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There won’t be any particular malice coming from Dayeon’s sponsorship.

For that kid, Dia probably feels like a cute little cousin.

‘Thank goodness she hasn’t caught on yet.’

The request to hear a sample version of the voice pack was also aimed at Dia, not me.

She simply spent a whopping 100,000 won because she wanted to hear the cute voice of someone she usually thinks is adorable right now.

It does feel a bit like she’s trying to throw money at Dia whenever she wants something.

Anyway, from Dayeon’s perspective, it’s not an unusual situation at all.

With the news of Dia’s first merchandise release that she usually enjoyed, curiosity and the desire to buy it surged.

So, she came to the merchandise introduction broadcast and made a request related to it.

There wasn’t really any hidden intention behind these two incidents.

Everything Dayeon did unfolded naturally because she liked Dia.

Therefore, the impression Dia leaves on Dayeon should also be natural.

She shouldn’t ignore Dayeon’s support and should respond to her requests sincerely.

For Dayeon, I and Dia are ultimately separate individuals.

So it was only right that my relationship with Dayeon should remain separate too.

Dayeon’s sponsorship towards Dia meant that only Dia’s answers should be returned.

My answer — or Lee Ha-eun’s answer, Dayeon’s acquaintance — shouldn’t be picked up by the broadcast microphone.

Thus, even when I played the sample version of the voice pack once.

And when I had to turn off the broadcast microphone for a moment due to overwhelming embarrassment right after.

“W-Well, I recorded a lot more lines than just what I said earlier. Please show a lot of interest in the voice pack~.”

I had to hide the trembling at the corners of my mouth.

Showing that I was flustered would only increase the chances of Dayeon figuring out Dia’s true identity.

‘Compared to the day she finds out, this moment is nothing….’

The day Dayeon ultimately learns about Dia’s red potion.

The massive aftermath stemming from that day had to be postponed as long as possible.

– Is this really a blessing? (No idea)

– I think I need to listen again, LOL.

– Is it true that it includes alarm sounds and ringtones?

– So when does the sale start?

– I’m getting dizzy, hurry and give me the voice pack!

Thankfully, I couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary in the chat window.

After that, I started introducing Dia’s character files as planned.

“When you look at it like this, it just seems like it’s lying down, but when you overlap it with the back, ta-da, the night sky is complete~!”

– Oh!

– So this is how character files come out nowadays!

– This is cool!

– Could you do a dakimakura version with this, Dia?

– Is the outer part semi-transparent?

Then I kept taking out the goods from the box one by one and showing them on the cam.

Maybe because my mind was refreshed from the prolonged goods introduction, the residual effects of the voice pack sample were also somewhat lifted.

So, I introduced even the tiny keyrings as the last item and then switched back to the original broadcast screen.

I suddenly displayed a more detailed product introduction image on the monitor than what was in the merchandise announcement post.

“First, we take the orders, and then they’ll be shipped all at once later. If you have any more questions, please leave them on the fan cafe~.”

By announcing the information regarding the merchandise delivery, I listed everything that had been requested to be announced on the broadcast.

However, it seemed like it would still take some time for the noise in the chat window to settle down.

“Well, now…”

– Click.

– Click-click.

– Tap-tap—.

“Now, let’s preview other sisters’ merchandise! I’ll see how much they’re worried—!”

I had a little chat about which merchandise I wanted from the other members based on the merchandise announcement posts.

Of course, detailed introductions were supposed to be handled by the other members themselves.

For now, it was just personal talks about the other members’ products.

I already knew what the other members’ merchandise looked like, but it felt a bit off to spoil it anyway.

“I personally really want Lia’s keyring. It would be fun if she was dangling from my bag☆”

– What?

– Oh my!

– Dia, are you saying you want to dangle Lia?

– Lia is a priceless treasure!!!

– My wish is to dangle Lia as if she’s my trophy (a bit over the top).

Finally, when I felt like the chat window’s atmosphere had calmed down somewhat, I slowly prepared to end the broadcast.

In any case, the purpose of broadcasting a little longer than usual—

To expand interest in Dia towards cover songs or merchandise felt achieved.

“So, next time I’ll tell you more about how I made Yuna Unnie a person. See you during Yuna Unnie’s cover song announcement~.”

– Diva!

– Is there perhaps a part three to this broadcast?

– They say they kept her locked up until she could sing well, is that true?

– Just how badly could she sing for those spirits to say they made a person, LOL.

– The teaser didn’t look bad though.

– It’s a cover song brewed with blood, sweat, and tears, so it’s precious ㅇㅇ.

– Ding.

<Broadcast has ended.>

“…Haa….”

Slowly rising from my broadcasting chair was right after that.

It wasn’t like I was in a state of near exhaustion like before, but, how to put it…

The embarrassment I put off while introducing the merchandise, except for the voice pack, slowly began to resurface.

“…………….”

So, with weary steps, I opened the soundproof booth door.

I almost collapsed onto the bed in front of me.

And then, the voice pack sample’s events that started playing repeatedly in my memory.

More precisely…

[ekdus7] – LOLLLLLL

Dia’s cutely spoken lines filled the chat with Dayeon’s explosive laughter.

– Pow!

– Pow-pow!!

The only sin that was present was the white pillow in front of me, which had turned into a punching bag.

Even while pounding the soft pillow with both fists, my whole body trembled, unable to bear it any longer.

*

– Whoosh! Thud!

– Flap flap!

‘What could it be this time?’

Nayeon’s first thought upon hearing the dull sound coming from beyond Ha-eun’s door was this.

It was understandable since this wasn’t the first time Ha-eun had been messing with an innocent pillow or mattress like this.

But, every time I tried to ask about it, she would blush and mumble that it was nothing.

So, from a mother’s perspective, even while imagining all sorts of things — mostly Ha-eun’s lovey-dovey relationships — I just let it go.

Not long after, I knocked a couple of times in my usual way, as if to make sure I didn’t hear any sounds.

“Ha-eun, I’d like to ask you for something. Can I come in?”

Soon, a sound like clearing a throat seeped through the small door crack, and Ha-eun opened the door herself.

I was then met with her slightly flushed face and the messy bed behind her.

‘If someone saw this, they would think it was bombed.’

It was undeniable that I wanted to scold her at the sight of the truly tragic state of the bed.

Still, I figured Ha-eun must have her reasons, so I first let her know about the request I’d received a few days ago.

“A friend of mine from the alumni meeting is a huge fan of Baek Tae-hoon. So, could you ask for an autograph?”

“Oh, okay. I’ll ask him.”

What followed were several of Nayeon’s personal questions regarding Baek Tae-hoon’s appearances on set.

In any case, Baek Tae-hoon was an actor widely known to Nayeon and her generation, so there were lots of things she was curious about.

However, from Ha-eun’s perspective, Nayeon’s questions were slightly distanced from Baek Tae-hoon’s actual persona.

Among those, one particular question stood out.

“I heard he’s really strict about NGs. Did he ever scold you?”

“Uh… No? He hasn’t really said anything…”

The question about Baek Tae-hoon’s personality caught Ha-eun off guard.

Since it was extremely rare for Ha-eun to have made an NG, she hadn’t received any scolding with respect to that.

Aside from the fact that Baek Tae-hoon was a far-removed senior of Ha-eun, she didn’t particularly pay attention to him.

She was simply focusing on portraying Kim Jung-hyun in a way that harmonized with Baek Tae-hoon’s Park Joo-hoo role.

“He’s just an ordinary person.”

“His face isn’t ordinary, though.”

“…That’s true.”

There’s no need to think of him as someone from a different world.

The words I swallowed down that I couldn’t say to Nayeon came out slightly restrained the next day on the set of <The Sunshine>.

“What do you think of Senior Baek?”

“I guess it’s just the difference between meeting him on TV and meeting him on set.”

Soon, the words that came from Baek Tae-hoon were that the public’s gaze on celebrities is generally like that.

He added that encountering a carefully polished version of someone only on TV gives rise to a kind of illusion.

Baek Tae-hoon’s autograph that Ha-eun requested was handed over shortly after.

“Please tell him not to resell my autograph later.”

“Oh, sure. I’ll let him know.”

Thus, the autograph delivered to Ha-eun from Jo Jung-yoon eventually found its way into her bag.

A little later, preparations for today’s first shoot began.

After about ten minutes of adjustments, Ha-eun’s lying position was stabilized into a pose that captured well on camera.

Then, the scene about to be shot had Kim Jung-hyun laying in a sickbed due to a gunshot wound on the left shoulder.

In the impending shot, Kim Jung-hyun was to both scold and be cared for by Park Joo-hoo.

Simultaneously, to avoid suspicion from others, she had to disguise her care as alphabet lessons instead of tending to the gunshot wound from Park Joo-hoo.

Not long after, placed in front of Ha-eun was a textbook with the letters written vertically.

‘So this is what textbooks looked like in the Joseon Dynasty. Interesting.’

While Ha-eun was intrigued by the textbook prop, the <The Sunshine> set was filled with the countdown sound of director Kwon Jae-hyeop as everyone completed preparations for shooting.

And just moments later, action.

Park Joo-hoo, who had been lingering outside Kim Jung-hyun’s door for quite a while, finally pushed open the door.

​

“…So you’re still alive.”

“Thanks to the kind one who entrusted their life to me. I won’t be a disappointment.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll take money from other houses but not from this one.”

The next moment was silence.

However, both Park Joo-hoo and Kim Jung-hyun were keenly aware that many eyes and ears were nearby, so—

“Haa, to think I’d have to play teacher when it’s not even my fate.”

Despite Park Joo-hoo’s discontentment in this situation, he nevertheless began teaching Kim Jung-hyun the alphabet.

Unexpectedly, it was Kim Jung-hyun’s confident demeanor.

“You don’t have to go too fast at first. I’ve already grasped most of it.”

Thus, the camera caught Kim Jung-hyun saying prominent words in alphabetical order.

After successfully stating representative words up to J, Kim Jung-hyun thus—

“K is for Key. L is for Love. How’s that? Doesn’t this mean I’m worthy of teaching?”

As she successfully stated representative words up to L, she claimed herself to be an exceptional student.

Park Joo-hoo, with a slightly stiff expression, then asked what those words meant.

“Anyone can say those. What’s important is their meaning.”

“Uh, um. Key is a lock. Love is….”

After quite a while of contemplating, the scene showed Kim Jung-hyun deep in thought.

However, memories from the past surfaced.

‘If it’s this person, I could entrust my life. That’s what we call Love, Miss.’

Remembering Reverend Hanson Arnold’s statements regarding Love, Kim Jung-hyun finally—

“Ah, I see. What you and I are doing right now is Love.”

With a completely sincere expression, she blurted out a strange response, not knowing whether it was wrong or right.

Yet, Park Joo-hoo’s expression still remained calm.

The cautious question from Kim Jung-hyun asking whether she answered correctly reached him at that moment.

Finally, Park Joo-hoo opened his previously closed mouth and chose enough words to bewilder Kim Jung-hyun.

“Love is love. Though, there may be love where they can’t wait to kill each other.”

Well, we were in no place to harbor those feelings, were we?

With a deep, low voice that was like usual, and a gaze that trembled not even a bit, he faced Kim Jung-hyun.

And thus, the bewilderment etched on Kim Jung-hyun’s face.

And then—

“Ah, no! I-I meant, I didn’t think of you in that way…!”

Stammering words.

Her face paled, perhaps due to facing Park Joo-hoo’s sharp gaze.

Finally, the corners of her mouth began to tremble.

Her head was bowed down.

Her earlobes turned red.

Lastly, a tiny amount of tears formed in her eyes.

Kim Jung-hyun’s heartbreaking embarrassment was perfectly conveyed.

“…Please forget it….”

In a voice so small that one could barely hear it unless focused, Kim Jung-hyun earnestly pleaded.

A glimpse of a brief smirk flashed across Park Joo-hoo’s lips at her almost whispering request.

And thus, the first site of shooting concluded with Park Joo-hoo showing his first smile towards Kim Jung-hyun.

Simultaneously, Baek Tae-hoon’s surprise or admiration made its own way toward Ha-eun.

“Did you rehearse this scene separately? You did better than I expected.”

To Baek Tae-hoon’s question, Ha-eun had nothing to say.

After all, the shy performance that Ha-eun had just displayed as Kim Jung-hyun was born from yesterday’s events.

‘How do I say that I acted adorably in front of 10,000 people….’

In any case, acting for Ha-eun meant crossing any boundaries.

Thus, she recalled even some of her black history to portray Kim Jung-hyun.

Yet, “Uh, I just did a little imaging practice.”

She couldn’t reveal the truth.

There was no need to share the black history, just remembering it was already sending shivers down her spine.

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