I Want to Be a VTuber

The gym at six in the morning.

Before work, a time primarily used by office workers for their morning exercise.

At the gym, there was a man visiting for the first time today.

His name was Jung Hyun-woo.

A twenty-five-year-old rookie actor.

“Morning workouts are definitely the way to go.”

He had barely just landed a supporting role in a cable drama, but he always lived with the thought that someone might recognize him.

That was Jung Hyun-woo.

Anyway, for an actor, taking care of your body is essential.

Having a ‘muscular physique’ has become almost a basic requirement for male actors.

“Wow~, the gym equipment here is really clean.”

Though it looked like it had been around for a while, it was very well maintained.

He had chosen this gym since it was close to his home, but it was much cleaner than he expected, and he liked it.

“Hmm?”

While he was looking around, something caught his eye.

It was a woman with long black hair tied up high.

Or should he say a girl?

She looked to be in her late teens.

“Wow.”

The man was surprised by the girl twice.

Once because of her jaw-dropping beauty.

And once more at the weight of the barbell and plates in front of her.

“Wait, what the heck.”

A beautiful face with elegant features and a calm expression, paired with a slender and delicate frame.

Jung Hyun-woo was also an actor after all.

He’d met his fair share of beautiful actors and idols while shooting the cable drama.

Yet this girl had a beauty that could easily overshadow them.

That’s why the barbell in front of her stood out even more.

There was no way such a girl could lift such weight.

“Roughly 200 kg?”

On the internet, one could brag a bit, saying, “I can deadlift 200 kg!” but that’s no lightweight.

Even those who are experienced in training find 200 kg daunting.

Only those who have made weightlifting a regular part of their lives could even think of attempting a 200 kg deadlift.

“Couldn’t be…”

The man tried to walk past.

He didn’t think the weights at her feet belonged to her.

However, as soon as the girl grabbed the barbell, he reflexively moved.

He wanted to tell her to stop for safety reasons.

“Did you come here for the first time today?”

But his intention was thwarted as someone grabbed his shoulder.

“Huh?”

“I thought you were trying to stop her out of surprise.”

At first, Jung Hyun-woo wondered if someone recognized him,

but he felt intimidated by the man’s stature.

He was easily over 190 cm, a massive guy with a muscular build.

“Uh, well, shouldn’t I stop her?”

“Hmm, that’s true. Usually, you would. I felt the same.”

The man nodded and gestured toward the girl.

Then the girl, holding the barbell, slowly exhaled as she began her deadlift.

“……!”

In a moment where she seemed to put in a bit of effort, whoosh.

Clang.

And then she smoothly placed the barbell back down.

Normally, when letting it down like that, people would just drop it to avoid injury.

But the girl gently placed the barbell down.

“Her strength is unbelievable.”

“……What? How…?”

“I have no idea how. She’s just like that.”

The man had been watching since Seo-yeon first arrived at the gym.

He was Bang Yong-sik, the trainer at the gym, observing the girl’s workout.

He frowned at Jung Hyun-woo, who continued to stare at Seo-yeon in silence.

“But aren’t you staring a bit too much?”

“Huh? Oh, no! It’s not like I have any strange intentions!”

It was true he was surprised when he first saw her deadlifting.

It was natural to be awed by her beauty.

But the reason Jung Hyun-woo kept looking at the girl was something different.

“Um, it feels like I’ve seen her somewhere before…”

He muttered, looking at the girl again.

Long black hair, a strangely sharp appearance.

She was certainly someone he had never seen before, yet he felt an odd sense of familiarity.

“Where have I seen her before?”

“Oh, that’s possible. I’ve heard she used to be a child actress.”

“A child actress?”

The mention of it thrilled him.

He considered himself a rookie too, but he was still an actor.

“Being that pretty, she definitely fits the role of an actress.”

If that were the case, helping her a bit might be a good idea.

It would be a joy to have such a girl as a junior.

He decided to come to the gym every day from now on.

Jung Hyun-woo chuckled at the thought.

*

“Phew, phew.”

Seo-yeon runs.

The distance from the gym to high school is a whopping 3 km.

Without taking the bus, it’s quite a distance, but Seo-yeon runs this route every day.

She could finish it within ten minutes anyway.

Ding, ding!

“Welcome.”

With the sound of the bell, she entered the convenience store.

The cashier froze upon seeing the girl come inside.

“Oh, she’s here again!”

Every day at this hour, the high school girl would show up.

With her long black hair and slightly light brown eyes,

it was initially hard for him to meet her gaze.

There was something oddly intimidating about her beauty.

But after seeing her every day, one could adapt to it.

To some degree.

“That’ll be 3,000 won.”

Two vitamin drinks.

Not your typical high school girl’s choice.

As he bagged the drinks, he felt her gaze fixed upon him.

“What, is something wrong?”

Startled, he bit his tongue while responding.

The girl, with her usual blank face, spoke.

“No, I just feel like I’ve grown accustomed to this.”

“Y-yeah?”

As he blinked in confusion, she smirked.

“~Just kidding.”

With her normally expressionless face suddenly breaking into a bright smile, the cashier was momentarily frozen.

It was a smile that brought to mind flowers.

Ding, ding.

As the sound rang out, the cashier found himself slumping into his chair.

Not by intention; his legs had just given way.

“Whoa… That’s crazy…”

Today was another day realizing that a face can be a weapon.

*

In the realm of TS stories, visiting a convenience store is an essential cliché.

…Well, I guess not many would drop in as often as I do.

The cashier had seen the girl working here regularly at this hour and always showed surprise.

Today he played a little prank on her,

but “she did look quite burdened.”

Maybe I should avoid this place for a bit.

He reflected and found himself feeling a bit bashful.

“Joo Seo-yeon.”

Lost in thought, someone called out to him near the school gate.

The one who called him was Lee Ji-yeon,

who had been in the same kindergarten, elementary school, and middle school.

And now they had both ended up in the same high school.

She hadn’t changed a bit in over ten years.

“You did something weird at the convenience store again, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t!”

“Sure you didn’t. I was watching you.”

What did she mean she was watching?

If she saw, why didn’t she just speak up earlier instead of waiting here?

“Come on, stop it. You love being praised by others, yet you pretend you don’t.”

“That’s not true.”

I awkwardly defended myself and avoided eye contact.

Lee Ji-yeon clicked her tongue, clearly unconvinced.

She was now reacting in ways my mom used to.

“Our Seo-yeon loves getting compliments from others, huh?”

My mom had said something similar long ago, and it seemed this trait didn’t change over time.

There’s nothing I could do about it.

In my previous life, I didn’t know what it was like to feel “this feeling.”

The thrill of happiness or the satisfaction of being praised by others.

I was very, extremely weak against that sensation.

On the contrary, negative emotions like sorrow or despair

did affect me a lot, but I could endure them with my strong mind.

In simple terms, I’m weak against pleasure but strong against pain.

That’s Joo Seo-yeon at the age of seventeen.

“…Then it’s time to make your comeback, right? Your adolescence is over.”

“I will.”

I said that while subconsciously reaching for my glasses in my bag… then put them back.

I hadn’t worn them much since starting high school, but habits die hard.

Those glasses were something I wore to obscure my impression.

“My middle school days were eventful…”

Even though I tried to hide being a child actress from “The Moon That Hid the Sun,” many still recognized me.

If I had been a regular kid, and if Ji-yeon hadn’t been around,

my school life would have been pretty tough, I think.

“…Oh, you don’t wear them anymore.”

“Yeah, hardly anyone recognizes me now.”

Well, there was practically no one who did.

It’s been ten years now.

My appearance has significantly changed from when I was a child.

I grew prettier and more beautiful.

When stepping into the school, I could feel the eyes on me.

This wasn’t solely due to my looks.

The effect of being next to Lee Ji-yeon, who recently appeared in a drama, was also at play.

Though it was a cable drama, they had been producing provocative material lately, which had led to rising ratings.

“Phew.”

Noticing the gazes, Ji-yeon smiled smugly.

Her boastful demeanor didn’t sit well with me.

In many ways.

“If she keeps this up, she’s definitely going to continue acting.”

That was good,

but it left me feeling quite troubled.

Yet, there was nothing I could do about it.

Troubled indeed…

“Joo Seo-yeon.”

Seeing how I felt, Ji-yeon patted my shoulder.

“If it bothers you, just make a comeback.”

“…I will.”

After entering high school,

I thought it was time to consider active participation.

Public broadcasting, OTT,

and all sorts of internet platforms were becoming popular now.

Oh, and Vtubers too.

My strong desire to become a Vtuber hadn’t waned.

“Just what should I do, though?”

That was the dilemma.

For a comeback project.

A multitude of ideas raced through my mind.

“Looking broadly, there are probably just two…”

Well, even if another opportunity arose,

it would be difficult to even audition for roles.

It wasn’t the same as when I was a child actress.

Now I’d be facing off against adult actors.

To land a role, I’d need to have a suitable career as well.

Being a child actor in “The Moon That Hid the Sun” was a good credential,

but the gap is too long.

In fact, this title might serve better after returning.

“Two?”

“Yeah, but first, I have to audition.”

After ten years of a long hiatus as a child actress,

there aren’t many roles I can audition for.

First, I must show something, to create a ladder for climbing higher.

“Why not just ask the head of KMB’s drama department?”

“No, that’s a bit…”

I didn’t want to create any unnecessary controversy.

These days, you can get in trouble easily over trivial matters. It’s clear that if I did something like that, I’d seriously get on the nerves of senior actors.

“Well, okay.”

Ji-yeon nodded at my words.

“So, what are those two you mentioned?”

“Oh, that’s…”

I was just about to answer Ji-yeon’s question when…

Ding, ding, ding!

The bell signaling the start of first period rang out.

Students walking around hurried their steps.

“Ah, I’ll tell you after school today.”

“What?”

Ji-yeon rushed to grab at my sleeve as I moved swiftly.

Since I was already late once before, being late again would surely lead to her nagging.

“Hey, Joo Seo-yeon!!!”

Ignoring Ji-yeon’s loud call, I dashed into the classroom.

Opening the back door, I waved lightly at Ji-yeon.

So, she shouldn’t have said anything to me about the convenience store!

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