Chapter 226: Fairy (3)
Chapter 226: Fairy (3)
To be honest, even from the perspective of Ji-yeon, a friend who had known Seo-yeon for a long time, she hadn't expected this kind of reaction.
Ji-yeon was, of course, familiar with the term "Red Pill."
As a VTuber herself, there was no way she wouldn't be.
That was why Ji-yeon had consciously avoided bringing up anything related to "Ramiel" directly with Seo-yeon. Seo-yeon had been unique since they were children, making it difficult to predict how she might react to such things.
But she never imagined that Seo-yeon would faint dead away upon seeing the Red Pill of "Alice," who wasn't even Ramiel.
And when Seo-yeon's eyes snapped open an hour later...
"Ah, I'm so sorry," Seo-yeon said. "I suddenly fainted in the middle of our conversation."
"?"
"I'm pretty sure I was on my way to see Seo-hee."
At those words, everyone exchanged glances.
Wait, did she forget everything about seeing 'Alice'?
No, no, there’s no way.
Ji-yeon could see Seo-yeon’s lips trembling ever so slightly.
Indeed, it was unlikely that a brief fainting spell would wipe her memory.
A catastrophic blunder!
Just as Ji-yeon suspected, Seo-yeon hadn't actually forgotten. She just wanted to forget.
I completely forgot it was Alice’s broadcast time.
Perhaps the pressure of meeting a conglomerate chairman, combined with the fact that he was Jo Seo-hee’s father, had made her more tense than usual.
Of course, Seo-yeon didn't exactly equate Alice with Jo Seo-hee in her mind.
To put it simply, Seo-yeon preferred to believe that, regardless of the VTuber's external appearance shown to the public, the person "inside" was an individual with the exact same personality and setting as the avatar.
...Of course, she couldn't maintain that illusion with Ramiel, who kept forcing Red Pills down her throat.
As for Alice, she had tried her best to think that way since Jo Seo-hee never made it obvious, but she had just swallowed the biggest Red Pill of her life—one even Ramiel had never managed to inflict on her.
"I... I don't know how I'm supposed to look at Alice anymore..."
"...Is it really that bad?"
Ji-yeon looked absolutely flabbergasted by Seo-yeon's reaction. On one hand, she felt a sense of relief that it wasn't her own identity that had been exposed.
On the other hand, Jo Seo-hee, who had just shown her most embarrassing side to her friends, felt nothing but a sense of injustice.
Did she hear me laughing like 'Ohohoho'? She must have, right?
Watching herself on a broadcast was fine.
But showing that side of herself directly to someone else was a different matter entirely.
People might say it's fine because she's an actress, but even actresses get embarrassed.
It was only natural to feel mortified after performing a role that was never intended to be seen in person.
"Anyway, I'm glad you look healthy. I should learn from your diligence, broadcasting even in this situation."
"...Coming from you, that sounds like a mockery."
Ji-yeon spoke as she handed over the fruit basket she had brought with Seo-yeon.
After responding curtly, Jo Seo-hee turned her gaze toward Seo-yeon.
Seo-yeon struggled to meet Jo Seo-hee’s eyes. It felt as if their relationship had reset to the moment they first met.
Feeling inexplicably gloomy, Seo-yeon pouted.
"Miss Seo-yeon was quite angry," Jo Seok-hwan, who had been watching quietly, finally spoke up.
Seo-yeon was angry?
Did he mean she was angry because she saw the Red Pill?
That couldn't be it. Seo-yeon had only just woken up from her faint.
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
"I let it slip that I wasn't particularly fond of you pursuing an acting career. Miss Seo-yeon was very displeased by that. Displeased enough to snap at me directly."
"...Really?"
Seo-hee never imagined Seo-yeon thought of her that way.
Seo-hee knew her father. He was a man who possessed the full dignity of a chaebol chairman.
He carried an aura that made it difficult for anyone to speak their mind in his presence. It wasn't just his atmosphere; it was the sheer weight of his position.
To think that Seo-yeon had gotten angry at such a man.
And for her sake!
"That was... it just kind of happened."
Only then did Seo-yeon’s expression return to normal. Having watched Seo-hee from the side, Seo-yeon knew just how sincere she was about acting.
Hearing him speak like that had naturally made her blood boil.
Of course, now she felt a bit embarrassed, realizing she might have spoken out of turn without knowing the full family circumstances.
"I should probably get going then. You seem to be doing well."
As an embarrassed Seo-yeon tried to stand up, Jo Seo-hee raised a hand to stop her.
"Wait, wait. Since you're here, there's something I need to tell you."
"...Something to tell me?"
"We're going back to Japan for filming soon."
It wasn't to appear on Japanese variety shows or dramas like before. It was purely for the filming of Gyeongseong Lady.
They needed the snow-covered landscapes, and the perfect building to serve as Michiko's mansion happened to be there.
Other than that, there was no particular business. They might discuss the offer Seo-yeon had received previously, but even that wasn't certain.
"After the last shoot, some people from a Japanese broadcasting station reached out."
Currently, there were staff members from a Japanese station on the set of Gyeongseong Lady. They were there to film behind-the-scenes footage for a documentary-style promotion to be aired in Japan later.
It seemed they had spoken to Director Baek Min separately after the previous filming ended.
And what they said was...
"Stella?"
"Yes, Stella Baldwin. Asher Baldwin’s adopted daughter. The 'Fairy of the Century'."
Jo Seo-hee spoke with a serious face.
In the current era, she was arguably the top actress under the age of twenty. While her recognition in Korea was relatively low, her popularity in Europe was at its peak.
At a young age, she had starred in a film based on a famous fairy tale, which became a massive hit and earned her numerous awards. Since then, her career had been a smooth road to success.
"But why that actress all of a sudden?"
"Apparently, she wants to visit our set. She even mentioned she's willing to make a cameo appearance."
A cameo.
Seo-yeon narrowed her eyes at those peculiar words.
She knew why Asher Baldwin had contacted her before. He had supposedly been so impressed by her cameo in a Japanese drama that he reached out.
Was it really that impressive?
She had her doubts, but she figured it was possible. She was confident that her acting back then had been quite good.
However, the fact that Stella suddenly wanted to see the set or mentioned a "cameo" was strangely unsettling.
It's likely just a wild guess, but...
If it wasn't a guess, there were too many suspicious things about Stella's behavior.
It was true that Director Baek Min was more recognized abroad than domestically. But even so, he wasn't at the level where Stella would personally come to visit.
And she wanted to appear as a cameo herself?
It was incomprehensible in many ways.
"So, what did Director Baek Min say?"
"Apparently, he said he didn't mind."
"...Really?"
Given Director Baek Min’s personality, he would usually loathe having outsiders on his set. Yet he had permitted Stella’s visit?
Had he even agreed to the cameo?
Certainly, Stella’s participation would have a huge impact on the film's commercial success. But Director Baek Min wasn't the type of director to make decisions based solely on box office numbers.
"Seo-hee, do you happen to know why?"
"I have no idea."
Jo Seo-hee crossed her arms, looking equally perplexed. She clearly didn't understand the director's intentions either.
Surprisingly, the actor Lee Sang-soo had also said it was fine. That made it awkward for Jo Seo-hee to oppose it.
"Anyway, don't be surprised if you run into Stella on set. Especially you, Seo-yeon—didn't you say Director Asher contacted you?"
"Yes."
"Then even more so. From what I've heard, Stella respects her father, Asher Baldwin, immensely."
"I understand."
Jo Seo-hee’s words added weight to Seo-yeon’s suspicions.
There's a lot to think about.
She had thought this was just a simple visit to a sick friend, but she ended up hearing quite a lot.
She wouldn't know the truth about Stella Baldwin until they met in Japan, but...
About Jo Seo-hee’s mother.
She felt she needed to look into that as well. She didn't want to make a mistake by being uninformed.
*
After visiting Jo Seo-hee, Seo-yeon found herself with a bit of rare free time.
The three major broadcasting stations and various cable variety shows had been sending her love calls, but she hadn't expressed any interest in appearing.
She had Gyeongseong Lady to worry about, and as soon as that finished, she had to start filming Mine.
And in between...
The audition for Director Jo Bang-woo’s movie.
In a month? Two months?
Word would get out around then.
With Seo-yeon’s career, she was at a level where she could have just asked for a role, but the problem was that she had only been active as an actress for a year.
No matter how successful she had been this year, it would feel strange for an actress with only one year of experience to say, "Please put me in."
Furthermore, Seo-yeon was still in her teens. To other actors, she was incredibly young.
If she joined a project without an audition, it could lead to misunderstandings or distrust.
It seems there’s no word on the audition yet.
Seo-yeon nodded as she scanned the situation online. She felt she should ask Park Eun-ha about it later.
"Now then..."
Next, Seo-yeon searched for the information she had heard during her visit to Seo-hee.
Information about Jo Seo-hee’s mother.
The Cinderella who married a conglomerate chairman.
The "Nation's Little Sister" and a national actress.
The actress once called a "Supernova."
Information about Baek Seo-ran.
Naturally, the articles were very old. Most of them had been written before Seo-yeon even appeared in The Moon That Hides the Sun.
Ten years... no, even longer than that.
It was before Jo Seo-hee had even debuted. Before she was even called the "Princess of Daily Dramas."
Seo-yeon searched the keyword "Baek Seo-ran," but many articles seemed to have been deleted.
Perhaps the New Like Group had requested their removal. No matter how bold a journalist might be, it would be difficult to keep articles up that offended a major corporation.
Especially if her death had been something scandalous.
However, she managed to find one related article.
[A Retrospective on the Actress Who Was Like Starlight]
It was that kind of title.
Seo-yeon hesitated for a moment before clicking on the article. She had a bad feeling about it.
==
A year ago, an actress who was like starlight left this world.
Since her debut, she was called the Nation's Little Sister, and whenever she filmed a movie, the prefix "National" always followed her name.
On a night like this, one wonders when such an actress will appear in Korea again.
==
The article began with those words.
It was strangely emotional. That made it feel even more poignant. It felt as if the journalist's genuine feelings for the actress Baek Seo-ran were bleeding through the text.
Most of it is about Baek Seo-ran’s achievements.
How great an actress she was. How much influence she had exerted over Korea through her movies and dramas.
The article was filled with such praise. Looking at this alone, it seemed like a tribute written by a fan. In fact, the author might have truly been one.
But the ending was different.
==
However, the end of that starlight was far too sudden.
Before her fans—before the "Nation" that was always attached to her name—could even sense a sign, she vanished.
The once-twinkling light left behind only a darkness so deep that one fears to even gaze upon its end.
Perhaps because she was so bright, the darkness feels even darker.
To think that an actress who shone so brightly would make such an extreme choice.
Even now, I find it impossible to believe.
==
An extreme choice.
Those words caught Seo-yeon’s eye. They made her hesitate to scroll down further.
Fortunately, or perhaps not, the article didn't continue much longer. It ended just a few lines later.
The final sentence read:
==
It is said that the one who first discovered her at the end was her only daughter.
==
After reading that far, Seo-yeon turned off the internet.
This was undoubtedly the "article he didn't like" that Jo Seok-hwan had mentioned.
It was an article that didn't show up properly even if you searched for "Baek Seo-ran." You had to chase the "Starlight" to finally reach it.
Suddenly, Seo-yeon recalled the first time she met Seo-hee.
The way Jo Seo-hee had scoffed and called her a "parachute."
At that time, it had only been a few years since Jo Seo-hee had lost her mother.
Considering that, Jo Seo-hee’s behavior was actually quite remarkable.
And if it was true that she was the one who first discovered her mother after she took her own life...
"I... I had my reasons for calling you a parachute back then."
Those words Jo Seo-hee had said recently, almost like an excuse.
As Seo-yeon thought back to that, she felt a chill run down her spine.
...Did I... did I do something wrong?
For a reason entirely separate from the VTuber incident, Seo-yeon found herself at a loss as to how she should face Jo Seo-hee.