Chapter 79: A Small Catalyst (1)
Chapter 79: A Small Catalyst (1)
For a moment, Park Jung-woo doubted his own ears.
And why wouldn't he?
Who on earth announces it’s their birthday on the day of, right before saying goodbye?
"What?"
Jung-woo asked again, sounding a bit thick-headed.
He couldn't think of anything else to say.
Jung-woo wasn't the only one caught off guard. PD Shin Young-woo and the cameraman filming the two were equally bewildered.
Excuse me? Her birthday?
"Yes, it's my birthday today. Well then, I'll be heading out first. Great work, everyone."
She folded her body in half, giving a deep, polite bow.
Since the atmosphere was already winding down, it was a normal way to say goodbye and leave, but...
"No, no, no! Wait, wait a second!!"
"Please, just wait a moment!"
"?"
Seo-yeon simply tilted her head at the sudden outcry from the cast and crew trying to stop her.
*
I was flustered by the people suddenly holding me back, but they didn't keep me for long.
All they did was buy a small cake and have me blow out the candles once.
For some reason, Jung-woo kept stomping his feet with a dissatisfied look on his face, but he didn't say anything else.
"Oh my, sweetie. What are all these gifts you brought back?"
When I returned home, my mother, Sua, wearing an apron, asked with wide eyes.
"They gave them to me when I said I was leaving."
"Is that so?"
She seemed amazed that I had received so many presents.
Hey, I can receive gifts too.
It’s just that I’m a bit like that at school.
Believe it or not, I’m actually quite the darling to my seniors when I’m out in the professional world.
Ah, come to think of it, I didn't get a chance to check how the footage turned out.
Unlike dramas, variety shows don't give you much time to check the monitor in between takes. I meant to check once everything was over, but I completely forgot.
Nothing I can do about it now.
Variety shows aired quickly anyway. It would probably be out by next week or the week after.
"Seo-yeon! You have to blow out the candles!!"
I heard my mom's shout from outside.
Usually, I spend my birthdays with my family.
It’s not because I don't have friends, or because Lee Ji-yeon had other plans. It’s definitely not because of those trivial reasons that I ended up with my family; it’s just how it’s always been.
"Our daughter is finally seventeen now."
Sua lit the candles with an emotional expression.
The flickering light caught my eye.
The four family members sitting side-by-side at the square dining table.
It was a sight I saw every year, yet it felt fresh to me every single time.
Suddenly, I remembered what I had seen in Daejeon not long ago.
The woman walking while holding a small girl's hand.
There was no trace of 'me' there.
In fact, I already knew this because I had checked once before.
Because I have been born anew.
So that the existence known as 'me' wouldn't be doubled.
I didn't know the reason, but I figured it was something like that.
The face of the woman holding the girl's hand was one I had only seen once.
"Seo-yeon?"
My mom looked at me with questioning eyes.
Before I knew it, the lights had been turned off, and the cake glowed brightly in front of the dark table.
"..."
The loss of the past.
I think I understood what kind of heart Cha Seo-ah had when she looked at others.
Because I had been turning a blind eye to it, the pain felt a bit more intense.
However.
"It's nothing."
I shook my head.
Then, I blew out the candles with all my might.
Accompanied by the sound of my family's applause.
Watching the last candle flame flicker out, I closed my eyes.
The me of the past and Ju Seo-yeon are different.
That person is now a stranger who has nothing to do with me.
Naturally, that existence will never have any influence on me.
Except.
Opening my eyes, I smiled brightly.
Toward the people looking at me.
Someday...
Even if it isn't The Chaser.
I had a small wish that, someday, she might come to see a movie I’ve filmed.
That was all.
*
Anyway.
Today, it wasn't just my birthday that was important.
And for good reason.
Ramiel's first broadcast!
I didn't know why, but Ramiel's debut stream was scheduled for today.
「Ju Seo-yeon, happy birthday」
I checked the KakaoTalk message from Lee Ji-yeon, who had sent a gift and that message exactly at midnight last night.
Naturally, there was no mention of Ramiel in it.
It was a message no different from the ones I had seen for over ten years.
"Hmm."
Seo-yeon stared at it for a moment before turning on her computer.
She had even swapped out her speakers to watch Ramiel's broadcast today.
I wonder if that wizard will show up too?
Surely she wouldn't appear together with her on the very first broadcast.
Despite thinking that, I felt uneasy.
No, I was still questioning why she even started streaming in the first place.
The sorrow of not being able to ask because it would involve the Red Pill!
Besides, it wasn't like I could say anything about Lee Ji-yeon's private life.
I suppressed my bubbling thoughts and waited for the first broadcast to begin.
Naturally, there were almost no people waiting.
Thirty people.
No, for a first broadcast...
Having thirty people waiting is actually an incredibly high number.
Honestly, I thought I’d be the only one there, but to think there were thirty.
<Ramiel is now live>
As the notification chimed on my phone, Ramiel's first broadcast began.
「Hello.」
The first thing I heard was a refreshing voice.
The voice Lee Ji-yeon often let me hear.
And it was the same tone and manner of speech I had frequently heard in my past life.
A calm voice, not too light.
The wizard isn't here.
I finally felt relieved as I watched the video. If that wizard had appeared today, I would have stormed over to the voice acting academy immediately.
「My name is Ramiel. My race is... a Harpy.」
At the word 'Harpy,' the chat started moving. The viewer count, which had been at thirty, stopped after rising by exactly five more people.
Since she wasn't part of an agency, it was only natural.
「Pardon? Ah, you thought I was an angel? Why a Harpy... well, I wonder.」
It was a vague answer.
As expected of a first broadcast, it was a bit awkward, and a brief introduction of the character 'Ramiel' followed.
Why she was a Harpy.
What her lore was—she laid it all out.
Everything was identical to the Ramiel I knew from my past life.
The character Ramiel was a Harpy who couldn't sing.
She was a character who came out to the human world because she was curious about it.
That was supposed to be the setting.
「A long time ago, I saw a certain notebook. It must have drifted in from the human world.」
Ramiel said.
The character Ramiel. The story regarding her RP.
「In that notebook, there were stories about the human world. This outfit, these clothes—they were all drawn in my friend's notebook.」
However, Ramiel's following words were different from the lore I knew.
There was no mention of her being unable to sing.
A notebook.
Lore that didn't exist in my past life had been added.
And that notebook...
"Ju Seo-yeon."
Elementary school.
Lee Ji-yeon, who had ended up in the same class as me, spoke while looking at the notebook I was scribbling in during class.
"What are all these doodles you've been making?"
"..."
Doodles.
I wasn't exactly doodling.
They were, so to speak, writings about my past life.
My memories.
The media I had seen in the past, and various web novels or manga.
I could recall those things vividly if I tried.
It was like a 'rerun.'
I could pull out those memories at any time, and related articles or news would come to mind, but...
Things regarding VTubers.
Those were things I simply had to remember on my own.
As time passed, they didn't come to mind as vividly as before, even when I tried to remember them like my other memories.
They gradually blurred.
After all, that is the nature of human memory.
Of course, I didn't know that at first.
Because they had come to mind as clearly as any other memory.
But as time passed, I felt the difference. I felt them fading bit by bit.
The reason they had been so clear until then was simply because I had liked them that much.
So, I occasionally scribbled those memories into a notebook.
Settings for Ramiel.
Her clothes, her personality. Things like that.
It wasn't for any grand reason.
To be honest, I didn't care much about my past self.
I just didn't like the idea of forgetting something I had loved.
"...Hmm."
When I didn't say anything, Lee Ji-yeon spoke while looking at my notebook.
"Is she a Harpy, not an angel? What's a Harpy?"
"...?"
"I'm curious about what you're writing so diligently."
That’s what Lee Ji-yeon said.
Since she was a child, I thought she might just be interested in the drawings I made.
Ramiel's lore does have a fairy-tale feel to it.
I nonchalantly told her the story of Ramiel.
Back then, I didn't even know Lee Ji-yeon was the same person as Ramiel, so I didn't think much of it.
In fact, I had forgotten about it until now.
「I came out into the world to find the owner of that notebook.」
Ramiel said that and smiled.
「This outfit is a signpost. A signpost to find the owner of the notebook—to find my friend.」
I stared blankly at her as she spoke in a calm voice.
I felt a strange stirring in my chest.
That deep ripple in my heart I had felt earlier when blowing out the candles with my family.
「The reason I came out into the world today is because it was that friend's birthday. Pardon? Ah, you think it'll be hard to find my friend with just that?」
Ramiel covered her mouth and laughed elegantly.
That appearance was not Lee Ji-yeon, but Ramiel herself, yet...
「No.」
Ramiel stated firmly.
「My friend... well, the owner of the notebook has a rather persistent personality. They'll find me soon. No, perhaps they're even watching me right now.」
Having said that, Ramiel glanced at the chat for a moment and then smiled brightly.
「Happy birthday.」
At Ramiel's words, spoken with a wink...
I nearly lost my senses.
*
"Wow, the PV turned out absolutely incredible, didn't it?"
Producer Cha Dong-jin said as he replayed the video several times.
The remaining filming was currently nearing completion.
Considering the date filming began, it had finished in what could literally be called an instant.
The GH Group side was also pleased with the rapid progress.
"We've kept Cha Seo-ah hidden as much as possible in the PV for now."
"Yes, this much is perfect."
Though they briefly showed the face of the convenience store part-timer.
It didn't overlap with the killer running through the rain.
Because she was wearing a raincoat, it was difficult to determine her gender, and looking only at the chase scene in the rain, the image was actually quite masculine.
"This is a stunt double, right?"
At Team Leader Kim from the PR team's words, Cha Dong-jin shook his head.
"No, actress Ju Seo-yeon filmed all of this herself."
"Wow, I heard the stories, but it's actually true? To think she runs this well..."
Cha Dong-jin laughed awkwardly at Team Leader Kim's remark.
He'd faint if he knew this was a reshoot.
And that it was because she was too fast.
Even if he told the truth, the man probably wouldn't believe it.
"The PV is being released this evening, right?"
"Yes. That's correct. It will hit theaters four months from now."
"That's fast."
"First of all, there's no need for CG, so post-production will be finished quickly. We plan to focus on promotion until then."
It was truly satisfying.
There weren't many cases where things proceeded so smoothly after filming a movie.
"A lot of actors will probably get into the spotlight through this movie. Especially..."
The two said that, without explicitly mentioning who 'that' was.
However, the same person was likely on both of their minds.
Ju Seo-yeon, in the role of the killer Cha Seo-ah.
The star who would likely bring a storm with this production of The Chaser.
It was the return of the young starlight.