Chapter 295: Chapter 295

One way or another, One Meal Together lived up to its name—the core of the show was watching famous celebrities prepare and eat a single meal entirely on their own.

Scenes of celebrities washing rice or trimming vegetables in a backyard garden were staples caught on camera.

The heart of the program was that the cast had to handle everything themselves—from procuring the ingredients to cooking them.

That was why Ha-eun, as a guest, was given the mission to fetch eggs from the chicken coop.

“I was thinking of using three eggs for steamed egg custard and the other two for egg soup. Is that okay?”

“Ah, yes... Ha-eun, you can cook whatever dish you’d like. There aren’t really any forbidden recipes...”

Looking at the result, Ha-eun had indeed returned from the chicken coop with eggs, and she was now being filmed cooking egg dishes.

The only twist was that a scene even PD Hwang Jeong-ho had never imagined also got captured.

“Whoa... That hit dead-on, didn’t it?”

“It ran off right away. Must’ve hurt a lot.”

“...Is now the time to worry about the boar?”

At present, PD Hwang Jeong-ho was replaying Ha-eun’s rock-throwing footage with the familiar crew.

Even then, he couldn’t help but think, This clip’s gonna grab attention. Maybe it was just his professional instincts.

One of the staff eventually suggested putting the scene into the teaser—clearly, everyone was thinking the same thing.

Nobody was seriously wondering if it made sense for a just-turned-twenty-year-old actress to chase off a wild boar alone.

Later, still curious, he approached Ha-eun as she cooked and asked what she’d been thinking.

Her reply was brutally simple and clear.

“I just thought breakfast would feel kind of empty without eggs.”

Right on cue, Da-yeon chimed in with a half-joke, half-sigh. “You should’ve just hunted the boar while you were at it.”

And the playful scolding that their breakfast would’ve been too plentiful if she had.

“What if it had gotten mad and charged at you?”

“I would’ve calmed it down.”

“And how exactly were you gonna do that?”

“...She’s really , PD-nim.”

As Da-yeon shook her head, PD Hwang Jeong-ho found himself speechless.

He’d suspected she was a little unusual when she knocked out a massive trout with her bare hands, but he hadn’t realized she was this fearless.

“...Ah, please edit that part out. That joke might not suit my public image.”

That didn’t sound like a joke...

And so, a series of excuses from Ha-eun followed, chalking up the earlier incident as a mere accident.

Only after all of Ha-eun’s dishes were finished did the shoot move on.

The saving grace was that the dishes turned out to be surprisingly tasty.

It was Ha-eun’s first time putting together a proper meal without a meal kit, so she’d been a little nervous.

“Mmm, this egg soup’s great. What did you use for the broth?”

“Oh, I just followed a recipe I found online...”

Either way, after the breakfast prepared by Ha-eun received unexpected praise, they wrapped up the meal and set off for a group boat fishing trip.

Luckily, the weather was great, and filming went smoothly as Seo Jin-tae and Park Beom-jun taught Ha-eun how to fish from a boat.

“Casting is when you throw the line. Just hold the rod with your thumb and flick your wrist to cast it.”

With a sound like a cracking whip, Ha-eun’s line shot out in a straight arc and splashed down far into the sea.

It was quite different from Da-yeon’s, which curved and fell not too far from the boat.

“...Someone’s gonna think she’s throwing a harpoon.”

“They say you get better catches if you cast farther.”

After that, they settled into fishing-mode, waiting for bites as they chatted on the boat.

Fishing, after all, was at least half waiting.

Questions came mostly from PD Hwang Jeong-ho or the regulars, Seo Jin-tae and Park Beom-jun.

They asked Ha-eun, who was new to boat fishing, and Da-yeon, who was on her second try, about their thoughts.

“Is there any specific fish you personally really want to catch?”

“Hmm... red seabream? I heard that’s the rarest.”

“Oh, so Da-yeon wants red seabream. And Ha-eun?”

“If you catch a whale, the boat’s gonna flip.”

“That’s the romance of it.”

“Romance’ll get us all killed.”

Compared to two days ago, when she had nervously frozen with her rod in hand, Da-yeon was clearly more relaxed now.

It was obvious that having her friend Ha-eun around helped bring her out of her shell.

Later, as they waited for the moment the rod would twitch, Ha-eun’s rod suddenly jerked—and she moved instinctively.

Holding her posture just as Seo Jin-tae and Park Beom-jun had taught, she quickly began reeling it in.

–whirr whirr whirr whirr!

W-wait, how is she reeling that fast?

Everyone watched Ha-eun’s rod tip as it trembled. Then—splash splash.

A sizable rockfish emerged from the surface of the water.

Ha-eun’s first comment:

“Looks like Da-yeon.”

“Look closely. It’s kind of cute.”

Da-yeon’s face went from annoyed to outright speechless.

Ha-eun barely held back a laugh and placed the freshly caught rockfish in the storage bin.

The fishing continued for two to three more hours.

Seo Jin-tae and Park Beom-jun, seasoned veterans, also hauled in a solid number of fish—so dinner was definitely secured.

But as their fishing time neared the end—

Da-yeon’s rod, which had been quiet all morning, began thrashing wildly and drew everyone’s attention.

She tried her best to reel it in, but whatever had bitten the bait was far too much for her strength alone.

In the end, she turned to Ha-eun for help.

It honestly felt like if she held on too long, she’d be the one getting pulled into the sea.

“If it gets dangerous, just let go of the line! You’ll get hurt trying to force it!”

Still staring at the taut line, Ha-eun hesitated,

Then spun the reel a few more times and yanked the rod sharply upward.

With a massive splash, something enormous launched up from the surface—

Until that moment, everyone—including Ha-eun and Da-yeon—had assumed it was just a giant rockfish.

But what was actually caught on Da-yeon’s line was a massive octopus.

“H-how heavy is this thing...”

It was too large for even their biggest landing net.

They had to half-cradle it in the net and drag it up with both arms.

The final weight read: 21 kilograms.

“Ha, today’s winner is definitely Da-yeon.”

“Thanks to her, we’re feasting tonight.”

This had clearly become another highlight of the One Meal Together episode.

Which is why Ha-eun immediately urged Da-yeon to pose for a photo holding the fishing rod with the octopus dangling from it.

“Hnngh...! Ugh...! ...It won’t budge.”

“Come on, Da-yeon, how are you gonna lift 21 kilos on your own? Someone needs to support it from underneath.”

...Why can’t she lift it?

Ha-eun tilted her head. She was genuinely confused—since the weight was lighter than the barbells Da-yeon regularly lifted at the gym.

Still, she helped hold the octopus up just long enough for the photo.

Anyway, after taking several commemorative photos with the giant octopus, they returned to land and began preparing dishes using the seafood they’d caught that day.

The only issue was that, even after cooking enough for four people, they still had seafood left over.

To exaggerate just a bit, it looked like they’d be eating nothing but seafood for three days straight.

“Um, excuse me, everyone. Since we have this much... how about inviting some of the village elders to join us—”

Thus came PD Hwang Jeong-ho’s suggestion.

Since the fishing haul had turned out larger than expected, he proposed they share the meal with local residents.

It felt more in line with the name One Meal Together that way.

“Oh, we’re totally fine with that. What do you two think, Ha-eun and Da-yeon?”

“We—we’re good with it too.”

“Hmm... then how many servings do we need in total?”

As a result, the final meal of this One Meal Together episode was filmed with five or six village residents joining them.

Thankfully, the locals were delighted to meet the cast, and conversation flowed easily throughout the meal.

“Isn’t this girl married to Kang Seon-woo? Where’s your husband? You came alone?”

“You dummy, that was just a drama.”

And so, chatting with the locals who recognized them, they wrapped up the shoot with a group photo together.

Ha-eun and Da-yeon returned to Seoul early the next morning.

Since it was too far to drive, the two of them headed to the train station and boarded a train bound for Seoul.

“Ugh... I can’t believe it’s already Monday tomorrow.”

Slouched in her first-class seat, Ha-eun sighed and commented that time had flown by while they were in the countryside.

She then brought up the university life awaiting her at Yeoryeo University, starting the next day.

But Da-yeon, seated beside her, remained oddly silent—staring out the window instead of replying.

Curious, Ha-eun tilted her head and asked what she was thinking about.

Three quiet syllables slipped out from Da-yeon, eyes still fixed on the window.

Sure, it made sense she’d be thankful—Ha-eun had agreed to her request and come all the way out to the countryside.

But she hadn’t expected her to actually say it out loud.

...Is she sick or something?

The uncharacteristic side of Da-yeon made Ha-eun tilt her head again.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t the first time she’d heard a “thank you” from Da-yeon.

But no matter how many times it happened, it never stopped feeling strange.

“What, were you expecting something in return?”

“Sure. Pick a date and let me know.”

...She really is sick, isn’t she?

“Lee Ha-eun, you’re on standby now~.”

There hadn’t been a single gap in Ha-eun’s schedule since finishing the One Meal Together shoot.

Her college life at Yeoryeo University had just begun, and the music video for her new song had been completed even earlier than planned.

Her new track, Cotton Candy, was released the very next day after the music video was finalized.

As expected, even just the name caused a huge stir online, and news of that reached Ha-eun quickly. Thıs text ıs hosted at 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝘯𝘦𝘵

She hadn’t streamed since the release of Cotton Candy, so she wasn’t sure of the exact reactions—but judging by the buzz, it was clearly causing a commotion.

She’d written the lyrics half-expecting that outcome anyway.

I haven’t checked the charts yet. Wonder what rank it hit...

Truth be told, Ha-eun was hoping Cotton Candy would perform well.

Her current preparations for a music show stage were an extension of that hope.

It didn’t have to be as massive a hit as Snowflake, which had held onto the #1 spot for quite a while, but she wanted at least a respectable result.

Cotton Candy was a song she made hoping people would just see her for who she was—simply as Ha-eun.

“Alright, please stand here. You’ll be entering shortly.”

There were still people who only knew her as an actress, and others who only knew her as a singer—and she hoped they’d continue to see her that way.

Because this song carried a deeply personal message for her, Ha-eun approached this music show stage and its promotions with even more passion.

One way or another, Ha-eun was a seasoned pro who had performed ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) at domes and large concerts before.

She was confident this music show stage would go just as smoothly.

Except for one thing—the single thing that had changed since news about Ha-eun and Diah had stirred up the internet.

That one thing... was something Ha-eun had never experienced before.

She walked toward the center of the music show stage, keeping her poker face steady as she lined up with familiar backup dancers.

“Lee Ha-eun! Lee Ha-eun! Lee Ha-eun! Kyaaaaa─!”

Her expression wavered just a little when she heard that overly familiar voice yelling from the audience.

Front row of the music show studio, Nael was there, waving a massive Ha-eun banner like her life depended on it.

Ha-eun hadn’t realized that Nael had now fully embraced the freedom to openly attend any event related to her without worrying about hiding anymore.

...Her voice is totally gonna give out at this rate.