Chapter 276: Chapter 276

The third Saturday of January.

It was also the day the final episode of God and the Goblin aired.

Yet Da-yeon was going about her day as usual.

A meeting at her agency in the morning for a new ad deal.

A regular Hida stream in the afternoon.

And as always, she watched God and the Goblin that evening.

『Where... did you go...? Mister...』

‘Ah, that was the day I took a break ‘cause my throat was shot.’

To Da-yeon, God and the Goblin wasn’t just a hit show—it held deeper meaning.

No matter what, because Ha-eun was in it, she’d watched it from the first episode to the last.

It was a kind of habit for her.

Ever since the first time she met Ha-eun, she had always followed every project Ha-eun appeared in.

Back then, it was because she wanted to make Ha-eun’s unique acting style her own.

Now, she just wanted to see her friend as an actress on screen.

『...I missed you....』

‘Come to think of it, has Lee Ha-eun ever cried before? She only ever cries when acting, right...?’

She no longer felt that sense of urgency to imitate Ha-eun’s acting.

She watched the TV like any regular viewer—just observing Ha-eun’s facial expressions, lines, gestures.

Of course, she never told Ha-eun any of this directly.

But since pretty much every project Ha-eun did was entertaining, God and the Goblin had been no exception.

There was no grand reason behind it.

『I missed you, missed you... so much...』

“...So it’s a happy ending this time.”

That was her only impression, even after finishing the final episode of God and the Goblin.

Meanwhile, Nael, her fellow streamer, was full-on sobbing in front of nearly 8,000 viewers.

Anyway, after reading the closing line—Thank you for loving God and the Goblin until now—she watched the short epilogue that followed, purely out of habit.

『Today is the first script reading for God and the Goblin. Inside that room now are the actors─』

The camera showed the moment from last summer, when the script reading took place.

Short comments from actors like Ha-eun and Kang Sun-woo aired next.

She kept watching the epilogue without any particular reason.

Until halfway through the epilogue—

『Hey now, you’re not the scary unnie, are you─☆. Don’t cry with that pretty face~.』

『Ah, sorry, my niece started crying. Just a moment.』

Da-yeon blinked, doubting her own ears.

What she’d heard was Diah’s voice—not Ha-eun’s.

She didn’t even know if she had imagined it or actually heard it—her face went blank for a moment.

But less than 30 minutes later, a call came in.

[ S-sorry, Da-yeon. I called because Ha-eun isn’t picking up her phone. ]

Ji Hye-min’s voice began explaining what was going on.

A situation on the scale of a major scandal—Da-yeon was left speechless.

It was more or less confirmed now:

Communities, social media, even the live chats of currently broadcasting streamers—

Everything was flooded with talk about Ha-eun and Diah.

[ All the reactions are positive so far, but what we’re worried about isn’t that side... ]

Everything Ji Hye-min explained made Da-yeon feel more and more alarmed.

Her face hardened completely when the topic shifted to the general public.

[ You can’t even clarify something . We can’t hold a press conference to explain what a VTuber is. ]

[ Just hearing the words ‘internet streamer’ will make people prejudge her. Ha-eun’s gonna be bombarded with cruel comments. ]

To be fair, Ji Hye-min and LUX hadn’t gone in without preparation.

But right now, things were noisy.

Drama in online communities spreads like wildfire—and this particular scandal would spread to every corner, without a doubt.

So she asked Da-yeon a favor.

Right now, the person suffering the most must be Ha-eun. So she, as her friend, should help her.

They’d be in touch again once the situation was stabilized.

[ I’m only saying this just in case—but this isn’t Ha-eun’s fault, okay? Please... don’t be upset with her. ]

The call with Ji Hye-min ended.

The moment it did, all the strength left her body.

What the hell was she supposed to do?

She’d never been through anything . She couldn’t be sure of anything.

Even though she knew Ha-eun probably had no one else right now.

Should she try calling her?

No—Ji Hye-min had just said Ha-eun wasn’t answering.

Then maybe she should call her manager?

Yeah, if she called her manager, she’d—

[ The number you have dialed is not available─ ]

“...What am I supposed to do then...”

The mechanical voice from her phone made her head drop.

She’d once promised herself to be a friend Ha-eun could rely on,

but when the time came, why was she this powerless?

It’s not like she could just barge into Ha-eun’s house in the middle of the night.

Well, technically she could, but what would happen after that?

‘What would I even say to her parents...’

Her parents probably didn’t even know about Diah.

This entire situation was so absurd, how would they even explain it?

Would they understand that all this started from a voice that came out for two seconds in a drama epilogue?

She had to do something for Ha-eun. That much was certain.

But she had no idea what that something was.

And there weren’t any adults she could go to for help either.

“Seriously... what the hell am I supposed to do...”

And then, tears started falling, drop by drop.

She had known Ha-eun for so long.

She knew how irreplaceably happy Diah was to her.

She knew better than anyone how much Ha-eun cherished her time streaming as Diah.

And yet... that «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» precious thing...

was now being misunderstood and turned into something to criticize.

The thought of Ha-eun being hurt made her throat close up.

If it were Da-yeon in Ha-eun’s shoes, what would Ha-eun have done?

She wouldn’t be crying helplessly like Da-yeon was now.

She’d definitely have done something—anything she possibly could.

Actually, something had happened before, back in middle school.

And back then, Ha-eun had done everything she could for Da-yeon.

The reason she still carried a sense of debt toward Ha-eun even now was because of that moment.

“...It’s okay, Da-yeon. Right now, it’s just you and me. You can yell, cry, whine—all of it.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Back then, just being there for her had been enough.

Just listening had given her so much strength.

Yeah. No need to worry about anyone else.

Just the two of them... that was enough.

Da-yeon’s eyes flashed as she recalled those old memories.

Whether it was help or comfort or reassurance—

everything she could offer Ha-eun came from her own experience.

“Screw school, I’m skipping.”

“You hate skipping school, Lee Ha-eun...”

“Not anymore. You’re more important right now.”

She remembered how Ha-eun had once been her greatest support.

And with that, she booted up her computer, got everything ready, and made all her preparations.

“I’m going on a trip with Lee Ha-eun.”

“...Huh? Out of nowhere?”

She started copying from the very beginning.

“Oh? Oh my, Da-yeon.”

Showing up early in the morning.

“It’s better to leave Korea until things settle down a little. You’ll need time to sort out your thoughts too.”

“Ha-eun didn’t do anything wrong, so don’t worry too much. I’ll stay by her side the whole time.”

Convincing the adults.

“Lee Ha-eun, pack your things. Now.”

“...Why am I packing?”

“We’re going into hiding. To the Maldives.”

“...Did a war break out?”

“Something like that.”

Going somewhere far away, just the two of them.

[ Ladies and gentlemen, our flight will soon– ]

“Just hold it. That’s all.”

Holding her hand the whole time.

“Where are you going?”

“Over there. That little pool.”

“Let’s go together. I brought my swimsuit too.”

“Your swimsuit... um...”

“...It doesn’t suit me?”

“No, it’s pretty. It’s really pretty, but... it’s bolder than I thought.”

“So what. It’s just the two of us here anyway.”

Not leaving her alone for even a moment.

“Snorkeling, fishing, boat ride. What do you want to do first?”

“We can go... fishing?”

“Yeah. They rent out fishing rods too.”

“...What if I catch a shark?”

“Don’t worry. You’ll win.”

“...What do you think I am...”

Letting her do whatever she wants.

“Wow... this whole thing is the buffet?”

“They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so eat whatever you want. You can order extras too, just check the menu.”

“Hey, Da-yeon. That cocktail bar over there?”

“...If you want to go, we’ll go together later. Don’t go alone and end up drunk by yourself.”

“Nothing bad will happen. Sure, things might get a little noisy when you stream again....”

A luxury resort in the Maldives.

A king-size bed with a soft lavender scent.

A beautiful night sky just beyond the window.

In a place with scenery and facilities better than most hotels, Da-yeon sat facing Ha-eun.

And just like what Ha-eun had done for her a long time ago—

in a voice without even the slightest tremble:

“Seriously, it’s going to be okay. You don’t need to worry too much. Everything will calm down in a few days.”

She comforted Ha-eun.

Her hand was still tightly holding Ha-eun’s.

Even so, perhaps still not at ease, she reached over and gently patted Ha-eun’s back.

From beginning to end, it was everything that Ha-eun had once done for Da-yeon.

Or maybe because Ha-eun hadn’t expected Da-yeon to go this far.

“Say everything you want to say. Right now, it’s just you and me.”

Those words, telling her to let it all out, stirred something.

It wasn’t like the usual late-night venting.

“Just throw it all off. No one’s going to say anything. And if they do, I won’t let it slide.”

Da-yeon’s hands, still wrapped around Ha-eun’s.

Her firm resolve and a faint trace of desperation visible in her expression.

It was serious, and it was kind.

Those words—just throw it all off—sounded unbelievably warm.

Honestly, she hadn’t been all that worried about the noise around celebrity Lee Ha-eun.

It’s not like she committed a crime or anything.

If people ended up loving Diah even more because of this, that would be a good thing.

She didn’t care what people who didn’t know anything said about her.

But... if the people who had loved her turned away—

The ones who had loved actress Lee Ha-eun.

The ones who had loved singer Lee Ha-eun.

That... that honestly scared her.

“...What am I supposed to do?”

She spoke with a broken voice.

She hadn’t meant to deceive anyone.

She’d only... wanted to be loved.

They were people who had given meaning to a life she hadn’t cared much about.

People who had genuinely liked her without any ulterior motive.

“I-I’m just... so scared...”

What if they misunderstood her and hated her?

What if they dismissed every moment as fake?

Even though she’d done her best, whether acting or singing...

“...Was it... just selfishness...?”

Her voice, trembling for a while now, collapsed like a sandcastle.

Her head slowly bowed.

A silence heavy beyond reason filled the room.

Her shoulders quivering, exposing all the emotions she’d kept deep inside.

“I’m a fan. Lee Ha-eun.”

A voice shattered the hellish silence, and it sounded so... kind.

“Could I get your autograph?”

She lifted her blurry gaze.

And met the smiling face of her friend.

“This makes year thirteen. Since I became your fan, I mean. And I still haven’t gotten your autograph...”

Even though it was a face she’d seen a thousand times before—

in that one moment, it felt unbelievably warm.

So warm, it felt like just looking at her would burn.