Chapter 227: Appearance of a Fairy (1)
Chapter 227: Appearance of a Fairy (1)
'The "Red Pill" is a truly dangerous thing.'
The reason Jo Seo-hee had started being a VTuber was because of Seo-yeon.
To be precise, she had sought advice from Ji-yeon to mend her relationship with Seo-yeon, who had been strangely upset with her at the time.
"There is a better way, but honestly, I don't know if you can pull it off."
Ji-yeon, who had been suggesting various things, suddenly brought it up.
That’s just how people are. Even if it’s nothing special, hearing "I don't think you can do it" sparks a certain stubbornness.
Jo Seo-hee was no different back then.
Of course, there was also the reason that it was the best way to get closer to Seo-yeon.
"VTuber?"
It was a completely foreign profession to Seo-hee.
She had heard of YouTubers and streamers, but broadcasting using a virtual avatar?
Despite her doubts, she started it half-heartedly after hearing that Seo-yeon was a huge fan of them.
And, as mentioned before, Jo Seo-hee actually found herself enjoying the broadcasts.
It was a good way to relieve stress.
While this world had its share of toxic fans and potential scandals, most problems could be solved by the law.
The legal team of the group Jo Seo-hee could mobilize was one of the top-tier groups in Korea.
Even those categorized as "corporate-backed" VTubers were nothing compared to the New Like Group backing Seo-hee.
Currently, the South Korean cultural industry was solidified into a duopoly between the New Like Group and the GH Group.
Originally, GH had a significant lead, but since Chairman Jo Seok-hwan took office, the New Like Group had gained the upper hand.
'And one of the blades GH Group prepared to overturn that situation is Ju Seo-yeon.'
Starting with Mine, it was clear they were preparing various projects.
Regardless, Jo Seo-hee didn't care much about that.
As an actress, she had never received any backup from the New Like Group.
Her father's business was his business.
And she had her own work.
Honestly, from Seo-hee's perspective, it didn't matter if they lost to the GH Group.
Weren't they all more or less the same anyway?
That was just how she felt.
There might be a difference in the amount they earned, but as someone who never had to worry about money, she just viewed it with indifference.
To be honest, even if the company went bankrupt tomorrow, Jo Seo-hee was in a position where she could live perfectly well on her own.
Anyway, putting aside those trivial corporate matters, the important thing was being a VTuber.
'Honestly, I was skeptical at first.'
It started because of Seo-yeon, but for Jo Seo-hee, who was now quite serious about it, the situation was genuinely baffling.
I mean, she had heard stories, but still.
"Seo-yeon, stop joking around and wake up."
"Huh? Wait. Is she really fainted?"
"...For real?"
Jo Seo-hee, who had been poking Seo-yeon’s cheek, was flustered.
She never imagined the "Red Pill" would be so dangerous.
"I told you so."
Of course, Lee Ji-yeon only spoke with a look of indifference.
But still.
When she had searched for the term "Red Pill," she often saw comments in online communities like, "Gaaah, the Red Pill!" or "She probably became a VTuber because she looks like that, lol."
But that was the extent of it; who would have thought someone would actually pass out?
'Just like Lee Ji-yeon said, she really loves it.'
Then, were all the things she said while donating to her virtual avatar, "Alice," actually sincere?
'If only she were half as kind to the real me.'
When she broadcasted as Alice, Seo-yeon couldn't have been more affectionate.
She would send 100,000 won donations with chats like that every time, which was honestly a bit awkward.
The feeling of receiving 100,000 won handouts from a friend was incredibly subtle.
It was even more so for Jo Seo-hee, who was always the one buying things for others and had never been on the receiving end.
'Did she forget I'm from a chaebol family?'
If she only saw her as a fellow actress, that might be possible, but wasn't Seo-yeon somewhat aware by now?
She had even taken her to Mirinae Park recently.
But looking at it now, it seemed she didn't care about the person inside and was purely giving money to "Alice."
"Here's the money I received this time."
"...It's quite a lot? It's almost the same as mine."
"Huh?"
The money received that way was handed over to Lee Ji-yeon, who in turn passed it to Seo-yeon's parents. And that money was supposedly used by Seo-yeon's parents for her allowance or living expenses.
"Almost the same? Ah, don't tell me..."
Jo Seo-hee immediately realized what Ji-yeon's words meant.
It probably meant that the donation amount Seo-yeon sent to Alice was approaching what she sent to Ramiel.
Originally, there had been a much larger gap.
"Hehe, at this rate, won't I be the one receiving more?"
Jo Seo-hee covered her mouth with her hand and let out a refined laugh.
It was, so to speak, Alice's gesture.
Seeing Seo-hee like that, Ji-yeon's eyes turned even more sharp as she looked at her.
"Even so, I'm going to work hard on my broadcasts for a while."
"...Huh? You haven't forgotten we're in the middle of filming, right?"
"Referencing Ramiel helps a lot with my acting as Yeon Seon-ye, so it's actually quite beneficial."
Is that so?
But in fact, Lee Ji-yeon's acting this time was excellent.
To the point where even Seo-hee was swept up in her sudden ad-lib.
Sometimes, an actor's ad-lib can far surpass the original script.
However, to a director who hates ad-libs, it's nothing short of a cardinal sin.
Director Baek Min was exactly that type, so she had been a bit nervous.
Honestly, with the Director Baek Min she knew, it wouldn't have been strange if he had ordered a retake of the entire scene.
But this time, the scene apparently turned out too beautiful.
In particular, the final scene of Michiko running while holding Yeon Seon-ye's hand was legendary.
The script simply said, "A scene where Michiko helps Seon-ye up after she falls and they hold hands," but the impact of the scene became excessively large.
"If we add background music here, I think this will be really great."
Even the sound director said as much.
Director Baek Min gave a small warning, but he acknowledged Ji-yeon's ad-libbing skills.
'That kind of quick wit isn't something you can achieve through effort alone.'
Seo-hee thought as she looked at Ji-yeon, who was staring at her with a blunt expression.
Her acting ability was certainly lower compared to Jo Seo-hee or Seo-yeon, but her quick wit was on a different level.
It wasn't for nothing that Ramiel's channel grew so rapidly.
That instantaneous sense of timing was truly in the realm of talent.
'Talent...'
It was a very complicated word for Seo-hee.
When she was young, everyone praised her as a genius child actress, but at some point, those words vanished.
Of course, it wasn't that she had no talent at all.
In the first place, in the world of arts and entertainment, you can't even make a proper debut without talent.
However, it felt like it wasn't the same kind of talent her mother had.
Those who knew Seo-hee's identity naturally compared her to her mother.
"She's certainly amazing, but..."
Comments that made her feel like they were overlaying someone else's image onto her face.
In the past, her pride would have been wounded, but now she just accepted it.
Regardless, Seo-hee knew.
She knew those reactions came because she didn't possess the same "starlight" as Seo-yeon.
Just as her father said, she wasn't born with that much acting talent.
Her mother's talent.
She hadn't inherited that brilliance.
"Anyway, Jo Seo-hee, don't get cocky. I'll widen the gap again next time."
"Huh? No, no. I have no intention of competing over something like this."
"You say that, but you're smiling."
At Ji-yeon's huff, Seo-hee crossed her arms.
Well, anyway, winning is a pleasant thing.
Whether it's as a VTuber or an actress.
Even if she was lacking now, she intended to eventually grasp what she aimed for.
Even her lacking talent, someday... she just thought vaguely.
And so, feeling good after getting one over on Ji-yeon, Seo-hee headed to the filming set with a beaming face.
There weren't many scenes to shoot today, and since it was a day she filmed with Seo-yeon, she planned to suggest they go shopping after finishing quickly.
'As expected, when I act with Seo-yeon, I feel like my own skills improve too.'
Among actors her age, there were none who could properly match Seo-hee's acting.
However, Seo-yeon didn't just match Seo-hee's acting; she brought out even more potential.
'Like when we had that physical scuffle.'
Back then, Seo-hee was definitely several times more immersed than in her usual acting.
Just as Seo-yeon was immersed in "Yuina," she believed she was immersed in "Michiko."
Method acting, was it?
It was a concept far removed from Seo-hee, but she felt like she had experienced exactly what it was.
Being completely lost in a character was a somewhat unfamiliar experience for Seo-hee.
"Hey. After we're done today, shopping... What's wrong?"
Seo-hee, who had been speaking cheerfully, couldn't help but ask back at Seo-yeon's strange reaction.
"Ah, it's nothing."
That was because the look on Seo-yeon's face as she answered was exactly like a "puppy that did something wrong."
As Lee Ji-yeon had said, it was the face Ju Seo-yeon made when she had done something bad.
*
'Should I just start speaking informally now?'
Seo-yeon was in agony.
Was this what they called a "Tallulah" moment?
Knowing Jo Seo-hee's past made her feel like she had done something wrong.
'But she was the one who called herself a "parachute" first...'
Even if she tried to make excuses, it was true that she had dragged it out for a long time.
Jo Seo-hee had apologized a long time ago.
Of course, Seo-yeon had been joking too, but after learning about the background story, she felt a sensation that was hard to describe.
'Based on the timeline, Jo Seo-hee had only recently lost her mother back then.'
To be precise, Jo Seo-hee's active period began after her mother, Baek Seo-ran, died.
In other words, she started her acting career after her mother passed away.
Seo-yeon found it difficult to imagine what kind of mindset Jo Seo-hee must have had when she started acting.
If it were her past self, who didn't understand emotions, she probably wouldn't have thought much of it.
But now that she had gained so much, Seo-yeon found it hard to even imagine.
If something like that happened to her mother, Sua...
Seo-yeon wasn't mentally weak.
However, she didn't know what state she would be in if she lost the precious things she had finally obtained.
After all, it hadn't been long since she properly recognized the emotion of "liking" something.
'She started acting in that situation, but there was no mention of the New Like Group.'
Specifically, there was no information about the New Like Group or Baek Seo-ran in the stories about "Child Actress Jo Seo-hee" at the time.
In other words, she had started from scratch under the name "Jo Seo-hee."
From her perspective, Seo-yeon, who had suddenly dropped in on the director's recommendation, might have looked unpleasant.
Calling her a "parachute" wasn't strange at all considering those circumstances.
'Just how strong is her mental fortitude?'
Separately from that, looking at Jo Seo-hee staring blankly at her, Seo-yeon couldn't help but be horrified for the first time.
It might be a bit much to say, but Jo Seo-hee's face was devoid of any shadow, both when they met as children and now.
'And they say she was the one who first discovered her.'
Jo Seo-hee was the one who first discovered her mother's body after her extreme choice.
It wouldn't be strange if it became a lifelong trauma, but seeing her so fine, she was truly extraordinary.
For Seo-yeon, who fainted over a VTuber Red Pill, Jo Seo-hee's mental strength was staggering.
Seo-yeon also had a generally strong mentality, except when it came to VTubers.
Ah, and except for scary things.
Seo-yeon no longer made nonsense claims about not feeling fear.
I'm totally weak against horror.
Hing.
That kind of feeling.
Anyway, she wasn't easily shaken by most things.
But hadn't that situation crossed the line of "most things"?
Anyway, since Seo-hee was so perfectly fine, her father, Jo Seok-hwan, must have said those things to Seo-yeon and Ji-yeon.
Because he knew that even if the two of them found out and brought it up, Jo Seo-hee would handle it calmly.
What kind of absolute trust was that?
"Seo-yeon, do you want to go shopping? Filming should end early today. Should we call Lee Ji-yeon too?"
"...Yeah, okay."
Seo-yeon hesitated for a moment before answering Seo-hee's suggestion.
Then.
"...Informal speech?"
Jo Seo-hee spoke reflexively at Seo-yeon's words, which lacked honorifics.
Then she covered her mouth with both hands.
No, the nuance of her words was a bit strange.
"Informal speech?" sounded like "How dare you speak informally to me?" so Seo-hee shook her head vigorously.
As if to say that wasn't her intention.
"...I'll just use honorifics after all."
"No, no, no, no! Informal speech is totally fine! But why?? What suddenly brought this on?"
"..."
Even if she asked what brought it on, what could Seo-yeon say?
She couldn't exactly say, "I saw an old article, and it felt a bit wrong to use honorifics."
'I shouldn't have spoken informally. I should have just talked normally.'
She decided she should stick to honorifics for the time being and observe the reaction.
She would drop the honorifics once a more proper opportunity arose...
'Is this what they call digging your own grave?'
Seo-yeon reflected.
She decided that from now on, she should have a broader mind and treat others with more generosity.
And so, a few days later.
『Hello? So you're Ju Seo-yeon? Your eyes looked redder in the videos; are those lenses? You have peculiar taste, don't you?』
That was until she met a certain cocky fairy.