Chapter 321: Chapter 321

The original Hallyu star.

And the pop icon who conquered the Billboard charts.

"Everyone—! Are you having ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) a good time—!"

The joint performance of these two, which had recently sent tens of thousands of fans into a frenzy in New York, was now igniting the online concert’s atmosphere beyond expectations. Even though it was a virtual event, the level of hype rivaled that of any offline concert.

The only downside—if any—was that the world stars' opening stage was already drawing to a close. Hence, streamers in the audience had started belting out encore chants during their own livestreams.

[ This is what real singers are, people. Their live vocals are on another level. ]

[ Hyun-min oppa—! Please—! Encore—!! ]

[ Never got to see them live when I was a student, and now I get to in Minecraft. What a time to be alive. Right, everyone? ]

[ It's my first time seeing Rick Simon perform. I listen to his songs a lot, but hearing it live... wow... ]

Just then, the cheers of the streamers filled the audience again. The final song of the world stars began to echo from the giant screen.

And if there was one issue... it was that this song was about to make Diah's already chaotic chat explode. She should never have turned off emoji-only mode in the middle of the concert just because she was curious about Noeulis’ reactions.

"Num zero feat. Pinocchio. Let's go."

As 『Num0』's melody kicked in, a voice—one all too familiar—filled the concert hall. Of course, due to personal reasons, the featured singer Pinocchio couldn’t appear at the concert. But every time her vocals played through the MR, Diah's chat would erupt again.

"Zero is nothing But why does it feel so heavy?"

"I didn’t say anything But why do I feel like crying?"

"Can I go back? If I press zero Will I hear you again—♪"

Honestly, every time the chat praised Pinocchio’s feature, she felt a quiet sense of pride. Diah and Pinocchio were different people, sure—but she couldn't help but feel good. Even whales dance when you compliment them.

Of course, she kept playing dumb. All she did was shamelessly repeat how good the song was. ...Which only made the chat go even wilder.

"That was Song Hyun-min and Rick Simon! Thank you, everyone—!"

"Thank— you— very much—"

And with that, the opening performance of Song Hyun-min and Rick Simon came to a successful close. Another performer was introduced by Dream, and the concert continued.

[ Alright, next up is our beloved Roen! Please give her a big round of applause~! ]

[ Wooo~! Roen unnie, fighting~! ]

[ Roen must be so nervous, oh no. ]

[ Roen noona, let’s go!! ]

"Um, hello! I’m Roen! Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I deserved a stage ... but I’ll do my best...!"

“F-Fighting~. Roen-nim, fighting~.”

Seeing Roen nervously take the stage right after global stars made Ha-eun feel strangely guilty. Like she’d unintentionally put a burden on her.

Ha-eun kept gushing in admiration throughout Roen’s stage. Thankfully, Roen got through the performance without any major mistakes, and Ha-eun let out a breath of relief.

“Oh, Roen-nim really sang well. She hit those high notes effortlessly.”

The performances kept rolling in. The hype built by Song Hyun-min and Rick Simon's surprise appearance hadn’t died down.

Maybe that’s why. Or maybe it was just because Ha-eun was personally most excited for this next act.

[ Now, for a truly magical performance from one of our Dream Server guests! Please give it up for Illusionary Realm’s 2nd-gen VTuber, Hida—! ]

“Oooh, this is the big one—!”

As time ticked forward, Hida’s performance marked the beginning of the Illusionary Realm lineup. And before long, Hida’s operatic voice filled the air.

“Waaah~! Hida, you’re amazing! My beloved, you slayed~!”

“As expected of my beloved~! You destroyed that stage~!”

When familiar members like Hida and Cream performed, she could enjoy it purely. Ha-eun clapped wholeheartedly toward the familiar Minecraft avatars standing on stage.

Of course, the performers couldn’t hear her from their end. But as long as the feeling got across, that was enough.

Or so she thought—until she suddenly heard the staff whisper beside her.

“Diah-nim. It’s almost time...”

Seconds later, the stream feed changed. A massive concert stage appeared, with Diah’s 3D avatar standing in the center.

Her avatar also appeared on the ’s concert screens, synced in real time. Under the dazzling lights, Diah’s figure filled the arena's giant screen.

[ And now, the final act from Illusionary Realm! Let’s welcome 1st-gen member Diah~! ]

[ This really is the big one! ]

[ This feels like a real dome concert. Did she book the venue herself?! ]

Her original white off-shoulder dress was gone. Now she wore a cropped tee, short skirt-pants, a backward cap, and light sunglasses.

“...Idol, incoming—!”

A famous popstar’s beat kicked in right after. Diah began nodding her head and tapping her feet in rhythm.

The stage bathed in blue lights. Sunglasses glinting under the glow.

The lights exploded as Diah launched into a smooth hip-hop dance. Her youthful vocals rang through the headset mic attached to her ear.

“─♬ My name? Don’t need to shout it. They already scream it loudest─♪“

Even the Noeulis, who always bickered playfully with Diah, changed their tune during her concert. They had no choice but to cheer—this was their oshi.

Thanks to her past music show experience, her choreography had improved immensely.

“But I turned the noise into a crown. Yeah, I’m the thunder underground─♬”

Since her performance began, the chat had been lagging nonstop. Though Ha-eun herself couldn’t see the full chat chaos, she could still observe her avatar mid-performance.

Right then, the b-boying part started. As the highlight approached, she bent her knees and touched the ground without missing a beat.

Her foot lifted naturally, and her upper and lower body spun cleanly across the floor. With her weight balanced low, she completed a smooth one-and-a-half spin at center stage.

With her body low and weight shifted to her left hand, she grazed the floor with her shoulder while spinning her legs mid-air. A perfect windmill move filled the giant screen.

“No more waiting, no more lies. I’m the storm inside your sky─♪”

And then, as the melody faded—

A hush fell over the concert hall.

“...Shall we keep going without a break?”

"Of course! Who needs a break~!"

A voice other than Diah’s echoed through the concert.

The melody of "Through the Milky Way" began.

"I turned around at those suddenly spoken words♪"

“Holding the hand of memory, through the blurred rain—♪”

A hidden card. Diah’s trump card, prepared so she wouldn’t be overshadowed by Song Hyun-min and Rick Simon.

“Through the Milky Way, I speak to you♪”

"Will you hear me, if these feelings ride the starlight─♬"

Another national singer, Leni, began singing beside Diah in a duet. Already chaotic chats and communities were completely frozen again.

"Through the Milky Way, I send you my regards─♬"

“Will you one day call my name─♪”

[ ...Doing a behind-the-scenes or concert recap stream might be fun... ]

“I’m down. But aren’t your parents home?”

[ I’m the only one here... Mom and Dad are both on business trips. ]

The very next day after the special concert. Ha-eun, who had just wrapped up filming for The Youngest Son of the Chairman, received a call from Da-yeon. She was proposing a real-life collab between Diah and Hida.

The idea was to host a joint stream discussing behind-the-scenes stories from the now-infamous concert. Considering how suspiciously extravagant the whole event had been—with Ha-eun at the center—there were plenty of people eager to hear the inside scoop.

Or so Da-yeon claimed. But Ha-eun, who knew her too well, suspected there was another reason.

“Our beloved’s... feeling lonely all alone, huh?”

[ Beloved my ass... RP’s over, okay.... ]

“Alright, beloved. See you soon~”

Truth be told, the hoarseness in Da-yeon’s voice did worry her a bit. Had she strained it too much performing at the concert?

Regardless, after the call ended, Ha-eun hopped into Ju Jung-yoon’s van and hit the road—heading to Da-yeon’s place for the first time in a while.

But the moment she rang the doorbell—

“...You got here fast.”

Da-yeon’s face looked pale and worn out. Familiar—but not in a good way. Strangely off.

When Ha-eun placed her palm on Da-yeon’s forehead, she almost recoiled—it was burning up. So naturally, Ha-eun left again, then came back armed with cold medicine and packs of porridge.

“How were you planning to stream in this state?”

‘Was the collab just an excuse? Did she call me because she was sick...?’

Now that she thought about it, Da-yeon had mentioned both her parents were away on business. Which meant she'd been sick at home, completely alone, for who knows how long.

So Ha-eun laid her down in bed first. In just a few days, Da-yeon—along with the rest of the 2nd-gen VTubers—was set to debut with their new 3D avatars. She needed to rest up now, if she wanted to recover in time. The rıghtful source is 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⟡𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦⟡𝘯𝘦𝘵

No wonder she hadn’t shown up at the gym that morning.

Ha-eun headed to the kitchen next.

“Microwave was... here, right.”

First things first: get some porridge into her. Da-yeon wouldn’t regain her energy without eating something warm.

After heating up the porridge she bought, Ha-eun added her own secret recipe—just a little tweak to make it more appetizing.

“...Do I look like a baby to you?”

Ha-eun tried to feed her by hand. Of course, Da-yeon waved her off and insisted she’d eat it herself—only to suddenly drop the spoon with a weak clatter.

“...Should I be taking you to the ER? If you can’t even hold a spoon...”

“...It was an accident...”

In the end, she had no choice but to sit up in bed and let Ha-eun feed her. The fact that today was also her “once-a-month annoying day” probably didn’t help either.

“This porridge is really expensive, okay? So don’t spill any, Grandma. I asked them to add extra ginseng.”

“There you go. Eating nicely.”

“...I’m actually dying here...”

“Don’t say things like that lightly. You’re already old enough as it is.”

“I’m younger than you, you know...”

“Then call me unnie.”