I Want to Be a VTuber

To put it simply, Seoyeon was sulking.

A hidden camera prank was understandable. At the time, she was too confused to fully grasp it, but she’d seen similar pranks on Korean celebrities a few times.

Still, even if it was filmed in an inn, she should have questioned why there were no staff members around. However, wasn’t it a bit too much to leave her completely ignored while she was being chased by a ghost?

"I saw you, Sora. You were the one who shut the door the hardest when I was desperately running from the ghost."

Seoyeon spoke curtly, clearly annoyed. Sora, who had fainted and woken up ten minutes later, felt a pang of injustice at Seoyeon’s words.

‘Desperately running? When did I even do that?’

Thinking back, Sora vaguely remembered feeling like there was something following behind Seoyeon. The problem was that Seoyeon’s frantic crawling was so intense that she’d mostly forgotten about it.

"S-so, why did you pick up the hatchet?" "Just in case a ghost attacked me, to protect myself." "...."

Of course, the hatchet was just a prop made of sturdy plastic. But still, she had been banging it against the floor while chasing them. Sora wondered how she could even manage that, but she didn’t dare ask any further.

Seoyeon was still huffing in indignation.

‘How could you just leave a cute girl desperately running for her life?’

In fact, Sora wasn’t the only one. When they’d opened the door that was barely closing and started to run away, even the male actors who had been running with them saw it.

Though, by that point, the ghost makeup on the actors had mostly come off, so it wasn’t as frightening.

"I was so scared my legs gave out." "Ah, so that’s why." "I had to crawl with my arms to get away, didn’t I?"

Normally, people can’t crawl that quickly with their arms. It’s probably something only Seoyeon could manage. Even after crawling so fast, she hadn’t even scraped her knees or legs.

“The reactions were really something!”

The day after the hidden camera filming ended, Nanjou Katsuo PD, who had watched everything unfold, sounded genuinely amazed.

“To think she saw through our prank and turned it into her own hidden camera on us instead.” “Right? It was like she was reacting as if, ‘Since when did you think you were the only ones pulling a hidden camera prank on me?’” “Her ghostly acting to turn the tables on us was really top-notch. Absolutely incredible.”

Listening to PD Nanjou’s praise, Seoyeon stood there blankly, unsure how to respond.

‘I have no idea what he’s talking about.’

Despite watching a lot of anime, she thought she could understand Japanese decently, but hearing it straight from a native speaker was a different experience altogether. PD Nanjou supposedly knew some Korean too, so why couldn’t he just use that?

Also, she couldn’t tell who was an actor and who was part of the crew.

‘Please translate this for me.’

Seoyeon glanced at Sora with a look that practically screamed, “Hey, translation device, are you going to translate or what?” Taking the hint, Sora quickly translated PD Nanjou’s words for her.

"Um, he said that your reaction to the hidden camera was really well done." "Really? Honestly, I don’t remember much because I was just running the whole time. Well, let him know the actors did an amazing job playing ghosts."

If anyone were to tell Seoyeon that she had actually been the one performing a hidden camera prank or that she had acted as a ghost, she would undoubtedly sulk. So Sora decided to paraphrase Nanjou’s words carefully.

In Seoyeon’s dreams, she was still just a cute girl running away in pure terror.

"So, when will the hidden camera air?" "It should air in about three days. There’s not much to edit. We were going to add some other segments, but we’ll probably split this one into two episodes."

Thanks to Sora’s translations, the conversation flowed naturally. Having a native speaker around really made things easier, Seoyeon thought.

‘Well, it sounds like the response was good, so that’s fine.’

Still, she was impressed by the level of Japanese hidden camera pranks. In Korea, there are so many things you’re not allowed to do on variety shows these days that this type of prank wouldn’t even be possible.

Japan may be a bit over-the-top, but the pure fun element of “entertainment shows” hadn’t faded there.

‘Although sometimes it’s a bit too much.’

This hidden camera prank had certainly been a shocking experience.

"Come to think of it, is this the only variety show I’ll be filming in Japan?"

After parting ways with PD Nanjou, Seoyeon headed to the accommodation they had officially booked in Japan. She had heard they would be staying for about two weeks, so she didn’t expect to be playing around the whole time.

"Huh? Didn’t you check the schedule, Seoyeon?" "I did, but some parts were vague."

Technically, she’d heard they would only be filming one thing. But since they’d already done the hidden camera yesterday, didn’t that count as one?

"That was newly added. The original plan was just an interview-based show." "Oh, I see." "And if there’s time, maybe one more filming session wouldn’t be bad?"

The Japanese hotel was... well, it was just a hotel. Nothing particularly amazing.

‘Actually, I preferred the inn.’

The ryokan, was it? Anyway, Seoyeon found it more interesting and fun, even if it had been fake.

‘Is the interview show for Dream Future?’

Thinking about it, she remembered meeting Ma Yeon-woo a few days ago, who had mentioned something along those lines.

“Dream Future is really popular in Japan these days.” "Huh? Really?" “Hmm, calling it ‘that thing’ sounds a bit dismissive.” "No, it’s just that I didn’t think it was the type of drama that would be a hit abroad."

After Golden Duckling, MDC had been consistently approaching Seoyeon to appear on other variety shows. Recently, she’d been going to MDC more often, and while waiting for a music show appearance, she’d met Ma Yeon-woo.

“The drama fits well with the Japanese aesthetic. Also, your popularity is really high there.” "Really?" "You have exactly the kind of visual that’s popular here."

Does she? Seoyeon did think that there were a lot of anime characters with her style. There’s an ideal of beauty in Japan called Yamato Nadeshiko, which she’d been told matched her image.

"In terms of image, I mean. Just the image." "...Why are you emphasizing it like that?" "Oh, no reason."

Sporting a self-assured grin, Ma Yeon-woo crossed his arms confidently, likely emboldened by Just X’s song being a candidate for the top spot on the music show that day.

"While you’re here, watch the music show performance."

At his suggestion, Seoyeon found herself thinking about the other members of Just X, known for their controversies.

‘It’s about time for one of them to mess up again.’

Seoyeon glanced at Ma Yeon-woo. As someone who took great pride in Just X, it couldn’t have been easy for him. They likely wouldn’t be able to perform properly from next year.

"Alright, I’ll check it out."

With that thought, Seoyeon watched Just X perform. Their personalities aside, their stage presence was undeniable. It was no wonder they were top idols.

"Seoyeon?"

Snapping back to reality, Seoyeon saw Park Eun-ha looking at her, probably after noticing she had spaced out for a bit.

"Oh, well, after the hidden camera airs, if everything goes well, maybe we can film one more."

To be honest, Seoyeon didn’t dwell on it too much. The only thing she really remembered was frantically running away.

She had no idea what she had looked like at the time. All she knew was that she had been doing her best to escape the ghost chasing her.

‘I wonder if there’s enough usable footage.’

So Seoyeon worried about the broadcast. It would be terrible if her first Japanese variety show appearance turned into a disaster. Since she was hoping to come back under the guise of “filming” in Japan from time to time, she hoped this episode would go well.

But of course, her concerns were unnecessary.

Sato Isami, a Japanese convenience store worker, was yawning while managing the display counter. Today had been particularly busy, and she was feeling quite exhausted.

‘Hope no more customers come in.’

Her legs were aching, and she wanted to go home. If it weren’t for the gift she was saving up to buy for her boyfriend, she wouldn’t have even taken this part-time job. Just as she was thinking that, the convenience store door opened.

‘Whoa.’

A stunningly beautiful woman entered. She had a serene, delicate beauty, almost reminiscent of a forget-me-not flower.

Sato instinctively rubbed her face with her hand. The woman in front of her had flawless skin.

‘Seeing a beauty like this is a bonus.’

Was she an actress? Or maybe an idol? She had a distinctly celebrity-like appearance. But since Sato didn’t recognize her, she stared at the woman’s face intently.

Then the door opened again.

“!!”

Another woman entered. But this time, Sato’s eyes widened even more.

The woman who had just entered was also beautiful, but she was in a completely different way.

Her atmosphere was calm, almost as if she had a different aura. As soon as she entered, Sato noticed other customers looking her way.

The other customers seemed to instinctively follow her movements, like the man who was picking up pudding and unconsciously grabbing more than he needed.

Long, jet-black hair. Skin as white as snow. Her eyes had an eerie reddish tint.

An almost unreal level of beauty. She was speaking with the woman who had entered first.

‘Are they friends?’

Do beautiful people just naturally gravitate toward each other? The first woman, who Sato thought was a beauty, seemed to fade a bit standing next to this new arrival. She wasn’t the only one who thought so.

Even with the two of them together, all eyes went to the darker-haired girl.

Lost in a daze, watching the two of them, Sato suddenly found the black-haired girl standing in front of her. The other woman behind her looked at her nervously.

Seeing she had no items in hand, Sato figured she wasn’t there to check out. So, did she have something to ask?

‘Why?’

Sato looked at her, curious.

"...."

The girl gazed at her silently, as if thinking about what to say.

"Miss...?"

Sato asked, puzzled. Just as she did, the girl’s sharp gaze locked onto her, with a strikingly beautiful, albeit slightly cold look.

It was a beauty so intense it was almost frightening. Then, after a pause, the girl’s mouth slowly opened.

“Hey, girl.” “?”

Sato froze in place. What she said was... not quite what she had expected.

Seoyeon was enjoying a happy sightseeing trip in Japan. She didn’t have to wake up early.

Whenever she opened her eyes, she’d have a meal and go straight into Tokyo for sightseeing.

"Uh, didn’t we go there yesterday?"

The only thing that baffled Sora was Seoyeon’s insistence on certain places.

‘Why does she like Akihabara so much?’

Seoyeon’s trip to Japan was oddly one-sided. The truth was, she wasn’t the type to enjoy landscapes or sightseeing.

Everything she wanted was in Akihabara—anime, gacha games, and even virtual YouTubers.

‘Japan has a lot of second-hand stores.’

There were things she couldn’t get in Korea. And she was amazed at how easily accessible adult content was.

She’d gone in without thinking, only to run out screaming after seeing shelves full of adult doujinshi.

Even for Seoyeon, running into that unprepared was a shock.

‘N-not that I have any tolerance for that.’

But it stuck in her mind afterward. Maybe she’d sneak in alone when Sora wasn’t around.

After two days of touring Akihabara, something else popped into her mind. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

‘I haven’t gone to a Japanese convenience store yet!’

Japanese convenience store food is famous, after all. Sure, Korean convenience store food quality had gone up, but Japanese convenience store food was supposedly still better.

Seoyeon was interested.

Besides, to her, visiting convenience stores was part of her “duties.” She’d always been one to go on convenience store tours back home.

Of course, she’d visit Japan’s too. More than anything...

‘I heard they’re selling chocolates with a VTuber collaboration.’

In Japanese convenience stores, you could sometimes find collaboration products with anime or VTubers. Seoyeon knew this already.

So, after visiting the convenience store...

“Next time, just let me do the talking.”

Sora gave her that advice.

‘Japanese is hard.’

Seoyeon had only been trying to speak as she’d heard in anime, and she’d only adjusted her tone a bit after PD Nanjou had told her she sounded like a “gyaru high schooler.”

‘They said not to use “kisama.”’

She had only meant to say, “Excuse me, ma’am.” What else was she supposed to call a girl but a girl? Seoyeon genuinely wondered.

Anyway.

With her sightseeing tour in Japan ongoing, the following day, at six in the evening...

Seoyeon’s first Japanese variety show aired.