I Want to Be a VTuber

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Han Ye-geon couldn’t exactly say the vibe on set was great.

You could tell that most of the actors were eyeing Arthur Diaz quite closely.

Even the veteran supporting actors, who had a ton of movie credits, must’ve felt the pressure. And what about the fresh faces who showed up for the audition?

Han Ye-geon had already figured that out through the script reading.

If only it were just her anxiety. But right now, everyone was clearly watching Arthur Diaz’s every move.

‘The only one not bothered must be Joo Seo-yeon.’

She definitely wasn’t your average actress.

There were rumors about her being timid, yet looking at her, you wouldn’t exactly get that vibe.

Should I say she’s composed?

It felt like Arthur’s constant attempts to engage her were more of a hassle than anything.

Others around them were fidgeting uncomfortably because of her attitude.

‘But Seo-yeon’s behavior is the normal one.’

Arthur Diaz was still an actor at the end of the day.

No matter how big a star, on set, the director is king.

Even though he could break a contract and pay a penalty to walk away at any moment, it wouldn’t be that easy for him to make that choice. Unless something truly extraordinary happened, behaving that way would be downright unprofessional for someone in his position.

In other words, it’s a lack of professionalism.

At least, the author wasn’t one of those kinds.

“Joo Seo-yeon and Arthur, please.”

Han Ye-geon casually plopped down on a makeshift metal chair on set.

Across from him, two more empty chairs waited.

The two who responded to the director’s call exchanged looks between the seated Ye-geon and the two vacant chairs.

“Just take a seat. This is all the chairs we’ve got.”

“Okay.”

It felt very raw, to put it mildly.

Seo-yeon thought as she sat down.

Glancing at Arthur, he wore a notably gentlemanly expression—unlike when he was talking to her.

‘Is it just me?’

Stella and now Arthur, why did they act that way towards her?

It seemed like he really paid attention to his public image with others.

No, thinking back, Arthur did seem to care about his image around her too.

Just, she was the only one who caught onto his true nature.

“First off, Joo Seo-yeon, you haven’t done a script reading prior, right? That’s why I’m mentioning this. Before we start shooting, I need to know if you guys need some time to sync up?”

Honestly, she thought it wasn’t really necessary for them.

The character Seo-yeon was playing, ‘Jin Yeon-seo,’ had already been partially revealed through <Hyper Action Star>.

Arthur must’ve seen it and would know.

There wasn’t any need to flesh out the character further.

‘The name has changed though.’

Seo-yeon realized that her character, ‘Yeohwa,’ hadn’t really changed that much from what she saw in the earlier auditions.

Her superpower remained the regeneration ability.

Although it felt like a bit of physical enhancement was added to the mix.

Yet, it was still quite a modest superpower for the main character.

‘Thank goodness, since Yeohwa had a similarly named character around, it was confusing.’

Happy to have the name change, Seo-yeon thought to herself as she turned to Arthur, curious about what kind of response he’d give.

“I think I can dive straight into filming. It feels unnecessary to sync the characters anymore. The rest can be fine-tuned during actual shooting.”

His tone was calm, but his gaze was fixed on Seo-yeon.

He’d tried to hide it, but Han Ye-geon definitely noticed.

‘Wow, he’s really interested. Hollywood actors lead to all sorts of attention.’

Seo-yeon remembered having tangled connections with Stella Baldwin previously.

Stella often referenced her activities in Korea on international media.

Consequently, Seo-yeon kept making regular appearances.

It was surprising enough, but seeing Arthur’s interest made it feel even weirder.

“Seo-yeon, is that okay with you?”

“Yeah.”

Such a straightforward answer.

You could say she’d do what she felt like. It had that sort of vibe.

Han Ye-geon scratched his cheek and nodded.

“Then we’re good to go. Let’s get started.”

After all, today was the first shoot; nothing out of the ordinary.

Han Ye-geon had always been someone who shaped scenes during filming.

“Honestly, I thought it’d be better to just jump right in and see. It’s more comfortable for me.”

He had a script, but the direction changed on the fly.

So, syncing up for him beforehand wouldn’t hold significant importance.

Whatever happened during the acting could change it on the spot.

‘He’s a completely different director from Baek Min.’

Seo-yeon realized that Ye-geon and Baek Min operated on entirely different wavelengths.

Director Baek Min would film based on precisely the scenes he envisioned, while Ye-geon could be described as free-spirited—or maybe lacking structure.

If he’d create better scenes spontaneously, that would mean a heavier burden on the actors.

But for Han Ye-geon, that was perfectly fine.

He was a director who prioritized shooting ‘good scenes’ over the actors’ fatigue.

His own thoughts didn’t hold that much weight in the equation.

“Alright, let’s do this. I’ll briefly explain what today’s shoot will be like.”

Clapping his hands, he drew the attention of the crew and actors.

‘Wait, are we seriously jumping straight to filming without a script reading?’

‘I can understand Arthur Diaz being fine with it, but what about Joo Seo-yeon?’

The actors were in shock.

They naturally assumed the two would take at least a brief moment for a script reading.

Arthur had already done it several times, but Seo-yeon hadn’t, so this was unfathomable.

Of course, there were rare instances where shooting commenced without a script reading.

But for a first shoot?

Especially after how impressively Arthur had performed during the reading?

‘What’s with her mental state? Is she just that unbothered?’

Min Do-ha, in a supporting role but barely noticed amongst the extras, worriedly chewed on her thumb at the sight of Seo-yeon.

She’d witnessed Arthur’s acting during the script reading.

Before Stella Baldwin showed up—this world-renowned actor, everyone sang praises calling him a ‘genius actor.’

And it felt like his acting had a hold on even veteran actors.

Even without a heavy atmosphere, his casual lines seemed to embody the character perfectly.

‘It’s like acting opposite a method actor.’

Min Do-ha had felt the pressure even without facing him directly.

‘It’s almost like those who performed well against Seo-yeon in the finals couldn’t compete…’

“Huh? Are we starting filming right away?”

As Min Do-ha pondered this, someone approached and spoke up.

Turning her head, she found the sweet-faced woman, Narumi Sora, standing there.

She had mentioned being late, and it seemed she’d just arrived.

‘Seo-yeon’s lackey!!’

A shiver ran through her.

Sora had been hanging with Seo-yeon since they’d gathered before.

She’d even gone along to Japan, supposedly.

For Min Do-ha, she was the second person she wanted to avoid after Seo-yeon.

Considering the performance she had in the finals, she was certainly no ordinary person.

‘Why is she talking to me?’

Since when did we ever chat?

She tried to say this, but thought about how they had been together since <Hyper Action Star>, so maybe it made sense.

Still, it was something she truly wanted to avoid.

“Um, yeah. Both actors say they’re ready to get started. That it’s easier that way…”

“Really? Well, I guess that makes sense.”

“Huh?”

“You did more extreme stuff in Hyper Action Star, right? And even in the finals, it was similar.”

Even similar in the finals?

Min Do-ha looked at Sora with a puzzled expression.

“Back then, it was even action acting, but for acting like today… it shouldn’t matter.”

Sora hadn’t forgotten the performance Seo-yeon had shown in the finals.

She’d wanted to coordinate but even that had felt unnecessary.

‘And just looking at her cameo act from the Japan gig.’

Seo-yeon clearly wasn’t the type who needed long warm-up time.

Sora sensed that during their time in Japan.

She was a girl who could memorize her lines and tone accurately, then reflect them into her performance.

So, coordinating on the fly? No biggie.

“Sora, your Korean is really good.”

“…”

“You sound just like a Korean person.”

Of course, Min Do-ha couldn’t really grasp what Sora had said, but the words struck her as genuinely intriguing.

‘Ugh, do I have to talk like a Japanese person?’

Sora quietly pondered.

After all, her agency had mentioned wanting to show off a more ‘character-like vibe.’

They wanted her to exhibit a bit more of an essence of an actress from Japan.

Now that she thought about it, other Japanese actors had this strange stutter when they spoke.

‘Should I do that too?’

In reality, she was just another Korean.

But once the cameras rolled, they seemed to lose half their tongue when speaking.

That was an easy character concept for foreigners to grasp…

While Sora was deep in thought, the two actors took to the set.

Today, the location was a scene corresponding to the movie’s prologue part.

It was the scene where Arthur, as the researcher, would rescue Seo-yeon from the laboratory.

Watching the scene unfold, Sora calmly contemplated the parts they’d be filming today.

‘The protagonist, Jin Yeon-seo, is a superpowered individual who was created through the Darwin’s Project, a human potential research initiative.’

Darwin’s Project is an American-led superpower research effort.

Its true purpose only comes to light in the second half.

At first, the protagonist merely appears as an experiment trapped in a facility.

Though she’s a finished experiment, thanks to the help of a young researcher named ‘Adam,’ she escapes.

‘The early protagonist is a girl who knows nothing.’

She’s a child who’s known nothing but the research facility since birth.

Adam was the only researcher who shared the outside world with her—serving as her educator.

Just like how Seo-yeon grew up in the lab, Arthur, due to his father overseeing the facility, had also witnessed the ‘Darwin’s Project’ from a young age.

A young man who began working in the lab following his father.

Jin Yeon-seo, initially relatively emotionless, steps out into the world, accidentally being taken in by a family and growing up normally.

Just two years later, it took such a short time for Jin Yeon-seo, now out in the world, to become an ordinary girl.

‘And then…’

Sora watched Seo-yeon closely.

This was the surface level plot revealed in the beginning.

Yet, considering the hidden twists and the subsequent developments, mentioning hints of that in the prologue was essential.

Above all, portraying a difference between early Jin Yeon-seo and later Jin Yeon-seo had to be conveyed through acting.

“Alright, let’s get rolling.”

Having finished her make-up, Seo-yeon wore nothing but a crisp white gown.

Not to mention, she was barefoot.

Her hair was wildly disheveled, contrasting with her usually tidy appearance.

‘Here we go.’

Arthur, dressed likewise in a white researcher outfit, looked at Seo-yeon.

Only now was he finally able to showcase the performance he’d meticulously practiced through script readings.

‘Did Oliver really say he’s an Esper?’

Arthur chuckled at the absurd memory of a friend making such a claim.

What nonsense.

‘What does it even matter? After all, it’s all about the acting here.’

As he thought this, he calmed his emotions.

Arthur’s performance had been honed to extreme measures.

It needed to be so perfectly controlled and detailed that it could be likened to method acting.

He had to showcase two major emotions.

“There should be hints in your acting and actions, Arthur. So that later, when the audience sees it, they think, ‘Oh, so that’s what’s going on’ instead of ‘What’s that?’”

“Yes, I understand.”

“And for Seo-yeon…”

He looked at Seo-yeon, who was nervously examining her outfit, scratching his chin.

What she had to act out was far simpler.

‘But simple performances are usually the hardest to nail.’

Truthfully, he wasn’t quite sure how well Seo-yeon could handle this acting without a script reading.

Unlike when she performed as ‘Yeohwa’ in <Hyper Action Star>, she now was to be ‘Jin Yeon-seo,’ who still didn’t fully grasp emotions.

To be precise, she hadn’t learned them.

It felt like an abstract idea she’d only vaguely been exposed to through words.

“Try to act like a girl who doesn’t understand her emotions—stay a bit mechanical.”

“Yes.”

“If you make a mistake, we can always reshoot, so don’t feel too weighed down.”

“Got it, I understand.”

Seo-yeon answered calmly.

Watching her, the surrounding crew members exchanged glances and clicked their tongues, feeling a bit sorry for her.

‘You might say that, but if there’s only a flaw in the picture, I feel like you’ll want to reshoot a hundred times.’

‘Exactly.’

Asking her to act like a girl who doesn’t know emotions sounds simple.

Yet, that’s one of the trickiest performances to pull off.

If done awkwardly, it comes off as ridiculously foolish.

And starting shooting right away without a reading?

‘Well, I guess this itself is practice.’

With that thought, the crew manned their positions.

Then, Han Ye-geon raised his hand, calling out ‘Action!’

With a cheerful snap, the clapper marked the beginning of the first scene.

And then.

“Eve.”

Eve is the name used within the lab to refer to Jin Yeon-seo, eve-001.

It is the sign of being the first successful experiment and the number that encapsulates the essence of this research.

‘Adam’ came to Jin Yeon-seo, who as usual was staring blankly at the flower bed, trying to stop whatever calamity was about to befall her.

To quickly rescue her from this laboratory.

“Eve, why are you so silent? This is urgent, we need to hurry and escape this place…”

As he started, Arthur raised his gaze.

But he suddenly stopped short.

Calm, red eyes were locked onto him.

A girl was quietly scrutinizing him.

That alien gaze was something beyond human.

He felt as if a creature that couldn’t understand emotions was examining him.

 

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