Hobbyist VTuber

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Let’s work hard.

At first, that was all I could think about.

For Ha-eun.

No, for anyone, the chance to appear on a popular show like “Don’t Stop People” was not an opportunity that came around often.

Of course, looking back, the things Ha-eun had experienced until now were also not the kind of experiences one could come by easily.

But the events of the past were all categorized under ‘acting.’

This was the first time Ha-eun was stepping outside of that familiar category.

Instead of thick scripts from dramas or movies, there were thin cue cards, and about two or three VJs who would follow Ha-eun around for the day—nothing was familiar.

Most importantly, since the many cameras in the recording studio didn’t have a clear expectation for what they wanted from Ha-eun.

I couldn’t help but feel a different kind of pressure from when I had clearly been told what lines to deliver or what emotions to portray.

Still, it wasn’t like Ha-eun would have to face everything alone from start to finish.

Other members, aside from Ikon Yeol, whom Ha-eun was already friendly with, were kind people who would be considerate of her.

So, let’s work hard.

Just like always, if I put in my best for this filming of “Don’t Stop People.”

“Alright, thank you for waiting. Today’s special guest, Lee Ha-eun!”

I thought, wouldn’t it be possible to finish this without any major issues?

– Thud.

With my heart slightly trembling, I somehow calmed myself and walked toward the center of the filming location.

Almost simultaneously, I could hear the overwhelming commotion of the surprised members.

– Oh my gosh, it’s really Han Yoo-hwa!

– How… how are you alive? Didn’t you get shot by an arrow and die?

– Oh, please, mentioning arrows! You can’t say that in front of someone alive!

– Someone smack that guy who’s talking nonsense!

It was a level of chaotic greetings that were at least a step—or rather, two or three steps—beyond what I had heard earlier in the waiting room.

In that moment, I was indeed flustered.

However, this chaotic moment was the first time the viewers of “Don’t Stop People” would be meeting Ha-eun.

For a more ideal first impression, I remembered that just before this, someone had asked Ha-eun if she wasn’t dead—only to get pummelled by the other members.

Now I approached Yoon Si-hyuk, who was rolling around on the ground, pretending to be covered in salt, among the other members.

– Swoop.

With just the right speed—not too fast, not too slow—I bent down.

“The girl is very much alive, so what are you talking about? Did you perhaps have a bad dream last night?”

Han Yoo-hwa’s playful smile from when she wandered the market with Park Do-jun peeked through for a moment.

Yoon Si-hyuk was momentarily at a loss for words, stammering as he processed this.

Recognizing that Si-hyuk’s head had gone blank, Sung Yu-seok stepped forward soon after.

With a slightly exaggerated tone, Sung Yu-seok ordered Si-hyuk to apologize to Ha-eun immediately.

“What are you doing, Scholar Yoon! Go apologize to Lady Yoo-hwa at once!”

“Oh, dear! I said something terrible. Please forgive me…!”

As Si-hyuk clasped his hands pleading for forgiveness, the moment ended when Ha-eun replied that it was alright.

Looking at the frowns on PD Choi Soo-hyuk and the production team, it seemed that it wasn’t such a bad ad-lib after all.

‘…Phew.’

Thus, Ha-eun gave a good score for her brave action.

After that, with a smooth transition, the recording resumed again with Sung Yu-seok saying.

“Hello. I’m Lee Ha-eun, who played young Han Yoo-hwa in [You Came From the Stars].”

Everything went well until she formally greeted the viewers of “Don’t Stop People.”

At that moment, she was surprised once more by the thunderous applause that followed… but she didn’t show it.

However, not long after that, due to the video’s clips related to Ha-eun that were played by the production team, while she could manage with the neighbor uncle and the matchbox music video…

“Everyone stumbles sometimes and struggles with challenges that come their way.”

“But I won’t give up, no matter when it is.”

“If I take it slow, I’ll eventually reach where I aimed for.”

But the worst hit was the old children’s vitamin CF that made Ha-eun’s ears flush bright red.

As expected, Ha-eun’s hands and feet shrank with embarrassment in seconds.

Sadly for her, at the filming location, the story of how Lee Geon-yeol discovered a talent like Ha-eun was currently unfolding.

On top of that, the visual was paused on a scene where young Ha-eun fell in the children’s vitamin CF.

“I saw that scene and cast Ha-eun. Just look at those fiery eyes.”

Sung Yu-seok and other members chimed in with heartfelt admiration.

Ha-eun also knew that they had no malicious intent, but for some reason, she still wished they would stop talking about her past.

Even though she knew that it wasn’t something to be embarrassed about, there was just no way to avoid feeling shy.

Nevertheless, the stories from Lee Geon-yeol continued.

Hearing the trivial occurrences from when he took singing lessons with Deubly made Ha-eun want to crawl into a mouse hole.

However, after Lee Geon-yeol’s anecdotes ended, instead of hiding, she had to stay in the spotlight.

The reason was that due to the overall concept of today’s filming of “Don’t Stop People,” all the cast members except Ha-eun had to act as if they were Park Do-jun.

“Among you, there’s a fake Park Do-jun who aims to harm Han Yoo-hwa. So for Han Yoo-hwa’s safety, uncover who the fake Park Do-jun is and make it your goal.”

Then came PD Choi Soo-hyuk’s voice explaining the first mission to safely protect Han Yoo-hwa.

“Everyone’s first mission is… [Matching Han Yoo-hwa’s Taste].”

To be honest, it was a bit of a stretch in terms of mission selection.

The rationale was simply that the real Park Do-jun would know Han Yoo-hwa’s taste well.

But after all, this was entertainment.

What Ha-eun needed to do was simply sit on the main seat and evaluate whether the foods chosen by the members suited her taste.

Eventually, watching the members bump and push each other for the plate containing food Ha-eun would like, she began observing the seven kinds of completed meals carefully when their ten minutes were up.

However, that didn’t mean everyone was holding their breath waiting for Ha-eun to begin.

“No, why did you pile everything with just desserts?”

“Kids these days like sweet things. Though, considering you haven’t gotten married yet, I suppose you wouldn’t understand.”

In this way, even while Ha-eun was evaluating the meals, the members were forming a competitive atmosphere.

Among them, those who had secured things like chocolate or snacks were particularly loud.

After all, anyone could see that their meal was the kind that a child like Ha-eun would love.

They were certain that Ha-eun would undoubtedly give high marks to their table filled with snacks.

However, the final decision that Ha-eun made was a table with not a single dish that was sweet.

It was Jeon Dong-kuk’s meal, perfectly balanced in nutrition, almost resembling a primary school’s lunch.

“Uh, uh…? You really like this meal the most?”

“Yes.”

It was a bit surprising for Jeon Dong-kuk, who just moments ago had his sweet foods snatched away by the other members.

So, it ended up being just the healthy food he usually enjoyed that made up his meal.

In other words, he had never imagined Ha-eun would give high marks to his meal.

After finally becoming the winner of the first mission, he couldn’t shake off the disconcerting feeling for a while.

‘…That kid sure has a unique taste.’

And thus, after the first mission wrapped up somehow.

To head toward the location where the next mission was set up, the guest Ha-eun was the first to board the bus.

Finally, once everyone was on the bus, they started their talk time.

Conversations began to flow based on the questions that Sung Yu-seok had informed Ha-eun about a few hours earlier.

This was all to satisfy the curiosity the viewers of “Don’t Stop People” had about Lee Ha-eun.

The personal stories shared by stars who appeared on “Don’t Stop People” had been big talking points, so at this moment, everyone, including Sung Yu-seok, was all ears for Ha-eun’s voice.

“So, Ha-eun, what do you usually do to spend your time?”

“Hmm… Lately, I think I often watch internet videos.”

“Oh, internet videos. Can you tell us about the most recent video you watched?”

Strictly speaking, it was a light question that didn’t carry much significance.

It wouldn’t have been a problem if she mentioned just casually watching highlights of “Don’t Stop People.”

However, the answer that eventually came back from Ha-eun was.

“It was a video about making bread from wheat that was harvested by hand. It was sad because all the hard-made bread disappeared due to an unexpected accident.”

When I heard it, it was a type of answer that was hard to easily guess which video she referred to.

With a bit of curiosity, Sung Yu-seok asked Ha-eun to elaborate more on the video.

“Why did the bread made with such hard-harvested wheat disappear? Did someone steal it?”

“Oh, no one stole it. The storage with the bread exploded, so the bread owner was really left sobbing.”

‘…The storage exploded?’

The plot line was more like a makjang drama, and soon a short silence ensued.

In the midst of that fleeting stillness, the conclusion that Sung Yu-seok reached was quite far from the truth.

“That sounds like a sad documentary just from hearing it. I think I can understand the sadness that Ha-eun felt.”

It could be expected.

There were only documentaries that featured what Ha-eun had mentioned in videos that Sung Yu-seok knew.

“Every time I watch such videos, I am reminded of how precious food is. Ah, by the way, you mentioned earlier that you don’t have any food preferences, right?”

“Oh, yes. I really don’t have any foods I dislike.”

“That’s probably because Ha-eun already knows how precious food is. You realize that you can’t easily get even a piece of bread. That’s really amazing.”

“…Huh? Amazing? Me?”

“It is amazing. When I was a child, I used to leave kimchi because it was spicy and anchovies because they were salty—”

And thus, the talk developed in an unexpected direction.

Before they knew it, an image of Ha-eun, a model child with a commendable set of values, was being projected.

For Ha-eun, who just echoed the contents of the show she watched last night, it was all quite confusing.

She still couldn’t fathom why Sung Yu-seok brought up the term documentary.