Hobbyist VTuber

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“Ding-dong.”

“I’m back…”

The dark house. The only bright spot was the entrance, where the light had just turned on.

Still, just in case, I peeked into the bedroom.

“…Phew.”

Luckily, both Nayun and Seongyoon were asleep.

Well, it’s not like they had any reason to be awake at 3 in the morning.

Feeling relieved, Ha-eun headed straight to her room and fell asleep.

About 5 hours later.

“Ha-eun.”

“Yes?”

“Um, making money is good and all, but… isn’t it a bit tough working late into the night already?”

During the usual breakfast, a concerned voice I’d never heard before reached my ears.

At the same time, I froze from head to toe.

“Wh-what makes you say that…?”

“No, it’s just. You’ve been working too late these days.”

There were too many things to worry about.

The most concerning was, of course, the stuff related to Hwansanghyang.

Even though Ji Hye-min had done her best to cover for her, the fact that Nayun had called LUX instead of Luna Entertainment was a problem from the start.

Unlike the famous entertainment company Luna Entertainment, LUX is an MCN.

In other words, a company where internet broadcasters are affiliated.

Which means Nayun had somewhat figured out that the reason Ha-eun came home late was related to LUX’s internet broadcasters.

‘Just how much does she know…?’

Sweat dripped from Ha-eun’s forehead.

After all, people of Nayun’s generation tend not to view internet broadcasting in a positive light.

Of course, Nayun might not have any preconceptions or prejudices about internet broadcasting.

But even if Nayun didn’t see internet broadcasting in a bad light.

“Um, this performance simulation thing. Can’t someone else do it?”

“O-others can’t do it.”

“Is it something only you can do?”

“…Yes…”

It was crucial that Nayun never found out about Dia’s existence.

That’s why Ha-eun carefully gauged Nayun’s reaction and promised to try to schedule things during the day as much as possible.

“B-but I’ve mostly finished the urgent stuff. The filming for <The Sunshine> is completely done too.”

“Is it because of the people you’ve met while working? Are you attached and can’t quit?”

“It’s true that I like the people, but… it’s also because I really enjoy the work.”

I want to do as much as I can.

Ha-eun, slightly lowering her head in tension, said this while once again checking Nayun’s reaction.

From Nayun’s perspective, Ha-eun’s behavior wasn’t something you’d see every day.

But she didn’t press further, knowing Ha-eun wasn’t the type to do anything bad.

One way or another, what Ha-eun hated the most was worrying others.

Knowing this better than anyone, Nayun decided not to interfere further with the matters related to that “puppet show.”

However, not interfering and…

“By the way, Ha-eun.”

“Yes?”

“Do you do puppet shows on YouTube these days?”

“…Huh?”

Not being curious are two different things.

“Mom looked it up, and there are puppet-shaped characters singing and doing radio shows.”

Ji Hye-min had mentioned that this puppet show thing actually makes money.

She asked Ha-eun what exactly about the puppet show makes it popular.

“In my day, you had to go to a children’s theater to see something like this.”

At the same time, she showed Ha-eun a character keychain.

She mentioned that Ha-eun’s friend Dayeon also had the same keychain.

“Is this character popular among young people these days?”

“Y-yes, it’s popular… Where did you get that keychain?”

“I found it while cleaning under your bed. I was going to throw it away since you didn’t seem to be using it, but it felt like a waste.”

Apparently, Ha-eun had accidentally dropped a keychain under her bed.

Honestly, she wanted to ask for it back right away, but Nayun seemed to like it.

And so, the keychain on Nayun’s phone ended up leaving Ha-eun’s hands completely.

It would only look more suspicious if she showed she cared.

And so, questions about the puppet show, which had become popular enough to spawn merchandise like keychains, poured in one after another.

“Ha, I’m off to school.”

Only when it was time for Ha-eun to go to school did the questions stop.

As Ha-eun disappeared through the front door like she was running away, Nayun’s farewell, “Have a good day,” followed.

Except, Ha-eun’s ears had been burning red for a long time.

“…Are you embarrassed that Mom found out?”

Left alone in the house, Nayun looked at the keychain on her phone and fell into thought.

To Nayun, it seemed like the kind of cute character that elementary or kindergarten girls would like.

Honestly, it felt like a very childish taste for someone who would be an adult next year.

It was understandable that Ha-eun stuttered and panicked when the keychain was discovered.

“…If Ha-eun’s dad finds out, he’ll tease her until she’s a grandma.”

For now, the keychain would remain a secret between Ha-eun and Nayun.

She thought the puppet show stuff was just related to a character Ha-eun liked.

At least, for now.

｢Noeul~ah─♪ Let’s get shot─♬｣

“…The plays these days are really unique.”

She thought Ha-eun’s voice reciting some strange lines was just part of a script.

She mistakenly thought the audition Ha-eun had attended long ago was for the voice role of a character named “Dia” that Ha-eun liked.

“No wonder she suddenly needed a soundproof booth… She wanted to try voice acting too.”

***

As Ha-eun had promised Nayun, there were no more days of staying out late into the night.

This was because the filming for <The Sunshine> had completely wrapped up, giving Ha-eun some breathing room in her schedule.

There was no longer any reason to schedule things late at night.

Even the increasingly intense filming for <The Veterans> never went past 10 PM.

However, Ha-eun’s schedule wasn’t completely free.

She wasn’t lounging around at home during her free time.

Studying the script for <The Veterans>.

Or, studying.

-Knock knock.

“Ha-eun~. Have some fruit while you study~.”

“Ah, yes.”

Every time Ha-eun received fruit from Nayun, she was wearing her study glasses.

At least until evening, she lived every moment like a high school senior.

But after dinner.

-Click.

[Fantasy World Famous Quotes World Cup☆]

– Diha

– Welcome, baby

– Of course, I believe it’s 128 rounds without a doubt

– Is this the broadcast where you got reality-checked after grand delusions??

As always, she turned on the broadcast inside the pure white soundproof booth.

It was also a time when the 1st anniversary of Fantasy World was approaching.

[ Cream: “Ah? Ice avocado?”

VS

Mile: “If you can’t break it, take it” ]

“Oh, putting it in black and white with quotes makes even the simplest things sound impactful!”

– The lineup from the start is LOLOLOL

– Don’t say it’s a bad comment doubting your intellectual level

– Mile saying that and then trying to steal a car was hilarious

– I’m dizzy trying to figure out where that avocado line came from

Lately, most of the broadcast content focused on interacting with the Noeuls.

She occasionally did game broadcasts like Battle Island, but as the 1st anniversary of Fantasy World approached, she focused more on two-way communication with the Noeuls.

Especially paying attention to dropping hints about the 1st anniversary live performance.

“Our group song came out really well. Especially Cream unnie’s part, it’s like, wow~! You can’t help but be amazed~.”

– Here we go again with the Cream love

– So when are you and Cream doing We Got Married?

– Everyone else says Dia’s part is the best

– Dia, Yuna was talking mad trash about you

-Ding.

[ eternalyg has donated 30,000 won! ]

: Is it true that the first time you saw the Demon King in a tight suit, you said he looked like a Power Ranger grunt?

“No, I didn’t say that to make fun of him. If you guys saw the unnie’s look, you’d say the same thing as me.”

– Then show us first?

– Why only you, why only you, why only you, why only you, why only you, why only you

– We’ll judge, just show us the picture

Thus, by mentioning the 1st anniversary live performance, she directed the Noeuls’ attention to the special 1st anniversary broadcast.

The other members besides Dia were also occasionally showing off their 3D avatars and the teaser for the group song 『Illusion』.

However, other plans.

Namely, questions about the debut of Fantasy World’s 2nd generation, unrelated to the 1st anniversary of the 1st generation, also came up frequently.

This was all due to Daramji, the head of the Fantasy World project.

Just as Daramji had done before the debut of Fantasy World’s 1st generation, lately she had been dropping hints about the 2nd generation.

The problem was that among those hints were some related to Dia.

More precisely, hints related to Dia’s free-use rights.

Thus, the dopamine-filled content of Dia’s free-use rights often drew the Noeuls’ attention.

-Ding.

[ WithCoin has donated 10,000 won! ]

: Is it true that there are not one but two Noeuls among the 2nd generation?

“…Yes.”

– LOLOLOLOLOLOL

– Well, goodbye, I won’t see you off

– Let’s start with a public game, shall we?

– If a junior tells you to bark, do you bark?

“Ugh! Where does a junior talk like that to a senior! This is Korea! The land of courtesy!”

– You started with informal speech from the get-go

– This is hilarious LOLOLOL

– The seniority is real ㄷㄷㄷ

– If you’re scared, say you’re scared, baby

– Daramji said both Noeuls are grinding their teeth

And so, for several days, the broadcasts revolved around two main topics: the 1st anniversary of Fantasy World’s 1st generation and the debut of the 2nd generation.

What Ha-eun hadn’t considered was that there were people “pre-studying” through her broadcasts.

“Hmm, I didn’t really go this route…”

One of the two Noeuls Daramji mentioned, Nael, often referenced Dia’s broadcasts.

This reference included Dia’s broadcast chat.

So whenever the Noeuls mentioned Nael, she couldn’t help but react with a mutter.

Technically, the name Nael hadn’t been revealed yet, but you could roughly guess who they were talking about from the context.

However, one day.

[Notice of Break or Delay (Drama Issue…!)]

A notice was posted on the Fantasy World official cafe that Dia would take a one-day break from broadcasting.

This was due to Nayun’s request to watch the final episode of <The Sunshine> together.

The notice asked for the Noeuls’ understanding, saying she couldn’t resist the drama she was currently hooked on.

But for Nael alone, the meaning was slightly different.

“Oh? Does senior watch <The Sunshine> too?”

Thus, she decided to talk about <The Sunshine> during a future cooking broadcast with Dia.

After all, nothing makes you closer than sharing a common interest, so it was a great thing for Nael.

And so, time passed.

The long-awaited final episode of <The Sunshine> began, but.

​

｢I told you I lost. So why….｣

What she ended up facing wasn’t what Nael had hoped for.

There had been an ominous feeling as it progressed, but she had believed the ending would be a happy one.

-Thud.

｢…It can’t be. If you do this… it can’t be…?｣

“Ah, no… this can’t be…”

At some point, the world turned pale, preventing Nael from looking directly at the long-awaited final scene.

The iconic scene that had achieved a 27% viewership rating was, at least for Nael, painfully bitter.

 

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