I Want to Be a VTuber-Chapter 288: Bear-vening (1)

Promotions, in truth, weren’t anything special.

All she had to do was show up on a broadcast or at an event and greet people.

If she had to pick the most exhausting promotion she had done this year, it was definitely for Sky Garden.

"I’m never singing an OST again."

A statement that would make any broadcasting official gasp in horror, but Seoyeon was dead serious.

Her performance on Masked Singer had been a huge success, and once it became known that she had sung Sky Garden’s OST,

every time she went to promote the drama, they made her perform live.

How could she turn down the audience’s overwhelming requests to hear the OST live?

Her live singing skills had improved unexpectedly, but every time, it had been a huge burden.

Compared to that, promoting in Japan was easy.

She wouldn’t have even needed to go, but since YHJ had invested heavily in Kyungsung Lady, there was no way around it.

"YHJ’s officials were thrilled when they heard you’d be appearing on a variety show."

"Really?"

She hadn’t intended to pick a YHJ show.

It just looked fun.

Variety shows should be entertaining.

That was Seoyeon’s philosophy.

So when she chose variety shows, [N O V E L I G H T] she prioritized whatever seemed the most enjoyable.

"They thought you’d avoid variety shows because of your recent image shift. But I think this was a good choice. It highlights your strengths."

"......."

"Seoyeon?"

At her manager Park Eunha’s words, Seoyeon suddenly realized something.

Showdown: I Have Won was a variety show about competing against masters in different fields. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

"Ah, right. My image."

A cold sweat formed on her back.

She hadn’t considered that part at all.

『The filming is scheduled for Wednesday, so you can rest until then.』

Ninomiya Daiki, the PD of Showdown: I Have Won, bowed politely as soon as Seoyeon arrived.

Seeing him, Seoyeon thought,

"His attitude has changed."

When she had first visited YHJ, no one had been this polite.

Not that it was specifically about Ninomiya—it was just the general atmosphere of the network.

Back then, the reaction had been, “A Korean actress? Will appearing on Japanese TV even make a difference in ratings?”

But now, the moment she arrived, everyone greeted her with smiles.

The shift in attitude was so abrupt that even she was taken aback.

『As discussed, we’ll prepare as thoroughly as possible.』

Ninomiya PD spoke with a determined expression.

She was a little worried about what exactly they were planning.

She had said she was good at anything physical,

but still, she couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious.

The recent Biol commercial had been a lifesaver for her image.

It had single-handedly pulled her back from the brink.

Even Park Jungwoo had reached out about it.

[Hey, want to be a Biol model? The main office seems interested.]

"Me? A Biol model? Would that be okay?"

[Should be fine... if you manage your image properly.]

"Wait, if I become a Biol model, won’t they expect me to act like I did in the commercial?"

[......They probably would.]

"Hmm. But didn’t you not like that look?"

[What?]

"The way I acted in the commercial. I was channeling Princess Yeonhwa, but you couldn’t even look me in the eye. I thought maybe you disliked it."

Park Jungwoo fell silent.

As if he was deeply contemplating something.

Seoyeon quietly listened to the phone.

Of course, she already knew what he was struggling with.

If he said he didn’t like it, and she never did it again,

he’d regret it.

[......I didn’t hate it.]

"Huh?"

[I was just caught off guard... Hey. You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?]

"Nope. Just remembering how you couldn’t even look at me back then."

[Ju Seoyeon, do not mess with me.]

"Hmph. Up for some Howling Abyss tonight?"

[Stop changing the subject!]

Seoyeon smirked victoriously.

Not that he could see it over the phone.

Still, the way he had struggled to respond was hilarious.

"Well, I’ll think about it."

She said she’d think about it,

but she was already dead set on doing it.

Come on, it was a luxury brand commercial.

Most people couldn’t get this kind of opportunity, even if they wanted to.

It was practically a badge of honor, proof that she was officially recognized as a top celebrity in Korea.

With that in mind, Seoyeon had to care about her image.

She just hoped this variety show didn’t make her look too brutish.

That was all she could pray for.

"This is the zoo?"

"Yes, that’s right."

And with the remaining time,

Seoyeon had to film additional footage for Kyungsung Lady’s documentary due to its overwhelming success.

It was essentially a follow-up segment.

And the most talked-about topic?

The bear she had ridden in Aokigahara.

Naturally, Reika was accompanying her.

"...You can speak Korean now?"

"I studied."

Seoyeon’s eyes wavered slightly at Reika’s casual remark.

She quickly counted the months.

A month.

Maybe two?

It hadn’t even been that long since she first met Reika.

Yet, despite some awkward phrasing,

Reika was already conversing in Korean.

Seoyeon was shocked.

"Can someone really learn a language this fast?"

"Sehee taught me."

"...Sehee?"

"Yes."

When did she get close to Sehee?

Seoyeon narrowed her eyes.

As expected of Jo Sehee, the networking queen.

She had already made connections with Reika.

Apparently, they had been keeping in touch all this time.

Even though she barely contacts me lately.

Sure, they had met at the fast-food restaurant,

but before that, Sehee had hardly called.

"Why do you look like that, Seoyeon?"

"It’s nothing."

Reika tilted her head, confused by Seoyeon’s sudden mood shift.

She wondered if she had done something wrong,

but the emotion in Seoyeon’s eyes wasn’t directed at her.

『Reika, it’s time to move!』

『Ah, okay!』

Anyway, Reika wanted to get closer to Seoyeon.

Jo Sehee had talked about her so much that she had practically memorized all of Seoyeon’s strengths.

Not only that, Reika had watched every project Seoyeon had appeared in.

From the moment Seoyeon made a cameo in First Love Moment.

The moment her own performance had been completely overshadowed by a mere cameo.

After watching all of Seoyeon’s works, Reika finally understood what Sehee had meant.

"I should ask her to teach me how to act later."

Of course, the styles of acting expected in Korea and Japan were different.

But watching Seoyeon, she realized it was possible to balance both.

Her performance had blended elements of exaggerated Japanese acting with Korean realism.

"Has the bear been doing well since then?"

"Yes, they say it’s perfectly healthy now. It seems like it’s fully recovered."

"That’s a relief."

Seoyeon smiled as she recalled the bear she had ridden.

She had been a bit ruthless in disciplining it back then, but there had been no choice.

She wasn’t sure if it had actually meant to attack anyone,

but it could have been dangerous.

Well, with all the CCTV cameras set up, avoiding it wouldn’t have been a problem.

But filming would have been much harder.

Still, it had a good "feel" to it.

Seoyeon glanced at her hand for a moment.

The sensation was proof of the bond she had built with the bear.

By the end, the bear had stopped resisting entirely whenever she looked at it.

That was undeniable proof that they had connected.

『Welcome. We’ve been informed of your visit.』

The zoo was located near Aokigahara,

specifically, Fuji Safari Park in Shizuoka Prefecture.

A famous tourist destination in Japan,

where visitors could feed animals from inside a moving bus.

Naturally, bears were seen living in groups.

"Has it been getting beaten up by the other bears?"

Worried, Seoyeon asked the zookeeper who had come to greet them.

That bear had shared a bond with her, after all.

She gestured for Reika to translate.

『Oh, no, not at all. That one? It’s ridiculously healthy. In fact, it’s the leader now. The other bears practically bow down to it.』

"Really?"

『Absolutely. It’s quite a troublemaker, actually. It still has some wild instincts left. So we usually keep it in a secure area since it’s a bit aggressive. Though, strangely enough, it listens to human commands remarkably well.』

Apparently, it obeyed orders from a certain "black-haired woman" but acted defiantly otherwise.

"Seems like it got a little aggressive because it missed Seoyeon. It was so docile back then."

At the zookeeper’s words, Reika furrowed her brows.

As someone who had ridden the bear alongside Seoyeon,

she couldn’t believe that the bear was supposedly violent.

"Right? I should go and calm it down."

Seoyeon nodded, as if agreeing with Reika’s assessment.

Out of all the bears she had encountered,

that one had been the most well-behaved.

"What are they even talking about?"

The zookeeper looked baffled as he listened to Reika translating their conversation.

He couldn’t tell whether they were serious or just making entertaining remarks for the cameras.

But seeing the cameraman behind them nodding in approval,

he supposed it was fine.

"Actors really have it tough these days. Now they even have to film with bears."

As a zookeeper, he knew how dangerous this was.

But these actresses were chatting so casually—

as if none of this was remotely terrifying.

If he hadn’t been an expert,

he would have definitely been scared.

『...Anyway, let’s go.』

At the zookeeper’s words,

Seoyeon and Reika nodded.

The long-awaited reunion was finally approaching.

****

A cluster of bears.

Among them, one sat calmly, completely unfazed.

The other Asiatic black bears moved carefully, cautiously eyeing the uniquely dark-furred bear.

No one wanted to get too close—getting swatted even once would hurt.

Bears didn’t typically have a hierarchical structure.

But when they lived in groups like this, the strongest naturally stood out.

And in this case, the black bear was as close to a leader as it got.

It had unmatched durability and—surprisingly—listened to humans better than most.

『They say it was forced out of its territory by another bear, but I don’t believe that.』

The zookeeper spoke as they approached.

In reality, that black bear was larger than the others.

For a moment, it even seemed as massive as an Ezo brown bear.

That explained why it had been able to carry two people on its back.

For a bear that big to lose a territorial fight on Mount Fuji?

That just didn’t make sense.

『I’ll be standing by, so you don’t have to worry too much...』

The bear had always responded well to human commands,

and security personnel were on standby just in case.

And so, Seoyeon waited patiently for it to arrive.

The production crew adjusted their cameras,

ready to capture this emotional reunion.

『It’s here!』

Someone called out.

A large bear, led by the zookeeper, appeared.

Even now, just like in Aokigahara, it looked intimidating.

『To think even a beast like that would be completely devoted to Ju Seoyeon... maybe it just has good taste?』

『Haha, who knows?』

As they chatted, the bear suddenly stopped.

Its eyes locked onto the two women waving at it.

It was as if it had encountered someone completely unexpected.

『Are they filming right now?』

『Wait, isn’t that the actress? The one from Kyungsung Lady?!』

『Then... is that the same bear from the documentary?!』

『Oh my God...』

A tour bus passing by happened to catch the scene.

The tourists on board—many of whom had just watched the Kyungsung Lady documentary the night before—

grew emotional, their eyes welling up with tears.

"Has it been a month?"

Seoyeon thought.

Maybe a little longer.

She hadn’t thought much about it before,

but now that they were face-to-face again,

memories of their time together in Aokigahara came rushing back.

Her eyes began to sting.

"This feeling... it’s unfamiliar."

Was this what emotion felt like?

Seoyeon gently wiped away the tears forming at the corner of her eyes.

Seeing this, both the zookeeper and Reika smiled warmly.

And then—

「Uhooooooo!」

The bear let out a loud wail.

The sudden outburst startled the zookeeper.

Because—

Tears were welling up in the bear’s eyes, too.

『The bear... it’s crying!』

Had it also remembered their time together in the forest?

Even the zookeeper, witnessing such a rare sight, felt tears gathering in his own eyes.

A person crying.

A bear crying.

In this deeply moving reunion, everyone around clapped and wiped their own tears away.