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My acting originates from my past life.

There were certainly new acting techniques I came to realize in this life, and improvements made in my craft, but I couldn’t deny that the foundation of my acting came from someone other than Lee Ha-eun.

“Well, it’s not exactly a problem.”

Even if my acting stemmed from my past life, it didn’t make me reluctant to perform. After all, my previous life was quite distant from that of an actor.

Questions about “my previous life” had lingered since childhood.

“What kind of confidence did I have back then?”

During the peak of my adolescence, I had finally made my way to the familiar hospital, to verify its existence with my own eyes.

I distinctly remember shaking terribly.

Just like the many protagonists in doppelgänger movies.

I, too, wondered whether one of us would vanish like a mirage upon meeting “another me.”

However, ultimately nothing happened.

The tumultuous period of my adolescence ended completely on the day I realized that my past life and “Lee Ha-eun” were separate entities.

From that day forward, I no longer needed to be confused about my identity.

Still, I was concerned about “my past life” because I knew when and where I would die.

If my only options were to or , I wanted to choose .

Now that I was certain I could expand the scope of that , I resolved not to settle for merely saving that life, but also the life that would follow.

“…I’ve kept a truly foolish man by my side all this time.”

Ironically, I needed to be more proactive about my hobby called acting.

In other words, a great actor.

Or a superstar.

I had to become someone whose influence could not be underestimated, accessing “them” to eliminate my past life.

I needed to completely separate myself so that my past self could no longer be abused.

To touch “them,” as a perfect stranger to my past self, I needed to stand out even more.

Starting with <Fall Together>, I had to keep climbing higher.

“Really, I’ve kept a foolish man… beside me.”

The intensity of my emotions was different from before.

My acting style had changed.

I had established a clear goal as an actor.

Shifting my gaze toward higher places allowed me to change quite a bit.

The only thing that remained unchanged was the value those people held.

They were the ones who abused their own child until the very end.

There was no way they held any true value.

Thus, it couldn’t be that difficult to bring down such worthless people.

So this isn’t grand ambition; it’s just a light hobby.

To become a superstar as a hobby.

To entirely bring down those value-less people as a hobby.

To save my past self as part of an extremely light narrative.

I have no intention of ruining my life blinded by revenge.

I will continue to enjoy acting and will put in more effort into my broadcasts as Dia.

I merely have one thing I want to do now.

The reason I became more proactive about my hobby called acting is solely that.

*

“…This is the last chance to be happy, Kyle. Hurry and take me.”

A clear voice.

The expression on Empress Aria’s face, as she sat on the ground looking up at Kyle, was one of perilous calm.

Her pitiful attempt to hide her emotions.

Nevertheless, what returned was not the sharp blade, but the gradually lowering height of Kyle’s stature.

Thus, Kyle faced her once more.

Sitting on the ground just like the Empress, at the same eye level.

“There’s no greater misfortune than cutting down the one you love.”

Kyle spoke words that held a different meaning from those he had just previously rejected.

Yet, there was no emotional fluctuation to be found.

Then, the scarred hand was extended.

The moment the hand of salvation was offered, the Empress’s calm demeanor completely crumbled.

Ultimately, the overflowing emotions began to pour out.

All eyes in the audience grew fixated on the frail shoulders that started to tremble.

And from that very moment.

“…How cruel.”

The density of Ha-eun’s acting shifted dramatically.

“Truly… cruel. You are such a cruel person, Kyle.”

Her voice broke as it trembled.

Her expression warped with sorrow.

Slowly, her outstretched hands seized tightly onto Kyle’s chest.

Almost simultaneously, she suddenly pulled him towards herself, turning her back to the audience.

Her tilted head.

From the cleverly intertwined faces, breaths could be heard from various spots in the audience.

In that fleeting moment, there was an illusion of complete connectivity between the two.

One of the mouths that seemed fully engaged opened again shortly thereafter.

“You definitely said there’s no greater misfortune than cutting down the one you love.”

The tiny corners of her mouth trembled.

Soon a tear fell with a soft thud.

“You were wrong. The greatest misfortune is having the foremost sinner in this country.”

The meaning of her hazy, fractured voice—was it joy or sorrow?

The various emotions, mixed beyond recognition, left not only the audience but also Joo Do-yoon speechless in mere observation.

“In the end, it’s only despair. An endless abyss awaits us.”

A monologue that wasn’t truly a monologue.

A curse that wasn’t really a curse.

A resentment that wasn’t true resentment.

After that, they continued to pour out clashing emotions without restraint.

Thus, in the end.

“Let’s fall together.”

She laughed while weeping.

She was joyful while feeling sorrow.

Felt relieved while also despairing.

Unfiltered emotions flowed continuously onto the stage.

Ultimately filling the audience, forcing Aria’s chaotic emotions onto them.

“I… have to answer….”

Gyeo-hyun knew there were lines left unspoken.

To wrap up the performance, Joo Do-yoon’s tightly shut mouth had to be opened.

However.

For Joo Do-yoon, swept up in Ha-eun’s violent emotions so close by, regaining his sanity was nearly impossible.

“I have become yours.”

Once more within the fierce aura swallowing the stage, his mouth opened.

“You must bear my miserable fate as well.”

Reciting a line that would replace Kyle’s dialogue.

“Now, my sins too are yours, Kyle. Regret it deeply until the day you die.”

He toyed with it until the very last moment.

Making countless audience members remember only Ha-eun.

Thus, with a whoosh.

All the lights in the auditorium dimmed simultaneously, signaling the end of the show.

Then came the thunderous applause.

Having witnessed Ha-eun’s performance, so much richer and more dazzling than what I had seen on TV, the aftertaste lingered long.

“Wow, wait… wow…”

Even though there were countless things I wanted to say, trying to voice them only left me tongue-tied.

Likewise, Lee Jun empathized with I Jeon-yeol’s state.

“…Huh? Hey, the camera!”

The gimbal camera meant to capture Ha-eun on the stage of <Fall Together> for some reason rested on Lee Jun’s lap.

“Ahhh! This is bad!!”

As a result, a high-pitched scream came tumbling out of Lee Jun’s mouth.

The most impressive highlight from the last fifth act had not been captured even for a single second.

He had been so spellbound by Ha-eun’s unfamiliar presence that he hadn’t even realized it.

*

“I’m… sorry.”

Joo Do-yoon’s voice was awkward.

Ha-eun replied with her characteristic calm tone that it was fine.

If we’re going to be precise, had it been a rehearsal, I would have kept lecturing and lecturing.

But after the actual performance, pointing out a line mistake felt rather unnutritious.

In any case, it was undeniably a fact that the <Fall Together> performance had concluded well.

If anything, I couldn’t negate how Ha-eun had startled Joo Do-yoon with her emotions that were several times denser than during the rehearsal.

‘It’s not as bad as I thought… I can manage.’

Anyway, now all that remained was the announcement of the results.

For now, I headed to the makeshift dressing room in the auditorium’s storage to change back into my school uniform.

The problem was.

– Step.

“Hey! Lee Ha-eun!”

Just as I started buttoning up my school blouse, someone very familiar had come looking for Ha-eun.

“!!”

What I found standing there was Da-yeon, frozen in place, clearly startled.

Turning slightly to the side, Ha-eun asked why Da-yeon had come to visit her while she was changing.

“Well, the kids from Class 2 said you were in the storage room. I didn’t know you were changing….”

Her voice was half flustered, half wronged.

However, after a short while, she apologized for the intrusion, so Ha-eun replied that it was okay.

Yet, she still didn’t understand why Da-yeon had come rushing like this.

“So, what’s up?”

Fastening the remaining undone buttons, Ha-eun asked about Da-yeon’s purpose.

And it was right after that that a cautious voice came through.

“…Are you okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“You were struggling with that kind of acting….”

The remark that Ha-eun’s complexion seemed a bit off was immediately added.

To Da-yeon’s concerned words, Ha-eun responded.

“I’m okay now.”

As always, she spoke only the truth.

Since she was more on the “okay” side of things, there was some truth mixed in her response.

“Well, yeah. You looked fine to me too.”

Da-yeon’s voice sounded somewhat relieved.

Still, she hands over a carton of strawberry milk.

“Everyone thinks your class will come in first. Accept it as a congratulatory gift.”

Soon, Da-yeon’s command, nearly a command, to down it in one go flowed into Ha-eun’s ears.

To be honest, it was funny.

It was because I quickly realized the real significance of the strawberry milk handed to Ha-eun.

But if I were to pry into the true meaning behind the strawberry milk in front of Da-yeon, she would surely deny it vehemently.

“Such a tsundere.”

“…? What’s a tsundere?”

“It exists. Something like that.”

I decided to go along with it for now.

Thus, as Da-yeon advised, I downed the sweet strawberry milk in one go and certainly felt much better.

After some time passed, the moment finally arrived when the final results of this autumn festival performance were announced.

More precisely, when it was revealed that <Fall Together> received overwhelming scores in all categories except for the ‘Cooperation & Harmony’ category.

“Thank goodness.”

I briefly felt relieved, realizing that the new acting style I had tried for the first time this time worked well.

It seemed a stepping stone had been laid for Ha-eun’s acting skills to improve even further.

If she continued to develop a little at a time, she would no doubt reach the goal she was aiming for.

The very realization that she was progressing without stagnation greatly motivated Ha-eun.

However, having performed with residual effects for quite a while now.

I found myself unconsciously wanting to do some ‘healing.’

Click

[Healing Game☆(Sea Butterfly)]

I chose one of the games recommended in the past as a “healing game” by the sunset group as today’s broadcast content.

It would be a relatively calm broadcast compared to the battle island streaming, but I wanted to carry out today’s show quietly and comfortably.

I still had no inkling of the true identity of <Sea Butterfly>.

I hadn’t looked up any information about <Sea Butterfly> at all, as I had heard that if you were spoiled, it would ruin the game.

– Sea Butterfly healing?

– Ah, anyway, it’s a healing game, lololol.

– The pixel graphics are cute and healing too, yeah.

– The BGM is healing~

– Dia, if you go down the stairs at the ending branching point, you can find out the true identity of Sea Butterfly (deleted message).