Chapter 152

Ha Eun was a little excited about the outstanding quality of the 3D avatar, which exceeded her expectations.

It was also true that she was curious about how far they could actually go with the 3D avatar.

Because of that, she tried doing a grand gesture that she had secretly practiced.

Everything from one to ten was all preliminary practice for Diah’s full-tracking broadcast.

“Couldn’t someone at least have said that someone was coming…?”

“Do you think I knew that Dong-jin would come in at that timing?”

As it turned out, she was caught in a pose like a circus performer by another guy who was her senior at work.

“…How am I supposed to face Kang Jeong now….”

“If you care about that, it’ll get weirder. Just forget it; it’ll be easier for you and Dong-jin.”

Embarrassment and shyness rose to a level that easily surpassed the threshold.

That’s why she was squatting in the corner of the studio instead of practicing her tricks again.

Of course, Diah’s 3D avatar was still functioning well.

Thanks to that, Diah on the screen was also squatting with its face buried in its thighs.

“At least it’s not skin-tight. If it had been skin-tight and twisted around, it would have looked much worse than before.”

“…It’s above, right…?”

“Probably?”

The suggestion to go have lunch together came after that.

Eventually, it was added that they would buy something delicious for Ha Eun, who had worked hard testing the 3D avatar.

As it was getting close to noon, she accepted Jee Hye-min’s suggestion.

However, as a result, Dong-jin, who had been outside the studio, ended up joining their lunch outing.

– Thud.

– Thud.

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

She couldn’t say a single word to Dong-jin until they arrived at the restaurant near the LUX headquarters.

Of course, Dong-jin was also feeling awkward around Ha Eun.

Simply because they both had to maintain a clear line between work and personal matters.

“Um, Ha Eun.”

“Yes, yes?”

“Uh, there’s something I’d like to discuss regarding our 1st-anniversary rehearsal schedule.”

He managed to talk to Ha Eun, who was sitting across the table.

First of all, he needed to sort out the issue regarding Ha Eun’s schedule.

“The delivery of the motion capture equipment ordered from abroad is being delayed. We may need to push back the rehearsal date a bit.”

The following conversation revolved around Ha Eun’s tight schedule.

Suggestions were made about how Ha Eun could participate in the postponed rehearsal since she had to go to school in the morning and to the filming location in the afternoon.

“I know there’s filming for ‘The Sunshine’ on that day, right? Am I correct?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Then, could you come to the studio after filming? It seems like the only time available will be late in the evening.”

This was the best solution from Dong-jin’s perspective, as he had to coordinate the schedules for a total of five people.

Although it was crucial to consider Ha Eun’s schedule first, the schedules of the other members also had to be taken into account to some extent.

Fortunately, the response he got back from Ha Eun was positive.

Thus, they were ultimately able to confirm the new rehearsal schedule.

“Since you’ll be tired after filming ‘The Sunshine,’ I’ll wrap it up as quickly as I can for you.”

At that point, the expression on Ha Eun’s face visibly relaxed.

Dong-jin, who hadn’t taken a single bite up until then, finally picked up his utensils.

With that, the atmosphere at the dining table became a bit more relaxed.

After erasing the unofficial incident from hours ago from her mind, Ha Eun asked Dong-jin about Diah’s full-tracking broadcast.

“What should I do with the 3D avatar when I’m broadcasting personally?”

“Oh, I’ll teach you how to link the avatar later. Or we can do it remotely from our side—”

This conversation continued for quite some time, discussing the settings related to the 3D avatar.

There were also discussions about the types of content they’d engage in during Diah’s full-tracking broadcast.

To sum it up, there weren’t any serious issues with the content that Ha Eun had planned.

With her exceptional physical abilities, she believed she’d be able to succeed in the full-tracking broadcast as well.

However, there was one concern related to the upcoming schedule.

“Um, Ha Eun.”

“Yeah?”

“Our next schedule after the 1st-anniversary performance is the debut of ‘Phantasmagoria’ Season 2, you know?”

It was about Diah’s 3D avatar broadcast.

More precisely,

“Diah might make Min Da-yeon do something weird using full tracking to you….”

This story began regarding Da-yeon, who realized that Diah could do a full-tracking broadcast.

Indeed, the versatility of full tracking was limitless.

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

“I’ll think about it…”

Ha Eun thought that Dong-jin’s concerns were quite valid.

Using full tracking during Diah’s free-pass broadcast meant that Da-yeon could turn Diah into a puppet from head to toe.

What Da-yeon might do was still completely unpredictable.

The only game she was somewhat prepared for was a horror game she guessed Da-yeon would likely make her play, but being paired with Da-yeon remained daunting.

That’s why she took Dong-jin’s advice to heart.

She wanted to prevent the creation of even more embarrassing moments.

The discussion about the inclusion of Da-yeon’s Hida in ‘Phantasmagoria’ Season 2 began after that.

Jee Hye-min shared how the ‘Phantasmagoria’ Season 2 trainees were currently preparing for their debut.

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

“Everyone is being cautious around Da-yeon, right?”

“Yeah.”

While there were no significant issues in the preparation process for ‘Phantasmagoria’ Season 2, there was one person among them who completely caught them off guard, leaving them unsure of how to respond.

“Of all the people, she doesn’t have a warm personality either.”

Ha Eun had been a fan of ‘Phantasmagoria’ from the start, making it relatively easier for her to get along with the other members.

However, whether Da-yeon, who had no interest in anyone but Diah, could develop a comfortable relationship with the other trainees from Season 2 was uncertain.

Of course, she wouldn’t overtly brush them off.

But it was equally true that Da-yeon wouldn’t actively approach them, which was a source of various concerns.

“So, Ha Eun.”

“?”

“If we happen to have a group collaboration later, could you play the role of a mediator?”

Honestly speaking, other than Ha Eun, no one else could handle Da-yeon.

It seemed to be better for Ha Eun, who is an established senior in ‘Phantasmagoria’ and a friend, as well as an actual celebrity, to help bridge the gap between Da-yeon and the other trainees rather than forcing the ordinary trainees of ‘Phantasmagoria’ to reach out.

Ha Eun was somewhat aware of this too.

Though she found Da-yeon’s Hida scary, there were no other talents available other than Ha Eun.

“I’ll do my best.”

To be fair, the reason Da-yeon applied for ‘Phantasmagoria’ Season 2 was because of Ha Eun.

Ha Eun had never pressured Da-yeon to apply for Season 2; she actually wished Da-yeon wouldn’t apply, but it was undeniable that she too shared some responsibility.

Thus, when the three of them, including Ha Eun, were about to get up from the dining table, Dong-jin suddenly muttered, “Ah, right,” as if he just remembered, and conveyed another piece of news.

“Among the trainees in ‘Phantasmagoria’ Season 2, Na-eul said he wants to use Diah’s free-pass too.”

He mentioned they were planning to do a cooking broadcast together.

Recalling that from a few days ago, Dong-jin asked Ha Eun about her thoughts.

“He said he wants to invite you, Ha Eun, to his house and cook for you.”

“Cooking? What kind?”

“Um…. He said he’d definitely make cotton candy, and he was also willing to make other desserts.”

Ha Eun knew that Na-eul needed to be given Diah’s free-pass.

However, she found it odd that Na-eul, who had a playful personality in her memory, chose to do a cooking broadcast.

“…Is there a possibility that the cotton candy might taste like kimchi?”

She asked Dong-jin how likely it was that Na-eul would serve her some weird food.

Fortunately, the response she got back from Dong-jin was close to negative.

“Oh, I already warned him not to mess around with the food. It’s an issue if someone gets sick from eating bad food, but if something happened to you, it would be a serious problem.”

Of course, she hadn’t yet revealed to Na-eul that Diah was Ha Eun.

Therefore, it followed that Na-eul might faint the moment he encountered the true nature of Diah.

“Recently, Na-eul has been enjoying ‘The Sunshine.’ He seems to be completely hooked.”

Whenever he got the chance, he always talked about Ha Eun.

During the process of helping Na-eul prepare for his debut, Dong-jin conveyed various anecdotes related to Ha Eun and Kim Jeong-hyun.

However, for some incomprehensible reason, every time Na-eul brought up Ha Eun, Da-yeon’s atmosphere became unusual.

Most strikingly, when Na-eul started talking about the collaboration with Diah,

“It’s not that she’s openly displeased. More like, how should I put it? There’s a subtle glare that I can’t quite ignore.”

“…Why is that?”

The fierce gaze from Da-yeon clearly indicated that something was amiss.

Dong-jin, perplexed by Da-yeon’s demeanor, asked Ha Eun to inform him once she figured out why Da-yeon was behaving so sharply.

***

“Lee Ha-eun.”

“?”

“Don’t casually accept snacks from strangers.”

Only eat what I give you.

Da-yeon, who was sitting right next to Ha Eun, said this and tossed her a cookie that she had bought from the corner store.

Her words were reminiscent of safety training from childhood – don’t follow strangers.

Ha Eun tilted her head in confusion and immediately asked Da-yeon why she was saying that.

“I saw it on the news. They said someone mixed drugs into coffee and kidnapped a person.”

With a slightly flustered expression, Da-yeon insisted that she was just worried about Ha Eun.

Ha Eun, once again filled with question marks in her eyes, responded that she understood for now.

None of this had anything to do with the upcoming cooking broadcast with Na-eul.

Indeed, Da-yeon should not have known Diah’s true identity.

Thus, Ha Eun believed Da-yeon’s words without a second thought.

She didn’t think much of the cookie that Ha Eun was holding beyond that.

However, feeling mischievous seeing Da-yeon worry about her was slightly amusing.

“Should I not eat the one that Jeong-yoon unni gave me either?”

“The manager unni is fine.”

“Then, what about the food mom made?”

“…Give me back the cookie.”

She kept poking until Da-yeon got flustered.

Just when Da-yeon reached for Ha Eun’s cookie, she bit into it.

“Try to take it from me~.”

But when Da-yeon was really going to try and snatch it away,

In the end, the cookie, which was supposed to be shared, split into half.

One half went into Ha Eun’s mouth, while the other half ended up in Da-yeon’s.

Immediately afterward, Ha Eun found the cookie’s sweetness delightful and asked for just one more, but

– Swoosh.

– Bite.

“Try to take it from me.”

This time Da-yeon teased Ha Eun in exactly the same way she had done before.

Ha Eun, trying to quickly snatch the cookie back with her fast hands, found that just before her hand could reach it,

– Thud!

Just as Ha Eun’s hand was millimeters away from touching, Da-yeon swiftly closed her mouth and swallowed the cookie whole.

In the end, Ha Eun’s knuckles gently banged against Da-yeon’s lips.

“Ouch…!”

“Sorry.”

While Ha Eun quickly wiped the lipstick stain from her knuckles, she glanced anxiously at Da-yeon.

She noticed that there were even tears forming in Da-yeon’s eyes, indicating it had definitely hurt.

Da-yeon’s gaze was focused not on Ha Eun’s face but rather on her hand.

The fact that her eyes slightly wobbled too went unnoticed.

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