Hobbyist VTuber-Chapter 263

The announcement of the collab with Lucid had come a little out of the blue.

There hadn’t been a single mention of it beforehand—until she suddenly dropped the news in an offhand tone after watching a clip from Lucid’s stream.

When Diah casually mentioned in her usual calm voice that she’d be doing a collab with one of Japan’s top VTubers, the Noeulis in the chat were the ones who ended up flustered.

Wait, what? Was this an April Fool’s joke?

But... it was only January.

– Ding.

[ eternalyg has donated 10,000 won! ]

: Can you just announce stuff like this out of nowhere? Isn’t Ramji gonna scold you?

“I got permission. They said... I mean, this year, it’s okay to talk about it.”

– LMAO

– So the collab’s real?

– I mean, technically it is next year;;

– What is this, WWE??

– Diah just casually drops it right at the stroke of midnight on Jan 1st

– Diah’s officially gone world class ㄷㄷ

She was oddly calm.

Usually, Diah would be bouncing with excitement, bragging about the collab with Lucid.

A fair number of Noeulis were left baffled because of that.

A collab with a major Japanese VTuber wasn’t exactly something you could just breeze past.

They wanted more details.

How did the collab with Lucid come to be?

Was she really going to be streaming with Lucid in a Japanese studio?

– Ding.

[ ㅇㅇ has donated 10,000 won! ]

: Are you really going to Japan??

[ Kawatori has donated 10,000 won! ]

: Go to Japan and assert dominance with a full kneel

– Which channel will the stream be on once you're in Japan??

– Spill the tea, baby

– Can Diah even speak Japanese?

Questions about the Lucid collab flooded the donation board and the chat alike.

Even though people weren’t watching the clip post anymore, they couldn’t stop asking.

So, after wrapping up the café visit content, she brought it up again.

Since the collab was scheduled for the week after next, it seemed like Ha-eun needed to lay out the teasers herself.

“I’m not kidding, it’s actually happening. The flight’s already booked.”

Granted, that ticket was for a drama promotion event.

But Ha-eun kept that part to herself and continued speaking as naturally as she could.

She was only revealing what she was allowed to.

She wasn’t sure exactly how much she could say, so she stuck strictly to the official info.

There was a definite chance she might end up spoiling something about the collab.

More than anything, the closer the collab with Lucid came, the more nervous she felt—whether she admitted it or not.

So she decided that would be the end of the topic.

“It’s like... a base of fifty thousand viewers, fifty thousand. Of course I’m nervous...!”

– LOLLLLLL

– Yeah, fifty thousand viewers is definitely something to be nervous about

– So the baby can get nervous huh...

– Honestly, I’d be scared too

– Just hit 'em with a backflip to assert dominance

To be honest, revealing the collab schedule with Lucid had been more of a slip than an intentional tease.

She’d been watching a clip of Lucid’s stream and ended up blurting it out without thinking.

She tried to sound calm while announcing it, to avoid showing she was flustered—but maybe that calmness made it all the more suspicious.

The way her attempt to move right on to the next post completely failed proved as much.

‘This feels kind of like when I was preparing for the joint concert with Leni.’

Technically speaking, the concert with Leni had a larger crowd.

In terms of scale, the concert was definitely bigger, not smaller.

But for Ha-eun, a concert as an entertainer and a collab as a VTuber were two completely different things.

This was the first major event to hit her “main job,” and that made it both exciting and nerve-wracking.

Just like Ji Hye-min had said back then—this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for Diah and Illusionary Realm.

‘I really need to study more Japanese...’

With that vague resolution for the future, she said her goodbyes to the Noeulis in chat.

After all, it was already late.

“Alright then, see you next time~ Bbye~”

[ Diah’s stream has ended. ]

– Eh

– It’s not even 2AM yet

– Diahhh

– You’re coming back tomorrow, right?

– Diahhhhhhhhh

– Where are you going without logging into Battle Island

Ha-eun’s sleep routine had been locked in since she was six years old, and now her eyes were starting to close on their own.

Even the realization that she had officially turned twenty couldn’t overpower the creeping drowsiness.

She trudged out of the soundproof booth and dragged her sleepy body to bed.

Moments later, hearing her footsteps, Baekseol came scampering over to her bedside.

– Lick, lick.

– Lick, lick.

“Mmm, Seol’s here.”

Since Seong-yoon and Na-yeon hadn’t returned yet, she decided to sleep with Baekseol tonight.

She couldn’t just leave her all alone in the living room.

So, hugging Baekseol gently in her arms...

Before long, she had entered the land of dreams, drifting into such deep sleep that not even being carried away would’ve woken her.

When Ha-eun opened her eyes again, it was the same early morning as always.

Through the window, she could see the blue sky where the sun had yet to rise.

“Seol... let’s go for a walk....”

Her first morning as a twenty-year-old began no differently than usual.

She headed to the bathroom, showered in warm water, changed into her tracksuit, and left the house with Baekseol for a jog along the nearby trail.

The only thing different from usual was the selfie stick in her hand with an action cam attached.

“Ah, look, the morning sun’s coming up. Happy New Year, everyone.”

It was a New Year’s vlog, in short.

She was filming a vlog with the concept of spending the first morning of her twenties with her subscribers.

Whenever a passerby recognized her, she paused the recording for a bit.

“I really love God and the Goblin...!”

“Here, take a hot pack! It’s brand new!”

“Oh, uh, thank you both....” freēwēbηovel.c૦m

Running into people who recognized her mid-jog wasn’t that big of a deal.

There were plenty of times when people just handed her little gifts like that.

Though it was true that lately she’d been getting recognized more often.

Likely because God and the Goblin had blown up across the country.

‘Come to think of it, Hye-yeon’s treadmill felt pretty nice too...’

Ha-eun was beginning to consider signing up at a gym.

It was becoming harder to stay outside for long with the weather getting colder.

A bit later, she resumed filming the vlog.

She captured footage of Baekseol walking ahead of her while chatting casually to the action cam.

“Seol’s starting to look more and more like a fox. Must be the Pomeranian in her.”

– Blink blink.

– Blink blink.

“Mmm, the more I look at her, the more she really looks like a fox. Even her ears look a little pointier...”

She kept chatting to the camera all the way back home.

She’d heard the key to a good vlog was making viewers feel like they were living that moment right alongside you.

Only when she arrived home did she wrap up the filming.

The moment she stepped inside, the savory smell of rice cake soup had Baekseol sniffing the air.

“Ha-eun, you’re back?”

“Yes~.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

After that came an ordinary breakfast, just like always.

Aside from the fact that the menu was rice cake soup, nothing was especially different.

What did stand out was what happened after breakfast.

Na-yeon brought out strawberries for dessert and sat down with Seong-yoon at the opposite side of the table.

“Our daughter’s an adult now, huh?”

“Yeah... I guess so.”

“Come on, she’s not an adult ‘til her birthday. Ha-eun’s isn’t here yet.”

Na-yeon’s gentle tone.

Seong-yoon’s playful voice.

Technically, they sounded just like usual.

And yet, what made this moment feel different to Ha-eun was—

“I heard you’ve got a meeting with SL Group.”

“...Yeah.”

“To be honest... I think that’s a lot to take on for you, Ha-eun. Sure, the whole world knows how amazing you are, but still.”

“It’s definitely a lot. I mean, there aren’t many companies that big. Right, Ha-eun?”

Because both Na-yeon and Seong-yoon were worried about her.

They didn’t deny that the meeting could be a great opportunity for Ha-eun.

But above all, they believed her own wishes should come first.

They didn’t want her to go through with it just because of the pressure the name “SL Group” carried.

“If you’re only doing it because you feel like you can’t turn them down, I hope you’ll change your mind—even now,” said Na-yeon.

“Exactly. It’s not like we’re living in the past. No one’s going to hold a grudge over one declined meeting.”

If what she feared was backlash from saying no, there was no need.

It wouldn’t hurt her acting or singing career in the slightest.

Worst case, even if she retired from the entertainment industry right now, she’d still live just fine.

“Think about how much money you’ve got saved up, Ha-eun. You don’t owe anybody anything.”

“It’s kind of a weird thing to say, but... your dad’s not wrong. And I’m not saying you should retire, just that you could, if you wanted to.”

They didn’t want someone else pushing her.

They wanted her—Lee Ha-eun—to choose what she wanted to do.

That was what Na-yeon and Seong-yoon truly wanted to say as her parents.

Whatever the case, Ha-eun had done more °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° than enough already.

She was a daughter they could proudly introduce to anyone.

They just didn’t want her doing something she didn’t want.

“If you go to the meeting and they start saying weird things, just flip the table.”

“Wait... what? The table?”

“Table, chair, person—whatever. With your strength, nothing’s safe.”

“I feel like flipping anything would be a terrible idea...”

Ha-eun didn’t know what they’d say at the SL Group meeting.

She didn’t know how it would turn out either.

But she did know why she had to go.

There was someone waiting there—someone not unfamiliar to her.

“It is a lot of pressure... but I want to try. I’m not going alone, anyway.”

Her decision hadn’t changed.

She hadn’t expected to start the new year with a conversation like this.

But still, she was grateful.

Grateful that her parents were such good people.

Grateful that they told her it was okay to do what she wanted, without worrying about outside pressure.

Even if it was just words, it still felt good to hear them.

Even if being the object of their worry wasn’t always comfortable for Ha-eun—

It was still love.

“Maybe it’ll end up being nothing. I’m going to at least meet them first.”

“Alright, then.”

“Still, just in case, have some cake ahead of time. If you get too nervous, you won’t even understand what they’re saying.”

She had somewhere to return to.

That alone was enough to melt her anxiety away—it wasn’t an illusion.

No matter what anyone said, this was Ha-eun’s home.

Exactly, her home.

“If they offer you an ad deal or something, ask for the highest rate possible. That way you can buy me a building.”

“...Are you really my dad.”

“What? Can’t a dad hope to benefit from his daughter’s success?”

“Ahaha...”

No one could blame her for relying on these familiar voices.

‘My family... is these people. Don’t let anything shake that.’

The reason she planned to meet with SL Group was simple:

To cut off her past life for good.

Once she gave “the person she used to be” a life that didn’t need to worry about Ha-eun anymore, she planned to live solely as the daughter of Seong-yoon and Na-yeon.

It was the final step in fully embracing the name Lee Ha-eun.

Nothing more.

And so, time passed.

At last, it was the day of the meeting with SL Group.

"Um, Ha-eun. What if they put something like sleeping pills in the coffee, like what Ye-seo did?"

"Then I guess... I’d just have to bolt for the door."

"What if you get caught while running away?"

"...Are you nervous, Seong-jae?"

"Yeah. I don’t think I could handle this without joking like I am right now."

She was heading to the meeting location with Yoo Seong-jae, who—oddly enough—seemed even more nervous than she was.

She was thankful that he readily agreed when she asked him to come along. But somehow...

It kind of felt like she now had one more thing to worry about.

‘He could’ve said no if it was too much.’

Makeup just slightly more refined than usual.

A face just a bit more stiff than usual.

And a single index finger lightly tapping the side of his thigh.

For someone who had said he was looking forward to the meeting with a major corporation, he didn’t look very relaxed.

Then again, Ha-eun wasn’t feeling very comfortable either.

They didn’t meet the SL Group rep right away.

"Hello. I’m Jeong Hee-seo, Executive Director of Media Business."

".........."

The moment she heard that familiar voice, her expression went cold for a split second.

But she immediately layered on emotion and began to act—just like she always had.

After all, that middle-aged woman across from her wouldn’t find this performance unfamiliar.

She didn’t even think Jeong Hee-seo would notice she was acting.

Because right now, Ha-eun was delivering one of the most intricate and detailed performances of her life.

‘...The atmosphere...’

Only Yoo Seong-jae, who knew the real Ha-eun, picked up on her acting.

Even so, he had no choice but to focus on what Director Jeong Hee-seo was saying, so his questions about Ha-eun's odd behavior were pushed to the back of his mind.

What followed was talk about the outstanding box office numbers Veterans had achieved.

Then came how pleased they were that both leads from Veterans would also be starring in SL Group’s upcoming drama The Chairman’s Youngest Grandson.

"I’m looking forward to it. Personally, as well."

It was a formal tone, but not overly stiff.

Ha-eun, sitting next to Seong-jae, offered a word of thanks.

Though that, too, was part of the act.

The meeting continued along those lines.

Why they’d cast Ha-eun and Yoo Seong-jae in The Chairman’s Youngest Grandson.

What SL Group hoped to gain from the drama, and so on.

"We won’t be holding back on investment. The chairman has taken particular interest in this project."

The conversation about the drama bounced back and forth across the wide meeting room.

But just as Ha-eun had predicted—

"Now then, we’d like to present our next proposal."

There was more to SL Group’s invitation than The Chairman’s Youngest Grandson.

For example, a request—or offer—for Ha-eun to appear in advertisements for SL Group’s affiliate companies.

"We hold Ms. Lee Ha-eun in high regard at SL Group. We’d like you to consider becoming a valued partner of ours, if I may put it that way."

The voice delivering this came alongside a thick packet of various ad proposals, and it was, as expected, discomforting.

The words were wrapped in pleasant packaging, but underneath it all was the sound of someone running cold calculations in their head.

To be honest, she had expected as much.

Business was business.

If a corporate director wasn’t thinking about money, that’d be the weird part.

She’d never expected anything else.

"You don’t need to make a decision right now. Please take time to review everything before responding—"

What mattered was getting what she wanted out of this meeting.

They wanted the value of the name “Lee Ha-eun.”

So she intended to take what she wanted from them in return.

Whatever that might be—at this point, no one else could guess.

So, she nodded with a pleasant smile.

Responded in a soft, gentle voice.

And under the table, she kept clenching and unclenching her fists, adjusting her pace in her own way.

"Now then, this next proposal is a bit more important, so we’d appreciate a thoughtful response."

The moment they began presenting something beyond ad proposals, Ha-eun could feel her composure starting to crack.

Because the suggestion coming from that familiar face across the table was—

"We’d like to bring Ms. Lee Ha-eun to the North. That is, to North Korea."

"...Excuse me?"

It was a proposal she hadn’t anticipated in the slightest—from beginning to end.

"The exact date hasn’t been set yet... but it’s been decided that artists will accompany the upcoming inter-Korean summit."

"Inter-Korean summit..."

"Please note that discussions with the Blue House are already underway. Also, that Ms. Lee Ha-eun is among the artists being considered for this visit."

"I’m... being considered for the visit...?"

"Ah, of course, the choice is entirely yours, Ms. Lee Ha-eun. We live in a free democratic country, after all. This is South Korea."

She was at a complete loss for words.

She hadn’t imagined she’d be hearing something of this scale—something far beyond her expectations.

Wasn’t this... political activity?

She hadn’t even voted in a presidential election yet.

A hint of unease crept onto Ha-eun’s face, who had always remained strictly neutral in political matters.

***

"Um... Ha-eun? Are you okay? Your expression doesn’t look great."

"I just heard something I couldn’t have even imagined. My head kind of... hurts."

A quiet murmur, the kind that only came when stress hit its limit.

Yoo Seong-jae, worried, suggested she cool down with something sweet.

"Haah... this is seriously pissing me off..."

‘...She must really be upset.’

Even with a sugary drink from a nearby café, Ha-eun’s expression didn’t improve.

The fact that she—who had never once openly shown negative emotions—was looking like this only made things feel tenser.

Maybe that’s why.

Or maybe it was the cold gaze she’d shot at Director Jeong Hee-seo that kept lingering in his mind.

"When you're upset, it’s better to move your body than to just sit still."

He suggested various ways she might blow off steam.

Asking if there was a punching machine near her place was part of that.

"If there’s one nearby, go and punch it as hard as you can. That always helps me cool off."

"Hmm, I don’t think I’ve seen one around here..."

"...Hmm..."

And so, handling her like a ticking time bomb about to go off, he tread very carefully.

"I think I saw a screen baseball place earlier..."

"Huh? Where?"

"Screen baseball. Oh, there it is."

– Step.

– Step.

"W-Wait a second? You’re really going there now?"

– Step.

– Step.

"...You’ve got to be kidding me."

Somehow, he ended up trailing behind Ha-eun as she headed into a random screen baseball venue on the street.

She didn’t even seem to have called her manager, and he couldn’t just leave her alone.

Still, if he stayed with her by himself, people could easily get the wrong idea.

Even knowing she wasn’t particularly fond of him, he called someone else.

[ ...Hello? ]

"Ha-eun’s mad. I think Dayeon should come talk her down."

[ Lee Ha-eun is mad...? What? Did the meeting go badly? ]

"It’s... complicated. Really complicated. Anyway, I’ll send you the address. Come if you can."

With that, he sent the screen baseball venue’s location to Dayeon, who was basically their emergency contact.

He also summoned his own manager to avoid being alone with Ha-eun.

‘Wouldn’t want anyone snapping pictures or something...’

It was the best Seong-jae could think to do.

Ha-eun was in such an unfamiliar state, he couldn’t help feeling unsettled.

Then came a sharp, crisp sound.

– Crack!

– Crack! Crack!

"...Not enough."

‘Hope she doesn’t throw something out of place...’

With the pitching machine set to max speed, Ha-eun was swinging the bat with incredible force, smacking every ball that flew her way.

The scene was so intense, so fierce, he didn’t dare say a word.

Thankfully, Dayeon burst into the venue a bit later, panting from her taxi ride.

– Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!

"...What the hell is she doing?"

Even Dayeon didn’t know what to say to her.

If she’d just screamed or cussed, at least then she could’ve patted her back from behind.

But with that expression and that glare, swinging the bat without saying a word—approaching her wasn’t going to be easy.

Th𝓮 most uptodate nov𝑒ls are publish𝒆d on freew(e)bnove(l).𝓬𝓸𝓶