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Actor.

Singer.

And, VTuber.

These are distinctly different fields, yet they share a clear commonality: they are public figures who influence people’s opinions.

The ordinary daily life of a public figure can also influence public opinion, but ultimately, the time when public opinion is most affected is when they engage in any activity as a public figure.

In the past, Haeun searched for the reactions to the works she appeared in online for this very reason.

Of course, after debuting as a VTuber, she was also diligently keeping track of public opinion about Dia.

However, in the case of VTubers, the metrics reflecting the changes in public opinion were relatively detailed compared to those for actors or singers.

[Dia / Diah]

[Youngest in the Fantasy Realm | Spirit | Thought the human world looked fun, so I came to visit─☆]

[13.4k Followers]

“Uh…? I’m pretty sure it was 120k before?”

After witnessing Dia’s follower count increase by 10,000 in just one day following the <Shirooni> stream, Haeun couldn’t help but realize something significant must have happened while she was asleep.

That was why she logged onto VTuber-related communities early in the morning.

She wanted to know precisely what had caused Dia’s follower count to surge.

And, not even a minute later, Haeun was confronted with:

– Dia’s Shocked Reaction.gif

– Summary of Yesterday’s Dia Stream

– Dia) First-ever faceplant followed immediately by proper education

– Before the stream started: “Are the wallets of the fans really okay?” After starting the stream: “The fans’ wallets are definitely okay”

– Dia’s Fall.jpg

The bizarre sight of a large community that usually covered a variety of VTubers being flooded solely with posts about Dia.

The upload times were all over the place, from just before Dia began streaming to zero minutes after.

As she scrolled down endlessly through the posts, she came across:

– Compilation of Dia’s Death Moments

Without realizing it, Haeun clicked on the post that had the most likes, views, and comments among those related to Dia.

───────────

Title > Compilation of Dia’s Death Moments

Noeul’s Chaos | 01:28

(Image of Dia’s avatar falling backward just 5 minutes into the stream)

(Image of Dia looking dazed after dying again within a minute)

(Image of Dia getting eaten while reading a hint)

…

(Image of Dia fainting from a sudden ending credit appearance)

Dia<<< Spirit NO

Puffer Fish YES

Never seen a kid who couldn't even get into the annex for two hours

───────────

"...Did she really die that much?"

Honestly, Haeun was taken aback.

The number of images capturing Dia's game overs was easily over 30, no matter how you looked at it.

However, most of the comments on that post were about looking forward to Dia's next stream.

- Don't they do horror game roulette?

- If she takes another break, she said she'd do roulette then.

- If this is what happened with Shirooni, do we need to worry about her when she goes to the pizza shop?

- If she does a pizza shop stream, she'll definitely pull an all-nighter for two days.

- What does "two days" even mean?

- The level of Gukpyeong-oh.

- I pressed the broadcast alert button for the followers.

- Me too.

- I'm planning to flood the chat with 'Please play Puppy Playtime' 23,521 times as soon as the next stream starts.

- Don't fade away, please.

- What's funny is that she actually speed-ran the last maze.

- Really?

- Yeah, it hardly took any time to clear on the first try.

- Why didn't you mention you died while tea-bagging, Noeul?

- Anyway, you did see the maze collapse scene on the first try, right?

She realized that using the ultimate technique of a horror game stream was indeed a great decision.

The sentiment of Noeul's fans, which Haeun had worried about in the past, did not seem too bad.

What was unexpected was that quite a few viewers outside of the existing Noeul fans were also drawn to Dia's stream.

Honestly, she hadn't anticipated that the posts related to Dia in the community would attract such a large influx of 10,000 viewers.

Of course, there were no guarantees that all of these new followers would stick around to watch Dia's streams, but it was undeniable that the community had become a ‘new subject’ for her and helped Dia's stream grow.

Thus, after a while of pondering about the events of the previous night, Haeun realized belatedly that another event capable of becoming a ‘new subject’ was about to unfold.

Strictly speaking, it wasn't precisely related to the VTuber community, but it was something that could potentially cause a greater impact than the VTuber community itself.

'If this goes well…'

Either way, the fact that singer Pinocchio was Haeun was bound to attract people's attention.

This meant that if Haeun could successfully conclude the upcoming <SIT ON THE MONEY> live finals, it would lead to positive public sentiment for both singer Pinocchio and actress Lee Haeun.

In this manner, it seemed that the improved public sentiment surrounding singer Pinocchio could also positively affect the public perception of actress Lee Haeun, and even further, <The Moonlight That Split the Clouds>.

“Hello, Mr. Reporter. This is Lee Haeun.”

[Ah, yes. Haeun. What brings you here?]

“I have a request for an interview, and I was wondering if you’re available this Friday?”

Haeun contacted Heo Joo-eun, the only journalist she knew.

However, her request for Heo Joo-eun was exclusively to cover the finals.

She didn’t push for anything beyond that until they finally met at the entrance to the <SIT ON THE MONEY> finals venue.

She had not mentioned that she was appearing on the finals stage as Pinocchio.

Just like the other reporters who came to cover the <SIT ON THE MONEY> finals.

“Do you have a favorite rapper personally, Mr. Reporter?”

“I plan to like whoever wins today. My mindset is that the winning side is my side.”

She only asked him to write an article about the most impressive stage among the various finals stages starting in two hours.

Of course, she had a pretty good idea of which final stage would end up in Joo-eun’s article.

There was no way a veteran reporter like Heo Joo-eun would miss the scoop that Pinocchio and Haeun were the same person.

‘How much will it spread in 30 minutes?’

The live finals of <SIT ON THE MONEY> would conclude at 10 PM.

The first episode of <The Moonlight That Split the Clouds> would air 30 minutes later, at 10:30 PM.

During that short span of about 30 minutes, new news about Haeun would have to spread around to benefit <The Moonlight That Split the Clouds>.

Honestly, she already knew the show would be a hit, thanks to her vivid memories from her previous life.

‘I’ve got to do what I can.’

For the success of <The Moonlight That Split the Clouds>, Haeun was determined to do whatever she could.

After all, <The Moonlight That Split the Clouds> was both Haeun’s first leading drama and the first project she did with Da-Yeon.

Even a little contribution from her appearance in the finals of this <SIT ON THE MONEY> would be welcomed.

Thus, she hoped that the article Heo Joo-eun wrote about the live finals of <SIT ON THE MONEY> would, more accurately, generate a variety of attention for Haeun.

‘If only it increased by even 0.1%…’

She wished it would have a positive influence on the viewership of <The Moonlight That Split the Clouds>.

Just like how Dia’s follower count had significantly surged due to the posts that took over the community.

However, she felt that if she revealed Pinocchio’s identity in advance, the surprise Heo Joo-eun would receive in two hours would be lessened.

‘They won’t be disappointed, right?’

She decided to watch the finals from the same stance as the other audience members who were unaware of Pinocchio’s participation.

In any case, Haeun’s request didn’t seem like something Heo Joo-eun would have any reason to refuse.

Thanks to that, she was able to secure some valuable leads, and all Haeun felt was gratitude.

However, since she still didn’t understand why actress Haeun asked for coverage of the <SIT ON THE MONEY> finals, she decided to ask.

“Did Haeun ask you personally? Or do you have a rapper you personally support?”

She inquired about the real reason behind Haeun bringing Heo Joo-eun to the <SIT ON THE MONEY> finals.

After a moment of avoiding eye contact, Haeun finally replied.

“Um… Would it be okay if I told you after the finals are over?”

It was another form of inquiry.

“Oh, yes. I understand.”

“Thank you.”

And so, they parted ways without ever hearing Heo Joo-eun’s reason for attending.

Arriving at the press seating area that the <SIT ON THE MONEY> production team had prepared was the next event.

‘The angle should come out nicely.’

Thus, she took out the incredibly expensive digital camera from the bag she was carrying on her back.

She casually tested it by snapping photos of the rehearsal for the finals stage.

About 30 minutes later, the first rehearsal began.

The finals stage rehearsal was not part of the areas allowed for coverage, so she tucked her camera away again.

“It wasn’t sky anymore─♪”

“Huh? Who is it?”

The problem was that the female singer who appeared at the back of the stage during the middle of the rehearsal was not easily seen due to the backlight.

For some reason, she kept staring at the owner of a sweet voice that felt familiar.

The issue was that the female singer remained at the very back of the stage instead of walking to the center.

In the end, even when the rehearsal completely concluded, she couldn’t make out not just the singer’s face, but even her silhouette clearly.