First Commercial! (1)
I sat there slightly dazed, staring at an SNS account that had been created without my ever knowing it existed.
One hundred and twenty thousand people.
In barely an hour since the account went up, the follower count had already blown past 120,000.
Was that even possible? I messaged Lee Yuwol to ask, and she said it was pretty extraordinary.
It had taken her about two years just to gather a hundred thousand followers.
Anyway.
A hundred and twenty thousand... in one hour...
For other top-tier actors, 120,000 might not even register as a big number. But I was a rookie who'd only just stepped onto the acting path. Having 120,000 people show up overnight was enough to leave me flustered.
Without a word, I tapped through the three photos that had been posted.
Likes and comments had piled up in no time.
Every comment in sight was glowing. There were well over a thousand of them, and not a single nasty one among those I could see.
I kept scrolling, curious how far down the goodwill went. The tally for today alone: about three hundred confessions, about two hundred cheering on the drama, and a whole lot of miscellaneous chatter filling in the rest.
The comments on the VTuber project had been like this too—nothing but praise. Was the agency managing this as well?
I didn't mind the feeling.
"Jiwoo-chan! What are you doing?"
Tsuki, who'd been gaming in the living room, came barreling over and plastered herself against my side. It had annoyed me at first, but after weeks of the same routine I was getting used to it—and I couldn't help a little snort of a laugh at myself for that.
"What's this? SNS? Jiwoo-chan! You made an SNS account?! And you didn't even tell Tsuki?!"
"No. The agency made this for me. When you debut as a VTuber idol later, they'll make one for you too."
"Tsuki's SNS?!"
Tsuki shot up from her seat like she'd been electrocuted.
What was that about?
She looked faintly terrified, the way a kid does when they've done something they shouldn't and Mom just walked in.
Terrified?
Don't tell me...
"Tsuki. What did you do? On SNS, for example."
"I-I didn't!"
She jumped like I'd stuck a pin in her. Clearly she hadn't expected me to hit the sore spot that fast.
I thought it over. If something was going to blow up later and make everyone's life miserable, it was better to hear it now and deal with it.
"Tsuki. I don't know what you did, but tell me. I'll listen."
I sat her down in a chair. She went without a fight, fidgeting with her fingers and avoiding my eyes. The longer that went on, the more uneasy I got.
Just what had she done to look like this?
I caught her fidgeting hands.
"It's okay. Take your time. I won't get mad."
"R-really?"
"Of course. Why would I get mad?"
"Then..."
Tsuki pulled out her phone, tapped around, and held it out to me.
A community site filled the screen.
The instant I realized what I was looking at, a whole list of site names flashed through my head—the kind of places that could end an idol's career if they got caught on them.
Okay. Title of the community first.
Silence settled over the living room. The longer I took, the colder and stiller Tsuki's eyes became.
I went through the whole thing, then shook my head.
"I-I'm sorry! Jiwoo-chan! I-I used to do this before! It should be fine in Korea! Yeah! It's a Japanese site!"
It was not fine.
Not everyone, of course. But some of the users were posting titles and comments nasty enough to count as harassment, needling people and tearing them down for sport.
"Eh, this much is fine."
"It's... fine?"
"Yeah. It really is. It's not some shady community to begin with—just a regular art board. As long as you watch out for a few toxic users, you'll be okay. That said."
I raised my hand over Tsuki's head.
Thunk!
"Aaaaagh!"
She shrieked as the knuckle rap landed.
"You made me worry. That's your punishment."
"Okay... Hehe, sorry, Jiwoo-chan! As an apology, my chest—ghk!"
"Don't even try."
I shut down Tsuki's little attempt to sneak in some self-interest, then checked the time.
I didn't have anything particular on the schedule, but Kang Ho-yeon had told me that if I had leftover time, I should get some casual shots of myself enjoying a bit of downtime—photos to post on SNS later.
It's not exam season yet.
I was seventeen. Acting wasn't my only job. I was also a student.
Photographing myself studying would look awkward when it wasn't even test week. A school event would be better.
Ah... the field trip.
In a few days, the entire first-year class was going to an amusement park for "experiential learning."
What kind of experience or learning was running around an amusement park supposed to be?
The thought came and went. I'd already gotten permission to go that day—along with a warning to be careful about my face. My face was already out there thanks to the drama, so that was only natural.
"So... what are you going to do, Tsuki?"
"Hm? Tsuki? About what?"
"You. School."
Tsuki was seventeen, same as me. There was her visa to think about, and the time when she'd have to go back to Japan was coming up. The agency had told me not to worry, that they'd handle it without a hitch.
As if I could not worry. She was like a little sister. If I didn't look after her, who would?
"What's the plan?"
Tsuki's brow twitched.
"Th-that's... haha. I don't really know either."
"No... if you don't know, what's supposed to happen?"
Whether it was Japan or Korea, I thought going to school was the better choice. I couldn't force it on her, though. I couldn't live Tsuki's life in her place.
She had to decide for herself.
"I..."
Then Tsuki's mouth opened.
"I... want to go with Jiwoo-chan."
The next day.
The moment Jiwoo walked into the classroom, she could feel every pair of eyes already in the room lock onto her.
"Whoa... I knew she was pretty in a different way from the rest of us."
"If I'd known it was going to be like this, I would've gotten close to her first."
"Celebrities who actually get managed really are on another level... Think she'd talk to me if I went over?"
"Don't. Who's going to give the time of day to a gorilla like you?"
The classroom buzzed.
Ugh... this is a lot.
Everyone looked like they wanted to say something. I almost wished they'd just come out and talk to me already.
Should I go first?
No. That was off-limits. The agency had warned me in no uncertain terms not to approach anyone myself. A little back-and-forth was fine. But one slip of the tongue and the image went off a cliff in a heartbeat—they'd even considered not sending me to school at all. Quiet school life had been the compromise.
"You go first."
"Dude, she's a celebrity. You think ordinary people like us even register?"
"Still..."
Sidelong glances and whispering I could live with.
Click!
Secret photos, though—that was over the line.
I set my bag on the desk and was about to go over and confront them when—
"Wait."
Kim Woojin, in the seat beside mine, caught my arm.
"Why?"
"Just leave them. Guys like that will keep doing it even if you tell them to stop. Tell the teacher quietly later. That'll take care of at least some of it."
"Sounds like you've been through this."
"Not me, exactly... someone I know."
Kim Woojin shrugged. A faint loneliness sat on his face. If he already had experience with this, listening to him was smarter than charging in as a amateur.
I nodded and sat down.
Class would start soon. I went to the lockers at the back to pull out my textbook for first period, and opened the door.
Clatter, clatter, clatter...
Snacks and letters tumbled out across the floor.
"What... is this."
I picked up one of the fallen letters and checked it. It wasn't a love letter. In this day and age, nobody was writing those.
Jiwoo, I'm your fan. I hope we can stay close from now on. And someday I want to visit a filming set.
There was no name on it. They must have gone this route because I wasn't reading my messages. A letter, whatever it said, you pretty much had to read—unless you were a complete jerk.
"That's why you should've read your DMs."
The voice came from right behind me as I stood there staring at the letter.
Unfair. It wasn't like I'd been trying to ignore anyone. Messages had come in from strangers, from acquaintances I barely knew, even from relatives whose names I didn't recognize. I couldn't check them one by one, so I'd just left them—and then my phone had melted down.
It was an old model, vicious about overheating. Storage was a measly 32GB. It simply hadn't survived that many messages hitting it at once.
"Yeah, something like that happened."
I waved it off as having been busy.
"Fair. Once you get famous, people start calling from everywhere. Ads especially."
"Ads?"
"Looking at you, nothing's come in yet, huh? Well, it's only a matter of time. Or a variety show might reach out."
"Variety..."
I'd never even thought about that. I'd figured all I had to do was work hard at acting and singing.
Still a lot I need to learn.
I scratched my head. If an ad or a variety show had called, the company would have told me right away. They hadn't said a word, so maybe it was just late because I was a rookie—or maybe it wasn't coming at all.
Well. It'll come eventually.
I sat down and we fell into easy chatter. Before I knew it the classroom was packed, and Ms. Shin Haseon walked in.
"I'm sure you've all seen the drama, so you know Jiwoo is working hard as an actress. Don't cause unnecessary trouble. Especially sneaky photos—if I catch you, you will be in serious trouble. If you heard me, delete them now. And focus on class."
Short and sharp. A few of the students who'd been secretly photographing me broke out in a cold sweat. They'd just realized "serious trouble" was not a warning or a slap on the wrist.
The agency must have already spoken to the school.
I'd expected the same kind of attention I'd gotten on my first day as a transfer student, but after that morning, school went back to being school. When the day ended, I rode home in the car Kang Ho-yeon had brought to pick me up.
And then.
"What? A commercial?"
Just as Kim Woojin had said, an ad offer had come in.
From Korea's biggest FPS game, no less.
Survival Ground.