Chapter 274: Chapter 274

So a trip could actually feel rewarding.

That was the very first thought Ha-eun had as she boarded the plane back to Korea.

To Ha-eun, this trip to Japan had been a very different kind of journey.

If all her previous travels had been for rest, this one had been to accomplish something.

‘In the end, I barely did any sightseeing.’

The promotional events for God and the Goblin in Japan.

And the collab stream with Lucid.

The things Ha-eun did in Japan were far from restful.

They required her effort and dedication.

They were things that would help her fulfill her dreams.

Because of that, even across the sea in Japan, her schedule was packed.

But in the end, the results were more than satisfying.

‘I didn’t think I’d actually get the merch, too...’

Not only did she wrap up her first overseas schedule as an actress successfully,

she also pulled off the long-anticipated collab with Lucid.

She even got gifted merch with Lucid’s handwritten signature.

In a word—accomplishment.

It was the first time she’d ever felt that kind of fulfillment from a trip.

And that’s why she didn’t feel sad that the journey was over.

“You worked hard too, unni.”

“What do you mean, I didn’t do anything. I just followed you around the whole time.”

“Well, I mean, yeah, that’s true.”

“...You’re supposed to say no at times like that.”

At Ju Jung-yoon’s sheepish voice, Ha-eun gave a small smile, then turned her gaze to the window.

Outside, clouds drifted by.

Below the white clouds stretched a vast ocean.

Just a few more hours and they’d arrive in Korea.

She’d have to jump right into scheduled activities once they landed, so there wasn’t much time to shake off the travel fatigue.

Aside from the filming for Parasite Family, the rest of her schedule wasn’t too heavy.

“I can’t believe it’s already the wrap-up party... Time really flies.”

Her first schedule in Korea was the wrap-up party for God and the Goblin.

Apparently, they’d booked out an entire upscale barbecue restaurant.

The plan was to have a group dinner while watching the final episode of God and the Goblin together.

The important thing now was—Ha-eun was officially an adult.

She could now accept the drinks passed to her by the director or senior actors.

‘If I come home drunk, I’ll probably get yelled at...’

Of course, she wasn’t planning on guzzling down bottles—just a polite drink or two.

It wasn’t about the alcohol itself, but the act of clinking glasses that mattered.

‘I wonder what the ratings will be.’

Either way, God and the Goblin had been the biggest hit drama recently.

Watching the finale of that massive production alongside co-stars like Kang Sun-woo and Ha Yun-seong—

Ha-eun found herself genuinely looking forward to it.

After the wrap party, there’d be filming for Parasite Family,

then meetings related to commercials she was modeling for.

And she had to review new advertising offers that had come in while she was in Japan.

‘I also need to give a definite answer about that movie dubbing job...’

It was clear that her busy lifestyle would continue even after returning to Korea.

Still, by now, she was used to staying busy.

As always, her plan was to do her best in everything so she’d have no regrets.

Having wrapped up her thoughts on her celebrity life as Lee Ha-eun,

she now let her mind drift to her VTuber side—Diah.

“...I need to show off the merch.”

Ha-eun’s busy schedule didn’t just apply to her life as a celebrity.

She had a ton of things to do as Diah, too.

Off the top of her head—streaming the recap of the Lucid collab.

She planned to show off the merch with Lucid’s signature during the stream,

and casually share the story of how she got to meet Aqua too.

Everyone was probably going to be jealous.

At the same time, they’d probably be happy to see Diah rising even higher.

[ Ladies and gentlemen, our flight will be landing shortly. Please fasten your seatbelts. Thank you. ]

Lost in imagining the Noeulis’ reactions,

Ha-eun was still daydreaming by the time they arrived at Incheon Airport.

She didn’t snap back to reality until Ju Jung-yoon tapped her shoulder with her index finger.

“Your return to Korea hasn’t been announced yet, but just in case—put on your hat. And let’s wrap a scarf too.”

“What about sunglasses?”

“I thought about it, but sunglasses draw even more attention at the airport. Let’s go with glasses instead. I brought your study glasses.”

Once Ha-eun had finished her little disguise,

they carefully slipped out of the airport to avoid causing a stir if anyone recognized her.

It was two hours later when Ha-eun finally arrived home.

–Beep, beep, beep, beep.

“Ha-eun, you’re back?”

–Thump thump thump thump.

“Mmm, Seol-ah. Noona missed you too.”

As Baekseol ran up wagging her tail, Ha-eun gently patted her head.

The first thing she did was start organizing the Lucid merch from her luggage.

After that, she unpacked all her clothes, then stood quietly looking out the window.

The sky was dyed in soft golden sunset light.

Even the buildings of Seoul were bathed in yellow. Ha-eun slowly reached out her hand.

A quiet world without any words, just watching.

Maybe it was because she could finally feel that she and Diah had climbed to a higher place through this Japan trip.

The events in Japan played in her mind like a panoramic slideshow.

Let’s keep climbing, one step at a time.

Swallowing her quiet resolve for the future, Ha-eun laid down in bed with Baekseol in her arms.

“Seol-ah, let’s sleep together...”

So much had happened these past few days.

For now, she just wanted to sleep deeply.

She didn’t really have any other thoughts.

– Lee Ha-eun: Acting is just a hobby

– A hobbyist actor terminator, LOL

– Wait, did Lee Ha-eun learn judo?? Her throw was super clean

ㄴ That kid’s just innately strong, fr

ㄴ Veterans is basically a documentary

– Kang Sun-woo is hilarious LOL Are he and Lee Ha-eun close?

She hadn’t yet heard that her interview was blowing up on social media and community forums.

She also didn’t know that another thread about her was currently going viral.

– Lee Ha-eun <<< why is Diah in her recommended videos?

It all started with one post.

Uploaded late in the evening, the post included a clip from Ha-eun’s Instagram Live and a screenshot taken mid-broadcast.

“Mm-mm. Hello. I’m on my way home after filming God and the Goblin. I think it’s been a while since I did a live—”

It was the off-work livestream Ha-eun had done to promote her new YouTube channel.

Strictly speaking, a few weeks had already passed since then.

“I made a YouTube channel today. I’m planning to upload vlogs and stuff—”

During the stream, when Ha-eun showed her phone screen to promote her channel,

for the briefest moment, her YouTube homepage was visible—

and that alone was enough to stir things up.

Because in her recommended videos, there were Diah’s thumbnails.

– Screenshot of Lee Ha-eun’s phone from the live.jpg

ㄴ That’s totally a Diah thumbnail??

ㄴ Is this edited? Why would Lee Ha-eun watch a VTuber?

ㄴ She got caught watching Hida during Start Again

ㄴ She even told Song Hyun-min to try watching Hida too, LOL

– Suddenly I feel a deep connection

– Sign the petition! VTubers are the future!

– You can tell by the red bar under the video—she actually watched it

ㄴ She didn’t just watch one, LOL

ㄴ Diah really made it, huh

The community erupted with noise over the clear evidence that Ha-eun was a viewer of Diah.

The image of her phone screen spread across multiple forums.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

To be fair, it was already known that Ha-eun watched VTuber streams.

Back in episode 1 of Start Again, Ha-eun had been shown watching Hida’s stream, which became a hot topic at the time.

The fact that Ha-eun was a viewer of Diah wasn’t all that shocking.

After all, the Hida she had watched was one of the VTubers Diah collaborated with most often.

– Isn’t this Min Da-yeon’s influence? She’s a Diah mega-fan

ㄴ Is Diah a disease now? Harsh much

ㄴ Diah’s charm is contagious, yeah

ㄴ Ugh, the V-bros are out again

ㄴ Somebody bring a lock

ㄴ Her assigned guardian totally failed

– The real Lee Ha-eun watches her own bootleg, whoa

– Someone post this on the Illusionary Realm fan cafe

ㄴ The impersonator needs to apologize on their knees

ㄴ Diah never claimed to be her tho, the fans just ran with it

– Min Da-yeon came out as a Diah fan, and Lee Ha-eun got caught watching Hida? What is happening, LOL

If people assumed she started with Hida’s streams and then naturally found her way to Diah’s, it made sense.

Still, that one moment when Diah pointed at Ha-eun during her “red pill” segment...

That memory made the atmosphere grow just a little tenser.

But even then, it wasn’t all that different from the usual noise.

Just like always, it’d be a hot topic for a few days, then fade away.

Unless someone poured gasoline on it, the fire would burn out on its own.

Time passed, and it was finally the day of the wrap party for God and the Goblin.

Just stepping out of the house, Ha-eun first headed to the makeup shop.

Either way, this was a meaningful occasion.

As the main lead of a major drama like God and the Goblin, she wanted to show up to the wrap party looking a bit more polished.

‘But they’re all actors. I’m sure I’m not the only one getting makeup done.’

After putting a bit more effort into her appearance than usual,

she got into Ju Jung-yoon’s van and headed to the upscale barbecue restaurant where the event would take place.

Not long after, she began running into familiar faces.

From the production staff to Kang Sun-woo and Ha Yun-seong—Ha-eun greeted them all warmly.

“Ha-eun, you look kinda dressed up today, huh? Right, Sunbae Kang?”

“Nah, nah, it’s just been a while since Yun-seong saw you.”

“...She’s definitely wearing makeup.”

A little while later, they entered the already-prepped restaurant.

Director Kwon Jae-hyeop, writer Hong Soo-eun, and the rest of the crew and cast were already seated at their tables.

Soon, Director Kwon’s voice rang out.

“Thank you all for your hard work. It’s thanks to everyone’s shared passion and effort—”

The speech commemorating the end of the God and the Goblin journey echoed through the room.

At the signal from those around her, Ha-eun raised her glass and toasted along.

“Great job, everyone.”

“You too, Ha-eun. Well done.”

Once the glasses clinked and were placed back on the table,

they began watching the final episode of God and the Goblin while enjoying their meal.

“Come on, take a glass too.”

“Wow, never thought I’d get to clink glasses with Ha-eun.”

“Writer-nim is covering everything tonight, so drink as much as you want, Ha-eun. Cheers!”

Surrounded by familiar faces all requesting cheers,

what started as “just one drink should be fine” quickly turned into several rounds.

Before even the first part of the final episode had ended, Ha-eun’s head was spinning.

She couldn’t even tell what was playing on the TV anymore.

“Ha-eun, are you okay?”

“What the—when did you get this drunk?”

“I’m... not drunk... hic... not drunk at all...”

“Here, drink some water. Both hands, hold it like ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) this. Don’t spill.”

“Ahh... th-thank... youuuu...”

“W-wait, Sun-woo, that’s not water, that’s alcohol—”

“...Ugh, why does this water... taste bitter...”

“Misterrrr... why do you have three eyes now...? You really became a goblin, ahaha...”

“Someone please take Ha-eun to wash her face. She’s completely gone.”