I Want to Be a VTuber-Chapter 291: Irregular (2)

Seoyeon Thought She Was Doomed.

As mentioned, Seoyeon rarely had opportunities to appear on Japanese television.

In other words, there were very few chances to fix her image if something went wrong.

The last time she appeared on a variety show in Japan, it was before she became widely known.

But this time was different.

Her various recent activities, combined with the buzz from Kyungsung Lady, had significantly increased public interest in her.

In fact, for most Japanese viewers, this variety show was likely their first proper impression of Ju Seoyeon.

That’s precisely why she had aimed to maintain the same image as Kasugayama Yuina.

"It’s my fault for not double-checking! But still—!"

With trembling fingers, Seoyeon paused her mouse movements and began typing furiously on her keyboard.

[It’s all Coldwind’s fault. If I hadn’t been playing Coldwind then—]

[? What are you even talking about?]

[When Japan reached out, why didn’t you tell me to check the video sooner?]

Park Jungwoo narrowed his eyes, leaning closer to his monitor.

He couldn’t believe what he was reading in Seoyeon’s chat messages.

[Are you seriously making excuses? You mean the punch machine video from Japan?]

[Yeah, they sent it to ask if it was okay to include it. They said they’d feature that segment.]

[But... wasn’t the response pretty hot?]

[Oh, it was hot, alright. In a VS battle kind of way.]

At his words, Seoyeon let out a deep sigh.

Hot? Of course, it was hot! It was on fire!

A clip of her destroying a punch machine with one blow had gone viral.

Naturally, posts on her fan community exploded:

—Ju Seoyeon always loses to her own roles lol.

—Forget Cha Seoa or whatever—one punch from Ju Seoyeon and their head’s gone.

—Did she get some kind of super-soldier serum or what?

—LMAO, what if she only took Mine to make her backstory more believable?

—Whoever dates Seoyeon better be rich and built like a bodyguard.

—Wouldn’t it be the guy getting taken down instead?

She could only imagine the chaos on Japanese forums—and frankly, she was too scared to even check.

"What do I do now...?"

One thought came to her.

Her only lifeline was for the web novel-based drama, Flower of the Imperial Palace, to be exported to Japan as soon as possible.

Because if there was anything that could turn the tides in her favor—

It was Princess Yeonhwa.

One iconic role from Flower of the Imperial Palace could single-handedly salvage her image.

But before she could fully sink into those thoughts—

[Wait, what are you even talking about? Haven’t you checked Japan’s Twitter trends?]

[Huh?]

[Hyper Action Star just dropped on Nettrix right before the variety show aired. It seems people are hopping over from the show.]

[Wait, WHAT???]

Seoyeon froze.

What did he just say?

With no time to lose, she grabbed her phone and quickly searched: "Ju Seoyeon Japan trends"

A flood of articles immediately popped up.

[Uh, I’ve got something urgent, gotta go. Good luck with Coldwind.]

[??? Hey! You’re bailing now?]

[Ah, but ditching would be rude to my teammates, so I guess I’ll finish the match.]

[And what about me? Don’t you think you’re leaving me hanging too?]

Seoyeon knew Jungwoo didn’t actually care about that. freeweɓnøvel.com

Work always came before gaming.

Still, with the new penalties for abandoning games, she had no choice but to finish quickly.

And frankly—

If Seoyeon really got serious, winning the match would be easy.

Especially in Coldwind.

"...It’s real."

She rubbed her eyes in disbelief.

On the live rankings for Japanese variety shows, Hyper Action Star was skyrocketing.

But more importantly—

The Japanese reaction was nothing like what she feared.

In fact—quite the opposite.

Japan, known for its extreme variety show personalities, didn’t see Seoyeon as controversial.

They saw her as... remarkable.

Her high school girl image had become an unexpected hook.

—Is Soyon-chan from a fantasy world?

—A high school girl who can one-shot a punch machine www Which light novel is she from? www

—I loved her as Yuina, but her real personality is so fun too!

—Stella asking if she’s Marvel or DC had me dying

—Yeah, she was totally checking which universe Soyon-chan belongs to ww

—And her innocent “I like Marvel!” reply was so cute!

—Ehh, Soyon-chan likes Marvel? Trash taste lol

—Hey, Avengers had great action, though. Classic Jack-director stuff.

Scrolling through the threads from the night before, Seoyeon saw the same patterns:

Posts debating whether her punch machine feat was real or fake.

Initially, most called it staged—but then:

—Nah, it’s real. My friend and I were there and recorded it.

—Wait, you filmed it? Are you even allowed to do that?

—Stella was there! How could we not film it? lol

—...Good point. And the staff didn’t stop you?

—Nope. The staff even said it was okay.

And just like that—

The shaky, low-quality clip taken by a bystander became proof.

It showed Seoyeon casually punching the machine one-handed—and the arcade erupting from the thunderous impact.

In the background, you could clearly hear people gasping:

"Is this for real?"

"Did she break it??"

With that raw, candid footage circulating—

The narrative quickly shifted.

Now, people weren’t just talking about her action skills.

They were highlighting her raw physicality and the fact that—

She was still just a high school girl.

Her reputation surged, blazing like wildfire:

A prodigious actress.

An athletic powerhouse.

A character straight out of a manga.

She wasn’t just trending—

She was dominating Japanese Twitter.

—[The Unexpectedly Charming Beauty]

—[A Fantasy Character Come to Life]

—[The Super High School Girl]

—[Ju Seoyeon]

—[Kasugayama Yuina]

—[Kyungsung Lady]

—[Nettrix - Mine]

Seoyeon stared blankly at the screen.

"...This..."

"This had to be Mine’s plan, right?"

And So, Seoyeon’s Special Moment—

The sight of her seemingly obliterating the punch machine began to spark curiosity among Japanese viewers.

And the destination they flocked to?

It was none other than Nettrix’s Hyper Action Star—where they could see more of Ju Seoyeon.

That was why Mine was trending on Twitter alongside it.

"It’s... a relief, but..."

Seoyeon thought.

Isn’t this... too much attention?

Sure, she was grateful it hadn’t turned into a bad image.

But still—wasn’t this a little excessive?

Even Seoyeon, who was used to getting attention from all corners, felt overwhelmed by how rapidly her popularity was soaring in Japan.

And then—

"President Kang Chanyul!"

There were at least four people grinning ear to ear from Seoyeon’s sudden meteoric rise.

First—

From her agency, Nova Entertainment.

"Now is the time! Our Nova Entertainment idols can finally break into the Japanese market!"

Second—

From Éclat Étoile, the luxury brand that had signed Seoyeon as their exclusive model when she was still affordable.

"Let’s get a new Japanese commercial rolling for Éclat Étoile. Ju Seoyeon’s schedule is open, right? Right now, our brand is struggling against competitors in the Japanese market—this is our chance! Our golden chance!!"

Third—

From Aidez, the furniture brand whose commercial Seoyeon had most recently filmed—

...using their chair as a prop in Heaven’s Garden.

"Oh, the chair? Funny you mention it. We’re about to launch a new model soon... Ju Seoyeon? Ah, she’s busy, very busy. But no worries—Heaven’s Garden is about to air on Japanese public TV. And guess what? Our chair is in the show."

These three executives wore smiles so wide, it looked like their faces would split.

Because the higher Seoyeon soared—the higher they rose along with her.

It was, quite literally, like investing in Bitcoin and watching it skyrocket.

Lastly—

"It feels like the other directors just got completely blindsided."

Kim Changgyu, the Head of the Cultural Affairs Division, smirked as he spoke to Kang Taejin.

"Who would’ve thought Kyungsung Lady’s success would spill over to Hyper Action Star too? Did you... actually predict this?"

As Kang Taejin smiled quietly, Kim Changgyu felt his throat go dry.

He swallowed hard.

Did he... really foresee this outcome?

If he had—then the man wasn’t just a businessman.

He was a prodigy of the industry.

‘When everyone pushed for a different lead actor, he stood firm and insisted on Ju Seoyeon.’

Even when the board criticized the idea of making an audition-style variety show to promote the project, he had said—

“If it fails, I’ll resign.”

...and pushed ahead anyway.

For someone like Kang Taejin—who never forced decisions—this level of determination had shocked even Kim Changgyu.

And yet... here they were.

‘Who could’ve predicted it would turn out this perfectly?’

Hyper Action Star was already enjoying strong ratings and positive reviews.

But no one—no one—expected it to catch fire in Japan as well.

Especially considering that Mine, with its genre appeal, had massive potential in the Japanese OTT market—

The only remaining question had been:

How do we promote it effectively?

And now—

‘Everything... fell into place at once.’

Kim Changgyu’s gaze sharpened, locking onto Kang Taejin.

Could someone really... plan this?

"No," Kang Taejin replied calmly.

"I’m no prophet. How could I have known it would [N O V E L I G H T] unfold this way?"

"But..." Kim Changgyu began—

"I simply... chose to trust my own eyes. It was a gamble. A high-stakes one."

Because that’s what gambling is—

A high-risk, high-reward endeavor.

And this time—

He had won big.

‘Because she’s his daughter.’

At first, he hadn’t known.

But Seoyeon’s performance in The Chaser had been so unforgettable, it lodged itself in his memory.

Only later did he learn—

She was that man’s daughter.

Call it fate. Call it coincidence.

But to Kang Taejin—

It felt like destiny.

If anyone found out, they’d probably laugh.

“You, of all people—a cold, logical robot—made such a reckless bet?”

But Kang Taejin would simply say—

"I learned it from someone I know."

"When you make a move—make it with the resolve to get hurt if you fail."

Because if this gamble hadn’t paid off—

It wouldn’t have been just a wound.

It would have been career suicide.

After all, in GH Group, there was no shortage of people who’d love to see his head roll.

But—

"It simply... turned out well."

A satisfied smile curled on Kang Taejin’s lips.

Now—

Those who had plotted against him would think twice before making another move.

Because in his hands—

He now wielded a blade sharper than ever before.

****

Narumi Sora—

She was, at her core, a failed actress.

At least, that’s how Japan saw her.

Ever since she was young, Sora had dreamed of performing action scenes like the ones she had seen in classic Hong Kong action films.

But in Japan, such roles had all but vanished.

It wasn’t that they didn’t exist at all.

If she looked hard enough, she could probably find something.

But getting cast in those rare roles?

That was a different story.

The few spots that existed—

Were already filled by actors with far more experience, skill, and fame than someone like her—

Someone whose only acting experience was performing in a handful of stage plays.

So—

Sora made a choice.

She went to Korea.

To her, Korea seemed like a far better market for action films than Japan.

"Tch. Are you chasing some K-pop fantasy or something?"

"No! I’m going... for action acting—"

"Pfft. Please. There’s a whole crowd of kids like you, running off to Korea because K-pop’s all the rage. You know what happens? Out of ten, ten come back—all after failing as trainees."

"I’m not trying to be an idol. I’m aiming to be an actress."

"And you think that’s any different? Acting’s about dialogue. You speak Korean that well?"

"......."

Sora remembered all the sneers she endured when she arrived in Korea.

But—

She had studied Korean.

She wasn’t fluent, but she had worked hard, picking up more along the way.

And through a twist of fate—

She ended up on the audition program "Hyper Action Star."

And—against all odds—

She made it far.

So far, in fact, that when she visited Japan recently—

She noticed some jealous eyes on her.

But that was all.

In Japan—

Narumi Sora was still a nobody.

She wasn’t worth anyone’s attention.

Not until—

Yesterday.

[Sora! Are you starring in a Korean drama?]

The sudden message made Sora’s heart skip.

"Huh?"

[Your father said he saw you! On Nettrix—some variety show from Korea. He said you showed up in the audition rankings or something!]

Sora froze.

Because—

She hadn’t told her parents the full story.

All she had said was:

—“I’ve joined an agency.”

—“I auditioned for a variety show.”

—“There’s a chance I might get into a movie.”

...A chance.

Because if something went wrong—

If she failed—

Her parents would be crushed.

So she never promised anything.

Never said she’d made it.

But now—

Because "Hyper Action Star" was blowing up—

And because Narumi Sora was the one who fought Ju Seoyeon in the final showdown—

She was suddenly—

In the spotlight.

The Japanese viewers couldn’t ignore her.

The pony-tailed beauty—

With a face that looked like she’d stepped out of a painting—

A quintessential Japanese beauty—

And—

That fight with Ju Seoyeon—

The human monster who shattered a punch machine—

The moment Seoyeon’s physical feats went viral—

So did the question:

"Who’s the woman who stood toe-to-toe with her?"

Because every nation—

Loves to see one of their own shine abroad.

The more people praised Seoyeon’s monstrous ability—

The more they elevated Sora for keeping up with her.

—"Wait, was that fight with Soyon-chan real acting?"

—"No CGI, and it still had insane intensity."

—"Nunchaku? LOL, isn’t that kinda old-school?"

—"But she was so good with them, it was hilarious."

—"Soyon-chan’s flying all over the place, but Sora-chan kept up—respect."

Sora stared—

At her own trending Twitter feed—

Utterly—

Speechless.

"What... the hell... just happened?"