I Want to Be a VTuber

[The Chaser] hits ten million.

And [Dream Future] achieves 20% viewership ratings.

With these two achievements occurring almost simultaneously, interest in Joo Seo-yeon, who appeared in both productions albeit in supporting roles, is growing steadily.

If she had been in a proper leading role, she would have attracted even more attention.

“No, this is actually a strange level of attention,” said Lee Joon-bin, head of the management division at XN Entertainment, one of the three major management companies.

At XN, they tended to manage both idols and actors together within the management division.

“Different characters, a murderer and a fresh-faced idol from the countryside.”

Lee Joon-bin sat in the conference room, looking at the other executives.

“I’ve heard that RY Entertainment has already made contact.”

“Considering they’re still with Nova Entertainment, it probably didn’t go well.”

Joon-bin had heard this conversation too. He seemed to be one of the first to make contact.

“Since it was their first contact, it’s clear they didn’t see her true value.”

“Hmm. But if we think carefully, she might actually be overly valued right now.”

“Whether she’s valued or not, there’s marketability. That’s a huge merit.”

Honestly, when she returned to variety shows, he didn’t think much of her.

He was slightly interested when she created a buzz in theater and considered her a decent actor in [Survival Without a Survival Guide].

“She’s young… or rather, quite young. More importantly, her looks are exceptional.”

“That’s true. In CFs, she definitely shines.”

“Éclat Étoile’s sales increased by over 10% from the previous quarter. This is a figure that dropped briefly and then rebounded.”

Among those visiting theaters to see [The Chaser], there were certainly some who came to see Joo Seo-yeon.

Of course, there weren’t many, but the fact that there were was crucial.

“An actress who makes the audience seek her out in her first film.”

This is separate from an actress’s acting skills. No matter how well someone acts or how many productions they appear in, an actress without ticket power is common.

However, the fact that Joo Seo-yeon created that audience with just one film was important.

The greatest strength an actress can have.

Ticket power.

What if she makes more dramas and films from here?

“The Nova Entertainment contract isn’t that long, right?”

“Yes, probably.”

“What’s the way to break that contract and bring her over here?”

“It’s not impossible if we push hard, but there are many eyes watching.”

“Hmm.”

The executives made various sounds of regret.

XN was the largest agency among the three major management companies.

Naturally, the government was watching them closely, and if they did something foolish, they risked being hit even harder.

“Still, let’s see if we can quietly work behind the scenes.”

“Quietly?”

“Oh, I heard Assistant Park is acquaintances with actress Hwang Min-hwa.”

“Hwang Min-hwa would have moved to Horizon Company by now, right?”

“Still, she spent a long time with Nova Entertainment, so wouldn’t we be able to make contact somehow?”

“…Hmm. That doesn’t sound bad.”

Would it really be that easy?

Joon-bin wondered, but after all, it was Hwang Min-hwa. A ten million actress. The real deal who gained the ten-million title by starring in leading roles.

“Given that she’s also from Nova Entertainment and a senior actress, there might be a way to approach her.”

Thus, the XN Entertainment management division concluded the meeting.

“Is there anyone who knows Joo Seo-yeon?”

“Nova Entertainment has a packed schedule already…”

“Packed schedule, my foot! They’re just testing the waters!!”

As other management companies and various advertising sectors watched closely, Seo-yeon was in a bit of a busy state.

“Hello, this is Kang Tae-jin, director of the cultural department at GH Group.”

GH Group. The 12th largest conglomerate in South Korea with a meeting scheduled.

*

The first contact Seo-yeon received was the day after hearing the news that [The Chaser] surpassed ten million.

Suddenly, she received a call from director Bae Jin-hwan via her manager Park Eun-ha.

Feeling curious about the reason, she answered the phone.

“I heard the director from GH Group wants to see Seo-yeon.”

“Yes?”

“They didn’t explain exactly why, but it should be good news.”

This was what Director Bae Jin-hwan said.

[The Chaser] was a film made with investment from GH Group from the start.

However, it seemed GH Group had been skeptical about [The Chaser]’s success.

They gave full rights to director Bae Jin-hwan and supported him in various ways, but [The Chaser] unexpectedly succeeded far beyond expectations.

“They initially expected a maximum of about 6 million.”

6 million.

A sufficiently large figure. There are very few films that surpass 6 million in a year.

Anyone should have heard of it at least once for it to reach 6 million.

“However, it hit ten million. Seo-yeon, you know that ten million is very special in the film industry, right?”

In the history of South Korea, there are very few ten million movies.

[THE CHASER] has made its place in what is akin to a hall of fame.

Considering the quality of the work, it could also be expected to perform well internationally.

“GH Group seems to believe that Seo-yeon played a significant role in the film’s success.”

Bae Jin-hwan was a well-known director.

The leading actors who played the two detectives were also famous names.

And Jung Si-hyun, who played Han Ye-hwa, was well-known as a great actress.

When weighing their ticket power and the marketability of the film, they predicted a figure of 6 million.

Yet [The Chaser] reached ten million.

Considering the remaining release period, it was conceivable to think it might double that number.

“Therefore, if the opportunity arises, I’ll arrange a meeting with GH Group.”

This time, the choice was handed to Seo-yeon regarding GH Group’s proposal.

To be honest, it was a big deal for the still-young Seo-yeon to decide by herself.

After discussing it with her mother, Min Suah,

“If Seo-yeon wants to do it, then go ahead, but if it’s too big of a deal, it might be better to decline.”

Seo-yeon nodded.

Certainly, it wouldn’t be good to be too greedy.

Then she asked her father, Joo Young-bin.

“Dad, I’m in the middle of a game.”

Seo-yeon shredded a piece of his game armor.

“It’s very important what Seo-yeon thinks. If you want to give it a shot, it’ll be a good experience.”

Hearing such advice, Seo-yeon pondered through the night.

Finally, she talked with Ji-yeon.

“GH Group?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s a big deal!”

Ji-yeon roughly understood Seo-yeon’s dilemma.

GH Group was certainly not an ordinary conglomerate.

As it turned out, Ji-yeon’s cable drama also had GH Group’s influence.

“If we end up getting a meeting, it’ll likely be hard to decline any offer.”

“I think so too.”

“But I still think it’s best to do it.”

She didn’t know what the offer would be.

At least she was sure it couldn’t be bad.

“And I think it won’t be as huge as expected.”

“Really?”

“Don’t you think you’re asking just to confirm that you know?”

Seo-yeon weakly nodded.

The proposal from GH Group might not be as massive as she feared.

Since they were at the point of arranging a meeting, it would likely be a situation where declining GH Group’s proposal would become difficult.

While excessively large matters could be a problem, it also meant that even trivial matters might be impossible to reject.

“Even though I could be called a ten million actress…”

Everyone called Seo-yeon a ten million actress.

And [Dream Future] also achieved good results.

However, there was only one downside in the eyes of big companies.

In both cases, she wasn’t actually in the leading role.

Significant roles.

She brought impact, but ultimately, she was not the lead.

At least in [The Chaser], she had a leading role as an antagonist, but she was still an antagonist.

Companies judged everything by numbers, and they pay far more attention to whether someone is a lead or a supporting role than expected.

Just because there’s a lot of responses in the community doesn’t directly translate to numbers.

From a data perspective, leads have a bigger influence than supporting roles, so even if Seo-yeon gets a lot of mentions in the community, it still raises suspicion.

If anything, the financial results of Éclat Étoile might provide more significant influence.

“Hmph, that’s nice. I want to meet with GH Group too.”

Ji-yeon said this while poking Seo-yeon with her elbow.

Being greedy like this, it was only natural she would be envious of such a proposal.

“Well, it’s not surprising coming from her.”

Seo-yeon felt a bit proud.

Wishing for her success, she’d even given a bit of promotion on shows.

“I’ll have to work hard too.”

Anyway, Ji-yeon was a very significant presence to Seo-yeon, and vice versa.

Since childhood, they’d always been there for each other.

“By the way, Lee Ji-yeon.”

“What?”

Seo-yeon hesitated slightly before speaking.

“Later, Joo Seo-hee might want to meet. Of course, with me.”

“Isn’t she your friend?”

“She’s not a friend.”

Seo-yeon had been rather friendly with Joo Seo-hee, but Ji-yeon had several reasons for disliking her.

“She called herself a parachute when she was young.”

Seo-yeon seemed indifferent, but Ji-yeon didn’t forget.

Seo-yeon was quite chatty about the audition incidents from kindergarten.

Lee Ji-yeon had a bothersome personality, was persistent, and never forgot an affront.

Yet.

“Fine.”

It’d be nice to formally talk one time.

After all, she’s the most successful actress among their peers.

*

“First of all, congratulations on [The Chaser]‘s ten million achievement.”

Kang Tae-jin, the director of the cultural department, smiled at Seo-yeon.

While his mouth was smiling, his eyes were not.

“How uncomfortable.”

Dealing with such figures was often tedious.

Having already met several times in her previous life made it worse.

‘A discerning eye for products.’

Back then, funnily enough, Seo-yeon didn’t really feel emotions, so she didn’t think much of it, making it easier to deal with them.

Having observed other people’s emotions for a long time, she could understand what they desired almost instantly.

“I also found [The Chaser] entertaining. First of all, your emotions as the antagonist Cha Seo-ah felt very distinct. It was much different from what I initially understood from director Bae Jin-hwan. It felt like a personal interpretation by the actress. Also, the action scenes were absolutely fantastic. I heard you learned them at Cheonghong Action School? Professor Kim Hong-baek told me you showed tremendous talent in action acting. I’ve heard many people in GH were surprised that you handled all the stunt actions.”

“…”

“And I’m currently enjoying watching [Dream Future] as well. Initially, I didn’t find it very appealing for my daughter to watch, and I remember it received harsh reviews on the internet. However, I saw the strong performance by Joo Ha-rin in the first episode received widespread acclaim. I believe if I had watched it live back then, I would’ve felt even more moved. I heard there was some minor friction with the drama’s writer afterward. That sometimes happens. It’s often best not to be too concerned about it. Since episode 7, the importance of roles has grown again, and the viewership rating surpassed 20%. It’s a well-deserved drama. I’m also enjoying it greatly.”

“Director.”

At that moment, a figure who seemed to be an aide drew their attention. Director Kang Tae-jin nodded.

“I’ve really enjoyed them.”

“Thank… you.”

As Seo-yeon looked at Director Kang, who was flashing his smile, she pondered briefly.

His eyes still weren’t smiling.

“What’s going on?”

Could he have memorized compliments or something?

He was an incomprehensible person.

“The director said he found the films and dramas you’ve been in to be extremely enjoyable.”

The aide emphasized once more, suggesting sincerity behind the compliment.

That made Seo-yeon genuinely curious.

“Could it be that he has some issues expressing emotions?”

Just like her past self.

The impression of Director Kang Tae-jin was extremely intense.

“Back to business, there are a few proposals I’d like to present.”

“Proposals?”

Several, even?

Seo-yeon’s expectations leaned towards the ‘excessive’ side in her mind.

“It’s for an action movie.”

An action movie.

“Additionally, we are planning a large audition event. It’s for a variety show.”

With that, he flashed another smile.

His snake-like sharp eyes gleamed.

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