A New Fan and a Script
"Whoa... this is so fun!"
A family home in Japan. It was Saturday, so there was no school, and she had been holed up inside all day when a cheer burst out of her at the computer screen.
"Hup!"
Belatedly remembering how loud she had been, she clapped a hand over her mouth and snuck a glance toward the kitchen, where her mom was starting on dinner.
"Careful, careful. The second Mom catches me... it's game over."
Just a few days ago she had been caught playing computer games instead of studying. The mere memory of it was enough.
"Uuuugh... I'm getting chills. So scary."
The image was still burned into her mind: her mother's face transformed into a demon's, the head of a hammer about to come crashing down on the computer. Today, too, her mom thought she was studying.
"I just... like games and watching VTubers more than studying."
Cute, pretty avatars. Singing that could rival an idol vocalist. Banter that delighted both the eyes and the ears. She had always loved VTubers, so she had developed a serious attachment to NewTube, which featured them constantly. Which was why she had more than ten NewTube accounts—every last one registered in a different country.
"Ah... that's right! Today's the VTuber project on Korean NewTube!"
She did not usually visit Korean NewTube, but lately even in Japan people had been talking about the VTuber project happening in Korea, so she remembered it. She had simply forgotten that today was the day.
"It's fine. In a project like this, they always put the weaker ones first anyway."
Of course they would sprinkle in a few VTubers with decent singing to keep the hype up. Those she could always find later in the VOD.
"The real musical monsters come out in the second half. This Tsuki-chan knows that."
She quickly logged into NewTube on her Korean account and typed VTuber Project into the search bar.
"Phew... thank goodness. It hasn't been going long."
The viewer count was already close to eight thousand.
VTubers really are huge no matter where you go in the world!
Tsuki watched the livestream with the desire to become a VTuber herself buried deep in her heart. First came the project introduction. Then the judges, and last of all, the special judge appeared.
"Huh...? That person—it's Luna-chan! Her avatar is so cute~"
Her eyes lit up at Luna's new avatar, and the VTuber project began. Tsuki kept watching, half excited, half tense.
"Huh? What is this? They're appearing here with skills like that? Korean VTubers aren't as good as they used to be, huh?"
Tsuki's brow furrowed as she watched a Korean VTuber singing like it was all a joke. A few of them gave it their all and sang well enough to impress. Tsk. She clicked her tongue at a performance that was rotting her ears.
"With skills like that, Tsuki-chan would do way better as a VTuber."
If she had to pick a favorite for first place, the VTuber who had been introduced as a fifteen-year-old middle schooler had the most potential.
So first place is already decided. Should I just stop watching?
No matter how much she loved VTubers, nothing was more boring than a survival show where first place was already locked in. Tsuki's hand drifted toward the mouse to vote for the presumed winner.
"Hm?"
That was when it happened. An avatar on a completely different level from the others appeared on screen. It was a cute avatar. Deep black hair with blue inner two-tone highlights, jewel-like eyes catching the studio lights—a gasp slipped out of Tsuki before she even realized it.
"Whoa...."
She could not even begin to imagine how much it had cost to make an avatar like that. Lately she had seen plenty of VTubers in Japan and America using expensive avatars, but this one did not lose to any of them.
"W-who even is this person?!"
Tsuki was about to close the window to look the person up when her hand froze.
"T-this is bad! Tsuki-chan's hand... her heart is screaming not to look away from that person!"
Dying to hear the introduction, Tsuki leaned so far forward she looked ready to fall into the monitor.
It was just a greeting in Korean, and yet it hit her like a giant hammer to the skull.
"H-how... her voice is so pretty! This is insane! This is dangerous!"
"Kuro! Just like her name, she's dyed Tsuki's heart black!"
Tsuki was thrilled. Hurry... sing, please sing. She watched without even blinking.
In the middle of it, a judge who did not even know the "V" in VTuber tried to tear their Kuro-chin down. Tsuki translated into Korean and flooded the chat with curses until she ate a ten-minute warning.
"Damn it! That bastard! If he shows up in front of Tsuki-chan again, she's gonna wipe him out!"
Tsuki ground her teeth and finally settled in to listen as Kuro's song began. At first she wondered if it would be okay—it was a song even Japanese singers struggled to cover. Please don't mess up, she thought, clasping her hands together in anticipation.
Plenty of VTubers' songs had simply been pleasant to listen to. She had been able to melt away the stress of studying that way. But Kuro's voice coming through the speakers... the excitement from a moment ago settled into something calm, and a happy feeling washed over her.
She had talent on par with the other skilled VTubers, even if her technique was not as polished. But the maturity steeped in Kuro's voice alone stole the hearts of everyone listening.
When did it start... settling for the present, just staring at books I can't even do anything with.
Was it because of Kuro's singing? Before she knew it, instead of chasing her dreams, she had sat down in the present and stayed there.
Tsuki had always loved to sing. She had wanted to be an idol, gone to countless auditions, and failed every single one. She should have kept going. She should not have given up.
Even after Kuro's song ended, even after the entire project was over, Tsuki just kept staring at the monitor.
"Tsuki. Time for dinne— Tsuki? What are you doing just standing there?"
"Mom... I want to go to Korea."
The words slipped out, and a giant handprint bloomed across Tsuki's back. But her resolve to get to Korea, no matter what, did not bend even a little.
After the second preliminary round ended, a lot of people rolled up their sleeves to figure out who Kuro really was. The funny part was that eighty percent of the frenzy was coming from Korea, fifteen percent from Japan, and five percent from everywhere else.
"Why are they trying to find me?"
The words slipped out of me, and Choi Gayeong, who was holding the wheel, looked at me through the rearview mirror.
"...Ah! J-Jiwoo! Put that down right now!"
"...Huh? This?"
"Yes, that! Sure, right now there are a lot of posts praising you, but give it a little time and the hate comments will start rolling in. You don't need to look at that stuff!"
Choi Gayeong's voice was shaking, and she could not keep her eyes on the road, meeting mine again and again in the rearview mirror. For the record, Kang Ho-yeon was dead asleep in the seat next to me. Judging by the dark circles under her eyes, she had been working through the night.
"Hahk!..."
Kang Ho-yeon jolted awake, looked around, and her eyes met mine.
"Jiwoo... whatever you do, don't look at the inter... zzz..."
She passed out again before she could even finish the sentence. She had clearly been combing the internet all night.
I knew why the two of them were like this. It was not some other talented contestant—it was me... no, Kuro—who had taken first place in the second preliminary vote. And because I had gotten into a staring contest with Dongsuk, a famous streamer on Artificial Forest. A newbie talking back, point by point, to her elder, without an ounce of respect. That had the old guys with the full beards wrinkling their noses.
"Well... getting cursed out isn't exactly new... and the company's going to protect me anyway, right?"
"Of course we will."
Choi Gayeong was still meeting my eyes in the rearview mirror. Worried she was going to cause an accident, I asked her to please watch the road.
"Ah... sorry. I'll drive safely."
"Yes, thank you."
"Absolutely! The internet... no..."
Feeling a warmth in my chest at the two of them fussing over me, I rode on toward the set.
"By the way... why did Director Kang Wonseong suddenly call me in?"
"Hmm... I wonder? The CEO asked him several times, but he said he'd tell you himself and wouldn't budge. I really don't know."
My filming had all wrapped two days ago. It had been a five-day forced march. I had nearly collapsed more than once. Were they calling me back because they needed more footage? That could not be it.
If it were, he would've told the CEO.
It was not the kind of thing you would bother hiding. I leaned back in the seat and watched the world slide past the window as we flew down the highway.
This is making me nervous.
When an actor gets called back for reshoots, it is usually one of two things. Either a costar got forcibly recast, or the writer changed the script and they have to shoot it again.
I don't know what's coming. I should at least reread the script.
I already had the whole thing memorized, but that did not do much for the unease sitting in my chest. After an hour of watching the scenery go by, we arrived at the set.
"Welcome! Jiwoo!"
The moment PD Kang Wonseong saw me, his face lit up. That bright expression was enough to shake off the anxiety I had been carrying. Still, just in case, I asked.
"Is this... a reshoot?"
"A reshoot? No way. If it were a reshoot, we would've notified you in advance."
Hearing that, I let out a breath.
"Then... is something going on? My part of the shoot is already done."
"Ah... about that. Here."
In PD Kang Wonseong's hands were two stacks of paper. On the very top, the titles were written out.
Magnificent Bride
Zombie Crush
"These are..."
"One's a movie script, the other's a drama script. I was wondering what to get you as a high school entrance gift, and these landed on my desk. Read them and decide. I've already put in a quiet word with the director and the PD."
"Ah..."
I ended up receiving an entrance gift I never saw coming.
"Thank you... Director."