Chapter 301: Chapter 301

“I’ll remember the name Shin Do-hyeon. So you’d better...”

“Keep in mind that I remember. There’s nothing good that comes from a misunderstanding between us.”

“Cut! That’s a wrap~.”

Scene 12: the art museum.

The moment Yoon Seo-ah, played by Ha-eun, walked past Shin Do-hyeon (Yoo Sung-jae) after delivering her subtle warning, the scene ended.

The filming of The Youngest Son of the Chairman continued to go smoothly.

Thanks to the unexpected emotional trigger named Mir, Ha-eun received virtually no notes from the director today.

Unlike before, when she always left set feeling like ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ something was missing, today felt... complete.

Maybe it’s because I have a clearer image to work with...

For Ha-eun, good acting stemmed from understanding.

To portray Yoon Seo-ah properly, she had to grasp what Seo-ah would feel in each situation—

Imagining Shin Do-hyeon as Mir.

Imagining the Baekhan Group—Seo-ah’s everything—as Cream, the one Do-hyeon aimed to take.

It was childish, yes.

But it undeniably helped.

Through it, Ha-eun had tapped into a new emotional range—and made it her own.

“Ms. Ha-eun. What are you thinking about?”

“Ah, just... I realized there’s a lot I didn’t know before.”

While most of Ha-eun’s emotional understanding came from her “past life,”

There were still many things she was learning only now, in this one—

Feelings like isolation, jealousy, anxiety.

Things she could only feel because she had people she cared about.

Like hoping Cream wouldn’t ignore her messages or calls.

Like wanting to be the one closest to Cream—not just some fellow alum from high school.

All those petty, selfish little wishes...

Is this... a good sign?

In her past life, Ha-eun hadn’t had anyone she could really call “her person.”

Which meant she hadn’t known what it was like to feel these things at all.

Only after meeting people she could call hers—only then did she begin to understand.

Of course, they weren’t pleasant emotions.

Even imagining Mir stealing Cream away was enough to make Ha-eun’s heart drop.

The sharp pang in her chest kept throbbing.

Which was why, after wrapping up the day’s shoot, she was sitting there slurping mango smoothie like a starved vampire drinking blood.

“That good? Haven’t seen that brand before.”

“Yeah. It’s sweet and smooth. I like it.”

Maybe it was the way she sucked on it like her life depended on it.

Or maybe Yoo Sung-jae had something on his mind after noticing how smooth today’s shoot had gone.

Either way, he walked up and struck up a conversation.

“So, uh... everything good lately?”

“Hm? Why do you ask?”

“No reason, really. Just... March is when college students usually get busy. You know, MTs, club mixers and all that?”

That led to the next topic: Ha-eun’s college life.

Yoo Sung-jae asked what it was like to attend Yeoryeo University.

“I didn’t go to college myself. Enlisted right away. Never really set foot on a campus.”

To be honest, her college life at Yeoryeo wasn’t all that exciting or impressive.

Things like "campus romance" were virtually impossible for her.

Dating a classmate or someone met through a group mixer?

That wasn’t something Lee Ha-eun the celebrity—or Diah the VTuber—could afford.

And anyway, she wasn’t even sure she could love someone like that.

If a weird scandal broke out, it'd only cause trouble for the other person...

She couldn't even join a casual club based on shared interests—

She barely had time to attend her lectures.

And there’s no club I’m really dying to join, anyway.

As for forming bonds with classmates? That was tough.

In high school, there was still some sense of being peers.

In college, Ha-eun was treated like she came from another planet.

Just talking to her took “enormous courage.” Newest update provıded by 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝔫𝔢𝔱

At best, she managed to hold short conversations with maybe five or six classmates from her lectures.

Even when she tried to be friendly, they couldn’t relax around her.

And her schedule made it hard to connect.

I heard Da-yeon’s treated like a queen. Maybe I should’ve gone into Acting & Theater Arts, too...

Unlike Ha-eun’s International Studies department, Da-yeon’s major was full of aspiring actors.

Even her upperclassmen were still rookies compared to her.

As a result, Da-yeon was treated like royalty on campus.

“It’s like the exact opposite of high school.”

“Well, yeah. Not many celebrities major in International Studies. That must feel awkward.”

Honestly, though, Ha-eun was too busy to even have a college life.

She barely attended, and there were no big stories to tell from her time at Yeoryeo.

Well... maybe one thing.

She was already the number one candidate to headline this year’s May festival.

“I mentioned it last year. So this time, I’m performing for free.”

“Oh, the festival? Mind if I come watch?”

“Ah... I mean, you can...”

She trailed off, worried.

But won’t everyone recognize you, Mr. Sung-jae...?

He caught her meaning and gave a sheepish smile.

“They say the first spring after entering college is the peak of youth. Why’s my youth so damn busy?”

“Hmm... If it ever gets to be too much, maybe take a sabbatical? What do you think?”

“A sabbatical, huh... I’ll consider it.”

They parted ways after that.

Yoo Sung-jae gave his usual “see you next time,” and Ha-eun headed home in Ju Jung-yoon’s van.

Ha-eun’s hectic days didn’t slow down after that.

While other couples went flower-viewing in spring, she was shooting a spring travel ad on set.

Not that she minded—she’d always been a bit of a workaholic.

Maybe in a few years... I’ll finally get some breathing room.

For now, if she wanted to achieve her dream of becoming a top star, she had to keep going full throttle.

Yes, it was a shame she couldn’t savor the romantic side of college life.

But her goal came first.

Becoming the Lee Ha-eun.

A sabbatical like Yoo Sung-jae mentioned? That could come after she’d achieved everything.

Even then, she’d probably still stream as Diah anyway.

Right now’s the time to be busy, after all.

Back and forth between drama sets and commercial shoots.

And around then—Ha-eun received word of a very important event in her career.

“The Baeksang Arts Awards...?”

“Yeah. Of course you’re invited, Ha-eun.”

The Baeksang Arts Awards.

Held at the tail end of spring, it was one of the most prestigious ceremonies for actors like Ha-eun.

Perhaps it was thanks to her standout roles—first in the blockbuster Veterans, and later as the lead in God and the Goblin, which had dominated both year-end and New Year ratings.

Whatever the case, Ju Jung-yoon’s voice, when relaying the invitation, carried not just excitement but conviction—he expected her to win.

“If they don’t give you an award, it means someone got bribed.”

“Ahaha... come on, no way.”

Even if she wasn’t as giddy as Jung-yoon, Ha-eun herself thought her chances of winning weren’t zero.

It’d also give a nice bump to the popularity of The Youngest Son of the Chairman, which was about to air.

“Since you’re so busy, let’s get your dress fitted a few weeks ahead of time.”

The outcome of the Baeksang Awards would definitely affect her name recognition and reputation.

And if God and the Goblin made waves overseas too, this could be another springboard for international buzz—

All the more reason to prepare thoroughly.

Thus, another event was added to Ha-eun’s already full schedule: dress shopping for the awards.

Still, no matter how busy things got, there was one day on which Ha-eun had absolutely, categorically, forbidden anything to be scheduled.

It was both the release day for the Korean dub of Forgotten Child and—most importantly—the day of her long-awaited date with Cream.

Ha-eun woke up earlier than usual, heart racing before her eyes even opened.

During her morning walk with Baekseol.

Even while doing her gym routine.

Her heart didn’t calm down for a second.

“Whoa, something good happening today?”

“...I might have been living just for today.”

Three hours later, her personal trainer—someone she was relatively close to—caught on immediately to how unusually bright she was.

Dressed in her version of “celebrity incognito mode,” Ha-eun arrived early at a movie theater in Seoul and waited eagerly for Cream.

She’d arrived an hour ahead of their meeting time.

But this was a date with Cream—waiting was anything but boring.

[Jung Maria (Cream)] – Sorry...

Roughly thirty minutes before their agreed time, a message arrived—

One more than capable of devastating Ha-eun’s entire universe.

[I took my meds early and tried waiting them out... but I still feel too weak to move.]

“Ah, it’s... it’s really okay. Seriously, don’t worry.”

Why did Yoo Sung-jae’s voice echo in her head again—

“Take care of your health during the season change.”

Turns out, Cream had caught a brutal spring cold.

And Ha-eun, holding her phone, felt her lips tremble.

[I’m really sorry, Ha-eun... cough...]

“...I said it’s okay...”

Truthfully? It wasn’t okay.

She had been looking forward to this date for days.

It would’ve been strange if she wasn’t disappointed.

But she also understood better than anyone what it felt like when your body simply wouldn’t cooperate.

So she answered Cream with all the calm she could muster.

“Take care, unnie. Spring colds are no joke these days—make sure you take your meds. I’ll hang up now.”

And now, she was left with two completely useless movie tickets.

Not that she didn’t still want to see Forgotten Child—

But... today just wasn’t the day.

“What do I even do now...”

With an unexpected hole in her schedule, Ha-eun walked aimlessly, lost in thought.

Wait. This day was supposed to be for Maria unnie anyway...

Suddenly feeling indignant, Ha-eun made a beeline for a nearby porridge shop and bought every kind of porridge good for colds.

Then she jumped into a taxi—headed straight for Cream’s place.

About 30 minutes later, she arrived.

—Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Thanks to memorizing the keypad code during Cream’s birthday party last year, entering was no problem.

Inside, she found Cream—real name Jung Maria—lying in bed, startled at her arrival.

“I came to take care of you. So just lie back and rest, patient.”

She held up the porridge bags proudly, then reached out to check Maria’s forehead.

After gauging her fever, Ha-eun walked to the bathroom, dampened a towel with lukewarm water, and returned to place it gently on Cream’s forehead.

“Let’s bring the fever down first. You can eat the porridge later, when you’re hungry.”

But just as Ha-eun placed the folded towel on Maria’s head—

And Maria, with a faint smile, whispered:

“Pfft... Never thought I’d be nursed by a beautiful celebrity...”

Long, fluttery lashes.

Eyes with a delicate upward curve.

Cheeks flushed in a soft red hue.

A blanket pulled up to her chest, and a towel Ha-eun had carefully laid over her forehead...

From above Ha-eun’s lip, a single line of blood trickled downward.

Startled, Maria immediately asked if she was okay.

“S-sick Cream is too powerful... N-no! Nothing. It’s nothing, unnie.”

Maria blinked in confusion at the strange muttering.

Shortly after, Ha-eun excused herself to stop the nosebleed, then returned with an unexpected proposal:

“Let’s take a photo.”

“Yeah. This is a memory too.”

Maria couldn’t figure out why Ha-eun was so awestruck just from a few photos.

All she’d felt before was guilt for missing their date, and now... Ha-eun looked over the moon.

“You made time for me, and we didn’t even get to hang out properly...”

“No, really, unnie. I’m fine. I’m happy to be taking care of you .”

Murmuring something cryptic again, Ha-eun just smiled.

Maria could only sit there, blinking in silence.