Hobbyist VTuber-Chapter 255

“Now that you’re an adult, don’t mess up. Let’s see each other in class, not on the news, guys.”

“““Yes~!”””

“Good answers. Anyway, dismissed.”

It was just around the time that Narae High’s winter vacation had begun.

As usual, Ha-eun walked out the school gates with Da-yeon and headed toward a nearby café.

With about 20 minutes until Ju Jung-yoon’s van arrived, Ha-eun figured she’d chat casually with Da-yeon while waiting.

For example, talking about the gift Da-yeon was planning to bring to Gong Hye-yeon’s Christmas party.

“What are you bringing, Da-yeon?”

“A scarf. You said it couldn’t be anything expensive.”

“Then, maybe one around 30,000 won? I’m not sure how much scarves usually cost...”

“500,000 won.”

“...Isn’t 500,000 won a bit much for a scarf?”

Or perhaps discussing the upcoming episode of Goblin airing in just a few hours.

“Are you watching Goblin, Da-yeon?”

“Why would I watch that?”

“Oh, thank goodness. Actually, in this upcoming episode—”

“Hey!!”

“Oh, you are watching it.”

Or maybe talking about the group collab for Illusionary Realm.

While waiting for Ju Jung-yoon, they chatted about various random things.

Ha-eun’s mind, however, was more tangled than usual.

Thoughts about the upcoming meeting with SL Group kept spiraling, so she needed something light to clear her head for a moment.

‘I didn’t expect to get contacted so quickly...’

SL Group.

One of Korea’s leading media conglomerates, filled with people Ha-eun didn’t particularly care for.

Strictly speaking, the company wasn’t entirely unrelated to her current career. After all, SL Group’s affiliates had done product placements in the Goblin series, which Ha-eun was currently starring in.

However, being cast in a drama produced under SL Group’s name—or having a meeting scheduled with someone in a major position at SL Group—was a whole different story.

‘The director of their media division... could it be... my aunt?’

Having a meeting with SL Group meant that Ha-eun would be face-to-face with people from her own family.

Though now, they were strangers with no blood ties, they were still faces she had known from her past.

But there was no option to avoid meeting them.

After all, they were part of Ha-eun’s goal.

‘...I thought it was still far off.’

To rise to a position where she could influence the true upper class, to form deeper ties, and then carefully choose who to use and who to cast aside to “save” her former self.

That was Ha-eun’s ultimate goal.

However, coldly speaking, Ha-eun still felt like she hadn’t quite reached the level she had once envisioned for herself.

‘I’ve achieved fame and success, but...’

Ha-eun had definitely gained recognition and pride as a successful actress, but the person she had aimed to become—the one whose words carried weight, whose intentions couldn’t be ignored, and the one ‘her former self’ could rely on—was still a long way off.

To truly have influence over the SL Group family, she needed to rise even higher.

And that’s why Ha-eun saw the meeting with SL Group not as a destination, but as a starting point.

“Hey, hey. Manager’s here. What are you thinking about?”

“...Just stuff.”

“What stuff? Come on, let’s go.”

“I’ll tell you later.”

Ha-eun gave Da-yeon a faint smile before walking toward Ju Jung-yoon’s van.

Da-yeon, confused by the unexpected smile, tilted her head.

It wasn’t the same expression Ha-eun wore when she used to play pranks on her.

Why did Ha-eun look so different all of a sudden?

Left alone in the café, Da-yeon couldn’t help but feel uneasy about the change in Ha-eun.

“...Did Ha-eun get herself a boyfriend or something?”

***

After parting ways with Da-yeon, Ha-eun arrived at a familiar drama set in Ju Jung-yoon’s van.

Once she got out, she started greeting the familiar staff members while walking around the set as usual.

“Hello.”

“Oh, Ha-eun! You’re here!”

“Ha-eun, take a hot pack, hot pack.”

Since Goblin was nearing its final shooting stages, Ha-eun was determined to stay focused and give it her all until the very end.

In just a few weeks, she’d be going on her first overseas schedule as an actress.

‘I need to give my best until the very end.’

Goblin had been a bigger success than Ha-eun had anticipated. The show’s popularity was holding strong, and she hoped it would continue all the way to the final episode, and even through the making-of broadcasts afterward.

For Goblin’s incredible popularity to keep going strong, Ha-eun knew her deeply immersed acting was crucial. She wouldn’t let herself relax until the very last broadcast.

“Hey, I’m here, Director.”

“Oh, Ha-eun, you’re early today.”

After greeting the many staff members, Ha-eun exchanged pleasantries with Director Kwon Jae-hyeop as well.

Not long after, she also greeted Kang Sun-woo, who had just arrived on set.

Then she headed to the makeup room.

“Oh, by the way, Ha-eun, your ‘Snowflower’ music video just hit 10 million views.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. We should post a thank-you message on Instagram later.”

Ha-eun replied with an acknowledgment as Ju Jung-yoon shared the latest news and suggestion. Either way, it was a good thing that Snowflower was receiving positive attention.

Songs like Snowflower were part of Goblin’s appeal.

The OST had a significant impact on the show’s immersion, so the high view count of Snowflower was certainly a positive indicator.

‘...I’m glad I learned how to sing.’

Once Ha-eun finished her makeup and changed into Baeksulhwa’s costume, she headed toward the set.

Thud.

‘Today’s scenes start with S#85...’

Thinking about the scenes for the day, Ha-eun made her way to the set.

There, she ran into Kang Sun-woo and Ha Yun-seong.

As the drama approached its climax, it became more common for the main actors to be filmed together in a single shot.

So, Ha-eun did a quick rehearsal with them.

“It feels a bit vague without the CGI.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“Well, once the CGI is added, it’ll feel completely different. For now, let’s just imagine it.”

After doing a quick run-through with Kang Sun-woo and Ha Yun-seong, Ha-eun finally made her way to the center of the set.

Not long after, the shooting began.

“...Baek Jin.”

The filming of S#85, the snow-covered street.

“White Baek, and the road Jin will take...”

Standing alone in the deserted street, Baeksulhwa whispered the name she had heard long ago, staring into the empty air.

Breathing out white mist, she was remembering Baek Jin’s promise.

“You said you’d come find me anytime... You told me to call your name out loud, so you could hear it...”

By this point, Baeksulhwa had regained her memories and was fully aware that Baek Jin was about to leave.

She had been desperately searching for him because of this.

“I... I won’t let you go. No, I can’t let you go. How can I send someone who makes all the decisions alone and finishes everything by themselves...”

“If you die, I’ll die too. I can’t live without you! How can you expect me to live without you!!”

Her tear-filled eyes wept bitterly.

Unable to bear the longing for Baek Jin, her legs gave way and she collapsed.

Her slumped shoulders trembled weakly.

Yet, the only response she got was the cold winter wind.

“I love you, Baek Jin... Please... don’t go...”

She said it like she was clinging to a thread, pouring out the truth she had been holding back for so long.

Her appearance was more disheveled than ever.

Despite clenching her teeth against the cold, her lips quivered.

Was it longing? Regret? Or maybe desperation?

Ha-eun, shaken by her surging emotions, struggled to catch her breath, bitterly muttering toward the person who never appeared.

The things that had long withered in her painful reality began to sprout once more, taking root deep in Baeksulhwa's heart.

After Baek Jin had appeared, everything had changed. She had never expected to find hope in her life, one that seemed destined to stay hopeless. But with his arrival, things had begun to change.

So, what would happen if Baek Jin disappeared again?

If, under the guise of caring for Baeksulhwa, he left her side again, wouldn't her life return to what it was before he appeared?

"I... What was I... to you...?"

Thicker tears than raindrops streamed down Baeksulhwa’s cheeks. The world around her had already become hazy, and yet she continued to cry, unable to stop until she was utterly exhausted.

"...You were everything."

Finally, the answer she had longed for came. Even then, lifting her head to look up was the best she could do. Her trembling eyelashes.

"Uncle..."

She met the gaze of the person she had been yearning for, and once again, a surge of grief rose from deep within her chest.

Baeksulhwa slowly sank to the floor, matching the height of Baek Jin, as she gazed into his eyes.

"...There is no place for the dead in the world of the living."

"I don't care...!"

"Your fate is misaligned."

"I don’t know. I don’t care about fate or anything...!"

With a gentle motion, Baeksulhwa’s arm stretched out, pulling Baek Jin into a tight embrace. Her face buried in his shoulder, her voice shaking like a child’s whimper.

"I can't live without you, Uncle. How am I supposed to live in a world where I have no one precious to me...?"

Knowing that if Baek Jin pushed her away, she would have no power to stop him, Baeksulhwa held on tighter. Even as her mind began to fade from exhaustion, she refused to let go until the very last moment.

"I'm... really happy right now. So, please... don’t leave again."

As she finally drifted into sleep in Baek Jin’s arms, the only wish she had was that the promise Baek Jin had made long ago—to never leave her alone—would be kept.

Maybe it was because of that.

Or perhaps, because Baek Jin himself had subconsciously known this would happen, deep down.

"...I was happy. Every moment with you."

As Baek Jin gazed down at the sleeping Baeksulhwa in his arms, his eyes briefly welled up with tears.

Then, his shadow fell briefly over Baeksulhwa’s forehead.

Sensing that he could no longer make her suffer, Baek Jin gently placed his hand on her forehead and began to erase her memories.

At almost the same moment, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from beyond.

"...The dead must answer the call of the living."

With that, the scene shifted, and the filming of S#85 came to an end. The only thing that didn’t stop was the snow that continued to fall from the high sky.

***

The day after Narae High’s winter vacation began, and the day of the filming of Goblin’s second half, time passed.

Tap, tap.

[Illusionary Realm Christmas Group Collab☆]

It was finally Christmas Eve. The day of the Illusionary Realm group stream.

“Glancing...”

- Diah

- Diah, what are you doing over there?

- Santa hat is totally visible, haha

- 5pm, baby spotted

- What’s with the awkward glances?

- Stop hiding and come out!

Ha-eun, who had already been sitting in the soundproof booth, subtly moved the mouse up and down. Every time the mouse cursor moved, Diah’s virtual avatar followed suit.

Wearing a special Christmas Eve outfit, Diah’s avatar had been hunched in the corner of the broadcast screen for a while. Her red Santa hat kept appearing and disappearing in the corner of the screen.

After a bit of time passed, the Illusionary Realm official channel’s broadcast finally began.

Swoosh—

“Merry Christmas~!”

Diah, dressed as Santa, was now fully revealed.

A bright red Santa hat, a red cape adorned with a red ribbon, and even a snowy white beard.

- Oh, so cute!

- She’s pretty!

- It’s Stalin! (User banned)

- Why’s she turning red?

- The background changed

- Baby Santa’s here!

Diah, now in a new costume for Christmas Eve, filled the broadcast screen. Right after that, she logged into the server for the group stream with Illusionary Realm.

“Oh, Rudolph! Rudolph!”

- Look at that map quality!

- Diah, let’s open the gift boxes early!

- Who built that Santa avatar? Haha

- There are juniors over there!

The stream’s host, the General Manager, was still not there, so Ha-eun wandered around the map, much like past group collabs.

However, when the stream officially started, the starting map was a bit different than expected.

[LUX_Diah has been teleported by Sori.]

[Everyone, quiet~!!]

When the members, including Diah, were teleported to a mock courtroom map instead of a festive Christmas map, Ha-eun looked around, puzzled.

It was supposed to be a Christmas Eve stream, so Ha-eun had expected the start map to have a Christmas vibe.

[The judge is entering~! Everyone, stand!]

“...Hmm?”

The map, where Diah and the other group members were, was simply a courtroom.

Diah’s avatar, wearing a judge’s robe instead of a Santa costume, added to the confusion.

- What’s going on here?

- Why’s the judge a bird? (User banned)

- This 30-year-old single judge should leave! (User banned)

- Two users banned in a row, whoa!

- This is getting suspicious...

Then, Daramji, the host, explained the situation.

This stream, inspired by a famous movie that came to mind at Christmas, was a mock trial.

[Diah, defendant. Step forward!]

“Eh? What?”

[Hurry up, you thief!]

It was a public ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) trial.

The concept of the stream was that the members, who had committed “crimes” on Christmas, were judged by Daramji, who was dressed as a judge.

[Diah, defendant. Do you remember the crimes you committed?]

“No! I don’t remember anything!”

Though this seemed like a ridiculous charge, there was no real problem with it. Despite the change in atmosphere, the flow of the conversation was mostly as planned.

However, despite the planned sequence of events:

[You really don’t remember?]

“Yes! I didn’t do anything wrong!”

[Don’t lie! Here’s the evidence! Everyone knows you’re a thief who stole the hearts of the viewers!]

“...What?”

The charge Daramji gave was so ridiculous and embarrassing that Ha-eun could feel her face turning hot.

[Admit that you stole the hearts of the viewers! There are over 600,000 victims! Over 600,000!]

“Stop! Stop with the slander!”

[Not stopping until you admit it! I won’t stop until you admit it!]

“Judge!! Why are you doing this to me!?”

-This is crazy, hahahaha!

- How are they saying this on broadcast?

- Daramji is amazing!

- Look at Diah’s serious face, hahaha!

- Top-tier roasting!

- This isn’t easy!

- Was this a roast stream today??