For a moment, Park Jung-woo doubted his own ears. It was only natural to be confused. Who in the world would mention their own birthday on the day itself, just moments before parting ways?

"What?"

Jung-woo dumbfoundedly asked again, unable to think of anything else to say. He wasn't the only one caught off guard. The cameraman, who had been filming them, and even Producer Shin Young-woo, were equally bewildered.

"Excuse me? Your birthday?"

"Yes, it's my birthday today. Well then, I'll be off now. Thank you, everyone, for your hard work."

Seoyeon bowed deeply, almost folding herself in half. While it was common to part ways with a polite bow, especially in a setting like this, her sudden announcement added an unexpected twist.

"No, no, no! Wait, wait a minute!"

"Hold on just a second!"

"?"

Seoyeon tilted her head in confusion at the sudden protest from the cast.

Though they were initially taken aback by her sudden revelation, the group didn’t keep her long. They quickly bought a small cake and had her blow out the candles.

Jung-woo, for some reason, seemed restless, pacing around with a dissatisfied expression, but he didn’t say much.

"Oh my, dear, what’s with all the gifts?"

When Seoyeon returned home, her mother, Soo-ah, who was wearing an apron, looked at her with wide eyes.

"They gave them to me when I said I was heading home."

"Is that so?"

Her mother seemed surprised by the number of gifts Seoyeon had received. Why not? After all, she could receive gifts too.

It’s just that I might come across a bit differently at school…

Even so, Seoyeon considered herself to be someone well-liked by her superiors in social situations.

Oh, I forgot to check how the video turned out.

Unlike drama shoots, she hadn’t had a chance to check the footage during the variety show. She had planned to do so once everything was wrapped up but had forgotten in the end.

Oh well, it’ll air soon enough anyway.

Variety shows tend to air quickly, so it would likely be in next week’s or the following week’s episode.

"Seoyeon! Come blow out the candles!"

Her mother’s voice called out from the other room. Usually, Seoyeon spent her birthdays with her family.

It wasn’t because she lacked friends or because Lee Ji-yeon had other commitments. No, it had always been this way, purely by choice.

"Our little girl is finally seventeen."

With a look of deep emotion, Soo-ah lit the candles. The flickering flames caught Seoyeon’s eye. The four members of her family sat together at the square dining table, a familiar yet ever-refreshing sight for her.

She suddenly remembered something she had seen in Daejeon not long ago.

A woman walking hand-in-hand with a little girl.

There were no traces of “her” there. Seoyeon knew this already, having confirmed it once before.

Because I was reborn.

There couldn’t be two versions of “me” in this world. She didn’t know why, but it was probably something like that.

She had only seen the woman holding the little girl’s hand once.

"Seoyeon?"

Her mother looked at her with a puzzled expression. The cake now illuminated the darkened table.

"…"

The loss of the past. Perhaps this was how Cha Seo-ah felt when she looked at others. Seoyeon had been avoiding this feeling, but now the pain struck her more deeply. However…

"It’s nothing."

She shook her head and blew out the candles with all her might.

Amidst the applause of her family, she closed her eyes as the last candle flickered out.

She reminded herself that the past her and Ju Seoyeon were different, that the person she was thinking of was now a stranger, unrelated to her current life. There was no reason for that existence to affect her now.

But…

She opened her eyes and smiled warmly at those looking at her.

Someday…

Even if it wasn’t for The Chaser, she hoped that someday they would come to see one of the movies she starred in. It was a small wish, but that was all.

Anyway, today wasn’t just about her birthday. There was something else just as important.

Ramiel’s first broadcast!

For some reason, Ramiel’s first stream had been scheduled for today.

[Ju Seoyeon, happy birthday.]

Seoyeon checked Lee Ji-yeon’s KakaoTalk message, which she had sent right at midnight along with a gift. Naturally, there was no mention of Ramiel. The message was no different from any of the hundreds of others she had received over the past ten years.

"Hmm."

Seoyeon looked at the message for a moment before turning on her computer. She had even replaced her speakers to properly enjoy Ramiel’s stream today.

I wonder if that magician will appear too.

It seemed unlikely that they would show up in the very first stream. Still, the thought made her a bit anxious. She couldn’t even ask about it since it would be like taking the red pill—a truth she couldn’t undo. And she couldn’t exactly meddle in Lee Ji-yeon’s personal life.

Suppressing the words bubbling up inside her, Seoyeon waited for the first stream to begin.

Of course, it was no surprise that there were hardly any viewers.

Thirty people. No, considering it was a debut stream, having thirty viewers was an impressive number. Seoyeon had expected to be the only one watching.

[Ramiel is live streaming.]

As soon as the notification rang on her phone, Ramiel’s first stream began.

"Hello."

The first thing Seoyeon heard was a clear, bright voice. It was the voice Lee Ji-yeon often used with her, the same tone she was so familiar with from her past life.

A voice that was light but calm.

No magician in sight.

Seoyeon breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the stream. If that magician had appeared, she would have gone straight to the voice acting academy to confront them.

"I’m Ramiel. My race is… a harpy."

With the mention of "harpy," the chat started to pick up. From the original thirty, five more viewers had joined, bringing the total to thirty-five. It wasn’t corporate-level attendance, but it was still a decent turnout.

"Huh? Oh, you thought I was an angel? Well, the reason I’m a harpy… well, I’m not sure."

The vague answer continued as Ramiel introduced herself and explained her backstory. It was a bit awkward, as expected for a first stream, and she gave a brief introduction to the character of Ramiel.

Why she was a harpy, her backstory—it was all in line with what Seoyeon remembered from her past life. Ramiel was a character who couldn’t sing, a harpy who left her home out of curiosity about the human world.

That’s how it was supposed to be.

"I once found a notebook. It must have somehow made its way to me from the human world."

Ramiel spoke, introducing the notebook into her backstory.

"This outfit I’m wearing is based on a sketch from that notebook."

But the narrative that followed was different from what Seoyeon remembered. The inability to sing wasn’t mentioned. The notebook—a new element—had been added.

And that notebook…

"Ju Seoyeon."

Elementary school.

When Lee Ji-yeon, who had just become her classmate, saw the notes she had been doodling on during class, she said:

"Why are you scribbling so much?"

"…"

Scribbling? It wasn’t scribbling. It was writing down memories of her past life.

My memories…

She could clearly recall videos, web novels, and comics from her past life whenever she wanted. They came to her mind as vividly as if she were re-watching them. She could even recall related articles and news.

But when it came to VTubers…

That was something she could only remember on her own. As time passed, even if she tried to remember, the memories became less vivid, gradually fading away.

That’s just how human memory works.

At first, she didn’t realize this because the memories had been so clear. But over time, she began to notice the difference. The memories grew dimmer. What had remained vivid were only the things she had liked so much.

So, sometimes, she would jot down her memories in a notebook. Notes about Ramiel’s character, her clothes, her personality—things like that.

There wasn’t any grand reason for it. Seoyeon didn’t particularly care about her past life. She just didn’t want to forget something she had liked.

"…Hmm."

When she didn’t respond, Lee Ji-yeon looked at her notes and said:

"Wait, she’s not an angel but a harpy? What’s a harpy?"

"…?"

"I’m just curious about what you were working so hard on."

Lee Ji-yeon had been intrigued by the drawings, wondering what had caught Seoyeon’s attention.

Ramiel’s concept is a bit like a fairy tale, after all.

Seoyeon casually explained Ramiel’s story. At that time, she didn’t know that Lee Ji-yeon would eventually become Ramiel, so she hadn’t thought much of it.

In fact, she had forgotten about it until now.

"I came into the world to find the owner of that notebook."

Ramiel spoke with a smile.

"This outfit is a signpost. A way to find the owner of the notebook—a friend."

I watched the stream in silence, feeling a strange stirring in my chest. It was the same deep emotion I had felt earlier while blowing out the candles with my family.

"I came out into the world today because it’s my friend’s birthday. Huh? You think that’s not enough to find my friend?"

Ramiel covered her mouth and laughed elegantly. Her mannerisms were purely Ramiel, not Lee Ji-yeon.

"No."

Ramiel was resolute.

"My friend, the owner of the notebook, is quite persistent. They’ll find me soon enough. Maybe they’re even watching me right now."

Ramiel glanced at the chat before smiling sweetly.

"Happy birthday."

As Ramiel winked at the camera, I felt myself losing consciousness.

"Wow, the PV turned out fantastic!"

Producer Cha Dong-jin watched the video repeatedly, clearly impressed. The remaining scenes were nearly all wrapped up, and the production was moving quickly.

Considering how quickly everything had come together since filming began, it was astonishing. Even the GH Group was pleased with the rapid progress.

"We’ve kept Cha Seo-ah mostly hidden in the PV."

"Yes, that’s the best approach."

Although the face of the convenience store worker was briefly shown, it didn’t overlap with the scenes of the killer running in the rain.

Wearing a raincoat that obscured her gender, and with the chase scene being so intense, the killer appeared more masculine.

"This wasn’t a body double, was it?"

Team Leader Kim from the PR department asked, and Cha Dong-jin shook his head.

"No, Ju Seoyeon did all of this herself."

"Wow, I’d heard about it, but to see it… she’s really something. She runs incredibly well…"

Cha Dong-jin gave an awkward smile at Kim’s comment.

If they knew this was a reshoot, they’d probably faint.

She was too fast. Even if he told them the truth, they probably wouldn’t believe it.

"The PV goes live this evening, right?"

"Yes. It will be in theaters four months from now."

"That’s fast."

"Since there’s no need for CG, the post-production work will finish quickly. We’ll focus on promoting it until then."

It was indeed a satisfying situation. It wasn’t often that everything came together so smoothly after filming.

"There are going to be a lot of actors getting attention from this movie. Especially…"

They trailed off without naming names, but both were likely thinking of the same person.

Ju Seoyeon, who played the role of the killer, Cha Seo-ah. She was poised to become the breakout star of The Chaser.

The return of a young, shining star.