I Want to Be a VTuber-Chapter 249: Nine Spirits Liquor (2)

Yeongbin was in a good mood that day.

Things had gone smoothly at work.

"You’re still serious about making games?"

The director of Raywill Games, who had worked with him for over ten years, laughed heartily.

No one had imagined he’d still be so passionate about it after all this time.

"Actually, there’s a new project in the company. It looks like they’re planning to set up an independent development studio under our umbrella—as an investment model."

"...Why?"

"What do you mean, ‘why’? The president ordered it. And also..."

"And also?"

"There’s a partner company involved."

A partner company?

Was the company really so serious about gaming that they needed a partner?

No way.

Something didn’t sit right, but it wasn’t worth dwelling on.

They decided to discuss it in more detail later, and Yeongbin nodded. It wasn’t bad news, after all.

In any case, Yeongbin fit the profile they needed perfectly.

He had never failed a project, had extensive experience, and was highly respected within the company.

"It’s rare for someone to stay this sharp and young at his age."

The director patted Yeongbin’s shoulder, but not without playfully smacking him for questioning orders earlier.

"Stop overthinking things."

With work going so well lately, Yeongbin was feeling great as he returned home.

“Seoyeon’s home!”

Seeing her shoes at the entrance made him smile.

His busy daughter was usually out filming, often returning home much later than him.

Didn’t she mention having some free time after wrapping up her shoot in Japan?

"My little head-butting dinosaur, are you gaming again?!"

He knocked twice on her door before opening it.

The last time he hadn’t knocked, her Finger Strike of the Underworld nearly sent him to the hospital.

“...She’s not here?”

The house was unusually quiet.

Had Sua and Suyeon gone out?

Heading to the living room, he finally spotted them.

"What’s going on? Why are you both sitting there like that?"

"Seoyeon’s acting weird."

"Unnie’s acting strange."

"What? Where is she?"

"She’s in the kitchen... cooking."

"Wait—what? Cooking?!"

Seoyeon cooking?!

Yeongbin bolted toward the kitchen.

Seoyeon holding a knife was already scary, but teasing her while she cooked was always fun.

If she wasn’t great at cooking, it was partly because of him constantly pestering her whenever she tried.

"Wait—!"

Sua tried to stop him, but Yeongbin was already there.

"My daughter is cooking aga—"

His voice trailed off.

Something was different.

Seoyeon stood at the counter, chopping vegetables with precise, rhythmic motions.

Instead of her usual fiery intensity, her demeanor was calm and refined.

Her straight posture and graceful movements resembled that of a noblewoman preparing a meal.

When did Sua get younger?

Wait. Sua was in the living room, wasn’t she?

And Sua didn’t have this kind of elegance.

Yeongbin rubbed his eyes.

The face was definitely his daughter’s, but the vibe—

The vibe was completely different.

The robot-like face and wild personality he knew were nowhere to be seen.

“Ah.”

Seoyeon finally noticed him and gave a soft smile.

Her expression—gentle and elegant—didn’t suit her usual self at all.

No, that wasn’t true.

It suited her perfectly.

It just felt wrong because Yeongbin knew what she was usually like.

Normally, she’d glare at him as if saying, Ugh, it’s Dad?

Not because she disliked him, but because that was just how her face naturally looked.

"Father, you’re home?"

"...Father???"

"Ah, was ‘Father’ too formal?"

She covered her mouth with her sleeve and laughed softly.

Yeongbin was speechless.

Where’s my daughter?

"Uh, what’s going on here?"

"After the recent shoot, I thought it would be good to learn how to cook properly. Watching videos wasn’t enough, so I asked Mom if I could prepare dinner tonight."

"I... see?"

"Oh my, why are you speaking so formally?"

No, why are YOU speaking formally?!

Yeongbin realized she had always spoken politely—it just never felt polite before.

"See? It’s turning out quite well, so you won’t be disappointed."

Seoyeon presented her dishes—doenjang jjigae and spicy pork stir-fry.

Coincidentally, they were Yeongbin’s favorites.

It was as if she had planned the menu just for him.

Looking at the food, Yeongbin couldn’t hold it in any longer.

"Who... are you?"

His voice cracked.

"You look like my daughter, but you’re not acting like her! Where’s my little head-butting dinosaur?! Give her back!"

"..."

In the living room, Sua and Suyeon covered their mouths.

Normally, Seoyeon would’ve hit him with a flaming filial piety attack for saying something like that.

Even in her Princess Mode, surely those words would snap her back to normal.

They watched nervously.

But—

"Father."

"...Y-Yeah?"

"Sit down over there."

Seoyeon smiled and pointed at the living room chair.

Was she planning to drop him in it like a gyroscope ride?!

Feeling uneasy, Yeongbin shuffled to his seat.

"Honestly, even as a joke, you shouldn’t say things like that."

Seoyeon began lecturing him.

With her index finger raised and cheeks puffed slightly, she looked like a teacher scolding a child.

The lecture lasted thirty minutes.

By the end, Yeongbin was practically begging her to just throw him onto the gyroscope and get it over with.

"Oh no, the food’s getting cold. But seriously, don’t do that again next time, okay?"

"Yes, I understand."

"Ugh, you’re joking again."

Seoyeon lightly covered her mouth with her sleeve and laughed elegantly.

Her family exchanged glances.

She really is lovely like this.

Honestly, having a sister like this wouldn’t be so bad.

Suyeon, you shouldn’t say things like that.

They whispered among themselves, sharing quiet remarks.

The evening continued with cheerful conversation over dinner.

The table was filled with lighthearted chatter and the refreshing sound of Seoyeon’s laughter.

And then—

The next morning.

"What... are you all doing?"

Yawning as she stepped into the living room, Seoyeon frowned at the sight of her family huddled in a corner, looking tense.

Gone was the elegance of the princess-like demeanor from yesterday.

Now she stood there with crossed arms, her tone sharp and blunt—

The moody, rebellious daughter they all knew.

Yeongbin burst out laughing.

Sure, Princess Seoyeon had been wonderful, but their head-butting dinosaur felt more like home.

"You’re really back, huh?"

"Unnie! It’s really you! Are you feeling better now?"

"I was never sick."

"Oh, thank God. I guess I can cancel the hospital appointment."

"What hospital appointment?"

"Uh, well... Seoyeon, don’t worry about that."

Seoyeon’s face turned sour as she glared at them.

Seriously? Her own family was being more dramatic than anyone else.

Hmph.

She crossed her arms and thought for a moment.

Maybe yesterday’s Princess Yeonhwa Mode had been a bigger shock than she realized.

Not that it was a dark memory or anything—it had just been unexpected.

The way she felt in that moment had been completely different from her usual self.

Will it happen again?

Was it just method acting?

Honestly, she wasn’t sure.

But something felt... different.

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What it was, she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

"......"

Thinking back to her day as Princess Yeonhwa—

...Wasn’t everyone treating me a bit too unfairly?

Should she be mad about this?

Seoyeon couldn’t help but wrestle with the thought.

*****

The Violle ad they had shot was expected to be displayed in department stores within three months.

Ads like these always had a set schedule, so they couldn’t be rolled out immediately.

“And apparently, the headquarters loved it.”

Jungwoo said this as he glanced at Seoyeon, clearly relieved to see that she had returned to her normal self after the shoot.

Of course, Seoyeon frowned at his reaction.

‘He couldn’t even look me in the eye when I was acting as Princess Yeonhwa.’

And now he was acting as if the whole thing had never happened!

She hadn’t been drunk or anything—she remembered everything perfectly well.

Princess Yeonhwa was still her, Seoyeon.

Still, it had been amusing to see Jungwoo flustered by just one word from her back then.

"Young Master."

"What the—what’s with that all of a sudden?"

Jungwoo looked at her like she had just said something ridiculous.

Seoyeon tilted her head, puzzled by his reaction.

"Is that not it?"

"What’s not it?"

"No, I mean... Your attitude is so different now. You couldn’t even look at me properly when I called you °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° Young Master before."

"Hey, that’s—well..." Jungwoo coughed awkwardly. "That was completely different."

Different how?

Seoyeon narrowed her eyes.

Did she have to act like Princess Yeonhwa again for this to make sense?

Her serious expression made Jungwoo panic.

Normally, Seoyeon could say “Young Master” a hundred times without him batting an eye.

But the thought of her slipping back into that mode sent shivers down his spine.

"No, anyway! That’s not what’s important right now."

"It’s very important, though."

"No, it’s really not."

Jungwoo quickly changed the subject.

From what he heard, Jo Seohui and Lee Jiyeon had also called Seoyeon yesterday and left feeling relieved.

No wonder Seoyeon seemed so annoyed—

What was the big deal about Princess Yeonhwa versus her usual self?

I’m always pretty.

Seoyeon’s mind drifted to this serious question.

Jungwoo almost blurted out, The difference is like a princess versus a Chihuahua, but he decided against it—unless he wanted to get punched.

"Are you going to Director Jo Bangwoo’s audition?"

"Yes."

"Then you’d better prepare seriously. Word’s already gotten out that I’m attending, so I think a few people are paying attention."

"Wait, why is that a rumor already? Did you tell someone you’re joining the cast?"

"It just... came up."

Jungwoo sighed.

He had only meant to give Seoyeon the audition date, but somehow it had turned into a bigger deal.

Honestly, he felt like he always ended up acting unlike himself when it came to Seoyeon.

"So, the audition schedule moved up? I thought that was strange. But why volunteer to join the cast first?"

"The previous leads dropped out. I heard investors are starting to back out too."

Ah.

So that’s why he reached out—

Because the movie might get canceled?

Seoyeon looked at Jungwoo with new eyes.

Had he gone out of his way to help because she said she really wanted to be in the film?

"Well, thanks for that. I appreciate it."

"Ahem. Don’t make it sound so serious."

Jungwoo coughed and crossed his arms, clearly embarrassed.

There were other reasons he hadn’t mentioned.

‘No need to bring up Hwang Minhwa.’

Jungwoo had far-reaching connections thanks to his father, which made him well-informed about the industry.

He knew all about the actors at Horizon Company, where Hwang Minhwa was signed.

Minhwa was meticulous about maintaining her image, but she couldn’t hide everything.

It was suspicious when a younger actor suddenly dropped out of the movie.

And knowing she had spoken to Hwang Minhwa beforehand?

That sealed it.

Jungwoo glanced at Seoyeon and squinted slightly.

He was sure of one thing—

Minhwa had acted that way because of Seoyeon.

They were both from Nova Entertainment.

But while Nova was thriving thanks to Seoyeon, Minhwa was probably losing sleep over it.

To make matters worse, the foundation for Nova’s recent success was a movie Minhwa had starred in.

It wasn’t strange if she saw Seoyeon as a thorn in her side.

This was supposed to be Minhwa’s year—

But Seoyeon had stolen the spotlight.

"Anyway, the important thing is whether you’ll get the role. If someone else steps up because of the rumors, they won’t be easy to beat."

"Don’t worry about that."

Seoyeon’s calm response made Jungwoo laugh.

‘Yeah, that’s true.’

He wasn’t worried.

Even if rival agencies sent their best actors, Seoyeon wasn’t the type to lose focus.

It was more of a precautionary heads-up.

‘Honestly, if Seoyeon wants the role, she’ll get it without even auditioning.’

But knowing her, she wouldn’t let that happen.

That’s why he didn’t interfere and just let her go through the audition process.

In fact, he was curious.

Director Jo Bangwoo probably hadn’t expected Seoyeon to show up.

And the other agencies?

They definitely wouldn’t expect the breakout star of the year to audition for a director whose recent movies had flopped.

And Seoyeon’s schedule was already packed.

This is going to be interesting.

Jungwoo crossed his arms and looked at Seoyeon.

This would be their first movie together as leads since The Moon That Hid the Sun.

That alone was enough to make Jungwoo excited.

He was genuinely looking forward to it.