Chapter 323: Chapter 323

To be honest, she was grateful. Grateful that Ha-eun came to her without hesitation. And in the end, said she'd stay the night.

Up until just before she called Ha-eun, Da-yeon had felt like she was the only one left in the world. So Ha-eun’s taking care of her, even though it made her feel a bit guilty, was immensely comforting. Just having Ha-eun by her side made her feel like everything in the world was going to be okay.

That was how she felt—up until five minutes ago. Up until five minutes ago, she was so thankful it hurt.

“We’re live. We’re live...!”

Even though she'd been caught in the middle of secretly holding a funeral for Hida, Ha-eun lowered her voice like she was carrying out a secret operation. And in the middle of it, she still insisted on being treated not as a friend, but as Diah sunbae. It was laughable.

I mean, sure, she could kind of understand. But wasn’t this way too shameless?

The fact that she pulled this off on Hida’s stream and not even her own Diah stream made it even worse.

When did she prepare all of this...?

A memorial photo of Hida, a funeral hall background, even a condolence wreath marked with the logos of LUX MCN and Illusionary Realm.

Sure, if you looked closely, you could tell they were sloppily photoshopped—but it was still a full setup. It was way too elaborate to call it just a joke.

More than anything, even the other members besides Diah were actively participating in this Hida-less /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ funeral for Hida. Very enthusiastically, in fact.

“...Everyone’s really enjoying themselves, huh.”

⟪H-Hiiieeek...! I heard Hida’s voice...!⟫

⟪Dear Lord, Buddha, Allah, all the gods in heaven, please, please drive away that ghost!⟫

⟪What do we do? Should we kill her again?⟫

Da-yeon could only stare in disbelief as everyone overreacted to her every word. The decisive part was that it didn’t seem like anyone was being forced to be there.

Even so, the funeral continued—because there wasn’t any good reason to stop it.

The broadcast was, honestly, really fun.

And it was too late to ruin the mood now.

⟪I-I called her. I felt like she had something to say before crossing to the afterlife.⟫

“Ah, ah. So it was Yoon who called her.”

⟪Then before we listen to what Hida has to say, should we all say a few words to her first?⟫

⟪Aigoo, aigoo... What grudge did our Hida carry that she couldn’t cross the Sando River...!⟫

And so, through a bit of improvised fortune-teller RP by second-gen Yoon, Hida’s resurrection was somehow wrapped up. Ha-eun told Da-yeon not to talk too much with her sick body and to just watch from the side, which led to Da-yeon reluctantly joining the funeral collab stream.

Eventually, Da-yeon plopped down in the chair that Ha-eun brought over, and familiar voices began to flow in. As Diah, the host of the wake, asked about their “relationship with the deceased,” the members’ voices—mixed with fake sniffles—filled the broadcast audio.

⟪Hida, Hida promised to buy me an apartment... Wait, was she even a kid?⟫

⟪She borrowed 1 billion won from me and ghosted me. I didn’t know she’d already died...⟫

⟪She said she’d buy me a Porsche to celebrate getting my driver’s license... Aigoo!!⟫

⟪She promised to get me a new phone too. How can she die before doing that...!⟫

⟪I told you to stop eating spicy-salty stuff! You’re 600 years old, how did you think your stomach would handle that?! That’s why you died, you dummy...!⟫

“...Every single one of you is lying—!”

“Hey, corpses should stay quiet!”

And just like that, Da-yeon’s attempt to object to all the slander was silenced by Ha-eun. The last of the members’ comments at Hida’s funeral ended with exaggerated sobbing.

The final wail came from Diah, the host herself.

“Our dear witch, she was a good person... ...She was a good person... ...She died well, that wicked witch!”

—Diah, you’re the host!

—Diah and Hida IRL throwdown incoming

—Isn’t Hida literally sitting right next to her? lol

—Does the host usually say that?

Come to think of it, Hida had tormented her more times than she could count. Sure, Diah pranked her a lot too, but that was that, and this was this.

From the beginning, Hida’s RP had been that of a witch who eats children in fairy tales, so for one-year-old Diah, she’d constantly been in danger. The wicked witch taking the train to the afterlife? Honestly, Diah had nothing to complain about.

“You always tried to eat me! This is your karma, you old hag─!”

Thus, Diah’s giggle-laced voice poured into the mic. As the Discord VC members and the stream chat—filled with the Hensels—burst into laughter at Diah’s unfiltered line...

“Well, it can’t be helped. Now that it’s come to this, in your next life, try living like a good—”

“...Let’s go together.”

A high-pitched scream rang through the broadcast as Da-yeon grabbed Ha-eun’s cheeks from behind and yanked them hard. That strength was not something a sick person should have had. Latest content publıshed on novel※fire.net

“Mercy, mercy please─!”

⟪Lord... We’ve got another one incoming...⟫

⟪That was a real scream.⟫

⟪Knew this would happen.⟫

—Diah’s gonna get eaten ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ

—Hida is ultra-pissed

—(Licking SD Hensel emote) x10

—She was a good VTuber...

—(Laughing SD Noeulis emote) x7

Not long after, a new portrait was added right next to Hida’s memorial photo: Diah’s. Hida, dragging Diah to the afterlife with her, even turned Diah’s avatar gray.

⟪Oh no, Diah...! Oh no....⟫

⟪Why’d you mess around when you were sitting right next to Hida...!⟫

⟪Our Diah... she kept pushing Hida’s buttons and now she’s really gone....⟫

⟪I’ll use the Cream collab coupon for myself~⟫

⟪Aaaah it’s a ghost~!⟫

⟪It’s okay Diah~! Don’t worry and go to the light~!⟫

And just like that, the broadcast audio was once again about to blow out from the sobbing noises. Only when the closing comments of the Hida Funeral Collab began did the mood finally start to settle.

“So, Hida-nim, how does it feel to die today...? ...Ow, my cheek hurts....”

“Well... I think I’ve learned I should be nicer to our members from now on.”

⟪When are you buying me my apartment?!⟫

“...Now that I think about it, I’m not surrounded by members—I’m surrounded by gangsters.”

—They’re just robbers at this point

—They’re just fairly committing fraud with lies and manipulation lol

—Why do the Hensels get nothing? Why do the Hensels get nothing? Why do the Hensels get nothing? Why do the Hensels get nothing?

—(Hida): Illusionary Realm is a gangster syndicate (slightly paraphrased)

As Hida’s final thoughts on the funeral ended, the funeral background quietly faded away. Afterward, the members’ goodbyes and wishes for Hida’s recovery came through the speakers.

⟪Take care of yourself, Hida~. 600 is a long life~.⟫

⟪They say summer colds are really tough, make sure to take your meds. Hope to see you healthy again at our 3D debut.⟫

⟪Hiyap! Hida, get well soon~.⟫

⟪Ahahaha. Ocean just cast a healing spell on Hida’s avatar.⟫

Then, just as the members who had rushed barefoot to Hida’s funeral began to leave like the tide... And shortly after Hida’s stream finally ended, Da-yeon stepped out of the soundproof booth and collapsed onto the bed, somehow even more exhausted.

“Are you going to sleep?”

“I dunno.... I’m tired....”

She’d slept the entire day, so she wasn’t really sleepy. But the surprise Diah funeral stream had drained what little energy she had left. Even with Ha-eun hovering right next to the bed, she couldn’t lift a finger.

It was only a bit later that Ha-eun, watching Da-yeon carefully, quietly turned off the lights. Aside from the soft moonlight trickling through the window, the room was dark.

Ha-eun was kneeling by the bed, her arms resting on the mattress as she quietly watched Da-yeon. And somehow, their eyes met directly. Da-yeon’s mouth moved without thinking.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No reason. You just seem a lot better. I was going to take you to the ER if you looked worse.”

After all that clowning around during the funeral, now she was speaking in such a gentle voice like she’d been really worried. Watching Ha-eun change moods like flipping a switch—Da-yeon still wasn’t used to it.

But in the quiet room, as she kept meeting Ha-eun’s gaze, her heart started to stir. It was embarrassing how intently Ha-eun—chin resting on her arms—was watching her.

“...Just lie down too.”

Unable to endure Ha-eun’s stare any longer, she sat up and pulled Ha-eun toward her. And then, still woozy from her meds, she hugged Ha-eun tightly.

The reply was exactly what you'd expect from Ha-eun.

“Our Da-yeon, how old are you again? Can’t sleep alone?”

She knew full well that Ha-eun had the strength to shake her off if she wanted to—but for some reason, she held on even tighter. Maybe it was just that kind of day, when emotion ruled her more than reason.

She’d told herself a thousand times to stop being needy, but once again, she was being needy. She hugged her just because she wanted to. It was that lingering anxiety from earlier, when she’d thought Ha-eun had already gone home.

“Mm, you better not give me your cold.”

“What’s the point now? If I was gonna give it to you, it would’ve happened already....”

She could hear Ha-eun’s soft breathing right next to her. She could feel her warmth clearly. If she wasn’t this close, she felt like Ha-eun might vanish again. So she held her tighter.

The reason Ha-eun didn’t pull away—was because she understood. Deeply. The longing to have someone near when you’re sick.

“...It’s okay. I’m not going anywhere.”

That brief murmur, spoken almost without realizing—who exactly it was meant for, even she wasn’t sure. Ha-eun, who had seen so much from Da-yeon’s side—stayed quietly in her arms until she eventually fell asleep.

“Hope you get better soon.”

“If you stay sick too long, you’ll lose muscle mass.”

Before long, the sound of steady breathing filled the room. Da-yeon looked over to see Ha-eun already deep in sleep.

She stared for a long while at Ha-eun’s sleeping face, then buried her own deeper against her. There was no special reason. She just felt like it.

She stayed wrapped in Ha-eun’s arms for quite some time. Until a faint murmur stirred her eyes open—

“...Don’t go... I don’t... want to be alone....”

Maybe she imagined it. But she silently stared at what seemed like the slight glisten in Ha-eun’s closed eyes. And held her even tighter. For a similar reason.