Chapter 280: Chapter 280

That thing which Ha-eun had wished for the most in her past life came in many forms—

The love of parents, the love of siblings, the love of friends, the love of a romantic partner, and so on.

It was a deeply diverse kind of emotion.

‘I knew that, but... mm...’

It didn’t just refer to someone’s emotional feelings—there were also visible forms of affection.

For example, physical affection.

Like when her mom, Na-yeon, hugged her—

That, too, was a form of affection.

It was also something that Ha-eun’s past self had subconsciously longed for.

‘T-The sound is way too realistic.’

The sexual intimacy being portrayed in Friended, the film Ha-eun was currently watching, could also be called physical affection in a certain context.

Not that it was something her past self had wanted, necessarily... but still.

Either way, what the actors—who had incredibly good bodies—were acting out on-screen was definitely affection.

Affection that took a very visual, explicit form.

The emotional build-up between the characters resonated with her so much that it made something in her chest tingle.

It was just... a type of scene she wasn’t used to.

‘...I guess things are more open in other countries...’

In her past life, she had never encountered anything .

Even now, living a completely different life, she only understood this sort of thing in theory.

Faced with such raw, explicit scenes for the first time in either of her lives,

Ha-eun’s ears turned red.

Perhaps because it was such an unfamiliar experience, her eyes kept getting drawn to it.

That was probably why Ha-eun became more immersed in the film.

She had a habit of diving deeply into emotions that felt new or unfamiliar.

She understood the dialogue between the characters.

She made sense of the causes and effects that led them to connect emotionally.

She analyzed how sometimes they acted on impulse, and other times built up tension slowly.

Since it was a film that had won the top prize at the Berlin Film Festival, it wasn’t just provocative—

The deeper messages and intent behind the story came through clearly.

In fact, the film’s boldness made the characters’ emotions even more vivid and distinct.

And so, the film ended.

While Ha-eun was still wrapped in the lingering emotions of the final scene—

Da-yeon, her face full of curiosity, asked for Ha-eun’s thoughts.

Ha-eun honestly replied that it was a good movie.

As an actress, Ha-eun saw more than the average viewer did.

The director’s intent within the scenes.

“I get why it won that award.”

It had a tone completely different from a typical commercial film.

Whether she’d ever apply what she’d learned from watching it to her own acting... she didn’t know.

“It w-was good. You picked... a good movie.”

Mumbling a bit, Ha-eun gave it five stars, then pulled the blanket over herself and lay down.

The film itself was great, but she had the feeling that if they kept talking about it, they’d end up discussing those steamy scenes—

and she wasn’t quite ready for that.

Back in her Naerae Arts High days, when her friends had started talking about racy topics during a field trip,

she’d silently retreated to her bed instead of joining in.

She still wasn’t that bold.

“Alright then. Good night.”

The bedroom light flicked off with a soft click.

And before long, as Da-yeon’s gentle breathing reached her ears, Ha-eun slowly drifted off to sleep as well.

Time in the Maldives flowed both slowly and quickly.

Even without a strict schedule, before she knew it, it was lunchtime.

Blink again, and it was evening.

Take a walk with Da-yeon, and suddenly it was night.

A week wasn’t exactly a short time, but it went by far too fast.

Even now, sitting at a cocktail bar with Da-yeon, time was slipping by rapidly.

“What’s with the mojito?”

“If you come to the Maldives, you have to drink mojito.”

“Some famous gangster said so.”

If there was one good thing, it was that Ha-eun had sorted out most of her thoughts and worries.

Now slightly tipsy and chatting with Da-yeon, the things that had felt stuck inside her started to move again.

“Da-yeon, do you know a movie called The Forgotten Child?”

“I actually got offered the lead dubbing role for it. The main female character... Do you think it’s okay?”

“What’s not okay? If you want to do it, then do it.”

She had been torn for quite a while about whether to accept the offer—

But she’d finally made up her mind about most of the casting proposals.

Maybe it was because she no longer had to live in fear of Diah’s red pill being exposed.

Either way, dubbing for a foreign film would only add to her fame.

There was nothing bad about getting recognized in voice acting too.

And it would be a fun surprise for the Noeulis.

“Everyone likes those kinds of movies. Maria unnie really loves that one too.”

“Lee Ha-eun, you’re so busy. Now you’re even doing voice acting? ...How many jobs do you have?”

“You act, you sing, you voice act... All just hobbies, huh?”

She still considered VTubing her main job.

But the difference now was that the line between hobby and job had become extremely blurry.

Just because it was a hobby didn’t mean she took it lightly.

She no longer believed she could just give it up anytime.

“If you’re that busy, what about school?”

“I’ll still go to school diligently... Wait.”

That’s when she finally remembered Yeoryeo University.

Da-yeon’s early admission results had come out a while ago,

but Ha-eun’s regular admissions hadn’t been announced yet.

Her test scores had been said to be in the passing range,

but nothing was certain until the results were out.

When were they supposed to be released again?

Wasn’t it usually at the end of January?

“W-Wait a sec, Da-yeon. I need to check someth—”

“You, Lee Ha-eun, got into Yeoryeo University.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Da-yeon held her phone out in front of Ha-eun’s face.

What appeared on the screen was a familiar conversation thread that Ha-eun quickly recognized.

[Ha-eun’s Mom] – (screenshot of the Yeoryeo University acceptance notice)

[Ha-eun’s Mom] – Ha-eun got into Yeoryeo University

[Ha-eun’s Mom] – Let me know when Ha-eun’s feeling better ^^

Ha-eun blinked a few times in silence.

Then, Da-yeon looked at her with a grin and told her to call her "sunbae."

"Sunbae? What are you talking about?"

"I got accepted a few months earlier than you."

"That’s not... We’re the same class year."

"That doesn’t matter. Don’t you know if someone’s born a day earlier, they’re still the unnie?"

"Then I’m your unnie."

"...Forget I said anything."

Realizing she had tripped over her own logic, Da-yeon quickly retracted it all.

And right after that, another piece of news came to Ha-eun.

"Illusionary Realm is opening recruitment for Gen 3."

"They said they’re striking while the iron’s hot."

With the theory that Diah’s red pill equaled Ha-eun now widely accepted as fact, interest in Illusionary Realm and LUX was spiking day by day.

Streaming numbers and YouTube subscriber counts for the members were also rising significantly.

From LUX’s business standpoint, this whole red pill chaos hadn’t been bad in the slightest.

It was a different story on a personal level for Ha-eun and Diah,

but for the company, it was nothing short of a golden opportunity.

LUX was using the chaos as a springboard to boost Illusionary Realm’s growth.

The recruitment of Gen 3 was part of that plan.

"They’re already getting flooded with applications. All because of you, Lee Ha-eun."

"Let’s be honest, most of them are applying just because of you."

‘...She’s not wrong.’

Was this something to feel good about or not?

Since it helped Illusionary Realm in the end, maybe she should see it as a good thing...

Her feelings were all over the place.

"By the way, about your comeback stream."

"You sure about this? People might get the wrong idea."

"It’s fine. I mean, it’s just a song, after all."

"Still, what kind of comeback stream starts with a breakup song...?"

Da-yeon asked if she was really not going to change her mind.

But in Ha-eun’s view, Diah was still the kind of girl who kept her sense of humor even in situations .

"People are gonna go nuts when the stream ends."

"Still... wouldn’t it be fun?"

In the end, she didn’t change her mind.

Situations —well, they only come once in a lifetime.

If she wanted the Noeulis to see Diah as just Diah,

they needed something a little shocking.

The name "Lee Ha-eun" wasn’t something you could hide behind an announcement or a set of chat rules.

"From now on, I’m just gonna do what I want."

"Well, I mean... if that’s what you want."

You only live once, anyway.

Da-yeon figured it was better to just let Ha-eun do things her way.

And she couldn’t exactly deny it when Ha-eun said this is what Diah would do.

And eventually, they returned to Korea.

"The bodyguards are already in place. Even if cameras start flashing, just walk out."

There were already tons of people waiting for Ha-eun and Da-yeon’s arrival.

The moment they appeared at the airport, it was bound to trigger a crowd.

"If you really hate it, just hide behind me."

"You’re shorter than me."

"...Then don’t hide. I won’t cover you."

As they kept chatting about the incoming crowd, Ha-eun paused right in front of the automatic doors.

Once those doors opened, they’d be face-to-face with a sea of people.

She wore a hat and mask, and their luggage had been checked separately.

Even so, she couldn’t help worrying about the mob.

She’d be fine—but Da-yeon might get hurt.

"Why are you staring like that? Do I have something on my face?"

After making up her mind, Ha-eun muttered vaguely and took a step forward with Da-yeon.

And then, at last, the automatic doors slid open—

And at the same time—

She quickly scooped Da-yeon up in a princess carry.

Then, taking advantage of the moment before the crowd surged, she made a break for it through the airport.

As the two figures disappeared like the wind, the surrounding crowd buzzed with confusion.

Was this a movie shoot?

Did someone just get kidnapped or what?

"Y-You’re crazy, Lee Ha-eun...!"

Da-yeon shouted from her princess-carry position, scolding her like a fairytale heroine.

But Ha-eun just flashed a bright, dazzling smile—

A smile Da-yeon had never seen before, not once since she’d met her.

"We can’t get hurt in a stampede. It’s faster to just get out quickly."

"That’s what bodyguards are for! What kind of celebrity escapes the airport ?!"

"...You insane little gremlin..."

—It looks like Lee Ha-eun’s identity has been exposed

—It’s not in the news yet, but the forums are going crazy

❮...I told her to follow quickly, but this is ridiculous.❯

@Diah_0 • 1.272M subscribers • 311 videos

❮This isn’t fair... You said follow quickly, but you didn’t say it’d be .❯