"Red pills really are dangerous," Seoyeon thought.
Jo Seohui becoming a virtual YouTuber was, in fact, because of Seoyeon.
To be precise, it stemmed from a time when Seoyeon was oddly upset with her, and Seohui sought Jiyeon’s advice to mend their relationship.
“There’s a better way, but honestly, I’m not sure you can pull it off.”
Jiyeon had casually suggested the idea while chatting about various things.
That’s just how people are.
Even if it’s something trivial, hearing “I don’t think you can do it” sparks a sense of determination.
At the time, Jo Seohui was no different.
Of course, the fact that it was supposedly the best way to get closer to Seoyeon played a role.
"A virtual YouTuber?"
To Seohui, it was an entirely unfamiliar field.
She had heard of YouTubers and streamers, but the concept of broadcasting with a virtual avatar?
It sounded strange, but hearing that Seoyeon loved it, she started tentatively, half in doubt.
And, as previously mentioned, Jo Seohui ended up genuinely enjoying the experience.
It even helped relieve her stress.
Although this field had its fair share of troublesome fans and occasional issues, most problems were resolved by the law.
The legal team backing Seohui’s NewLike Group was among the best in Korea.
Even those often referred to as “corporate sharks” were no match for NewLike Group’s resources.
Currently, Korea’s cultural industry was dominated by the duopoly of NewLike Group and GH Group.
While GH Group had initially held the upper hand, NewLike had risen to prominence after Jo Seokhwan became chairman.
"And to overturn that dynamic, GH Group seems to be sharpening its blade with Ju Seoyeon as one of their tools."
Starting with Mine, GH Group was clearly planning something.
However, Jo Seohui wasn’t particularly concerned about corporate rivalries.
As an actress, she had never received any special support from NewLike Group.
Her father’s business was his business.
And her acting career was entirely her own.
Frankly, Seohui didn’t care much if NewLike Group lost to GH Group.
Weren’t they all the same anyway?
Sure, there might be differences in revenue, but for someone like her, who never worried about money, it didn’t matter.
Even if the company went under tomorrow, she’d still live comfortably as an individual.
Putting such trivial company matters aside, the important thing was her work as a VTuber.
"Honestly, I was skeptical at first."
Although she started because of Seoyeon, Seohui now took it quite seriously.
Still, it was shocking.
"Seoyeon, stop joking and wake up."
"Hey? Wait a second. Did she actually faint?"
"...Seriously?"
Poking Seoyeon’s cheek repeatedly, Jo Seohui found herself alarmed.
She hadn’t realized red pills could be this dangerous.
“I told you,” Jiyeon said indifferently.
Her tone was calm, but the truth was evident.
When Seohui had searched online about red pills, she often came across community comments like “Argh, the red pill,” or “With a face like that, no wonder she’s a VTuber lol.”
But who would have thought that someone could pass out from it?
"If Jiyeon’s right, Seoyeon must really like this stuff."
Did that mean all the things Seoyeon had said while donating to her VTuber persona “Alice” were genuine?
"Why can’t she treat me half as kindly as she treats Alice?"
When streaming as Alice, Seoyeon was incredibly affectionate.
She would send these comments along with donations of 100,000 won each time, leaving Seohui feeling awkward.
The idea of receiving such large sums from a friend was deeply uncomfortable.
Especially for someone like Seohui, who had always been the one giving rather than receiving.
"Did she forget I come from a chaebol family?"
While Seoyeon likely viewed her purely as an actress, wasn’t she at least somewhat aware of her background by now?
After all, they’d even gone to Mirinae Park together before.
But in hindsight, it seemed Seoyeon cared more about the persona “Alice” than the person behind it.
“Here’s the money we received this time.”
"...That’s quite a lot. Almost as much as me?"
“Huh?”
The money was eventually passed to Jiyeon, who then handed it over to Seoyeon’s parents.
Apparently, it was being used as allowance or living expenses.
"Almost as much as me? Wait, don’t tell me..."
Seohui immediately realized what Jiyeon meant.
It must have been that Seoyeon’s donations to Alice were approaching the level of donations Lamiel received.
Originally, there had been a significant gap.
“At this rate, I might end up earning more, huh?”
Covering her mouth with her hand, Seohui laughed elegantly.
It was Alice’s signature gesture.
Jiyeon’s gaze turned wry as she looked at Seohui.
"I plan to stream diligently for the time being."
"...Wait, you haven’t forgotten we’re in the middle of filming, have you?"
"My role as Yeonseonye is heavily inspired by Lamiel, so it’s been quite helpful."
Was that so?
Regardless, Jiyeon’s recent performances had been exceptional.
Her spontaneous ad-libs were even pulling Seohui into her flow.
Sometimes, an actor’s ad-libbing could surpass the original script.
But for directors who disliked improvisation, it could be a sensitive matter.
Director Baek Min was one of those, so it was a bit nerve-wracking.
Normally, he would have reshot the scene entirely.
But this time, the scene had turned out so beautifully that it stayed.
Especially the part where Yeonseonye held Michiko’s hand and helped her up—it was a standout moment.
The script had merely described it as "Michiko helps Yeonseonye to her feet," but the scene ended up leaving an unforgettable impact.
"If we add some background music here, this could really work," even the sound director had said.
Director Baek Min had given a small warning, but he acknowledged Jiyeon’s ad-libbing skills.
"That kind of quick thinking isn’t something you can learn."
Watching Jiyeon’s smug face, Seohui thought.
While her acting skills lagged behind Seohui’s or Seoyeon’s, her spontaneity was on another level.
There was a reason Lamiel’s streams had grown so quickly.
Her sense of timing and wit truly felt like natural talent.
"Talent..."
It was a bittersweet word for Seohui.
As a child, she had been hailed as a genius actress, but at some point, that praise had vanished.
Of course, it wasn’t that she lacked talent entirely.
In the entertainment industry, debuting without any talent was impossible.
But compared to her mother’s brilliance, she felt lacking.
"It’s amazing, but..."
Remarks that felt like someone was layering her mother’s shadow over her own.
Once, such comments would have wounded her pride, but now she was used to them.
Still, Seohui knew.
The reactions she received were because she didn’t have the same dazzling brilliance as Seoyeon.
Just as her father said, she hadn’t inherited much of an actress’s talent.
Not her mother’s talent.
Not her light.
"Anyway, Jo Seohui, don’t get cocky. I’ll widen the gap again next time."
"Huh? I wasn’t even trying to compete."
"Then why are you smiling so smugly?"
At Jiyeon’s sharp remark, Seohui crossed her arms.
Winning felt good, after all.
"Being a VTuber or an actress...
Even if I’m lacking now, someday I’ll achieve my goals.
As for my insufficient talent... I’ll just keep telling myself it’ll happen eventually."
Feeling great after delivering a sharp comeback to Jiyeon, Seohui headed to the filming set with a bright smile.
There weren’t many scenes to shoot today, and since she’d be filming with Seoyeon, she planned to finish quickly and suggest going shopping together.
"Acting with Seoyeon really feels like it helps me improve."
Among her peers, there weren’t any actors who could match her performance.
But Seoyeon didn’t just match her—she elevated her acting potential to new heights.
"Like that time when we were doing that physical confrontation scene."
That day, Seohui had been more immersed than ever in her role.
She believed it was because Seoyeon had fully embodied "Yuina," which allowed her to completely inhabit "Michiko."
They called it "method acting."
It had always felt far removed from Seohui’s reality, but now she finally understood what it meant.
Getting completely absorbed in a character was a new and slightly unsettling experience for her.
"Hey, after we finish today, let’s go shopping... What’s wrong?"
As she spoke cheerfully, Seohui couldn’t help but notice Seoyeon’s strange reaction.
"Oh, it’s nothing," Seoyeon replied.
But her expression looked just like a guilty puppy’s.
It was the same face Jiyeon had described as the one Seoyeon made whenever she felt she’d done something wrong.
+++++
"Should I just start speaking casually now?"
Seoyeon was deep in thought.
Wasn’t this what people called a “Tallulah” moment?
Now that she knew about Jo Seohui’s past, she couldn’t help but wonder if she had wronged her.
"But she’s the one who called me a nepotism case first..."
Even as she tried to rationalize it, she couldn’t deny that she had dragged it out for too long.
Jo Seohui had already apologized for it a while ago.
Of course, Seoyeon had treated it as a joke, but knowing the backstory now made her feel conflicted.
"At that time, Seohui had only recently lost her mother."
More specifically, Jo Seohui’s acting career had started after her mother, Baek Seoran, passed away.
In other words, she began acting after her mother’s death.
Seoyeon couldn’t imagine what state of mind Seohui must have been in when she started her career.
If it had been her past self, who didn’t understand emotions well, she might not have thought much of it.
But now that she had gained so much, Seoyeon found it hard to fathom.
If something were to happen to her own mother, Sua...
Seoyeon wasn’t particularly weak mentally.
However, she wasn’t sure how she’d handle losing the precious things she had only recently come to cherish.
She had only recently started to fully understand what it meant to “like” something.
"Even though she started acting in that situation, there’s never been any mention of support from NewLike Group."
When it came to "child actress Jo Seohui," there was no connection to NewLike Group or Baek Seoran in the narrative.
In other words, she had started from scratch with nothing but her name.
From her perspective, it made sense that Seoyeon, who had been brought in at the director’s recommendation, might have been a sore sight.
Calling her a nepotism case wasn’t surprising, given those circumstances.
"Her mental resilience is incredible."
Looking at Jo Seohui now, standing so composed, Seoyeon found herself awestruck.
Even as a child, when they first met, and now as an adult, there wasn’t a hint of shadow on her face.
"She even said she was the first to find her mother..."
To be the one who first discovered her mother’s body after such an extreme decision—it could have been a lifelong trauma.
The fact that Seohui appeared so unshaken was extraordinary.
For someone like Seoyeon, who had fainted over a VTuber’s red pill, Seohui’s mental fortitude was almost terrifying.
Granted, aside from VTubers and scary things, Seoyeon considered herself pretty tough.
She wasn’t one to claim she felt no fear anymore.
Quite the opposite.
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"I’m super bad with horror. Ugh."
That was the kind of person she was.
Still, she rarely wavered in the face of most challenges.
But this seemed to go beyond the realm of "most challenges."
Anyway, it made sense why Jo Seokhwan had confidently told Seoyeon and Jiyeon about these things.
He must have known Seohui would handle it without issue, even if they brought it up.
What kind of trust was that?
"Seoyeon, want to go shopping? We’ll finish filming quickly today. Should we invite Jiyeon too?"
"...Yeah, okay."
After a moment of hesitation, Seoyeon agreed.
And then—
"...Was that casual speech?"
Hearing Seoyeon’s reply, which lacked the usual formalities, Jo Seohui unconsciously blurted out the question.
Then she immediately covered her mouth with both hands.
No, her tone made it sound odd.
"Casual speech?" As if to say, Are you speaking casually to me?
Seohui quickly shook her head, as if to indicate that wasn’t her intent.
"...I’ll stick to formalities after all."
"No, no, no, it’s fine! You can totally speak casually! But why? What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?"
"..."
Even if Seohui asked why, how was Seoyeon supposed to answer?
What was she supposed to say? I read an article recently, and it feels awkward to speak casually now?
"I shouldn’t have tried speaking casually. I’ll just stick to what I’m used to."
For now, she decided to observe and stick with formal speech.
If a better opportunity arose, she could switch to casual speech then...
"Isn’t this what they call digging your own grave?"
Seoyeon reflected.
From now on, she resolved to be more open-minded and treat others with greater understanding.
And then, a few days later...
『Hi? You must be Ju Seoyeon. Your eyes looked redder in the video. Are those lenses? What a peculiar taste.』
That was before she met an audacious little fairy.