Chapter 41

Let’s do our best.

At first, that was the only thought in Ha-eun’s mind.

For Ha-eun.

No, the opportunity to appear on a popular entertainment show like “Don’t Stop People” doesn’t come around often for anyone.

Of course, when you think about it, the experiences Ha-eun had up to this point weren’t the kind of things you’d commonly encounter either.

The things Ha-eun had gone through in the past were all categorized as ‘acting.’

This was the first time Ha-eun stepped into an area outside such a familiar category.

Instead of thick scripts from dramas or movies, there were thin cue cards, and there would be two or three VJs trailing Ha-eun throughout the day—nothing felt familiar.

More than anything, with the numerous cameras in the filming studio, there was no clear expectation of what Ha-eun was supposed to deliver.

She couldn’t help but feel a different kind of pressure than when she knew exactly what lines to recite or what emotions to express.

Still, it wasn’t as if she had to manage everything completely on her own.

The other members, aside from Lee Geon-yeol, who was already acquainted with Ha-eun, were kind individuals who could fully consider Ha-eun as well.

So, let’s do our best.

Just like before, if she put in her maximum effort for this recording of “Don’t Stop People”…

“Alright, everyone’s been waiting! Today’s special guest is Lee Ha-eun!”

She hoped it would all conclude without any major issues.

-Thunk.

Calming her slightly trembling heart, she walked forward and finally reached the center of the filming studio.

At almost the same moment, there was an explosion of excitement from the surprised members.

– “Oh my gosh, it’s really Han Yu-hwa!”

– “How, how is she alive? Didn’t she get shot by an arrow?”

– “Aigoo, arrow? You shouldn’t say anything in front of someone who’s obviously alive!”

– “Someone shut that negativity-spewing guy up!”

It was a step up from what she had just heard in the waiting room.

No, it was several steps wilder in its chaotic welcome.

It was indeed a bit startling.

However, this raucous moment was going to be when the viewers of “Don’t Stop People” first met Ha-eun.

To create a more ideal first impression, the member who was just chastised by others for asking if Ha-eun had really died approached a member, Yoon Si-hyeok, who was currently rolling on the ground pretending to be out of it.

-Swoop.

Not too fast, not too slow, she bent at the waist.

“The girl stands here alive and well, what do you mean dead? Did you perhaps have a bad dream last night?”

For a brief moment, she displayed the playful smile that Han Yu-hwa had when strolling through the marketplace with Park Do-jun.

Yoon Si-hyeok, at that moment, was left speechless.

Sung Yoo-seok, noticing that Yoon Si-hyeok’s mind went blank, stepped forward immediately.

With a slightly exaggerated tone, he urged Yoon Si-hyeok to apologize to Ha-eun, insisting he had to make amends right away.

“What are you doing, Yoon scholar! Hurry up and apologize to Miss Yu-hwa!”

“Oh, dear. I spoke terribly. Please forgive me…!”

Soon, after Yoon Si-hyeok clutched his hands together and pleaded for forgiveness, Ha-eun replied that she understood, bringing the brief scenario to a close.

The production team, including PD Choi Soo-hyeok, didn’t seem displeased, so it appeared that it wasn’t too bad of an ad-lib.

‘…I’m relieved.’

Thus, Ha-eun rated her courageous action positively.

The filming proceeded smoothly once more, led by Sung Yoo-seok.

“Hello, I’m Lee Ha-eun, who played the young Han Yu-hwa in ‘You from the Stars.’”

There were no issues until she officially greeted the viewers of “Don’t Stop People.”

She was startled once again by the overwhelming applause that erupted almost simultaneously but… she didn’t let it show.

However, shortly afterward, due to videos related to Ha-eun played by the production team of “Don’t Stop People,”

She managed to endure the clips of the neighborhood uncle and the matchstick music video somehow, but…

“Anyone can stumble sometimes, and face challenges that feel overwhelming.”

“But, I won’t give up. No matter when it is.”

“If I keep moving forward, even slowly, I’ll eventually reach my goal.”

The past video of a children’s nutritional supplement commercial dealt a devastating blow, causing Ha-eun’s ears to turn bright red.

As expected, at each second, Ha-eun’s hands and feet felt awkward.

Unfortunately for her, in the filming studio, an episode about how Lee Geon-yeol discovered a talent like Ha-eun was in full swing.

To make matters worse, the archival footage paused at the scene where young Ha-eun fell in the children’s nutritional supplement commercial.

“I cast Ha-eun exactly because of that scene. Just look at those sparkling eyes.”

After that remark, exclamations of admiration from members like Sung Yoo-seok erupted.

Ha-eun recognized that their teasing was innocent; however, she still wished they would stop discussing her past.

She knew there was no reason to be embarrassed, yet for some reason, she felt shy.

Despite that, Lee Geon-yeol continued to share his episodes.

As he recounted even trivial things that happened while receiving singing lessons from Daulby, Ha-eun felt like she wanted to hide in a mouse hole.

However, even after Lee Geon-yeol’s story ended, rather than sneaking away, she still had to remain in the spotlight.

The reason was that due to the overall concept of today’s filming of “Don’t Stop People,” all participants except Ha-eun had to act as if they were Park Do-jun.

“Among you, there is a fake Park Do-jun trying to harm Han Yu-hwa. Therefore, it’s your goal to find out who the fake Park Do-jun is for Han Yu-hwa’s safety.”

PD Choi Soo-hyeok’s voice explained the first mission to safely protect Han Yu-hwa.

“The first mission you’ll undertake is… ‘Matching Han Yu-hwa’s Taste.’”

Honestly, it was a slightly forced mission selection.

The rationale was simply that the real Park Do-jun would definitely know about Han Yu-hwa’s preferences.

However, at this moment, it was still just an entertainment show.

What Ha-eun had to do was simply evaluate whether the food the members picked suited her taste while sitting quietly at the head of the table.

So ultimately, she found herself amusingly watching the members fighting to claim dishes that she might like.

When time was up after about ten minutes, she started closely observing the seven completed meals.

Not everyone was holding their breath, waiting for Ha-eun to speak.

“No, why is there only dessert piled up?”

“Kids these days love sweet stuff. But of course, you wouldn’t know anything about it since you’re not even married.”

Even while Ha-eun was evaluating the meal’s composition, members continued to bicker and form a competitive atmosphere.

Among them, the members who successfully secured snacks like chocolates and chips were particularly loud.

After all, anyone could see that their meal was something children, like Ha-eun, would love.

They were certain that Ha-eun would give high scores to their snack-laden table.

However, in the end, the table Ha-eun chose had none of those sweet foods at all.

It was Jeon Dong-guk’s meal, which was perfectly balanced in nutrition, almost reminiscent of a school lunch menu.

“Uh, um…? Is this meal really your favorite?”

“Yes.”

This was unexpected since Jeon Dong-guk had just moments ago had all the sweet foods that children would like snatched away by the other members.

So, in this situation, he had simply put together what he normally enjoyed, which clearly looked like healthy food.

In other words, it meant Ha-eun had never imagined she would give high scores to Jeon Dong-guk’s meal.

Even after she became the winner of the first mission, she found it hard to shake off the lingering sense of disbelief.

‘…That kid has a pretty unique taste.’

And thus, after the first mission wrapped up in its own chaotic way.

Ha-eun, as the guest, was the first to board the bus heading to the location prepared for the next mission.

Finally, once everyone had boarded the bus, they began the talk time.

Based on the questions that Sung Yoo-seok had informed Ha-eun about a few hours earlier, conversations about Ha-eun began to unfold.

This was entirely to solve the curiosity that the viewers of “Don’t Stop People” had about Lee Ha-eun.

Personal stories shared by stars who had appeared on “Don’t Stop People” before had also drawn a lot of attention, so at this moment, everyone, including Sung Yoo-seok, focused on Ha-eun’s voice.

“So, Ha-eun, what do you usually do in your spare time?”

“Hmm… Lately, I think I watch a lot of online videos.”

“Oh, online videos! Could you share one of the most recent videos you watched?”

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t that important of a question.

It would have been totally fine if she had simply said she watched a highlight reel of “Don’t Stop People” as a lip service.

However, in the end, the answer that came back from Ha-eun was.

“It was a video about making bread with wheat that I harvested myself. I felt bad when the bread made with such effort disappeared due to an unexpected accident.”

At first glance, the kind of answer that made it difficult for anyone to guess what kind of video it was.

Curious, Sung Yoo-seok asked Ha-eun for a bit more explanation about the video.

“Why did the bread made from such hard-earned wheat disappear? Did someone steal it?”

“Oh, it wasn’t stolen. The storage where the bread was kept exploded. The bread owner really cried sadly.”

‘…The storage exploded?’

It was a development reminiscent of a dramatic mess, followed by a brief silence.

In that moment of silence, the conclusion Sung Yoo-seok arrived at was somewhat distant from the truth.

“It sounds like a sad documentary. I can understand the kind of sorrow Ha-eun felt.”

It might be a natural assumption to make.

Among the videos Sung Yoo-seok knew, the only ones that featured what Ha-eun talked about were documentaries.

“Every time I watch such videos, I get reminded of how precious food is. Oh, and speaking of which, Ha-eun, you said you don’t have any food preferences?”

“Yes. I don’t really dislike any foods.”

“That’s probably because you already know the value of food. You understand that even a piece of bread isn’t easy to come by. That’s pretty impressive.”

“…Huh? Impressive? Me?”

“It is impressive. When I was little, I used to leave kimchi because I thought it was spicy and anchovies because I thought they were salty—”

And so, the conversation took an unintended path, leading Ha-eun to be labeled as a model child with a commendable set of values.

Ha-eun, who had just expressed what she watched on “Da Ramji” last night, was left simply perplexed.

She still had no idea why Sung Yoo-seok had brought up the topic of documentaries.

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