I Want to Be a VTuber

"Kyungsung Lady’s Japanese promotional video was released simultaneously with Korea’s. Naturally, the best way to watch it is while keeping an eye on Japan’s reaction, right?"

The promotional video uploaded to Nettrix was a full 60 minutes long.

It was clear that a lot of effort had gone into it.

"Wow, Japan even has a dubbed version."

Switching to the Japanese Nettrix account confirmed it.

They weren’t messing around—this simultaneous release had been planned with precision.

"I’ve never seen such aggressive marketing for a Korean film before. Could it be because Ju Seoyeon’s recognition in Japan has been rising recently?"

— What do you mean Ju Seoyeon? It’s because of Stella.

— Bongsik, you’re reaching too hard.

"Come on, does it really make sense to put together an entire promotional video just because of a cameo?"

— Okay, fair point.

— Honestly, this feels like a prank.

— Why is this actually happening? I thought it was just a baseless rumor.

Bongsik and his viewers continued discussing Kyungsung Lady’s promotional video as they pressed play.

The first person to appear on screen was the lead actress, Yeon Seonye—

Or rather, Lee Jiyeon.

"I heard this is your first time taking on a lead role. Are you nervous?"

The first voice was in Japanese.

The translator beside Jiyeon relayed the question.

"I am nervous. Honestly, everyone in this cast except me is a veteran actor."

Jiyeon’s tension was visible.

Dressed in hanbok, her sharp features softened slightly by makeup.

"But I’m the protagonist this time. I have to keep up, no matter what."

As she spoke, her gaze drifted toward a single, unmoving presence.

Ju Seoyeon.

The set was Yuina’s mansion.

Tatami flooring.

Seoyeon, sitting in a flawless seiza position, exuded an almost supernatural stillness.

Even from afar, her presence was undeniable.

— Damn, Ju Seoyeon’s completely different when she’s filming versus when she’s on variety shows.

— Just from the atmosphere, she looks like the final boss.

— In the movie, her villainous Yuina moments were absolutely insane.

— She basically soloed the entire auction house scene.

The promotional video began with simple cast introductions.

First, lead actress Jo Sehee.

Then, Lee Sangsoo—the unexpected casting that had sent Korea into a frenzy.

"You haven’t been in a film since Hollywood. Why did you suddenly decide to join Kyungsung Lady?"

Lee Sangsoo chuckled.

"That kind of news made it all the way to Japan? How embarrassing."

Despite the long hiatus, he looked at ease.

No hint of nervousness, even after years away from the industry.

A large subtitle appeared on screen: Dignity.

— Damn, Lee Sangsoo’s Japanese dub voice is sick.

— Dude sounds like he could stop time just by talking.

— Honestly, the voice matches his character perfectly. Did they really get the same actor for the dub?

— Wait, they actually did? Looks like they spent serious money on this.

Bongsik played both the Korean and Japanese versions side by side.

The content was the same, but the editing style was different.

The Japanese version had a distinctly Japanese touch.

The Korean version, a Korean one.

For now, the Japanese cut felt fresher, so he stuck with that.

"Around the time I was filming Star Fisherman, Ju Seoyeon came to see me."

Lee Sangsoo reminisced.

"Honestly, I had no intention of returning to acting. I’d lost my motivation."

His Hollywood failure.

Clips from Redman appeared—

Lee Sangsoo, an Eastern supporting actor in a film helmed by a famous Hollywood director.

"I thought I did well. The movie didn’t perform well, but I gave it my all. Still, the feedback I got was ruthless."

American media had blamed Redman’s failure on him.

The unfamiliarity of an Asian supporting actor had supposedly alienated audiences.

There had been positive reviews of his acting, but pinning the failure on an unknown Eastern actor was an easy way to protect the director’s reputation.

"Hollywood was my dream. If I had truly failed because of my own shortcomings, I could have accepted it. But..."

He couldn’t accept it.

That was why he had broken.

A lifetime goal.

A dream he had spent years chasing, only to realize it was something that effort alone could never achieve.

"So I ended up on variety shows. Just fishing here and there. Ah, do you like fishing? That’s where I first met Seoyeon. And I was shocked."

A clip of Seoyeon catching a massive dotdom fish played.

"Wow~! A dotdom?! I’ve never seen one this big before. And a woman caught this by herself?"

"Of course. She practically sent it flying. Seoyeon’s got strength."

"Strength alone isn’t enough to catch something like this, though."

The footage continued—staff members struggling to hold Seoyeon back while she yelled, "I’m stronger than it!!" and effortlessly flung the dotdom into the air.

"Honestly, I thought she was just another arrogant young actress. You see them everywhere—Japan, Korea, anywhere in the world. When you get famous young, it goes to your head."

But Seoyeon wasn’t like that.

She was just there to fish.

Hell, at first, he didn’t even realize she was an actress.

"After the variety show, I kept fishing, and then one day, Ju Seoyeon showed up and asked me—"

Would you consider starring in a film directed by Baek Min?

It was a bold offer.

So bold that the people around her had tried to stop her.

"But when I heard her say that, I realized—I still wanted this."

If he had truly intended to quit acting, he would have retired completely.

He wouldn’t have needed to announce it.

He simply wouldn’t have shown up on variety shows like Star Fisherman.

Because for an entertainer, being forgotten was the same as being gone.

But he had kept showing up.

Lingering in the public eye.

Like he didn’t want to disappear.

"I didn’t want to quit acting. And Seoyeon knew that."

Deep down, he had been waiting for someone to force him back.

To kick him back onto the path he had abandoned.

"That’s why I took the role."

Lee Sangsoo’s gaze drifted to where Seoyeon was acting in the distance.

"And I wanted to see her performance up close."

"And now that you’ve seen it in person?"

Lee Sangsoo chuckled.

"You’ve seen it yourself. What else is there to say?"

He gave a thumbs-up.

In Korea, Lee Sangsoo was a household name.

But in Japan, he was still an unfamiliar face.

Yet, after everything they had seen in this documentary, his endorsement felt earned.

It was an undeniably powerful moment.

— Oh, so that’s why he was trending on Japanese Twitter.

— Damn... this is actually kind of moving.

Even those who had been skeptical of the documentary were now drawn in.

And it wasn’t just the Korean audience.

Japan was just as captivated.

****

The scene shifted, now showing Korean actors boarding a flight to Japan.

At this point, Goto Reika took over as the host.

Ironically, the segment opened with footage from the Aokigahara Sea of Trees.

"T-T-This is so scary... but I’ll do my best."

Pale-faced and anxious, Reika wandered between the various actresses, peeking at what they were up to.

First, Jo Sehee.

Despite looking exhausted, the moment the camera approached, she immediately brightened, striking a composed, haughty expression.

A subtitle appeared beneath her: [Professional].

Reika approached her first, asking about Kyungsung Lady and the film’s lead, Lee Jiyeon.

Finally, she turned to the central figure of this documentary—Ju Seoyeon.

The entire Kyungsung Lady documentary had been structured around Seoyeon’s rising popularity in Japan, so it was inevitable that she would get the most screen time.

"Sehee-chan, I heard that in Korea, you and Ju Seoyeon have a rivalry dynamic?"

"R-R-Rival?! No, we’re friends. Friends!! Please correct that."

"Friends?"

A cutaway played—

Old footage of Jo Sehee and Ju Seoyeon as child actresses.

The Moon That Hid the Sun audition, where the two had first met as young rivals.

A furious young Jo Sehee, stomping her feet in frustration.

Her face in awe, completely mesmerized by Seoyeon’s performance.

"They didn’t just air that, did they?"

"I-I don’t know?"

Reika genuinely didn’t know.

But the moment Jo Sehee snapped open her folding fan with a sharp gaze, she instinctively flinched.

Pure aristocratic intimidation.

Trying to match her energy, Reika clumsily unfolded her own fan—

But against the real deal, it was obvious she was outmatched.

"Well... we’re not rivals anymore. If I had to put it into words, she’s more like a milestone."

"A milestone?"

"Yeah, well... something like that. Anyway, if I had to explain, she’s the kind of actress who embodies the acting I’ve aspired to since childhood."

Acting like starlight.

Like her mother.

Jo Sehee swallowed the words before they could leave her lips.

Her mother’s words still echoed in her mind.

And Seoyeon’s acting—watching it felt like witnessing those words come to life.

"A milestone..."

"Huh?"

"No, it’s nothing."

Clearing her throat, Jo Sehee doubled down on emphasizing their friendship and began talking about Seoyeon’s usual demeanor.

The interview wrapped up, transitioning into some variety footage.

Unpolished, raw behind-the-scenes clips.

And then—

A golden-haired girl appeared on screen.

"You’re doing a lot of interviews, huh? I just did one a little while ago too."

"T-This one’s different."

"Ahh~, the promotional variety thing. Alright, alright, ask me whatever you want."

Stella.

At this point, she still hadn’t had a direct conversation with Seoyeon.

This was before that turning point.

Before she had to head back and give that last interview.

"Ju Seoyeon? Hmm~. I think she’s a great actress. My dad was interested in her too, and I can’t help but keep my eyes on her. You don’t see many actors like that, even in Hollywood."

"Even in Hollywood?"

"Yeah. What, you think I’d lie about that? ...Wait a sec."

Stella paused, as if realizing something, and leaned in close to Reika.

"Say something."

"Huh?"

"Anything. Just talk."

Reika stammered out a few random words.

And then—

"Oh. I recognize your voice now. You were in the same drama as Ju Seoyeon, weren’t you?"

"W-Wait, you watched that?!"

The realization that Stella, a global actress, had seen her performance made Reika flustered.

But at the same time, she also remembered—

She had completely lost to Seoyeon in that drama.

A hint of gloom flickered across her face.

Stella chuckled at the reaction.

"Don’t feel too bad~. I saw that scene and tried to do the same thing."

"The same thing?"

"Yeah. And guess what? I ended up in the same boat as you."

"You mean...?"

"I lost to her. In acting."

"You?!"

"Well, it was just a cameo, so it didn’t really matter for me."

Stella laughed, but Reika was stunned.

Stella had lost to Seoyeon?

Seriously?

"I’ve never lost to someone in my own age group before, but she beat me. It pissed me off a little at first, but I’m fine with it now."

"I-I see. Ahem."

"Oh? You like that, huh? Makes you feel like you’re not alone?"

"N-No!"

As they talked, Stella started pressing her further—

But then, a heavy thump, thump sound echoed.

The camera panned—

And there was Seoyeon.

Playing with a bear.

A short distance away, she tossed a wooden stick.

The bear watched her.

Then, quietly picked up the stick in its mouth and brought it back.

"Can you train bears?"

"I mean... you just have to hit them, right?"

That bizarre exchange sent laughter rippling through the scene.

The footage flipped again—

Goto Reika, heading toward the Kyungsung Lady set.

To see the performance Stella had spoken of with her own eyes.

And then—

[Stay tuned for Part 2. Release in 95:42]

"Are you freaking kidding me?!"

Bongsik slammed his desk and clutched his head.

A reaction fueled by pure agony.

— No way, they cut it off before showing her acting?!

— I thought this was a single episode, but it’s two parts?!

— Looks like they’re releasing one per week.

— Part 1 was actor interviews, Part 2 will cover their actual performances.

— Wait, was the bear actually around during the entire variety shoot?

— Normally, if you throw a stick at a bear, does it bring it back?

— No, it bites you

— Oh.

Just when things had reached their peak, the documentary had cut off.

Leaving Bongsik and his viewers screaming in frustration.

And in that moment—

It became perfectly clear why Seoyeon and Kyungsung Lady were completely dominating Japanese Twitter trends.

****

@naer3234

That Korean actress from before!!

I watched the documentary, and that scene in the Part 2 preview wwwww

It was incredibly impressive!!!

@tqerk_noya

A true masterpiece.

I had some bias against Korean films, but I trusted Soyon-chan and watched it.

No regrets—it was amazing!

====

====

After the documentary was released, Kyungsung Lady exploded across Japanese Twitter.

From 5ch to Futaba and various other forums, discussions spread like wildfire.

Once a fire starts, it doesn’t stop burning.

The sheer speed of it was enough to leave Japanese netizens stunned.

Of course, there was still the qualifier—"for a Korean film."

But if word-of-mouth continued at this pace, it could easily go beyond that.

— When is Part 2 of the documentary coming out?

— Soyon-chan’s acting was incredible lol, I thought she was just a comedian wwww

— Yuina-chan was so pretty www She makes Reika look like an average person lolol

— Stop comparing every actress to each other

— That kiss scene was insane

— I ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ thought Korea was more conservative?

— Are they going to sell Yuina merch later?

— When is Soyon-chan’s fan meeting?

— Soyon-chan is an actress, not an idol. She probably won’t promote in Japan like that.

— Then she should become an idol too. Apparently, Soyon-chan can sing: [Link]

Clips from Masked Singer featuring Seoyeon started surfacing.

Japanese fans began digging into her past performances—

Even her child actor days gained attention.

So much so that The Moon That Hid the Sun, which had never aired in Japan, suddenly trended there.

And then—

"How many tickets were sold on the first day?"

At YHJ Broadcasting, Producer Nanjo Katsuo asked anxiously.

After all, he had been in charge of filming the Kyungsung Lady documentary in Japan.

Hearing his question, cinematographer Tanaka Hiroshi tensed.

They had poured more resources into promoting this film than nearly any other.

Hopefully, it at least beats the recently released anime.

The Japanese box office had been dominated by animation lately.

If the film couldn’t outperform those releases, the return on investment wouldn’t be enough.

At that moment—

"...Wait. I think we did it?"

Nanjo Katsuo’s eyes widened as he checked the numbers.

124,000 tickets sold on opening day.

The highest first-day audience count for a Korean film in Japanese history.