Hobbyist VTuber-Chapter 182

“Seo Jin-tae and Lee Ha-eun are appearing on Job People?”

“Breaking: Lee Ha-eun confirmed for Job People.”

It was a week before the broadcast of Job People’s latest episode. The teaser for the upcoming "Zookeeper Special" had briefly caused a stir in online communities.

While Job People had recently risen in popularity as a variety show, the excitement was largely driven by the featured guests: Lee Ha-eun, whose stardom skyrocketed after The Sunshine, and the legendary actor Seo Jin-tae, known as a "box office guarantee."

The announcement that the zookeeper special would include lead actors from the movie Veterans naturally attracted even more attention.

“Didn’t Ha-eun lick her lips after seeing a bug on 2 Days & 3 Nights once?”

ㄴ “Is that true?”

ㄴ “Yeah, she said something about bugs being great protein, like Bear Grylls.”

“Ha-eun looks great in the zookeeper uniform.”

ㄴ “So cute I’m crying.”

ㄴ “That shot of her holding a lion cub is insane.”

ㄴ “Must be her Capricorn energy—she loves animals, lol.”

ㄴ “Did she post anything about the shoot on Instagram yet?”

ㄴ “Not yet, it seems.”

Although casting news about the two actors had already been released, this marked the first time the movie Veterans had been introduced more prominently to the public.

It was Ha-eun's second film and her first time playing a villain.

These two factors alone piqued curiosity about Veterans. The biggest draw, however, was the stark contrast between Ha-eun’s heart-wrenching role in The Sunshine and her new role as the villain Lee Ye-seo.

“The articles say Ha-eun’s playing a villain?”

ㄴ “What?!”

ㄴ “Yeah, a psychopathic chaebol heiress.”

ㄴ “Wait, isn’t Kim Jung-hyun’s character dead already?!”

ㄴ “Why bring up someone who’s been dead for ages?!”

ㄴ “What the hell? Where are you from?!”

“A chaebol villain? Does she run people over while drunk?”

“‘Seo Jin-tae & Yoo Sung-jae face off against her in action scenes.’ <<< Is that true?”

“Is the Crown Prince finally getting stabbed by Yeong-wol for real this time? LOL.”

Speculation about Ha-eun’s portrayal of Lee Ye-seo continued in online forums even as the air date for Job People approached.

But from the moment Ha-eun, dressed in her zookeeper uniform, appeared on TV—

“Hup!”

-Whip!

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“Ha-eun wins!”

“...Am I getting old?”

—when Ha-eun effortlessly defeated Seo Jin-tae in an arm-wrestling match to determine who would feed the animals—

“How didn’t Seo Jin-tae’s arm break?”

“Lee Ha-eun bending a senior actor’s arm, legendary.”

“She must really want to feed that elephant, lol.”

—discussions about Job People quickly dominated. Ha-eun and Seo Jin-tae appearing together on variety shows was a headline-worthy event in itself.

The episode officially began with the three guests meeting their first animal: an elephant.

The broadcast showed Ha-eun, eyes full of curiosity, feeding the elephant.

“Oh, it’s crunching the cabbage!”

Not long after, Ha-eun picked up another large cabbage with one hand and handed it to the elephant. While the cabbage clearly wasn’t light, viewers—familiar with Ha-eun’s antics from 2 Days & 3 Nights—found her strength unsurprising.

“This would make a great mukbang ASMR stream...”

“Is Ha-eun watching mukbangs these days?”

“That elephant’s having a feast today.”

“It’s really eating well, lol.”

At this point, viewer reactions on forums and social media were fairly typical—similar to when Ha-eun appeared on 2 Days & 3 Nights or Infinite Challenge.

Most viewers saw the zookeeper experience as a fun activity for Ha-eun rather than something groundbreaking. They watched her familiar, candid, and slightly excited demeanor without expecting any major surprises.

But the shift in reactions came later.

“It’s time for Leo and Rey’s milk!”

“Leo? Rey?”

“They’re lion cubs—super cute ones.”

Moments later, two lion cubs, cradled by a zookeeper, were introduced to the cast of Job People. Within seconds, both cubs ran straight to Ha-eun, snuggling into her arms.

“I want to raise them. No, I will raise them...!”

Growl...

“Huh? Did you hear that? They said they like me!”Ha-eun had always been enthusiastic on variety shows, but this was different. Her energy felt more pure and childlike, as though she was utterly enchanted by the experience.

“Can I pet them?”

“Yes, just gently.”

The contrast between Ha-eun’s usual sharp image and her completely disarmed, almost innocent reaction to the cubs was striking.

“Are those really lion cubs? They’re huge.”

“Well, Ha-eun’s tiny—barely 160 cm.”

“I’ve never seen her this happy before.”

“She’s handling lions like they’re kittens, lol.”

It was what you’d call a "charm switch." Watching the typically composed Ha-eun completely captivated by the cubs was an unexpected treat for viewers.

“I really want to take them home...”

“That’s illegal, lol.”

“She’s so smitten with them.”

“Those jellybean paw pads would make anyone lose it.”

As interest in Ha-eun’s uncharacteristic behavior grew, so did the ratings. By the time the crew moved on to the giraffe and fennec fox enclosures, the numbers were climbing steadily.

What truly pushed the ratings into "phenomenal success" territory, however, was the sight of a high school actress casually handling mealworms—fennec fox food—without flinching.

“I can’t believe it. How can she just grab mealworms like that?”

“Seriously, that girl’s got guts.”

Even the producers of Job People, including PD Shin Young-il, were amazed. Adult men like Na Jae-hyuk and Seo Jin-tae had struggled, yet Ha-eun was unfazed.

“How many should I put in each container?”

With a calm expression, Ha-eun scooped up the wriggling insects and placed them into feeding trays.

This extraordinary sight—a teenage actress handling mealworms as though it was nothing—was a rarity, even on variety shows.

As a result, the ratings, already on the rise, hit an all-time high. For a traditional TV program in an era dominated by YouTube and streaming platforms, it was an exceptional achievement.

But the peak came five minutes later.

“Uh, uh... It’s getting closer!”

“It’s right in front of us!”

The crew was visiting the predator enclosures, including tigers and bears. As a tiger approached their vehicle, Na Jae-hyuk and Seo Jin-tae panicked. In contrast, Ha-eun—calm as ever—muttered,

“Its nose looks so soft.”

Without an ounce of fear, she maintained eye contact with the tiger.

“...Hmph...”

-Ding.

[ What are you looking at? ]

The two-character subtitle inserted by the Job People production team created a synergy with Ha-eun’s sharp gaze that was almost excessive. Then, as Ha-eun turned her head and the tiger, which had been retreating, was accompanied by a whining sound effect, the following reactions appeared in the chat:

"Monkey D. Lee Ha-eun, wow.""That’s the Emperor's color, right?""The first actress to make a tiger scared, lol.""I’d lose in a staring contest with Ha-eun in one second."Strictly speaking, neither Ha-eun nor the tiger were antagonizing each other or scared, but the Job People production team used subtitles and sound effects to direct the situation, and the viewers’ varied interpretations made for an interesting outcome.

This was also the case with Da-yeon, who was watching Job People with Ha-eun at a dog cafe. Not long after Ha-eun had made the tiger lower its gaze, Da-yeon started teasing her.

"Are you sure you’re not going to shoot lasers from your eyes next?"

"I- I’m not Superman."

"Well, Superman would lose in an arm-wrestling match against you, so what’s stronger than Superman?"

"...That's mean..."

A few days ago, Ha-eun had stared down tigers and bears in an effort to maintain the image of Lee Ye-seo, her character. Still, as Da-yeon was teasing Ha-eun about her intimidating gaze, even White Snow, Ha-eun’s dog, received the comment that Ha-eun's eyes were fierce. Ha-eun ended up rubbing her face in frustration.

However, the teasing didn’t last too long.

"People ask, how can I become more beautiful? How can I look prettier?"

It was after the Job People broadcast ended, and the first appearance of Rev’s cosmetics commercial aired that the teasing atmosphere shifted. Da-yeon’s attention was immediately caught by Ha-eun, who appeared in a white dress, walking through a forest.

Ha-eun’s face, even more beautiful than Da-yeon remembered, made Da-yeon’s mouth slowly close in awe. It was an enchanting, almost mesmerizing kind of beauty.

The camera zoomed in as Ha-eun walked slowly through the quiet forest, surrounded by soft fireflies.

Soon, the camera focused more closely on Ha-eun. Her mouth seemed to slightly curl up in a smile, or was that just Da-yeon’s imagination?

"I’ll give you a dream. A sweet dream you’ll never wake up from."

Ha-eun’s deep gaze pierced the camera as she recited the line. The commercial ended with her voice lingering, leaving a deep impression.

It was hard to forget the soft yet powerful gaze Ha-eun gave at the end of the commercial. Was it the effect of the camera zooming in on her eyes during Job People?

"No, it’s not because of the variety show."

Da-yeon herself felt the commercial had a level of immersion that other commercials simply couldn’t match. After all, once Da-yeon made eye contact with Ha-eun’s intense gaze, it was hard to look away.

Although the commercial was undoubtedly edited with some makeup, special effects, and CGI, the memory of Ha-eun in that white dress stayed with Da-yeon for a long time.

Boom!

"!?"

Suddenly, fireworks went off right in front of Da-yeon, followed by a birthday cake being handed to her.

"Happy birthday."

"...I knew you were going to make me meet today."

That day’s memory became one of the most memorable ones for Da-yeon. While she didn’t know how others felt about the Rev commercial, for her, it was unforgettable.

"Here’s your birthday gift."

"Uh... everything’s from Rev? Did you get this as sponsorship?"

"It’s from my own money. It feels weird to get a birthday gift from sponsorship."

"...You idiot."

Da-yeon said this with a slightly reddened face, then gently blew out the candles.

Meanwhile, Ha-eun softly grabbed White Snow’s two front paws, making her clap. It was a strange yet typical Ha-eun way of celebrating, and a quiet laugh slipped from Da-yeon’s lips.

***

The goal of the Rev CF was to evoke a dreamlike quality. Just like its name, "Rêve," the objective was to convey the unreal beauty of the products to consumers.

Since the CF aired during the time when the impact of The Sunshine still lingered, its influence was immediate. Ha-eun's appearance on Job People had also reminded viewers of Kim Jung-hyun, which played a role in this effect.

This was also why the Rev CF schedule had been moved up. With Ha-eun’s image as a 'lady' established through The Sunshine and her first album release, the brand wanted to bring this image into the CF.

However, the original intention behind the Rev contract, knowing Ha-eun would be playing an antagonist in Veterans, was to use her as a model for the brand despite that fact.

"Sorry, sir. I’ve been getting a lot of calls today."

After a little time had passed since the airing of Job People, the teaser for Veterans was released. Specifically, the teaser abruptly shifted the lighthearted and comedic mood into something much darker.

Puff!Puff! Puff! Puff...!"Ugh... it's the same. Same boring thing."

Ha-eun’s charisma, portrayed through her emotionless gaze, was fully revealed in that moment. Her transformation, different from just a few days ago, left viewers unable to look away.

It was Ha-eun's first villain role, so there was doubt. But it was precisely because of this doubt that the shock created by her cold demeanor was so intense. The blank, emotionless shell that had been hidden behind her usual intense gaze made people's skepticism turn to fear.

However, the fear people felt from Lee Ye-seo was also what defined her presence.

"Director Hwang, all branches are sold out across the country..."

"Of course."

In her ruthless gaze, which allowed no one to forget her, the powerful stare from Rev’s CF was once again felt, showing the full weight of her presence. The rapid shift in Ha-eun's image within just a few days had directly impacted the CF as well.

Ultimately, this led to record-breaking sales in a single day. The day Lee Ye-seo was first introduced, the Rev Korea office was sure that choosing Ha-eun as the new CF model had been the right decision.