I Want to Be a VTuber

The time their eyes met was by no means long.

At most, it was only a few seconds.

In that brief moment, as she spun around, casting her gaze across the audience filled with children, Seoyeon spotted Gildaheon sitting in the crowd. But it wasn’t just Gildaheon. Sitting right beside her were five or six other girls from Seoyeon’s class.

Though the unexpected sight almost caused Seoyeon’s eyes to falter, she quickly pulled herself together and smiled.

“The only reason I was embarrassed before was because I wasn’t prepared.”

But this time, it’s okay!

Seoyeon struck Harara's signature cute pose, encouraging a response from the children.

“I heard Zero-Ro is up to no good again today~.”

“Harara, you already know the location, so there’s no need to rush. You still have school to attend.”

With Harara’s words, the wooden panel near the mascot penguin, painted with a penguin’s likeness, moved as a voice emanated from it. Despite the cute appearance, the voice had a strikingly cool tone.

Hearing that voice calmed Seoyeon’s slightly overheated body. Yes, it’s okay. She was only a little—really just a little—nervous, but wasn’t she up here as an actor?

Her heart raced, and a bead of sweat trickled down, but there was no problem!

No, it’s not okay!

Seoyeon inwardly grimaced. Honestly, any other type of acting would have been fine. She would even prefer her classmates watching her play a serial killer over this. But Harara... Harara was something else entirely. While making a cute voice and forming a heart shape with her hands, her winking eye almost started twitching.

Because when she glanced over, Gildaheon and the other girls were giving her an indescribable expression. What would it feel like to see one of your classmates acting all cutesy right in front of you? Seoyeon could hardly even imagine.

Then the spotlight shifted back to Zero-Ro, and her lines flowed out.

“Harara should be in school by now. Just in case, I already told the teacher I’d leave early today.”

Zero-Ro, clad in a black dress, laughed slyly, revealing herself as a dutiful villain who planned ahead by informing her teacher of her early departure.

In other words, Jo Seohui felt relieved watching Seoyeon’s performance.

“As expected, she’s different on stage.”

Acting in a children's play can present unforeseen challenges if you go in without much thought. Of course, no actor would think they could slack off just because it's a kids’ performance. Still, unconscious habits can lead to trouble.

In children’s theater, exaggerated lines and performances are often required. Furthermore, the expressions might seem too childish for adult actors, making it difficult to immerse in the dialogue. Though this is typically overcome through practice, Seoyeon had limited rehearsal time. Yet, even with that short time, she adapted perfectly to Harara.

“As she told me before, it must be true.”

After seeing the recent Shorts video, Jo Seohui had been concerned about Seoyeon and asked her directly.

“I’m not easily flustered, so I’ve never really been nervous while acting.”

At her matter-of-fact tone, Seohui recalled how unshaken Seoyeon was, even during situations where others were visibly trembling back in her child actor days.

Likewise, during Hyper Action Star, where other actors felt pressured about how to handle certain scenes, Seoyeon’s performance flowed seamlessly without hesitation.

Compared to Jo Seohui, who needed a little more preparation, Seoyeon’s ability to instantly deliver her lines was astonishing.

“Her forte is emotional acting.”

Everyone who worked with Seoyeon would say the same thing: her emotional conveyance was unmatched.

In the past, she used method acting as a tool for emotional roles, but now, she rarely found it necessary. Method acting is, after all, a means to immerse oneself in a role. Since Chaseoa, there hadn’t been a role intense enough to warrant such a deep dive.

“But isn’t there a difference between feeling embarrassed and feeling nervous?”

“An actor wouldn’t feel embarrassed about performing.”

Seoyeon answered with a calm, matter-of-fact tone.

“Besides, I’ve never, um, really experienced such embarrassment.”

She almost said, “I’ve never felt embarrassed,” but the recent blanket incident flashed through her mind, causing her to adjust her words.

Seeing Seoyeon’s reaction, Jo Seohui nodded thoughtfully.

“I was worried after watching that Shorts video where she got flustered...”

But witnessing her firm resolve made Jo Seohui feel reassured. During rehearsals, Seoyeon was a true professional.

“I have to stir up trouble early today! Otherwise, I won’t be able to get my review done on time!”

With that thought, Jo Seohui—no, Zero-Ro—delivered her lines. As the scene showed her busy at work, the spotlight shifted once again.

Now, it was Harara’s turn. Harara was shown patrolling the streets, trying to thwart Zero-Ro’s schemes.

When a group of lackeys appeared, she swung the penguin perched on her shoulder, taking them down without even transforming.

“...Is Harara really a magical girl?”

Watching the stage, Gildaheon muttered, confused. Why was she hitting them with a penguin? Wasn’t it her friend a moment ago?

“That’s because Uranus is Harara’s weapon.”

Minji, a friend, clarified her question.

“Uranus?”

“It’s the penguin’s name. When Harara transforms, the penguin also becomes a magical wand.”

What kind of grand name is that for a penguin? Thinking back, the penguin’s voice was indeed impressive. Since no one seemed to find it odd, the penguin must have had a cool voice in the original too.

Isn’t it supposed to be a mascot?

Its appearance was utterly adorable, but its voice carried the gravitas of someone like Optimus Prime. Then again, given that they’re fighting to save the world, maybe that gravitas was necessary...

Something about this just feels... off.

Harara was essentially skipping school and wandering around, wasn’t she? At least Zero-Ro had the decency to notify her teacher; Harara didn’t even attend in the first place.

The kids were laughing, but is this really okay?

“It’s fine. Everyone else is responsible. How much more educational could it be?”

“...Really?”

Regardless, the play continued. Zero-Ro, rallying after her lackeys were defeated, appeared dramatically with a giant doll by her side, leading into a full-on fight with Harara.

“Humph, Harara! Today will be different! I’ll show you the true power of Zero-Ro!!”

Special effects sparkled from the stage, and the children clapped and cheered.

Even the older Harara fans sitting in front of Gildaheon raised their arms in excitement.

“Transform, Harara! Transform!!”

“I’ve been waiting!”

“Let’s go!!!”

The booming voices of the adults startled Gildaheon and the girls sitting behind them.

“Wow, they really like Harara.”

“This is unsettling.”

Wasn’t this Seoyeon’s first performance? Did she already have fans, or was it just that people genuinely loved Harara? Gildaheon was genuinely curious.

In any case.

At the men’s shouts, Harara’s transformation music began to play.

“It’s finally here.”

Hearing the music, Seoyeon felt a surge of nervousness. This scene was the very part that had garnered millions of views on Shorts—the transformation scene!

With mental preparation, there should’ve been no problem. She’d done fine in rehearsal.

But performing it in front of her classmates wasn’t as easy.

“Love and compassion. And respect and kindness. The magical girl of benevolence!”

As the special effects lit up, the spotlight that had been on Zero-Ro shifted to Harara, who had changed costumes in the interim.

“Harara~, Hararara~!!”

Seoyeon waved her pink magic wand, rallying the children in the audience.

“Harara! Harara!!!”

While some male voices in the crowd were unusually enthusiastic, the children’s cheers were louder, so it felt fine.

But hearing the voices of her classmates, Seoyeon’s ears began to burn. This warmth was unlike anything she’d felt while acting before.

I can’t be awkward. I can’t be embarrassed!

Smiling brightly, she waved her wand, chanting Harara’s name. Known for her emotional expressiveness, any embarrassment would immediately resonate with the audience.

She couldn’t let that happen.

But!

Ughhhh!

She felt the warmth building in her cheeks. Thanks to the bright lights casting a red glow, the audience wouldn’t notice much.

“You’re done for, Harara! No matter how powerful you are, my super monster is unbeatable!!”

But Jo Seohui on stage noticed. As a fellow actor, she could sense it. And standing close, she saw the growing redness of Seoyeon’s earlobes.

And when Seoyeon spun around, biting her lower lip, her face was, quite rarely, and incredibly... full of embarrassment.

“Huh, that’s adorable.”

Knowing it wasn’t appropriate, Seohui couldn’t help but think it. Facing away from the audience, she saw Seoyeon struggling to maintain her expression.

Noticing this made Seohui feel strangely energized. Watching Seoyeon fidget made her want to see more.

“Harara Flash!!”

Seohui, sitting on top of a giant bear prop, watched as Harara performed a flashy kick toward her.

“Harara Flash is when Harara lands a chin strike to snap the opponent to attention. It’s her most-used move.”

“Wasn’t it a magic move?”

“There’s a separate magic move for that.”

While Gildaheon and her friends chatted, the staff below stage were taken aback.

“Was there supposed to be a wire action here?”

“Huh? No, we avoided wire action since it’s too risky without thorough practice.”

Wire stunts were dangerous without proper training, so they’d skipped them.

“Then how’d she do that jump? If there’s no wire...”

“Who knows? She practically flew through the air.”

Seoyeon’s Harara Shorts sequel and a Harara-related ad soon followed, marking the show as a huge success.