NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7
Haeun has been attending kindergarten for three months now.
These three months, short yet long, have brought about changes in Haeun’s daily life that were slightly different from what she had expected.
To be precise, her life outside kindergarten hasn’t changed much. After getting off from school, she passed the time with light exercises like jumping rope, just like she always did.
Playing catch with her dad, Lee Seong-yoon, two or three times a week, and jotting down content for future VTuber broadcasts in her notebook before bed remained the same as before.
However, her life inside kindergarten has become a bit more unique.
“Haeun! Minseong took my toy!”
“Siwoo, you took my crayons too!”
Whenever a dispute or clash happened among the kids, they would almost invariably rush to Haeun to ask for her thoughts.
And when Haeun shared her opinions, it was accepted as if it were a judge’s ruling, taking on a sort of authority.
The reasons for Haeun’s unique kindergarten experience were varied, but if I had to point out the most decisive one, it would be Haeun’s unexpectedly calm demeanor for her age.
From her very first day at kindergarten, there hadn’t been a single argument. Occasionally, when other kids would say something unpleasant due to misunderstandings, it was merely the petty spite of young children.
Haeun had never genuinely been angry at any of these childish antics. She just shrugged them off with a calm face, thinking, “Oh, that’s how it is.”
For Haeun, it was all about maintaining good relationships with everyone; she had no ulterior motives.
When Haeun’s parents sent her to kindergarten, the only thing they asked was for her to get along with her friends.
Nonetheless, as Haeun continued to navigate even the most ridiculous demands from her classmates with her usual tranquility, her image transformed from a cute kid into an angel descended from the human realm.
Thus, amidst innocent children untainted by the world, Haeun was being idolized, unknowingly turning into an absolute presence no one dared to oppose.
Eventually, it became unnecessary to run to the teacher; just bringing Haeun over would calm any quarrel with her distinctive gentle voice.
The kindergarten teachers also felt a myriad of things regarding Haeun, who never caused any minor troubles.
It was rare to meet a child who behaved so maturely at such a young age.
“Haeun from the Moonlight Class is so well-behaved, isn’t she?”
“She’s friendly, doesn’t picky eat, and I really envy Haeun’s mom.”
Since Haeun started kindergarten, the noise level in the classroom has gradually decreased.
In other words, it meant the workload for the kindergarten teachers has also lessened.
Favoring any one child among them as a kindergarten teacher isn’t a good practice, but they couldn’t help it. Haeun from Moonlight Class was an irreplaceable child.
Haeun herself could barely sense something was amiss.
Having just begun her journey in kindergarten, and never having had any real friendships before, she couldn’t pinpoint what felt strange.
This continued until the colorful leaves transformed into white snowflakes.
Haeun’s time at kindergarten, receiving attention in various ways from peers and teachers, went on.
A turning point for Haeun to gain recognition outside kindergarten came around that time.
“By the way, Haeun. Remember Director Kang Eun-tae? I didn’t know, but he has friends—”
The conversation followed about a famous hip-hop crew, Double Lee.
Not long after, news arrived that she was offered to appear in the music video for Double Lee’s new song, “Matchstick.”
It was the kind of news that Haeun certainly hadn’t anticipated.
“If you feel pressured, it’s okay to decline, Haeun. No one will say anything.”
“No, I want to try.”
In the end, she didn’t refuse the offer presented to her.
The fact that she was going to stand in front of the camera once more was influenced by a fair amount of compensation, but the opportunity to interact with a group like Double Lee, known for numerous hit songs, was significant for Haeun.
After all, the biggest charm of a VTuber is their voice.
Singers like Double Lee also rely on the allure of their voices in their profession.
Thus, just the act of appearing in a music video alongside successful singers seemed like it would bring some benefit to her.
Ultimately, participating in Double Lee’s music video could serve as a topic of conversation.
Regardless, experiencing something she hadn’t before was something Haeun desired.
“Hello, Haeun~.”
“Hello.”
She arrived at the studio of Double Lee, where numerous hit songs had been created, of her own accord.
The two people she encountered were what you’d call “celebrities.”
“This man with the hat is Lee Geon-yeol. You can just call me Uncle comfortably.”
“This chubby man in front of you is Lee Joon. You can even call me Pig.”
“What the heck?”
Even though the atmosphere was light-hearted and the banter casual, it felt different from the vibe of Kim Min-jun, with whom she had shot a children’s vitamin commercial a few months ago.
Soon after, they finally received the storyboard for the “Matchstick” music video.
However, since the concept was quite intricate for young Haeun to grasp, Lee Joon decided that explaining it verbally would be better, drawing on a whiteboard he had prepared in advance.
Yet, seeing Haeun intently ‘reading’ the storyboard with a serious expression, he momentarily pointed to one scene, asking if she could figure out what it was.
Upon hearing Haeun’s surprising responses, they were surprisingly closer to correct than incorrect.
“It looks like the matchstick girl is completely abandoned by people.”
“Well… to me, it seems like a face that doesn’t want to cry. Actually, I think she looks even sadder because she’s smiling.”
At that, Lee Geon-yeol, who had been watching the conversation between Lee Joon and Haeun, couldn’t help but let out a slight gasp of surprise.
The reason being that Haeun’s interpretation matched their intentions by over 80%.
After that, Haeun continued to decipher the hidden meanings in the storyboard, and they realized why they had wanted to cast her in the first place.
Despite being just a short commercial lasting only a minute, it lingered in their memories.
The emotional range Haeun could express was clearly different from that of typical kids.
Simultaneously, the breadth of emotions she could display also easily surpassed the average.
Feeling that her past self, who would search for alternative solutions in case of difficulty, was quite foolish.
What kid could possibly rival Haeun’s alternatives?
“Joon, when did they say the snow would come?”
“On the 19th. Exactly a week from now.”
Almost simultaneously, thunk.
Just as Haeun was looking over the last page of the storyboard, her hands were suddenly clasped by Lee Geon-yeol.
“Matchstick girl, you’re going to do it, right, Haeun?”
Their gaze connected, blending eagerness and meaningful expectation.
At this point, reading through the storyboard was practically akin to announcing her participation in the music video.
– Nod.
Slowly but surely, she nodded in agreement to confirm her appearance in the music video.
“But are we really filming in such bright red clothing?”
“Yeah. Our goal is to convey the distance between fairy tales and reality.”
What followed were discussions about Haeun’s costume size.
They figured they should try on various versions of the matchstick girl’s outfit they had rented in advance to find the one that suited Haeun best.
However, unexpectedly for Lee Joon and Lee Geon-yeol, who were looking forward to meeting the matchstick girl from their storyboard in real life,
This time, Haeun cautiously expressed that she had a request for them.
Nevertheless, their response to her was to encourage her to speak up, as they did not want to lose her.
While they might struggle with truly difficult requests, they could at least listen.
Fortunately, the request that came from Haeun was nothing difficult at all.
It was somewhat surprising that it was not at all aligned with what Lee Joon and Lee Geon-yeol predicted—like raising her appearance fee or asking for signed limited edition CDs from Double Lee.
“I want to learn to sing from you two, even if it’s just once a month…”
As a result, no one uttered the words “that’s impossible.”
Haeun’s face lit up with a smile.
That was the first time Lee Joon and Lee Geon-yeol had witnessed Haeun’s childlike nature.