I Want to Be a VTuber

While taking a break at the Japanese broadcasting station, Seoyeon received an unexpected call suggesting she participate in a variety show.

Of course, this was far from common.

Why would Japanese television prioritize inviting a Korean actress?

It might make sense for an idol with broader recognition, but actors rarely get such opportunities.

Perhaps it was due to the recent buzz surrounding her.

Seoyeon's appearance on the variety show was quickly approved.

'Of course, it’s probably doubling as a movie promotion.'

There had already been a similar case during The Chaser.

That time, they had gone to a deserted island, if she recalled correctly.

In the end, the movie promotion hadn’t gone very well.

"Se-Seoyeon, are you serious? The third option? You're really going to Aokigahara?"

Park Eunha questioned Seoyeon repeatedly, almost cornering her.

There were plenty of easier, more comfortable locations. Why would she choose that place of all things?

Especially when she was so easily scared!

'She's even thinking about how scared I am right now.'

Seoyeon looked at Park Eunha with a sly gaze.

Eunha flinched.

'Please don’t look at me like that.'

Seoyeon’s default expression was emotionless, so when she stared like that, even Eunha couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

"Yes. Wouldn't this make for more entertaining television?"

"Well, I suppose the Japanese PDs would love it, but..."

Are you really okay with this, given how bad you are with scary things?

Eunha’s worried gaze lingered on Seoyeon, who nodded firmly.

'You can’t keep running forever.'

Seoyeon had already suffered countless humiliations because of her fear.

But that wouldn’t happen again.

'A place ranked among the top seven haunted locations should be perfect to trigger my fears.'

Seoyeon steeled her resolve.

Despite being emotionally detached for most of her life, Seoyeon had recently come to an important realization.

Emotions, surprisingly, could fade through repetition.

People often experienced a desensitization effect, where the same stimulus no longer elicited the same feelings over time.

'If I get used to this place, I won’t feel fear anymore.'

No more trembling Ju Seoyeon.

She was tired of watching herself scream and cower.

This decision was her way of putting an end to that.

Of course—

'Look at that. She clearly thinks I’d never pick the third option.'

Sure, it would have been nice to pick the first or second option, go camping, and come back relaxed.

Seoyeon had even been watching camping anime recently and thought it looked fun.

Mount Fuji camping had been featured in that show too.

But—

'Seoyeon will probably pick the first option, right? No way she’d go for the third.'

That expectation was written all over Eunha’s face.

Provocation!

There was no way Seoyeon could back down and choose the first or second option now.

"I’ve made up my mind, so please let the network know."

"Alright, I got it."

"By the way, it feels odd asking this after agreeing to participate, but... is anyone else appearing with me?"

From what Seoyeon had heard, Jiyeon and Seohui had also been approached about joining the show.

Seohui had even mentioned being contacted by Japan while they were at the dorm.

"Oh, right. The three of you will be doing it together—Seohui, Jiyeon, and you."

"Huh? Don’t they have filming schedules?"

"They were told to take it easy for a bit since they’ve been working hard."

It seemed the Japanese side wanted to extend their stay and give the filming schedule more flexibility.

In that case, participating in the variety show wouldn’t be a problem.

Seoyeon nodded.

"But is it okay if I choose the location myself?"

"Well, you’re the main focus in Japan. The others are more like supporting cast. I heard they contacted one more person, but I’m not sure who."

"One more?"

Could it be Stella?

The thought crossed her mind.

It would make sense for them to want her to appear alongside Seoyeon in Japan.

'But she left like it was a permanent goodbye.'

It would be pretty funny if she came back after all.

"Plus, there’s a Japanese actress involved too."

"...A Japanese actress?"

"Yeah, it seems they’re trying to promote her as well."

Park Eunha added that it might be a ploy to appeal to Asher Baldwin.

'Wait, so it is Stella after all.'

Judging by the situation, it seemed they wanted Stella and the Japanese actress to bond in order to win Asher Baldwin’s favor.

'Didn’t Asher Baldwin dislike actresses promoted by networks?'

While filming Kyungsung Lady, Seoyeon had grown close to the Japanese staff.

From what she’d heard, Seoyeon had been offered a role in a Japanese movie because they had rejected a Japanese actress proposed by the network.

So now, they were using Seoyeon’s appearance to promote Kyungsung Lady, connect Stella and the Japanese actress, and convince Asher Baldwin—

A plan to catch two birds with one stone.

'Usually, that’s how you end up missing both.'

Seoyeon thought to herself.

After all, things in life were rarely that simple.

*****

A forest near Mount Fuji.

The Sea of Trees—Aokigahara.

The Japanese staff, fully equipped with safety gear, were busy preparing for filming, their faces tense.

The theme of the show was “Survival.”

In short, the goal was to “survive for two days in Aokigahara.”

"Ju Seoyeon, are you crazy?"

Standing at the forest’s entrance, Lee Jiyeon said what everyone was thinking.

"Obviously, you should’ve picked the first or second option! Why the hell did you go for the third?"

"The first and second options didn’t look fun at all."

"...Since when do you care about variety shows?"

Right now, Jiyeon was kicking herself for letting Seoyeon decide.

'We should’ve # Nоvеlight # pushed harder for the first or second option.'

They had given Seoyeon the final say for a couple of reasons.

First, like Park Eunha mentioned, this was Seoyeon’s show, while the others were just there as extras.

Second, they were sure Seoyeon would never pick something scary.

'That smug look on her face is infuriating.'

As if reading Jiyeon’s thoughts, Seoyeon straightened her shoulders with a smug smile.

Jiyeon wanted to smack her, but it was obvious she’d only hurt her own hand, so she gave up.

"Wait, are we really staying here overnight?"

Jo Seohui blinked in disbelief as she stared at the forest’s eerie silhouette.

They said it didn’t look so bad during the day, but with the overcast skies, it was downright ominous.

For all her elegance, Seohui was completely out of her element.

She was, after all, a proper lady—

Someone who’d never stepped foot in a dangerous place like this.

She barely had any experience with variety shows, either.

"There are bears in this forest,"

One of the Japanese staff, who spoke Korean, approached Seohui and informed her.

"B-Bears?!"

Seohui flinched and nearly jumped.

Bears? Seriously?

Was it even safe to film in such a dangerous place?

Japanese variety shows were insane.

They might’ve prepared well for safety, but none of that mattered to Seohui after hearing about the bears.

"Seoyeon, there are bears here!"

"That’s fine."

"?"

Seoyeon was more afraid of ghosts and monsters—the things she couldn’t punch—than she was of wild animals.

"Bears are cute."

"...You won’t think so if you actually run into one in the forest."

Wouldn’t she?

Seoyeon shrugged. Honestly, a bear didn’t seem like a big deal.

Animals were manageable.

Dinosaurs might give her pause, though.

'Anyway.'

Seoyeon narrowed her eyes at one of the women among the Japanese staff.

To her surprise, it wasn’t Stella Baldwin.

Stella wasn’t there—whether she declined or had another reason, Seoyeon didn’t know.

Instead, the Japanese actress joining them was Goto Reika.

'The one who ignored Sora back then.'

More precisely, Reika had been with the group that looked down on Sora.

While Seoyeon didn’t know much about her personality, the fact that Reika hadn’t stopped her entourage left a bad impression.

And how was Reika reacting to Seoyeon’s gaze?

'She looks terrified.'

For multiple reasons, Reika was trembling with fear.

She had expected a simple camping trip, but here she was, standing in Aokigahara—the infamous Sea of Trees.

Worse, the three Korean women she was with were anything but ordinary.

Ju Seoyeon alone was intimidating, but the other two weren’t any less striking.

'One looks like a Korean gyaru, and the other one could be straight out of a horror manga.'

Why had she ended up here?

Jo Seohui, in particular, gave off the vibe of a walking embodiment of Tomie.

'Stella—where’s Stella?'

Reika’s main reason for coming was to get closer to Stella Baldwin.

But now—

"Eh~, so she might come later? Maybe on the second day?"

Wait, what?

Why the second day?

'Is she even coming at all?'

If Stella didn’t show up, Reika would be stuck in this creepy forest with these three women.

And did any of them even speak Japanese?

『H-Hello?』

Reika nervously tried speaking to Jiyeon, who immediately turned to Seohui without interest.

'Do they not even know Japanese?!'

How were they supposed to film a variety show like this?

『Oh~. Hello.』

Thankfully, Seohui responded, casually looking Reika up and down.

Seohui was always warm toward fellow actors—

And she knew who Reika was: Japan’s rising actress with top-tier skills.

"Wait, Seohui. You speak Japanese?"

"Yeah."

"How many languages do you know?"

"A lot."

Seohui answered with a smug smile, leaving Seoyeon silently vowing to copy her next time.

'That was so cool.'

As expected of a chaebol heiress—raised with education and refinement.

No wonder her vocabulary had always been so polished.

"Oh, Seohui, this is for you."

"Hm? A fan?"

"The Japanese staff thought it’d fit your noblewoman concept."

"...In this forest? Does that even make sense? Oh, is it because of Kyungsung Lady?"

Seohui quickly understood their reasoning.

Since the show doubled as a promotion, they wanted her to showcase her aristocratic image.

『W-Wait!!』

Reika shouted in shock when she saw Seohui holding the fan.

Everyone turned to look, and she nervously whispered to the nearby staff.

『What’s going on? Her concept overlaps with mine!』

Reika had built her image in Japan as a noblewoman-type actress.

Her refined actions and name naturally created that image.

Although her background was closer to lower middle class, rumors had tied her to wealthy families and celebrities.

She hadn’t bothered correcting them, letting the assumptions boost her image.

Now, seeing Seohui holding the fan, Reika panicked.

'She’s the real deal.'

Seohui’s high nose, slightly raised chin, and the way she tapped the fan against her palm screamed aristocratic villainess.

『Uh, well... The theme is “Fierce Ladies.”』

Apparently, the show was meant to parody Little Women.

But what did that have to do with Aokigahara?

Just pick one theme already.

『I-I need a fan too!』

『What?』

There was no way she could lose as Japan’s “noble lady.”

Burning with rivalry, Reika steeled herself against Jo Seohui.

*****

『First of all, there’s no need to worry too much about safety. We’ve taken every precaution.』

Amaya Hiroki, the PD in charge of this variety show at YHJ Broadcasting Station, nodded as he observed the four actresses.

Just from appearances, they all looked like refined young ladies.

Well, except for Lee Jiyeon—she didn’t quite fit the “noblewoman” image, but having one outlier wasn’t a problem.

『We won’t be hovering around you during filming. You’ll be free to shoot as you like. Really.』

Of course, Reika didn’t believe a word the PD said.

Japanese variety shows had a reputation for springing absurd surprises after lulling participants into a false sense of security.

'But not here. Not in this forest.'

Reika hoped they wouldn’t pull anything crazy.

It was already nerve-wracking enough just to stand there with Seoyeon staring at her.

『Will we have to find our own food for the three days we’re here?』

Jo Seohui raised her hand and asked the question calmly.

Amaya PD nodded.

『Yes, I figured you’d be curious about that. Of course, it’s too dangerous for you to hunt or forage for food.』

『Then what?』

『We’ve hidden ingredients and cooking tools within a designated area of the forest. You’ll need to find them and prepare your own meals.』

『Ah, I see.』

So, they had hidden items like meat, vegetables, and cooking supplies in the forest.

'Ah, I see?! What do you mean “Ah, I see”? That means we have to go into that forest and look for them!'

Reika stomped her feet nervously at Seohui’s calm response.

Searching for items in Aokigahara? How terrifying.

The Sea of Trees was infamous as a suicide site.

What if they stumbled upon something horrifying while wandering around?

'She doesn’t trust the Japanese staff at all, does she...?'

Noticing Reika’s unease, Seohui clicked her tongue.

In a way, it was refreshing—at least Reika was honest about her feelings.

She was easier to deal with than Stella, that was for sure.

『Well then, best of luck for the next two days.』

With those words from Amaya PD, filming began.

"First, let’s figure out who’s cooking."

As for who would be gathering ingredients, that had already been decided—Ju Seoyeon.

She had confidently volunteered to go.

'Conquering fear!'

She had declared it with fierce determination.

'Conquering fear... Sounds like a title from Monster Hunter or something.'

Watching Seoyeon, Jiyeon couldn’t help but think it suited her.

"...Why is no one raising their hand?"

Seohui looked around at the three others, her expression gradually turning to panic.

"I can’t cook."

"I can’t cook."

『Neither can I.』

"..."

Of course, Seohui couldn’t cook either.

She had never held a kitchen knife in her life.

In fact, she had never even touched a pot—an actual rich girl through and through.

Sure, she had housekeepers at home, but the others didn’t have that excuse.

"Why can’t you cook?"

"My dad said I’m too scary with knives."

"Whenever I try, the food just turns out weird."

The first response was Seoyeon’s, and the second was Jiyeon’s.

To be fair, it made sense that Seoyeon with a knife could be terrifying.

Ji-yeon’s answer, however, was completely unexpected—but it didn’t sound like a lie.

'Wait, is this part of her concept?'

Seoyeon turned to look at Reika.

Reika immediately shook her head so fast it almost blurred.

She genuinely couldn’t cook.

Despite coming from a middle-class family, she had always been treated like a princess at home.

And ever since adopting her “noblewoman” image, she had distanced herself even further from anything domestic.

It was at this moment that the four actresses realized a major problem—

'We’re doomed.'

Even Seoyeon started to feel a sense of crisis.

'Are we going to starve for three days?'

Or worse, would they have to eat raw ingredients they scavenged?

And so, the four elegant “ladies” found themselves facing an unexpected survival challenge.