Hobbyist VTuber

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I swear to the heavens, there wasn’t really any particular intention behind it.

It was just that 11-year-old Ha-eun already having a defined six-pack was quite fascinating to me.

The reason why Min Da-yeon gently pressed her index finger next to Ha-eun’s belly button was really just that.

There was absolutely no other reason behind it.

“So, can you just calm down? I already said I was sorry.”

“…I’m not mad.”

A voice as calm as ever, yet in stark contrast, her ears were flushed red, almost like a tomato.

Having been with Ha-eun for four years, it was not hard for Min Da-yeon to realize that Ha-eun was flustered by her sudden action.

Even after finishing her bath and dinner, Ha-eun’s state hadn’t changed much.

Honestly, I wondered what had her so flustered over just touching her stomach, especially since we’re the same age and girls at that.

Where had that quick-witted person gone who could snap back to her poker face with just a simple “okay” from me?

It was simply that Min Da-yeon was seeing a side of Ha-eun she had never encountered before since getting to know her.

No matter how self-centered Min Da-yeon could be, she couldn’t help but take notice.

‘But if she’s already got abs like that, how long has she been exercising…?’

Somehow, Min Da-yeon’s ambitious plan to uncover Ha-eun’s acting secrets had been put on the back burner.

Not long after, she heard a reminder from Ha-eun when she took a plate of fruit to her room, not to chat too late.

Until Ha-eun, whose tone had noticeably become awkward, handed her a few books she could read, she found herself glancing over at Ha-eun anxiously.

‘…This is so frustrating.’

If it were up to me, I would have put down the books and done something to dissolve this awkward atmosphere.

But seeing Ha-eun sitting at her desk, scribbling in a diary, for some reason, I couldn’t find the words to say anything.

However, just seconds later.

The YouTube video playing on the monitor right in front of Ha-eun.

“Alright! It’s exactly 9 o’clock now. For those who haven’t hit that recommendation button, please do it now~.”

I belatedly realized that it was a live stream, not just a YouTube video.

Moreover, I noticed that Ha-eun wasn’t writing in her diary but was taking notes while watching the broadcast.

-Peek.

“Hey, Lee Ha-eun. What are you… doing right now?”

I slightly lifted myself on my toes and turned my gaze to Ha-eun’s notebook.

Almost simultaneously, I was confronted with the densely packed words in Ha-eun’s notebook.

Yet, for some reason, Ha-eun’s closed mouth kept mouthing things but failing to say anything.

In that instant, a hypothesis flashed through Min Da-yeon’s mind.

‘That notebook, could it be… the secret to this acting of hers?!’

If you think about it, the Ha-eun that Min Da-yeon had seen until now reflected the kind of things other people had too.

Of course, not everyone takes singing lessons from a famous hip-hop crew like Doublely or learns acting at an exclusive academy under a giant entertainment company.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t people living similar daily lives to Ha-eun.

Even among celebrities from the same agency as Min Da-yeon, there are some who juggle being idols and actors.

However, she had never come across someone watching an internet broadcast and taking notes like this.

Especially someone noting down the broadcaster’s tone changes according to in-game situations and general reactions in the chat!

The only difference between Ha-eun and others.

In other words, what had made Ha-eun’s acting so captivating to others was now.

For the first time, right before Min Da-yeon’s eyes!

Just as she turned her gaze aside in anticipation, the sight that greeted Min Da-yeon was.

Several notebooks that looked remarkably similar tucked away on the shelf.

-Thump.

-Thump.

Min Da-yeon’s heart began racing faster with the realization that she had finally found the basis of Ha-eun’s strange yet chillingly impressive acting skills.

Even so, she tried to calm her trembling heart and sent her voice out nonchalantly.

“Uh, Lee Ha-eun. Can I look at those… notebooks?”

She asked if she could take a glance at the notebooks she assumed contained Ha-eun’s acting secrets.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Ha-eun returned a nod, not horizontally but vertically.

Of course, from Ha-eun’s perspective, it was curious that Min Da-yeon suddenly began showing interest, her eyes sparkling, in notebooks meant to prepare for virtual YouTube performer activities.

It was just that Ha-eun couldn’t find the words to express herself because Min Da-yeon’s expression looked so earnest and pleading.

Thus, the books that Ha-eun had seen with the unique characteristics of Daramji’s streams, the fictional stories she could use during her YouTube broadcasts, various content lists, and even the quirky phrases or concepts that would showcase her uniqueness as a Virtual YouTuber were now in Min Da-yeon’s hands.

And just a few seconds later, she couldn’t hide the rising corners of her mouth as she lay sprawled on Ha-eun’s bed, carefully reading through each notebook.

‘…Must definitely keep my mouth shut later.’

Realizing the necessity to prevent Min Da-yeon from revealing Ha-eun’s undisclosed secrets when she makes her Virtual YouTuber debut.

Still, unless their relationship went really south, there was no reason for either of them to do anything harmful toward each other.

Rather than keeping the secrets of a yet-to-debut Virtual YouTuber safe,

She thought it better to grant a request from her dear friend Min Da-yeon, whom she considered close enough to share a bed and room.

However, as the very person receiving Ha-eun’s not-so-genuine goodwill, Min Da-yeon was currently.

‘RP? What’s RP? And is there a group called [Hwanxianghyang] among idol groups? It’s the first I’ve heard of that name….’

She was struggling to decipher terms and guidelines that seemed incomprehensible to someone as out of the loop as herself regarding Virtual YouTubers.

‘…No wonder she handed them over so easily. What an annoying girl anyway.’

She mistakenly assumed that Ha-eun had written her acting secrets in a mysterious code only she could decipher.

*

“Lee Ha-eun, where can I watch the stream you saw yesterday?”

“That, it’s on New World TV. You just have to search for it on Google.”

“Got it.”

As a result of spending a night with Ha-eun, Min Da-yeon could conclude (and misunderstand) two things.

1. Ha-eun’s exceptional acting skills were honed entirely by watching the internet broadcast of a famous personality named “Daramji.”

2. Therefore, in order to perform deeply immersive acting like Ha-eun, Min Da-yeon would also need to analyze Daramji’s broadcasts.

Of course, if Ha-eun were to hear this, she would think it was utter nonsense.

But Min Da-yeon was not naive enough to blab about the secrets she had painstakingly uncovered in front of the person herself.

Thinking that she would soon be able to perform similar acts to Ha-eun, Min Da-yeon left with that thought.

And a short time later, Ju Jeong-yoon, with news worth celebrating, arrived at Ha-eun’s house.

“Ha-eun has been officially cast as the young Han Yu-hwa! Filming is set to start in two weeks, so from now on, Ha-eun will—”

The rest of the conversation continued about what Ha-eun needed to know before filming commenced for [You're From the Stars].

However, since Ha-eun had already had experience as a proper lead actress, she believed she could pull it off without a hitch this time either.

After all, she had already finished preparing to stand in front of the camera, and the various highlight scenes from [You're From the Stars] were vividly etched in her memory.

“The members of Doublely are quite busy filming [Infinite Challenge] and [Don’t Stop, People] lately, so it would be better to take a break from singing lessons for a while—”

“Uh, Unnie Jeong-yoon. I want to continue my singing lessons even if it’s once a week… no, even if it’s reduced to once every two weeks. Is there any way…?”

However, unlike when filming with the neighbor uncle.

This time, the insistence on continuing singing lessons despite reducing their frequency was because.

“Hey, Ha-eun. This time, could you sing with just a slightly lower pitch? Don’t use your chest voice continuously; mix in your falsetto now and then.”

“If you do that, Ha-eun will strain her voice. She hasn’t hit puberty yet, so we need to be careful not to push her too hard, Juna.”

“It’s just that I’m being greedy. You fix everything with feedback as if you’re a genius.”

Because she wanted to continue seeing the two of them, Lee Joon and Lee Geon-yeol, in the studio together.

The incident Ha-eun remembered, which was about to occur in the not-so-distant future, was undoubtedly the fault of Doublely.

But right now, it was still something that hadn’t happened yet.

In other words, it was a matter that possessed the possibility of being stopped before everything became irreversible.

Either way, Doublely was precious to Ha-eun, and she didn’t want to lose those significant connections.

So she intended to prevent what she could and to mitigate what she could.

Of course, she could not predict what snowball effect Ha-eun’s decision might bring in the future.

But that was still better than regretting it too late.

“Then, I’ll tell the Doublely members about it.”

“Thank you, Jeong-yoon unnie. But, can I ask for one more favor…?”

“Yeah? What kind of favor?”

“Um, could you find out the contact info for Lee Joon’s manager and Lee Geon-yeol’s manager?”

She wanted to do her best regarding such matters.

Just as she had always done until now.