had bombed, ‘Grand Game’ had been a pretty decent hit.

‘Hmm.’

Speaking of which, since Jo Seo-hee’s drama was a hit, she had mentioned it would be nice to visit and greet them.

After returning from Japan, the timing seemed a bit awkward again…

‘Should I just drop by?’

That’s all she thought.

***

‘But.’

Just as she was nearing KMB Broadcasting Station, Soo-yeon realized one thing.

‘Can I just visit the broadcasting station like this?’

Thinking back, this was her first time visiting without an actual reason.

Besides, most of the time, she’d come after Manager Park Eun-ha had booked the schedule first, so this was her first time coming alone.

Of course, there were a few PDs she was acquainted with.

But even Soo-yeon couldn’t boss them around directly.

In the end, PDs held significant power in broadcasting stations.

They were the ones who held the strings of ordinary entertainers.

‘Ugh.’

Should she ask Manager Park Eun-ha for help even now?

She was having such thoughts when she approached the entrance of the broadcasting station.

One noticeable figure caught her eye.

A girl in a white dress.

With shining golden hair that casually grazed her shoulders.

It looked as if it had caught the sun’s rays, shimmering like gold.

Was she just slightly shorter than Soo-yeon?

‘…Is she a foreigner?’

A tourist?

Initially, that’s what she thought.

However, the way the girl strolled around the broadcasting station seemed anything but ordinary.

She had an appearance that couldn’t possibly belong to a mere regular person.

Even though Soo-yeon had only seen her from behind, she felt a strong presence.

“Hmm?”

Did the girl feel Soo-yeon’s gaze?

As Soo-yeon was moving around near the station, the girl suddenly turned around.

And then.

“Oh, there you are.”

Suddenly pointing at Soo-yeon and saying that.

Just for reference, Soo-yeon didn’t understand a word the girl said.

‘English? Well, she’s a foreigner, so of course she would speak English.’

Even without fully understanding her words, one could infer a bit from the girl’s gestures.

It was as if she had found Soo-yeon.

Wait a sec, how did she know it was her?

After ‘Sky Garden,’ Soo-yeon had been making an effort to dress up when going out.

She’d wear hats and cover her face with a black mask.

Thus, most people wouldn’t recognize her.

‘Maybe she mistook me for someone else?’

Just as Soo-yeon thought that and raised her hand to deny it to the girl.

The girl stepped closer, practically just inches away, and looked up at her.

“Ah, yes! It really is you! I got so lucky, you know? I just came here to the broadcasting station without any plan and was worried about how to get in~.”

‘What is she talking about?’

It felt like a listening assessment was happening before finals were even close.

Soo-yeon could hardly understand what she was saying.

She could only think that the girl was very pretty.

‘Somehow, she looks familiar.’

Not from a Korean entertainer.

If she were, then there’s no way Soo-yeon wouldn’t know her.

So, she had to be from overseas.

But was there anyone overseas who could know Soo-yeon?

After all, she hadn’t done much activity abroad.

The only place she had been was Japan.

Among the films or dramas Soo-yeon had been in, none had been marketed overseas yet.

Which meant that such a foreign girl would not know her work.

“Huh?”

Soo-yeon stared blankly at the girl.

The girl smiled strangely at Soo-yeon’s reaction.

“Hey, do you know who I am?”

“…Huh?”

The girl looked completely shocked, her eyes widening in disbelief, as if she had never imagined that Soo-yeon wouldn’t know who she was.

“You don’t know me?”

Of course, I don’t know you.

Seeing the girl’s expression, she realized how naive that assumption was.

“Oh my gosh, are you serious? That’s unbelievable. You really have no interest outside of Korea, do you?”

Though it seemed like a casual remark, there was a strange nuance to it.

Arrogant, or perhaps a bit haughty.

Yet it matched her breezy voice too.

“Well, that’s fine.”

The girl raised her hands above her head as she took a couple of steps back from Soo-yeon.

“I impulsively flew over to Korea, you see.”

“Oh, really?”

“Curious about who you are. All by myself.”

Soo-yeon, now curious about who she was, found those words rather relatable.

She was also quite interested to know where the girl had flown from.

“But honestly, I ended up coming here without a plan, so I’m in a bit of a predicament.”

“What?”

“Let’s just say I’m a lost child.”

“…?”

“I asked you who you were. I’m just a lost child with only my passport in hand.”

Even having been told that she didn’t know who the girl was, the girl’s attitude was very peculiar.

Almost as if she was reading Soo-yeon’s reaction.

A bit cocky.

There was a nuance of looking down on the other person in her words.

“Would you mind helping me out a bit?”

“Sure.”

Since she didn’t have anything else to do anyway, Soo-yeon nodded.

She had considered entering KMB Broadcasting Station, but her curiosity about the girl was piqued.

But before that.

“I have one question; is it okay if I ask?”

“Sure, what is it?”

The girl spoke with a grin, seeming eager to share who she was.

She probably expected that Soo-yeon was going to ask about her identity.

Of course, that was quite a curiosity too, but right now, Soo-yeon was curious about something else.

“Why are you talking informally?”

“…….”

Of course, the girl had no answer to that.

***

“Stella is in Korea?”

PD Amaya Hiroki, who had been preparing to interview the century’s fairy, ‘Stella,’ in Japan, found it hard to believe his ears.

There was no other explanation needed.

Just yesterday, the actress had been trucking around the broadcasting station like it was her home, and now she had disappeared entirely.

No one at YHJ Broadcasting Station could contain her, as she strutted around without care.

Rude, indeed.

But that was precisely what suited Stella.

As if effortlessly walking the boundary between rudeness and politeness.

If she had been just another star from one country, someone in the Japanese broadcasting industry might have said something.

However, Stella was no ordinary star.

At least in her age group, there was no competition, and even for the next ten years, she would be hard to rival.

Among that small number of top stars, she was certainly a heavy hitter.

‘Besides, there’s only one actress who won the Best Actress award at the Berlin Film Festival at just eight years old.’

The youngest recipient in the history of the Berlin Film Festival.

It was her first film, too.

While she hadn’t received any awards in the Academy yet, it was likely due to bias against her mixed-race background.

But even that would just be a matter of time.

Stella was that kind of actress.

There was a reason she was called the century’s fairy; she had never faced failure since her debut year.

Thus, they had let her continue her free-spirited behavior.

He was hoping to interview her at least once.

And now she flew to Korea out of the blue?

“Even if you say that, there’s nothing we can do.”

Responding to Ashter Baldwin’s shrug, PD Amaya Hiroki stuttered in English.

“There’s nothing we can do? But you just sent your daughter to Korea alone?”

“I woke up this morning, and she was gone. Stella does what she wants based on her mood, so there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“What if something happens?”

“Just like in Japan, Korea isn’t a particularly dangerous country.”

That much was true.

Korea’s safety record was indeed quite good by global standards.

But even so, there’s always the possibility of something happening.

Of course, in the current situation, no one could really say anything about it.

“Sigh, so why did she go to Korea?”

“Well, I’m not entirely sure, but… I’ve got a theory.”

“A theory?”

Seeing PD Amaya Hiroki furrow his eyebrows at Ashter’s words.

“I think she probably went to meet that actress, Joo Seo-yeon.”

“What?”

Amaya Hiroki could only be surprised.

He had never expected to hear Joo Seo-yeon’s name mentioned here.

And at that moment.

“Honorifics.”

“Yes? There are essentially no honorifics in English.”

“I know there are.”

“Oh? Really? You know that? Ahaha, but I won’t use them. Absolutely not.”

Stella stuck her tongue out, and Soo-yeon began to understand Jo Seo-hee’s mindset a bit.

Though it felt like their positions were entirely opposite.