Hobbyist VTuber-Chapter 326

Ha-eun’s Yoon Seo-ah was, first and foremost, a villain. The final boss of the drama The Youngest Son of the Chairman, and the protagonist Shin Dohyeon’s greatest enemy.

As with Veterans, the most important thing in playing a villain was charisma. The villain’s role existed to establish a powerful presence and maximize the story’s intrigue.

「I’m not what’s scary... You’re the one shaken. And you’re projecting it onto me.」

Charisma born from composure. That overwhelming presence, brimming with confidence, put everyone who faced Yoon Seo-ah on edge.

Since the very goal of the performance was to overpower her counterpart, her acting also had to project the impression of someone ‘higher.’ Even while looking directly at the other, her gaze felt like she was looking down from above.

「It’s simple. I had conviction, and you didn’t. That’s all there is to it....」

A dignified smile, with a subtle glint in her eyes, slowly pressed down on her opponent. The glimpse of her pale neck through her tilted head shimmered strangely under the dim studio lighting.

For Lucid, all of this made her realize anew that Ha-eun was a real actress. The cold, merciless charisma she showed now felt completely different from the Baeksulhwa she had seen in God and the Goblin.

“Ha-eun’s acting is really good, right?”

“Yes, seriously... Ha-eun-san, you’re amazing.”

Honestly, it was like she was a completely different person. Especially considering just days ago, she and Lucid had been working together as maids in a dessert café.

「Nothing’s more disgraceful than letting your emotions into the calculations. I hope you understand that well.」

「Rather than making an executive decision, I think it’s better to follow the board’s opinion...」

「Then, please continue. If you’re confident you can convince the board.」

Even a middle-aged actor old enough to be Ha-eun’s father couldn’t budge in front of her. Strictly speaking, it was just acting—but to Lucid, it looked like Ha-eun had truly intimidated everyone.

How could someone like that be the same mischievous girl who always played around so freely? Even though she already knew that actress Lee Ha-eun and Diah were completely different, it still amazed her every time.

Last time she was a soft-hearted girl. This time she feels like a noble lady.

While Lucid was comparing Yoon Seo-ah to Baeksulhwa from God and the Goblin, a male voice—likely the director—called out the OK sign, and the tension in the filming set immediately dissipated.

The moment Ha-eun, who had exuded intense presence at the center of the set, came over afterward, Lucid showered her with compliments again.

“You were completely different from last time. I was shocked.”

“Last time? ...Oh, you mean Baeksulhwa.”

“She looks like the kind of noble lady who would throw water in your face if you made her mad. So cool.”

...That was a compliment, right?

Anyway, they continued chatting as Lucid looked at Ha-eun in awe. Once the filming set was reset, Ha-eun returned to the camera to continue acting as Yoon Seo-ah.

It wasn’t until afterward that she found out her scenes for the day were fully wrapped. Then, she walked off toward the makeup room, with Lucid trailing behind Ha-eun and Ju Jung-yoon like a baby chick.

“How was it? Did you enjoy it?”

“Yeah. It was super fun. I’m really glad I followed you, Ha-eun-san.”

Seeing calm and elegant Lucid act so excited made her look a little cute. Maybe because she kept looking at Ha-eun as a professional actress, Ha-eun also felt a bit shy.

Would Nael be like this if I brought her to set? As Ha-eun changed back into her casual clothes in the makeup room, Lucid kept glancing around, visibly intrigued.

I guess it’s sightseeing in a way too.

Though for Ha-eun it was just her daily life, it was clearly a fascinating experience for Lucid. If Lucid was happy, then that was all that mattered. After all, Lucid had come to Korea to enjoy her vacation.

That’s why, when Lucid soon asked if she could tag along for the next schedule too, Ha-eun nodded without hesitation.

“Huh? I can really come with you?”

“This time I’m going to check out my dress. You can just come along.”

Ha-eun also added that she wanted Lucid to take a look and give her thoughts on how it looked. Lucid’s eyes instantly sparkled again.

“A dress? Your dress, Ha-eun-san?”

“Yeah. They said it’s done, so I’m going to try it on now.”

“Ha, Ha-eun-san, are you getting married?”

“?”

Ha-eun tilted her head, not understanding the question. But Ju Jung-yoon in the driver’s seat explained in her place that it wasn’t a wedding dress but a red-carpet gown.

“She’s been invited to an award show here in Korea. We’re going to try on the dress she’ll wear there.”

“Ugh, my heart almost dropped. I really thought Ha-eun-san was getting married.”

...Where exactly is she learning Korean from?

Lucid’s eyes lit up again immediately afterward.

She began talking in an excited tone, full of curiosity about how Ha-eun would look in the dress.

It was her first time seeing a Korean formal gown. She’d only ever seen Japanese dresses in photos and such.

“What kind of dress is it? What style?”

“I haven’t seen it either. I’ll have to try it on to find out.”

“Ooooh, drumroll please. I’m so nervous!”

She seemed even more thrilled than when they’d gone to the drama set. She added sincerely that dresses were every girl’s dream.

Maybe that’s why, when they finally arrived at the dress shop and Ha-eun came out in the custom-made gown, Lucid’s jaw literally dropped. A string of wordless gasps followed.

“Ooh... Wow... Hime... That’s insane.”

That... gaze is a little intense.

For a moment, Lucid’s eyes, which had been trailing from Ha-eun’s head to toe, seemed to pause at her chest—maybe just a trick of the eye. Lucid’s admiration for parts Ha-eun hadn’t expected made her ears burn a little.

“How is it? Do you like it?”

“Ah, um... Yes. I think it’s beautiful.”

Maybe because it was expensive, but the dress radiated a sense of elegance. The shoulders and chest were more exposed than Ha-eun had anticipated, but rather than being provocative, it leaned more toward the dress’s inherent beauty.

Put simply, she liked it. Though it was a style she’d never worn before, it completely transformed her aura. Judging by Ju Jung-yoon and Lucid’s reactions, it looked good.

“With proper red carpet makeup, you’ll look absolutely gorgeous.”

“You’re like a princess this time, a proper noble lady!”

Soon after, click.

Ju Jung-yoon pulled out her phone and began taking pictures of Ha-eun in the dress. From the front, the sides, the back—covering all angles.

But the photos couldn’t be posted on Ha-eun’s official Instagram. There was an embargo, so to speak.

“Goto-san can take pictures too, but please don’t post them anywhere.”

“Ah, okay!”

The dress was supposed to be unveiled for the first time at the upcoming Baeksang Arts Awards red carpet. If pictures leaked on SNS or online communities, it would be a problem. Photos for personal keepsakes were fine though.

“Um, Ha-eun-san, can you do a V sign for me?”

-Swoosh.

“Like this?”

“Yep, just like that. Okay—kimchi~”

...Her Korean patch is way too good.

While watching Ju Jung-yoon and Lucid take photos with wild enthusiasm, Ha-eun’s legs were starting to get sore before she was finally able to change back into her regular clothes.

The other dress for the Venice Film Festival was still being made, so they’d have to come back to the shop again later.

Maybe next time I’ll get to see Dayeon’s dress too.

Thus ended the dress schedule. Afterward, Ha-eun and Lucid got into Ju Jung-yoon’s van again, and chatted while looking through the photos they had just taken.

Lucid said she wanted to wear a dress like that someday too. She wondered if wearing a wedding dress for her future marriage would feel like that. The conversation stayed on dresses for a long time.

“But if you wore a wedding dress, Goto-san, wouldn’t it cause a huge incident? Your stream would catch fire.”

“F-Fantasy is free! And if that’s how we’re counting, you’d cause a meltdown too, Ha-eun-san!”

“...Now that you mention it, you’re not wrong.”

Finally, they arrived at the hotel where Lucid was staying—about 20 minutes later. But since they had promised to watch Hida’s 3D debut stream together tonight, Lucid only checked in and then came right back out.

Next stop: the LUX building. Before heading to Ha-eun’s home, they stopped by to cheer on Dayeon, who was preparing for Hida’s 3D debut stream. After all, they were best friends.

“That’s just the excuse. I’m really here to see the skintight suit. Dayeon’s suit is seriously cute.”

“Ah, ahh. I understand now. Aqua-senpai also turns into a black cat when she wears her suit.”

Lucid already knew that just like Diah’s red pill incident, Hida—one of the second gen—had also had her identity revealed. She hadn’t expected it to be Dayeon though.

Time passed, and right as they arrived at the LUX building—

“Hello.”

“Ah, Ha-eun-ssi. Welcome. Dayeon-ssi arrived a little while ago.”

A LUX staff member who immediately recognized Ha-eun greeted her with a bright face and handed her a visitor pass. They also updated her on Dayeon’s whereabouts.

But the woman standing next to Ha-eun was unfamiliar. The staff cautiously asked if her manager had changed.

“Oh, this is Lucid-sunbae. Didn’t Hye-min unnie notify you? She gave us the okay.”

They blinked in surprise.

Technically, Lucid’s visit was already on the list. They just didn’t recognize her in person.

Still, it wasn’t too surprising—Lucid and her agency, Prism Live, were household names in the VTuber industry. She had even appeared multiple times on Diah’s Dream Server stream.

“Ah! You’re... Diah’s fourth daughter!”

That’s why they exclaimed that. Lucid, suddenly declared to be Ha-eun’s daughter, blushed without meaning to.

“...Do you watch my streams often?”

“At LUX, not watching Diah’s streams is basically a crime.”

“Ah, um... I see...”

Hearing that most LUX employees regularly watched Diah’s streams,

Ha-eun’s ears flushed red too.

Of course, none of the staff at LUX didn’t know Diah was Ha-eun. But thinking about how they’d seen all her teasing, cutesy, playful moments made her heart ticklish.

“W-Well, we’ll be going in then.”

“Okay~”

Unconsciously quickening her pace, she and Lucid entered the LUX building. Before heading to see Dayeon, they stopped by the company’s famed in-house café.

There wasn’t any deep reason. She just wanted to show off LUX’s facilities a little. She didn’t go as far as claiming Prism Live’s massive studio didn’t even serve fresh smoothies, but she was tempted.

-Slurp.

“How is it? Tastes good, right?”

“The smoothie... it’s so smooth! This is the kind of thing that shocks America, makes China tremble, and has Japan on its knees...!”

...It’s not that good, though.

The phrasing was a bit off, but clearly the drinks suited Lucid’s taste. Thanks to that, Ha-eun could feel the morale of nearby LUX employees rise.

She casually pointed out things like how pretty the café’s interior was, or how lovely the garden looked through the window. She subtly bragged about LUX’s setup.

Definitely not because she felt competitive with Prism Live’s fancy tower.

“A few weeks ago, that garden was filled with flowers.”

“Oh, really? Should’ve come a few weeks earlier.”

But before long—tap tap. Someone lightly tapped Ha-eun’s shoulder.

Turning her head slowly, she found two familiar faces. And three unfamiliar ones. Five trainees stood behind her.

“H-Hello, Diah-sunbae.”

Mir, who had at least some connection with Ha-eun, stepped {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} forward and greeted her. Having interviewed Tana herself in the past, Ha-eun was a senior and a well-known celebrity to these trainees.

Up to that point, Ha-eun had no special thoughts—she was ready to just say hi. A sunbae is a sunbae, after all.

She figured it wouldn’t hurt to get friendly with the new recruits—even if their voices weren’t unfamiliar at all. That’s why she acknowledged Mir and turned her gaze to the other trainees.

“...What are you doing? You should say hello.”

Mir glanced around at the other trainees, her face turning slightly cold. Then—swish!—in perfect synchronization, all of them bowed deeply at the waist.

“““Hello! Illusionary Realm third gene—”””

“...? ...??”

Just like the kids at Naerae Arts High School once had, they gave a salute that looked straight out of the military. Both Ha-eun and Lucid were left speechless.

Now that I think about it, someone said they were former idol trainees... Is that why?

The culprit behind all this was obvious. The most unassuming one had taken the lead in drilling discipline into the team. Never underestimate the narrow-eyed ones.

The real problem was—many LUX employees were seated nearby. People who had been quietly eavesdropping on Ha-eun’s humblebrags now stared wide-eyed at the trainees and Ha-eun.

“A-A cruel noble lady...!”

“N-No, that’s not it, I swear...!”

Even Lucid looked at her in shock. In the end, Ha-eun had to forcibly straighten the trainees’ backs.

It was genuinely embarrassing.