Hobbyist VTuber-Chapter 232

A delicate drawing of strawberries.

Hiragana stretching down in long vertical lines.

A red plastic opening, with a slightly oversized straw sticking out.

To a Japanese local, it was unmistakably the appearance of a sake pack.

But to Ha-eun, who had never even tasted sake before, it just looked like a slightly bigger-sized strawberry milk.

"I- I should've asked before drinking it."

Of course, she didn’t get drunk immediately after taking a sip.

She had even promised herself that if her head started to feel dizzy, she’d immediately lie down on the bed.

“Sh- Shouldn’t I just throw it up right now?”

“You’ll get sick if you try to force yourself to vomit.”

“H-Ha-eun, just drink some water for now.”

“Ah... Thanks, unnie.”

Right, she was definitely still sober at this point.

Just in case, she chugged down bottled water one after another.

Every five minutes, someone would ask if she was okay, and she would nod while constantly checking her condition.

To the extent that—

"I should stay near the bed so I can lie down right away..."

—Sssk.

—Step, step.

She had tried to move from where she was sitting, shifting between Da-yeon and Nael, toward the bedside of the hotel room.

—Sway—!

—Thud.

“...Ow....”

“H-Ha-eun!”

“Oh my.”

“No way...”

Why was the floor shaking so much?

Could it be an earthquake?

"Well, it is Japan, after all...."

Concluding that the reason her feet wobbled just now was due to an earthquake, Ha-eun immediately hugged Da-yeon, who was right in front of her.

Then, waving her hands in all directions, she mumbled as she urged everyone to evacuate.

“Everyone, get under the desk...! It’s an earthquake... an earthquake...”

“There’s no earthquake.”

“No, I swear, it just shook... Really...”

“This girl is totally drunk.”

“...Huh...?”

And with that, her rationality flickered for the last time as she locked eyes with Da-yeon in a daze.

The final thing her fading consciousness picked up was Yuna’s muttered words.

“...We’re in trouble.”

After that, she had no idea what she was saying, what she was holding, or who was beside her.

That was why Yuna, Cream, and the other first-gen members attempted to lay Ha-eun down on the bed.

“Alright, alright. Our Ha-eun, let’s go to sleep~.”

“On the count of three, lift her!”

“Ah, no... I haven’t brushed my teeth yet....”

“Do it when you wake up tomorrow.”

And so, in the end, Ha-eun was hoisted up—two hands held by Mile and Yuna, two feet grabbed by Cream and Ria—before being carried to the bed.

It was almost like the scene of primitive humans transporting their prey.

For the second-gen members, who had never seen Ha-eun drunk before, it was quite the rare sight.

“Oh no, she’s way too cute....”

“Diah-sunbae is totally gonna be the first one to pass out at the MT.”

“Can’t we just make her sit still? She’ll be an adult next year anyway.”

“No way. Last year was a disaster.”

“Damn.”

Before long, Ha-eun, whose eyes had lost their focus entirely, was placed neatly onto the bed.

Only after she was thoroughly tucked under a thick blanket—practically sealed in—could the Illusionary Realm’s year-end party resume.

However, because Nael and the other second-gen members were curious about what had happened on last year’s trip—

Especially regarding the day Ha-eun had gotten drunk—

“Did she also drink sake back then? Or was it beer?”

“I’m curious about Ha-eun’s drinking habits, sunbae.”

“Hmm....”

“Should we say it or not...?”

Those who remembered last year’s events exchanged conflicted glances.

After all, what happened that day wasn’t exactly an easy memory to share.

But in the end, they ended up revealing a little about what had happened last year.

The reason being—

“I’ll take responsibility, so just tell me. I really want to know what kind of mess Lee Ha-eun caused.”

Da-yeon, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up, saying she was curious.

There was no way they could refuse when it was a request from a famous actress and Ha-eun’s childhood friend.

“Well... she kind of had a bit of Jack Coke.”

“A bit? More like five or six cans.”

“She got super cute. She clung to Maria like a little leech, calling her ‘unnie’ and acting all cutesy—”

Hearing these testimonies, both Nael—who was a huge fan of Ha-eun—and Da-yeon found themselves deeply intrigued.

It was a completely different side of Ha-eun than they had ever seen before, a description interesting enough to spark curiosity.

Of course, they left out the part where Ha-eun had cried bitterly.

Painful memories, after all, weren’t things to be shared carelessly.

Especially when they involved a secretive love life, it was even more difficult to bring up.

"Even if they’ve broken up now."

"Talking about her celebrity ex-boyfriend feels kind of off."

"Why bother mentioning the guy who cheated on Ha-eun."

It was all a misunderstanding, of course, but either way, they only shared what they could.

However, perhaps because Ha-eun’s name kept coming up—

—Ssssk.

—Ssssk.

“What are you guys talking about...? Let me in too....”

“Gasp.”

“H-Ha-eun? You’re not asleep?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

The very Ha-eun they thought was fast asleep suddenly wriggled her way out from under the blanket.

The empty spot beside Da-yeon immediately caught Ha-eun’s attention.

“...What the heck. Why are you sitting all alone like a loner....”

In reality, it was the very spot Ha-eun had been sitting earlier.

After she was moved to the bed, the spot naturally became empty.

“Oh, right, right... I was supposed to be the bridge, wasn’t I....”

But in her current state, there was no way Ha-eun could process such logic.

Yet, she somehow managed to recall the conversation she had months ago with Ji Hye-min—the one where she had promised to help Da-yeon get closer to the other second-gen members.

And so, with nothing but that mission in mind, Ha-eun moved.

With the sole determination to make friends for Da-yeon—

—Ssssk.

—Clap!

She lunged at Da-yeon from behind and hugged her tightly.

To Da-yeon, this was beyond comprehension.

“If you’re drunk, just sleep. What the hell are you doing?”

“It’s okay, it’s okay... I’ll make friends for you, Da-yeon....”

Then, resting her chin on Da-yeon’s collarbone, Ha-eun slowly scanned the room.

And after blinking her eyes sluggishly—

“Our Da-yeon... is actually a really good... person....”

“?”

She suddenly began a Min Da-yeon appreciation session.

Ji Hye-min and the other first-gen members became flustered.

The second-gen members burst into laughter, finding the current Ha-eun absolutely fascinating.

And Da-yeon herself—

“She’s also an amazing actress, memorizes scripts so quickly... Well, except for English words... But no, it’s okay! As long as she memorizes her lines, that’s all that matters....”

“C-Can you shut up?”

“Shh, hold on... The unnies need to know... how great... you are....”

“Y-YA!!”

Da-yeon wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.

She couldn’t tell if this was a compliment or just extreme public humiliation.

The real issue, however, was that Ha-eun’s mind was still flickering in and out.

Before anyone could stop her, she suddenly grabbed the hand of the nearest second-gen member—Nael.

—Ssssk.

—Clap!

“Here, shake hands~. Hehe... From now on, let’s be close... You should get along as classmates....”

The biggest problem was that Ha-eun had forcibly clasped Da-yeon and Nael’s hands together, making them shake hands.

And then, a series of vigorous shakes followed.

—Whish, whish.

—Whish, whish.

“Hey, Lee Ha-eun. What the hell do you think you’re doing...?”

Thanks to Ha-eun’s overwhelming grip strength, Da-yeon and Nael ended up in what looked like a handshake.

Thankfully, Nael didn’t seem all that uncomfortable.

No, rather—she seemed flustered that Ha-eun was holding her wrist, almost as if she was thrilled(?).

“...Ji-hye....”

“Y-Yes?”

“Why... didn’t you pick up my calls...?”

“C-Calls? My calls?”

“Yes! My calls...! Hiccup....”

And just like that, the target switched from Nael to Ji-hye.

“I kept, I kept calling you... Do you know how worried I was, thinking something happened...?”

“Oh, wow.”

“Da-yeon, shut up...! This is between me and Ji-hye....”

“You crazy brat.”

“B-Bad words! You’re kicked out, Min Da-yeon!”

“...Ugh....”

And so, the sudden Min Da-yeon appreciation time ended just as abruptly as it started.

Ha-eun slowly peeled herself off Da-yeon and clumsily crawled toward Nael.

That was why Nael’s heart started pounding faster and faster.

Because everything unfolding before her was simply too intense.

“Did I... did I do something wrong to Ji-hye...? I was really happy that Nael was my fan... But I guess Nael wasn’t happy....”

Ha-eun’s wide, slightly teary eyes stared straight at Nael from an almost touchable distance.

Her flushed face.

Her adorably murmuring voice.

The uneven breaths scattering against Nael’s chest.

“...This is insane....”

Everything Nael saw, heard, and felt was overwhelmingly stimulating.

The fact that the beer she had been sipping had slightly gotten to her head didn’t help.

So, as she stood frozen, dazed by how dangerously close Ha-eun’s face was—

“Ji-hye... Do you hate me...? Do you not like me...?”

—A trembling voice, as if on the verge of tears, snapped her out of it.

And almost simultaneously, desperate voices from the first-gen members rang out.

“Say you love her...! Hurry...!”

“If you don’t answer, it’s going to be a disaster...!”

“Quick, quick...!”

Urged by their frantic shouts, Nael instinctively grabbed Ha-eun’s shoulders.

And with the greatest courage she had mustered in all 23 years of her life—

“W-Why would I hate Ha-eun? I love Ha-eun so much.”

“...Really...?”

“I swear on my parents. I seriously, seriously love Ha-eun. About your calls, I... I was taking a nap and didn’t hear them.”

Staring Ha-eun straight in the eyes, Nael confessed once again that she was, in fact, still her biggest fan.

At that, Ha-eun’s expression turned blank for a moment before she slowly melted into a wide smile.

“Hehe, thank goodness... So it was just because you were napping... I was overthinking stupid stuff for no reason....”

Seeing Ha-eun finally calm down, Ji Hye-min and the first-gen members let out a collective sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Nael, who was facing Ha-eun’s dazed smile up close, felt like she was about to lose her mind.

“Then, let’s do the J-pop World Cup together... It’s a promise...?”

“Yes, yes! A World Cup, whatever you want!!”

And at that moment, the promise of a collab stream between Nael and Diah was sealed.

“...I love you, Ji-hye unnie... Hehe....”

“!!!”

Ha-eun’s words alone were enough to knock Nael out.

The next thing they knew, her body had collapsed sideways with a thud.

“I... I can die happy now....”

“N-Nooo! You can’t die...!”

Nael, sprawled on the floor with a blissful grin, and Ha-eun, shaking her and wailing for her not to die—

From Da-yeon’s perspective, there was no mess greater than this.

"Everyone’s lost their minds."

Before long, Cream slowly got up and approached the whimpering Ha-eun.

Gently comforting her, she attempted to move her back to the bed.

It was an approach based on past experience.

Since Ha-eun tended to have a particular fondness for Cream, they figured she’d listen to her.

However, contrary to Cream’s expectations—

“...Maria unnie. Why didn’t you pick up my calls either? You promised... You promised we’d talk often...!”

“A-Ah, well... Ha-eun....”

“Unnie, do you hate me? Do you not like me anymore...? Am I annoying now...?”

Ha-eun, having now switched her target to Cream, was about to pour out all the resentment she had bottled up.

And as soon as that happened, the same dread they had felt the first time Ha-eun had broken into sobs came crashing back.

Maybe that’s why—

Or maybe it was because Cream, too, had gotten a little tipsy at some point—

“I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.”

Pressing her lips close to Ha-eun’s ear, Cream whispered the same words over and over again.

Just like how she used to soothe her young nieces and ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) nephews, she then planted a kiss on Ha-eun’s cheek.

—Smooch.

“Eek!”

Letting out a startled squeal, Ha-eun collapsed backward.

Being caught off guard by affectionate contact from her ultimate favorite VTuber was too much of a shock for her.

And so, she finally crumpled onto the floor, completely unconscious.

By the time she groggily opened her eyes, her head pounding, it was already morning.

“Ugh, my head....”

Sitting there, clutching her forehead, she finally realized the scene outside the window was bathed in morning light.

—Shake, shake.

—Shake, shake.

“Da-yeon... Let’s go eat breakfast... Wake up....”

“...I am never traveling with you again....”

She shook Da-yeon awake from the bed next to hers.

But she had no idea why Da-yeon was glaring at her with such resentment.