Hobbyist VTuber

Ha-eun was a bit excited about the 3D avatar, which was of higher quality than she had expected.

She was also curious about how far she could go with the 3D avatar.

So, she secretly practiced things like grand jetés, just to see.

From start to finish, it was all preparation for Dia’s full-tracking broadcast.

“Couldn’t someone have told me someone was coming…?”

“Did you think I knew Dong-jin would come in at that moment?”

Now that someone had caught Ha-eun in her circus-like poses,

especially a senior at work,

“…How am I supposed to face Mr. Kang-jeong now?”

“If you keep worrying about it, it’ll just get weirder. It’s better for both you and Dong-jin to just forget it.”

Embarrassment and shame surged to an overwhelming level.

That’s why she ended up crouching in the corner of the studio instead of practicing her moves.

Of course, Dia’s 3D avatar was still working perfectly.

Thanks to that, Dia on the screen was also crouching, her face buried in her thighs.

“At least it’s not a leotard. If it were a leotard and you fell over, it would have been way more embarrassing than before.”

“…Is that supposed to be comforting…?”

“Maybe?”

After that, a suggestion to go out for lunch came up.

It was followed by an offer to treat Ha-eun to something delicious for her hard work testing the 3D avatar.

Since it was already past noon, Ha-eun eventually accepted Ji-hye-min’s offer.

However, as a result, Lee Dong-jin, who was outside the studio, also joined the meal.

– Step.

– Step.

‘I think I’m going to die of awkwardness…’

Until they arrived at the restaurant near the LUX office, Ha-eun and Dong-jin didn’t exchange a single word.

Of course, Dong-jin was just as awkward around Ha-eun.

But, for the sake of professionalism,

“Uh, Ha-eun.”

“Yes, yes?”

“There’s something I need to talk to you about regarding our 1st anniversary rehearsal schedule.”

Dong-jin managed to strike up a conversation with Ha-eun, who was sitting across the table.

First, they needed to sort out the issues related to Ha-eun’s schedule.

“The motion capture equipment we ordered from overseas is delayed, so we’ll have to push back the rehearsal date.”

The following discussion was about Ha-eun’s tight schedule.

Ha-eun had to attend school in the morning and go to the filming set in the afternoon, so a solution was proposed for her to participate in the postponed rehearsal.

“I believe you have a ‘The Sunshine’ shoot on that day. Is that correct?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Then, could you come to the studio after the shoot? It’ll probably have to be late in the evening.”

For Dong-jin, who had to coordinate the schedules of five people, this was the best solution.

Ha-eun’s schedule had to be prioritized, but the other members’ schedules also needed to be considered.

Fortunately, Ha-eun’s response was positive.

Thus, a new rehearsal schedule was finalized.

“You’ll be tired after ‘The Sunshine’ shoot, so we’ll wrap it up as quickly as possible.”

Finally, a visibly relieved expression appeared.

Dong-jin, who hadn’t touched his food until then, finally picked up his utensils.

As the atmosphere at the table became more relaxed,

Ha-eun, who had somehow managed to erase the earlier embarrassing incident from her mind, asked Dong-jin about Dia’s full-tracking broadcast.

“About the 3D avatar, how should I handle it when I broadcast personally?”

“Ah, I’ll show you how to link the avatar later. Or we can do it remotely—”

The conversation about setting up the 3D avatar continued for quite a while.

They also discussed the content for Dia’s full-tracking broadcast.

In conclusion, there were no major issues with the content Ha-eun had planned.

Given Ha-eun’s excellent physical abilities, she should be able to handle the full-tracking broadcast well.

However, there was one concern regarding future schedules.

“Um, Ha-eun.”

“Yes?”

“Our schedule after the 1st anniversary performance is the debut of ‘Fantasy Land’ Season 2.”

Regarding Dia’s 3D avatar broadcast,

to be more precise,

“Min Da-yeon might ask you to do something weird with the full-tracking…”

The conversation about Da-yeon, who had found out that Dia could do full-tracking, began.

After all, the possibilities with full-tracking were endless.

“So, how about starting the 3D avatar broadcast after the free pass broadcast?”

“I’ll… consider it.”

Ha-eun also thought Dong-jin’s concern was quite valid.

If full-tracking was used in Dia’s free pass broadcast, it would mean that Dia, from head to toe, would become Da-yeon’s plaything.

It was still impossible to predict what Da-yeon might do.

Although Ha-eun was already preparing for the horror games Da-yeon might suggest, she was still afraid of collaborating with Da-yeon.

So, she took Dong-jin’s advice to heart.

She wanted to prevent any further embarrassing incidents from happening.

The discussion about ‘Fantasy Land’ Season 2, including Da-yeon’s antics, began after that.

Ji-hye-min shared updates on the current status of the Season 2 members, who were in the midst of debut preparations.

“It’s not much different from Season 1…”

“…Everyone’s wary of Da-yeon, right?”

“Yeah.”

While there were no major issues with the debut preparations of the Season 2 members,

they were unsure how to handle one unexpected member.

‘Especially since she’s not exactly the warmest person.’

Ha-eun, being a fan of ‘Fantasy Land’ from the start, could relatively easily get along with the other members.

But whether Da-yeon, who only cared about Dia, could form a comfortable relationship with the other Season 2 members was uncertain.

Of course, she wouldn’t outright push them away,

but she also wouldn’t actively reach out, which made things complicated.

“So, Ha-eun.”

“?”

“If we end up doing a group collab later, could you play the mediator?”

Honestly, no one else could handle Da-yeon but Ha-eun.

Rather than telling the ordinary Season 2 members to approach her,

it seemed better for Ha-eun, a seasoned ‘Fantasy Land’ senior, friend, and actual celebrity, to mediate between Da-yeon and the other members.

Ha-eun had also anticipated this to some extent.

While Da-yeon’s antics were intimidating even to Ha-eun, there was no one else who could handle her.

“…I’ll do my best.”

After all, the reason Da-yeon had applied for ‘Fantasy Land’ Season 2 in the first place was because of Ha-eun.

Ha-eun hadn’t forced her to apply—in fact, she would have preferred if Da-yeon hadn’t—but she couldn’t deny her own responsibility in the matter.

As the three of them were about to get up from the meal,

Dong-jin, as if just remembering something, muttered, “Oh, right,” and shared another piece of news.

“One of the Season 2 members, Na-el, said she wants to use Dia’s free pass.”

She said she wanted to do a cooking show with Dia.

Recalling a memory from a few days ago, Dong-jin asked for Ha-eun’s thoughts.

“Na-el said she wants to invite Dia to her house and cook for her.”

“Cooking? What kind?”

“Well… she said she’d definitely make cotton candy, and she’s willing to make other desserts too.”

Ha-eun knew that Na-el should be given Dia’s free pass.

But she was puzzled that Na-el, with her mischievous personality, had chosen a cooking show.

“…What if the cotton candy tastes like kimchi?”

She asked Dong-jin how likely it was that Na-el would serve some bizarre dish.

Fortunately, Dong-jin’s response was mostly negative.

“I told her not to mess with the food. It’s not just about getting sick from bad food—if something happens to you, it would be a real problem.”

Of course, Na-el still didn’t know that Dia was Ha-eun.

So, it was mentioned that Na-el might faint upon discovering Dia’s true identity.

“Na-el’s been really into ‘The Sunshine’ lately. She’s completely obsessed.”

Every chance she gets, she talks about you.

During the process of helping Na-el prepare for her debut, Dong-jin had heard various anecdotes about Ha-eun and Kim Jung-hyun.

But for some reason,

every time Na-el brought up Ha-eun, Da-yeon’s mood would shift.

Especially when Na-el started talking about collaborating with Dia.

“She doesn’t outright show it, but… how should I put it? There’s a bit of a glare.”

“…Why is that?”

Da-yeon’s sharp gaze made it clear.

Puzzled by Da-yeon’s behavior, Dong-jin asked Ha-eun to let him know if she figured out why Da-yeon was acting that way.

***

“Lee Ha-eun.”

“?”

“Don’t just accept snacks from anyone who offers.”

Only eat what I give you.

Da-yeon, sitting right next to Ha-eun, said this and handed over a cookie she had bought from the snack bar.

It reminded Ha-eun of the safety lessons from childhood—don’t follow strangers—and she was naturally puzzled.

When she asked Da-yeon why she said that,

“I saw it on the news. Someone drugged coffee and kidnapped people.”

Da-yeon, looking slightly flustered, said she was just worried about Ha-eun.

Ha-eun, filled with question marks, nodded and said she understood.

She had no idea that all of this was because of the cooking show collab with Na-el.

After all, Da-yeon wasn’t supposed to know Dia’s true identity.

So, Ha-eun took Da-yeon’s words at face value.

She didn’t think there was any deeper meaning behind the cookie in her hand.

But, seeing Da-yeon acting unusually protective, Ha-eun couldn’t resist teasing her.

“What about if Jung-yoon unnie gives me something?”

“Ma-manager unnie is fine.”

“Then, what about food my mom makes?”

“…Give me back the cookie.”

Ha-eun kept pushing until Da-yeon snapped.

Just as Da-yeon reached for the cookie, Ha-eun quickly took a bite.

“Try and take it~.”

But, as Da-yeon tried to snatch it back,

the cookie ended up breaking in half, and Ha-eun only got to eat half of it.

The other half went straight into Da-yeon’s mouth.

After savoring the sweetness, Ha-eun asked for another one, but

-swish.

-crunch.

“Try and take it~.”

This time, Da-yeon teased Ha-eun just like Ha-eun had done earlier.

Ha-eun tried to snatch it back with her quick hands, but

-gulp!

Da-yeon closed her mouth and swallowed the cookie just before Ha-eun could grab it.

As a result, Ha-eun’s hand ended up hitting Da-yeon’s lips.

“Ow, that hurt…!”

“Sorry.”

Ha-eun quickly wiped the tint stain off her hand and checked on Da-yeon.

Tears were welling up in Da-yeon’s eyes—it must have really hurt.

Ha-eun didn’t notice that Da-yeon’s gaze was fixed on her hand, not her face.

Or that Da-yeon’s eyes had slightly wavered.