I had been aware of it to some extent.
Seven Live 3rd Generation.
A character who was clearly supposed to occupy one of those spots was missing.
Seven Live's 3rd Generation consisted of streamers with a non-human concept.
They often adopted characters that would typically appear in fantasy settings.
And the missing character was Lamiel, with the setting of "a harpy princess who can't sing."
Actually, judging by appearance alone, she was a knockoff with a form closer to an angel than a harpy.
Honestly, I also thought she was an angel at first.
In particular, Lamiel was exceptionally popular among the 3rd Generation.
Her incredibly beautiful voice and excellent streaming sense.
She quickly rose to the position called a top-tier agency.
For reference, unlike her concept of not being able to sing, she could actually sing fairly normally.
As is typical with RP, she only kept to the basics, but she never said or did anything that contradicted her setting.
Her main content was communication streams.
She was good at listening to stories, and with particularly good wit, she was very popular.
"……"
"Joo Seo-yeon, what's wrong with you?"
I thought maybe, just maybe, there could be an exception, but the world was truly harsh.
How could this be.
'I've been trying hard to deny the possibility that it might be true.'
I looked at Lee Ji-yeon, staring at me blankly.
The first time I harbored doubts was when I attended a voice acting academy with Lee Ji-yeon.
It was fine when she used normal vocalization, but the problem was her voice for 'animation' dubbing.
It was a young voice, but one I had definitely heard before.
And with that voice, when she called out:
「Joo Seo-yeon?」
I just slumped right there.
……Perhaps, at that point, I might have already known but been denying it.
Why did it have to be Lee Ji-yeon of all people.
I couldn't understand how Lee Ji-yeon could be that angel-like Lamiel.
Where did the Lamiel who earnestly listened to my worries and comforted me go.
'Something, something's wrong.'
There's a common term called the red pill.
It refers to the shattering of illusions upon seeing a VTuber's real appearance.
Honestly, if you ask whether my illusions were shattered, that's not quite the case.
The Lee Ji-yeon before my eyes and the Lamiel I knew were completely different people in reality.
Separate from that, my oshi whom I thought I'd eventually get to see had suddenly graduated, so I was literally plunged into darkness.
'I wanted to see her properly this time.'
The emotion I held when watching VTubers in my past life was something 'unknown.'
Something I couldn't understand from those who genuinely accepted fantasy, not reality.
For someone like me who couldn't possess normal emotions, that was the only way I could express it.
When it was time, I watched in real-time.
But mostly, I could only watch Kirinuki (clips) and short highlight videos.
'So this time, I wanted to feel that unknown I couldn't grasp back then.'
I felt somewhat depressed.
Someone might say, why make a big deal over something like that, but to me, it was an extremely important matter.
In many ways.
「Joo Seo-yeon.」
"~~~!!"
At the sudden familiar whisper in my ear, I shuddered and slumped sideways.
It was a relief it was at least a bench; if it were a regular chair, I would have rolled off to the side.
I covered one ear that had just heard the whisper and spoke, showing rare panic.
"W-what are you doing?"
"You're the one who didn't answer even though I kept calling you."
Lee Ji-yeon crossed her arms and frowned with a snort.
As if she really didn't like my attitude.
"You've always been flustered when I use this voice, haven't you? Is it that weird?"
"……N-no."
A gaze that seemed to be testing whether my words were true.
Unlike before, she seemed to have noticed something, her eyes holding interest.
I slightly avoided Lee Ji-yeon's gaze and added.
"I don't, hate it."
It's true. I'm just purely startled, that's all.
Everything else has changed completely, but that voice is exactly the same.
'I still thought there might be a one-in-a-million chance of an identical voice existing.'
That also ended as of yesterday.
The Lamiel of this world has truly become an angel…….
A harpy, though.
"Hmm."
Looking me up and down, Lee Ji-yeon debated whether to clear her throat and use that voice again.
Then she nodded.
"Fine, but that's not what I'm curious about anyway."
"Curious about what?"
"The play audition. When exactly is that?"
Lee Ji-yeon had always been concerned about my return.
But since I, who had been staying quiet all this time, rarely showed a reaction, it was natural for her to be curious.
"Next Monday."
"……Huh?"
To Lee Ji-yeon, who asked as if she didn't understand.
"It's next Monday."
If the timing didn't work, I was planning to tell the teacher and move accordingly.
But fortunately, it seemed like there would be no need for that.
The audition was scheduled to start in the late evening, after all.
***
Jongno, Daehakro is home to various arts facilities including theater facilities.
Theatrical performances are actively held, and various theater troupes and clubs carry out vigorous theatrical activities in this area.
And here, the audition for the play I was aiming for was scheduled today.
I don't know how it was in the past, but these days, you can easily apply online.
Usually, theater actors are evaluated in two rounds: first and second.
The first round is a video of free acting. Along with a brief profile review, that's the norm.
'It would have been a huge disaster if I failed the first round.'
Showing my acting to others was something I hadn't done in a long time, so I was nervous.
Especially since this free acting had to be filmed alone without a scene partner.
"It should be around here…… ah!"
And the second round is an in-person audition.
The location was a practice room prepared in Daehakro.
Honestly, I don't know much about theater.
Unlike dramas or movies, it was something I hadn't experienced in my past life.
I only knew about this play because of a connected job later on.
'How many people usually come to a play audition?'
Even when I searched, such information wasn't readily available.
Especially since the role being auditioned for today was a villain.
Because of that, I vaguely thought there would be relatively fewer people, but that was just a baseless assumption.
Creak.
When I carefully opened the building door and entered.
I couldn't help but freeze.
'……This many?'
I knew it was a play with some investment in it.
So I heard the competition rate was quite high, but at a glance, it looked like there were over 50 people.
The building was packed with actresses, each wearing costumes interpreting the role in their own way.
'If there are this many second-round passers alone, there really must have been hundreds of applicants.'
I felt nervous inside.
Honestly, I didn't have much audition experience.
Two auditions from my child actor days were all.
But this was my first audition with so many people gathered.
'Plus, these are adult actors, or should I say aspiring actors.'
Some were holding scripts they'd received after passing the first round and warming up their voices.
Others were seen getting into character.
Since everyone was an actor, their appearances were also outstanding.
"A high schooler?"
Someone's voice muttering as they looked at me could be heard.
This role had no specific age limit.
However, considering the character's age range, there was a need to appear as an 'adult,' so I barely crossed that standard.
"It's real."
"She's a high schooler, right?"
Gazes filled with complex emotions flew and pierced me.
Doubt about a high schooler being here.
Wariness.
And curiosity.
Fortunately, those gazes didn't last long.
As if they couldn't afford to spend time caring about others right now.
'Right.'
I took out the script I had brought.
A script that was slightly worn from having been read multiple times.
It was the same for the others.
We were given the script a week ago. I couldn't prepare half-heartedly.
Usually, auditions often give scripts on the spot depending on the case.
The fact that they gave the script a full week in advance meant the judging standards were that much higher.
'……Alright.'
I took a deep breath.
Recalling the role I would play today, I got into character.
Method…… let's skip that.
It wasn't time to excessively consume my emotions yet.
'The role I'm playing today is Hong Jung-hee from "Close Your Eyes."'
"Close Your Eyes" itself is a lyrical and romantic play.
But Hong Jung-hee was a character far removed from romantic.
A sasaeng fan of the male lead, 'popular idol Bae Seong-hak.'
A social misfit, a woman harboring strong possessiveness toward Bae Seong-hak.
In the latter half, when Bae Seong-hak develops a special relationship with the female lead 'Song Min-seo'.
She targets and attacks Song Min-seo.
With a knife, no less.
'The screen time isn't much.'
But it was definitely a role that leaves a strong impact.
So that must be why additional role offers came after seeing this 'Hong Jung-hee' character.
'As expected, it's not a character suited for method acting.'
If I were to act this kind of character using method acting, I'd obviously be depressed for days.
I eventually closed the script and shut my eyes.
Breathing out slowly, I engraved the character in my mind.
Through the emotions written in the script, I imagine the character Hong Jung-hee.
I had memorized all the lines.
Checking the time, there was still some leeway before the audition started.
'Let's practice once.'
There were plenty of people around reciting their lines anyway.
So let me refresh the character Hong Jung-hee once more.
Thinking that, Seo-yeon slowly opened her closed eyes.
***
The actors and aspiring actors gathered at the audition venue frowned upon seeing the female student who entered late.
'A high schooler?'
'How did she pass the first round?'
Her outfit was a school uniform; at auditions, many people wear clothes that fit the role.
It was a good way to visually show how much they understood the character.
But a school uniform?
Hong Jung-hee's age wasn't properly specified.
Only a brief setting stating she was 'on leave from school' was written.
It wasn't clear whether she was a college student or a high schooler.
'Plus her appearance is……'
Long black hair.
Skin so white it contrasted sharply with it.
An appearance so beautiful that even actors accustomed to beautiful faces would inadvertently gasp.
Despite still being a high schooler, that face was that of a completed actor.
'But acting isn't done with a face.'
'No matter how pretty, in the end, the contest is decided by acting.'
Even while thinking that, the sight of the female high school student reading her script was like a painting.
The worn script.
It meant she had at least done the basics.
'But.'
'Something about her face seems familiar?'
Those watching the female student felt a strangely familiar sensation from her.
A feeling as if they'd seen her somewhere before.
Could she be an actor who had already appeared on TV?
If she was a former child actor, it wouldn't be strange for her to be here.
'But with an appearance like that, wouldn't she have made waves?'
High school was the age where one just bloomed from being a child actor and stood at the starting line of becoming an 'actor.'
With an appearance like this female student's, there was no way rumors wouldn't have spread in this small world.
Thud.
The female student reading her script suddenly closed it.
Was she done checking?
The moment such a thought crossed their minds.
The female student slowly opened her eyes.
"……!"
It wasn't that the atmosphere changed dramatically.
It was serene.
Expressionless, and calm.
It wasn't exactly a face in the midst of acting, but.
'She's acting, right?'
Actors commonly have what's called a base expression.
It's the face they use as a foundation when starting to act.
They layer emotions and expressions on top of that base face to perform.
And a veteran actor could convey emotion and acting with just that base expression alone.
'Don't tell me.'
Yes, just like right now.