I Want to Be a VTuber-Chapter 301: The Flow of the Era (2)
"Mum, what’s that star?"
It was the night when they were walking under the dark sky. The stars were shining so beautifully, like jewels embedded in black silk.
Pointing at the brightest star, she asked.
"The North Star." "Excuse me?" "The North Star."
With black hair. A faint smile appeared beneath her long hair that resembled the night.
"That star shines the brightest." "Yes, and long ago, people used to follow that star to find their way."
She wasn’t sure if it was true, but her mother said this and looked up at the stars with a smile.
"Isn’t it beautiful to think that a star has been a guide for people for so long?"
At her words, she nodded and looked up at the star. Out of all the countless stars, the one that shone the brightest.
Maybe she had been gazing at it ever since that time.
"It’s just like you, Mum." "......Really?" "Yeah. People call you a star, don’t they?"
Whenever she watched TV or saw anything, everyone called her mother a star. No matter what show she watched, her mother appeared, and the clothes her mother wore became the trend of the time. The cosmetics her mother used would always sell out.
A star leading the flow of the times. That’s how it was written in the articles.
She liked her mother like that. Just like that pretty star. She felt like she was a guidepost for so many people.
"I want to be like you, Mum."
Of course, she knew she couldn’t be. She wasn’t sparkling.
She had followed her mother to many TV stations. Every time, she saw others her age doing the same kind of work as her mother.
People her age. And yet, there were those who shined.
Unlike her.
Still, she wanted to be like her mother. The North Star.
Just like that shining star had been a guidepost for so many people long ago, she would follow her mother. Her mother was her guidepost. The path toward that star.
"Yes, Sehee is a bit timid. She’ll need someone to guide her."
As she said this, her mother spoke, but she couldn’t quite remember the rest of the words. It was as if they had been completely forgotten. Even when she tried to recall them, it was hard to remember.
It was probably the day when the starlight disappeared. The moment she saw that, she forgot.
"Guidepost."
Sehee quietly walked out to the mansion’s veranda and looked up at the night sky. It wasn’t as beautiful as the sky she had seen before, but still, there were shining stars.
The North Star.
"I don’t really understand."
The path she had walked blindly after her mother disappeared. She had followed the path her mother had walked, but she wasn’t sure if she was walking it right.
Was she doing it properly? To be honest, she wasn’t sure.
"I shouldn’t get lost."
Acting like a model student. She had heard that since she was a child star.
Was this really okay? Wasn’t something missing in her?
Why couldn’t she shine like the other actors? She had always wondered about this but still didn’t know the answer.
"Why do I keep looking for the guidepost?"
Maybe she was afraid of walking on her own. It must be true.
Everyone says people with strong hearts are the ones who make it.
Maybe, to some extent, that’s true. But...
"That’s definitely not the case."
She snorted and returned to her room, lying down. It wasn’t the best day for acting, to be honest.
A careless mistake. It bothered her that she couldn’t do well while everyone was on edge.
"I need to do better."
Sehee felt it. The flow of the times was changing.
This Mine was an opportunity to ride that wave. It might be a chance to become a star like her mother.
Kyungsung Lady and Mine. If it’s these two...
Definitely.
With Child’s Game, the world’s attention turned to Korean dramas. Korean dramas, which had a different style from Western ones.
Romance and melodrama, which people in Korea had been begging to stop, were still seen as fresh overseas. Nettrix also invested in Korean dramas, diversifying the genres.
It is often said that Korea’s filming environment is similar to Hollywood. Though not exactly the same, they have been steadily working to match that standard.
And now, all the effort they had built up was finally beginning to shine.
"Where’s the next investment after Nettrix?" "GH Group is working on the OTT drama Mine, right?" "Is this the next one? What do you think? What’s the forecast?" "First off, GH Group has sharpened its knives." "We need to get in before them. If we’re late, we’ll miss out!!" "Even if we proceed now..."
Everyone started racing to become the second Child’s Game. At least, the second or third one would certainly benefit.
‘I don’t know how long this trend will last, but we need to get in as quickly as possible.’ ‘Even if the quality drops, now’s the time.’
"Everyone’s already desperate to get in fast."
But the broadcasters didn’t think this trend would last long. Not just the broadcasters, but most people thought the same.
"Child’s Game was a fluke." "There’s no way something like that will happen again." "Is the world full of prank marketing? Child’s Game was that popular?"
Even though Child’s Game had been a worldwide hit, people still didn’t fully understand the magnitude of its impact.
Ranked number one globally. Many people dismissed this as a short-term achievement and thought the best thing to do was to cash in while they could.
"Director Kang. Let’s bring forward the release of Mine." "Yes, it’s already halfway completed." "Everyone is desperate right now. They’re doing whatever it takes to get in fast."
There was a lot of discussion within GH Group. Director Kang Taejin was even called to the board to discuss it directly.
"How they used to laugh at OTT dramas and now they’re desperate to get in," Taejin thought with amusement.
"Your words were right, Ju Youngbin."
The times were all about Shorts. The shift was happening, and OTT dramas were taking over.
"No, that’s not going to work." "Huh? What if we miss the chance?" "That will inevitably reduce the quality. Let’s take a long-term view." "It’s a race to see who gets in first. Business is all about timing." "That’s true when we’re talking about a short-term trend. But if it grows, then even if it’s later, high quality will be an advantage."
At Taejin’s words, Director Han Jeonghak, who was in a competing position within GH Group, sneered.
"Are you saying this trend will last long? That Korean dramas will continue to be the focus of the world?" "That’s what we’re here for." "Being here and actually making it happen are different. This is a miracle. I don’t know where your confidence is coming from, thinking this will happen again."
Half of the executives nodded at his words. At least half of them agreed.
"Even so, the schedule change is not possible."
I didn't expect Kang Taejin to come at it so firmly, and I could feel the murmurs of the people around him.
At his attitude, Director Han Jeonghak furrowed his brows.
"...Understood. For now, I'll leave this part to Director Kang Taejin's judgment."
There was a lot of backlash from those around, but for the moment, the situation was settled like that. frёewebηovel.cѳm
After all, if things went wrong, it would be Kang Taejin who would take the hit.
'That damn kid.'
He'd never liked him much anyway.
Director of the Cultural Affairs Department.
That position should have been his from the start.
'If this fails, that position will be mine.'
So, he took a step back.
This mistake would be the dagger that would slit the kid's throat.
'Goodbye. Even your father won't be able to cover up this kind of mistake.'
He stared solemnly at the president of GH Group, Kang Daehwan, who was sitting at the table.
He didn't speak, but there was a sense that he was backing his son’s words.
Because of that, the other executives couldn't protest any further.
But if this thing went wrong, it was clear that everything would come back like a blade.
'This momentum won't last long.'
Korean culture could never make it on a global scale.
Even though so much money had been poured into it, hadn't it all been meaningless?
But now, a mere drama changes the current?
Impossible.
He firmly believed that.
And his belief hadn't been wrong.
At least, not so far.
****
"Today is the scene where Adam and Yeonseo reunite. To be more specific, it’s the scene where his identity is revealed."
Director Han Yegeon said, looking at Seoyeon and Arthur. Then, he spoke to Jo Sehee, who would appear later.
"After today’s shoot, episode 6 will be done. It's a 12-episode series, so we’ve already made it halfway. If we keep up this pace, it seems we’ll be able to finish by early next year."
Episode 6 already.
The shooting pace was excessively fast.
Well, most of the movie was action scenes.
They even invited Professor Kim Hongbaek as the action director, so the stunt actors were burning with passion, eager to learn everything they could.
That passion was fully reflected in the drama, and it became yet another reason for the fast pace of shooting.
Seoyeon reviewed the scenes she would shoot today in her mind.
From episode 6 onward, the story would progress at a much faster pace.
'Adam is an agent dispatched from an overseas research facility.'
His true identity would be revealed in this episode, episode 6. Originally, Jin Yeonseo was a prototype psychic for the AE Project, a joint project between Korea and the United States to develop psychic abilities.
But it wasn’t just any psychic ability.
It was a power that could change the world.
'Yeonseo’s ability is regeneration.'
Of course, her physical abilities were also remarkably strong, but the most defining trait was that.
Just regeneration.
How could that change the world? The answer was simple.
Yeonseo's ability was the key and proof for humanity’s quest for immortality.
Whoever controls her, controls immortality.
'That’s why Adam rescued Yeonseo.'
The research was conducted at labs in Korea, the U.S., and other places. But when the Korean lab succeeded in their experiments first, Adam, who was stationed there, terrorized the lab and rescued Yeonseo.
'The real villain of this film.'
While Narumi Sora was set up as the rival, the real villain was Arthur.
"But, the Korean lab is trying to kill Yeonseo, right?"
Just then, Jo Sehee, perhaps recalling the storyline, asked Seoyeon.
"Yes. The Korean lab is worried that Yeonseo will come back to take revenge on them."
"Actually, that's true."
"Yes."
There were two reasons why the lab wanted to kill Yeonseo.
One was because they were afraid that Yeonseo, influenced by the U.S. lab’s manipulation, might come to kill them.
And secondly, they couldn’t let Yeonseo fall into the hands of the U.S. lab.
And, just as they feared, Yeonseo was indeed heading to the Korean lab.
In fact, that wasn’t the plan from the start.
It was because of the constant attacks by agents that had been provoking her.
In other words, she felt that her parents could be killed at any moment if this continued.
Of course, this was all orchestrated by Adam and the U.S. lab, but Yeonseo had no way of knowing that.
"The Korean lab will be destroyed by Yeonseo, and then she’ll be subdued and taken to the U.S."
"Yes, that’s Adam’s plan."
"Hmm."
Jo Sehee nodded, her face reflecting her thoughts about the part she would play.
Adam, and the character Jo Sehee played, Hong Ahri, were both characters with deep connections to the story.
Hong Ahri played a role just as important as Yeonseo, so it was natural that Sehee had a lot to think about.
'...She looks fine.'
Secretly, Seoyeon felt relieved seeing Sehee like this.
'As expected, the memorial date was right.'
The reason Sehee had been late for her acting the other day was because of her mother Baek Seoran’s memorial.
Of course, Seoyeon didn’t ask in case it caused trouble, but it seemed she had remembered correctly.
'Well, time has passed, so...'
Seoyeon thought to herself, though honestly, she couldn’t quite imagine it.
She had died before, but never had someone close to her passed away.
If such a thing had happened in her past life, she likely wouldn’t have felt the proper emotions.
So, she hadn’t given it much thought, but seeing Sehee today made her ponder it.
If someone close ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) to her passed away, what would she do?
'...Thinking about it, I can understand Yeonseo’s actions.'
Yeonseo was cruel.
The reason for her cruelty, ironically, was to protect her loved ones.
Her parents, her friends.
Her life as the ordinary girl 'Park Yeonseo,' not as the psychic Jin Yeonseo.
Seoyeon hadn’t really been able to connect with that, but now, understanding that fear, she could begin to understand.
Yeonseo’s cruelty came from that fear.
"You."
At that moment, Arthur approached and spoke.
He was wearing the same bike suit as before.
"You can’t act all weak like last time."
Arthur’s words weren’t directed at Seoyeon, but at Jo Sehee, who was standing next to her.
"...Got it."
Sehee nodded at his words.
In fact, there had been parts of her previous performance that had been lacking.
Seoyeon, knowing the circumstances, wanted to say something, but it wouldn’t be right for personal matters to affect the shooting.
Still...
'I just want to slap her once.'
She hoped there wouldn’t be any stunt double needed for today’s shoot, and that Sehee would do it herself.
At that moment...
"I’ll be doing the stunt today."
"Oh, really?"
At Seoyeon’s sudden enthusiastic response, Arthur realized he’d made a slip of the tongue.
Given the situation, he knew he had to give his best for the drama.
So, while he was prepared to do some stunts himself...
"...Seoyeon, not you."
Arthur discreetly pointed to Narumi Sora, who was stretching off to the side.
"?
"
As Seoyeon’s finger suddenly pointed at her, Sora couldn’t help but blink.
Unexpectedly, she was about to shoot an action scene with a Hollywood actor.
'Ah, Sora’s going to fight today, too.'
She would fight Arthur, and also fight Yeonseo.
Seoyeon thought as she looked at Sora, noticing a long stick-like object strapped to her waist.
'A sword?'
Well, if she was Japanese, a sword would be expected.
Seoyeon nodded as she thought this.
"Alright, let’s get started with the shoot. Seoyeon, you’re ready, right?"
"Yes."
"Since you’ll be running a lot today, make sure to manage your stamina."
"Yes, I understand."
Seoyeon responded calmly, and Director Han Yegeon nodded, looking very confident.
'Seoyeon has never gotten tired, so it should be fine.'
The real issue was over there.
Arthur and Jo Sehee.
Especially Sehee, since her previous performance was a bit lacking, it was still on his mind.
'She can definitely do better.'
Director Han Yegeon knew Sehee’s situation well.
In fact, he was acquainted with her mother, Baek Seoran.
'I hope this drama becomes the turning point for her.'
Fortunately, the ingredients were more than enough.
Ju Seoyeon, the brightest star of the year.
And one of Hollywood’s top actors, Arthur Diaz.
Not to mention Narumi Sora, who was undeniably a prodigy.
Han Yegeon firmly believed that Sehee would do well.
After all, she was the one who inherited the genius talent of the legendary actress Baek Seoran.