I Want to Be a VTuber

"Did you watch Mine yesterday?"

"Oh, I binged it the moment it dropped."

"Can you believe that was a Korean production? It didn’t feel like it."

"Wait, isn’t it a drama, not a movie?"

"Ah, right. A drama."

You could hear conversations like that all over when walking around.

It had been similar back when the teaser was released—but this time, it was on a whole other level.

In fact, judging by how much people were talking, it was getting way more buzz than anything she’d done on network TV.

“So it’s true—people’s attention really is shifting from TV to streaming platforms.”

Because of that, even the public networks had started changing strategies.

No longer was it just about airing on television—now they could make extra revenue through OTT platforms too.

"Well, it’s got its pros and cons. That’s just how it is."

Jo Sehee brushed off the situation with a shrug.

"Back when network TV was everything, a drama’s success was measured purely by its ratings. That was the only metric that mattered."

But now? Things were different.

Even if something underperformed on TV, it could still get a second chance to go viral on a streaming platform.

And if it succeeded there?

It could end up making way more money—and gaining way more popularity—than a regular network hit ever could.

Even people who didn’t watch the broadcast could get pulled in later through word of mouth.

"Still, if you really want to measure a show’s performance, you have to check both metrics. Just because it did well on TV doesn’t mean it’ll do well on streaming..."

Then she took a sip of her warm Americano.

"But if it does well in Korea, it usually ends up doing well overseas too."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Sehee trailed off and stared at Seoyeon for a moment.

"..."

"..."

Seoyeon knew exactly why Sehee was staring at her.

"Why aren’t you using casual speech anymore?"

"Just because."

At that, Sehee gave her a mock-offended look, all pouty.

Was dropping formal speech just a one-day thing? she wondered.

"Then why are you sitting so far away?"

"...I-I’m not sitting that far."

"Really?"

"I-I said I’m not!"

She was just being awkward for no real reason.

Embarrassed, maybe—but she wasn’t sure why.

"Anyway."

Seoyeon looked at Sehee, who was technically sitting across from her but still angled slightly away.

"Your acting yesterday was really good."

Since they’d already agreed to use casual speech, she went with it.

That polite tone just now was a joke.

Honestly, Seoyeon found it more comfortable to speak formally with Sehee.

Maybe not because of familiarity, but something about Sehee just made her default to formal speech.

“Probably because I’ve always talked to her that way,” she thought.

But like Sehee had said—using honorifics forever wasn’t going to work.

They were the same age, after all. Keeping things formal would be weird.

"I was actually moved. I almost teared up, to be honest."

"..."

"Should I just go back to formal speech?"

"No-no-no! I’m just—it’s just awkward, that’s all!"

Jo Sehee groaned and covered her face with both hands for no reason.

Why was she so embarrassed?

Seoyeon was honestly curious.

Where did that haughty villainess she first met disappear to?

Well, now that she thought about it, Sehee had always been kind of soft when it came to her.

"...Hey."

That’s when Lee Jiyeon—who had been sitting quietly next to Seoyeon, watching them—finally spoke up.

"If you two are just gonna keep blabbing, can I chime in too?"

At Jiyeon’s comment, Sehee subtly looked away.

Like she'd just been caught red-handed.

Meanwhile, Seoyeon didn’t even flinch.

“What the hell happened between these two?”

Hadn’t they gotten a lot closer than before?

And when did they even switch to casual speech?

“Ugh, this weird feeling of being left out.”

Jiyeon was starting to feel a little threatened.

Even though Sehee had physically distanced herself, she felt emotionally closer to Seoyeon than ever.

“Come to think of it, that Mine interview was kinda suspicious, too.”

She remembered how Sehee kept looking at Seoyeon during the interview, way more emotionally than usual.

Clearly, Seoyeon had helped her out a lot with the acting.

And well—Jiyeon had gotten help too, so she wasn’t really in a place to complain...

But still.

Something about it just rubbed her the wrong way.

“So this is why Seoyeon always used to get on my case when I hung out with other friends.”

She got it now.

When your close friend starts paying more attention to someone else—it hurts in a weirdly specific way.

"Oh, right."

While she was thinking that, Seoyeon pulled out her phone.

"Stella messaged me yesterday."

That made both Jo Sehee and Lee Jiyeon look straight at her phone.

Stella.

The fairy of the century.

She had an oddly obsessive streak when it came to Seoyeon.

To both of them, Stella was a bit of a sensitive subject.

Maybe because she stood at the pinnacle of what all actresses aspired to.

Or maybe it was because of what she said to Seoyeon before she left last time.

"Look at this. She said, ‘Did you study a little too hard?’"

"..."

When Seoyeon showed the message, Sehee quietly looked away.

Jiyeon turned toward her with a curious expression.

But soon enough, Sehee started fumbling out a response.

"I-I mean, no, this is—uh, yeah, it’s just a misunderstanding!"

"A misunderstanding?"

"Yeah, like... just a misunderstanding, okay?!"

Sehee felt completely wronged.

Seriously!

Sure, maybe she was a little flustered, but only because she’d been on the receiving end of formal speech and actual help.

That’s all!

But if Stella phrased it like that, what was anyone supposed to think?

This just... wasn't it!

“Wait... was there really something in my acting that gave off that kind of vibe?”

Seoyeon knew what Stella meant by “studying hard.”

But this drama didn’t even have those kinds of scenes—unlike Kyungsung Lady.

“Well... there was that sort-of friendship angle between Hong Seha and me.”

Maybe that came across differently to international audiences.

Honestly, Seoyeon thought it was kind of funny.

It’s like that thing people say:

In Korea, it’s totally normal for girls to walk around holding hands.

But overseas, it might look like they’re a couple.

This was probably one of those cases.

“Overseas, huh...”

Anyway, Stella had sent a few more texts after that.

She said the international reception was really positive.

Which meant there were actors and directors abroad who’d been impressed by both Sehee’s and Seoyeon’s performances.

That was the beauty of OTT dramas.

They made it easier for Korean actors to break into global markets.

Back when actor Lee Sangsoo tried going international, he failed hard—partly due to the heavy discrimination against Asian actors.

But now?

Things had clearly changed.

Even Lee Sangsoo himself had said this to Seoyeon recently:

"Miss Seoyeon."

"Yes?"

"I’m thinking of giving it another shot."

"Another shot?"

"Yeah. It’s my dream, after all." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Actor Lee Sangsoo made that comment during the celebratory dinner after Kyungsung Lady surpassed ten million viewers and received massive critical acclaim.

"Ever since I was a kid, watching black-and-white films, I dreamed of stepping into that world myself."

Even though he’d failed once before, the success of Kyungsung Lady rekindled the fire in his heart.

"Kyungsung Lady is getting a strong response overseas. And because of that, I’ve been contacted by some people—including ones who ignored me back when I tried to go global."

It was funny how much perceptions of Korean actors had changed in just a few years.

Even now, things were still ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) unfamiliar and challenging—but compared to before, the barrier was drastically lower.

"So I’m thinking of heading out first. And you, Seoyeon—I’m sure you’ll be following not long after."

"I just really like Korea."

"Haha, fair enough. Leaving home is always hard."

Even as he said that, it was clear he believed Seoyeon would eventually take on international projects.

But the truth was—Seoyeon didn’t have much interest in Hollywood.

Still...

“Hmm... being a VTuber who talks about Hollywood behind-the-scenes stuff... that might make me look kind of cool.”

Wait—wasn’t that crossing a line with the Red Pill rules?

But then again, most people talk about their personal lives to some degree.

Even the few who do hardcore roleplay usually share at least that much.

“In that sense... maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.”

She felt a slight temptation—but pursuing Hollywood with that kind of mindset felt deeply disrespectful to the craft of acting.

Seoyeon couldn’t shake that thought.

Unless there was a meaningful reason or catalyst—

There wasn’t much motivation to take on that kind of challenge.

Still...

After reading the last of Stella’s texts, Seoyeon closed her phone screen.

“What’s going to happen with Mine?”

So far, the response had been very positive.

But there was no official international reaction yet.

It had only been a day.

Right now, Mine was sitting at around 7th place in the global OTT rankings.

That’s high for a newly released drama—but not that high.

New releases often spike in rankings from initial buzz alone.

Especially for Mine, which started out surrounded by a lot of hype and controversy—7th place felt a little underwhelming.

But then again, it had a major advertising campaign behind it.

So it wasn’t a flop—but it wasn’t a breakout hit yet either.

“I really hope it does well.”

Seoyeon glanced over at Sehee.

Now that she seemed to have calmed down, Sehee tilted her head and blinked back at her blankly.

“Her performance this time was really good.”

Sehee had always been a strong actress.

But this time—she broke out of her usual mold, and Seoyeon was honestly impressed.

“I need to work harder too.”

If she didn’t want to fall behind.

Not just Sehee or Stella—even Jiyeon was climbing fast now.

“My competitive streak...”

Lately, she’d realized something about herself—Seoyeon was quietly, but fiercely, competitive.

Especially when it came to acting.

****

[OTT Global Ranking: Mine Hits #7! Early Signs of a Hit!]

[A Bit Underwhelming? GH Group’s Ambitious Drama, Mine—Will It Deliver?]

Because Mine was a major investment by GH Group, the media coverage was intense.

There were tons of critical articles, and just as many full of empty praise.

So, it was hard to gauge how successful it really was based on headlines alone.

There were too many, and the opinions were all over the place.

The reaction online was similar.

– Mine was actually pretty good lol

– The acting was solid, and the action scenes were top-tier

– But the writing felt kinda juvenile

– Great action, but like... psychics? Really? lol

– Feels like everyone’s trying to copy the DC Universe now

– There’s even a Superman homage in Jin Yeonseo’s fight scene

– Was that a homage? Felt like a generic trope to me

– Honestly, the later episodes feel like the director is pushing some weird philosophy

– Immortality through psychic powers? So much unnecessary stuff crammed in

That was the general consensus in the first three days.

Good, but not mind-blowing.

The action scenes were impressive.

Ju Seoyeon and Jo Sehee delivered excellent performances.

Arthur Diaz? He was fine—not amazing, but solid.

At least his face was really good-looking. A feast for the eyes.

That was the vibe overall.

– Did they really have to add that whole tragic backstory for Hong Seha or whatever her name is?

– She said Adam killed her dad, right?

– That scene was carried entirely by the actors. Otherwise, it was cliché melodrama lol

– Was it melodrama though? I actually found it emotional

– Nah, it was cliché. That stuff doesn’t land with international audiences

Jo Sehee’s character, Hong Seha, was clearly designed to deliver the show’s emotional beats.

Family love. Blind revenge for her father.

And those moments meant to tug at the audience’s heartstrings.

Jo Sehee pulled it off.

Her performance was moving enough to squeeze out tears.

Especially the flashback scenes—those stood out.

Even so, reactions were split.

– lol stuff like that doesn’t work overseas

– Only Korean audiences fall for that kind of thing

On day five of release, while that kind of conversation was still going on—

[Mine Continues Its Meteoric Rise! Charting Higher Every Day!]

[No More Ceiling? The Unstoppable Success of Mine!]

[Child’s Game, Watch Out! Mine Has Drawn Its Sword!]

The tone of the headlines began to shift.

Gone were the disappointed or skeptical takes.

– GH Group really pushing that PR machine lol

– But the rankings are going up?

– Is this real or PR spin?

– It’s legit, the rank keeps climbing;; no way that’s fake, right?

Online chatter had been slow to catch on at first.

People were treating it like “just another decent drama.”

Then—

[Mine Reaches #1 in 57 Countries! The Next Global Hit After Child’s Game!]

A headline like that exploded.

It had been ten days since Mine premiered.

Far too long for the initial buzz alone to explain its success.

– The more I watch, the more I get the director’s vision lol

– I rewatched Mine last night and suddenly it was amazing wtf

– I knew from the start this was a masterpiece, but nobody believed me

– Turns out overseas audiences love that emotional melodrama...

– Nah, it’s just well-made, period

– Wait a sec... this is giving me déjà vu from Child’s Game

That was when the Korean online community finally changed its tune—for real.