I Want to Be a VTuber

The Great Actor Park Seon-woong

Three films with over ten million viewers. The lead role in a daily drama that dominated an era.

Two dramas with ratings hitting 40%, a box-office magician. An actor known for never failing, with people saying he was a sure bet.

Not just acting skills. His eye for choosing projects. Especially his talent for recognizing people.

He personally recommended actors to directors for roles in dramas or films.

‘That child is Joo Seoyeon.’

To Park Seon-woong, Joo Seoyeon was a peculiar child. At seven years old, an age where she should still be in kindergarten, she was strangely quiet.

Child actors often tend to be more mature than their peers. They have to recite lines and act. They experience adult society faster than others.

His son, Park Jung-woo, was the same. More mature and talented than his peers.

‘That's why I was worried.’

Was it because he was approaching puberty? His son seemed to have developed a consciousness that he was different from kids his age. An attitude often described as arrogant.

He didn't talk much, so it wasn't noticeable. But his recent behavior during the making of "The Sun Hidden by the Moon" revealed it.

He often said something, but Park Seon-woong was too busy to address it frequently. His wife loved their son too much to say anything critical.

‘But.’

He hadn't expected a child who would break his son's arrogance to appear. That's why, despite his busy schedule, he accepted the invitation from Yoon Jong-hyuk today.

“Jung-woo seems quite upset.” “Hmm.”

Seon-woong nodded at Yoon Jong-hyuk's words. Even now, Jung-woo was hovering around Seoyeon, paying attention to her.

And Seoyeon? She seemed quite uncomfortable, though it didn't show much in her expression.

“From Jung-woo’s perspective, it must feel like he's losing and running away.”

In the first two episodes, Seoyeon hadn't directly competed with Jung-woo in terms of acting skills. Except for the scene in the audition where she played two roles.

That one scene was inserted into the third episode. The scene where the young Lee Hae-wol says goodbye to Yoon Seo-il and leaves.

“Right. Well, let's go. It's about time.”

Yoon Jong-hyuk said, heading towards where Soo-ah and Seoyeon were. He was quite looking forward to the third episode of "The Sun Hidden by the Moon."

“Starting now.”

KMB Drama Department. Everyone tensed at PD Ha Tae-oh's words. The third episode of "The Sun Hidden by the Moon."

The episode he had the most confidence in. It absolutely couldn't fail.

It hinted at the growth of the young Lee Hae-wol. If it didn't get a good reaction here, the ratings for the fourth episode might drop significantly.

‘That's why the child actor part is short.’

This is true for all media. When the environment suddenly changes or the protagonist is replaced, or when the age is suddenly raised, there are bound to be viewers who drop out.

To retain viewers, they had to give them proper expectations for the fourth episode in this third episode. If they failed, it would surely negatively impact the fourth episode's ratings.

“You all know, right? It can't be just okay or pretty good here.”

This section needed to be a definite hit. Fortunately, MDC's rival show "Action King" was losing steam today.

So, "The Sun Hidden by the Moon" had to achieve a certain level of ratings.

“Fortunately, the current response isn't bad.”

The real-time ratings were stable. In fact, they were quite good.

That meant the impact of the second episode had strongly resonated with the viewers. Some staff were also monitoring the community responses, not just the ratings.

Internet reactions had become important. This was a time when drama communities and social media were starting to emerge.

For it to go viral there, the response needed to be strong. As expected, as the third episode started, posts began appearing on social media.

Yoon Seo-il continued to show hesitation. After all, there wasn't much a child could do.

The palace was already Jo Yeong-dae's domain.

Even Yoon Seo-il's father had advised him to stay quiet in this matter. "Don't go outside." With such advice, Yoon Seo-il kept hesitating.

Should he see off the departing Princess Yeonhwa? Or should he stay hidden as his father advised?

It was the loyal servant, who had always accompanied Yoon Seo-il, who moved him.

‘Young master, are you really going to end it like this?’

The serious words of the servant, who had always teased Yoon Seo-il. Those words made young Yoon Seo-il defy his father for the first time.

The place where Princess Yeonhwa was being exiled. He ran to see off the princess who was leaving with her bodyguard and her old nursemaid.

The music grew tense, and the camera zoomed in on the running Yoon Seo-il's face. An emotional performance beyond what could be expected from a child.

Park Jung-woo, who always showed excellent skills, was even more remarkable now. The sight of a young boy running desperately, falling, and rolling without sparing his body naturally captivated the audience.

‘Wow, Seoyeon is amazing, but.’ ‘This is what properly trained child acting looks like.’

Even the staff, who had seen this scene multiple times, were amazed. Not just emotional acting, but the natural movements and physical acting.

It didn't feel like acting. It felt like watching adult actors.

As the young Yoon Seo-il ran desperately, the ratings responded accordingly. Ha Tae-oh urgently asked.

“What are the current ratings?” “30%. It hasn't updated further.”

30% was not a small number. In fact, it was a great success.

But considering the second episode had hit 29%, it felt a bit ambiguous. They needed to surpass the peak moment of the second episode.

Ha Tae-oh desperately hoped. The third episode was the last appearance of the young Lee Hae-wol.

He had seen it several times already. He was confident. But he didn't know how the public would react.

As everyone focused on the climax of the third episode of "The Sun Hidden by the Moon."

“Your Highness.”

Yoon Seo-il, panting, spoke. They said Princess Yeonhwa had already left.

They said it was too late to chase after her. Yoon Seo-il regretted.

If only he had decided a little, just a little faster. He lamented his foolishness.

What was he so afraid of? What was so frightening that he hid and kept silent?

“Princess!”

He ran and ran again. He didn't know where the departing Princess Yeonhwa was.

But Yoon Seo-il ran aimlessly. Perhaps. With only such a hope, he ran.

A high hill. A place where the palace could be seen at a glance.

And there was Princess Yeonhwa. She stood facing the sun, looking at the palace below the hill.

‘Wow.’

The viewers watching the scene were in awe of Princess Yeonhwa. It was like a picture. Even with only her back visible, the complex emotions of Princess Yeonhwa seemed to be conveyed.

And among those viewers was Han Seon-ah, who was holding her breath and watching. She was already emotional, typing frantically on her phone.

“Yeong-bin, Seoyeon is finally on.”

Joo Yeong-bin watched his daughter's performance with his friends. Unlike Soo-ah and Seoyeon, who had already seen the scenes, Yeong-bin was seeing them for the first time. But he had seen that back before.

When they discussed future plans not long ago.

“Are you sure? You're not doing this just because of Mom, right?”

As "The Sun Hidden by the Moon" became a hot topic, Seoyeon decided quickly.

She had received many offers for CFs. There were also drama offers through PD Gong Jung-tae and PD Ha Tae-oh. Even variety shows.

If Seoyeon made up her mind, she could ride this wave to greater heights.

“No. This is my decision.”

Seoyeon thought. She pondered.

There was a desire to do more. If there were any shortcomings, she could learn gradually.

Such thoughts crossed her mind.

“This is the right thing.”

Seoyeon looked at her hands. The wounds from the last filming had fortunately healed without a scar. But those wounds made Seoyeon cautious.

For her, emotions were unfamiliar and frightening unknowns. Her greatest strength was emotional acting.

Especially method acting. But ultimately, method acting was just one type of acting.

It shouldn't be everything. Seoyeon still lacked.

Technically, emotionally.

Surely, she would grow both in body and mind. These emotions might also grow.

Frankly, Seoyeon wasn't confident she could fully control those emotions. Perhaps it was due to the gap left by her past life's memories and body.

She needed time to fully accept those traces.

“It's okay.”

Seoyeon smiled at Yeong-bin and Soo-ah.

“Really.”

She had so much she wanted to learn. She wanted to learn acting. She wanted to attend a voice acting academy and learn pronunciation.

If possible, she wanted to sing. All the things she couldn't do in her past life due to lack of emotions.

An actress. And a VTuber.

“I'll come back anyway.”

It was her dream, full of ambition. So Seoyeon looked ahead.

Among the actors, in Soo-ah's arms. She watched herself on the giant TV screen, so different from her own home.

Princess Yeonhwa turned away. Breaking the aquarium, she plunged into the sea of emotions. Seeing her own self drenched in emotion, Joo Seoyeon.

「...You came.」

With the tearful voice of Seoyeon, and Lee Hae-wol.

「Seo-il.」

Princess Yeonhwa slowly turned her body. With a sad smile.