Chapter 297: Chapter 297

A person who likes or actively supports something.

Whether it’s filming as an actress, performing as a singer, or streaming as a VTuber, one thing you can never do without is a fan.

Entertainers like actors, singers, and VTubers can't function without their fans.

‘Well, I guess it’s better than being hated. Yeah, it’s definitely better than being hated...’

In a way, fans were the people Ha-eun was most thankful for.

They watched her movies, dramas, listened to her songs, and tuned into her streams, all without expecting any kind of compensation—just because they liked her.

In that sense, she had a responsibility to cherish the gifts from her fans.

There was a reason she turned on livestreams every year on her birthday, showing off all the presents she’d received and expressing her gratitude to fans watching beyond the screen.

In a way, even the slice of cake and meringue Do-yoon had given her were like fan gifts.

Strictly speaking, it was the first time she’d received gifts as “Diah,” but a gift was still a gift.

Rationally speaking, there was no real reason for Ha-eun to feel troubled.

The current Jeong Do-yoon and Lee Ha-eun were entirely different people, and it wasn’t like Do-yoon’s gift had any malicious intent behind it.

But whenever it came to anything related to her past life, Ha-eun just couldn’t think rationally.

Even now, as she let the sweet meringue melt on her tongue, she was still tangled up in thought, clutching her head.

The heat rising to her ears was just a bonus.

“Sora... what do I do, huh...?”

“...The king’s ears are donkey ears, the king’s ears are donkey ears, the king’s ears are donkey ears...”

Lost in her own mess of thoughts, unable to tell anyone what was going on, Ha-eun snapped out of it only when her phone buzzed in her lap.

She quickly chewed and swallowed the meringue still in her mouth.

It was right after that when she got a message from Ju Jung-yoon about her new schedule.

[ The dubbing schedule for Honeyping is confirmed, Ha-eun. Starting this Wednesday─ ]

[ The script is in your email too─ ]

Since she’d eventually agreed to join the dubbing project for Honeyping after considering it positively, the script was sent to her.

For Ha-eun, who only vaguely knew the name, both the characters and the story felt unfamiliar.

‘Is this... fun for girls?’

Even when she was really young, she hadn’t particularly enjoyed kids' animations, so this felt strange in many ways.

Of course, now that she had agreed to do it, she planned to give it her all as always, but honestly, she still couldn’t grasp the emotional tone of it.

So, she began by thoroughly reading the script.

Dubbing was acting, after all.

And if Ha-eun didn’t fully understand it, there would definitely be problems.

‘Genre: Magical girl. Main plot: an ordinary girl is chosen as a magical girl of justice, and she goes around the galaxy rescuing scattered fairies...’

With that, she started reading through the Honeyping script carefully, focusing on analyzing the scenario.

Since it was a kids' animation, there weren’t any particularly deep emotional layers, but there was still something captivating about the story.

Maybe the reason Honeyping had been such a hit in her past life was because of that immersive plot.

As she continued reading, even her lingering thoughts about Do-yoon slowly began to fade.

However, the character she would be dubbing happened to be the mascot—an essential figure in any magical girl series.

So she decided to try reading a line of her character “Loveping” out loud.

“Mm, mm-hmm... ...Hi, Nemiya! I’ll be your friend~♡”

To put it bluntly, she got chills all over her body.

Maybe she’d already grown too old to express the pure, innocent world of children.

It was a moment that reminded her again that even voice actors had their own struggles.

How do people manage to dub such cringeworthy lines... and keep doing it for years?

‘I wonder how Da-yeon’s gonna handle this.’

So, while her mind drifted to Da-yeon and her upcoming dubbing work for Honeyping, her mouth kept repeating lines from Loveping’s script as she passed the time.

Something small and soft gently tapped her on the shoulder.

She turned her head slightly and found herself staring into Na-yeon’s worried face.

“Ha-eun... Have things been... hard for you lately?”

“Look me in the eyes. Are you struggling or not?”

And just like that, Ha-eun found herself with both cheeks grabbed by her mom, nearly pulled into a [N O V E L I G H T] deep heart-to-heart.

Apparently, from Na-yeon’s perspective, Ha-eun’s earlier Loveping line had sounded like she was deliriously babbling nonsense.

“Remember what the doctor said before? One moment of overdoing it and things can go really wrong.”

“No, um... I think you might be misunderstanding something...”

“I love that my daughter works hard, but I think it’d be nice if you lived a little more relaxed too.”

From Na-yeon’s point of view, the recent scene had been downright bizarre.

Ha-eun came home with a shopping bag full of her favorite snacks, but instead of eating them, she started punching her bed and blanket like they were a sandbag.

After that punching session ended, she just zoned out quietly, and then began tasting the colorful meringues from the bag.

Up to that point, Na-yeon had just figured her daughter was stressed and needed some sugar.

‘She must be going through a lot...’

Even while chewing sweet meringues, Ha-eun’s expression turned serious again, and soon after she started mumbling something to herself.

Then, out of nowhere, she switched to a sugary-sweet voice and recited the strangest line.

Not knowing the full context, Na-yeon had every reason to be worried about her daughter’s mental state after witnessing that bizarre sequence.

Even after hearing Ha-eun’s explanation, she couldn’t relax, so she told her to go to bed for the night.

“Ah, I haven’t finished reading the script yet...”

“Rest at home. No working at home.”

“Ugh, my foot. Listen to your mom, Lee Ha-eun.”

So, in the end, Ha-eun had to head straight to the bathroom, take a shower, turn off the lights, and get in bed.

Outside the house might be a different story, but inside, Na-yeon’s word was law.

Most of the time, there wasn’t even room for argument.

It had been that way ever since she was little, so Ha-eun obediently tried to fall asleep.

For some reason, the moment she lay down, a call from Song Hyun-min came in.

Glancing out toward the living room to check for Na-yeon, she quickly swiped the green call icon.

Within seconds, she heard the unexpected news that her song Cotton Candy had just reached #1 on the real-time chart.

Considering that Hyun-min had once promoted Cotton Candy on Instagram and other SNS, he sincerely congratulated her.

[ You’re a full-fledged digital monster now, Ha-eun. What am I supposed to do to survive? ]

[ I saw you won first on a music show the other day, but you’re topping the charts too now. Terrifying. Truly terrifying. ]

Just as Ha-eun was about to say a quick thank you over the phone... creak.

Her bedroom door slowly opened, and Na-yeon’s chilly gaze peeked in.

Flustered, Ha-eun quickly made up a story about how she was just exchanging a few pleasantries with Hyun-min, but soon after—beep.

She had to tell him “Mom ban” had kicked in, and end the call.

After that, she closed her eyes and started counting sheep in hopes of falling asleep quickly.

Only then did she hear the door gently close.

Finally, with a soft click, the door shut completely, and Ha-eun let out a quiet sigh.

“...She’s scarier than any ghost...”

“...You still don’t know what a real ghost is, huh?”

“I was sleep-talking.”

“Sigh... You’re just as shameless as your dad.”

The unexpected surge of Fairy Floss to the top of the real-time music charts sent shockwaves in every direction.

Not only were there a flood of online articles about the song, but also offers from music variety programs.

On top of that, Ha-eun started receiving collaboration requests from famous singers, idols, and composers.

But her schedule was already packed to the brim.

Which meant none of the proposals were ones she could immediately accept.

“If I don’t give them a quick response, won’t they think I’m snubbing them?”

“Rejecting them outright might be worse. It’s better to say you’ll think about it and let it fade out naturally.”

Right now, Ha-eun was at Double Lee’s studio, having a small, low-key celebration for hitting #1.

It was a bit of a party, but also served as a strategy meeting for what was to come.

“Your Fairy Floss promotions will wrap up in about a week. Or do you want to keep going?”

“Hmm... I think I’ve done enough. If I go on any longer, my voice might give out...”

“True, performing live continuously is tough.”

And with that, she clearly expressed that she didn’t plan to extend her promotion schedule for Fairy Floss.

She also let Double Lee know she didn’t have plans to release another single anytime soon.

Double Lee seemed a bit disappointed.

Of course, they both knew Ha-eun wasn’t just a singer—she had other things going on too—but still, it was hard not to feel bummed.

“We should’ve just made a full album while we were at it.”

“Didn’t you both say you were in a slump not too long ago?”

“Strangely enough, we don’t feel the slump when we’re working on other people’s songs.”

And so, the conversation about Ha-eun’s singing career went on and on.

Only when the takeout containers on the studio table were nearly empty did she finally say her goodbyes and head out.

‘Making the song was fun, but maybe being on stage constantly is a bit much for me.’

Ha-eun still loved singing as an artist.

But now, she wanted to explore other things too.

So she decided to put her singing activities on pause.

That’s why she logged into the official Illusionary Realm fan café for the first time in a while and posted a stream announcement.

Even though she wasn’t completely finished with the Fairy Floss schedule, the back-to-back performances were finally wrapping up.

Title > Stream Announcement

(high-quality Diah fanart)

(a meme that skips further explanation)

(a meme that shows just enough and nothing more)

(a meme of someone not ending the war, but ending an ice age)

And as soon as Ha-eun hit the upload button, the comments came flooding in.

She hadn’t realized how long this cold streak had lasted, having been swept up in the Fairy Floss whirlwind.

–Ding, ding, ding, ding...

‘...I’ll check the comments later.’

With half excitement and half nerves, she prepared for her long-awaited return stream.

And so began the broadcast that would mark the end of the ice age.

[Our store is now open for business☆]

– Finally crawling back out, Diah (Gen 1)

– 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

– Turn on the cam turn on the cam turn on the cam turn on the cam

– It’s been 15 days since the baby went missing..! The suffering of the Noeulis these past 15 days..! x3

– (Already frozen to death Noeuli here)

– The superstar who drives lovers and haters crazy has☆arrived☆ x3

– Ugh, the chat is chaotic

[User ㅇㅇ has d 10,000 won!]

: A Noeuli who wants to poke those cheeks that might melt away like fairy floss—massive like

– No matter what you’ve seen, I don’t care~ 😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️

– Аre you the singer Pinocchio who sang 🎵🍭? 🎵🍭? 🎵🍭?

– Someday it’ll melt away, 🌫️🫧✨ 🌫️🫧✨

“Ah, I guess everyone’s heard the song. It’s good, right? I don’t know who made it, but it really fits my taste~. I like the title too~.”

– Ahem, VTuber Diah and singer Lee Ha-eun are two different people, please no slander

– Will you sing it live on stream?

– Is this a backdoor ad or a front-facing one?

– 😵😵😵😵😵😵😵😵😵😵😵

[User ㅇㅇ has d 10,000 won!]

: Congrats on hitting #1 on the charts ^^7

“Huh... Why are people congratulating me...? I seriously don’t get it...?”

The stream, after such a long time, was pure chaos right from the start.

The chat and donation notifications were blazing with energy.

What should she do about this bonfire of a chat?

After a moment of thought, Ha-eun decided to launch a classic Diah-style counterattack stream.

The so-called Fairy Floss music video behind-the-scenes group watch.

《Pinocchio “Fairy Floss” MV Behind | Making Film》

“Is that all real cotton candy?”

“No, not all of it. Only the parts you pluck off with your hands are real.”

“Ah... ...my dreams...”

“Ooh... So that’s how they make a music video.... But wow, that cotton candy is huge!”

– This is insane LOLLLLLL

– Pretending not to know—legendary

– Mister Lee (20), suspiciously obsessed with cotton candy

– She’s just plowing forward with a frontal assault ㄷㄷㄷ

[User ㅇㅇ has d 1,000 won!]

: Did you get permission for this? LOL

“Hmm... Who knows! I’ll apologize later if they say something~.”

– Diah: I’m sorry | Lee Ha-eun: It’s okay

– Huh, why are these tears... Huh, why are these tears... x5

– Don’t reupload Lee Ha-eun’s content ㅡㅡ I reported you to her ㅡㅡ

Apparently no one had expected her to actually play the behind-the-scenes video on stream, and the Noeulis were thrown into complete confusion.

The flames in the chat were now burning in a completely different shape than just a few minutes ago.

Seeing this, Ha-eun confirmed her counter-strategy had worked once again, and calmly watched the behind-the-scenes footage purely as a “viewer.”

After all, Diah was just a VTuber watching a celebrity video out of curiosity.

However, about halfway through the video, а clip Ha-eun had specifically asked to be edited out made it in untouched.

“Any memorable moments while working with me?”

“Hmm... Ah, during the Don’t Stop People shoot, when you kicked your shoe into space—”

“Let’s do that again.”

“What kind of ancient TV stunt is this...”

– Fake interview queen Diah LOL

– Please clarify 😭😭😭😭

– Lee Ha-eun / Scandals & Controversies / Fake Interview Gate

After that, Ha-eun did her best to do some damage control.

She said things like how it would be upsetting if people started calling her something like “The Terminator.”

Or how she didn’t understand why anyone would think that nickname fit “that” person, Lee Ha-eun.

“Terminator? Come on~ I’m super girly~. Those old men are just messing around~.”

– Lee Ha-eun is pretty, yeah, but her body is like... beyond human levels

– Did you know that supposedly girly person has shredded abs?

“Hey now... Some people are saying weird things. What if that Lee Ha-eun person sues you, huh!”

– You can’t sue us 😬😬😬

– Why are we suddenly in UFC

– I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry x7

– Are we getting sued by the Noeuli police?

– This is media oppression🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

She gave it her all trying to steer public opinion about “Lee Ha-eun” in a positive direction.

Even after that, she continued her PR stream to improve Lee Ha-eun’s image...

– Hey, you’re showing up on Let’s Eat Together right now

– When did you film that??

– She literally knocked out a trout bare-handed

– There’s nothing girly about this LOL

At some point, the chat started exploding with messages about the currently airing episode of Let’s Eat Together.

Ha-eun had been so caught up in her tight schedule that she’d completely forgotten it was airing tonight. Read full story at 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩

[User ㅇㅇ has d 1,000 won!]

: What’s so “girly” about someone who can split logs in one swing with an axe? Seriously, I don’t get it ;;

“C-CGI! It’s all CGI...!”

– No lies please 🙅🙅🙅🙅

– Denying it’s real = confirmed

– You’re really living up to the name Pinocchio, huh

– Absolutely nothing girly about you..!

“...Do you all... want to get split next?”

– No way she’s going full “noona” now

– The baby’s turned feral 😭😭😭😭😭

– Everyone, hands off your keyboards!!!

– Baby’s going beast mode

– Save us save us save us save us save us save us save us