Chapter 299: Chapter 299

After Diah’s identity had become more or less an open secret, Ha-eun knew that talk of the celebrity Lee Ha-eun would inevitably come up on her streams.

It was unrealistic to expect her to Voldemort every single mention of "that name."

‘I’ll let some things slide...’

For a VTuber like Diah, the “red pill” was technically taboo—but it wasn’t something she could completely separate from.

Ha-eun wasn’t ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) planning on strictly censoring all talk about herself.

She knew the Noeulis weren’t bringing her up out of malice.

But still—there were limits.

“Hey, hey! I’m finally back, and all you’re doing is talking about some other girl? Don’t you wanna know what I’ve been up to?”

– So?me o?ther g??irl???

– We already saw everything you did on TV tho

– “Other girl” 😂😂😂

– Lee Ha-eun is THAT girl~

– Everyone, Diah’s got something to say! Everyone, Diah’s got something to say! x4

– Let’s only talk about Diah from now on~ (Copy-paste ends here)

– If you wanna know how Diah’s been, just watch TV

– You literally told us everything on Let’s Eat Together

[ SamshiksekkitanSanman d 30,000 won! ]

: Is the person who just played the Fairy Floss MV behind-the-scenes really saying this... hmm...

“Th-That was... I was just curious, okay? Opens parentheses Serious business face Closes parentheses.”

Technically, Ha-eun had invited a bit of this herself—but if the stream got too focused on equating Diah with Lee Ha-eun, that was a problem.

If she wanted to come as Lee Ha-eun, she would’ve started an Instagram live!

– But like, fr, weren’t you scared of the boar?

– Would you go live on Insta if we say we’re here for Lee Ha-eun?

– Hida got scared of a snake and Diah of a wild boar LOL

– Spill the Let’s Eat Together tea please

“Uuhh? If you keep pushing it, I won’t say a word. Diah’s sulking. Hmph.”

Diah’s virtual avatar slowly arched both eyebrows to the ten o’clock and two o’clock positions.

The ever-cheerful smile on her face was gradually replaced with a flat expression.

Her cheeks puffed out slightly—bonus effect.

“Mumble mumble. Anyway, I’m just saying I’m hurt. Just saying I’m offended~~.”

– Oh, so it’s a war now huh

– We Noeulis are dead meat~~~~

– She really does act like she’s one year old 😂

– Okay, no more mean comments about her returning after two weeks with attitude 🙅

– Why is that... kinda cute tho

– Someone offer her some financial therapy

– What kinda Temple Run is this

[ Don’tBeMadDiah d 100,000 won! ]

: Please tell us what you were doing during your break ^^7

“...Gasp. W-Wait! Let me open a notepad─!”

– Diah’s such a money goblin

– Babies shouldn’t be this money-hungry!!!!

– Okay but 100k is worth it

– That’s some real financial healing 😂

– Look at how her expression just lit up;;

“Ahem ahem. What I did during my break... um... I practiced singing... and... uh, did more singing practice...”

– Wait, you spent two weeks just doing vocal training?

– Then why even ask what we wanna hear

– “Vocal practice” (a.k.a. music show filming)

– Why do I feel like I know exactly what song she practiced

“...Ah! Besides that, I also went on a trip to a place with clean air and nice water... ...And that’s it for the life updates~ Now let’s do a café fanart tour~”

– Diah (Gen 1), suddenly realizing something’s off

– Wait, why’d you stop the story there

– You’re realizing it too, huh?

– Why no talk about the movie filming tho?

And with that, she wrapped up her mini-segment about what she’d been doing during her break.

She logged into the official Illusionary Realm café for the first time in a while and started a stream reacting to all the fanart that had piled up during the “ice age.”

A lot of the fanart featured Diah in outfits from characters Lee Ha-eun had played.

For example, Diah in Lee Ye-seo’s suit beating the crap out of Noeulis, or in Yeong-wol’s warrior garb cutting them down like wheat.

– Joseon’s best swordswoman 😱😱😱😱

– These fanarts go hard LOL

– It’s very accurate to reality, tbh

– Poor Noeulis 😭😭😭😭😭

“...How did my image end up ...”

– Yeah, seriously 😅😅😅

– Is there fanart of Lee Ha-eun wearing Diah’s outfit? (User has been banned)

– Noeulis really are the best punching bags

– There’s a new sequel: Diah getting wrecked by pineapple pizza, let’s gooooo

– That hanbok Diah is sooo pretty. Can we get that as an avatar skin?

– Diah’s image was always , what do you mean?

“‘Diah’s image was always ’...? That’s it. Tuna-mackerel-hairtail-anchovy, Noeuli—you’re caught. You’re getting summoned to the 1-on-1 chat room!”

– Actually, you know what? Diah was always LOL

– Farewell, brave soul

– Noeuli martyr 😭😭😭😭

– Speaking the truth gets you banned now

– Diah’s back from her break and she’s a tyrant 😭😭😭

– Nothing’s really changed—Diah’s been a sass machine since her debut stream

– So warm... I think I just died...

And just like that, after making an example out of one poor Noeuli, the stream’s vibe returned to its usual state.

Mentions of “celebrity Lee Ha-eun” noticeably dropped.

She spent the rest of the broadcast scrolling through fanart, dropping likes and comments here and there.

When she finally staggered out of her white soundproof booth and collapsed face-first onto her bed, it felt just like old times.

But the very next day—

Specifically, just as episode 2 of Let’s Eat Together was starting to air...

「If it gets too dangerous, just let go of the line! Forcing it could get someone hurt!」

–Whirr whirr whirr whirr whirr!–

“...Did they edit this like an action movie with CG or something?”

Watching herself on TV dramatically battling a giant octopus underwater, Ha-eun immediately sensed that Diah’s next stream would be chaos again.

And the final nail in the coffin? Her own line directed at the giant octopus.

「Hmm... I feel would taste good in takoyaki.」

「What? What are you saying you’d make out of it?」

「I-I mean, you’re supposed to grill or boil an octopus , not—!」

‘They’re definitely going to tease me for this.’

At the time she’d said it, Ha-eun hadn’t thought much of it.

She was just genuinely curious about what giant-octopus takoyaki would taste like.

But now she realized how ridiculous that line had sounded.

The look of pure horror on Seong-yoon’s face as he watched TV next to her said it all.

“Who the hell makes takoyaki out of a giant octopus? You might as well just release it.”

“What’s wrong with takoyaki...”

“You can make takoyaki with regular octopus, you know. ...Maybe this is what I get for not taking my daughter fishing.”

After that, Ha-eun had to sit through several of Seong-yoon’s “tips”—which were really just disguised roast sessions.

Things like: “You’ll get hunted down by fishing enthusiasts.”

Or “It wouldn’t be weird if someone spat at you in the street after that comment.”

“At this rate, you’re gonna need a press conference. Might have to apologize to the whole nation.”

“...Sora, attack him!”

In the end, Ha-eun’s takoyaki dream was never realized, and so the situation never blew up any further.

Though Seong-yoon did get his own consequence: Ha-eun personally pulled out his gray hairs.

“Hold still. If I mess up, I might grab something else.”

“Wh-What do you mean ‘something else’??”

“ACK! Ha-Ha-eun! Are you trying to scalp your father??”

“This is called filial piety.”

Ha-eun quietly slipped the single gray hair—plus a few black ones—behind her back.

She felt slightly guilty. But honestly, it still didn’t feel like enough payback.

“Ooh, found another one.”

“F-Fine, I’ll just dye it. I’ll dye everything. Just stop—!”

“Stop moving. Or I will grab something else.” ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝~𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖~𝕟𝕖𝕥

As time passed, it was already mid-March.

The cold winter winds had given way to the gentle breeze of spring. On that day, Ha-eun sat quietly on a bench outside the LUX building, deep in thought.

It was because of the unexpected feedback she’d received the day before during filming for The Youngest Son of the Chairman.

‘Well, Ha-eun, I guess I’d say you look a bit too relaxed. Like... you don’t seem tense at all...’

‘You’re supposed to subtly show some jealousy and wariness toward Shin Dohyeon, but I think that’s kind of missing. Oh, it’s not glaring or anything, just...’

Either way, Ha-eun’s character, Yoon Seo-ah, was the antagonist.

And antagonists exist to elevate the protagonist.

So if Ha-eun’s Yoon Seo-ah appeared calmer or more composed than Shin Dohyeon, the main character, it was clearly a problem.

Sure, in the early stages of the story, Yoon Seo-ah is the legitimate heir, and technically has nothing to envy in a “mere bastard” like Shin Dohyeon.

But as time goes on and Do-hyun grows stronger, Seo-ah should definitely start feeling the pressure.

‘Anxious... jealous... hmm...’

If Yoon Seo-ah didn’t show any signs of tension, viewers might get the impression that she’s underestimating Do-hyun.

Worse, the audience might think Do-hyun isn’t even that impressive to begin with.

But if Seo-ah is shown watching and checking him, that’ll help emphasize just how much of a threat he really is.

The problem, however, was that Director Cha Sun-ho’s suggestion—feelings like anxiety or jealousy—were still unfamiliar to Ha-eun.

“So... like... remember back when the neighbor ajusshi didn’t make it through the audition because of me?

Or how it felt during You Who Came From the Stars auditions? Something like that?”

With a voice as innocent as can be, Ha-eun turned to none other than Da-yeon—practically the embodiment of jealousy—for advice.

–Stretch, stretch. Stretch, stretch.

Da-yeon, with an unamused face, grabbed Ha-eun’s cheeks and pulled them like mochi.

It looked like she was sculpting clay.

“Ahh, ow—use your words, not your hands!”

“Ugh, ugh! Of all the things to ask, you little brat─!!”

In the end, Ha-eun didn’t get any useful answers from Da-yeon.

Still, Ha-eun couldn’t help but feel slightly wronged.

It wasn’t her fault—she had never really felt competitive or threatened by others before.

Ha-eun had lived her whole life without ever truly envying anyone.

The fact that she still held Da-yeon—who used to torment her endlessly—close to her heart was proof of that.

“...Great. Now I’ve got nothing to say.”

“Ugh. You little brat...”

Anyway, just like she’d come to understand loneliness while filming God and the Goblin,

she needed to get a grasp of emotions like jealousy and impatience while working on The Youngest Son of the Chairman.

But since Da-yeon had basically exiled her with that reaction, Ha-eun had no choice but to turn to someone else—Cream.

‘Sweet Cream probably hasn’t ever felt jealousy either, but still.’

It wasn’t that she expected Cream to have personal experience with envy or rivalry,

she just wanted to chat about the acting in general and maybe get a different perspective.

If Cream had anything helpful to offer, that would be a bonus.

So she headed to the third-floor break room, where Cream was likely to be.

There was still time before the group meeting that had brought all of Illusionary Realm to the LUX building, so she figured she could catch Cream alone.

“Maria unnie. I wanted to ask you—”

“Huh? Really? That teacher’s still there?”

“Yeah. They still call her The Viper.”

Instead, she walked in to see Cream having a cheerful chat with an unfamiliar woman.

And even though Cream hadn’t heard her voice, it felt like she was deliberately ignoring her.

Ha-eun found herself going quiet.

She just stood there waiting—one minute, five minutes, ten...

And just when she couldn’t take it anymore—

“...Huh? Ha-eun? When did you get here?”

“Oh... I-Is that Lee Ha-eun?!”

Cream turned her head toward Ha-eun, blinking slightly.

And the unfamiliar woman immediately stood up and gave her a full 90-degree bow.

It wasn’t until Cream introduced her that Ha-eun found out who she was.

“This is Mir. She’s a 3rd-gen trainee. Turns out she went to the same high school as you.”

“Oh, so you’re one of Maria unnie’s schoolmates...”

Technically, Ha-eun did recognize the name Mir from the 3rd generation of Illusionary Realm trainees.

There was no way a huge fan like her wouldn’t.

But the way Cream had been laughing with her moments ago...

It stuck in her mind.

She didn’t care whether Mir’s voice was familiar or not—none of it mattered.

“You two... seem pretty close, huh...”

A faint upward curve of the lips.

And an icy, razor-sharp atmosphere in complete contrast to that smile.

‘What... what’s going on? Did something happen?’

‘This... feels off. She seemed fine earlier when I saw her...?’

Mir had just been about to ask for an autograph and photo when she got hit by this emotional wrecking ball.

Even Cream—who knew Ha-eun well—could sense that her mood was way off.

“I’m Lee Ha-eun. But feel free to call me Diah sunbae.”

Was it her imagination, or did Mir’s hand shrivel a little when they shook hands?

“Come to think of it, wasn’t there something about idol trainee experience on your portfolio?”

“Ah, yes. I trained briefly during middle school.”

“Then that makes you my junior. I’m your senior at Illusionary Realm... and as a singer too.”

“Y-Yes! Double the senior. Haha...”

“...And juniors smile with their mouths open in front of seniors now?”

“Huh? Sorry? I didn’t catch that.”

Ha-eun’s sweet smile as she looked at Mir was terrifying.

No one could tell what she was really thinking.

“No, it’s nothing. Let’s all... get along.”