Seventeen imagines

The Start of Something Real

Kim Mingyu wasn't exactly famous. In fact, he was far from it. His vlogs, which he'd started a year ago, barely reached over a hundred views. Most of the time, he was talking to an empty camera, walking around the city trying to capture moments that he thought were interesting but ultimately left his viewers uninterested. He wasn't bad at what he did; he just didn't know what he wanted yet. Maybe that's why his audience wasn't growing—he wasn't being real with himself.

On the other side of the world, Y/N was a struggling actress. Auditions, rejections, endless waiting, and bills that never seemed to stop piling up. She'd been in the game for a few years now, and while she had the talent, she couldn't seem to break through. The roles she did get were either background characters or small TV ads that nobody remembered. Her dreams of becoming the next big star felt like they were slipping through her fingers.

It was a rainy Wednesday afternoon when their worlds collided.

Mingyu had set out on a mission to film a new vlog. He had no clear idea of what he wanted to talk about, but he was determined to put something together. He found himself wandering around the quiet streets of the city, the sound of his boots slapping against the wet pavement, his camera capturing the dull, overcast sky.

Y/N, on the other hand, was huddled under a small awning outside a café, looking at the back of her script. She had an audition in an hour, and her nerves were getting the best of her. The rain had started, making it impossible to concentrate, so she had retreated to the corner, hoping the cozy atmosphere would help her calm down.

As fate would have it, Mingyu stumbled across her just as he was passing by. His camera was pointed at the ground when he looked up and saw her—her eyes focused on the script in her hand, but her posture hunched with a sort of weariness that mirrored his own.

He didn't mean to, but he started filming her anyway. It was instinctive, almost like a reflex.

Y/N, noticing the camera, looked up with a slight frown. "Hey, are you filming me?"

Mingyu froze, his face flushing a little. "Oh! Uh, sorry, I wasn't trying to invade your space. It's just... you looked like you were deep in thought, and I thought... well, I'm trying to capture moments for my vlog. I promise I wasn't—"

"No, it's fine," Y/N cut him off with a small smile. "I just didn't expect to be filmed in public."

Mingyu chuckled nervously, lowering the camera. "I get it. I'm... not exactly famous, don't worry. I'm just trying to figure out what I'm doing with this whole vlogging thing."

Her smile widened, recognizing the honesty in his voice. "I'm not famous either," she replied, tilting her head. "I'm an actress. Struggling, really. You know, auditions, rejections... that kind of thing."

That caught Mingyu's attention. "Wait, you're an actress? Like, for real?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.

Y/N nodded, tucking a strand of wet hair behind her ear. "Yeah. It's hard, though. There's a lot of competition, and sometimes I feel like I'm just... invisible."

Mingyu's heart went out to her. He'd always admired actors, the way they could immerse themselves in different worlds. But it wasn't just the glamour of the job that appealed to him; it was the dedication and passion that came with it. "That sounds rough. But hey, I get it. I'm kind of... in the same boat. Vlogging isn't as glamorous as people think. It's just me and a camera, hoping people will find me interesting."

Y/N raised an eyebrow. "So, you're kind of... like me, huh? Trying to make it in an oversaturated world?"

"Yeah, exactly," Mingyu said, surprised at how easy it was to connect with her. "We're both just trying to find something that works, I guess."

There was a brief silence before she spoke again, her voice quieter now. "Maybe... maybe we could help each other out."

Mingyu blinked, not sure if he heard her right. "Help each other out? How?"

"Well," Y/N started, biting her lip, "you could help me with my vlogs. Show people the real me, you know? Maybe the journey of an actress trying to make it would be interesting. And maybe I can help you with your content. I know how to tell a story, make it compelling. We could... team up."

Mingyu's face lit up. "Wait, you'd really want to do that? You're serious?"

"Yeah," she said with a soft laugh. "I mean, what's the worst that could happen? I'm stuck in a rut, and you're just starting out. Maybe we can inspire each other, and who knows? Maybe we'll get noticed together."

Her words sparked something in him, a sense of possibility that he hadn't felt in a while. Maybe this was the change he needed.

"Alright," Mingyu said, grinning widely. "Let's do it. I'm in."

From that day on, the two of them started filming together. They documented her auditions, her struggles, and the behind-the-scenes moments that no one ever saw. Mingyu, in turn, shared his own journey—how he was figuring out his purpose, trying to grow his vlogging career, and what it meant to truly connect with people.

They didn't know where this partnership would lead, but they didn't need to. It wasn't about the fame or the views—it was about the realness between them. As they traveled this journey side by side, they discovered more about themselves than they had ever thought possible.

In the process, their audience began to grow. And maybe, just maybe, the journey they took together was exactly what they both needed to find their place in the world.