I Want to Be a VTuber
Chapter 326: Striking the Heart (3)

Episode 2 Begins

Jin Yeonseo stood in the secluded schoolyard, surrounded by a group of students.

They were clearly delinquents—laughing amongst themselves, some even filming the situation on their phones.

Malicious.

That was the only way to describe them.

"Listen, kid. Let me give you some senior advice. If you’re going to act tough, you should at least pick your battles."

The delinquent girl’s older brother smirked as he stepped closer to Yeonseo.

"This is what happens when you stick your nose where it doesn’t belong. Got it?"

Tap, tap.

He playfully flicked Yeonseo’s cheek as he spoke.

The girl beside him, still bitter from earlier, smiled smugly.

"You’re actually kinda cute. If you behave and listen to me, I might just let this slide. How about it?"

"Ugh, oppa! I was humiliated in front of Hong Seha—the biggest loser in class!"

"Then just make her take your place. You’ve had your fun with her already, haven’t you?"

The girl hesitated for a moment before nodding reluctantly.

Meanwhile, Yeonseo simply watched them in silence.

"What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?"

Taking her lack of response as fear, the delinquent chuckled and reached for her arm—

Or at least, he tried to.

Her arm didn’t budge.

The guy frowned, glancing between his hand and Yeonseo in confusion.

She wasn’t resisting. She wasn’t even trying to pull away.

She just... didn’t move.

"Actually, I agree with you."

Yeonseo finally raised her head.

Her calm, unreadable gaze locked onto his.

The laughter died.

The students filming the scene stopped giggling.

Anyone watching the drama could feel it—

Jin Yeonseo’s entire atmosphere had shifted.

"- Ju Seoyeon’s crazy. She can switch the mood in an instant."

"- Her transitions are insane. One second, she’s lighthearted, then bam—she’s terrifying."

"- The music helps, but her eyes? Damn."

Viewers on Bongsik’s stream flooded the chat as they watched, waiting for what would happen next.

"If you’re going to pick a fight, make sure you choose the right target."

Yeonseo’s leg shot forward—

BAM!

The delinquent was sent flying backward, crashing onto the ground with a choked gasp.

"Ack—!"

Before anyone could react, Yeonseo was already moving.

She flicked the back of another guy’s chin with the back of her hand—he dropped like a puppet with its strings cut.

Another student staggered back, trying to escape, but Yeonseo swept his legs out from under him.

A single strike to the cheek sent another spinning mid-air before crumpling to the ground.

Four students.

All down in less than five seconds.

The last guy, the one filming everything, barely had time to register what had happened before Yeonseo plucked his phone from his hand.

CRACK.

She squeezed.

The phone crumpled in her palm like it was made of paper.

"Wha—?"

The delinquent girl’s eyes darted around in sheer panic.

"- Holy crap."

"- Was that CGI?"

"- No idea. I can’t tell anymore."

"- Did Ju Seoyeon actually learn martial arts? Her movements are so sharp."

"- The choreography is insane."

Bongsik nodded along with his viewers.

The action sequence had been fast. Brutal. Precise.

Jin Yeonseo wasn’t just some high school girl.

"Ju Seoyeon’s skills have seriously improved since Hyper Action Star."

Back then, she had just been reacting to her opponents’ movements.

This time?

The reactions were real. The timing was perfect.

Her instincts were sharper.

"...Wait. Was that CGI?"

The camera had never cut away from Yeonseo’s face.

That meant no stunt double.

It had to be all her.

"Alright, I’ll watch the whole thing and try to figure out what was CGI and what wasn’t."

"- LOL."

"- Even he can’t tell anymore."

"- Bongsik’s instincts are sharp today."

Yeonseo dusted off her hands, casting one last look toward the remaining delinquents before patting the girl’s shoulder and walking away.

Her message was clear:

Do it again, and next time, I won’t be as nice.

From the shadows, a figure quietly emerged.

Hong Seha.

Yeonseo had looked in her direction earlier, but Seha remained expressionless.

The bullied, timid girl from class was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, there’s definitely something going on here."

"- No way Jo Sehee is just a random extra."

"- Honestly, her acting always feels kinda samey, though."

"- Yeah, but she was great in Kyungsung Lady."

Jo Sehee wasn’t a bad actress.

She had won a Best Actress award at a young age.

But her roles always had a similar flavor.

"Let’s see if Hong Seha breaks that mold."

And with that, Bongsik continued watching.

This was still just the early part of Episode 2.

So far, it had been entertaining—a well-done action flick, with Seoyeon delivering an outstanding performance.

"Still, that alone wouldn’t be enough."

Lately, Korean dramas had been struggling to produce good action sequences.

This was, by far, the best action he’d seen {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} in recent years.

Hollywood-level, even.

"But..."

Bongsik leaned forward.

He had seen Ju Seoyeon in a lot of movies.

So naturally, he had expectations.

He wanted something more.

And then—

"Whoa."

Twelve episodes later, he finally pulled himself out of the binge.

Outside his window, the sun had long since set.

It was nearly dawn.

He had watched Mine straight through, without a single break.

The pacing had only accelerated after the halfway point.

Each 50-minute episode had flown by.

"This is a masterpiece."

He muttered the words like a reflex.

And his viewers?

They agreed.

GH Group’s Mine—

A drama that had reignited Nettrix’s dwindling flame.

A work by the genius director Han Yegun.

And it lived up to the hype.

"Okay, okay... I’ll watch the making-of video after I sleep."

Bongsik shut down his stream.

Twelve straight hours of broadcasting.

It was only natural.

And while he slept—

[GH Group’s Mine: The Drama That Revived Nettrix’s Momentum.]

The industry itself began to stir.

Quietly.

****

"I want to reshoot this scene."

A girl’s voice—rarely uncertain—lingered in Han Yegun’s memory.

A girl who had once been lost, chasing only the distant glow of her mother’s stardom.

Now, for the first time, she was reaching toward a different light.

"Who was the most impressive actor in Mine?"

A reporter asked.

Han Yegun didn’t hesitate.

"Ju Seoyeon, the lead actress."

"Ah, because she’s the main character?"

"Of course. And because she delivered. She outshone all her competition on Hyper Action Star—remember?"

Seoyeon’s performance was flawless.

Anyone watching Mine could feel it.

Jin Yeonseo wasn’t like any of her previous roles.

She was stronger than any of them—

And yet, weaker than them all.

Because Jin Yeonseo, from start to finish, was afraid.

She just never showed it.

"And if we’re talking about impact," Han Yegun added, "Jo Sehee’s performance was the most striking."

"Wait, but you just said Ju Seoyeon stood out the most?"

"That’s right. She was the most visible."

But if he had to name the most impactful performance—

It would be Jo Sehee’s.

A personal opinion, of course.

But still.

"I truly believe she matched Ju Seoyeon’s level."

Seoyeon’s performance in the latter half of the series was extraordinary.

But the reshot scenes with Jo Sehee were equally impressive.

In fact, for Han Yegun, who knew Sehee well, there were moments where Sehee’s acting left a stronger impact than Seoyeon’s.

The moment when an actress, who had always chased after the stardom of others, became a star herself—how can anything be more intense than that?

"I’m sure some viewers will understand what I mean. I’m sure of it."

Despite being the lead, Ju Seoyeon may have been the star of Mine, but Jo Sehee was crucial in giving the drama its depth and completeness.

No matter how talented a lead actor is, they can’t carry a production alone.

Unlike Jin Yeonseo, whose goals were unclear until the end, the character of Hong Seha, played by Jo Sehee, had a clear purpose:

To find and take revenge on those who killed her parents.

That clear objective was what allowed Mine to evolve into a more complete drama.

Ah.

And, as Han Yegun had said,

Yeonhwa High School, Theater Club.

The Mine screening held in the auditorium.

Six episodes in one day.

By the end of the two-day screening event, everyone in the room had their eyes glued to the screen.

They weren’t just there to watch the action—they had come to see the acting.

Seoyeon’s action scenes were undeniably impressive, but what truly captivated the audience were the powerful performances of the two leading actresses.

"Wait, you’re telling me this acting is only one year older than mine?"

Kim Hyeri thought to herself.

The first six episodes of Mine—honestly, she had enjoyed them thoroughly.

The everyday episodes of Jin Yeonseo, the superpowered protagonist, leading a somewhat hidden life while attending school were genuinely entertaining.

But after watching Episode 6, things had shifted.

The direction Mine was heading toward—the finale—was something that couldn’t be captured by the simple word "fun."

Perhaps it was because she herself was an actress.

It was hard to put into words, but the performances had reached a level she couldn’t touch.

In this room, where everyone was learning to act, they were all beginning to realize it.

Even Min Ara, who had constantly mocked and followed Seoyeon around, was now utterly lost for words.

Just yesterday, Min Ara had been applauding enthusiastically, but today...

She seemed almost vacant.

It made sense.

Their acting was on a level beyond anything Min Ara could hope to achieve.

Not “student actor” acting.

This was professional-level, top-tier acting.

"Jin Yeonseo. Let’s make a deal."

In the beginning of Episode 6, Hong Seha, who had been quietly observing, finally confronts Jin Yeonseo.

This wasn’t the "fake" Hong Seha we’d seen at school.

This was the real Hong Seha.

All this time, Hong Seha had known that Yeonseo would transfer to her school.

Yeonseo’s move had been due to her parents’ involvement.

And Hong Seha was deeply involved in that process.

She had been waiting for Yeonseo’s transfer while playing the role of the clueless, awkward girl.

"So it was you who kept watching me."

"Yes."

"Alright. Then let’s hear what you have to say."

That’s when it all began.

Jin Yeonseo’s everyday life was shattered, and the real events started to unfold.

With all the clues from earlier episodes, Hong Seha started to piece together what Yeonseo was after and what she was targeting.

"I don’t know what you’re thinking, and I don’t need to. Your goal doesn’t matter to me. But I’ll tell you mine."

"Why?"

"Because I want to."

At Hong Seha’s words, Yeonseo smiled faintly.

She glanced at the notebook she had been keeping, where she had been collecting details from various incidents.

The minor events at school, the confrontations with delinquents, and the incidents with the superpowered individuals at the "research facility."

She remembered Shin Arin, the academy student she had met.

And the mysterious man wearing a motorcycle helmet.

Through the many attacks they had faced, Hong Seha had managed to deduce the location of their target.

"It’s almost like they intentionally leaked information for me to find."

"So you’re saying you want me to find it?"

"Yes. But I’m not sure if it’s coming from the 'research facility' or some external forces."

Using the connections and money from her father, a former CEO, Hong Seha had gathered intelligence from various places.

But even with all that, she still couldn’t find everything.

It meant that the people behind the research facility were far more powerful than she had anticipated.

"Well, I’ll find out eventually."

"I’ll stay out of it. It’ll be more of a hindrance if I’m with you."

"Fine. It’ll be better if you stay quietly at home."

It might have seemed like they were dismissing each other, but their bond had been building up slowly throughout the episodes.

Even without a direct conversation, trust had been formed.

And after their first real conversation, even in the midst of this detached dialogue, their trust was evident.

Yeonseo knew that Hong Seha, with her clear goal, wouldn’t betray her.

Hong Seha, in turn, understood that Yeonseo, though afraid, would never go back on her word.

And as they went their separate ways, solving the mystery step by step, it was clear that each had their own role to play.

And then came Episode 7.

And Episode 8.

More new clues and superpowered individuals appeared along the way.

In the process, Yeonseo finally uncovered the identity of the man with the motorcycle helmet.

And she realized that he was targeting Hong Seha’s life.

"You’re Adam Lowell, aren’t you?"

In the dark, in the living room of an empty mansion, Hong Seha aimed a gun at the man.

The man stood still, his motorcycle helmet still on.

"You don’t have a reason to kill me, do you?"

"..."

"Or maybe you think I’m the problem?"

The silence from him made it clear—he wasn’t going to answer.

But Hong Seha wasn’t expecting a response.

She was just confirming her hypothesis.

"Recently, I’ve been close to Jin Yeonseo. If I die, it’ll provoke Yeonseo. Her goal is to use her to destroy everyone at the Korean research facility. Those behind it cannot be left alive."

That’s what Hong Seha believed.

And just as she thought that, Adam Lowell’s lips finally parted.

"Hong Seha."

From beneath the motorcycle helmet, a strange amusement colored his voice.

And just like that, all eyes watching the screen focused on him.

The students in the theater club.

And sitting among them, Seoyeon.

"This is where it all changes."

Seoyeon glanced at Jo Sehee, sitting beside her.

For the first time, she felt a sense of unease.

"Reshot scenes."

She thought for a moment about saying something to Sehee, but quickly dismissed the idea.

Sehee, despite her unease, clearly trusted her.

"You’ve been looking for the ones who killed your parents, right?"

"!!"

"You’ve probably already figured out who they are."

Yeonseo didn’t mention it until now because her own affairs had come first.

But now, she had no choice but to confront it.

Her emotions were starting to spill over.

It felt like a bond that couldn’t be broken.

And that’s why Adam Lowell was dangerous to her.

"You’re right, Hong Seha."

Slowly, Adam removed his motorcycle helmet.

And with a smile, he faced Hong Seha, who had her gun aimed at him.

"It’s me."

The calm background music stopped abruptly.

It was as if Hong Seha’s rationality had snapped.

Her hand, holding the gun, trembled.

Her breath quickened.

Her eyes turned bloodshot.

And the screen, showing her raw emotion, captured everyone’s attention.

This was no longer the poised, sophisticated acting Jo Sehee had been doing.

This was wild—untamed acting.

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