I Want to Be a VTuber

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There was a chaotic atmosphere among the crew of <Gyeongseong Young Lady> as they prepared for the overseas filming.

The actors, in particular, were cautiously sizing each other up.

Among them were those who had their eyes on Lee Sang-soo.

It was only natural.

He was an actor who had failed once overseas.

Conversely, the person currently on set was the youngest winner of a leading role at the Berlin Film Festival.

An accomplishment every actor dreams of reaching.

Stella Baldwin.

The blonde girl, beaming with a bright smile.

Her white dress and bright blue eyes made her look like a fleeting flower.

“Wow, she’s so pretty!”

“The vibe is completely different from what you see in movies.”

Maybe she heard the chatter around her.

Stella turned her gaze and smiled at the people who had just been talking.

“Thank you.”

Of course, for Seo-yeon, who knew her true nature, this felt pretty… icky.

Unlike when they were alone, Stella now appeared to be an angel.

‘And she’s only responding in English.’

If you just look at her now, you’d think her expression said, ‘I can’t speak Korean at all.’

She had only spoken Korean once.

When she met Lee Ji-yeon and Jo Seo-hee.

In all other instances, she had been communicating solely in English when facing the trio, including Seo-yeon.

“That’s annoying.”

Watching Stella, Lee Ji-yeon crossed her arms and said,

“It feels like I’m looking at a bunch of sneaky snakes.”

“Ugh, I agree. I had high hopes after only seeing her in the movies…”

Jo Seo-hee clicked her tongue as she watched Stella greet the staff at the airport.

For Seo-hee, who was already familiar with other rich families’ kids, it felt rather familiar.

They may be smiling on the outside, but they’re harboring a nest of snakes within.

For Seo-hee, who had imagined a naive angel, this was considerably unsettling.

“Seo-yeon, doesn’t she know how to speak Korean?”

“Yeah, that’s right. But how did you know?”

Did she catch that wobbly vibe earlier?

If so, that would show remarkable insight.

“Otherwise, there’s no way you would be able to have a proper conversation with that shady girl.”

“…I can speak English too.”

“So how’d you rank in English?”

“….”

How cruel is a reality that judges everything by grades?

Seo-yeon couldn’t help but lament inwardly.

Honestly, shouldn’t just speaking Korean be sufficient?

She hadn’t been particularly interested in English since her previous life.

“I’m joking. More importantly, you don’t like those types, do you? The kind that has a different appearance than their inner self?”

Ji-yeon said in a low voice.

As she mentioned, Seo-yeon didn’t particularly care for those people who presented themselves differently.

Especially since Seo-yeon was skilled at reading emotions; she usually saw through most people’s inner thoughts.

‘But with Stella, it’s not clear at all.’

That was rather intriguing.

Was it just acting?

But if that were the case, her typical speech and behavior would be quite extreme.

If she were acting, it shouldn’t be too challenging to paint a better version of herself.

Just like the way she appeared to others now.

Yet, Seo-yeon saw no evidence of such an attitude.

‘A sense of familiarity… but not quite.’

What could it be?

Seo-yeon felt a confusing emotion wash over her.

Her actions and the discomfort she felt while watching the movie where Stella had appeared.

And that strangely intertwining emotion.

Seo-yeon briefly recalled the character of “Stella.”

The first thing that came to mind was her ‘backstory.’

‘The adopted daughter of Asher Baldwin.’

Being adopted means that she was originally an orphan.

In America, there aren’t official orphanages—usually, it’s a foster care system.

The idea is to allow abandoned children to grow up in a proper family rather than in an orphanage.

The foster families receive government support, but if they can’t raise the child properly, the child can be transferred to another family.

‘Five times.’

That was the number of homes Stella had passed through.

Waking early, Seo-yeon had searched for information about her until Stella woke up.

She had moved through five homes growing up and caught the eye of Asher Baldwin while living in her last home when she was seven years old.

Why did Asher Baldwin suggest a career in acting to Stella?

Why did Stella choose acting out of all possible careers?

Despite browsing endlessly on the internet, there were no straightforward answers.

As she pondered that, she happened to catch Stella’s gaze.

It seemed Stella sensed someone was looking at her.

When their eyes met, Stella smiled and waved her hand in a friendly manner.

Seo-yeon waved back in response.

Though she was a precious child, she was certainly attractive.

“Joo Seo-yeon.”

“Yes?”

“You’ve already gotten quite cozy, haven’t you?”

“Huh?”

Wasn’t it just a wave?

Ji-yeon turned away, grumbling with a sullen expression.

“It’s not like we’ve really gotten close or anything?”

“Hmm, really?”

Realistically speaking, Seo-yeon and Stella had only met for a day.

Though Seo-yeon replied that way, Ji-yeon opened her eyes a little wider and nodded.

Ji-yeon didn’t have any complaints about who Seo-yeon got close to.

It was just that Stella… felt something off.

‘It’s like standing in front of a masterpiece in a museum.’

It wasn’t that Stella’s inherent character was bad or that her mannerisms were poor.

It was that a fundamentally unsettling feeling lingered; Ji-yeon didn’t want to face Seo-yeon with Stella around.

‘As if it were the young Joo Seo-yeon.’

Ji-yeon thought.

Back then, she too had been a child and didn’t really understand that discomfort, but if she had met the current Seo-yeon, she would have felt a similar vibe as she did with Stella.

***

They arrived in Japan.

Seo-yeon never imagined she would return to Japan so quickly.

Furthermore, Stella, who had come to Korea uninvited, was led away by the security personnel waiting at the airport.

“Well, I’m off.”

Walking gracefully, Stella casually addressed Seo-yeon.

Her blue eyes, contrasting Seo-yeon’s, filled her gaze.

“But why aren’t your eyes red today? Is that only when you sleep?”

Stella was curious about many things regarding Seo-yeon.

First and foremost—the eyes.

Surely, when their eyes had met at dawn, her eyes had been red.

In the morning, they seemed a bit reddish, but they looked brown now.

‘Is it colored contact lenses?’

Seo-yeon couldn’t help but wonder, even though she knew that didn’t make sense.

Honestly, Stella wanted to stay with Seo-yeon longer, but it was clear her father would be furious if she did, so she had to be taken away by security.

“How unfortunate. But we’ll see each other again soon.”

With those cryptic words, she truly was like a storm, appearing and disappearing.

“Director Baek Min?”

Hearing Stella’s meaningful words, Jo Seo-hee casually asked.

“Let’s move as well.”

Director Baek Min simply smiled and replied.

When he spoke this way, it usually meant he had something planned.

For the record, they weren’t heading directly to the filming set.

They were going to check into the hotel first, and there was another place they had to visit.

It was the YHJ Broadcasting Station in Japan.

While they had blended in somewhat naturally, there were indeed staff members from the Japanese broadcasting station sent from YHJ accompanying the filming team of <Gyeongseong Young Lady>.

“Isn’t this amazing?”

The staff from the Japanese broadcasting station who had come along to film Seo-yeon’s documentary chuckled at the series of events.

“Suddenly, Stella shows up? All this just to see Joo Seo-yeon?”

“Honestly, we felt that Joo Seo-yeon was anything but ordinary, but Stella’s actions were unexpected. Honestly, it’s hard to guess what she’s thinking.”

They had been observing Seo-yeon’s performance while filming <Gyeongseong Young Lady>.

Therefore, they were well aware of how skilled an actor she was.

To be blunt,

‘The scene where she argued with Michiko was truly a masterpiece.’

During that scene, every actor had put in a stellar performance.

It was for that reason Seo-yeon’s acting stood out so much.

With someone capable making it easy for her, her performance shined even brighter.

To the extent that eyes were drawn to Seo-yeon instead of Jo Seo-hee, who was already famous in Korea.

“But just that thing alone…?”

They knew why Stella had come to Korea.

Asher Baldwin had spotted Seo-yeon’s cameo while watching a drama set in Japan and expressed a desire to use her.

Upon hearing that, Stella immediately rushed to Korea.

“The Baldwin siblings are interested in an actress; don’t you think anyone would complain if this goes into the documentary as exaggeration?”

“Eh, but what can we do? We’ve already filmed everything.”

“Then there’s nothing to be done.”

“Right?”

From their perspective, they were just having a blast.

When this broadcast airs, just thinking about how much buzz it would create made their hearts race with excitement.

***

‘I want to go to Akihabara.’

As they were headed to the YHJ Broadcasting Station in Tokyo, Seo-yeon thought of that.

There were many goods she hadn’t been able to buy last time, and that thought filled her head.

And perhaps sensing her thoughts…

“Since we don’t have any filming today, the young actors can feel free to relax.”

Director Baek Min casually suggested.

“Really? So we can just hang out freely?”

Jo Seo-hee seemed suspicious of his words, but he just smiled.

“Seo-hee, do I often sound suspicious? You always seem to ask that.”

“Oh, um, no. It’s not like that.”

Honestly, that was a fair sentiment.

Seo-yeon also found it hard to believe Director Baek Min’s words as they were.

‘He’s like one of those hidden villains you see in movies or anime.’

Always wearing a smooth smile, but his demeanor while working was brutally cold.

He looked like the type who would suddenly declare, ‘I shall ascend to the heavens!’

“You’re going to go shopping for goods again, right, Seo-yeon?”

“Uh? G-goods?”

“I was asked by your mom to keep an eye on you and not let you buy too much since you don’t have room for everything.”

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

It wasn’t just that Ji-yeon had supposedly been tasked by Suah.

‘What conversations do they even have?’

Ji-yeon had always been quite awkward around Suah.

After all, she had lunged at Suah during middle school, so it made sense.

However, lately, that awkwardness seemed to have vanished, giving off a very close vibe.

What was going on?

Seo-yeon looked at Ji-yeon suspiciously, but Ji-yeon just gave her the ‘What? What’s up?’ look.

“Yeah, that’s right. Aunt Suah told me too.”

Hearing those words from Jo Seo-hee made Seo-yeon even more surprised.

‘You too?’

With Ji-yeon, they had grown up together, but why was Jo Seo-hee involved?

Seo-yeon looked at both Ji-yeon and Seo-hee, as neither could provide an explanation.

‘That’s because…’

‘I can’t just say it’s because I keep giving you money on your donation, right?’

It had become a daily routine for Seo-yeon to send money through donation, so naturally, she often ended up meeting Suah.

Lately, it felt more like a weekly check-in, but there were times they met almost daily.

“You’re going to Akihabara again, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. It’s close from here.”

“…Well, I don’t mind, but before you go shopping, come have fun with us first. Don’t just play alone.”

“Got it.”

But even so, would Ji-yeon and Jo Seo-hee really like anything in Akihabara?

‘The game center would be decent enough.’

There are quite a few large game centers in Akihabara.

Primarily crane game places, but still.

Anyway, the four of them promptly headed to Akihabara.

The good thing here is that, unlike in Korea, there’s no need to hide their faces.

“I don’t usually have to.”

Ji-yeon said that, but in contrast to the fact that Seo-yeon and Seo-hee were famous, a sense of liberation and freedom came just from not having to disguise themselves.

Of course.

‘No one seems able to look us in the eye.’

For the first time in a while, walking down the street with their faces exposed, they could sense the people catching glimpses of them, only to quickly avert their gaze.

As they waited at the traffic light, everyone kept their distance from the trio.

‘It’s all Ji-yeon’s fault.’

‘Seo-hee is a bit on edge in Japan.’

‘Joo Seo-yeon is staring at everyone too much.’

They each sighed, lost in thought without considering it could be due to themselves.

Anyway, after all that, they finally arrived at the game center.

“Oh wow, this place is definitely nice!”

“There are plush toys and things besides just figures; that one’s cute.”

While Seo-hee and Ji-yeon were gushing over the new crane machines, a blonde girl suddenly appeared in front of them.

“Hi!”

The atmosphere shifted as the angelically beautiful girl appeared.

“I told you, you’d see her soon, didn’t I?”

The only blonde girl who could casually speak to Seo-yeon was Stella Baldwin, who was smiling brightly at her.

But how did she know they’d be at the game center?

“…How did you find out I’d be here again?”

At this point, wasn’t it pretty much stalking?

“Well, I heard it from your managers, right?”

“…Do managers tell you those things?”

“Yeah.”

Stella’s gaze drifted towards Ji-yeon’s hand.

There was a camera capturing the trio’s moments.

Should they call it a camcorder?

Of course, it was something the Japanese production team had asked for.

They wanted to film the three of them having fun together.

“If I’m in it, there are benefits for everyone, right?”

Well, that was true.

Seo-yeon stared at Stella with a somewhat pitiful expression.

After all, she didn’t have a very good impression given what she had seen in Korea.

“Please don’t say things like that in Japan.”

“What? Like what?”

“Like all Asians look the same. We’re filming after all.”

“Ah, can’t I say that?”

It was strange to hear such a question.

Not only Seo-yeon, but also Ji-yeon and Seo-hee were taken aback by Stella’s words.

“Huh? Oh! Right. This is kind of a black joke.”

“Black joke?”

“Overseas, I get treated like an Asian. To put it simply, it’s like black jokes told by black people.”

Stella’s words were surprisingly unexpected.

So she’s considered Asian overseas.

“Well, I have no idea where half of my blood comes from, but I don’t care.”

Mixed race.

Though to Seo-yeon’s eyes, she just looked like a foreigner, if you looked closely, there were definitely Asian features in Stella’s looks.

“Well, if I look that way, I’ll try to hold back as much as possible?”

“Wouldn’t it be easier just not to say anything at all?”

“Haha, don’t go too far. But hey, what about that? I’m actually good at that!”

As she said that, Stella pointed at the punch machine.

Seeing that, Ji-yeon shuddered, and Seo-hee instinctively looked at Seo-yeon.

It naturally brought back memories of the shocking sight they witnessed at the mansion.

As for Seo-yeon…

“I’m good at it too.”

She shrugged her shoulders.

To be honest, she had never tried hitting a punch machine.

Nevertheless, she was confident since she had hit sandbags often.

“Really? How about you and I have a match?”

“Sounds good.”

“How about we place a bet? The loser pays for today’s dinner.”

“Are you serious?”

Seo-yeon nodded immediately.

If she proposed it, that might seem a bit selfish, but since Stella offered it first, she felt it was totally innocent.

‘I should look up some nice omakase places in Japan later.’

Stella likely had a lot of money, so opting for an expensive place wouldn’t be an issue.

“Okay, I’ll go first.”

With enthusiasm, Seo-yeon stepped up to the punch machine.

As the pretty girl stood in front of the machine, the attention of everyone in the game center turned to her.

“Oh, if you hit it that way, you’re going to hurt your hand.”

“Who is she? So pretty!”

“I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere.”

They could hear such comments floating around.

Most were remarks critiquing Seo-yeon’s stance.

Usually, before hitting a punching machine, you’d grab your opposite wrist with your other hand for stability.

Sure, hitting harder was good, but it was also a way to avoid injuries.

But Seo-yeon just raised her right hand, which naturally led to their exclamations.

Of course, Seo-yeon never once thought she might get hurt.

For her, it was just a matter of:

‘I should probably just hit it moderately.’

That was all.

Kawabam!

A deafening sound echoed, as if the punch machine had shattered.

Even with a shock-absorbent section behind it, the sound reverberated throughout the center.

Suddenly, all eyes were drawn to her.

“Joo Seo-yeon, isn’t that punching machine dead? Is it like that in Japan?”

“…….”

Ji-yeon said, looking at the strangely malfunctioning punch machine.

This feeling was odd.

It should have indicated a score after being hit, and yet nothing happened; it didn’t even reset.

Though Ji-yeon had merely said that out of concern for whether it had broken, it was clear something was off.

“Huh?”

Stella began wandering around the machine, tilting her head while still smiling.

“……Huuuh?”

It seemed that something was definitely wrong.