I Want to Be a VTuber-Chapter 317: New Semester (3)

Yeonhwa High School Entrance Ceremony – First Day

It was the first day of high school, the day new students stepped into an unfamiliar world after graduating middle school.

The reactions of the new students were divided into two main types.

Some displayed their anxiety and nervousness openly through their eyes.

Others roamed the school grounds, searching for something.

Among them, Min Ara belonged to the latter group.

"I saw her! She was running when she came to school today!"

"Really? Did you talk to her?"

"I wanted to... but she was too fast."

The girls sighed in disappointment as they recalled chasing after a "senpai" who had already disappeared into the distance.

They must have known each other since middle school.

Watching them, Min Ara couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy.

After all, she was like an outsider stranded on a deserted island.

It was particularly frustrating for her, considering she had plenty of friends at her previous school.

The fact that her old friends were now sending her pictures through KakaoTalk only amplified the emptiness she felt. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

"Looks like I’ll have to struggle again."

She twirled the ends of her blonde hair between her fingers.

Making friends had been a challenge back in middle school, and she expected it to be the same this time.

But she wasn’t too worried.

At the very least, Min Ara was confident in her social skills.

Especially...

"The reason I came to this school is for my future!!"

Recently, Yeonhwa High School had been focusing on nurturing students in the arts.

Particularly its theater club.

The school had already produced two actors who had starred in blockbuster films with over ten million admissions.

As a result, many aspiring actors had redirected their paths to Yeonhwa High School.

The school was well aware of this trend, providing generous support to the performing arts department.

They even had connections with Chungmuro theater groups, offering students the opportunity to receive professional training.

"Ju Seoyeon."

Or should she call her Ju Seoyeon-senpai?

She was wondering how to approach her in a way that felt natural.

Min Ara had watched every single movie and drama Seoyeon had appeared in.

Even her commercials.

Lately, she had even followed her Eternity Camp livestream.

She had even installed and played the game herself—despite not being much of a gamer—just because Seoyeon had played it.

"If I bring up gaming, it'll be an easier conversation starter."

Ara already knew quite a bit about Seoyeon's interests.

After all, Seoyeon had appeared on countless variety shows, where her tastes had been revealed to the public.

For example, from watching Golden Ducklings, Ara had learned that Seoyeon’s father worked at a game company, which explained why she was so familiar with the gaming world.

"Wow, she's so pretty. Do you think she’s an aspiring actress too?"

"An idol, maybe? Wait... I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before."

"I know! I think she was in a web drama!"

"Really? So she’s a pro?"

Hearing their comments, Ara couldn’t help but feel a little proud.

She might not have been good enough to appear on cable or public TV,

but thanks to a director she knew, she had managed to get a small role in a web drama.

Since the main audience for web dramas was quite young, there were occasionally people her age who recognized her.

"Lucky me."

As Ara was thinking that—

"Ugh, are you seriously proud over just a web drama? Look at me."

A voice cut into her thoughts.

It came from a girl standing near the school vending machine.

She was short, with a cute teddy bear-like face,

but her tone was nothing like her appearance—it carried a distinct arrogance.

"You do know I’m starring in Nettrix’s latest drama, right? If that blows up, blockbuster films or whatever won’t even compare."

"Oh, yeah, that’s true."

"Hyeri, I hope your drama does as well as Child Game."

"Just based on production quality, it’s way better than Child Game. It’s definitely going to be a hit."

The girl, filled with an odd sense of overconfidence, continued to talk.

From the way she spoke, it was as if blockbuster films and dramas were merely "domestic" successes,

and that hitting it big on Nettrix was what really mattered.

Given today’s industry trends, she wasn’t necessarily wrong,

but something about it rubbed Ara the wrong way.

It seemed like she hadn’t come to this school because of that actress.

Or maybe... she had, but in a different way.

"Should I say something?"

Just as Ara was considering speaking up—

"We got lucky. Our drama was originally going into production around the same time as Child Game,

but because of a slight delay, we ended up benefiting from the situation..."

Right as Kim Hyeri was speaking,

A ripple passed through the small rest area inside the school.

The students who had been chatting suddenly fell silent.

Their gazes naturally shifted.

For the current students, it was a familiar sight.

But for those seeing her for the first time, some even gaped in awe.

Boys and girls alike found themselves watching as she took one step, then another.

The first thing that caught their eyes was her jet-black hair.

Then, her brown eyes, tinged with a reddish hue.

And finally, her tall, slender frame.

Ju Seoyeon.

Even Kim Hyeri—the same girl who had just been loudly boasting about Nettrix’s superiority—

quietly closed her mouth.

"She’s on a different level."

Her looks went without saying.

But more than anything, it was her aura.

Like her dark, midnight-black hair, there was ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) something about her that seemed to pull in attention, absorbing the light around her.

"That’s..."

A ten-million-ticket actress.

And recently, the lead in Nettrix’s upcoming drama Mine.

The same overwhelming presence from that poster was now standing right in front of them.

That’s why—

"Senpai."

While everyone else simply followed Seoyeon with their eyes,

too intimidated to approach—

Min Ara took the first step forward.

"I’m a fan, senpai! Wow, how can you be this pretty?"

If there was one thing Min Ara had, it was her social skills.

Despite her blonde hair and the striking mixed-race features that made her stand out,

she had always managed to make friends easily.

She took a step closer, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

As she blocked Seoyeon’s path and spoke—

"Why is she suddenly talking to me?"

Seoyeon’s pupils shook as if hit by an earthquake.

***

"I’m exhausted."

Jo Sehee absentmindedly stared out the window.

Her school was considered prestigious.

Since it was highly academic, one might think it didn’t pay much attention to the arts,

but it was still well-regarded in that field.

That was why she had chosen it as a compromise.

"If I had known, I should’ve gone to Yeonhwa High instead."

Unfortunately, there weren’t any celebrities at her school aside from herself.

That meant there wasn’t really anyone to talk to about the industry.

Of course, even if she didn’t form deep bonds, she still had plenty of friends at school.

"You seem really tired lately. Has filming been busy?"

"Huh?"

"You just seem exhausted today."

Her seatmate studied her carefully, clearly trying to start a conversation.

After all, it wasn’t every day that someone their age got to see a ten-million-ticket actress in person.

"It’s not that I was super busy..."

"Then?"

"I just... didn’t sleep well."

Maybe she had been dreaming.

But she couldn’t quite recall what the dream was.

At first, she thought it might have been about her mother.

But something about it felt... different.

"What was it?"

But Sehee wasn’t the type to dwell on unsolvable questions.

All she really wanted was a good night’s sleep.

And yet—

"I wonder if Seoyeon will be okay today."

A new school year.

And a bunch of excited new students.

She could already picture Seoyeon’s restless energy—

and if past experiences were any indication...

Things probably wouldn’t go as planned.

And just like Sehee thought—

"How am I supposed to respond in this situation?"

Seoyeon found herself in an unexpectedly troubling situation.

"This wasn’t something I accounted for."

To be honest, it was hard for Seoyeon to perceive herself as an "actress" while at school.

After all, even before she resumed acting, people around her rarely approached her.

Still, now that she was in her second year, and with the theater teacher, Song Dayeon, mentioning that some students had enrolled at Yeonhwa High just for her, she had been secretly looking forward to it.

"I even practiced my autograph."

She had pretended not to expect anything.

That’s what she had told Jiyeon.

But just in case, she had thoroughly practiced her signature.

For the record, she even had a small pen tucked into her pocket.

If anyone happened to ask for an autograph, she wanted to make sure it looked cool.

But this...

This was completely unexpected.

"I never thought someone would actually approach me like this."

Seoyeon was taken aback.

The girl had striking looks—

blue eyes, blonde hair.

A foreigner? Or maybe mixed-race?

"Ju Seoyeon, she spoke in Korean just now."

As Seoyeon was deep in thought, Jiyeon, who had belatedly followed her, pointed it out.

With Jiyeon’s sudden arrival, the atmosphere stirred once more.

This, too, was a different reaction from before.

Before Kyungsung Lady became a hit, most students didn’t even recognize Jiyeon.

But now, heads visibly turned as she moved.

"...What?"

"I mean, you weren’t responding, so I thought you might’ve mistaken it for English."

...Did she actually think I was debating whether to answer in English?

Realizing this, Seoyeon turned to Jiyeon with a deadpan stare.

"Sometimes I wonder—just what does this girl think of me?"

She was aware that she was a little slow on the uptake at times.

And yes, there were occasions when her thought process lagged behind.

But that was simply because she didn’t always bother thinking things through—

not because she was stupid.

...Then again, it wasn’t like she was particularly smart either.

But at the very least—her memory was good.

"Freshman?"

"Yes! I applied to Yeonhwa High as soon as I heard that Ju Seoyeon-senpai was a student here! I want to be an actress too, and I’ve even appeared in a few web dramas. So, I thought—maybe I’d have a chance to get some advice from you, senpai~!"

The girl grinned, forming a V-sign with her fingers.

A lively student, no doubt.

But unlike someone who was just chatty or outgoing, she had a different kind of energy.

"She feels like one of those characters that show up in anime all the time these days..."

A trendy gyaru-type character.

In Korean terms, an ultimate social butterfly.

Her aura wasn’t as sharp as Seoyeon’s or Jiyeon’s Korean gyaru vibes,

but she still gave off a refined, confident presence.

The blonde hair only made her stand out more,

making her the kind of person Seoyeon would normally struggle to talk to.

"But... web dramas?"

That was something Seoyeon had never paid attention to.

Even digging through her memory, nothing stood out.

While Seoyeon could recall entertainment industry knowledge like a wiki,

that only applied to things she had actually watched in her past life.

If it was something she had zero interest in, she wouldn’t remember it at all.

"And I really had zero interest in web dramas."

Their target audience was generally younger,

and personally, she never found them appealing.

"And as for her..."

Ever since stepping onto the school grounds,

Seoyeon had been overhearing bits of conversation.

Among them was the mention of the girl who had been in a Nettrix drama.

"If it’s a soon-to-be-released project, is she talking about Yasha? Or Infernal Hell?"

After Child Game blew up, Korea pumped out similar productions,

as if they had been waiting for the trend.

Of course, they hadn’t been made just because Child Game was a hit.

There simply hadn’t been enough time for that.

Even Mine, which Seoyeon had filmed, had begun preparations long before Child Game aired.

The same applied to most other productions.

"...But except for one, most of them flopped."

It wasn’t a hard rule that things would unfold exactly as they did in her past life.

But if the scripts hadn’t changed, the results would likely remain the same.

As Seoyeon quietly contemplated this,

Ara tilted her head.

"She seemed more easygoing on variety shows, but I guess that was just for TV?

Her real personality must be as composed as her looks. She’s just as cool as I imagined."

Nodding to herself, Ara shifted her gaze—

toward Hyeri, who had been loudly boasting just moments ago.

"I wonder if she still thinks she can compare."

The same girl who had been treating films as if they were "dying out"—

Hyeri had already disappeared, having long since made her escape under Seoyeon’s sharp gaze.

Which, naturally, made Ara a little smug.

As she basked in that satisfaction,

Seoyeon hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.

"Could you tell me the title of the web dramas you were in?"

"Oh! Of course!"

Ara eagerly listed them off.

Naturally, Seoyeon had never heard of any of them.

"I’ll have to check them out later."

Web dramas, by nature, weren’t on the same level as regular TV dramas or films.

Most of the actors in them were high schoolers,

which meant they had less experience and lower skill levels.

But that didn’t change the fact that they were still actors.

"Especially since web dramas are an easy entry point for teenage actors."

Golden blonde hair,

mixed-race features,

and striking good looks.

She had a presence that stood apart from the typical high school girl.

And yet, she had still managed to land roles.

That meant she must have had something else going for her.

"Seoyeon-senpai, if you do watch them, could you tell me what you think? And if there’s anything I could improve in my acting, I’d really love to hear it!"

With an intense gaze, Ara stepped forward once more.

Seoyeon instinctively stepped back.

"If nothing else... our compatibility is..."

Both Sehee and Jiyeon were good at communication.

They had different styles, but even then, Ara was on another level.

Her energy was just too much to keep up with.

"I should probably keep my distance from this type..."

No matter how much someone liked her,

this was the kind of person who would drain her just by being around.

She would watch her performance, sure,

but becoming close with her... that seemed unlikely.

"For people like this, it’s best to keep a comfortable distance."

It was a lesson she had learned from Sehee and Jiyeon.

Keeping unfitting people at arm’s length saved a lot of unnecessary exhaustion.

"Oh, and senpai!"

"...?"

"I also watched your latest ad! You were seriously amazing at the game! Your commentary was so sharp, and honestly, if you weren’t an actress, I think you’d make an incredible streamer!"

"..."

"Especially with that VTuber? Your chemistry was insane! It seriously felt like you two already knew each other!"

At those words—

The mental distance Seoyeon had been maintaining suddenly vanished.

"Alright. She may be a bit loud, but she has good taste and proper manners as a junior."

Seoyeon’s opinion of Ara skyrocketed.

After all—

this was the first time anyone had sincerely praised her gaming skills.