Chapter 80 : The protagonist is

The protagonist is

“The Better Life” truly became an explosive success.

Before it aired, there were reviews saying, “It seems like a well-made emotional drama,” but when the first episode aired, people’s reactions went beyond just “praise” to something closer to “shock.”

The first scene of the drama was intense.

The moment when Song Yeon-woo, who had lost her memory, wakes up in the hospital.

The white bed sheet, the sunlight coming through the window, and her somewhat vacant gaze.

Just that one scene made the viewers already emotionally invest in her.

Then, in the scene where her husband Jeong Jun-seok comes to visit her, the first climax erupted.

He knows her, but she doesn’t know him.

The emotions arising from that gap were so vivid.

In this scene, Kang Suhyun’s acting was truly “explosive.”

Her gaze, the trembling of her fingertips, the small action of swallowing her breath—she looked as if she really had lost her memory.

At that moment, viewers were certain.

“This is not just a drama.”

“This is acting in its purest form.”

At first, it was a silent explosion.

In the first week of airing, the drama on a cable channel recorded higher-than-expected ratings, and as it started to gain word-of-mouth, its popularity exploded day by day.

On social media, the title “The Better Life” was trending constantly, and in various community and article comment sections, reactions like “This drama is insane” flooded in.

• Is this kind of narrative even possible in Korean dramas?
• The storytelling is insane, the direction is great… but what about the actors’ acting?
• The cast is all in. But who is that rookie actor?

The key to the word-of-mouth success was, without a doubt, the actors’ performances.

Especially the emotional lines shown by the male lead, Jeong Jun-seok, played by Do Han, and the female lead, Song Yeon-woo, played by Kang Suhyun, provided overwhelming immersion from the beginning.

A wife who has lost her memory, and a husband who loves her.

However, even the viewers themselves were confused, because the emotions she was feeling were not just simple romance.

Confusion, fear, rejection, and… slowly blossoming emotions.

Kang Suhyun expressed those subtle emotional changes with just one gaze and breath.

“…Yeon-woo.”

“It’s okay if you don’t remember.”

When he reached out his hand, and she flinched and stepped back, in that moment, when Song Yeon-woo’s pupils trembled on screen, every viewer held their breath.

And—

• Who is this actor?
• Can this kind of acting really be possible?
• Kang Suhyun? Is she really a rookie?

Her name spread instantly.

Kang Suhyun.

A rookie actor.

Her debut work was this drama.

An actor with no prior experience.

Yet, she completely overwhelmed all viewers in an instant.

It didn’t take long for her name to spread widely.

Everyone spoke in unison.

“This is Kang Suhyun’s work.”

And, someone who seemed to be living a glamorous and beautiful life, Suhyun is now…

“Nooo!!! Why is this falling?!!!”

-ᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏ

・You useless piece of trash, ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha

• Why is this falling? Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha

She was suffering while playing a famous company’s open-world RPG, “Golden Ring.”

A game known for its gorgeous graphics, deep story, and extreme difficulty.

While streaming the game, Yuki was currently in a state of complete mental collapse.

“No, seriously… it says I need to jump here and go there, right? So why am I falling when I jump?!!!”

She grabbed the keyboard and screamed.

Her character soared through the air and beautifully plummeted.

And on the screen, the familiar red text appeared.

YOU DIED.

“…Ha.”

She let out a deep sigh.

Then, after a moment of silence,

“Ugh!!!!!!”

She screamed again.

The chatroom was already exploding.

• Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
• Yuki, how many times has it been today?
• She’s so pitiful but funny. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha

“No, seriously. No, it said to jump there and go, but I’m not going!”

She glared at the cliff on the screen.

A section where she had to jump from the end of a narrow bridge.

“This time, I’ll succeed.”

She sat upright in her chair, placing her fingers firmly on the keyboard.

And—

Poof!

Jump.

Fall.

YOU DIED.

“…I’ll just go a different way.”

She quietly removed her hands from the keyboard.

The chatroom exploded again.

Noo-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha

In the end, she gave up. Ha-ha-ha-ha

Yuki, why did you even jump in the first place? Ha-ha-ha-ha

But this was just the beginning.

The next boss fight.

A giant, terrifying knight boss clad in massive armor appeared.

You could feel its strength just by looking at its eyes.

But Yuki was confident.

“Alright, alright. This can definitely be cleared if I just read the patterns. So, stay calm…”

The boss swung its sword.

“Uh?”

Yuki’s character died instantly.

YOU DIED.

• Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
• Yuki… what did you just do?
• You just died?
• Calmly dying. Ha-ha-ha-ha

“No, no, wait. Something’s weird. Can it really die in one hit like this?”

A powerful boss that appears in the early part of the game.

Normally, you have to avoid and attack slowly—but Yuki just charged straight at the boss.

She tightly gripped the mouse.

“This time, I’ll do it properly.”

And the battle began again.

This time, she fought step by step while reading the patterns.

Avoiding attacks, counterattacking, avoiding again.

She got halfway through the boss’s health!

“Alright, we made it this far. Just one more time—”

The boss charged.

YOU DIED.

She lowered her head.

And then…

“Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!”

She leaned back in her chair and screamed.

The chat exploded again.

• LOOOOOOL
• Even her getting mad is funny now
• Didn’t she say ‘just one more round’? Why is she still playing?

But she didn’t give up.

“…This is really making me lose my mind.”

Kang Suhyun, or rather, Yuki, adjusted her headphones with one hand and glared at the monitor.

Her screams from just moments ago had vanished without a trace, replaced by sharp, focused eyes.

For viewers familiar with Yuki’s streams, this was a well-known moment.

• The moment she really starts concentrating.

The chat sensed the shift and reacted quickly.

• Oh?
• Yuki, are you actually serious now?
• This is the scariest part, LOL

But Yuki didn’t respond.

On the screen, the powerful boss swung its sword and charged at her again.

This time was different.

Without a single unnecessary movement, she rolled backward.

Whoosh—!

The boss’s attack sliced through empty air.

Dodge successful.

Immediately, she counterattacked.

BAM!

• ??? Is this real?
• What was that reaction speed?!
• Is this really the usual Yuki?

The chat buzzed with excitement.

Yuki usually played as if she didn’t care, but when she got serious, her skills were unbelievable.

She had been fumbling through the game since the beginning, but now, she was completely different.

The Yuki who had died 30 times in agony was gone without a trace.

She read the patterns, dodged, countered—

The boss’s health bar was depleting fast.

“This… I just have to dodge and hit, right?”

Yuki smirked and mumbled quietly.

The chat went wild.

• Wait, you’re just realizing that NOW? LOL
• ??? Was all that screaming just an act?
• Is she actually a different person?
• “Just dodge and hit,” she says, LOL

She dodged another boss charge with frame-perfect precision.

The blade narrowly missed her, and she struck back.

BAM!

Boss HP: 30%

BAM!

20%

“Alright, we’re this close.”

Yuki carefully moved her fingers, eyes locked onto the monitor.

Now, the final phase.

The boss entered a berserk mode, attacking faster and more aggressively.

But she didn’t get hit.

Precisely, flawlessly—

She read every pattern, dodged, and countered.

BAM!

Boss HP: 5%

“It’s over.”

Yuki clenched her keyboard tightly.

Just one more hit to finish it.

At that moment, the boss roared and raised its sword high.

And then—

Flash.

The screen lit up.

BAAAAAANG!!!

A massive, explosive attack shot straight at her character.

The chat reacted instantly.

• Oh no, if she gets hit, she’s dead.
• Stay calm, Yuki!
• The perfect dodge window is here, please!

But Yuki remained silent.

And then—

Whoosh!

At the last moment, her character took a single step to the side.

That one step decided everything.

The blade crashed into the ground, kicking up dust.

And in that instant—

BAM!

Yuki’s character landed the final blow.

The boss’s health hit 0.

[BOSS DEFEATED]

Silence.

Watching the boss collapse on screen, Yuki slowly leaned back.

And then—

“Ha~~~ahhhh!!!”

She stretched her arms wide and took off her headset.

“I seriously can’t believe I didn’t beat this in one go. Even I find it ridiculous.”

The chat exploded.

• Wait, what about all that suffering just now? LOL
• “Didn’t beat it in one go”??? Girl, you died 30 times!
• She really has a split personality, huh?

Yuki chuckled while looking at the monitor.

“See, everyone? Games are all about focus. If you concentrate, you win.”

• THEN WHY DIDN’T YOU JUST FOCUS FROM THE START?! LOL
• She struggled for 30 rounds and then suddenly transformed, this is hilarious
• She just seems like someone destined to suffer in games

She crossed her arms and smirked.

“Well, in the end, results are what matter. I won, didn’t I?”

Then, she got up from her seat.

“Alright, that’s it for today’s stream. I’m off to bask in the glory of victory~”

Click.

The stream ended.

“Whew…”

Today’s dopamine refill: 100% complete.

Kang Suhyun—no, Yuki—sank deep into her chair, relishing the joy of victory.

The lingering thrill at her fingertips.

The electrifying rush that ran through her body when she landed the final hit.

This feeling is why she plays games.

This feeling is why she’s a VTuber.

And this feeling is why—

“It’s time to start preparing for that.”

She looked at her monitor and grinned.

The 3D live concert.

Less than a month remained.

“Let’s make it an unforgettable, legendary stage.”

Suhyun smiled brightly.