I Want to Be a VTuber Chapter 191(192/718)

For Narumi Sora, it was like a bolt from the blue.

Originally unaffiliated.

However, after , Sora had managed to find a proper agency, and her current life was good. 'Lime Actors,' the agency Sora belonged to, was considered a second-tier management company that focused more on the acting side.

Therefore, there were many different actors, and many things to learn.

"Sora-ssi, your pronunciation is great. Honestly, before you said your name, I couldn't tell you were Japanese."

"I-is that so?"

Sora had originally been good at Korean.

She had studied hard even when she was in Japan, and came to Korea right after graduating high school.

Now at nineteen, she prided herself on having lived quite diligently.

'Actually, most of them would probably do well.'

There were not many Japanese actors active in Korea.

There had been one in the past, but she remembered they didn't stay active for long.

Japanese people active in Korea were mostly idols.

So thinking their pronunciation was clumsy was understandable.

'Most of them just set that as their concept, after all.'

Everywhere, there is an image the public desires.

It was the same for Japanese idols; a foreign idol who spoke with a slightly clumsy pronunciation felt cuter.

Or it could seem admirable.

If they spoke too fluently, ironically, it could sometimes be a minus.

Not in terms of public perception, but because it meant throwing away an easily marketable image.

'But that's a story for when you're an idol.'

For actors, it was different.

For an actor whose dialogue delivery was important, clumsy pronunciation would definitely be a problem.

They wouldn't be able to appear in any movie or drama.

"At this rate, it seems like you should keep an eye out for other works besides . I'll let the CEO know."

"T-thank you!"

At the senior actor's words, Sora bowed her head.

'A work, a work.'

Sora smiled softly.

At least when it came to acting, depending on the agency, actors in Korea made significantly more money than in Japan.

On average, almost four times as much.

Therefore, it was natural for Sora's mood to improve.

She would also be playing a lead role in , so there would be no shortage in terms of recognition.

'No, no.'

It's not like anything proper has happened yet.

Let's do everything diligently; first, had to succeed for something to truly begin for Sora.

That much, was extremely important to Sora.

A movie that must unconditionally succeed.

With that kind of mindset, she was ready to do anything.

However.

"...J-Japan? Me?"

"Yes."

The voice on the phone belonged to someone Sora could never forget.

Joo Seo-yeon.

The actress she had faced off against at the very end of .

Her physical abilities were also astonishing, but from her acting skills alone, she was a girl on a completely different level than herself.

Although younger than her, as an actress, she was a far senior.

Even considering her own experience doing theater in Japan, the difference was vast.

After ended, they had even exchanged numbers, and since then, they occasionally kept in touch.

"If it's actress Joo Seo-yeon, you should definitely get close to her."

"Really?"

"She's an actress who will definitely grow even more. In the first place, there aren't many actresses who have shown this kind of presence in just one year. Regardless of age, this past year has been the year of the actress named Joo Seo-yeon."

How many actors could make the year of their debut their own?

Joo Seo-yeon was an actress who had done just that.

Naturally, not only the agency's CEO, but even the senior actors around her told her to get along well with Seo-yeon.

No matter what one does, connections are important, and if Joo Seo-yeon were to become a top actress, she could bring many opportunities their way.

"T-that, Japan is...."

Narumi Sora agonized over it.

Seo-yeon's offer was definitely appreciated.

Hearing about it, it seemed she had been offered to appear on a Japanese variety show.

It seemed she thought it would look good if Sora, being Japanese, appeared together with her.

It was definitely a good offer, but Sora couldn't bring herself to want to appear on a Japanese variety show!

'Then there will definitely be people who recognize my face!'

Sora had never appeared in a proper work in Japan.

At best, small theater plays.

But, if asked if there had been no chances to leap upward, that wasn't exactly true either.

"The acting environment in Japan doesn't suit me. It's too much like playing house."

A period of storm and stress.

A time when she had made up her mind to leave for overseas, whether it was Korea or China.

Sora during her high school days was overflowing with ambition.

Anyway, Sora also had quite a pretty appearance, so she had received offers from here and there, but.

By then, she had long been disappointed in Japan, which didn't acknowledge her 'action acting'.

And in fact, what they wanted was the pretty actress Sora, not an action actress.

So she had spoken like that and refused, but.

'Ugh, someone will definitely talk about it on the internet.'

Her past self who had gone around blabbering such things to industry officials.

Sora couldn't dare to think of returning to Japan.

"You don't want to?"

Seo-yeon's voice came calmly.

Just three words.

At the quiet voice, Sora swallowed dryly.

"O-of course. Haha..."

And so, Sora's trip to Japan was decided.

By Seo-yeon's one-sided notice without any particular persuasion.

***

'With this, there shouldn't be any problem with communication.'

The most important thing when going overseas was whether there was someone who could speak the language of that country.

Depending on whether this existed or not, the quality of the trip could change significantly.

Of course, if they asked the broadcasting station or agency, they would readily provide a guide.

No, in the first place, the Japanese broadcasting station would probably attach an interpreter.

However, honestly, Seo-yeon felt uncomfortable.

'I have to go to Akihabara.'

She couldn't drag an interpreter to Akihabara.

How would they look at Seo-yeon sweeping up various merchandise there?

'No, in the first place, it's a nuisance.'

Setting aside how they would look at it, dragging an interpreter or guide around on a personal trip was a problem.

It would be better to hang out with a close friend! Or a peer actress.

In that sense, Narumi Sora was a truly suitable candidate.

She spoke Japanese well, too.

Besides, with the filming of ahead, she needed to build up their friendship in advance.

She needed to make one more actor friend.

Seo-yeon thought so.

With Narumi Sora, they were still at the stage of occasionally keeping in touch through messengers or calls.

But personally, Seo-yeon wanted to get closer.

Because she thought it would be pretty good as a workout buddy, too.

" is over now, and there's still some time before the filming of , right? Take it easy and go have fun."

Manager Park Eun-ha said so.

Thanks to Seo-yeon faithfully attending school, her attendance days were plentiful.

To the point where there wouldn't be any major problem even if she took about two weeks off to rest.

, which had been renewing its peak ratings every day, had its finale yesterday.

It ended recording a truly record-breaking viewership rating of a whopping 34 percent.

also rebounded to 15 percent at the end, showing its potential, but comparing it to the 34 percent of was laughable.

It was practically the level of encountering a natural disaster.

"It's better to just stay in Japan for a while."

Jo Seo-hee, holding a bunch of shopping bags next to her, said so.

Today, Seo-yeon and Ji-yeon.

And Jo Seo-hee, the three of them had come out shopping.

They had come out shopping together as they had promised before.

"It's complete chaos right now. It's too hectic. Honestly, if you were in a rush, it'd be better to capitalize on a time like this, but... that's not the case for you, is it?"

Commercials had already been coming in frequently since before.

But now, almost every brand whose name she had heard of had sent an offer.

The impact of a drama with a 34 percent viewership rating was truly terrifying.

Among them, two brands benefited the most.

[ADs sales renewing new records day after day, effect]

[Joo Seo-yeon chair stock all sold out! Securing volume urgently!!]

The chair that Lee Yoo-ju had used in the drama was practically sold out everywhere.

So customers looking for other chairs had also increased significantly.

For ADs, whose brand value had been declining for a while, it was truly a lifeline.

No, it had shot up into the sky on a rocket.

It was to the point where the CEO personally contacted Seo-yeon.

"Oh my, Actress Joo Seo-yeon. Please continue to do well with our ads in the future. Ah, right, if you need anything, that... even Raywill Games' chairs..."

Through , it had become known that Seo-yeon's father, Young-bin, was a team leader at Raywill Games.

Thanks to that, all the old chairs at Raywill Games were replaced with ADs chairs.

Naturally, it was a matter of course that Young-bin's shoulders squared up with pride.

After ADs, the second brand that benefited like that was undoubtedly 'Eclat Etoile'.

This one went without saying.

Because they had quickly increased the number of commercial broadcasts at the point when started, and actively promoted by putting forward Seo-yeon, their own model.

However.

"Ah, my skin? Thanks to the cosmetics, there's no way it would get rough."

"When I fell into the valley? Of course I was safe. Yes? Why was I safe? ...Maybe because of the cosmetics?"

At first, she thought it was just simple lip service.

But later on, there was a strong feeling that it was being consumed as an excuse.

Setting aside the former, what about the latter.

There was no way she'd be perfectly fine after falling into a valley just because of cosmetics.

That was what Baek Min-chan, a director at Eclat Etoile, thought, but he couldn't bring himself to say that to Seo-yeon.

However, the fact that complaints kept coming in was a bit of a problem.

'...Later, is there no way to reinforce it somehow?'

Of course, such a thing couldn't be possible with cosmetics.

If that were possible, it would be used for the military, not as cosmetics.

Anyway, as those two companies screamed with joy, other advertisers couldn't just sit still.

"An actor's image is a one-season business anyway, right?"

"Will a hit work like this come out again?"

There were those types, but an actor could earn a lifetime's worth of money in that one season.

From a company's standpoint, nothing would be better if they could slip into that one season.

So before it was too late, they were desperately struggling to make a connection with Seo-yeon somehow.

However, Seo-yeon's reaction itself was a bit lukewarm.

"You're appearing a lot on TV and in movies already. If you do commercials on top of that, your image will be overexposed."

Jo Seo-hee advised so.

Her image was already considerably overexposed.

In the end, if people kept seeing the same face, they would inevitably get tired of it.

This past year was fine as it coincided with making her face known, but she couldn't keep acting like this.

"To... to be honest, I want to go together too."

Jo Seo-hee said so and glanced at Seo-yeon.

At those words, Seo-yeon tried clothes against her body without showing any particular reaction.

A sign that she didn't dislike it.

"Then, if it's okay, wanna go together next time? Actually, there's someone my father is close with in Japan, and they run a hotel."

"Huh? Really?"

Seo-yeon was surprised at Jo Seo-hee's words.

Since Mirinae Land, Jo Seo-hee had become comfortable talking about such things to Seo-yeon without hesitation.

Probably because Seo-yeon didn't show any particular reaction to such financial aspects.

More than anything, Jo Seo-hee herself wasn't very welcoming of her parents' halo.

"Yeah yeah, then Okinawa or Hokkaido, places like that are good."

"...Aha, Okinawa, Hokkaido. Hmmm."

But when the travel destination was mentioned, Seo-yeon's reaction instantly cooled down.

Naturally, Jo Seo-hee was flustered.

Aren't Okinawa and Hokkaido representative tourist destinations in Japan?

Accommodation costs there were extremely expensive.

'Ah, is she wanting a ryokan instead of a hotel?'

Thinking like that, she tried asking, but again, it was a lukewarm response.

Uh, why?

Lee Ji-yeon, who saw Jo Seo-hee showing such a reaction, clicked her tongue briefly.

'She just has no interest if it's not Tokyo or Osaka.'

To put it bluntly, because there were no places like Akihabara or Den Den Town there.

Seo-yeon's thoughts were really easy to understand.

She puts in full effort for what she likes, but doesn't take much interest in anything else.

To put it bluntly, she didn't really like calm, 'healing' trips.

Seo-yeon liked doing things that were lively and fun.

If they wanted to entice her, it would have been better to coax her toward Disneyland or Universal Studios.

Thinking like that.

Lee Ji-yeon chose Seo-yeon's clothes.

Anyway, today's shopping was quite enjoyable.

Actually, today was just a preview; the proper shopping together would probably be next time.

'Today is practically Joo Seo-yeon preparing for her Japan trip.'

They had come to buy clothes to wear there or necessary items.

'First of all, that girl probably won't pack cosmetics or clothes properly.'

Even if she went together, she'd probably go with Manager Park Eun-ha or that Narumi Sora girl.

Or maybe that manager too? About four? Five?

Seo-yeon herself didn't like going in a crowd, so she knew she would go with the minimum number of people.

'I just hope she doesn't cause any accidents.'

Honestly, Ji-yeon was worried.

Seo-yeon, who was having various conversations with Jo Seo-hee, looked the same as usual, but she looked strangely excited.

And she knew that her attitude toward Jo Seo-hee had also become much gentler.

She only didn't use informal speech, but she definitely looked closer.

Ji-yeon didn't have any particular thoughts about it, but she couldn't deny feeling a little bit sour about it.

Joo Seo-yeon, whose only friend had been herself.

But now she could see her making friends with Jo Seo-hee and others.

That point made her a bit annoyed, but also a bit happy.

She had such a strange feeling.

***

YHJ broadcasting station was having a conversation about the actress who was recently coming from Korea.

They had already told the other party which variety show she would appear on, but that alone felt a bit bland.

"How about a hidden camera after all?"

"Ah, good, good."

Basically, for celebrities visiting Japan for the first time, there was nothing better than this.

But the problem was that setting the concept was important.

"Horror, how about it?"

At that time, Amaya Hiroki PD, who had been quiet, opened his mouth.

"Horror?"

"Ah, come to think of it, that's actually what was mentioned. I asked if she had ever watched a Japanese horror movie."

The one who answered Hiroki PD was Nanzo Katsuo PD, who had met Seo-yeon in Korea.

Speaking of Japan, it was also a place famous for horror movies.

Since she was an actress, when asked about it, Seo-yeon shook her head.

She said she hadn't really seen horror movies.

But her response was quite something.

"I have never felt fear in reality."

So even if I watch a horror movie, I don't think I'd feel it.

Seo-yeon answered like that.

"Wow, then I want to do it even more."

"Still, we should inform the manager, right?"

"That seems good. Let's discuss it first and proceed."

Since she was a foreign actress anyway, it was hard to prepare a hidden camera arbitrarily.

Honestly, they weren't familiar with the actress named Joo Seo-yeon.

From their standpoint, it just felt like she was a Korean actress that Nanzo Katsuo PD liked.

Still, the Japanese release of was also scheduled.

Since she was also popular in Japan with , the assessment was that it wouldn't be bad.

Because it was rare for Korean actors to visit Japan recently.

"But definitely if she has no reaction, it'll be a bit awkward. Seeing her, she's quite the cool type."

"Right? So we should prepare harder. Fortunately, the place seems just right, too."

While YHJ was having such a conversation and was in the middle of preparing for the broadcast.

'I'm looking forward to the Japan trip.'

Seo-yeon was heading to the airport carrying a bunch of bags.