I Want to Be a VTuber

...Huh? Why did Hoyeon go under?

News that something big had happened to Hoyeon spread faster than expected.

Well, that sort of thing always made the rounds in the industry in no time.

Things seemed better than before, though...

Cha Nahi, who was originally going to leave Hoyeon, had even decided to stay.

So how did this happen, all of a sudden?

“They actually were doing well, so they overextended with all sorts of projects and tripped over their own feet.”

The one who answered Seoyeon’s question was — unexpectedly — Jo Sehee.

Like Seoyeon, Sehee had taken a step back after Mine became a massive hit, just doing the minimum in ads and staying low-profile.

They couldn’t afford for even a minor issue to tarnish the project.

Besides, it was the start of the semester — Sehee also needed time to connect with her new classmates.

“Really?”

“Mhm. I’m sure of it. I’ve got some people I know at Hoyeon Studio, and that’s what I heard from them.”

Seoyeon nodded slightly and looked at Sehee.

For the record, Sehee was waiting for Seoyeon and Lee Jiyeon at the school gate — something that hadn’t happened in a long while.

Naturally, Seoyeon found it a bit strange.

“Shouldn’t you be focusing on getting to know your new classmates right now?”

She had assumed Sehee would be busy bonding with her homeroom.

She definitely hadn’t expected her to show up this soon.

But Sehee tilted her head, as if confused by the comment.

“Huh? I’m already close with everyone.”

“...What.”

“It’s been weeks since the semester started. I’m not some weirdo who still can’t talk to people, you know.”

“...Right.”

Sehee giggled smugly, and Seoyeon narrowed her eyes.

“I see.”

“Yeah—wait, huh? Why are you being all formal all of a sudden?”

“Am I? Must be your imagination.”

“No way. I know when someone’s messing with me!”

Seoyeon gave Sehee a sidelong look as she tugged on her sleeve.

It wasn’t like she’d had a proper conversation with anyone other than the people she already knew.

Some people just didn’t understand what that felt like.

She’s sulking.

Of course, Lee Jiyeon, who had been quietly observing them, more or less understood what Seoyeon was thinking.

Still, she couldn’t shake the strange feeling — those two had definitely gotten closer lately.

Something must’ve happened during Mine’s filming...

“By the way, Sehee. You look kind of tired. Something up?”

Jiyeon finally spoke, watching the two interact.

Sehee, who had just been nagging her to drop the formal speech, scrunched her nose at the comment.

“Not really. Just haven’t been sleeping well lately.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhm. Probably because Mine got so huge — that might be part of it.”

She couldn’t think of any other reason.

She didn’t remember much, but her dreams had felt strangely chaotic.

“Even someone like you has sleepless nights, huh.”

“Pfft, I’m human too, you know? Why wouldn’t I lose sleep sometimes?”

Sehee chuckled and shrugged.

She could feel that the tension in Seoyeon’s gaze had eased a little.

“More importantly, aren’t you going on the school trip? Jiyeon said you’re going far, right?”

“Looks like it’ll be overseas. But it might overlap with Biol.”

“Did you tell him?”

There was only one person “him” could mean.

A man probably stuck in a nonstop whirlwind of ad shoots right now.

Park Jungwoo.

“No, I was planning to let him know once the location was finalized.”

“Hmmm. That makes sense, I guess.”

If the schedule ended up clashing, Seoyeon would just skip the school trip.

It would absolutely destroy her soul, but work was work.

Any ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) other actor or model would kill to attend Biol’s Ready-to-Wear.

“...If you go to the Biol show, are you doing that again?”

“That?”

“You know. That whole... elegant, lady-of-the-house thing.”

Even Jiyeon looked up, curious now.

For both of them, seeing Seoyeon like that had been shocking.

“Why? It doesn’t suit me?”

“It’s not that. It’s just—please stop using formal speech already.”

When Sehee whined and tugged at her sleeve, Seoyeon dropped the act and relaxed her gaze.

She was just pretending to sulk a little. No need to drag it out.

Besides, she had no one to blame but herself for lacking communication skills.

“I probably will. That’s the image Biol wants.”

As an actress, portraying that kind of image wasn’t particularly hard for her.

“...I see.”

Sehee nodded, looking like she was genuinely looking forward to it.

Jiyeon, on the other hand, shuddered as if she couldn’t stand that version of Seoyeon.

But not Sehee.

Gotta watch it live when it airs.

She even considered flying to Paris herself.

But no — that would be overdoing it. She managed to hold back.

****

Seoyeon had quietly expected the school trip to be either Japan or China.

Europe just felt like too much.

But, contrary to her expectations—

“The school trip destination has been decided — by a narrow margin, it’ll be France. Make sure to inform your parents.”

It was France.

A totally unexpected result.

It seemed like France had won out because the school was covering a large portion of the cost.

Japan would’ve been free. How did France win this...?

Japan was easy and accessible.

But France was the kind of place you had to make plans to go to — that might’ve tipped the scales.

For Seoyeon, it was a deeply complicated situation.

The school trip was in France, and the return flight was scheduled for the day before Biol’s Ready-to-Wear event.

So... do I just leave the trip early?

Honestly, that would work out best for her.

She could go on the trip and attend the Biol show — no real conflict.

But she had to get permission from school first.

When she brought it up to her homeroom teacher, Chae Younghee—

“What?! It overlaps with Biol? Wait, hold on. Let me bring this up in the staff meeting and get back to you.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t worry! I’ll make sure you can attend the event. By the way, can regular people watch the Biol show?”

“As far as I know, there’s a designated viewing area. But you can’t go into the actual venue.”

In truth, Seoyeon wasn’t walking the runway or anything.

She was just attending in her capacity as ambassador — adding some star power.

Maybe she’d do an interview or something.

“...Really?”

When she mentioned that the public could still observe, Teacher Chae’s eyes gleamed.

Like she’d just gotten a great idea.

And just like that, Seoyeon got official permission to attend Biol’s Ready-to-Wear without issue.

Okay then...

Now that everything was settled, there was one last person Seoyeon needed to inform.

Thankfully, things had worked out smoothly.

“I heard you’re going on a variety show?”

She brought it up casually, slipping the news into conversation.

Park Jungwoo’s expression instantly soured.

“...Who told you that?”

“Sehee.”

“Yeah. Figures.”

He ground his teeth, picturing Jo Sehee.

Of everyone in Seoyeon’s life, she was the only one who would spill something like that.

She had tons of connections, especially inside broadcasting.

“Iron Soldier? That’s the military-themed one, right?”

“...Yeah.”

Jungwoo looked miserable.

But it wasn’t like he had a choice — his father, Park Sunwoong, had strongly “recommended” it with a “just try it” kind of tone.

Not to mention, Jungwoo’s closest senior was already appearing on it, so he couldn’t back out.

“They said there’s actual live-fire drills too... ugh.”

“You’ll be fine. I’ve done similar stuff, and it wasn’t that bad.”

He was about to ask when she’d done anything like that, but then remembered: Hyper Action Star.

He remembered Seoyeon swatting away live paintballs in real time.

“...Can you deflect actual bullets too?”

“I sometimes wonder if you're serious. Are you?”

Seoyeon looked at him like he was pitiful.

Jungwoo shut his mouth.

But yes — he was serious.

Come on, just tell me already.

He really wanted to know.

Rumor had it she once rolled off a cliff and came out without a scratch.

There was even a YouTube short where you could see her pupils rotate in slow motion as she dodged incoming paintballs.

“Anyway.”

Seoyeon actually had some interest in the military show Jungwoo was going on.

It was a two-week shoot, and you weren’t allowed to leave the base during that time. It sounded brutal.

If only I could visit, like a real army base... that’d be fun.

But if she said that out loud, Jungwoo would definitely tell her not to come.

It’d instantly turn into scandal bait.

“The school trip ended up being to France.”

“...What?”

Seoyeon explained to Park Jungwoo the reason she’d asked to meet today.

To talk about the school trip destination — and how they should handle things depending on it.

“France? Wait, high schoolers go on school trips to France now?”

“I was surprised too.”

“Wow...”

Park Jungwoo was honestly thrown off.

Yeonhwa High School had left quite an impression on him too.

After all, it was where he’d reunited with Seoyeon after ten years.

Seeing the students there again... wasn’t such a bad feeling, all things considered.

Looks like they might even consider arranging a visit to the Biol show during the school trip.

If it came down to it, Jungwoo was even willing to lend a hand.

It wasn’t often students got an opportunity like this.

And if he was the one asking, Biol might be willing to set something up.

Of course, not for the whole class — that’d be too much.

“So you’ll be slipping out of the trip mid-way?”

“Yeah, probably.”

“That’s going to be a bit complicated.”

“Yeah, depending on how far we are.”

Still, Jungwoo felt a bit relieved inside.

If it were just the two of them going alone, it might’ve been kind of awkward.

Normally, Seoyeon was someone he could hang out with, play Knife Wind, or game alongside without thinking twice —

But if she suddenly decided to act, to play up the atmosphere...

“There’s a good chance you’ll have to come pick me up yourself, Jungwoo-sunbae.”

“Me?”

“It’d be kind of weird to leave Euna unni by herself. Wouldn’t it make more sense if you two were already together, and then you came to get me?”

“...Well...”

Honestly, that was the most efficient plan.

Saved manpower.

Logistics like transportation and makeup would be way easier to manage too.

“Well, if that’s how it is...”

Jungwoo still looked a little uneasy but eventually nodded.

Seoyeon couldn’t help but smile on the inside at his response.

If I use Jungwoo-sunbae a bit, maybe I can get closer to the other students.

Among young male actors, Park Jungwoo was easily the most popular.

Impeccable self-discipline.

That sculpted face that made women fall for him left and right — a dangerously charming actor.

Sure, when he was with Seoyeon, he came across as borderline pathetic...

But around other actors, he was like a literal crown prince.

On top of that, because of what happened last year, Park Jungwoo’s popularity at Yeonhwa High was through the roof.

Basically, Seoyeon had come up with a petty little scheme —

If she “used” Jungwoo a little, maybe she could talk to people more easily.

And I need to fire back at Jo Sehee, too.

That annoying line from Sehee earlier had shaken her more than she liked.

So this was her secret counterattack.

“But... is it really okay to show that side of you to your classmates?”

“Huh?”

“Your acting.”

Seoyeon blinked.

What acting? she thought, and then it hit her — the Yeonhwa Princess thing.

She hadn’t given it much thought, but now that he brought it up—

Wait... is that okay?

Back when she showed it at school, it was because she was playing the Yeonhwa Princess.

But this time wasn’t like that.

It wasn’t “acting” for a character — it was playing a role, faking an image, for the public.

And showing that side to her classmates...

“...Don’t tell me you haven’t even thought about this.”

“W-what? Of course I have! Who do you think I am? Besides, it’s just something they’ll see at the fashion show, so it’s not like they’ll actually—”

She tried to brush it off, but the way her eyes darted away gave her away completely.

Seoyeon was flustered — something that didn’t happen often.

Jungwoo realized, with some satisfaction, that he finally had the upper hand again.

“Well. Who knows? If it were me, I’d plan a student viewing program if one of our classmates was doing something like that.”

“C’mon. I’m just a regular student—”

“...Are you seriously saying that?”

Jungwoo looked at her, completely stunned.

A regular student?

Since when did an actress who starred in multiple ten-million-viewer films and blew up globally with an OTT drama get to call herself “just a student”?

At this point, Ju Seoyeon was the face of Yeonhwa High.

And if their golden girl was attending a major European fashion show?

While they just happened to be on a school trip to France?

Even if the students couldn’t get into the show,

They’d absolutely try to visit the area — the general public section at the very least.

“...”

Seoyeon fell silent at the look Jungwoo gave her.

She hadn’t considered that possibility.

Sure, her image from Biol ads and posters had been out there,

But having classmates see it live was a different issue altogether.

He’s overthinking it. He’s just messing with me again.

Like the school would ever go out of its way to rearrange their schedule just for her.

She decided Jungwoo was taking this way too far.

...Right?

****

“This is tricky.”

Marius, a French journalist, muttered to himself as he reviewed the list of ambassadors attending the upcoming Biol fashion show.

Each one was a major name — it was hard to decide who to cover.

Too famous is hard to access, but no-name isn’t worth the story either.

The one that stood out the most was Princess Mary Mountbatten-Windsor of the British royal family —

A royal and a professional model.

Currently considered one of the most beloved celebrities in the UK.

“But let’s be real, I’m not even getting close enough to snap a photo.”

The crowd was going to be insane.

And honestly, the media outlet Marius worked for, Demirune, didn’t have the pull to secure a good spot.

“Is there anyone just famous enough to spark interest... but still easy to photograph...”

Marius muttered as he scanned the list.

Then let out a small laugh to himself —

As if someone that convenient actually existed.

“Huh?”

As he casually skimmed the predicted attendees,

One particular name jumped out at him.

An actress.

Young. From the East.

He recognized her instantly — she’d appeared in a drama he’d enjoyed recently.

“...This one.”

Could work.

The thought came to him unprompted.

Mine had been slowly building underground popularity in France.

That might be the perfect angle.