I Want to Be a VTuber-Chapter 266: Approaching Year-End (3)

"Oh, Shim, how are things these days? I heard you got a call from a broadcasting station?"

"I'm still thinking it over."

"What's there to think about? You've done all you can on the stage. If you have the chance, do some drama or film work. You're too talented to stay confined to theater."

It was a gathering of actors who had worked together on Close Your Eyes. Such reunions were rare—most actors were too busy to attend multiple end-of-year meetups.

But Close Your Eyes held special meaning for everyone present.

"As you know, Close Your Eyes was a massive hit—not ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) just in terms of success, but look at what happened to the actors who were part of it," remarked Jo Doyul, the play's director, as he glanced toward a corner of the room.

There, a woman stood, noticeably transformed from her former self.

"Jiwoo, I hear you've got a new guy in your life? Changed your profile picture too, huh? Doing well, I see."

"Is that so?"

"Hey, why are you responding so nonchalantly? You should be more lively when someone brings up something like that."

"Isn't meddling in someone else's love life just rude?"

"Well, you're not wrong, but you sure have a knack for making even the truth sound irritating. I’m worried about you—if you want to do well in drama, you’ll have to tone that attitude down," Doyul said with genuine concern.

Shim Cheongseok knew Doyul wasn’t just spouting nonsense, so he let the comment slide.

The drama world, huh.

Since Close Your Eyes, the actors involved had received various offers—to appear in dramas, try their hand at films.

Notable among them was Pyo Jiwoo, and Lee Hyejin, who had played Song Minseo, had landed a role in a cable drama. Shim Cheongseok had also received many offers but had remained in theater.

Though this might be my last year here, he thought.

He wanted to stay in theater a bit longer, but seeing his peers move up made him restless.

Cheongseok glanced at Pyo Jiwoo. She blended in naturally, though she hadn’t actually been part of the original Close Your Eyes cast. Instead, her involvement had started with the auditions and later expanded as she participated in other plays with the cast.

Everyone here knew her, and her presence wasn’t questioned.

Though, if I’m honest, they probably invited Jiwoo just to get that person to show up.

Jiwoo was the only one in close contact with the most successful actress from Close Your Eyes.

"Do you think Ju Seoyeon will come?" someone asked.

"Will she, though?"

"Ah, if she does, I’d love to get her autograph."

"She might. Jiwoo seems to talk to her a lot."

Naturally, everyone was curious about whether Seoyeon would show up.

"I did send her a message, but I’m not sure. She replied with this emoji, though," Jiwoo said, showing her phone.

[(•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑˂ᵒ͜͡ᵏᵎ]

"What does that even mean?"

"It’s a thumbs-up emoji, so maybe she’s coming?"

"Kids these days are hard to figure out..."

Still, few truly believed Seoyeon would attend.

Her schedule must be packed, they thought.

Between variety shows, dramas, movies, and commercials, Seoyeon had had an overwhelmingly active year. If she hadn’t limited her TV appearances, her image might have been overexposed.

"Shim, it must feel strange. At the start of the year, she was just another junior, and now look at her," Doyul said, turning his attention to another actor.

Cheongseok, sipping alone, narrowed his eyes at the man approaching him.

"Don’t you have anything better to do?"

"Unlike you, I’m busy preparing to break into TV," said Kang Sehyeon, puffing out his chest.

At the start of the year, Sehyeon had starred in Under Snitch, which ran alongside Close Your Eyes in theaters. Despite heavy investment, Under Snitch was utterly crushed by the latter.

Although he had been demoralized, he’d bounced back with a year-end play that earned him offers from the TV industry.

"Why are you here, anyway?" Cheongseok asked.

"Our agency is hosting a gathering here today," Sehyeon said, emphasizing the words "our agency."

He had recently joined Horizon Company, a prominent management firm representing several top actors.

Cheongseok sighed.

"Next time, we should choose a different venue."

"No need. Soon, we’ll be hosting gatherings at even bigger places," Sehyeon said smugly.

His arrogance was palpable, and Cheongseok clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"You were sulking all year, and now you’re full of yourself again," Cheongseok said.

"Living in the past, are you? Unlike you, I’m moving up. Are you planning to stay a poor theater actor forever?"

"You’re poor because you’re second-rate."

Sehyeon’s lips twitched in frustration at Cheongseok’s cold remark.

"We’ll see how long you can keep that attitude," Sehyeon spat.

"You think breaking into TV guarantees success?"

"It’s better than rotting here with you lot!"

Sehyeon’s raised voice drew the attention of nearby actors.

"What’s going on?"

A man approached, tall and muscular, exuding an intimidating presence.

"Ah, hyung," Sehyeon said.

...Hyung?

The man did have the look of an older brother—or perhaps a gang leader.

"Hey, Kang. Don’t you know how to manage your image? Didn’t I tell you not to get into fights?" the man chided.

"No, it’s not like that. He’s just someone I knew from before."

"Someone you knew, huh?"

The man’s sharp eyes turned to Cheongseok, scrutinizing him.

Though he wasn’t bad-looking himself, Cheongseok’s strikingly sharp features easily outshone his.

"I’m Shim Cheongseok," Cheongseok introduced himself calmly.

"Ah, my junior must have been rude," the man said, though his tone lacked sincerity.

"But you shouldn’t let your emotions get the better of you. I don’t know much about theater, but in this industry, image is everything. Getting into fights won’t get you far," he added.

Cheongseok was speechless. Did he think theater actors didn’t care about their image?

The savory satisfaction was short-lived.

Kang Sehyeon, feeling momentarily triumphant as Shim Cheongseok seemed to lose his composure, froze when the door to the restaurant jingled open. Sitting too far from the entrance, Cheongseok couldn’t see who had entered.

What’s going on?

A sudden shift in the atmosphere was palpable. The lively chatter that had filled the room diminished to a hush, making the background music, which had been drowned out, clearly audible.

"Who just came in?" Park Taehyuk turned his head, finally noticing the change.

Kang Sehyeon, however, remained oblivious, still fixated on Cheongseok. He hadn’t yet realized that the previously noisy gathering had grown eerily quiet.

Footsteps echoed in the silence—a slow, deliberate cadence.

And then...

"Huh?" Sehyeon shrank back instinctively, his bravado vanishing.

He wasn’t the only one. Even Park Taehyuk, who had been confidently towering moments ago, audibly inhaled.

Why... why is this actress here?

Taehyuk hadn’t even known what kind of gathering this was. He’d simply intervened to stop a quarrel between his junior and someone else. Yet, the last person he expected to see in this setting was her.

"Hello."

The voice was calm and unhurried. Her gaze was cold, and her presence was overwhelming. Up close, her beauty was almost suffocating—raven-black hair so dark it seemed to swallow light.

"...I didn’t think you’d actually come," Cheongseok said, stunned.

"I said I would," Seoyeon replied, tilting her head. Hadn’t she made it clear in her message to Pyo Jiwoo?

She shifted her gaze to Taehyuk and Sehyeon. From a distance, she’d caught bits of their conversation.

"Park Taehyuk, right?"

"Uh, yes."

"I heard you’re cast in Majin. Please take care of me during filming."

"..."

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It was unclear how she’d learned that detail, but it didn’t matter.

Park Taehyuk was a supporting actor in Majin, while Ju Seoyeon was the lead. The difference in their status was staggering.

Am I already on her bad side?

The thought sent a chill down his spine. That Shim Cheongseok was acquainted with Ju Seoyeon hadn’t even crossed his mind until now.

"I’ll take my junior and leave," Taehyuk said hastily.

"Sure."

Seoyeon’s indifferent response made him lower his head as he glared at Sehyeon.

"Let’s go."

"Y-Yes!" Sehyeon stammered, practically running after Taehyuk.

The encounter had left Taehyuk’s mind racing. The influence a lead actor wielded on set was significant. If he didn’t handle this carefully, it could spell disaster for him.

I’ll need to explain later. It was all Sehyeon’s fault.

Dragging his junior out of the restaurant, Taehyuk disappeared, leaving Seoyeon to exhale in relief.

What a start to the evening.

She turned her attention to Cheongseok, who was watching her with a contemplative expression.

"The cast of Close Your Eyes certainly has its share of issues," she muttered to herself.

Seoyeon hadn’t attended the gathering just for the sake of the reunion. There were matters to observe, chief among them Pyo Jiwoo’s interactions with Row.

What a mess.

When the scandal surrounding Shine Moon broke, everything would unravel naturally. But that moment was still some time away. If Jiwoo became fully ensnared with Row in the meantime...

It already looks like she’s fallen for him.

Still, there was a chance to intervene.

"Jiwoo hasn’t started dating him yet, as far as I know," someone said.

"Really?"

"But she seems interested."

Row really knows how to work people, Seoyeon thought grimly.

Allowing things to escalate wasn’t an option. Once a blade was drawn, blood would be spilled. Seoyeon had no desire to see things reach that point.

Why did Shine Moon’s scandal break again?

Recalling the specifics would make solving the issue easier, but the investigation itself was tricky.

Maybe I should ask Seohui for help.

Only someone with comparable power could take on Row’s backers. However, involving Seohui felt... unappealing.

If only I could take Jiwoo to the club, wipe the place out, and... wait, what am I thinking?

The urge to storm the club with Jiwoo and deal with everything head-on was tempting, but that would only land them both in jail.

And then there was the matter of Shim Cheongseok.

Looking at him, Seoyeon mused that he was a walking source of future problems.

While his transition to dramas or films had seemed years away, his demeanor suggested it might happen much sooner.

If that happens, the issues originally tied to his debut might be resolved... but other problems could arise.

"What are you thinking about so deeply?" Cheongseok asked.

"Something very important."

"If it’s that important, why not talk to someone over there?"

"Well... no. But why are you here, Mr. Shim Cheongseok?"

"I... don’t have a particular reason."

His response was flat, but Seoyeon’s sensitivity to emotions caught a hint of something off.

"Just felt like being here, that’s all."

It was as if he had no desire to be anywhere else. And for a brief moment, Seoyeon noticed his gaze flicker toward Jiwoo.

Wait, could it be...?

A sudden realization hit her. Perhaps the solution to one problem was simpler than she’d thought.

Meanwhile, at Shine Moon, Row bowed repeatedly before a VIP, flashing a servile smile.

"Of course, sir. Just say the word, and I’ll leverage all my connections to make it happen."

"That’s why I like you," the VIP said smugly.

Row’s lips twitched in irritation but quickly reverted to a grin. After all, it was people like this VIP who kept him in business.

"So, who is it this time?"

"Who else? Bring in some promising ones."

By "promising," the VIP meant desperate celebrities or trainees. Occasionally, they even requested introductions to established stars—like Pyo Jiwoo, who Row had been carefully targeting.

"Pyo Jiwoo knows Ju Seoyeon."

The connection was undeniable. Ju Seoyeon was also closely tied to Jo Seohui.

If he could secure both, his network would become untouchable.

"It’s lucky Jiwoo seems to like you, huh?"

"Not as much as you’d think. She’s cautious, though that’s nearly dealt with."

Row could tell she had feelings for him but remained wary, as if she’d been burned before.

"But just when things are going well, someone always interferes," his subordinate said nervously.

"Shut it. Don’t jinx me."

"Ah, sorry!"

Row clicked his tongue, glancing at his phone. Jiwoo was at her Close Your Eyes reunion tonight. If Seoyeon was there, he’d ask Jiwoo to pass along a message.

If anyone tries to interfere...

He wouldn’t hesitate to use force to remove them.