I Want to Be a VTuber-Chapter 311.2: Polaris (3)

Adam’s words had meant nothing to her.

The world outside could be even more cruel than this, she had thought.

But the world was exactly as Adam had described.

It was beautiful, and the adoptive father who had loved her became the most precious person in her life.

So, despite her fears, she chose to live in that world.

Until the day Shin Arin came looking for her.

「I thought it was over because I was gone. I believed there was no chance for the same miracle to happen again. But then you came to me.」

Sending Shin Arin, someone who strongly inherited her blood, to this place—

It meant the experiments were still continuing.

It meant they had found a replacement.

Even if psychics like Shin Arin disappeared, the research could still go on.

Maybe it was just for comparison, or maybe they were truly after a sample.

They likely never imagined she would come all the way to the lab herself.

「So I will kill everyone who knows of me. Every researcher involved in this experiment, and everyone behind it.」

Because no more children should suffer the way she had.

No more samples should be created.

All pain had to end with her.

If they had chosen not to accept her, then there was only one possible conclusion.

「Then what about us? What about the psychics who fought you?」

「I’m not saintly enough to spare those who tried to kill me.」

Didn’t you all try to kill me too?

She said it as if it were a joke, but somehow, it didn’t carry the same lightness as before.

It was heavy.

Shin Arin found herself unable to argue.

Jin Yeonseo had spoken the truth.

You created me.

A Majin (魔人).

A human shaped like a demon.

No matter what justifications existed,

it didn’t change the fact that she had become a being who had to kill many people.

「But I’ll let you live. Because you’re so much like me.」

With that, Jin Yeonseo slowly pried Shin Arin’s fingers from her ankle.

As if letting go of a friend—brief, but real.

Beneath the act of indifference, there was a clear, unspoken sorrow.

And only then did Shin Arin realize—

Jin Yeonseo had known from the very beginning that she was a psychic.

Yet, she had still become her friend.

And until Arin confessed it herself, she had pretended not to know.

Maybe, to Jin Yeonseo, Shin Arin had been someone she hoped would understand her.

Regardless of why she had come here,

Maybe, Yeonseo had truly wanted to be her friend.

Because Shin Arin was so much like her.

「...Yeonseo.」

Shin Arin called out to her at last.

But Jin Yeonseo was already gone.

She had disappeared into the depths of the laboratory—

To find Adam.

And so, the final scene of Majin’s episode 11 came to an end.

"That felt... strangely short."

For just one scene, it had been quite long.

Five minutes?

Maybe, if they inserted a flashback later, it would stretch to ten minutes.

Since they had filmed it right after the action scene, the pacing made it feel that way.

And just like that, Jin Yeonseo’s image had completely changed.

No NGs.

Not even a moment to call for a retake.

It was like watching a stage play.

As if the scene had already been perfected.

Even without CGI,

even against the crude green walls of the set,

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on one actor.

Seoyeon smiled awkwardly as applause erupted around her.

Actors approached, clapping and offering praise.

Arthur, however, wore an unimpressed expression.

But perhaps, despite appearances, he felt pressure building inside.

Jo Sehee sat a little apart from the rest, watching.

To her, it felt like the past.

It was familiar.

This entire sequence of events—

It reminded her of the days when she, as a mere kindergarten child, would follow her mother to film sets.

The moments she had always watched from the sidelines.

When the legendary actress performed a breathtaking scene,

when the entire set would turn to admire her.

Back then, Jo Sehee had never gotten to see the full picture.

She closed her eyes for a moment.

And when she did—

She saw the stars.

The winter ocean from just yesterday.

The place where she and Seoyeon had spent an entire day, from morning to night.

"I’m definitely going to catch a cold tomorrow."

"You don’t have filming tomorrow anyway."

"Wh-What are you saying? You have filming tomorrow!"

"I’ll be fine."

"What kind of logic is that?"

Sitting on the embankment, they listened to the sound of the waves and talked.

Even bundled up in layers, it was freezing.

Even after Seoyeon had taken off her own padded jacket and wrapped it around Sehee, it was still freezing.

She never expected Seoyeon to have packed spare clothes for her among the things she had brought.

"What kind of acting did your mother do?"

"...You watched her, so why are you asking?"

"Are you analyzing your opponent before a match? You did say you’d win against me with confidence."

"Know thy enemy, know thyself—victory in a hundred battles."

"You don’t sound as confident as before."

"Call it being cautious."

Seoyeon chuckled at that.

Then, after a moment, she calmly answered.

"Just like I said earlier—

Her acting was like starlight.

Whenever she performed,

everything around her shined."

She wasn’t the only one who thought so.

Brilliant.

A dazzling, beautiful star.

"It was so bright and pretty that I wanted to be like that too."

Like the stars in the distant sky.

Yes, in a way—

"The North Star."

"Huh?"

"The guiding star, they call it."

A star that shines brightly, leading travelers so they don’t lose their way.

To Sehee, her mother had been that kind of light.

She had learned acting from her mother,

believing that if she kept chasing after her,

one day, she too could become a star like that.

"But the North Star isn’t actually that bright."

"Are you really going to ruin the moment with facts?"

"I was joking."

Seoyeon smiled and stared intently at Sehee’s face.

Her gaze was so direct it felt overwhelming.

Didn’t she feel embarrassed?

Sehee found herself wondering.

Now that she thought about it,

Seoyeon had always been like this.

When she looked at others,

she always met their eyes head-on.

The only times she avoided eye contact

were when she had done something wrong.

"Sehee, you look a lot like your mother, don’t you?"

"Yeah, I do."

"...Have you ever hated that face?"

It was an unexpected question.

It caught her off guard,

but at the same time,

it struck right at her core.

"A little."

Surprisingly,

it was something Sehee had often thought about.

"Because I look like my mom,

everyone immediately recognizes me as Baek Seran’s daughter.

There are still viewers who don’t know,

but most people in the industry do.

That’s why the rumor that I’m the New Like Group chairman’s daughter spread so quickly."

Even though she had never officially revealed it,

everyone already knew.

Those in the entertainment industry always looked for Baek Seran in her face.

And they expected her acting to be on the same level.

"But when I act, I can always feel it—

the moment they realize, ‘She’s not quite at that level.’"

No matter how well she performed,

her mother was always the standard for comparison.

She was proud of her,

but at the same time,

it felt like she was tainting her name.

So she both loved and hated this face.

"I guess I can’t tease you by calling you Tomie anymore."

"Hey."

...Of course, her features were a bit sharper than her mother’s.

Maybe she took after her dad.

"Anyway, yeah. That’s why I feel lost."

She had been chasing after the starlight she had once seen as a child,

but she didn’t know if she was on the right path.

Because her North Star had disappeared.

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Seoyeon had said she was ready.

But no matter how much she had prepared,

if she didn’t know where to go,

then what was the point?

If Seoyeon could erase the lingering shadow of her past,

maybe she could finally find her own way forward.

"Sehee, you have a strong mentality,

but you’re such a coward in weird places."

"Sh-Shut up."

"You worked so hard to prepare,

and now you’re saying you can’t do it? That doesn’t even make sense."

"Ugh, s-sorry for disappointing you."

Seoyeon stopped teasing and looked up at the sky.

The night sky over the ocean

looked strangely close.

The stars were twinkling,

brighter than ever.

She thought they were beautiful.

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A guiding star.

People said her acting was like starlight.

But honestly?

That wasn’t true.

Seoyeon didn’t shine like that.

She wasn’t a star that could guide others.

She couldn’t be the North Star.

But—

"Really, there’s no helping it."

She looked at the stars reflected on the surface of the ocean.

The sight of the starlight being carried by the waves.

"Just this once."

She couldn’t be a star.

But what about a reflection of one?

Imitation—

wasn’t that what she was best at?

"Just this once."

In a world she knew nothing about,

she had been a star to others.

But that star was now hidden behind another light,

so she didn’t even know what kind of glow she had anymore.

Maybe, if she looked at her reflection,

she could finally see it.

See how much she could shine.

"Just this once,

I’ll be your North Star."

Because if she guided her,

Sehee would find her way.

Seoyeon said it with a playful smile.

"Sehee’s guiding star."

Sehee just stared at her.

She hadn’t meant to,

but for some reason,

she couldn’t look away.

She wanted to say something,

but the words wouldn’t come out.

Seoyeon was usually expressionless.

But sometimes—

moments like this—

her emotions shone more clearly than anyone’s.

And whenever she did,

her words struck straight to the heart.

Just like now.

"Sehee."

She lifted her head—

and there was Seoyeon, dressed as Jin Yeonseo.

"Did you see?"

Seoyeon didn’t ask what she saw.

She didn’t have to.

"Yeah."

"Then let’s go."

"Go where?"

Sehee felt like she had spoken more bluntly than she meant to.

She hadn’t intended to,

but somehow,

it just came out that way.

"To act."

Sehee’s role, Hong Seha, had already finished filming.

So that meant—

A reshoot.

Seoyeon wouldn’t have made that decision alone.

"...The director asked, didn’t he?"

"W-Well, not exactly,

but he understood what I meant."

"I know.

Director Han Yegun’s been hinting at it for a while.

He kept wanting to redo that scene."

No choice, then.

Sehee stood up.

If the director had already made up his mind,

there was no need to fight it.

It would inconvenience the other actors,

but since Han Yegun was the one pushing for it,

he would take responsibility.

"Alright."

She turned to Seoyeon and smiled with confidence.

That first time they met—

when Seoyeon had called her a nepo baby and scoffed at her.

That moment.

"I’ll do it."

Her nose was stuffy from the cold,

but her stride was firm.

Seeing that, Seoyeon smiled softly.

Now, finally—

She looks like herself again.