I Want to Be a VTuber

[I’m being serious here.]

[Yeah?]

[If you switched to MMA right now, wouldn’t you make a fortune?]

[...]

Seoyeon narrowed her eyes at the chat that popped up mid-game.

It was probably half-joke, half-serious.

[So should I take that to mean you want to learn martial arts with me?]

At that, Park Jungwoo felt his heart drop.

He hadn’t expected that to sound like he was digging his own grave.

“But it can’t be helped.”

He had recently watched Mine.

The drama backed by GH Group.

Of course, even if they hadn’t invested in it, he would’ve watched it the moment it dropped—because Seoyeon was in it.

[...Yeah, the drama was good.]

[You're dodging the question.]

[The final behind-the-scenes video really stood out.]

[What about my acting and Sehee’s?]

[Do I even need to say it? Oh, but Jo Sehee really popped this time.]

Seoyeon’s acting, as always, had no flaws worth nitpicking.

The character suited her usual image perfectly, and she was practically flying through the action scenes—just watching her was a visual treat.

“After seeing those behind-the-scenes clips, how could I not ask?”

The Mine making-of videos were packed with moments where you couldn’t help but ask, “Wait, that wasn’t CGI?”

Especially Seoyeon’s own action scenes—barely any CGI at all.

“No wonder it felt so real.”

Of course, it wasn’t just the two of them that stood out this time.

He didn’t particularly like the guy, but Arthur Diaz had definitely lived up to his name.

“More than anyone, though—Narumi Sora.”

Park Jungwoo repeated the name again.

She had already left an impression in Hyper Action Star, but what she showed in Mine went beyond that.

“As for Jo Sehee... I honestly don’t want to say this to her face.”

He was honestly surprised.

He never expected Jo Sehee to pull off acting like that.

It was the kind of performance that made your chest tighten with unease.

If he actually said that out loud, she’d obviously get smug about it, so there was no way he’d tell her.

It was petty, sure—but he couldn’t help it.

Park Jungwoo just didn’t want to lose to Jo Sehee, plain and simple.

[Still, you should think about this—your most memorable roles all have a pretty similar vibe.]

[Are they really that similar?]

[Not like, copy-paste similar, but it’s about first impressions. You know what I mean. I haven’t seen every movie you’ve been in, after all.]

Seoyeon had been in a lot of projects last year, but if you asked most people which role stuck with them the most, they’d probably say Cha Seoa.

Yuina had been impressive too, and her acting was stellar—but it didn’t have the same impact as Cha Seoa.

Though, to be fair, Yuina did feel somewhat similar to both Cha Seoa and Jin Yeonseo.

“I really have played a lot of similar characters.”

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Seoyeon thought about it.

It hadn’t been intentional, but the overlap was definitely there.

Probably because she kept picking roles that suited her.

And like Jungwoo said, being typecast into a single image wasn’t exactly ideal.

...Though it was still better than that “gorilla” image from her variety show days.

[Don’t get stuck on just your breakout image, okay?]

[Ironically, my first breakout image was the Princess of Yeonhwa.]

[...That was basically a split personality thing.]

[?]

Split personality?

Seoyeon stared at the chat for a moment, then let out a short laugh.

Just the mention of the Princess of Yeonhwa made her reactions obvious, even in chat.

[It’s not like that. I just get a little more serene, that’s all.]

[Liar.]

[It’s true! I just change how I talk, that’s it.]

[No, no. Your habits change too. Your whole personality shifts.]

It’s not really like that.

Seoyeon almost typed that—but just shrugged instead.

Jungwoo seemed to think of it like she had a full-on alter ego, but that wasn’t the case at all.

She remembered everything she did in that state.

Sure, her speech softened, she acted like a model student, picked up some new habits—but there were reasons for that.

“If I had no memories of my past life, maybe I would’ve grown up with that kind of personality.”

Seoyeon had thought about it a lot, and that seemed like the most likely explanation.

Call it the personality of her current body, maybe.

Her memories from her previous life just kept that side of her in check.

A split between memory and the body’s natural disposition... something like that.

That persona probably only surfaced when she played the Princess of Yeonhwa.

Same with the habits that came with it.

Back when she was a kid, none of that had come out—so the fact that it did now...

“Probably just puberty.”

Ju Seoyeon.

Three years of adolescent chaos.

All those changes must’ve had some kind of emotional impact.

“Maybe things will change again once I graduate.”

It was just a vague thought, but not without reason.

She had gone through something similar in middle school, after all.

Before puberty, she’d been more detached—closer to the person she was in her past life.

Unless she was acting, she didn’t really show big emotional swings.

But after puberty hit, and after experiencing that emotional storm in full force—

She became someone appropriate for her age.

So once she graduates... she might change again emotionally.

It was just a guess.

Of course, there was also a very real chance that nothing would change.

She was still growing, little by little.

Maybe there wouldn’t be any big shifts like last time, but steady, gradual change—that seemed more likely.

[Honestly, I’m kind of looking forward to it. Flower of the Imperial Palace.]

Right after she said that, Park Jungwoo’s chat paused.

Like he was trying to figure out what she meant.

Of course, she didn’t have any deeper meaning.

She was just genuinely looking forward to it.

“I mean, my dad’s childhood friend wrote the original.”

And it had been a while since she’d played a princess role.

The very first character she’d ever portrayed.

A character so similar to the Princess of Yeonhwa—how could she not be excited?

“This year, I really need to shape a better image for myself.”

She’d had more than enough of the edgy roles last year.

Seoyeon was firmly set on this new path.

****

Normally, OTT drama success is determined on release day—or at most, within the first week.

That’s because, unlike traditional dramas, they usually drop an entire season at once.

And all the viewers who came flooding in from PVs and ads catch that first wave.

But in Mine’s case? It was a total outlier.

The drama blew up a full ten days after release.

[#1 in 57 Countries Worldwide—2 Weeks and Still Going Strong!]

[Mine’s Secret? Dazzling Action and Unbelievable Performances.]

Korean netizens, honestly, were kind of stunned.

YouTubers who had prepped videos titled “Why Mine Flopped” had to scramble to make new content.

“Tsk, what did I say? What is Ju Seoyeon? A religion. You better memorize that. My sub count doesn’t lie.”

“Nononono. I said it when I watched Mine, right? That this was gonna blow up. No doubt about it.”

– Didn’t you say that during The Chaser too?

– Bongpyeong strikes again with the misinformation lmaoo

“That’s slander. I’ve said the same thing every time Ju Seoyeon was in something.”

Meanwhile, Bongshik, who had been riding the Ju Seoyeon hype train from the beginning, actually saw his subscriber count go up.

His video “Spot the CGI in Mine” exploded thanks to the algorithm, spreading like wildfire.

The twist?

It didn’t just go viral in Korea—it blew up internationally.

Following the global success of Child’s Game, foreign YouTubers were already watching Korean dramas more closely, and Mine landing right after only stoked the fire.

Now, when you searched Mine, the top autocomplete result was Mine international reactions.

A flood of real-time reaction videos from overseas YouTubers.

And the one going through all those videos one by one?

A brand-new member of Yeonhwa High’s drama club—

Min Ara.

“Oh! Someone already compiled all the reactions in one place!”

Ever since Mine became a hit, she had made it a daily routine to hunt down new reaction videos.

With a huge grin, Min Ara hit play.

Onscreen, a Black man in a snapback cap was reacting to chat messages in the corner of the screen.

“Yo, bro. Today I’m checking out that trending Korean drama. You know Mine, right? The one with the sexy Korean girl?”

– :) Dude, that actress is still in high school

“Oh, wait wait—scratch that. I meant, the cute Korean girl.”

– lol

– Cute XD

– FBI’s coming for you, Joseph

The video ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) kicked off with those ridiculous lines.

The YouTuber, Joseph, wiped sweat from his forehead, suddenly realizing just how young the girl on the poster looked.

Her vibe made her seem older than she was.

Then the screen cut to a blonde woman—another YouTuber, apparently—watching the scene intently with a focused expression.

“Okay, so it opens in a lab. It’s always the shady labs, isn’t it? Ooh, Arthur! You handsome bastard, there you are.”

Episode 1 of Mine.

The scene where Jin Yeonseo is escaping from the lab.

Then—Min Doha throws himself in her path, trying to stop her.

“Arthur’s gonna help her escape, right? Wait—was it Adam? Crap, Yeonseo’s gonna get caught.”

But then—bam.

One brutal hit, and Min Doha goes flying.

The woman’s eyes widened.

“Oh damn. Okay, superpowers. Got it. You’re a badass, Yeonseo.”

After that came a montage of different YouTubers reacting in turn, one after another, all shocked at the same scene.

Then—back to Joseph.

“Wait. That scene where he gets blasted across the room... that wasn’t CGI?!”

– The broken wall was CGI

– lol

– Ju Seoyeon passed Korea’s top action audition, this is just a warm-up for her

“This is a making-of video, right? Holy crap, it’s real. They actually threw him like that? Was it wires?”

– No wires

– Wow, Koreans are all built different

– Imagine agreeing to get thrown like that with no wire lmao couldn’t be me

Every YouTuber watching Mine ended up checking out the making-of videos at least once.

Since every episode had a mix of scenes with and without CGI, they had to know what was real.

“Jesus, look at those hands move. That’s straight-up Bruce Lee.”

“I thought it was sped up, but that’s just how fast she moves. It’s so absurd, it’s hilarious.”

“That guy’s Oliver, right? The best action actor in Hollywood. Damn, this Korean actress is wild. They’re really going at it.”

With every single scene, the YouTubers got louder and louder.

They’d gasp at the action, then burst out laughing during the behind-the-scenes clips.

“Okay, real talk—Mine is a damn good show. The story’s tight, the action’s next level. Especially the chase scenes. Best I’ve seen this year, hands down.”

Joseph turned his cap backward and gestured wildly with both hands.

“Look at this! The motorcycle stunt—this is insane!”

“Okay, this part’s definitely CGI. No way you could do that with a real bike.”

“JESUS. Did you see that?! She bounced like a damn pinball. That’s not CGI?! She’s alive, right??”

Viewers who watched Joseph’s video couldn’t resist commenting.

Those who hadn’t seen Mine were stunned.

Those who had?

Just spammed “LOL” over and over again.

– That scene’s actually in the show??

– Korean CGI tech is next-level;;;

– What do you mean “not CGI” lmao

– lmfao how many times did this guy scream “Jesus” during the making-of

– Honestly, fair

– Can Ju Seoyeon walk on water too??

– If she steps out with the other foot fast enough, sure

– lol wait is this real? She hits a guy holding a mat and he bounces off the wall and flies zigzag??

– You underestimate Ju Seoyeon’s strength. She once fished up a giant red sea bream.

– At this rate she could probably pull up a whale too

The reaction videos were all like that.

People even joked that uploading the making-ofs was a stroke of genius.

Min Ara couldn’t help nodding along as she scrolled through the videos and comments.

“So it’s the making-of clips that made it go viral overseas.”

That had to be why Mine became such a late-blooming hit abroad.

The reactions must’ve spread organically through word of mouth.

Of course, the only reason it could ride that wave was because the show itself was actually good.

Min Ara had rewatched Seoyeon’s acting multiple times.

And, of course, Jo Sehee’s too.

She didn’t think she could ever catch up to them.

But she still wanted to get at least halfway there.

“And the scene with the most reactions was...”

Min Ara scrolled through the video to find the most replayed moment.

That scene—

The one where the burning lab became the stage for a showdown between two girls.

Jin Yeonseo, and Shin Arin with a sword in her hand.

The flashiest action scene in the entire show.

“Oh, this scene. Yeah, I know this one. It’s the reason I decided to watch Mine in the first place.”

“I’m already dying to find out what part of this is CGI.”

“Wait, she’s Japanese? That’s the most surprising thing I’ve heard all day.”

The YouTubers’ voices echoed from the video.

And the comments followed.

– Wait, where did they even use CGI??

– Budget optimization, literal GOAT

– Watching this, I finally get why they cast Narumi Sora lol

– Her acting’s solid, but her physicality is just insane

– Why are these people actors? Put them in sports

– Athletes would just get injured

– A match with a guaranteed outcome isn’t a sport

– Okay... yeah, fair

Everyone who saw that scene said the same thing.

Hong Seha and Jin Yeonseo’s emotional drama had been impactful, sure—

But what truly stole people’s attention was the sheer spectacle of the action.

Min Ara had watched that scene so many times she could recite it, but even then, she hit the play button again.

It was, without a doubt, one of the biggest reasons Mine had surged in popularity.

Jin Yeonseo vs. Shin Arin.

The two strongest psychics in the entire show—clashing head-to-head.