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“Let’s pretend we don’t know each other until the end of this shoot.”

It was around the time when the script reading for <The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds> had just finished.

Ha-eun couldn’t say anything at Da-yeon’s serious suggestion to keep some distance from each other.

This was also because, no matter how much she racked her brain, she couldn’t recall what she had done wrong.

However, more than anything…

“If <To Busan> surpasses 7 million, you promised you’d do what I say. Keep your promise.”

The voice that had declared the stage for their long-ago acting duel to be <The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds> resounded in her ears.

And Da-yeon’s expression was more serious than ever.

“…I understand.”

This made Ha-eun unable to hold on to Da-yeon any longer.

Still, the reason Da-yeon couldn’t leave Ha-eun’s side was due to a third party.

“Uh, Da-yeon? Can you give me your contact info?”

With a neat appearance.

A bright expression that showed no hint of shadow.

A gentle voice.

Such an unignorable presence was there.

Simultaneously, Yuseong-jae, another lead from <The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds>, was asking for Da-yeon’s contact information, saying he was creating a group chat.

Of course, he immediately inquired about Ha-eun’s contact info, who was right next to her.

Da-yeon had just left when Ha-eun was in the middle of sharing her contact information with Yuseong-jae.

Thus, as Ha-eun silently watched Da-yeon moving away into the distance when she briefly turned her head…

“Hey, Ha-eun, I think you have a call.”

Yuseong-jae, who had identified the source of the vibration that was coming from somewhere, spoke again, and that snapped Ha-eun back to her senses.

The phone from her pants pocket was taken out right after that.

<Mr. Ji - Missed Call>

‘Oh?’

Mr. Ji in her contacts was none other than Ji Hye-min.

The only reason Ji Hye-min would contact Ha-eun directly would be about something related to the fantasy world.

Therefore…

“Uh… I think I should get going now.”

“Oh, sure. See you next time.”

After hastily saying goodbye to Yuseong-jae, who was in front of her for less than a second, she immediately exited the drama department.

Once she glanced around to confirm that no one was nearby, she dialed Ji Hye-min.

[ The avatar is completed! ]

“…!”

She received the long-awaited news that “Dia”‘s virtual avatar had been completed.

The debut schedule for <Fantasy World> was also shared.

However, unlike the other members, who were adults and ordinary people, Ha-eun, as a high school student and an actress, had a relatively packed schedule.

[ We’d like to go to your house tomorrow for the setup and do some tests. Is that okay? ]

In consideration of Ha-eun, who couldn’t spare time due to her studies and acting, Ji Hye-min and her MCN wanted to help with the setup for “Dia.”

From Ha-eun’s perspective, there was no reason to decline such kindness.

[ Then, we’ll come by around lunchtime tomorrow! ]

Thus, Ji Hye-min and her acquaintance from broadcasting decided to visit Ha-eun’s house.

After hanging up, with a slightly brightened expression finally thinking,

‘…What should I tell Mom and Dad?’

Either way, tomorrow was Sunday.

That meant both Seong-yun and Na-yeon would likely be home unless they had special plans.

That implies the possibility of the two witnessing the setup for Ha-eun’s Vtuber broadcast.

-♪

-♪

-♪

-♪… Click.

[ Hello? ]

“Oh, Mom. I have something to tell you─”

Immediately, she called Na-yeon to say it seemed like someone from the office would be visiting her house tomorrow at lunchtime.

She added that this was an important and confidential matter, so it would be better to talk only with Ha-eun.

To be precise, she hadn’t really lied.

Ji Hye-min and her acquaintance were indeed representatives and employees of the MCN that Ha-eun was part of as a Vtuber.

And the setup for the Vtuber broadcast was certainly a very important matter for Ha-eun.

[ Hmm, I think Dad mentioned he has plans tomorrow. ]

“What about Mom?”

[ No plans at all. Why? Do you want Mom to go out? ]

“Oh, no. It’s not that. Since it’s office-related, I thought it might be a little sensitive…”

It was awkward.

At the same time, it was tricky.

Even if Na-yeon discovered the Vtuber-related things, it wouldn’t cause a huge problem.

However, if she had to choose between keeping the Vtuber secret or not, it was definitely the former.

When Ha-eun was younger, she had confidently declared to her parents that she was going to be a Vtuber.

And she thought she could persuade Seong-yun and Na-yeon, who were unfamiliar with Vtubers, gradually.

But.

‘It’s not that being a Vtuber is embarrassing; however… revealing it myself is a bit…’

The moment arrived when she actually became a Vtuber.

And she realized that revealing Vtuber-related aspects to her family required far more courage than young Ha-eun had ever anticipated.

If Seong-yun and Na-yeon were to learn about the identity of Vtuber Dia, both would surely watch her broadcasts.

No, even if they didn’t watch live, they would definitely check out some clips.

Most importantly, “Dia” had a personality, tone, and voice that were the complete opposite of Ha-eun.

If Seong-yun and Na-yeon discovered that, she felt like she would be overwhelmed with embarrassment and unable to maintain even the most basic RP.

Thus…

[ No matter what, I have to treat the guests, so I’ll just cut up some fruit and head out. Will that be okay? ]

As Na-yeon, who quickly saw through Ha-eun’s awkwardness, promised to leave, she involuntarily sighed in relief.

In that instant, she thought she heard Na-yeon’s laughter from the other end of the phone, but decided it was just a misunderstanding.

*

“There’s juice in the fridge, so make sure you serve that too~.”

“Ah, okay… See you later.”

Just a few seconds later, the digital door lock of the front door gently chimed shut as Na-yeon left.

Ji Hye-min and her acquaintance arrived about 20 minutes later.

However, perhaps because it was the first time inviting guests other than Da-yeon, she found herself unable to say a single word after serving the fruit and juice that Na-yeon had prepped.

The tension steadily rising from deep within Ha-eun was palpable.

Was that the reason?

“Uh, Ha-eun, where did you get this microphone?”

“Oh, um…”

She couldn’t immediately reply to a simple question about the origin of the microphone in her soundproof booth.

It didn’t help that Ji Hye-min’s expression looked quite serious.

Could this microphone possibly be one that she shouldn’t use for Vtuber broadcasts?

Or perhaps the microphone setup that Dae-bul had arranged a long time ago was somehow faulty?

Due to the anxiety of having a guest like Ji Hye-min in her room, only negative thoughts crossed her mind.

However, aside from that…

“This is something you can’t get even if you pay! It must be a limited edition…!”

From Ji Hye-min’s perspective, who had a hobby relating to sound equipment, Ha-eun’s soundproof booth was genuinely a treasure trove.

The headset and headphones neatly placed on the desk were also of excellent quality.

“Hmm, I just got it from someone I know…”

“Someone you just know gives you something this valuable?”

“Well, I’ve already upgraded to better equipment. They said they’d throw away the old stuff, so I just asked for this one.”

‘It’s like the modern version of The Giving Tree or something.’

Ha-eun’s original purpose of setting up her Vtuber broadcast was long forgotten by this point.

Afterwards, there was a prolonged period of time spent by Ji Hye-min admiring the sound equipment.

Of course, from the perspective of her acquaintance, it wasn’t an ideal situation.

“If you keep this up, I’ll tell Dong-jin on you. Come out and don’t disturb the setup.”

Ultimately, she dragged Ji Hye-min out of the pure white soundproof booth.

Finally, the setup for “Dia” began afterwards.

Around 20 minutes later, after a general setup for the Vtuber broadcast was completed…

“Ha-eun, come here and have a seat.”

After starting a trial broadcast for the virtual avatar, they had Ha-eun sit in the chair.

Next, they asked her to say something like a broadcast script into the microphone.

And until that point…

She had only expected something simple, like “Hello” or “Nice to meet you.”

But she had never anticipated that Ha-eun would deliver a voice quite different from the calm tone they’d been hearing.

Thus…

“Are we broadcasting on Christmas? Well, who knows?☆”

“?!”

The moment she heard a line and voice she couldn’t have imagined, they doubted their own ears.

However, aside from the two of them, Ha-eun…

“Hey, who doesn’t have plans on Christmas to keep turning on the broadcast…? That’s not good, right?”

Moved as if she were genuinely hosting a broadcast, displayed a continuous performance.

It seemed that the sense of professionalism Ha-eun exhibited was not a mere illusion, despite her never having experienced even the basics of a Vtuber broadcast.

*

“Indeed, we can’t skip ‘Tunnel’ during the producer’s performance.”

“Hm, I’m worried about how Ha-eun’s part should go… It would be best if she sang it herself.”

“Being predictable, she’d probably give us the evil eye just for bringing up a segment of the performance. We’ll have to use the MR track then.”

At a time when <SIT ON THE MONEY>, a famous hip-hop survival program, had just confirmed Dae-bul’s participation.

Eun-yeol and Joon were planning the producer’s performance to kick off the early episodes while discussing Ha-eun too.

However, considering how Ha-eun had concealed her identity by even using a pseudonym, there was no way she would stand on stage with them.

Therefore, the joint stage plan of “Pinocchio” and Dae-bul was ultimately scrapped.

“Still, I hope one day we can perform with Ha-eun.”

“I think we’ll retire sooner.”

“…Why can’t you say it’s impossible?”

Well, in any case.

Even after finishing all the feature recordings, they kept coming to the studio to practice so that they could sing in Ha-eun’s voice as well.

For now, they decided to focus only on keeping the promise they made to Ha-eun in the past.

In the end, Ha-eun’s voice was truly recognized by countless people.

Therefore, rather than forcing Ha-eun to do anything, they chose to wait, believing that someday they would be able to perform on the same stage as her.

No one among Eun-yeol and Joon knew that there were only two months left until that day arrived.

They were also unaware of the impact that would arise when “Pinocchio” revealed its true identity.