I Want to Be a VTuber

Masked Singer had a consistent fanbase. Although the hype had died down recently, that didn’t mean all the fans had disappeared. Discussions about the contestants were still happening.

Recently, two figures were the talk of the show: Gray Crow and Manlap Rabbit.

For singers, fans could usually guess their identities quickly due to familiarity with their voices and singing styles. This was the case for Yeon-hee. Even though she had tried to disguise her voice, her die-hard fans easily figured her out.

But nobody seemed to know who Manlap Rabbit was. There was only one explanation for that.

Masked Singer was often used as a comeback show for celebrities who had been involved in scandals. The general opinion was starting to lean in that direction when suddenly—

That remark popped up unexpectedly. A fan claimed that, having followed her since Dream Future, they were pretty sure it was Ju Seoyeon’s voice.

Even people who didn’t watch dramas were starting to recognize Ju Seoyeon, thanks to a viral video from the Harara Shorts. The video had already surpassed 5 million views and was still climbing.

A strong contender finally emerged: the singer of the OST from the popular drama Sky Garden.

But there was a problem.

Since no one knew the identity of the person who sang the Sky Garden OST, the mystery of Manlap Rabbit remained unsolved.

Though Manlap Rabbit had put up a good fight in the semifinals, many believed that Gray Crow would win the finals. After all, Yeon-hee was one of the top vocalists in Korea, widely recognized for her immense talent. She wasn’t just a singer but an artist in every sense of the word.

She had a broad range, even singing anime OSTs in Japan. Her popularity in the community was largely due to this versatility.

So, when the finals came, everyone assumed they’d finally uncover Manlap Rabbit’s identity.

"You figured it out, right? No, I’m telling you, you totally did!"

"Unnie, calm down."

"How can I calm down about this?!"

Having finished the semifinals, Yeon-hee, now without her Gray Crow mask, was pacing nervously backstage, talking to her manager, Song Ah-ram.

"And why are you trembling so much? Just greet her nicely."

"Well, yeah, maybe you’re right."

Maybe it would be better to act cool about it. After all, it had been nearly 20 years. Seoyeon wasn’t even born when it happened.

So, in a way, this was ancient history and could even serve as a chance to finally talk about it. Even someone as stoic as Yeon-hee thought that 20 years might be long enough for it to be okay.

Still...

"What if Taejin told her about me?"

"Taejin? You mean Director Kang Taejin of the GH Group?"

"Yeah, I kept asking him about it... What if he told her?"

"Wow... for 20 years? That’s a little creepy."

"No! I just asked! I didn’t do anything weird!!"

I mean, anyone could be curious, right?

Yeon-hee was insistent. Sure, it had been 20 years, but she hadn’t done anything wrong by asking.

"Unnie, you’re really... holding onto some things for too long."

"Ugh."

Yeon-hee clutched her chest dramatically. What could she do? She never expected to hold onto her regrets for so long.

"When you almost have something but lose it... that makes it worse."

"I don’t really care about that."

"You’ve been a bit harsh with me lately, don’t you think?"

Yeon-hee muttered while rubbing her face with her hands.

"I’m going to wash my face for a bit."

She sighed heavily, deciding to splash some cold water on her face before returning to the set.

"Oh, wait, I need to call Dad real quick."

A familiar voice caught Yeon-hee’s attention. She had almost forgotten, but that voice was one she had recently been reminded of while watching Golden Duckling.

‘Oh my gosh!’

Yeon-hee quickly hid herself but peeked out when she realized that Yeon-bin, the owner of that voice, was headed in a different direction.

‘Why is he still on set? Oh.’

Then it hit her. His daughter was also a contestant on Masked Singer. It made sense that he’d be around late. She herself had finished early since she didn’t perform, but she hadn’t expected to run into him like this.

‘I thought I’d be fine by now.’

Yeon-hee bit her tongue. Truth be told, she had almost moved on. She thought finding someone new wouldn’t be so bad after all. But it seemed like she hadn’t quite gotten over it.

Her memories were still stuck in high school, perhaps due to the magic that had taken hold of her back then.

"Creators must stay young."

That was what he had told her. He said you had to keep your spirit youthful to continue creating.

Yeon-hee had immersed herself in her work for a long time, especially after high school. She spent nearly ten years focused on nothing but work—until The Sun Hidden by the Moon aired.

‘Ju Seoyeon.’

For Yeon-hee, Seoyeon symbolized her lingering regrets. She hadn’t expected to recognize her so easily.

Seeing the child reminded her so strongly of her parents.

Of course, she had only found out the full details later through Taejin.

But after The Sun Hidden by the Moon, there had been no other projects, just a long ten-year hiatus. Then the dramatic return of the child actor.

Yeon-hee had watched it all unfold, keeping tabs on Seoyeon through Taejin.

She’d even asked Taejin if she was being a nuisance.

"What? You’re not the only one who asks about her."

Taejin would answer with a wry smile. His smile was always so cold, giving off the impression that you owed him an organ if you didn’t know him well.

Though he had mellowed out recently. He used to be downright scary.

"Ah, yes, I’ve received the call."

By the time Yeon-hee snapped back to her senses, she was eavesdropping on Yeon-bin’s phone call. What was she even doing?

‘Have I finally lost it?’

That’s what she thought as she tried to pull herself together and turn around.

"Oh, Director... Are you serious about this? You’re not messing with me, right?"

Yeon-bin’s voice carried a joking tone, suggesting that he was speaking with someone he was quite familiar with.

Yeon-hee, having not heard his voice properly in so long, found herself freezing in place. Then she cautiously turned back and peeked at him.

He was standing there, looking as nonchalant as ever. His posture hadn’t changed, and neither had his attitude, but his face showed the weight of age.

‘He’s nervous.’

That stance meant he was worried about something. It was the same posture he’d taken when he was troubled or unsure about something.

His childhood friend had once explained it to her.

"Of course, I’m happy. Who wouldn’t want a promotion? But I’ve just got some things to think about. Yeah, yeah, no, it’s nothing."

Director. It seemed he was speaking with a game director.

A pretty high position, it seemed.

Yeon-hee wasn’t entirely familiar with corporate titles, but it sounded like a significant offer. And yet...

"He looks conflicted."

"Yeah, he seems a bit uncertain."

"Right?"

Yeon-hee stopped mid-sentence. She turned to see a girl with brown eyes tinged with a hint of red.

"...!!!"

Yeon-hee nearly had a heart attack. Why was she here?

More importantly, had she seen everything Yeon-hee had just done?

"If you're waiting to use the vending machine, you can go ahead."

"Ah, um, thanks."

Yeon-hee replied shyly. It seemed like Seoyeon had assumed she was just waiting to use the vending machine.

Yeon-hee breathed a sigh of relief.

‘Thank you, vending machine. You saved my life.’

But then a thought hit her.

‘Does she really not recognize me?’

It seemed like Seoyeon thought Yeon-hee was just a stranger. Did she not recognize her? Or maybe she did and just wasn’t saying anything?

It was hard to tell. Then again, it had been a long time since Yeon-hee had been active in the entertainment scene. Maybe Seoyeon truly didn’t know her.

Keeping a low profile all this time had its perks after all. Yeon-hee felt a sense of relief.

Then, a mischievous thought crossed her mind.

"I watched Golden Duckling. I-I'm a huge fan!"

"Huh? Oh, thank you."

Seoyeon bowed her head slightly in response, her expression quiet.

Yeon-hee rolled her eyes. Wasn’t this girl a bit more outgoing on variety shows? She seemed oddly subdued.

It was strange that such a calm and introverted girl had come from the likes of Yeon-bin and Soo-ah.

"Your dad, right? I saw him on TV. On TV."

"Yes, but aren’t you... a celebrity?"

"Huh? Oh, well, sort of."

"Really?"

What did "sort of" even mean? Seoyeon’s puzzled face made Yeon-hee internally cringe. What was she even saying?

‘But she called me unnie.’

Yeon-hee rubbed her face and smiled. Ah, she wasn’t too old yet. Maybe the face masks had been working well. It wasn’t just Soo-ah who could stay young forever.

She could still pass for someone much younger.

"Ahem! So, um, is there anything, uh, wrong?"

Yeon-hee tried to sound as casual as possible, as if she were just making small talk while waiting for the vending machine.

"I saw you on TV... You work for a game company, right?"

Of course, it was a pretty personal question.

Yeon-hee was immensely grateful for Golden Duckling. Thanks to that show, she could use the "I saw you on TV" line to smooth things over.

But Seoyeon was focused on Yeon-bin, not really paying much attention to Yeon-hee’s probing questions.

"It just seems like there’s something else he wants to do."

Seoyeon trailed off, choosing her words carefully.

"He seems to have a lot on his mind."

She didn’t want to be too intrusive, but that was enough for Yeon-hee.

She had a pretty good idea now.

"Oh, it looks like his call’s done. You can use the vending machine now."

"Huh? Oh no! I just remembered something urgent. Sorry!!"

Yeon-bin had finished his call and was now walking toward them. Yeon-hee heard his footsteps and immediately turned and fled.

She ran so fast that Seoyeon’s eyes widened in surprise. Didn’t she want to use the vending machine?

‘She feels oddly familiar. Could she be someone connected to Masked Singer?’

It didn’t make sense for a non-celebrity to be hanging around the set this late. Sure, she could have been a lost audience member, but that pretty face and aura were unmistakably those of a celebrity.

And not just any celebrity—someone with a lot of experience.

Though she had seemed oddly nervous around Seoyeon.

‘She looks familiar, but where have I seen her?’

Unable to place her, Seoyeon folded her arms, deep in thought.

"Hey, what’s up? You waiting for your magic dinosaur or something?"

"...Magic dinosaur?"

It felt like the list of nicknames for Yeon-bin was getting longer. Seoyeon gave him a disgruntled look, and he smirked in response.

"Your mom’s waiting for us. Let’s go."

With that, they walked off. Seoyeon wanted to ask about the call.

But she didn’t push it. She had a pretty good idea what it was about.

And so, she had prepared a special song for the finals with that in mind.

A song of support.

"Seoyeon, don’t get too nervous! Just take it easy!"

Manager Park Eun-ha patted Seoyeon, now disguised as Manlap Rabbit, on the back.

Park Eun-ha had noticed that Seoyeon had been deep in thought lately. It seemed like her role in the drama was weighing heavily on her.

It had even shown in her acting, to the point where Director Kim Ilsu of Sky Garden had asked Eun-ha about it.

"Has something been bothering Seoyeon lately?"

"Huh? No, why?"

"It’s just that there’s a subtle tension in her performances lately. She seems a bit anxious."

Anxious? Seoyeon never struck Eun-ha as someone who got anxious. Was she hiding something?

Seoyeon had always been good at keeping her emotions in check, so it was hard to tell.

"Anyway, Yuna’s here to cheer you on, and your family’s here too, right?"

"Yeah, they’ve been coming since the semifinals."

"That’s great."

In all honesty, Eun-ha thought it would be difficult for Seoyeon to beat Gray Crow. But she hoped this would at least help Seoyeon relax.

"Good luck!"

With those encouraging words, Seoyeon left the waiting room. She sighed quietly beneath her mask and shook her head.

‘Why do I feel so restless?’

Was it because of her recent meeting with Yuna?

For some reason, she felt an increasing sense of urgency.

She wasn’t sure what was causing it, but even while participating in a variety show like this, she couldn’t shake the feeling.

The more she watched Yeon-bin, the stronger that feeling grew.

As she approached the stage door, she saw Gray Crow waiting.

For some reason, Gray Crow flinched upon seeing Seoyeon but then slowly gave her a thumbs-up.

‘Is that a sign to do our best?’

Seoyeon nodded in return and gave a thumbs-up as well. And with that, the door to the stage opened.

The stage for the Masked Singer finals was ready.