Hobbyist VTuber-Chapter 198

“There's plenty of other great actors out there. Why me?”

“Because to me, you’re the only Mr. Sun-woo.”

A repeated question.

A repeated, unwavering answer.

And—

“If you won’t come willingly, I’ll just drag you there.”

“Ahaha. And just how do you plan on carrying me?”

“You think I can’t?”

“...What?”

Her relentless determination.

Thanks to that, Kang Sun-woo ended up sitting with Ha-eun for quite a while, discussing God and Goblin.

But what ultimately convinced him to accept her proposal wasn’t their long conversation.

It was something else entirely.

-Swoosh.

Midway through their discussion, Ha-eun pulled out an old 2G phone.

And seconds later—

-One day, let’s meet again in front of the camera, Mr. Sun-woo.

-Ahaha. Yeah, let’s meet again.

-Words alone aren’t enough. Give me your pinky.

An old voice recording.

Hearing her calm voice from years ago, Kang Sun-woo let out a breathy chuckle.

“I looked into it, and apparently, verbal agreements have legal validity.”

“...Wow. I had no idea you even recorded that. You’re thorough.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

And with that, Kang Sun-woo finally nodded.

He couldn’t bear to keep Ha-eun waiting any longer.

Not when she had come all this way, all by herself, just for him.

Still, even after accepting her offer—

“Alright then, let’s go.”

“Huh? Go where?”

“Seoul.”

“R-right now?”

“Yes.”

Ha-eun’s suggestion of heading straight to Luna Entertainment caught him completely off guard.

Of course, if he was going to return as an actor, he would need to find an agency.

But—

“Wait, you can’t just show up unannounced—”

-Ring, ring...

“Ah, yes. Hello, CEO Jeong. This is Lee Ha-eun. Yes, yes. I convinced him.”

-Click.

“Appointment’s set.”

“...Wow.”

That was... fast.

Way faster than he was expecting.

Her overwhelming drive left him reeling.

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And it didn’t stop at just getting him to Seoul.

After the train ride, the first place they went was a makeup shop.

“You already look great, but still. It’s better with makeup.”

Then, after an extremely thorough session, she even booked him a hotel.

Kang Sun-woo tried to protest, saying she didn’t have to go this far—

“I can just catch the last train back, Ha-eun.”

“The timing’s way too tight.”

“Even if I miss the train, I can book my own hotel.”

“This is an investment. In you.”

Realizing she had already considered his God and Goblin appearance a done deal, he could only surrender.

The little child actor he had once known had turned into an unrelenting force.

And so, not long after—

They arrived at Luna Entertainment.

Inside the elevator leading to the CEO’s office, Kang Sun-woo spoke up.

“I haven’t dressed up in a while. Feels weird.”

Watching him study his reflection in the mirror, Ha-eun repeated the words he had once told her.

Ha-eun, you shine more than enough. Be confident.

Even if you're just saying that, thanks.

I mean it.

“You still look great. Have some confidence.”

“Ahaha. Even if you’re just saying that, thanks.”

“I mean it. There aren’t many people out there better-looking than you.”

Her words were nothing but the truth.

And as she led him °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° forward—

-Knock, knock.

With two light knocks, she stepped into the CEO’s office.

Inside, a familiar face greeted them.

“I brought Mr. Sun-woo.”

“...You’re a terrifying person.”

Seeing Kang Sun-woo standing beside Ha-eun, Jeong Do-cheol fell silent for a brief moment.

No director or actor had managed to bring him back—yet here he was, holding Ha-eun’s hand.

Still, no way was he going to let an opportunity like this slip away.

“There’s a lot I’d like to say, but let’s start with the contract. Sound good?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Straight to the point. I like it.”

They sat down at the table and began discussing the terms of Kang Sun-woo’s exclusive contract.

Since Ha-eun had already made it clear that money wasn’t his priority, negotiations went smoothly.

“Alright then. Looking forward to working with you, Kang.”

“Yes, sir.”

After finalizing the agreement, Jeong Do-cheol asked if they could announce the contract publicly.

“It’d help with God and Goblin’s promotion. What do you think?”

“Hmm...”

Sun-woo glanced at Ha-eun.

She simply gave him a small nod.

Smiling, he turned back to the CEO.

“I’d prefer to keep it quiet for now.”

“...May I ask why?”

“She wants a surprise. I think it’d be best to keep it under wraps until the drama teaser drops.”

They pushed back the announcement of his return.

Rather than revealing the news early, they believed it would be far more impactful if it was kept a secret.

“Well, if that’s what you want, then sure.”

“Thank you for understanding, sir.”

And with that, they shook hands.

Watching Kang Sun-woo keep his promise—

Ha-eun smiled softly.

***

A few days had passed since Kang Sun-woo signed his exclusive contract with Luna Entertainment.

And before she knew it, Ha-eun realized that there was less than a week left of Naerae Arts High School’s summer break.

‘Is it because I was overseas?’

The majority of her summer vacation had been spent filming Start Again.

Not that she had any regrets.

Everything she experienced in Europe had been meaningful.

Busking in front of people who had no idea who she was.

Receiving applause purely for her singing, without any preconceived biases.

It had been a moment she wouldn’t forget.

-Swipe.

-Swipe.

“These photos turned out really well... Must be because the camera’s expensive.”

She scrolled through the pictures on her Instagram—photos from Europe, taken with Ju Jung-yoon’s new camera.

A perfect collection of aesthetic “Instagram-worthy” nightscapes.

- Your sunglasses are so pretty, unnie!!!

- That sunset is amazing.

- Have a wonderful day, Ha-eun 🧡🥰

- Goddess.

- Cuuutie!! 😍😍

The reaction to her photos was overwhelmingly positive.

Tens of thousands of likes.

‘My follower count went up again.’

As she scrolled through the comments, reminiscing about her time in Europe—

“What are you looking at?”

“Oh, just some photos from my trip.”

It wasn’t until she heard Da-yeon’s voice that she looked up.

Right now, she was sitting across from Da-yeon at a dog café near her house.

Of course, Baek-seol was there too.

Though thanks to Da-yeon’s endless pleading, Ha-eun had to let her hold Baek-seol the entire time.

But that wasn’t the only reason she was meeting Da-yeon today.

There was something else.

-Slide.

“Here, take this.”

Da-yeon handed her a script.

Ha-eun’s eyes landed on the familiar four-letter title printed on the cover.

“Right now, the working title is Parasite Family, but it might change.”

Flipping through the script herself, Da-yeon started explaining the role she wanted Ha-eun to play.

She also added that it would be her co-star.

“To put it simply, I’m the rich daughter, and you’re the poor one.”

“...That’s not exactly the nicest way to put it.”

“W-wait, I didn’t mean it like that! It’s just their character backgrounds.”

Then, in a slightly more serious tone, Da-yeon reminded her of an old promise.

"Last time, things were kinda ambiguous, weren’t they?"

"This time, it’s lead vs. lead, Ha-eun. Last time, it was supporting vs. lead, so we didn’t get a proper match."

"Last time? ...Oh, The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds?"

"Yep."

"You slapped me in that one..."

"Y-you told me to!!"

Watching Ha-eun dramatically rub her cheek, Da-yeon panicked and took a sip of her smoothie.

Then, she leaned in and insisted once again—

“Do it, Ha-eun. This time, it’s a movie.”

“...So, does that mean I won the last round?”

"It was a tie!"

"Fine, let’s call it a tie."

"It’s not calling it a tie—it was a tie!!"

"Alright, alright."

Of course, she did have to check her schedule first.

She had just convinced Kang Sun-woo to return to acting.

She couldn’t let Da-yeon’s proposal interfere with God and Goblin.

Even so—

“This is a competition, Ha-eun. The loser has to call the winner ‘unnie’ for a whole month.”

‘...She’s confident.’

At the end of the day, acting alongside Da-yeon was fun.

And given what Parasite Family could mean for her career, it was undoubtedly a great opportunity.

"But Da-yeon, how are we deciding the winner?"

"H-huh? The winner? ...Popularity vote?"

"Hmm. Popularity votes are kinda vague. How about... whoever wins more awards?"

"Hey, Lee Ha-eun. We haven’t even started filming yet! Why are you already dreaming about trophies?"

"...I wouldn’t call it dreaming."

A small, knowing smile played on Ha-eun’s lips.

The kind that made it seem like she was already convinced they’d be winning awards.

Seeing that, Da-yeon tilted her head in confusion.

“If you’re scared, just admit it~.”

“W-who said I was scared?!”