Chapter 296: Chapter 296

Or, to abbreviate—“music shows,” simply called “mubang.”

They’re the most representative stages for idols and singers to promote new songs,

and just as importantly, they’re key venues for connecting with fans.

Which makes sense, considering the fans in the audience usually start lining up at the broadcast station around 6 a.m.—

just to see a live performance that begins at 1 in the afternoon.

「Whatever I saw, I don't care ♪ I won't bother hiding it─♬」

Not only are cheer chants for new songs shared in advance,

but it’s also common for artists to switch up lyrics to surprise and thank fans who’ve waited since dawn.

It’s not enough to just perform well—fan service was also essential.

Fans in the audience were a kind of visual metric for singers like Ha-eun.

The image of enthusiastic fans cheering a performer on stage showed other fandoms and the general public

just how much support that singer had.

More than anything, mubang fan accounts would quickly spread across social media.

Fans in the audience played a direct role in promoting the new song.

Which meant it made perfect sense for Ha-eun on stage to engage with fans like Nael as much as she could.

「Someday it’ll melt away like an illusion ♪」

Even while singing Cotton Candy from the center of the stage,

Ha-eun met the eyes of fans in the audience, one by one.

Technically, it was less than five minutes, but the fans had been waiting just for those minutes.

Honestly, it’s more passionate than a fan meeting...

To be totally honest, every time she saw Nael

waving both a light stick and a banner with Ha-eun’s initials on it,

Ha-eun found herself a little stunned.

Even though they’d already done everything from private collabs to casual voice chats,

Nael still cheered like she was witnessing her idol for the first time.

And Ha-eun had no idea what made her so fired up.

I really... really liked Cream... That’s why I called her all the time, and...

Cream... you don’t hate me, right?

...And come to think of it, maybe Ha-eun wasn’t so different.

Even after getting closer with Cream, she’d still poured on the affection and pursuit (?).

Looking back, the drunk version of herself from two years ago in that old video—

and the Nael cheering in the front row now—they really weren’t all that different.

Anyway, after finishing her mubang stage without any mistakes or bloopers,

Ha-eun lightly waved to the audience and stepped off the stage.

Her next destination: the green room, where Ju Jung-yoon was waiting.

Even with her heavy stage makeup hiding it,

a faint layer of sweat still gathered on her forehead after just one performance.

Which is why Ju Jung-yoon immediately started fanning her the moment she stepped in.

After all, singing and dancing across such a massive stage wasn’t exactly low-effort.

And with how packed Ha-eun’s schedule had been lately,

burnout was basically inevitable.

If it had been any other celebrity, they would’ve passed out already.

Some famous idols were rumored to live on oxygen tanks—

so by comparison, Ha-eun’s stamina was genuinely impressive.

No wonder she eats sweets and stays slim.

Maybe her love for cake and sugary treats since childhood

was her own way of coping with the physical toll of celebrity life.

Watching her nibble on the slice of cake she’d stashed ahead of time,

Ju Jung-yoon found himself thinking exactly that.

But of course, Cotton Candy promotions were only just beginning.

For the next two or three ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) weeks, she’d be bouncing between music show appearances on various networks.

“Where are we going next?”

“Ah, next is Music Bank. Then two days from now, we have to go to UBS for Show Stage prerecording first—”

Some weeks, there’d be a three-day gap between shows.

Other times, it was show after show with only a single day between.

And just because she’d done one appearance didn’t mean it was over.

There were plenty of shows where she had to come back the very next week,

sometimes even three times total.

And it wasn’t just the main stage performance—

there were rehearsals, pre-recordings, and more.

These Cotton Candy promotions had put Ha-eun through some serious workload.

If it were just the singer stuff, that’d be one thing...

But Ha-eun was still booked for multiple acting projects too.

From Ju Jung-yoon’s perspective, she was clearly pushing herself.

But since Ha-eun showed no signs of strain,

there was no easy way to bring it up.

Ju Jung-yoon knew better than anyone

that Ha-eun hated when people worried about her.

He didn’t want to add mental pressure to an already grueling schedule.

The only thing he wanted to give her was warm barley tea—

to take care of her voice.

“I want a smoothie...”

“Just hold out a few more days. Drinking anything cold might hurt your throat.”

Ha-eun understood perfectly well

that vocal care was top priority during Cotton Candy promotions.

That was exactly why her VTuber alter ego, Diah, was in another broadcast drought.

It’s hard to say whether it’s good or bad that everyone finally understands why now...

Before the “red pill” moment,

people had all sorts of rumors whenever Diah went inactive.

But now that it was public knowledge,

the reason behind Diah’s streamless days was clear.

Anyone visiting the official Illusionary Realm café or Diah’s YouTube channel

could easily find comments explaining why Diah wasn’t going live.

Even without any official statements,

most fans just... quietly accepted it—

– Ughh... Noeulis are gonna freeze to death out here...

– She can start Insta Lives but not real streams, huh? React if you’re mad

ㄴ bro you just reacted

– It’s been 5 days since the last upload on Diah’s channel ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

– Why is it so cold... it’s March... Why is it so cold... it’s March... Why is it so cold... it’s March...

...Well, not that quietly.

Still, everyone trusted Ha-eun would start streaming again once things calmed down.

And Ha-eun herself was more than ready to get back to it.

By the time the first week of Cotton Candy promotions wrapped up,

they were already nearing the final stretch of filming for Parasite Family.

「Wow... You really had it all planned, didn’t you, noona.」

「...Yeah, Ji-hoon. Just trust me.」

The final line for Ha-eun’s Yu Ye-rim—coaxing her friend’s younger brother, Kim Ji-hoon—marked the end of her filming for Parasite Family.

With that, all of Yu Ye-rim’s scenes were officially complete.

Which meant Ha-eun no longer needed to come to the set of Parasite Family.

That’s why she began wandering around the set, saying her goodbyes to the familiar staff members.

She would still be attending the cast wrap party on the final day of filming,

but this marked her personal wrap on the project.

“Thank you for everything.”

“Ah, Ha-eun. You worked so hard too—thank you.”

And finally, after saying goodbye to Director Sung Chan-wook himself,

he spoke again after a brief pause—mentioning the film’s release schedule.

“We’re aiming to premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, probably late August. We’ll submit it there first...”

It wasn’t unfamiliar news to Ha-eun.

Of course, assuming everything would go exactly like her previous life would be premature,

but she’d already made a mental note to keep her schedule flexible for the Parasite Family release cycle.

...Looks like things are only going to get busier.

After receiving news of what would be her second overseas schedule as an actress,

she bowed politely at the final words of appreciation from Director Sung Chan-wook,

and only then finally left the set.

Still, just because Parasite Family had wrapped didn’t mean her calendar had cleared.

The filming for The Chairman’s Youngest Son had just begun a few days ago,

and several CF shoots that had been scheduled months in advance were now coming due.

“This might be the first time we’ve dressed you in office wear, but it really suits you, Ha-eun.”

“Mm... Didn’t I wear something similar while filming Veterans?”

“That was a little different. This time, it’s just a normal office worker look.”

Today was the shoot for a CF with a well-known bakery brand.

The concept was simple: a working woman enjoying her favorite sliced bread as part of her daily routine.

Ha-eun’s fashion, a classic office outfit, reflected that:

a casual suit jacket, a white blouse, and brown slacks—

she looked like an everyday professional.

I wonder what the butter bread tastes like.

Since this brand had been a favorite of hers since childhood,

Ha-eun was genuinely looking forward to trying the new product during the shoot.

The CF set had been styled to resemble a typical one-room kitchen.

Soon, the filming began.

First scene: Ha-eun dipping a warm slice of bread—steam added via CG—into milk and taking a bite.

“Could you open your mouth just a little more? Make it feel like you’re swallowing it whole, not chewing.”

Then came the scenes one by one:

her tearing the soft interior of the thick bread with her fingers and taking small bites;

tapping lightly on the crispy crust with her fingers;

holding the bread in her mouth as she adjusted her shoes, ready to head to work.

The bread, luckily, matched her taste so well that Ha-eun even made a mental note to buy some later.

Because she genuinely liked it, the CF shoot flowed better.

This would make a great toast.

But as the CF shoot neared its final stretch,

someone unexpected arrived on set: the advertiser.

Having heard that Ha-eun was a frequent customer of the brand’s cakes and breads,

he came to see the shoot in person.

Normally, Ha-eun would’ve smiled and chatted to maintain her public image.

But today, she struggled even to keep her expression neutral—

because the man before her was far too familiar.

“I, uh... heard you liked red velvet cake...”

“We’re planning to release it as a single-slice cake for our spring promotion, actually.”

Then came the gift: a white shopping bag,

thick and stuffed full—

packed with several slices of that very red velvet cake.

Of course, she was grateful.

It was a sign that the other side was thinking about her, in their own way.

But it wasn’t just red velvet.

There were also treats inside that someone else—

not Ha-eun, but someone else—had once said they liked on a broadcast.

“Please share some with your friend too. The one who likes cotton candy and meringue...”

“Oh, and I’ve been listening to your new song. It’s really... quite nice.”

Looking at Jeong Do-yoon’s sheepish face,

Ha-eun managed a mostly neutral smile. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝙣𝙚𝙩

Even if she tried, she couldn’t bring herself to smile any brighter than that.

“...What’s wrong with Ha-eun now?”

“I don’t know. Something about getting meringue or something...”

“Meringue? What about meringue?”

“Beats me. Something about meringue, apparently.”