NOVEL NEXT Chapter 160
Something is definitely different, like, really different.
That’s what Nael thought from the moment he first met Ha-eun.
Sure, he knew about her stunning appearance, but after actually meeting her, he realized there was more to her beauty than just looks.
Presence, aura, vibe—stuff you can only feel when you’re face-to-face. It was clearly different from other people.
Especially the change he felt the moment Nael’s broadcast started. Her usually calm face had a hint of playfulness, and her serene voice carried a touch of youthfulness. It was a masterful sight.
“Now, just drizzle some maple syrup nicely… and the pancake is done!”
Even as the first dish of the cooking show was completed, Nael was still in a daze. Can a person change this much in just a few seconds?
‘Is it because she’s an actress…?’
It wasn’t just her energy being high. It felt like her entire personality had shifted.
The vibe was completely different from before the broadcast started. The weighty presence of a celebrity was nowhere to be found.
In its place was a bright, lively aura that was on a whole different level from ordinary people.
“Nael, say ‘ah~.’ I’ll feed you.”
“Ah, no no! I’ll eat it myself!”
“Well, Nael, there’s a mission.”
“Even so…!”
“There’s no mission refusal in my dictionary! Here, say ‘ah~.'”
It was like watching a child playing in a playground. Ha-eun, smiling slyly as she handed Nael a piece of pancake on a fork, looked even younger.
Is this what acting is like? But it didn’t feel like she was acting at all.
It felt more like she was just comfortably speaking, not forcing her tone or lines to fit a character. Yet, unconsciously, I thought, ‘She really is like Dia.’
“How is it? Tasty?”
“Ah, yes… It’s baked really smoothly.”
“Good to hear~.”
Right after, she playfully poked another piece of pancake with a fork and teased the viewers by holding it up to the camera. Nael, slightly impressed by her childlike words and actions, just silently watched.
It wasn’t until later that Ha-eun tilted her head slightly at Nael’s gaze.
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
“Ah, well… you’re just pretty.”
“Aha.”
– Everyone who meets her says she’s pretty.
– Why are you only looking at her? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?
– Show me what you see.
– Her actions are just pure evil.
“If you wanted to see me, you should’ve passed the second season like Nael~. You guys just keep watching this soft pancake~.”
The pancake mukbang continued after that. Of course, Dia’s teasing of the viewers didn’t stop either.
Maybe that’s why. The chat was moving at a speed that matched Nael’s usual broadcast pace.
Nael, unknowingly, kept an eye on the chat.
“Ah, I finished eating. What should we make next?”
“Next… cotton candy.”
“Co, cotton candy! Yay~!”
With sparkling eyes, Ha-eun urged the cotton candy production, forcing Nael to look away from the chat.
Not long after, *thud*. A round cotton candy machine was placed on the cooking show table.
“I preheated it earlier. Now, just put the sugar inside, senior.”
“Let’s make the cotton candy really big!”
“How big?”
“As big as the moon!”
“…I’ll try.”
A moment later, *sizzle*. White sugar was poured into the center of the cotton candy machine and began to heat up.
In just a few seconds, white sugar threads started to appear. Nael, using long chopsticks, spun them around, and the sugar threads clung to them, forming cotton candy.
Finally, the cotton candy was complete. Made as big as possible, its massive size was evident even through the cooking show camera.
“It’s done, senior.”
“Wow… it’s really big.”
– Damn, that’s huge.
– Looks delicious.
– Dia’s ascended lol.
– Can’t stay still, huh? Must be really good.
– That cotton candy is insane.
Soon, Ha-eun, wearing white gloves, slightly shook the giant cotton candy in front of the camera. To show how big it was, she placed her hand next to it for comparison.
-*thud*.
“Another one’s done, senior.”
Nael, who had already made another cotton candy, handed over another giant one. So, Ha-eun ended up holding two giant cotton candies.
Ha-eun’s genuine exclamation was caught by the broadcast mic.
“Wow… If I had a master like this, I wouldn’t mind being captured forever.”
“Huh.”
– Wait.
– Hold up, that was intense.
– Is Noeul dumping you? Is Noeul dumping you? Is Noeul dumping you? Is Noeul dumping you? Is Noeul dumping you? Is Noeul dumping you? Is Noeul dumping you? Is Noeul dumping you?
– Is this a marriage proposal?
The chat went wild for a moment after Dia’s shocking statement. Ha-eun, with a mischievous glint, prepared to stir the chat even more.
“Nael, I want to live with you forev—”
-*ding ding ding*.
[Hida donated 50,000 won!]
: No way.
[Hida donated 50,000 won!]
: You should do a collab with me too, senior.
[Hida donated 50,000 won!]
: Do I get a Dia free pass too~?
The chat was interrupted by Hida, who had been watching the broadcast. Unsurprisingly, the chat was instantly flooded with talk about Hida.
– OMG.
– Another master has appeared lol.
– 150,000 won, damn.
– Look at how desperate they are lol.
– Welcome, witch-nim.
Honestly, it was embarrassing. I never thought Dayeon would be watching the broadcast.
‘To, today’s Saturday, isn’t there drama filming?’
In fact, today was Saturday, the day of Dayeon’s drama filming schedule. In other words, she was watching the broadcast from the filming set.
“Senior? What did you just say?”
“Ah, nothing… It’s nothing…”
Ha-eun quickly retracted her earlier statement. There was no good in saying something that might upset Dayeon.
She knew better than anyone how much Dayeon loved Dia. Letting someone like Nael take Dia away—even as a joke—was absolutely unacceptable.
That’s why she immediately started devouring the cotton candy. She had to steer the conversation away from the ‘Nael master’ comment and focus on the taste of the cotton candy.
“Mmm~! It’s delicious~! You should have a bite too~.”
“Ah, sure.”
However, she didn’t realize that the cooking show with Nael was already getting on Dayeon’s nerves. Far from Nael’s house, in the filming set’s waiting room, a tense aura began to spread.
“That’s the part you ate! If you’re giving me cotton candy, you should tear it off separately!!”
“Uh, well… Dayeon?”
“Why are you letting Nael wipe the cotton candy off your nose? Huh? You really like it, huh??”
“…Oppa, I need to go to the bathroom…”
“Jinsoo oppa, are you a kid? Do you need permission to go to the bathroom?”
“…You told me to ask before going…”
***
By the time the last dish of the cooking show, the cream puff, was completely devoured, Nael, after turning off the cooking show camera and mic, mentioned the second part of the broadcast.
“Uh, senior? Ha-eun?”
“What’s up?”
“Well, for the second part, I was thinking of doing an ideal type World Cup.”
Up until that point, it seemed like a harmless plan. A discussion about personal preferences between Nael and Dia would surely be fun.
However, the true nature of the ideal type World Cup, as hinted by Nael while glancing at Ha-eun, was…
“…The Sunshine Best Scenes World Cup?”
“No, well… Since you took a break last time because of The Sunshine, I thought you liked it as much as I do…”
This was something Ha-eun never expected.
“…Are you okay?”
“Uh, um…”
She wasn’t sure what to do. But time was ticking, and the start of the second part of the broadcast was approaching.
“Let’s… just do it.”
“Okay.”
So, Ha-eun ended up in a position where she had to evaluate herself alongside Nael. After all, today was Dia’s free pass broadcast.
There wasn’t much else to do.
Honestly, she was worried that Kim Jung-hyun’s voice might sound similar to Dia’s. But when Nael mentioned that their voices were completely different, she thought, ‘I see.’
“I’ve rewatched The Sunshine over seven times, and I never once thought of you as a senior.”
‘Do others hear it differently?’
With that, the broadcast mic, which had been turned off, was turned back on by Nael, and the screen switched from the cooking show camera to Nael’s usual broadcast screen.
Shortly after, Nael began introducing the ideal type World Cup.
“Alright, from now on, I’ll be doing an ideal type World Cup with Dia senior. Using The Sunshine.”
– The Sunshine fan moment is starting again.
– Just hearing the name makes me tear up.
– Nael, stop milking it.
– Didn’t Dia like The Sunshine too?
“Ah, yes. Senior took a break last time to watch the final episode of The Sunshine, right?”
“Uh, yeah…”
“Great. So, how many rounds should we do?”
Nael, who couldn’t even make eye contact with Ha-eun a few hours ago, was now clearly different. For some reason, he seemed a bit excited.
– Must do 64 rounds.
– Even 128 rounds would be fine, I know every scene.
“Honestly, I could do 256 rounds and still remember every detail. If anyone knows The Sunshine better than me, come at me~.”
‘…I shouldn’t say it’s right next to me.’
After that, Ha-eun watched as Nael interacted with the viewers. It seemed like Nael’s preference was the priority, so she left the decision to him.
“How many rounds do you want to do?”
“I’d like to do 256, but that would take too long. Let’s compromise with 64.”
And so, <The Sunshine Best Scenes World Cup> began. Even then, Ha-eun planned to play along with as much boldness as she could muster.
“My fleeting life, may I entrust it to you for just a moment…”
“You’re saying it’s up to Park Joo-ho whether he kills the young lady or not, right? Even though he knows what kind of person Park Joo-ho is, he’s doing this because of his guilt towards Park Joo-ho’s parents. But later, when he comes to his senses and realizes Park Joo-ho saved him, he silently thinks of Park Joo-ho. That scene is truly a masterpiece. The fact that he’s grateful even though Park Joo-ho is his enemy is just amazing—”
Nael’s commentary on <The Sunshine> best scenes far exceeded Ha-eun’s expectations of moderation. Within seconds, her ears started to burn.
As the sincere reviews kept coming, Ha-eun’s composure began to crack. Hearing a die-hard fan’s heartfelt praise of <The Sunshine> right next to her was more embarrassing than she had imagined.
“Why are you standing still? It’s not like your feet are frozen.”
“This scene is also amazing. At this point, he speaks to Hwang Tae-sung in a friendly manner, like when they were kids, subtly hinting that he’s on a different path from the stagnant Hwang Tae-sung. Every time I rewatch it, I can’t help but marvel—”
‘…I should’ve suggested doing something else.’