Hobbyist VTuber

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I wonder if it was because I was having a late-night chat with Ha-eun past midnight.

Or perhaps it was because I finally let out the thoughts I had kept bottled up in my heart for quite a while.

“Dayeon, Dayeon… wake up… breakfast is ready…”

“Ugh… just 10 more minutes…”

Ha-eun, who was always up early in the morning, kept trying to wake Dayeon, but she showed no signs of getting up.

Normally, I would’ve made a bigger effort to wake her up, but after hearing Dayeon’s heartfelt confession to Ha-eun yesterday, I was particularly cautious about Dayeon’s feelings.

‘…I don’t think I’d look like this even if I had ramen and went to sleep.’

So, instead of waking Dayeon, who was still swollen-eyed from sleep, I gently covered her with a soft blanket.

I cautiously suggested to Dayeon’s parents that it might be better to let her sleep a bit longer.

This was how breakfast without Dayeon began for her family.

It was a bit burdensome to find myself sharing a table with strangers, but skipping breakfast was definitely not good for health.

In any case, the discomfort felt trivial compared to the consequences of skipping a meal.

Thus, I stuck to healthy foods with my chopsticks as usual.

“Hmm, Ha-eun really doesn’t have any food preferences… Ha-eun’s mom must enjoy cooking.”

I heard the barely muttered thoughts of Dayeon’s mother, Jeong Go-eun, who had been quietly watching Ha-eun for a while.

Following that were Dayeon’s father, Min Jung-woon’s, brief words directed at Dayeon.

“I hope you learn their lifestyle habits, if nothing else.”

‘…I’m glad she didn’t wake up.’

Dayeon, who was already stressed from being compared to Ha-eun, would have surely exploded if every little habit got compared as well.

In that sense, it was a blessing that Dayeon hadn’t woken up.

However, for some reason, even after that, I felt the lingering gazes from Jeong Go-eun and Min Jung-woon, still focused on Ha-eun.

Even though I knew they had no ill feelings, it felt like I was sitting on a bed of nails.

‘It feels like I’m going to choke….’

It wasn’t until about 15 minutes later that breakfast finally came to an end.

Just then, I received a message from Joo Jung-yoon saying he’d soon be arriving at Dayeon’s house, so I started getting ready to leave.

But Dayeon was still lost in dreamland.

As such, I was left with no choice but to bid farewell only to her parents.

“Thank you for having me for the day.”

“Y-You don’t have to consider it a burden. Come play anytime.”

With a polite bow, once I stepped out of Dayeon’s house—

“Han Yoo-hwa, my dear! I’ve missed you so much!”

‘…She never mentioned coming with her mom.’

For some reason, Na-yeon, who was with Joo Jung-yoon, ran towards Ha-eun and engulfed her in a tight hug.

Almost simultaneously, Na-yeon began showering Ha-eun with her thoughts about the latest episode of “Your Star.”

“Do you know how much my mom cried seeing our daughter yesterday? She should’ve informed me if she was going to die!”

‘I’m… suffocating…’

Even after getting into Joo Jung-yoon’s van, as time passed and we arrived at the acting academy instead of home, Na-yeon continued to shower me with heartfelt compliments until our goodbye.

Honestly, it was like an overdose.

I felt like I’d choke more than I had during breakfast with Dayeon’s parents.

However, once we finally entered the acting academy, things didn’t get any easier.

“The headmaster has nothing more to teach, so Ha-eun, you can head down now.”

“…I just got here.”

The headmaster, with his long mustache that left an impression, along with the other young actors who had always kept their distance from Ha-eun, were now treating her differently with their gazes and attitudes.

The confusion stirred up by Dayeon’s tears last night had persisted for over 12 hours.

Of course, it was true that the last episode aired had Ha-eun at her most dedicated during filming.

Still, I wondered, could the people around her really exhibit such drastic changes?

‘…They’re not secretly filming a hidden camera, are they?’

Feeling awkward in the unusually slow passage of time, I was unsure of anything.

Eventually, after the acting class wrapped up as it always did, I stopped by the training ground to build my stamina as usual, and soon, evening arrived.

Finally, when I arrived home with a slow waddle, I was greeted with a dinner table filled with several times the usual number of side dishes from Na-yeon, who once again called me “my dear.”

“…There’s so much…”

“Consider it a make-up for the birthday feast we missed yesterday.”

After finishing a belated birthday party with the cake Na-yeon had prepared in advance.

I dragged my exhausted body into the bathtub filled with warm water, recalling the conversation I had with Dayeon the previous night.

“It’s already been two hours, Ha-eun~. Are you still alive?”

‘…Time only flies at moments like this.’

With Na-yeon’s voice asking about my well-being filtering through the bathroom door, I sighed and finally raised my weary body.

Afterward, I dried my wet hair for quite a while.

Once I changed into pajamas featuring a bear print, I logged into New World TV to start watching the broadcast of Daramji once again.

“Alright, we’ve picked our thieves and cops! The chase will start in 10 minutes!”

Today’s Daramji broadcast featured cops and robbers.

If even just one of the thieves escaped with the jewel, they would win, and thus the cops had to catch all the thieves.

At first glance, it seemed unfavorable for the cops.

Yet, several special abilities, which were not afforded to the thieves, were granted to the cops, creating an appropriate balance.

Thus, for a while, the screen merely showed Daramji evading the cops, until finally, the members playing the role of the cops appeared in the distance.

“Dear Kang Jung! Please take care of yourself─!!!”

‘…Huh?’

Daramji, taking on the role of a decoy for another thief, was shouting loudly to the police over there, declaring that “the thief is here” on the broadcast screen.

However, the most notable point was that the line Daramji just used was familiar to Ha-eun.

Furthermore, Kang Jung, who was able to flee due to Daramji’s sacrifice, responded with another phrase that Ha-eun had heard plenty of times.

“No matter when it is, I will never forget you, Daramji dear─!!”

The sudden rise in Ha-eun’s attentiveness was undeniable.

A moment later, Daramji was finally spotted, and the cops, unable to hold back, started firing arrows.

In less than a few seconds, Daramji’s avatar transformed into something akin to a hedgehog before collapsing lifelessly.

– Jjap Yoo-hwa jumps cut ㅋㅋ

– To be honest, even Han Yoo-hwa doesn’t get hit this many times.

– I think when someone impersonates Han Yoo-hwa like that, even military sweet potatoes and lettuce people don’t look at them and just shoot them down immediately.

“Isn’t there a little resemblance, though? Is there really none at all?”

– Omg

– Their true feelings slipped out without them realizing.

– Kang Jung is 10 seconds away from being offended, 9 seconds away, 8 seconds away…

– You must be comparing the right people, Lambs. Before anything else, our Yoon-seong Oppa wouldn’t even bother with a pumpkin like Kang Jung─(message deleted)

– Anyway, they succeeded in stealing the jewel, so it’s a happy ending.

From there, Daramji and the viewers continued to blossom into discussions about “Your Star.”

Considering how much “Your Star” was gaining popularity nationwide, it wasn’t such a strange sight.

However, it was a surreal experience for Ha-eun to see countless people she didn’t know, both name and face, saying her acting was impressive.

The confusion that had lingered alongside Ha-eun all day finally calmed down completely, and the good feelings filled the void it left.

The corners of Ha-eun’s mouth reflected in the small hand mirror beside the monitor had noticeably started curling upwards without her noticing.

The feeling was so pleasant that no stray thoughts could pierce through it.

*

– Hmm…

– Hmm… …click.

“Hello?”

[ Ah, Manager Joo, this is Lee Geon-yeol speaking. ]

“Oh, hello. Geon-yeol. What’s on your mind?”

[ Well, there’s something I’d like to discuss with Ha-eun. What’s she up to right now? ]

Joo Jung-yoon turned his head momentarily to glance at a table located a short distance away as he listened to Lee Geon-yeol’s inquiry about Ha-eun’s status.

What he saw were Ha-eun being interviewed again by Heo Joo-eun, who had just picked up a delicious-looking slice of cake with her fork.

However, unlike their first interview, where not a single photo was taken, the click-click sounds filled the quaint café, thanks to Heo Joo-eun bringing someone along to take pictures.

“She’s in the middle of an interview. It seems there are still about 30 minutes left. Is it an urgent matter?”

[ Ah, no. It’s not that urgent. I’ll contact you again later. ]

With a soft thud, the call with Lee Geon-yeol was disconnected.

Almost simultaneously, the click of the camera rang out again, making Joo Jung-yoon feel—

‘…I never thought I would really become a star manager.’

Feeling the reality that he, a rookie manager with no prior experience, was now managing a star like Ha-eun hit him.

Given that there had been inquiries related to Ha-eun coming in from all directions that day, the feeling was all the more profound.

‘Maybe I should ask for a raise…?’