I Want to Be a VTuber

“The eldest son of the Lee Hyuk-soo family, Lee Min-hyeok.

He plays a significant role alongside the protagonist, Lee Yoo-joo.

This often leads to him appearing together with Yoo-joo.

‘What did you do to Min-seo?’

Min-hyeok said while sulking alone in the library where Yoo-joo was sitting.

‘You need to be quiet in the library.’

A low voice.

Her gaze didn’t even look in Min-hyeok’s direction.

It was solely fixed on the book she was currently reading.

A completely ordinary book that had nothing to do with class.

The fact that she had time to read something like that seemed to showcase the difference between Min-hyeok and Yoo-joo.

Of course, that wasn’t really the case, but Min-hyeok somehow felt that way.

‘If it’s Yoo-joo, it could make sense.’

Min-hyeok thought.

After all, Yoo-joo’s actions often had hidden motives.

Even when she provoked other kids on the first day of school.

And when she started giving Min-seo information about the portfolio.

She even put a condition on it.

Right in front of him, no less.

‘Don’t let your parents know until the mock exam.’

What is it that she doesn’t want him to tell?

It was obvious.

It was about the portfolio of Yoo-joo’s older brother that he knew about.

She was passing on all the details of the life of a genius who entered the medical school of Baekyeon University at the top.

‘Why didn’t she warn me about that?’

Even if Min-seo keeps it a secret from her parents, Min-hyeok could just tell.

Didn’t she consider that?

No, did she think Min-seo would hear that?

‘She knows.’

Min-hyeok gritted his teeth.

He realized there must be a guard preventing Min-seo from telling their parents.

That guard was him.

If Min-seo were to find out that she was getting help from Yoo-joo, all their parents’ attention would shift solely to Min-seo.

He thought she wouldn’t let that happen.

Knowing he could never tell their parents this, he said such things in front of Min-seo.

With a sly smile.

‘Don’t ignore me, just tell me right now!! Yoo-joo!!’

‘Cut cut cut!’

Min-hyeok’s, or rather Kim Hyun-seok’s focus was suddenly broken by the voice that rang out.

Turning his gaze, he saw director Kim Il-soo shaking his head.

‘Mr. Hyun-seok. It’s too much.’

As he said that, Kim Il-soo approached Hyun-seok and continued,

‘Let’s have a talk over here for a moment.’

The other young actors swallowed hard at the sight of the director calling him over personally.

The fact that they didn’t continue shooting immediately meant that there was something he didn’t like.

But instances like this weren’t particularly rare on set.

Whenever they filmed scenes with Lee Yoo-joo, or rather Seo-yeon, this kind of thing happened frequently.

‘It’s not like there are a lot of lines anyway.’

Initially, he thought he was just lucky.

Even after watching [The Chaser] and [Dream Future], he still thought that.

It was a nearly forced self-justification.

To dismiss such acting as coincidence and ignore it.

Reality is harsh.

As always with creation, most observers don’t notice the differences.

But from the point of view of the actors who have to work together, those differences are painfully clear.

I can’t do it, but the other person can.

Without even stumbling over a line, without any disruption in emotion.

When acting begins, Yoo-joo is already there.

Not actor Joo Seo-yeon, but Yoo-joo.

How can that be?

The moment that thought crossed his mind, it already started to shake him.

Especially if it’s a younger or peer actor, feelings of inferiority naturally bubble up.

It’s just how people are.

It’s simply about how well you manage that.

That depends on morality and character.

‘Mr. Hyun-seok.'”
“Yes.”

With a quiet gaze directed at him from Director Kim Il-soo, Hyun-seok stiffened his shoulders.

Though he had been pointed out several times before, it was the first time he was called out like this.

“You put in too much effort.”

“Effort, you say?”

“Acting requires you to relax a bit.”

For example, think of the emotional acting that Seo-yeon primarily uses.

It’s similar to method acting, but in the end, it focuses on ‘naturalness.’

By becoming the character, the goal is to express actions and emotions naturally.

Just that alone earns people’s applause.

“Of course, exaggerated acting is sometimes necessary. But in this scene, it’s static.”

Emotional excess.

If you show an exaggerated emotion in such a static scene, viewers naturally feel that way.

“Your acting is cringeworthy.”

At Director Kim Il-soo’s cold words, Hyun-seok’s face went pale.

He had always received praise for his acting, so Kim Il-soo’s words felt terrifying.

“I don’t think it was like this in other dramas.”

He muttered this while sighing at Hyun-seok, the reason somewhat clear.

“There’s a ton of comparison online.”

If the protagonist, Lee Yoo-joo, appears in the same scene as Seo-yeon, that’s bound to happen.

When two actors share a scene, the one who struggles stands out even more.

Honestly, it wasn’t even a scene that should shake him that much.

But Kim Hyun-seok was definitely conscious of Seo-yeon.

That showed in his performance.

“Don’t look at things online; just think about your own acting. Hyun-seok, you’re doing well enough.”

Director Kim Il-soo patted Hyun-seok’s shoulder and went back to the filming set.

Of course, Hyun-seok understood what Director Kim was saying.

Don’t be nervous and just do your own acting.

‘But can I really do that?’

Even if he was told not to look at the internet, how could he not?

The people around him naturally brought it up.

Their considerate gestures were evident.

They avoided the topic of the drama they were in.

Even his parents, who would usually chat happily about their roles in the drama, were quiet.

Is it that much of a comparison?

Are they receiving that much criticism?

As such thoughts crossed his mind, he couldn’t help but look.

“…So pathetic.”

Hyun-seok let out a self-deprecating smile and sighed.

In the end, the words he said during their first meeting were just nonsense.

Seo-yeon was real, and he was the fake one.

A talented actor.

That ultimately meant his talent seemed dull in comparison to greater talent.

*

The atmosphere on the filming set was uneasy.

No, to be precise, there was a bit of a contrasting aspect.

Overall, the atmosphere was rather good.

The adult actors wore very encouraged expressions given the drama’s performance.

“Seo-yeon, you’re still in high school? I’m jealous. Man, I got so much hate at that age.”

“I even got articles about me. ‘Are young actors like this really okay?’ they’d say.”

“Oh, I remember, I remember.”

“You appeared alongside Yoon Jong-hyuk, right?”

“That’s right.”

It’s quite amusing how those actors, who were criticized back then, have now grown into some of the top-tier actors in Korea.

Among such cheerful actors, especially.

The actress playing the housewife of the Lee family, who took on the role of Gil Soo-jin, Lee Mi-ran, looked at Seo-yeon with heart-shaped eyes.

“Seo-yeon, you’re intimidating. If we have a scene together, I end up overthinking it.”

“It’s all thanks to you, sunbaenim.”

“Oh my, such humility.”

With a laugh, covering her mouth, Lee Mi-ran made Seo-yeon awkwardly smile.

‘Is this okay?’

The performances of the adult actors were receiving great reviews.

Naturally, it was expected since the ratings were doing well.

Of course, there were also characters who were receiving criticism.
There were characters who received quite a bit of criticism.

Mainly, they were either villains or those who were relatively lacking.

However, even in such situations, there was no sign of a dark shadow.

“Ah, I really need to improve. Should I join a drama club or something and practice?”

“Acting in plays and in dramas is different, right? I find that variety dramas actually help a lot. It’s like the tension in my throat just eases up?”

“Ah, I get what you mean.”

The actors chatted softly among themselves.

Seo-yeon was caught in between them, and when she turned her attention towards the young actors…

“Oh, it’s gloomy.”

Where did that initial bravado go?

Many were feeling down after receiving continuous criticism.

Of course, there were quite a few who were doing just fine.

Like Park Se-jin, who played Lee Min-seo.

Kim Hyun-seok’s friend, Han Sung-jin, was radiating the most gloomy aura at the moment.

Lastly, there was Cha Na-hee.

“Honestly, I don’t mind since my role isn’t that significant.”

Cha Na-hee said in a small voice.

“And I know how that feels. I got roasted pretty badly.”

“…….”

“Hey, wait! I’m not saying anything bad about Seo-yeon!”

Cha Na-hee quickly waved her hands.

Anyway, Cha Na-hee wasn’t appearing much in the show right now.

“Song Ga-yeon hasn’t had any significant scenes yet.”

After all, the role Na-hee played was just a student who often chatted with Lee Yoo-joo in the same class.

Not much of a portfolio, just a character wanting to befriend Lee Yoo-joo.

Because of this, ironically, Lee Yoo-joo was cautious and couldn’t understand Song Ga-yeon.

At least up to the fourth episode that had aired so far.

“Well, I think it’s good.”

Cha Na-hee shrugged her shoulders.

“This can actually help boost motivation. It helped me.”

Is that so?

But Cha Na-hee had such a strong sense of pride that she was the type to do well on her own.

Thinking about it, being active as a “Summer Girl” was like that too.

If you’re treated like a side dish in the company, honestly, it’s hard to feel motivated to work hard.

Yet, even though Cha Na-hee was leading Summer Girl alone and was treated like a side dish, she wasn’t getting along well with the other members either.

Of course, it was them rejecting her unilaterally.

But despite that, Cha Na-hee was the one working the hardest.

In that regard, Seo-yeon thought Cha Na-hee was truly amazing.

“Of course, that’s my case… but still, it’s better than being completely worry-free.”

“Is that so?”

“That means you were serious about this work.”

Serious.

At Cha Na-hee’s words, Seo-yeon nodded slowly.

It certainly felt like a valid point.

Then, suddenly, something came to mind.

“Na-hee unnie…”

It was something she had recently heard from Suah.

“Were you originally dreaming of being an idol?”

“Uh?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Saying that felt a bit embarrassing.

Asking out of the blue what her dream was made Seo-yeon feel her face getting a bit hot.

“Right.”

But Cha Na-hee responded nonchalantly.

“I’ve wanted to be an idol since the beginning. I work hard as an actress too, but the more skills you have, the better.”

Since idols ultimately need to act as well.

Mainly responding to fans or showing a ‘character’ in variety shows, but Na-hee said she thought being an actress would help with that.

“And these days, I have another interest~.”

As she spoke, Na-hee glanced at Seo-yeon.

After all, she had gotten pretty close to Han Da-young, the wizard who had come on board to work on the [Sky Garden] OST.

“Um, that’s still uncertain.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. But why ask about dreams suddenly?”

“……It’s nothing.”

Na-hee was puzzled by Seo-yeon’s attitude.

Why is she asking that all of a sudden?

That thought crossed her mind until she suddenly remembered Lee Yoo-joo, the character Seo-yeon played.
“Lee Yoo-joo is definitely a bit of a pitiful character.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course, the goal she has now is one she set for herself. I think that’s impressive… but I’m not sure if it’s really what she wanted to do.”

What she really wanted to do.

At that statement, Seo-yeon tilted her head slightly, feeling a bit perplexed.

For some reason, her mind felt cluttered.

“What do you think about it?”

“Huh?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Seo-yeon shook her head.

It was something she had to decide for herself, not anyone else.

*

The following week.

Episodes 3 and 4 of Sky Garden aired and recorded a slight increase in ratings to 12 percent, without any significant drop.

It wasn’t as dramatic as the first week, but it was a respectable number.

By the way, the rival show Grand Game recorded 16 percent and was sailing smoothly.

It hadn’t risen further, but it showed no signs of dropping either.

However…

– The female lead’s screen time has increased a bit lately, huh?

– Is it a romance now??

– But the main audience is into that, right?

– Even if there’s romance, the story is still stable, so it’s fine.

The reactions felt a bit sharper than usual.

Not necessarily bad, but certainly not enthusiastic either.

“Seo-yeon, Su-yeon went to play with a friend, right? Can you bring her back from the playground?”

“Sure.”

“Thanks, my daughter~!”

Seo-yeon awkwardly smiled at Su-ah, who gave her a thumbs up.

Recently, Su-ah seemed to be in a really good mood.

More specifically, since Seo-yeon started filming Masked Singer.

Su-ah wasn’t usually one to watch variety shows regularly; she only tuned in when Seo-yeon appeared.

But surprisingly, she had been consistently watching Masked Singer since the introduction of the Ashen Crow.

‘It must be since the Ashen Crow showed up, right?’

That seemed to be around the right time.

Well, the Ashen Crow really could sing.

She was practically a legend by now.

‘…She won’t win in the semifinals, right?’

By the way, Seo-yeon was hard at work preparing a new song with the Summer Girl and the Wizard.

Since she couldn’t just sing the Summer Girl’s song, picking a track for herself was proving to be quite the challenge.

Then…

“Oh, I really like this song, what do you think?”

“Huh? Oh, it’s nice. But it might be a bit tough to sing?”

“At least it seems like it doesn’t have any high notes.”

Unfortunately, Seo-yeon wasn’t quite skilled enough to hit those high notes.

Her strengths lay in songs that captured emotions.

By chance, she remembered a song she had heard from Lee Ji-yeon that she really liked, which helped her explore that artist’s work.

“I really like Yeo-hee’s songs. I’ll recommend this one too.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

That’s how Seo-yeon decided to go with Yeo-hee’s song for the semifinals.

“Sis!!”

While lost in thought, Su-yeon, who had been playing in the sand, came running back.

“If you run like that, you’ll fall and get hurt.”

“I’m fine! Su-yeon is strong!!”

With her arms raised, Su-yeon declared proudly.

‘…Well, she is a bit sturdy.’

Our Su-yeon might not have muscle like me, but she was a healthy and robust little sister with no frequent illnesses.

“Can I go back with you? I was playing with my friend.”

“Sure, no problem.”

As she said that and turned her head, she noticed a girl approaching slowly, looking very surprised when she spotted Seo-yeon.

And the moment Seo-yeon saw the girl, her body stiffened.

After all, she was the girl from the fan meeting of Dream Future who had gotten her autograph.

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