I Want to Be a VTuber

After Episode 12 of Sky Garden aired, the reactions, which had been quiet up until now, exploded like a bomb, with posts flooding in from everywhere.

There were likely several reasons for this. The build-up that started from Episode 10, the recent attention gathered through Mask Singer, and the fact that people who had been binge-watching paused right at Episode 12.

Naturally, all kinds of speculative posts were flooding not only forums but also SNS.

These were the kinds of responses. Some people even said the storyline was diving into a trainwreck, but it certainly grabbed attention. The fact that it was impossible to predict where the story would go next only fueled the intrigue.

And, as expected with such intense reactions...

“Wow.”

The filming crew gaped as they saw the reactions to last night’s episode of the drama. They were about to begin shooting Episode 15, but it was almost impossible to concentrate on the shoot.

It was no wonder.

“Eighteen percent?” “Is that for real?”

The numbers were unbelievable. The ratings had been on a steady rise, and expectations were high, so they had hoped for a strong response.

They’d struggled to reach 14 percent. But this week, they’d hit a whopping 18 percent.

A four-percent jump. Most importantly...

“...We won?”

They had finally surpassed Grand Game by one percent in viewership. Though Grand Game had maintained consistent ratings, Sky Garden’s continued growth was nothing short of remarkable.

“Writer Min Sehee has collapsed!” “Did she ascend to heaven? She looks pretty peaceful.”

Writer Min Sehee, who usually showed up on filming days, was slumped in a corner with a look of enlightenment on her face. She hadn’t expected such a strong response.

Even though she’d likely been informed in advance, seeing her reaction suggested just how surprised she must have been when she first heard the news.

“This is insane.” “Seriously? I got calls all night asking what’s going to happen next.”

The young actors on set had bright, exhilarated faces. In recent years, there were only a handful of dramas that achieved over 18 percent ratings.

Just being part of this drama meant their recognition as actors would soar. Naturally, they had to put in their best effort to show even a bit more of their talents.

For them, Sky Garden would be a portfolio piece that followed them throughout their careers, just like Yiju’s portfolio that Gilsujin coveted for her brother.

“Seoyeon, you’re incredible. How does every project you work on turn out like this?”

Director Kim Ilsu approached Seoyeon with a big smile, thinking she must be thrilled as the lead actress, given the reactions from even supporting actors and extras.

Especially with the way he knew Seoyeon usually was. He imagined she’d be bubbling with excitement, maybe even fishing for compliments.

With that thought, he struck up a conversation.

“...Yes?”

But Seoyeon seemed oddly subdued, enough to make Director Kim flinch momentarily.

“Is...something wrong? Is there some bad news?”

“Oh, no. It’s nothing. Just a little...”

Seoyeon lowered her head quickly, saying it was just something she needed to think about.

She was, of course, ecstatic that the drama was such a hit. But...

Since her “Magical Girl Harara” shorts, the frequency of certain memes had decreased, but with the influx of fans on Sky Garden, the old memes were re-emerging.

Truly, her fans were an unpredictable bunch.

Of course, the majority of posts were praising her performance as Yiju.

‘But these so-called fans...’

Outside her fan café, the animals most associated with her were often puppies. Her lively antics on variety shows made people compare her to a playful dog.

Yet on her fan café, debates constantly popped up, making it hard to tell if it was a fan café or an anti-fan café.

‘Not that I mind being called strong.’

Still, it was a bit of a pride thing. The lack of recognition of her as an actress—just as a pretty gorilla—was starting to sting a bit.

‘Hmph, if I show them my true potential, they’ll change their minds fast.’

Narrowing her eyes, Seoyeon quickly clicked the “downvote” button on the post she’d been reading. She had plenty of alternate accounts just for moments like these.

‘Anyway.’

She sighed, thinking of the long journey she’d taken to improve her image.

It seemed like she’d have to go with what had received the best response so far.

“Are you sure it’s okay with your busy filming schedule? We could push it back a bit.”

Jo Seohui said this while sitting beside her, though her face was glowing with excitement.

Seohui loved amusement parks, and this was the first time she was going with a friend. Plus, it was with Seoyeon, an actress of her age who shared her experiences, so her excitement was at least five times higher than usual.

And it wasn’t just Seoyeon today.

“Seohui, can I really ride all the rides I want?”

“Of course, of course!”

“Wow!!”

Seoyeon’s younger sister, Suyeon, had come along today too.

‘Genes sure are powerful.’

Seohui thought. Seoyeon was stunningly beautiful, but Suyeon was so adorably cute that Seohui had to hold herself back from hugging her right then and there.

“But is it really okay to head out like this?”

Seoyeon asked Seohui. They were heading out suddenly without any prior promotion.

“It’s perfect as a surprise event.”

“Really?”

“As soon as we’re out, everyone will take videos and upload them online. That’s way more effective than corporate promotions.”

Seoyeon nodded at Seohui’s explanation. She hadn’t checked since her Harara short surpassed five million views, but it might have reached ten million by now.

Foreign comments had started to appear, making her wonder just how far the Magical Girl short was spreading.

‘Thanks to it, my image has definitely improved.’

Seoyeon loved compliments, but she rarely checked the Harara short’s comments since they were filled with “cute” remarks that made her feel ticklish inside.

When people praised her strength, she could just shrug it off, but the flood of “cute” comments was too much for her to handle.

“Alright, we’re here.”

Thinking this, Seoyeon looked up. This fancy car was indeed nice. Maybe she’d buy her dad a car once she saved enough money.

And then...

“...”

“What’s wrong?”

“I thought it would be something like Daejeon Zoo’s O World.”

“What’s that? A zoo with rides?”

“Are you dissing Daejeon’s pride and joy?”

Seoyeon raised her eyebrow, making Seohui flustered.

Wait, isn’t she from Seoul? Why is she so invested in Daejeon Zoo? Seohui hadn’t even known it existed until today.

Daejeon, isn’t that the place known for bakeries?

“Well, what do you think?”

“...Honestly, I’m impressed.”

With genuine admiration, Seoyeon looked around the amusement park grounds. Besides O World, she only knew of two other famous amusement parks.

But this one wasn’t lacking in comparison to the ones she knew.

The rides were all new, shining brightly, and her younger sister Suyeon was raising her arms in pure joy.

“Unnie, this is amazing!”

“...Who taught you that word, ‘amazing’?”

“Dad says it all the time.”

It must’ve rubbed off from their dad’s habit. Seoyeon shot a sharp glance at Yeongbin at home, hoping he wouldn’t pass strange phrases to her sister.

“We’ll ride the rides after the event... Shall we go?”

Seoyeon had already watched a video in advance to get an idea of how to perform. Of course, her role wasn’t anything extraordinary.

Still, she had to sync up with the other actors, so she came early.

“Unnie, are you becoming a magical girl again?”

“...Something like that.”

If it were up to her, she’d prefer to be Zero Ro, a character her sister Suyeon loved, which she thought suited her image better.

‘Though honestly, Seohui would make a better villain.’

Seoyeon glanced at Seohui. She herself had a sharp look, but she thought she looked softer than Seohui.

At least I look a bit kinder than her.

Mirinae Park.

This amusement park was built two years ago by the Newlike Group. While not the largest in Korea, it boasted considerable space and, more importantly, was filled with the latest rides, designed with the newest technology.

They had invested heavily in promoting the park, hiring numerous celebrities to build awareness, and over the past two years, they’d managed to significantly increase its popularity.

In particular, Newlike’s cultural division consistently organized events related to movies and dramas, giving it a steady stream of visitors. As the primary investor in “Loop Entertainment,” which recently found success with Magical Girl Harara, they regularly hosted children’s plays at the park.

Though the results hadn’t met their high expectations yet, they decided to bring in celebrities this time to boost publicity.

‘So that’s what I heard...’

Park Donghwan, one of the actors in today’s Magical Girl Harara play, swallowed nervously as he looked at the two actresses in front of him: Joo Seoyeon and Jo Seohui. In recent years, who among young actors didn’t know these two? They were that well-known.

Seoyeon, despite having debuted only a year ago, had left a strong impression as a child actor in The Sun Hidden by the Moon. Over the past year, she had been the most active actress, starring in one film and two dramas, while also appearing on various variety shows, making her a familiar face to the public.

But why were they in a children’s play?

“Is it true, then?”

“Is what true?”

“There’s a rumor that Jo Seohui is the daughter of the Newlike Group.”

Being called “the daughter of” had an almost old-fashioned ring to it. It was basically saying she was a noble family’s daughter.

‘Why would a daughter from such a prestigious family choose to become an actress?’

He was curious. Now that he thought about it, the chairman of Newlike’s wife was reportedly a famous actress. If she hadn’t passed away young, she would’ve become even more renowned—a woman once hailed as a genius actress. He remembered reading about her in the news.

While he was lost in thought, Seoyeon and Seohui finished their conversation elsewhere and approached.

“Uh, which of you will be playing Harara and which one will be Zero Ro?”

He knew that today, each actress would be taking on one of the roles, so he asked.

“...I’m Harara.”

Seoyeon replied, glancing pointedly at Seohui with a mildly annoyed expression. Seohui, however, felt unfairly targeted by that look.

After all, she had wanted to play Harara. But then...

“Unnie should be Harara!! The kind magical girl!!”

“But Unnie could be Zero Ro too...”

“Unnie is so cool, so she should be Harara.”

Who would’ve thought Suyeon would throw a tantrum there? And she even liked Zero Ro herself!

...Though she did call Unnie “cool,” so it wasn’t all bad. But still!

Seoyeon poked Seohui’s side with her index finger, a cute gesture, but the sting in her ribs was anything but cute. Seohui winced, clutching her side.

‘Seriously, this is so unfair.’

It was no wonder that Seohui looked a bit teary-eyed.