NoveLight ™
This was a post that appeared on a certain online community. At first, most people dismissed it as nonsense, but the photos and short video clips taken from outside a window quickly caught people’s attention.
The video wasn’t long—barely ten seconds.
There was a man, presumed to be actor Kim Daeheon, and a smaller figure. What caught people's attention was the smaller figure.
It seemed like the person in the raincoat was being chased by Kim Daeheon. What stood out was the incredible speed.
Especially in the first ten seconds of the video, the figure in the raincoat suddenly vanished.
People started commenting, joking that the scene looked like it had been fast-forwarded. The absurdity of the scene led to more and more comments.
The post ended with a comment questioning the legality of sharing the footage, after which the post was deleted. But the real buzz started afterward.
“Seoyeon.”
Hearing Director Bae Jin-hwan suddenly call her name, Seoyeon blinked in surprise.
‘Did I do something wrong again?’
Lately, Seoyeon had been called out by the director quite a bit, usually to be scolded. But it wasn’t just Seoyeon; other actors were getting the same treatment.
In fact, Seoyeon had only been scolded when it came to physically demanding scenes. After all, she hadn’t had many filming sessions yet.
“Do you use online communities?”
“Excuse me?”
Seoyeon was momentarily at a loss for words. How was she supposed to answer that?
‘I do, though…’
Actually, she should have said, “Of course.” She often browsed VTuber communities for information, posted, and commented. She was quite active, to be honest.
And not just VTuber communities—Seoyeon had her hands in various online communities. After all…
‘A proper VTuber must be well-versed in memes.’
Seoyeon’s VTuber philosophy was making a rare appearance. These days, trends and memes changed rapidly. Even if you weren’t deeply immersed in online communities, you had to keep an eye on them to understand the current trends. Otherwise, you’d be out of touch within a year.
“I don’t use them often.”
“Right? You don’t seem like someone who’d spend time on the internet.”
“...”
But there’s a certain image that actors have to maintain. Seoyeon smiled awkwardly at Director Bae Jin-hwan’s comment.
“Yesterday, someone posted pictures and videos of our filming on a movie community.”
“What?”
Can they do that? Well, they can, but…
“It was taken down quickly, but it’s still a bit of an issue.”
“Did something happen?”
“Take a look at this.”
Seoyeon looked at the screen of the iPad that Director Bae handed her. The screen showed a community site. Seoyeon recognized it immediately, and for a moment, she nearly flinched.
“These videos are going around as shorts now.”
The video showed the chase scene between Seoyeon and actor Kim Daeheon. Specifically, it was from the first take of the chase scene, where Seoyeon suddenly disappeared.
“This clip has become a meme and is spreading around as a joke. It’s not just on one site either.”
“...Really?”
“Well, it’s just an NG take, so it’s fine.”
He looked at Seoyeon thoughtfully. Her large eyes blinked innocently. It was clear that she was a born entertainer.
Even a single scene like this could create buzz.
“People are starting to wonder who the person in the yellow raincoat is.”
A person in a raincoat. But I’m a woman.
“...”
As Seoyeon thought about it, she felt a bit uneasy. Why did she so naturally think of herself as a woman? She shook her head as if to clear her thoughts.
“So, what should we do?”
Seoyeon didn’t think Director Bae Jin-hwan would bring this up without a reason. When she asked why he mentioned it…
“We shouldn’t do anything.”
He smiled mischievously.
“Especially you, Seoyeon. Don’t tell anyone who you really are.”
“Huh?”
“This has already become a topic of conversation. It’s perfect to use as a promotional tool.”
The buzz was still growing, but if they kept feeding the rumor mill, it would spread quickly.
In communities, a hot topic is like a wildfire. Once it catches the right momentum, it can spread like flames.
The production team of The Chaser planned to use this to their advantage.
“People know you’re in the movie, but they don’t know what role you’re playing, right?”
“Yes, but there have been some mentions in the news…”
“Let’s keep it as secret as possible. Because of your image, no one would ever guess you’re playing a killer. And since nothing has been officially confirmed in the news, we can downplay it.”
In a thriller like this, the question of “Who is the killer?” is crucial. Seoyeon’s image was that of the innocent Princess Yeonhwa—a symbol of purity and grace.
The reveal that Seoyeon is the killer would have a much greater impact. That was the production team’s opinion, and Director Bae agreed.
“So… should I go along with the promotion?”
“Of course. But we’ll try to keep your role hidden as much as possible.”
It would be a problem if Seoyeon didn’t participate in promotions despite being in the movie.
“We’ll say you’re playing a part-time worker at a convenience store.”
“What?”
“And it seems like the script might be revised. The screenwriter came up with some ideas to make the reveal even more impactful.”
The script revisions weren’t because of the online buzz. The changes were meant to heighten the reveal of the killer’s identity, but the overall story wouldn’t change.
“A part-time worker at a convenience store, huh?”
Would people really fall for that?
‘Now that I think about it, my career has been mostly as Princess Yeonhwa.’
It was a reasonable cover role, after all. They might use it to market her as part of the cast, making people think she’s the love interest with a connection to the detective.
“So, make sure not to tell anyone.”
“Not anyone?”
“Well, people who already know can’t be helped, but make sure they also keep it a secret.”
Seoyeon nodded. So far, only her family and Lee Ji-yeon knew she was playing a villain in the movie. She should contact them later today to remind them to keep quiet.
“Let’s give it our best in today’s shoot.”
“Yes, thank you.”
As Seoyeon bowed politely, Director Bae Jin-hwan smiled with satisfaction. She was an actor with the right attitude. Despite her early fame, there wasn’t a hint of arrogance in her.
‘…Though we’ll have to see how long this will last.’
Director Bae thought to himself that this movie would be the turning point that completely changed Seoyeon’s life.
[The person you are trying to reach is not available. Please leave a message after the tone.]
“...”
I had tried calling several times, but all I got was the dial tone. Frustrated, I tossed my phone aside and leaned back in my chair.
“Why aren’t they answering?”
I needed to talk to them about this.
I crossed my arms and started thinking. Most of my concerns were about my performance in the upcoming scenes. The physical scenes, like the chase, weren’t a problem.
The issue was the character of Cha Seo-ah herself.
‘A character who shares my past illness.’
Cha Seo-ah had been abused by her parents, just like I had. It was understandable that she had become twisted and broken. When people see something that resembles humanity but isn’t quite human, they often feel discomfort.
Past versions of myself and Cha Seo-ah were both on the borderline of that discomfort. We looked human, but we didn’t possess human emotions.
She was similar to a psychopath or sociopath, but also different. They lacked emotions, but Cha Seo-ah and I had them all. We just didn’t know how to use or understand them.
So, my understanding of the character was almost perfect.
Except for one thing.
‘The motive for the crimes.’
I could empathize with the broken emotions of Cha Seo-ah, but one part troubled me.
Cha Seo-ah committed her first murder out of jealousy, after seeing people who were happy in a way she couldn’t be.
‘Jealousy.’
Yes, jealousy. Ordinary people, unlike herself, who displayed happiness she couldn’t tolerate. That was what drove her to commit her first murder.
But I had never felt jealousy.
At least, not yet.
So, I couldn’t fully empathize with that aspect of her character.
The script described how Cha Seo-ah felt “as if a knife was piercing her heart” when she was overcome by jealousy.
‘Jealousy, jealousy…’
I tilted my head, deep in thought.
I could imitate it, of course. Jealousy was an easy emotion to observe. I understood why people felt it, but I had never experienced it myself.
Even if I asked my mom or dad…
“Seoyeon, you’re too generous. You always give up what you like so easily and don’t have many desires. That’s why you don’t feel jealousy.”
Mom would say that and then hug me tightly.
“Hmm, maybe you just live without thinking too much,” Dad would say.
I really wanted to punch him.
“Mom’s right.”
So, I was too generous.
Maybe it was because of my past life that I was born with such a wide heart. It was troublesome.
What if I couldn’t understand jealousy?
As I was pondering this…
Buzz, buzz!
“Huh?”
My phone vibrated. Curious, I checked the notification.
[Ramiel has uploaded 2 new videos.]
I blinked in disbelief at the screen. What on earth is this?
‘Is this real?’
Could it be someone with a similar name?
I was suddenly afraid to check.
What if it wasn’t the Ramiel I knew, but someone else? What if it wasn’t a VTuber, but just a regular YouTuber?
These thoughts swirled in my mind, but…
“…I should still check.”
I closed my eyes tightly and clicked on the new video. Then, I slowly opened one eye.
And…
“Hello, I’m the new VTuber, Ramiel!”
A cheerful voice.
Blonde hair, wings on her back.
She had the appearance of an angel, but her species was a harpy.
The voice in my ear was unmistakably the same as the one I knew.
“Her modeling…”
How much money did they spend on this?
I recalled the previous corporate model of Ramiel. It was good, but this was on another level. It was rare for an individual to debut with such high-quality assets.
“Her facial expressions are incredible.”
How expensive was her equipment?
I was baffled by how this was all prepared. Did Jiyeon really do this on her own?
It wasn’t just about having money; you also needed the know-how.
I watched Ramiel’s first video with a mix of awe and confusion. It seemed to be a simple promotional video, announcing when the first stream would be.
‘An unusual approach.’
I thought as I clicked on the second video.
“Let me introduce my friend!”
Ramiel’s bright voice filled the room.
A friend?
I wondered as a new character appeared next to Ramiel.
“This is my dear friend who brought me here from the nest where I was just sleeping.”
Ramiel hugged the new character—a blue-haired female mage—tightly.
I realized that this mage VTuber must be the person who helped Ramiel get her videos online.
“...Who is this?”
The blue-haired mage and Ramiel seemed very close. Was it normal to collaborate in the second video already?
“Hey, don’t tease me.”
The mage teased Ramiel, who responded playfully.
“Who the heck are you?!”
Anger surged within me, one of the rare moments in my life where I expressed such intense emotion.
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