In that moment, Park Jung-woo doubted his own ears.
Well, isn’t that obvious?
On the very day of his birthday, who would say something like that right before breaking up?
“What?”
Jung-woo stupidly asked again.
He couldn’t think of anything more to say.
He wasn’t the only one flustered.
PD Shin Young-woo, along with the cameraman shooting them, was equally baffled.
“Excuse me? Your birthday?”
“Yes, it’s my birthday. So, I’ll be going now. Thanks for all your hard work, everyone.”
Bowing halfway, kuuk.
Anyway, the ambiance was such that it felt normal to say goodbye like that.
“No, no, no, wait, wait!!”
“Please wait a moment!”
“?”
Suddenly, Seo-yeon was left tilting her head at the demands of the cast trying to stop her.
*
Although it was puzzling to be held back so suddenly, they didn’t do it for too long.
All they did was buy a small cake and let her blow out the candles once.
For some reason, Jung-woo was fidgeting and wearing a dissatisfied face, but didn’t say anything more.
“Oh my, daughter. What gifts did you receive?”
When she got home, her mom, Suah, was wearing an apron and had wide eyes as she spoke.
“I got it because I mentioned I was going home.”
“Is that so?”
It seemed incredible that she had received so many presents.
Why, can’t I bring back a few gifts?
‘It’s just that I’m a little popular in school.’
Despite appearances, I’m quite loved by my superiors in social life.
‘Ah, speaking of which, I didn’t check how the video was filmed.’
Unlike dramas, there wasn’t any time to check in between for variety shows.
I planned to check once it was all done, but I totally spaced it.
‘It can’t be helped.’
Anyway, variety shows air quickly.
It’s probably this week or next week’s broadcast.
“Seo-yeon! Blow out the candles!!”
Mom’s voice could be heard from outside.
Typically, I spend my birthday with family.
Not because I don’t have friends or that Lee Ji-yeon is busy with something; it’s just how it is.
“Now our daughter is really seventeen.”
Suah lit the candles with a tearful expression.
The flickering lights filled my vision.
The four family members sat neatly at the rectangular table.
It was a scene I saw every year, yet it felt fresh every time to me.
Suddenly, I recalled what I saw not long ago in Daejeon.
A woman holding the hand of a small girl.
There was no trace of ‘me’ in that scene.
In fact, I already knew from an earlier check.
‘Since I was reborn.’
To ensure my existence doesn’t overlap.
I don’t know why, but it must be something like that.
The woman’s face who held the girl’s hand was something I had only seen once.
“Seo-yeon?”
Mom looked at me with a puzzled expression.
Before I knew it, the dark table in front of me revealed the bright cake.
“……”
The loss of the past.
I understood how Cha Seo-ah might have felt watching others.
Having turned away from that pain made it hit even harder.
But.
“No.”
I shook my head.
And I blew out the candles with all my might.
With the sound of applause from my family.
As I watched the last candle flicker out, I closed my eyes.
The past me and Joo Seo-yeon are different.
That person is now a completely unrelated stranger to me.
Of course, that existence will have no effect on me.
‘However.’
As I opened my eyes, I smiled brightly.
Looking at those who were watching me.
‘Someday…’
Even if it’s not [The Chaser],
I hope they come to see the movie I’ll make someday.
That was my small wish.
That’s all it was.
*
Anyway.
What’s important today isn’t just my birthday.
And for good reason.
‘Ramiel’s first broadcast!’
For some unknown reason, Ramiel’s first broadcast was scheduled for today.
“Happy birthday, Joo Seo-yeon.”
As soon as it struck midnight yesterday, I checked the KakaoTalk from Lee Ji-yeon who sent me that message along with a gift.
Of course, there was no mention of Ramiel in it.
It was a message no different from the ones I’d received for over ten years.
“Hmm.”
Seo-yeon stared at it quietly before turning on her computer.
She had also changed the speakers in preparation to watch Ramiel’s broadcast.
‘Is that wizard going to appear as well?’
Still, I didn’t think they’d show up for the first broadcast.
Having that thought made me uneasy.
No, I was also wondering why they even started broadcasting in the first place.
I wanted to ask, but the red pill made it impossible to do so—what sorrow!
Not to mention, I couldn’t say anything about Lee Ji-yeon’s private life.
I calmed the bubbling words and awaited the beginning of the first broadcast.
It’s naturally a given that there were very few waiting.
Thirty people.
No, in the first broadcast,
The fact that thirty people were waiting is genuinely an immensely large number.
Honestly, I thought I would be alone, but thirty showed up.
[Live streaming Ramiel]
As that notification rang on my phone, Ramiel’s first broadcast began.
“Hello.”
The first thing I heard was a refreshing voice.
The same voice Lee Ji-yeon often shared with me,
And it was the same tone I heard in my past life.
Not light, but calm voice.
‘Ah, it’s reassuring that the wizard didn’t show up.’
I exhaled in relief as I watched the video.
If that wizard had appeared today, I would have rushed to the voice acting academy.
“I’m Ramiel. My race is Harpy…”
The mention of ‘Harpy’ made the chat explode.
The thirty people were at exactly five more and had come to a halt.
Since it wasn’t a corporate channel, it was somewhat expected.
“Excuse me? Oh, you thought I was an angel? The reason I’m a harpy is… well.”
That vague response.
As expected of a first broadcast, there was a slight awkwardness, and a brief introduction of the character ‘Ramiel’ was provided.
Why she was a harpy,
What kind of setting she had, something light was shared.
Everything was the same as I knew of Ramiel from my past life.
The character of Ramiel, who was designed as a harpy who couldn’t sing.
A character who came out into the human world out of curiosity.
That’s how it should have been.
“Once, I saw a note. It probably flowed into the human world.”
Ramiel said.
The character of Ramiel. Her story about RP.
“That note had stories about the world of humans written on it. This outfit, this clothing was drawn in a friend’s note.”
However, the following words from Ramiel differed from the settings I knew.
There was no mention of her inability to sing either.
The note.
A setting added that hadn’t existed in my past life.
And that note was.
“Joo Seo-yeon.”
In elementary school.
Lee Ji-yeon, who had become my classmate, said while looking at the notes I sketched during class.
“What kind of doodles are you making?”
“……”
Doodles, huh?
I hadn’t made doodles per se.
It was more like writings about my past life.
‘My memories.’
All the videos I had seen, accompanied by various web novels and manga from the past.
I could recall those vividly if I tried.
Like a ‘rerun.’
I could summon those memories any time, and related articles and news would pop up in my mind, but.
‘As for the Vtubers.’
That was something I could solely remember.
As time passed, even if I tried to remember like before, it started to grow dim.
It became progressively blurry.
That’s how human memory works, naturally.
Of course, I didn’t realize it at first.
Since it was as vivid as other memories.
But as time went on, I felt the difference.
Little by little, I sensed it fading away.
What I’d recalled clearly up until now was only because I loved those memories.
So, sometimes I jotted down my memories in that notebook.
Settings about Ramiel.
Such as her clothing and personality.
There wasn’t really a great reason for it.
Honestly, I didn’t care much about my past self.
But forgetting something I liked felt wrong.
“……Huh.”
When I didn’t say anything,
Lee Ji-yeon looked at my notebook and said,
“Isn’t she an angel but a harpy? What’s a harpy?”
“……?”
“What are you so diligently writing about? I’m curious.”
Lee Ji-yeon said that.
Being a child, I thought she must have been interested in the drawings I made.
‘Ramiel’s settings do have a fairy tale-like feel.’
I nonchalantly shared the story about Ramiel.
At that moment, I didn’t even know that Lee Ji-yeon was the same person as Ramiel, so I had no particular thoughts.
In fact, I had completely forgotten about it until now.
“The owner of the notebook went out into the world.
to find you.”
Ramiel said and smiled.
“This outfit is a marker for finding the owner of the note, the friend.”
I quietly watched her speak in her calm voice.
A strange feeling surged within me.
The deep stirrings I felt when I blew out the candles with my family earlier.
“Today I came out into the world because it was my friend’s birthday. Didn’t you know? Oh, you think that’s not enough to locate a friend?”
Ramiel elegantly covered her mouth and laughed.
That picture of her was not Lee Ji-yeon, but rather the very essence of Ramiel.
“No.”
Ramiel asserted.
“Perhaps, my friend… um, the owner of the note has quite a persistent personality. They’ll find me soon. Or maybe, they might be watching me right now.”
As Ramiel said that, she glanced briefly at the chatbox before smiling brightly.
“Happy birthday.”
As Ramiel winked and said those words,
I completely lost my mind.
*
“Wow, the PV came out spectacularly!”
Producer Cha Dong-jin said, watching the video multiple times.
The remaining filming seemed to be nearing completion.
Considering the date shooting began, it had ended almost instantaneously.
GH Group seemed pleased with the speedy progress.
“We’ve hidden Cha Seo-ah as much as possible in the PV.”
“Yeah, this is just right.”
They had briefly shown the face of the convenience store part-timer.
However, that didn’t overlap with the killer running in the rain.
The raincoat made it difficult to ascertain the gender, and from just looking at the chase scene in the rain, it gave a rather masculine impression.
“This is a stand-in, right?”
Team Leader Kim from the promotional team asked, and Cha Dong-jin shook his head.
“No, it’s all filmed by actress Joo Seo-yeon.”
“Wow, I heard the stories, but it’s true? She runs this well…”
At Team Leader Kim’s words, Cha Dong-jin awkwardly smiled.
‘If they knew this was all reshot, they’d probably faint.’
Even that was too fast.
Honestly, even if he said so, he probably wouldn’t believe it.
“The PV is going public tonight?”
“Yes, that’s right. It will hit theaters four months from now.”
“That’s fast.”
“Since there’s no need for CG, the work will be quick. Until then, I’m planning to focus on promotions.”
That was indeed a satisfying remark.
It was rare for things to flow so smoothly after the movie shoot.
“A lot of actors will be spotlighted in this movie. Especially….”
The two said that, without bothering to mention who exactly it was.
However, it was likely that the same person popped into both of their minds.
The murderer Cha Seo-ah, played by Joo Seo-yeon.
She would probably be the rising star who stirs a storm in this [The Chaser].
The returning spark of childhood starlight.
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