Chapter 281: Chapter 281

[Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] - Eun-hye unni

[Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] - Could you do me a favor?

[Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] - 🦦👀

The message from Ha-eun had arrived a few days ago.

Reading a message from someone who had recently been shaking up Korea in more ways than one... it had genuinely caught her off guard.

Part of it was because Ha-eun had never really asked her for anything before.

But as a fellow member of Illusionary Realm—

And as an unni who was close to Ha-eun, a personal favor wasn’t hard to accept.

[Kim Eun-hye (Ria)] - What kind of favor?

[Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] - Well...

[Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] - I was wondering if you could draw an illustration of Diah.

[Kim Eun-hye (Ria)] - 👌

[Kim Eun-hye (Ria)] - Can you explain what kind of illustration you need?

And that’s how Kim Eun-hye ended up currently working on an illustration of Diah for Ha-eun.

She had been a little taken aback after hearing the reason Ha-eun needed it.

“Hmm... Would something be okay...?”

Since Kim Eun-hye had worked as a webtoon artist before becoming the VTuber Ria, drawing didn’t feel foreign to her at all.

In fact, Ria’s main streams were all art-based, showcasing her exceptional drawing skills.

Time passed and passed.

And just as the illustration of Diah that Ha-eun requested was nearly finished—

The alert for Ria’s regular broadcast time rang in her ears.

So, after sending Ha-eun what she’d done so far to ask for confirmation, she powered on her streaming computer and began preparing for her show.

And the moment everything was ready, the regular stream began.

Ri-a makes her entrance

Are we doing Pixel Painter again today??

Captain Ri, welcome back

The viewers who had been waiting for the regular stream welcomed Ria.

Compared to how chaotic things had been just a few days ago, the atmosphere was clearly calmer now.

As the chat window returned to a pace that felt familiar to her, Ria let out a small sigh of relief without realizing it.

It felt like things were finally returning to normal after days of ongoing effort.

“So for today~ let’s start by finishing up the Bleach story~.”

That Bleach game’s not even that fun though

Let’s purge all the Bleach-haters, yeah?

Shatter Kyōka Suigetsu shatter Kyōka Suigetsu shatter Kyōka Suigetsu shatter Kyōka Suigetsu shatter Kyōka Suigetsu shatter Kyōka Suigetsu (This user has been banned: spamming)

Getsuga Tensho let’s go~~

From that point on, she carried out the stream in her usual tone and energy.

Unlike the past few days, which had been chaotic due to the Diah-related uproar—things were finally calming down.

However, after about two hours of gameplay—

She decided to take a short break and browsed new posts on Illusionary Realm’s official forum.

“Alright, let’s see what to start with...”

[ Today’s news about Lee Ha-eun ]

That name must never be spoken

Diah/controversy (This user has been banned)

That’s hilarious lololol

Why are you the only ones who know

She ended up clicking on a post she hadn’t originally intended to.

Unsurprisingly, the chat began to stir.

The sudden thump in her chest—was that just her imagination?

‘W-What happened...?’

As far as Ria and the other members of Illusionary Realm were concerned, “Lee Ha-eun” was just a celebrity.

The internal rule was to treat any news about Ha-eun like any other news about a celebrity.

A thousand possible scenarios flashed through her mind at the mention of Ha-eun being in the news.

But for now, she had to act like nothing was wrong.

That’s why she didn’t even play the video and clicked on another post at lightning speed.

“Oh, Ria fan art! They drew this so beautifully~. It’s a little... revealing, but okay.”

Why aren’t you watching the news

Historical erasure level stuff

Are you embarrassed about Lee Ha-eun? Are you embarrassed about Lee Ha-eun? Are you embarrassed about Lee Ha-eun? Are you embarrassed about Lee Ha-eun? Are you embarrassed about Lee Ha-eun? Are you embarrassed about Lee Ha-eun? Are you embarrassed about Lee Ha-eun? (This user has been banned)

Gotta say something bad now

Still, she was curious about what had actually happened.

So as soon as the stream ended, she looked up the news that Ha-eun had supposedly appeared in.

A shot of Ha-eun racing through the airport while holding Da-yeon in her arms.

“A mysterious woman runs through the airport, embracing another woman. According to press confirmation...”

“Her agency, Luna Entertainment, stated that Lee Ha-eun feared the chaos that might unfold at the airport...”

“In contrast to other celebrities who caused disturbances at airports, Ha-eun received praise from netizens...”

First shock—how many people had shown up just to see Ha-eun and Da-yeon.

Second shock—that she had the guts to run with Da-yeon in her arms through such a massive crowd.

Third shock—despite carrying Da-yeon, she was still faster than most people.

Yep, not just anyone can be a celebrity.

They must really be close, her and Da-yeon.

That was the only thought in her head: how amazing.

Ha-eun’s confirmation about the Diah illustration arrived after all that.

[Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] - It’s so pretty!

[Kim Eun-hye (Ria)] - Anything I should fix?

[Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] - Nothing!

[Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] - Unni, you draw so well

Kim Eun-hye let out a tiny chuckle at the totally different tone from what she’d just seen in the news.

The fact that she was messaging the very person who was on the news—it felt strange all over again.

“Looks like she’s okay. Thank goodness.”

Turning her tablet back on, Kim Eun-hye resumed the final touches on the Diah illustration.

Since it was going to be used in Diah’s comeback stream, she needed to finish it as soon as possible.

“Wow... you really took a lot of footage.”

Luna Entertainment Headquarters.

More specifically, Ha-eun’s private room.

“Do you think the subscribers will like it?”

“Of course they will. It’s rare to have a body like that at your age in a bikini, Ha-eun... ...Ahem. Yes. Everyone’s going to love it.”

Ha-eun was currently discussing the vlog she filmed in the Maldives with PD Lee Da-hye.

One way or another, the trip had been perfect for turning into content.

The nurse shark experience video she had posted on Instagram before had already racked up an insane number of views.

According to what Ha-eun had heard, all kinds of Shorts channels had already taken her footage and reposted it.

It was proof that her Maldives trip had caught a lot of attention.

“Mmm, there are a lot of scenes where I’m just relaxing, though. Wouldn’t it be boring?”

“Even if it seems boring now, it’ll be fun once it’s edited. Don’t worry.”

With Lee Ha-eun’s channel having recently surpassed two million subscribers, she planned to upload the Maldives vlog as her next video.

The scenes of Ha-eun and Da-yeon enjoying the Maldives were visually compelling all on their °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° own.

There was just so much footage that the editing would take a little time.

“Honestly, people will probably go there just because you and Da-yeon went.”

“Yeah. Once the video goes up, the resort you stayed at is going to get flooded with reservation requests.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

After they wrapped up the discussion on producing Ha-eun’s Maldives vlog,

PD Lee Da-hye started talking about the videos she hoped Ha-eun could shoot next.

“First of all, since you’re graduating next week—we’ll start with filming Naerae Arts High’s graduation ceremony.”

“And then... I’d like to do a review video of The Man Next Door. You’re officially an adult now, after all.”

Up to that point, Ha-eun had been listening attentively to PD Lee Da-hye, the professional, without any objections.

But right after that—

“Would you consider watching it with Da-yeon?”

“Huh? Watching what...?”

“I’m talking about The Man Next Door. You’re both actresses, and you’re close, too.”

The suggestion of watching The Man Next Door together with Da-yeon gave her pause.

And with good reason—Ha-eun and Da-yeon had once competed for the role of Kim Ji-ah in that very movie.

I am kind of curious about what she thought of it...

It had originally been a film Da-yeon was supposed to shoot.

But after a competition between the two, the role ultimately went to Ha-eun.

Of course, that had been over ten years ago now.

Still, watching The Man Next Door with Da-yeon would feel almost like... tea-bagging her.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Ha-eun decided to say she’d at least ask.

She really wasn’t sure whether Da-yeon would even want to watch the film she lost out on.

But that concern turned out to be completely unfounded.

“Of course I’m watching it.”

“Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting for this day?”

Da-yeon was very enthusiastic about watching The Man Next Door.

More than Ha-eun, who actually starred in the film.

“I’m going to see how good you really were. Frame by frame.”

The fire that flared up in Da-yeon’s eyes in that moment definitely wasn’t Ha-eun’s imagination.

“You’re watching it with me. No question.”

And just like that, with Da-yeon’s fiery insistence, the The Man Next Door review video was added to the filming schedule.

After that, Ha-eun cautiously brought up a recent proposal she’d received from Ji Hye-min.

“Um, a few days from now... there’s going to be the final interview for the third generation of Illusionary Realm candidates at the LUX building...”

“Hye-min unni asked if I’d consider attending as one of the interviewers...”

Illusionary Realm 3rd generation candidate, Yoo Do-a, clenched and unclenched her fists, trying to calm her nerves.

The final interview was just minutes away.

Sitting alone in the wide reception room, memories of the journey that had brought her here flashed by like a panorama.

She remembered being overwhelmed by the sky-high competition rate, incomparable to the 1st and 2nd generations.

And how, after somehow making it through the first and second rounds, she’d become even more desperate.

Now, there’s just one thing left...

Recalling all those moments, Yoo Do-a swallowed hard.

Because finally, the time had come.

Creeeak. The reception room door opened, and a LUX employee entered.

When the staff member announced that it was her turn, Do-a stood up and headed for the meeting room where the interviewers were waiting.

Up until that moment, all she could think about was showing the interviewers her true self.

She believed that if she showed them the version of herself who had worked so hard, they’d definitely like her.

But just before she stepped into the meeting room—

Small footsteps came from right beside her.

A voice she’d definitely heard somewhere before.

And in that same moment—she found herself face to face with a celebrity.

To be fair, she already knew.

The skyrocketing competition for Illusionary Realm 3rd gen had largely been because of this person.

A 1st-generation Illusionary Realm member.

Someone who held titles that just didn’t seem to belong together—her sudden appearance left Yoo Do-a speechless.

And when that person walked in with her and sat down in the empty interviewer’s seat, Do-a could barely breathe.

“Do-a, is there a comic or anime that left a big impression on you?”

“I, uh... I really enjoyed Fullmetal Alchemist—”