I Want to Be a VTuber-Chapter 302: Shine Moon (1)

Today's scene was one where the character is once again brought into focus.

Episode 6.

The drama has reached its halfway point.

The moment Yeonseo and Hong Seha discover the location of the Korean lab’s headquarters,

it begins with Adam's arrival, seemingly timed to that very moment.

Yeonseo is greatly surprised when Adam, whom she thought was dead, reappears.

"...Adam? Is that really you?"

"Yeah, it's me. Yeonseo. It's been a long time. ...And who’s this?"

"This is Hong Seha."

"Someone from outside shouldn't get involved with us. It won't do anyone any good."

At Adam’s words, Hong Seha, who had been accompanying Yeonseo since episode 3, smiled softly.

To think of him as an outsider... What a strange thing to say.

"I had my parents killed by psychics. I need to avenge them."

"Ordinary humans have no place to interfere."

"But I have my own abilities. I’m smart and I have money."

As Hong Seha made a circular motion with his fingers, signifying money, Adam let out a bitter laugh.

Indeed, Hong Seha had an air of refinement about him.

Though his clothes were plain, there was something about his demeanor that set him apart from ordinary people.

The staff members watching Jo Sehee’s acting noticed this.

"Seems like the rumors are true?"

"Ah, the rumor that she’s the daughter of the Newlike Group?"

"Yeah, that’s what I’ve heard."

"Her acting today feels like the best yet."

Sehee, who had seemed a bit shaky earlier, now seemed to have found her balance.

Glancing at Director Han Yegeon, he was observing the scene carefully.

Director Han Yegeon was a very sensitive director.

And if things went wrong, he was a director who could be quite exhausting to deal with.

The staff thought Jo Sehee might have caught Director Han’s attention in a way she didn’t want.

"He’s been staring at Sehee since the last shoot."

"Her performance today is fine, so he probably won’t say anything."

With those thoughts, the scene continued.

Yeonseo and Seha reunited with Adam.

Then, Adam made an offer.

"Come with me to America."

"America, you say?"

"Yes, there are colleagues of mine there. If you’re going to go after the Korean lab, wouldn’t it be better to have more people than just the two of you?"

Yeonseo silently looked at him, while Hong Seha had a thoughtful expression.

Adam, certain that Yeonseo would follow him, waited expectantly.

And as they were pondering, footsteps started echoing in the building they were in.

"Yeonseo, we don’t have time. We need to hurry. If we stay here...!"

"No, I won’t go."

Yeonseo calmly replied as she gestured for him to hurry.

Adam, not expecting this rejection, opened his eyes wide in surprise.

"Are you seriously doubting me in a situation like this, Yeonseo? I’m on your side. Don’t you remember the conversations we had when we were kids?"

"I haven’t forgotten. I remember everything you said and did!"

"Then why!"

"I told you, I remember everything."

Yeonseo smiled slightly.

In that instant, the atmosphere shifted sharply.

Both Arthur Diaz, facing her, and Sehee beside her could feel it.

It was as if she had become an entirely different person.

A sudden, dramatic change.

Though she was smiling, her eyes were not.

She was meeting someone who had once been so precious to her.

Someone who had greatly impacted her past self, Adam, and yet she wasn’t all that happy to see him.

And rightfully so.

"Why are you acting like it’s our first time meeting?"

"!!"

"We’ve already met before."

With her thumb pressing down on her lower lip, Yeonseo gave a mischievous smile.

Her twisted lips and eyes, slowly sinking, gave off a sense of eeriness.

Red.

It seemed as if the red color was flowing from her entire body.

"With a motorcycle helmet on, and wearing a bike suit."

"That’s..."

"Are you saying it’s not me? But everything is the same, isn’t it?"

Her weight, height.

And the old habits visible in her movements.

It all pointed to the same person.

Despite minor changes compared to the past, Yeonseo could recognize every detail.

"How did you...?"

"I’m a psychic."

It wasn’t a lie.

Adam hadn’t expected Yeonseo to recognize him so easily.

Then again, back when they had first met, Yeonseo hadn’t shown any sign of being disturbed.

"You knew it was me, and yet you attacked without hesitation?"

"Adam."

As he furrowed his brow, Yeonseo pressed her hands to her chest and said,

"I’m the one who was hurt. I thought you were a precious friend."

"Yeonseo."

"I never thought you were a psychic. It’s strange, you weren’t one back then."

"Listen to me."

"What are you after? Ah, maybe you want to take me to the U.S. lab? Or... wait, let me guess."

At that moment, all the lights in the building went out.

The psychics who had come to ambush them had cut off the building’s electricity.

The only thing that illuminated the scene were Yeonseo’s glowing red eyes.

"You wanted me to go to the U.S. lab, didn’t you? Ah, so you’ve been pretending to attack the Korean lab all along?"

As she said this, Yeonseo suddenly appeared in front of Adam.

In an instant, her wide-open eyes, staring directly at him, were so terrifying it could send chills down anyone’s spine.

The pupils constricted.

The wide eyes indirectly conveyed Yeonseo’s emotions in that moment.

Humans open their eyes wide to express anger, to intimidate the other party.

And now, Yeonseo’s appearance was the perfect embodiment of that.

At that moment, the wall exploded, and numerous people poured in.

Simultaneously, Yeonseo pulled away from Adam, and Adam turned his back, trying to escape.

"...We’ve got a problem. Eve didn’t listen to me. Oh, so she already knew."

While communicating through his walkie-talkie, Adam clenched his teeth.

Gone was the usual polite demeanor; his twisted appearance now looked almost demonic.

"Adam Lowell."

His thoughts were interrupted by another psychic who had arrived to confront him.

A girl holding a long sword.

The strongest psychic of the Korean lab, Shin Arin.

"I’ve been looking for you."

Yeonseo was already on her way out of the building with Hong Seha.

On their side, there were surely pursuit teams from both Korea and the U.S.

Meanwhile, only one had been sent to deal with Adam.

The strongest card she could play.

"I remember you. You were the girl who was with Yeonseo back then."

"Yes, I was. Of course, I wouldn’t have known if Yeonseo hadn’t said anything."

"You’re weaker than Yeonseo."

"Yes, I am."

Adam Lowell and Arthur Diaz both grimaced inwardly at their conversation with Shin Arin.

The acting wasn’t bad, but something felt off.

'Didn’t she say she hadn’t been acting for long?'

So perhaps that’s why she seemed uneasy.

Luckily, her role wasn’t that big, so it wasn’t too much of a problem, but if this conversation dragged on, it would definitely become annoying.

'Will the action choreography match up?'

They had practiced action scenes together several times with Sora.

It wasn’t bad, but when facing Arthur, she still showed signs of hesitation.

Thinking about that, the acting today wasn’t bad at all.

In fact, it was worth complimenting.

But could she act well while mixing in action scenes?

As she pondered that...

"But, my goal is still you."

Slowly drawing her sword, her movements were so natural, it almost looked like her body and the sword were one.

It was so beautiful that it momentarily captivated everyone’s attention.

"I don’t need to be stronger than Yeonseo."

The reason Sora had been with Yeonseo wasn’t to target her.

She knew full well she wasn’t strong enough to kill Yeonseo.

Instead, she had to stop the U.S. lab’s attempts to provoke Yeonseo.

Before, she had remained quiet to figure out who the culprit was, but now, she no longer needed to do so.

Holding the sword, she slid her left foot forward, and then attacked.

With a whoosh, the sword cut through the air with precision and power.

It struck Adam’s side, landing perfectly.

"Ugh!!"

"Ah."

Wait, wasn’t he supposed to avoid that?

Arthur, clutching his side and collapsing, watched as Sora stood frozen, her sword extended.

"...You're faster than the acting."

"Huh? Oh, was I?"

She hadn’t realized it.

When she got into character, her mind would go cold, and she hadn’t noticed the difference between now and before.

Maybe...

"I... I might have adjusted after asking Seoyeon to practice with me... Sorry."

"...."

No way! Did I just hit a Hollywood top actor?!

Was I going to get hit with an enormous bill for this?

Narumi Sora, constantly bowing her waist, spoke.

Having witnessed Arthur openly criticize Jo Sehee's acting before, she was feeling a bit nervous.

Especially with action scenes, timing is crucial, and if an accident happens, it would cause a delay in the shoot.

So, Sora had asked Seoyeon to practice several times before today’s scene.

It felt too burdensome to ask Arthur for such a thing.

Though the speed of her actions changed, it had been worth it.

"...It's fine."

"Huh?"

"Good job, just now."

Image management, image management.

Arthur pressed his finger firmly against his forehead as he spoke.

Anyway, unlike his true nature, getting angry at other actors didn’t really fit "Arthur Diaz's" image.

That kind of thing was better suited to someone like Seoyeon or Jo Sehee, who could ‘analyze’ their own performance.

More than that, it bothered Arthur that he couldn't match Seoyeon's pace.

'Actually, it was pretty good.'

Arthur Diaz was honestly surprised by Narumi Sora’s acting, especially when she drew the sword just now.

'She’s completely different from practice.'

He narrowed his eyes, watching the girl, Narumi Sora, who seemed like a trembling lamb.

The acting she showed in Hyper Action Star was different, but was it because it wasn’t a real battle?

'It happens sometimes.'

There are those who perform far better in real situations than in practice.

He didn't understand why, but there were actors who displayed their best skills when they were pushed into a corner, when failure wasn’t an option.

Narumi Sora was one of those.

When it came to real battles, she performed even better than in practice.

Most importantly, while her movement was faster than during practice, it looked much better now.

"Let’s try again. I’ll match with you. It might be a bit difficult, but I’ll manage somehow."

At his words, Seoyeon, who had been silently listening to the conversation, tilted her head and spoke.

"Why not ask Oliver to do the tough action scenes?"

"...."

"? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Why try to do something you can’t do? Arthur clenched his teeth at Seoyeon’s gaze, as if questioning why she would even ask.

How could she say the same thing as that American woman?

Did she not know what empathy was?

"I’ll do it."

"Ah, okay."

Seoyeon nodded at Arthur, who insisted on doing it himself.

Considering the acting just now, Arthur's skills were obvious, so it was fine to let him do it.

'Then why bring Oliver in?'

Wasn’t he brought in for the action scenes?

If that’s the case, then there’s no real reason «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» to have him here... but Seoyeon decided to let it go.

More than that, Sehee was on her mind.

"Did you see how good Sora was just now?"

"It was a bit nerve-wracking, but once she held a weapon, she changed."

"She’s naturally an action actor. She’s strong in real situations."

"That’s the greatest talent an action actor can have, being strong in real situations."

"In that sense, Seoyeon, you're similar."

"Seoyeon? She was amazing today too."

"I don’t know how she manages to shift the atmosphere like that."

The other staff members were also praising Sora’s acting.

Action actors often perform risky stunts, so if they get too nervous, accidents can happen.

In that respect, Sora’s talent was innate.

Even in Hyper Action Star, she showed greater abilities in real situations than in practice.

Sehee listened to those comments while quietly observing.

Seoyeon couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

Her expression was calm, and she didn’t seem particularly concerned.

But something about it bothered Seoyeon.

Having observed others’ emotions for so long, Seoyeon could sense it.

"Sehee."

At that moment, Director Han Yegeon quietly called Jo Sehee.

"Ah, Seoyeon, you can rest for now. I just want to have a quick conversation with Sehee."

At his words, Seoyeon slowly nodded.

She watched them from a distance, considering whether to eavesdrop, but quickly gave up.

It didn’t feel right to eavesdrop on their personal conversation.

'She seems like she has something on her mind.'

It wasn’t just because of Mine.

Sehee’s worries had been there even before she started shooting Mine.

'Since filming Kyungsung Lady.'

It seemed like she’d had that feeling ever since they received feedback from the audience after watching the movie.

Though there wasn’t any bad review, something must have felt off to Sehee.

'I don’t know.'

Others’ emotions are unfamiliar.

When you don’t even fully understand your own feelings, trying to guess based on secondhand information is just too difficult.

If it were a strong emotion, it would be easy to pick up on, but when things are complicated and tangled, it’s honestly hard to understand.

'I’ll have to keep an eye on her.'

With that thought, Seoyeon pulled out her phone from her bag.

Since it seemed like there would be a longer break, she figured she’d play a game while resting.

'Huh?'

However, she noticed a missed call on her phone from someone during filming.

Curious, she checked.

[Shim Cheongseok.]

It was an unexpected name, showing up as the caller.

The call came about an hour ago, just shortly after shooting had started.

And about 30 minutes ago, there was also a text.

[We're at the hospital right now.]

Such a message.