I Want to Be a VTuber

The long trip to Japan had finally come to an end.

To be honest, Seoyeon was more than satisfied.

She was so content that she thought she wouldn't need to visit again for a while, and she'd bought plenty of stuff to boot.

Now, all that was left was to go home and decorate her place with the merchandise she'd collected.

Just the thought of putting up posters and organizing her purchases was enough to make her feel giddy.

"Doesn’t Ramiel sell any merch?"

The thought suddenly crossed Seoyeon's mind.

However, knowing Lee Jiyeon’s personality, it didn’t seem like something she’d be inclined to do.

"This is why she should’ve joined a corporate group," she mused.

In her previous life, Ramiel had been a highly successful corporate VTuber.

Naturally, that meant a lot of merch had been released back then.

But at the time, Seoyeon didn’t really understand the appeal of buying merchandise, so she hadn’t made any purchases.

In hindsight, it was a true shame.

Now that she had the money, fate had shifted, and she was in a cruel position where she couldn’t buy any of it...

"No, I guess it’s not that cruel."

From Jiyeon’s perspective, staying a VTuber as a hobby while focusing on her original dream of becoming an actress was probably a better outcome.

Thinking of it that way, sacrificing Ramiel’s merchandise was a small price to pay.

"...I’ll just make it myself later."

Anyway, she had brought back plenty of materials for it.

She hadn’t planned on it at first, but walking around Akihabara had sparked her interest in that kind of stuff.

“Seoyeon, are you ready for tomorrow’s variety show appearance?”

“What?”

Wasn’t that supposed to be the haunted inn segment they filmed?

That’s what she thought, but apparently, that wasn’t the case.

“The one you were originally scheduled for is an interview show, remember?”

“...”

The haunted inn bit had been nothing more than a hidden-camera prank the broadcasting station set up purely to surprise her.

In other words, it was separate from the variety show she was actually supposed to appear on.

As it turned out, the original show wasn’t particularly remarkable.

It was the type of interview program where various panelists asked her questions about her role in the currently popular drama, Dream Future.

“To think there’d still be one more thing left to do.”

And so, with that realization, Seoyeon wrapped up her final variety show appearance and finally returned to Korea for real.

Up to that point, nothing particularly noteworthy happened.

There wasn’t an overwhelming crowd waiting for her when she arrived in Korea or anything like that.

She simply returned home, unpacked, and slept soundly.

However, while Seoyeon was sleeping peacefully...

The internet was abuzz with discussions about her.

Not in Korea, but overseas.

"What exactly has Ju Seoyeon been up to in Japan?"

"-? Why?"

"I’m watching a Japanese drama right now, and Ju Seoyeon is in it."

"??"

At first, it wasn’t a big deal.

A community user had uploaded a clip of Seoyeon’s scene from the drama.

Since her part was only about a minute long, there was no need for heavy editing.

"What is this? Seriously?"

"Is that Ju Seoyeon playing a landmine girl? Whoa."

"She feels kind of different from usual, though?"

The red eyes, the sly smile.

The subtle, flirtatious movements—everything about her was unlike the usual Seoyeon.

Most of all, her appearance perfectly suited the “landmine girl” aesthetic.

"Well, Ju Seoyeon was always kind of a landmine herself."

"Yeah, I mean, she does explode when you step on her, so it fits."

Such jokes floated around, but Seoyeon’s one-minute appearance was far too impactful for an extra.

Even with other actors in the scene, it was as if she was the only one who existed.

Her black hair, pale skin, and striking red eyes perfectly captured the essence of the archetype.

"Who is this actress?"

"-? Don’t you know Ju Seoyeon?"

"Nope, never heard of her."

Even those who typically didn’t watch dramas or movies began to show interest.

To them, Seoyeon’s appearance looked as though a character had leapt right out of a manga.

Naturally, fans of subculture were drawn in.

"Ju Seoyeon only got a minute of screen time?"

"Yep, more than that would’ve been overkill. It was already reported as a cameo."

"Lol, she only appeared for a minute and she’s already trending on Twitter?"

"Seoyeon, are you the strongest even in Japan...?"

Of course, Japanese dramas attract little attention in Korea.

Few people follow them, let alone watch them on the day they air.

As a result, the buzz in Korea was minimal. But in Japan, it was a different story.

Clips flooded the internet in real-time, and people were shocked to learn that this actress was the same person who’d recently appeared in a hidden-camera prank (Dokkiri).

Post Title: Stole Reactions from East Korea

349: "Is this the same actress who was crawling on the ground back then?"

370: "Really? She looks completely different."

421: "Honestly, I didn’t believe it was acting when they said it was back then, lol."

423: "I thought she was just a ‘genius actress’ (lol), but I take it back. I can’t stop replaying this video."

484: "Super cute, lol. It’s like her face was born to be a landmine girl."

503: "Landmine girls are surprisingly dependent on appearance. But this doesn’t feel awkward or like cosplay at all."

506: "Her eyes aren’t even contacts—they’re real, lol."

508: "Saw Soyeon-chan in Japan and became a total fan."

612: "Honestly, her appearance is peak Japanese style—big chest and all."

619: "I heard her mom is a total beauty with huge assets, too."

622: "What? For real?""East Koreans are losing their minds over Ju Seoyeon, lol."

Replies:

"- Wait, is this real?"

"- They’re all fooled by Ju Seoyeon’s acting. If they saw her real self, they’d freak out."

"- But isn’t it normal for actors to act?"

"- Landmine Seoyeon is kinda cute, though. She’s my top pick."

"- It’s been a while since Seoyeon made my heart flutter."

"- Honestly, Ju Seoyeon’s face is top-tier. She’s insanely pretty, even if her personality isn’t."

"- What are you talking about? Have you seen her bouncing around on variety shows? She’s adorable."

"- Wear the same outfit in Korea too!"

"- Lol, she’d never do it. Remember when she played Hara? Lol."

"- But is it even possible to get this much attention from just one minute of screen time? It’s messing with my head."

"- There’s even a case of someone blowing up from just 10 seconds on screen."

"- Plus, Ju Seoyeon was in a legendary prank show just a few days ago. That’s why so many people are interested."Thanks to the overwhelming buzz in Japan, posts about Seoyeon started spreading across communities.

National pride content always catches fire quickly.

Adding fuel to the flames, Seoyeon was already one of Korea’s most popular actresses.

With labels like “genius actress” attached to her, the blaze only grew hotter.

Even YouTubers jumped on the bandwagon, uploading clickbait videos like:

It’s always hard to start a fire, but once it’s lit, it spreads fast.

Just like that time an unknown idol appeared on a military variety show and became a sensation overnight with just five seconds of cuteness.

And now, with Seoyeon’s rising fame, the buzz wasn’t limited to Japan.

"- Ju Seoyeon’s video made it to Reddit."

"- The title is ‘Cute Japan Girl,’ lol. Cute, lolol."

"- But honestly, this time I agree. Starting with Hara, Ju Seoyeon’s been oddly good at playing cute roles."

"- Her Japanese is so good it’s understandable people might be fooled."

"- Some people are correcting them: ‘She’s Korean. In Korea, she’s known as Gorilla.’ Lol."

"- The person replying must be Korean, lol."

"- The Yankee below them just typed ‘What?’ and it’s hilarious, lol."

"- But is Ju Seoyeon really that fluent in Japanese? She’s practically a native."

"- I don’t know, but she does give off that impression."

What started as a joke turned into widespread buzz, thanks to Seoyeon’s stunning one-minute performance.

Her usual reserved demeanor was replaced with delicate, swaying movements.

Her exaggerated expressions and speech, characteristic of Japanese acting, were so well done that clips of her were quickly turned into reaction memes.

Even her fan cafe replaced their banner with an image of “Landmine Seoyeon.”

"- From today, I am one with Ju Seoyeon. Anyone who calls her a gorilla is attacking me personally and won’t be forgiven."

"- Agreed. But honestly, this landmine Seoyeon is adorable."

"- Why has Seoyeon been leaning into cute concepts lately? I hate to admit it, but it works."

"- The fan cafe finally feels like a real fan cafe now."

"- Then what was it before?"

"Huh, this poster is bigger than I thought."

Seoyeon, having just woken up, was entirely absorbed in decorating her room.

Her biggest concern was whether to buy a new display case.

Ironically, she wouldn’t find out about the buzz until the next day at school.

And it was none other than Lee Jiyeon who showed up in her class to tell her.

When Seoyeon arrived at school, something felt off.

Recently, her classmates had grown accustomed to her presence, so they would usually just greet her casually when she showed up. There hadn’t been anything out of the ordinary.

But today, the stares were noticeably more intense than usual.

“What’s going on?”

At first, she had no idea why.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been in Japan for so long?

That was all she could think of.

“Hey, Ju Seoyeon.”

The truth came out during lunch.

Lee Jiyeon showed up with an incredulous look on her face.

“Have you seen this?”

“Seen what?”

“You’re a huge sensation in Japan right now.”

Seoyeon blinked in confusion.

A sensation?

She couldn’t think of any reason why.

After all, she hadn’t done much.

She’d been caught in a hidden-camera prank and appeared as a guest on a variety show.

Even then, it was just an interview-based program—nothing flashy.

The hidden-camera prank wasn’t even particularly unique; it was a standard feature that most Korean actors eventually went through.

The only thing remotely unusual was her one-minute cameo in Director Kakeba’s drama.

Still, Seoyeon didn’t expect that brief appearance to lead to anything special.

“Jirai Hime.”

“What? Did you just swear at me?”

“...Okay, yeah, that pronunciation is a little rough. My bad.”

For a second, Seoyeon thought Jiyeon had insulted her, but Jiyeon quickly apologized after realizing the misunderstanding.

Anyway...

“They’re calling you the Landmine Princess.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You. Japanese fans are calling you the Landmine Princess.”

Jiyeon showed Seoyeon the trending topics in Japan.

Apparently, the term “landmine girl” was commonly used in Japan as Jirai Onna or sometimes Pien Onna.

That’s why Seoyeon, who had gone viral, was now being referred to as Jirai Hime or Pien Hime.

“What the heck is that.”

Why did they have to add “Princess”?

Seoyeon shuddered at the overly cutesy title.

But in Japan, it wasn’t unusual to attach the word Hime to names.

Sure enough, in Japan, Seoyeon had officially been dubbed the “Landmine Princess.”

“Well... in a way, I guess it’s better than being labeled a ghost.”

She was relieved that her haunted inn prank wasn’t the defining image people associated with her.

Even so, being called the “Landmine Princess” still left her with mixed feelings.

She had leaned into the “landmine girl” aesthetic for the role, but hearing herself actually referred to that way felt strange.

“Oh, and by the way, I heard from Jo Seohui yesterday...”

“There’s more?”

“Yeah, I was going to tell you, but you seemed tired yesterday, so I didn’t.”

For the record, Seoyeon hadn’t been tired at all.

Her invincible body had never experienced exhaustion.

She had simply decided to catch up on sleep because she thought it was about time.

And after waking up, all she’d done was organize the merchandise she brought back from Japan. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

“Apparently, the Japanese side is moving quickly.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s about Gyeongseong Lady.”

Seoyeon, who had suddenly become a massive sensation in Japan, had sparked a rapid response there.

Once they learned that her next project was the movie Gyeongseong Lady, offers from various parties started pouring in.

What’s more, Seoyeon’s role in Gyeongseong Lady was that of a Japanese character.

Naturally, the Japanese industry saw this as an opportunity they couldn’t pass up.

“It might not be possible to have a simultaneous release, but... it looks like they’re planning to release it in Japan within six months of its debut.”

Normally, the Japanese film industry is highly insular.

Even blockbuster hits from overseas often take a year or two to reach Japanese theaters.

For a Korean film to release in Japan within six months was practically unheard of.

This alone demonstrated how much of an impact Seoyeon had made.

“Is... is it really that big of a deal?”

Honestly, Seoyeon couldn’t quite grasp it.

To her, it was just, If this goes well, I’ll have an excuse to visit Japan more often.

But as events unfolded, it became clear that the buzz was spreading far beyond what she had imagined.

The anticipation surrounding her next project, Gyeongseong Lady, was skyrocketing.

“Jo Seohui seems really fired up. She’s been saying how much she’s looking forward to this week’s shoot.”

“...”

Oh, right.

The first shoot for Gyeongseong Lady was scheduled for this week.

Since production had been delayed repeatedly, Jo Seohui was understandably brimming with enthusiasm.

With the added buzz surrounding the film, it was truly a golden opportunity.

From Seoyeon’s perspective, it was a good thing too.

After all, she still needed to become even more famous before she could tackle her eventual “graduation” project.