Chapter 203: Softness Overcomes Hardness (1)
Chapter 203: Softness Overcomes Hardness (1)
Her long trip to Japan had finally come to an end.
To be honest, Seo-yeon was beyond satisfied.
She was so content that she felt she wouldn't need to visit again for a while, and she had bought a mountain of things.
Now, all she had to do was go home and decorate her place with all the merchandise.
Just thinking about putting up posters and decorating made her feel giddy.
‘I wonder if Ramiel sells merch.’
The thought suddenly crossed Seo-yeon’s mind.
However, knowing Lee Ji-yeon’s personality, it didn't seem likely she would sell that kind of stuff.
‘This is why she should have joined an agency.’
In her past life, Ramiel had been a fairly successful corporate VTuber.
Naturally, quite a lot of merchandise had been released back then.
But at the time, Seo-yeon hadn't understood the appeal of buying merch, so she hadn't purchased any.
It was truly a regrettable turn of events.
Now that she actually had the money, the whims of fate had made it impossible to buy them... a truly miserable situation.
‘Wait, maybe it’s not that miserable.’
From Ji-yeon’s perspective, it was much better to keep VTubing as a hobby and focus on her original dream of acting.
Considering that, Ramiel’s merchandise was a sacrifice well worth making.
‘...I’ll just have to make my own later.’
Anyway, she had bought plenty of materials for that as well.
She hadn't really planned on it, but after wandering around Akihabara, she had developed an interest in that area too.
"Seo-yeon, are you all ready for the variety show appearance tomorrow?"
"Pardon?"
Wasn't that the ghost prank we filmed at the inn?
The thought occurred to her, but apparently, that wasn't the case.
"The one you were originally scheduled for was an interview-based variety show."
"..."
The other thing had purely been a hidden camera prank prepared by the broadcasting station to give Seo-yeon a scare.
In other words, it was separate from the variety show she was actually supposed to appear on.
In truth, the show itself wasn't anything grand.
Since Seo-yeon was currently starring in the popular drama Dream Future, it was just an interview-style show where various panels would ask her questions.
‘To think there was still one more job left.’
And so.
After finishing the final variety show filming, Seo-yeon truly returned to Korea.
Up to that point, nothing particularly special had happened.
There wasn't a massive crowd waiting for her at the airport or anything like that.
She simply returned home like any other traveler and fell into a deep sleep.
However, while Seo-yeon was asleep...
The internet was buzzing with topics related to her.
And interestingly, the fire wasn't starting in Korea, but overseas.
*
At first, it wasn't a huge topic.
A community user had simply clipped a scene of Seo-yeon appearing in the drama and posted it.
Since her screen time was barely a minute long, the scene didn't even need much editing.
Red eyes, a loose, playful smile.
Her swaying gestures and behavior were completely different from the usual Seo-yeon.
Above all, her visuals matched the Jirai-kei outfit perfectly.
Such jokes floated around, but Seo-yeon’s one-minute appearance had a presence far too strong to be called a mere extra.
There were other actors around her, but it felt like she was the only one visible.
Furthermore, her black hair, pale skin, and red eyes captured the characteristics of a "landmine girl" perfectly.
Even those who didn't usually watch dramas or movies were showing interest.
In a way, Seo-yeon’s appearance looked like she had popped straight out of a manga.
Naturally, the demographic that preferred subcultures was drawn to her.
It was a given that very few people in Korea took an interest in Japanese dramas.
Even fewer people watched them on the day they aired.
So, while the buzz was relatively small in Korea, Japan was a different story.
Not only was it blowing up on the internet in real-time, but many were shocked to realize she was the same actress who had appeared in the hidden camera prank (Dokkiri) just a few days prior.
==
Post: I brought over the reactions from our neighbors across the sea.
--
349: Is this actress the same person who was crawling on the ground back then?
370: For real? She looks completely different.
421: Honestly, when they said that was acting back then, I didn't believe it wwww.
423: I thought "Genius Actor" (lol) was an exaggeration, but I repent. I’m watching this clip on loop.
> For real? I’m glad it’s not just me.
484: Super cute wwww. She really has a face born to be a landmine, doesn't she??
> I’m not sure how to feel about that phrasing w.
503: Jirai-kei actually depends a lot on visuals. But she doesn't look awkward or like she’s cosplaying at all.
506: Apparently, those aren't even lenses, they're her real eyes ww.
> The red eyes? Really?
> They say it’s natural. They’re originally brown but turn red depending on the situation.
> Eh, really? Is she some kind of psychic?
508: I became a total fan after seeing Seo-yeon-chan in Japan.
612: Honestly, her looks are a critical hit for Japanese people. Plus, she’s got a great figure.
619: I heard Seo-yeon-mama is a beauty and incredibly well-endowed.
622: Eh ww. No way, is that true??
--
The neighbors across the sea are losing their minds over Ju Seo-yeon right now lol.
Replies:
==
Because it became such a massive topic in Japan, posts began spreading across various Korean communities.
"Nationalistic pride" content always serves as easy fuel for the fire.
Especially when it involves the most popular actress in Korea right now.
When titles like "Genius Actress" are attached, the flames only grow fiercer.
It was around then that all sorts of YouTube "wreckers" began uploading videos.
[The acting skills of Ju Seo-yeon that made Japanese actors despair - "I’m quitting acting after seeing Seo-yeon-san"]
[<Breaking News> Green light for the World Cup, Ju Seo-yeon joins the Korean national football team? Japanese Ministry of Defense: "Must follow international law"]
[Japan in chaos over popular Japanese actress naturalizing to Korea. "I’m going to Korea to follow Ju Seo-yeon"]
Videos with such titles began popping up one after another, and naturally, jokes using those titles spread to various communities.
It’s only hard to start the fire.
Once it catches, the topic spreads in an instant.
Just like how an unpopular idol who appeared on a military variety show once became a national sensation overnight with just five seconds of aegyo.
And this was an actress who was already gaining popularity.
Furthermore, the reactions weren't just coming from Japan.
What started as simple humor turned into a massive sensation, as Seo-yeon’s one minute in Japan truly resonated.
The way Seo-yeon was portrayed in the video was incredibly charming.
Her body movements, swaying differently than usual...
Her tone and facial expressions, mixed with Japan’s characteristic exaggerated emotional acting, were being used as "recruitment clips" for new fans.
Seo-yeon’s fan cafe even went as far as putting a photo of Jirai-kei Ju Seo-yeon on their main banner.
While the communities were burning up...
"This poster is bigger than I thought."
Seo-yeon, having woken up, was preoccupied with decorating her room.
Her only concern was whether she should buy a new display cabinet.
Amusingly, Seo-yeon only found out about the buzz the next day at school.
And it was from Lee Ji-yeon, who had come to find her in her classroom.
*
When she arrived at school, the atmosphere felt strange for some reason.
Perhaps because the students had grown used to her recently, they usually just gave her a light greeting when she arrived.
They hadn't done anything particularly special.
But today, more eyes were on her than usual.
‘What is it?’
At first, she didn't know why.
She just thought it was because she had been in Japan for a long time.
"Hey, Ju Seo-yeon."
She found out the truth during lunch.
It was because of Lee Ji-yeon, who had come to see her with an absurd expression on her face.
"Did you see this?"
"See what?"
"You’re a huge topic in Japan right now."
Seo-yeon blinked at those words.
A topic?
There wasn't really a reason for that.
Seo-yeon hadn't done much.
She had been pranked on a hidden camera show and appeared as a guest on a variety show.
Since it was an interview show, she hadn't even shown much of anything.
The hidden camera prank was also a variety show staple that any Korean actor would typically go through.
If there was anything special, it was her one-minute cameo in Director Kakeba’s drama.
Of course, Seo-yeon didn't think anything special would happen because of that one minute.
"Jirai-hime."
"? Why are you swearing at me?"
"...The pronunciation is a bit much, I guess. Sorry."
For a moment, Seo-yeon thought Ji-yeon was insulting her.
Ji-yeon also realized the pronunciation was a bit questionable and apologized readily.
Anyway.
"They’re calling you the Landmine Princess."
"The what?"
"You. The Japanese kids are calling you the Landmine Princess."
Ji-yeon showed Seo-yeon the current trends in Japan.
Apparently, in Japan, "landmine girls" are often called Jirai-onna.
Or Pien-girl.
That’s probably why Seo-yeon, who had become a hot topic, was being called Jirai-hime or Pien-hime.
‘What even is that?’
Why add "Princess"?
Seo-yeon shuddered at the incredibly cringeworthy nickname.
However, in Japan, the title "Hime" (Princess) was surprisingly easy to come by.
In fact, Seo-yeon’s moniker in Japan had officially become the Landmine Princess.
‘W-well, in a way, I guess I did manage my image well.’
It was a huge relief that the ghost from the beginning didn't become her primary image.
But separately, the title "Landmine Princess" also felt a bit... off.
She had pivoted her image toward the landmine girl style, but being called by such a title felt hard to describe.
"So, I heard from Jo Seo-hee yesterday."
"Is there something else?"
"Yeah. I was going to tell you yesterday, but you looked tired, so I didn't."
Of course, Seo-yeon hadn't actually been tired.
Her invincible body had never felt exhausted since the day she was born.
She had just slept a bit longer because she felt she needed to catch up on sleep.
And the first thing she did upon waking up was organize the merchandise she bought in Japan.
"Apparently, the Japanese side moved very quickly."
"About what?"
"About Gyeongseong Lady."
Seo-yeon had suddenly become a massive hit in Japan.
Realizing this, the Japanese industry had begun to move swiftly.
As soon as they learned that Seo-yeon’s next project was the movie Gyeongseong Lady, various entities began reaching out.
Furthermore, Seo-yeon’s role in Gyeongseong Lady was a Japanese person.
Naturally, they must have thought they had to grab this opportunity.
"If things go well, a simultaneous release might be difficult, but... it looks like it’ll be released in Japan within six months of the Korean premiere."
The Japanese film industry was notoriously closed-off.
Even movies that were massive hits overseas often took a year or even two to be released in Japan.
So, a Korean movie being released within six months was an incredibly exceptional case.
It meant that Seo-yeon had made that much of an impact in Japan.
At those words...
‘I-is it really that big of a deal?’
To be honest, it didn't feel real to Seo-yeon.
She had just thought lightly, ‘If it goes well, I’ll have an excuse to visit Japan often~’
But the way things were going, it felt like the fire was spreading far beyond her expectations.
It was visible that the anticipation for her next work, Gyeongseong Lady, was skyrocketing.
"Jo Seo-hee was incredibly motivated. She said she’s really looking forward to this week’s filming."
"..."
Ah, right.
The first filming for Gyeongseong Lady was this week.
Since it was a shoot that had been delayed time and again, it was only natural for Jo Seo-hee to be fired up.
On top of that, the buzz surrounding Gyeongseong Lady had increased, so it was truly the icing on the cake.
It was a good thing for Seo-yeon as well.
In order to film a project for her "graduation" later on, she still needed to become much more famous.