I Want to Be a VTuber-Chapter 297: A Step of Miracle (3)

Hyo-Young Group's only daughter.

Chae Minyoung was bewildered.

She had only come to pick up the dress she had pre-ordered today.

But she never expected to run into such unexpected people here.

"Jo Sehee."

Her older sister, a year older than her. A person who was in many ways far more successful than herself.

From her family to her appearance. And on top of that, her profession as an actress.

In fact, among her peers, the only actress who was as famous as Seoyeon was the one standing beside her, Ju Seoyeon.

"They're together again."

She was somewhat familiar with Jo Sehee, having met her a few times, but Seoyeon still felt unfamiliar to her.

After all, she had only seen her once at a party before.

"She's disgustingly beautiful."

She had felt it before, but Seoyeon’s beauty was truly beyond words.

Even though there was only a one-year age difference, the disparity in proportions between them felt like the difference between heaven and earth.

Even though she was often praised as beautiful or cute when she went out, she could never compare herself to Seoyeon.

"Still, I have more money than her."

She looked at Seoyeon, trying to feel better about herself.

There was nothing she could win against Jo Sehee, but at least, she could claim victory in one area—Seoyeon.

"That's not even your money."

Of course, Jo Sehee had a pretty good idea of what Chae Minyoung was thinking.

Her thoughts were clearly written on her face.

As someone who knew Minyoung’s habits, it was impossible not to guess what she was thinking.

"I’m just here to pick up my dress. I’ll leave as soon as I get it."

"There's another guest ahead of you. I think you’ll have to wait until they finish."

"Ugh, alright. I'll wait then."

Jo Sehee wanted to leave quickly, feeling uncomfortable, but it seemed unlikely.

Designer Ahn Sera wasn’t the type to let anyone push their way around.

The connections she had were all incredibly influential.

When Jo Sehee heard Chae Minyoung’s words, she furrowed her brows.

"As far as I know, there hasn’t been anything recently that would require you to wear Ahn Sera’s designs?"

"Huh? What do you mean I don’t need to wear them? Didn’t you get invited?"

Invitation?

Jo Sehee’s words puzzled her. She looked at Seoyeon.

"Isn’t JustX’s Low’s birthday coming up? He’s been saying he’d invite you to his birthday party. I just assumed you'd be coming. So, what brings you here today?"

"I came to pick out my dress for the awards ceremony."

"Awards ceremony? Oh, the Blue Dragon Film Awards?"

Chae Minyoung nodded, and Jo Sehee let out a sigh inwardly.

It was for Low’s birthday party, huh?

Now that she thought about it, she had indeed heard about it.

A while ago, she had received a rather casual text message.

[My birthday's coming up soon. We're gathering at Shine Moon at the end of the year. Of course, we won’t push any alcohol on minors or anything serious!! Please come!! There’ll be quite a few people there that you might want to meet.]

It was a lengthy message when fully written out, but in short, it was like that.

The list of people invited also included several people who Jo Sehee would be interested in meeting.

However, when she saw her name on Low’s invite list, her interest waned.

"Why would anyone throw a birthday party in a club, to begin with?"

A club was a no-go for minors, right?

If they were throwing a birthday party, was the plan to leave the day open for events?

Well, it wouldn’t be ideal...

In any case, Jo Sehee, who was always thorough about these things, had no intention of attending.

As she thought about that, she turned to Seoyeon and asked.

"Seoyeon, did you get an invite too?"

"No."

"Hmm, that's a relief."

Maybe it was because of the awkwardness from before.

Or maybe Jo Sehee had planned to wait until she confirmed with Seoyeon before reaching out.

Seoyeon hadn’t received an invitation either. But...

"A birthday party, huh."

Seoyeon briefly fell into thought.

She knew Shine Moon would be the site of an incident around the end of the year.

There was still some time, and the timing of the birthday party was awkwardly overlapping with it.

It felt like there were at least two months left, but based on what was said, it seemed like the awards ceremony would take place shortly after the party.

Perhaps something had changed, causing the event to occur earlier than before.

The date of the birthday party could be easily adjusted, so it wasn’t particularly strange.

"I should ask Jiwoo about this."

If she had been invited, that would be one issue, and if not, that would be another problem altogether.

****

"Mind your manners."

Jung Eunsun’s sharp words made Shim Cheongseok lower his # Nоvеlight # head.

"I know you’re talented. But that doesn’t mean you can disregard others."

"...Yes."

"And Jiwoo, you’re being too emotional. Please keep your acting a bit more restrained."

Jung Eunsun’s scolding words left Shim Cheongseok speechless.

He, too, had a strong personality, but Jung Eunsun was not someone you could easily go up against.

After all, she was the veteran actress Seoyeon had introduced him to.

"Ugh."

Jung Eunsun’s way of speaking might sound blunt, but it was actually indirect.

According to other actors, she was known for her “incomplete phrases.”

There was meaning behind her words, but it was all deeply embedded.

Even though she spoke like that, her words came from genuine concern for Shim Cheongseok.

"Maybe I’m just being overly sensitive."

In any case, it was true that he hadn’t been getting along well with the other senior actors, as Jung Eunsun had pointed out.

In fact, it was Jiwoo who had a better rapport with them.

There were certainly some actors in the theater world who looked down on the film industry, and it was true that he had reacted fiercely to that.

Had Jung Eunsun not been there to hold him back, he might have faced some real trouble.

"I really owe her."

He had to adjust his personality.

Otherwise, it would have been a big inconvenience for Seoyeon, who had introduced him to her.

Moreover...

"Eventually, we ended up working together on the same drama."

A modern romance drama being filmed at MDC.

In that drama, Shim Cheongseok played a supporting role as the protagonist’s friend.

While his role wasn’t significant, he was at least considered a secondary character.

It was similar to Jiwoo’s role.

At first, things had been awkward, but now Shim Cheongseok could speak to Jiwoo naturally enough.

"You look a bit off. Is something wrong?"

When Shim Cheongseok asked, Jiwoo frowned.

A somewhat sharp expression showed on her face.

When he first saw Jiwoo, he thought she had a rather gloomy aura.

But now, after some time, she had taken on the look of a career woman.

Perhaps it was due to the management she had been getting.

In any case, her perfectly groomed face could easily reveal a hint of that gloomy vibe when she frowned.

"It’s just that I feel bad for not attending the birthday party."

"Ah, that person?"

"Yeah. The filming day overlapped with it."

Low from JustX, right?

She had been invited to his birthday party but had declined due to the filming schedule.

That must have been why Jiwoo looked a little uncomfortable.

"Seems complicated."

Shim Cheongseok thought, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

The filming and everything else were piling up on his mind.

And then...

"Ha, look at this."

Low laughed as he tapped his phone screen repeatedly.

The fish he had been waiting for—people he had been hoping would attend—had all declined his birthday party invitation.

Jo Sehee.

And Jiwoo.

"Jiwoo has to give her consent before I can contact Seoyeon using that as leverage."

Ju Seoyeon was clearly a cautious girl.

Low, who had seen many people, could tell that much.

Jo Sehee herself was valuable enough, and Seoyeon would inevitably follow her wherever she went.

But since both of them had declined, it was quite a tricky situation.

"Hyung, Jiwoo seems to have someone she’s often involved with on set?"

Ri Hyun, another member of JustX, who got along best with him, said this.

"Oh, I know. I heard that too. Apparently, they've known each other since their theater days. Could it be because of him that she's not coming?"

"Wow, so she’s playing both sides? That's bold."

"...No way."

If the reason for not coming to the birthday party was because of that, he couldn’t just let it slide.

This birthday party was going to have some really important people attending.

Among the people coming, there were many who were interested in actors like Jo Sehee and Seoyeon.

After all, they were currently among the most popular actresses.

Not to mention, they were young.

So, Low had said, “She might come,” as part of the conversation.

Of course, it was just a hypothetical, so if she didn’t come, he could make excuses...

"But that would ruin my face."

And it would also affect his trust in Shine Moon.

Low stroked his chin, thinking about the man who would be filming with Jiwoo.

Could he get something out of him by asking a few questions?

At that moment...

"Low hyung."

The door opened, and a man with bleached blonde hair walked in.

He showed his phone to Low and said,

"Is it true that the birthday party is at Shine Moon?"

"Of course it’s true, what would be fake about it? It’s not like it’s some nightclub or anything."

"It’s kind of the same thing."

Ma Yeonwoo said, rubbing his forehead.

His head was hurting.

"Do you really think this won’t get to the fans? If they hear about it, how are you going to handle your image?"

"Then I'll just quit."

Low's words left Ma Yeonwoo in disbelief, unable to speak properly.

Seeing Ma Yeonwoo looking at him blankly, Low sighed.

"Yeonwoo, how long are you going to keep living like a celebrity? Do you want to spend your whole life singing and dancing? The agency has set up such a good path for you, why do you want to go the hard way?"

"Are you being serious?"

"Come on, you were never the type to work that hard before. What’s this about now?"

Ma Yeonwoo was someone who lived off his own pride.

He was talented, and among JustX, he was the most popular.

But that was all.

At the end of the day, he was still just an “idol,” wasn’t he?

"Anyway, come to the party this time. You should see how things are done, meet people. I’ve handpicked a bunch of people. There are a lot of younger folks there, so you won’t mind it."

"...If it leaks, it won’t just end as a controversy."

"Well, JustX is finished. So, be careful. And it won’t get out. What’s the big deal? It’s just a birthday party."

Low said it nonchalantly, but Ma Yeonwoo couldn’t say anything.

There was no point in continuing to argue; it wouldn’t change anything.

"By the way, did you invite that person we were talking about?"

"That person?"

"Seoyeon."

"I can't even contact her."

At that, Ma Yeonwoo let out a sigh of relief.

She was still young, and getting involved in places like this might cause trouble at the peak of her career.

At least, he didn’t want to see a precious relationship ruined because of his group.

"But what can I do..."

Ma Yeonwoo rubbed his aching head.

Of course, nothing would change by just thinking about it.

There was nothing he could do.

Even if he reported it now, there was no way to stop it.

Since Low’s actions were unpredictable, reporting it now would have been meaningless.

He could change his location, and if everyone behaved appropriately, it would just be a simple party in the end.

"...This is maddening."

Ma Yeonwoo could only hope that everything would pass without any issues.

****

The Blue Dragon Film Awards in South Korea.

A prestigious event held at the end of the year, where the brightest stars of the year shine.

Journalists were waiting at designated spots to take the best photos of the stars attending today.

"Who do you think will be the highlight today?"

"The four most likely candidates are roughly these four works, right?"

The Chaser, Utopia, Kyungsung Lady, Extreme Dance.

Ironically, these films had been competing with each other.

What was interesting was that, among the films competing for the most viewers, one actress kept appearing.

"Ju Seoyeon."

"That actress will definitely win something today."

"Best Supporting Actress is almost guaranteed."

"Yuna and Cha Seoa were both intense, though."

"No, not yet. Han Seolim from Utopia and Bae Minjeong from Extreme Dance were also great."

Of course, the results of the ceremony were important, but how impressive an actor's individual performance was also mattered.

Just being in a popular film didn’t guarantee a win.

However...

"Ju Seoyeon’s individual performance was amazing, wasn’t it?" fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

"Well, yes. That’s true, but I’m just saying it like it is."

Best Supporting Actress.

The award given to the best supporting actor or actress of the year.

Cha Seoa was in the supporting role, while Yuna was more of a lead.

If you had to choose who was more intense, it would probably be Cha Seoa.

"But, the important one is Best Actress."

"Ah, this one’s hard to predict. Lee Jiyeon from Kyungsung Lady... She was great, but."

"Can she beat Hwang Minhwa from Utopia?"

"Kyungsung Lady also has Jo Sehee."

"Jo Sehee has already won once."

"Ah, that’s right."

That’s what the journalists were discussing when a luxury car arrived, and a woman stepped out.

"It’s Jo Sehee!"

"Wow, what an atmosphere!"

"What dress is she wearing? If it’s Jo Sehee, it’s probably Ephemeral’s dress, right?"

Jo Sehee in a black dress.

And then, another figure stepped out beside her.

The actress who had been one of the most active this year was with her.

In a white dress that immediately drew people’s attention.

"......!!"

A girl in a white dress, calmly stepping out of the car.

Unlike her usual preference for dark colors, today she was dressed in a pure white gown for the ceremony.

Her neatly arranged hair and the sparkling brown eyes with a hint of red like a sunset.

Her face, lightly made up in a way that suited her youthful look, drew admiration.

Her appearance alone was enough to captivate everyone, and the reporters couldn’t help but click their cameras.

Ju Seoyeon.

The star of the year.

She had arrived at the ceremony.