The long trip to Japan had finally come to an end.

    To be honest, Seoyeon was more than satisfied.

    She was so content that she thought she wouldn''t need to visit again for a while, and she''d bought plenty of stuff to boot.

    Now, all that was left was to go home and decorate her place with the merchandise she''d collected.

    Just the thought of putting up posters and organizing her purchases was enough to make her feel giddy.

    "Doesn’t Ramiel sell any merch?"

    The thought suddenly crossed Seoyeon''s mind.

    However, knowing Lee Jiyeon’s personality, it didn’t seem like something she’d be inclined to do.

    "This is why she should’ve joined a corporate group," she mused.

    In her previous life, Ramiel had been a highly successful corporate VTuber.

    Naturally, that meant a lot of merch had been released back then.

    But at the time, Seoyeon didn’t really understand the appeal of buying merchandise, so she hadn’t made any purchases.

    In hindsight, it was a true shame.

    Now that she had the money, fate had shifted, and she was in a cruel position where she couldn’t buy any of it...

    "No, I guess it’s not that cruel."

    From Jiyeon’s perspective, staying a VTuber as a hobby while focusing on her original dream of becoming an actress was probably a better outcome.

    Thinking of it that way, sacrificing Ramiel’s merchandise was a small price to pay.

    "...I’ll just make it myself later."

    Anyway, she had brought back plenty of materials for it.

    She hadn’t planned on it at first, but walking around Akihabara had sparked her interest in that kind of stuff.

    “Seoyeon, are you ready for tomorrow’s variety show appearance?”

    “What?”

    Wasn’t that supposed to be the haunted inn segment they filmed?

    That’s what she thought, but apparently, that wasn’t the case.

    “The one you were originally scheduled for is an interview show, remember?”

    “...”

    The haunted inn bit had been nothing more than a hidden-camera prank the broadcasting station set up purely to surprise her.

    In other words, it was separate from the variety show she was actually supposed to appear on.

    As it turned out, the original show wasn’t particularly remarkable.

    It was the type of interview program where various panelists asked her questions about her role in the currently popular drama, Dream Future.

    “To think there’d still be one more thing left to do.”

    And so, with that realization, Seoyeon wrapped up her final variety show appearance and finally returned to Korea for real.

    Up to that point, nothing particularly noteworthy happened.

    There wasn’t an overwhelming crowd waiting for her when she arrived in Korea or anything like that.

    She simply returned home, unpacked, and slept soundly.

    However, while Seoyeon was sleeping peacefully...

    The internet was abuzz with discussions about her.

    Not in Korea, but overseas.

    "What exactly has Ju Seoyeon been up to in Japan?"

    "-? Why?"

    "I’m watching a Japanese drama right now, and Ju Seoyeon is in it."

    "??"

    At first, it wasn’t a big deal.

    A community user had uploaded a clip of Seoyeon’s scene from the drama.

    Since her part was only about a minute long, there was no need for heavy editing.

    "What is this? Seriously?"

    "Is that Ju Seoyeon playing a landmine girl? Whoa."

    "She feels kind of different from usual, though?"

    The red eyes, the sly smile.

    The subtle, flirtatious movements—everything about her was unlike the usual Seoyeon.

    Most of all, her appearance perfectly suited the “landmine girl” aesthetic.

    "Well, Ju Seoyeon was always kind of a landmine herself."

    "Yeah, I mean, she does explode when you step on her, so it fits."

    Such jokes floated around, but Seoyeon’s one-minute appearance was far too impactful for an extra.

    Even with other actors in the scene, it was as if she was the only one who existed.

    Her black hair, pale skin, and striking red eyes perfectly captured the essence of the archetype.

    "Who is this actress?"

    "-? Don’t you know Ju Seoyeon?"

    "Nope, never heard of her."

    Reply: "Really? I’m not the only one then."

    484: "Super cute, lol. It’s like her face was born to be a landmine girl."Reply: "Honestly, I don’t know how to feel about that, lol."

    503: "Landmine girls are surprisingly dependent on appearance. But this doesn’t feel awkward or like cosplay at all."

    506: "Her eyes aren’t even contacts—they’re real, lol."Reply: "Red eyes? For real?"Reply: "Apparently, they’re natural. Normally brown but turn red in certain situations."Reply: "What the heck? Is she some kind of superhuman?"

    508: "Saw Soyeon-chan in Japan and became a total fan."

    612: "Honestly, her appearance is peak Japanese style—big chest and all."

    619: "I heard her mom is a total beauty with huge assets, too."

    622: "What? For real?""- ? True, good point."

    "- Landmine Seoyeon is kinda cute, though. She’s my top pick."

    "- It’s been a while since Seoyeon made my heart flutter."

    "- Honestly, Ju Seoyeon’s face is top-tier. She’s insanely pretty, even if her personality isn’t."

    "- What are you talking about? Have you seen her bouncing around on variety shows? She’s adorable."

    "- Wear the same outfit in Korea too!"

    "- Lol, she’d never do it. Remember when she played Hara? Lol."

    "- But is it even possible to get this much attention from just one minute of screen time? It’s messing with my head."

    "- There’s even a case of someone blowing up from just 10 seconds on screen."

    "- Plus, Ju Seoyeon was in a legendary prank show just a few days ago. That’s why so many people are interested.""Japanese Actress Devastated by Ju Seoyeon’s Acting Skills—‘I’m Quitting Acting After Seeing Soyeon-san.’""[Breaking News] Green Light for World Cup—Ju Seoyeon Joins Korea’s Soccer Team? Japanese Ministry of Defense Responds: ‘Follow International Law.’""Japanese Actress Becomes Korean Citizen After Seeing Ju Seoyeon—‘I’m Moving to Korea.’""- An underground fighting ring."

    Seoyeon blinked in confusion.

    A sensation?

    She couldn’t think of any reason why.

    After all, she hadn’t done much.

    She’d been caught in a hidden-camera prank and appeared as a guest on a variety show.

    Even then, it was just an interview-based program—nothing flashy.

    The hidden-camera prank wasn’t even particularly unique; it was a standard feature that most Korean actors eventually went through.

    The only thing remotely unusual was her one-minute cameo in Director Kakeba’s drama.

    Still, Seoyeon didn’t expect that brief appearance to lead to anything special.

    “Jirai Hime.”

    “What? Did you just swear at me?”

    “...Okay, yeah, that pronunciation is a little rough. My bad.”

    For a second, Seoyeon thought Jiyeon had insulted her, but Jiyeon quickly apologized after realizing the misunderstanding.

    Anyway...

    “They’re calling you the Landmine Princess.”

    “What are you talking about?”

    “You. Japanese fans are calling you the Landmine Princess.”

    Jiyeon showed Seoyeon the trending topics in Japan.

    Apparently, the term “landmine girl” was commonly used in Japan as Jirai Onna or sometimes Pien Onna.

    That’s why Seoyeon, who had gone viral, was now being referred to as Jirai Hime or Pien Hime.

    “What the heck is that.”

    Why did they have to add “Princess”?

    Seoyeon shuddered at the overly cutesy title.

    But in Japan, it wasn’t unusual to attach the word Hime to names.

    Sure enough, in Japan, Seoyeon had officially been dubbed the “Landmine Princess.”

    “Well... in a way, I guess it’s better than being labeled a ghost.”

    She was relieved that her haunted inn prank wasn’t the defining image people associated with her.

    Even so, being called the “Landmine Princess” still left her with mixed feelings.

    She had leaned into the “landmine girl” aesthetic for the role, but hearing herself actually referred to that way felt strange.

    “Oh, and by the way, I heard from Jo Seohui yesterday...”

    “There’s more?”

    “Yeah, I was going to tell you, but you seemed tired yesterday, so I didn’t.”

    For the record, Seoyeon hadn’t been tired at all.

    Her invincible body had never experienced exhaustion.

    She had simply decided to catch up on sleep because she thought it was about time.

    And after waking up, all she’d done was organize the merchandise she brought back from Japan.

    “Apparently, the Japanese side is moving quickly.”

    “What do you mean?”

    “It’s about Gyeongseong Lady.”

    Seoyeon, who had suddenly become a massive sensation in Japan, had sparked a rapid response there.

    Once they learned that her next project was the movie Gyeongseong Lady, offers from various parties started pouring in.

    What’s more, Seoyeon’s role in Gyeongseong Lady was that of a Japanese character.

    Naturally, the Japanese industry saw this as an opportunity they couldn’t pass up.

    “It might not be possible to have a simultaneous release, but... it looks like they’re planning to release it in Japan within six months of its debut.”

    Normally, the Japanese film industry is highly insular.

    Even blockbuster hits from overseas often take a year or two to reach Japanese theaters.

    For a Korean film to release in Japan within six months was practically unheard of.

    This alone demonstrated how much of an impact Seoyeon had made.

    “Is... is it really that big of a deal?”

    Honestly, Seoyeon couldn’t quite grasp it.

    To her, it was just, If this goes well, I’ll have an excuse to visit Japan more often.

    But as events unfolded, it became clear that the buzz was spreading far beyond what she had imagined.

    The anticipation surrounding her next project, Gyeongseong Lady, was skyrocketing.

    “Jo Seohui seems really fired up. She’s been saying how much she’s looking forward to this week’s shoot.”

    “...”

    Oh, right.

    The first shoot for Gyeongseong Lady was scheduled for this week.

    Since production had been delayed repeatedly, Jo Seohui was understandably brimming with enthusiasm.

    With the added buzz surrounding the film, it was truly a golden opportunity.

    From Seoyeon’s perspective, it was a good thing too.

    After all, she still needed to become even more famous before she could tackle her eventual “graduation” project.