Hobbyist VTuber-Chapter 256
This group collab stream was also doubling as a year-end celebration broadcast.
The program followed a structure not too different from last year’s year-end event.
Introductions from each collab member and a viewing of clip compilations.
Then, final thoughts on the stream and a rolling paper segment.
[Diah, defendant, you did steal the viewers' hearts, didn’t you! Keep denying it and it’ll only hurt your case!]
“I want a lawyer! Call my lawyer—!”
– Come on, Diah, just admit it already
– Why is Squirrel trying not to laugh, LOL
– The judge is just doing whatever they want
– Diah’s a notorious thief;;
– Let’s just give her life imprisonment and call it a day?
Somehow, the introduction segment had turned into a courtroom roleplay.
Still, since they technically did the “introductions,” it could be said the stream was proceeding according to plan.
If there was one wrinkle, it was that the process of introducing members had turned into a spree of false accusations and slander.
[Oh-ho, so that’s how you want to play it? You’re saying you won’t admit to being a thief?]
“I’m telling you, I’ve never stolen anything in my life!”
[We’ve got no choice then. Prosecutor Sori, play the evidence!]
[Yay~!]
“E-evidence?!”
It wasn’t enough to falsely accuse Diah of being a thief—they were also demanding a confession to this embarrassingly absurd charge.
Her ears turning bright red, Ha-eun protested her innocence as best she could.
[First piece of evidence, Your Honor!]
– Ding!
[User ㅇㅇ has donated 10,000 won!]
: Here’s ten bucks worth of cotton candy, enjoy~
「Waaah~! Thank you for the cotton candy~!」
[See? See?! That’s a clean theft of their hearts, if I’ve ever seen one! Still wanna deny it?]
“I—I surrender! I surrender!!”
Once the first piece of evidence that Squirrel and Sori had prepared played, Diah immediately raised the white flag.
Because “first” piece of evidence obviously implied there were more.
Better to admit it now than be dragged through every clip they had.
Squirrel and Sori would absolutely keep pushing until Diah confessed.
Enduring a moment of embarrassment was the smarter move.
[So your surrender means you admit to the charge?]
“Yes, yes... I’m guilty... I stole the viewers’ hearts... WAAAH!!”
[Ahahaha, Diah’s having a full-on reality check~.]
[Our turn’s next, Neon! This is no time to be laughing!]
[Gasp.]
And so, with no choice but to accept the charge, Diah finally stepped down from the defendant’s bench, led by Squirrel’s satisfied voice.
Then came another bizarre accusation as Squirrel called up the next defendant.
[Yuna, defendant. Do you know what crime you’ve committed?]
[U-uh, no? I’m not really sure...!]
[Arson. You set fire to the viewers’ hearts with that Araa Araa Challenge—!]
[KYAAAAAH!! I’m sorry!!]
“Wow...”
– LOLOLOLOL
– Squirrel’s on something today
– Look at Yuna hit the dogeza instantly
– Trust Yuhwang to read the room perfectly
And so, the courtroom chaos continued until every member had been “introduced.”
The same pattern repeated: make up an embarrassing crime, then force a confession with a pre-selected “evidence clip.”
Even if someone confessed right away, the evidence video still had to be played.
After all, the viewers needed to know exactly what the charge was.
[Hida, defendant. You’re guilty of unlawful entry. Entering the viewers’ hearts without permission—]
[F-fine. I confess.]
[Hmm? I’m not feeling the sincerity. Prosecutor Sori, roll the footage!]
[Yay~!]
「You’re saying you think about me all day? Why?」
「Ah, ‘cause I’m pretty... I-I know I am.」
「Huh? When did I smile? I didn’t smile.」
[Not only did you trespass into their hearts, you occupied them! This is serious!]
[W-wait! I said I confessed already!]
“Ohhh, Hida’s panicking. Totally panicking.”
– What is this adorable witch energy??
– She’s supposed to be 600 years old??
– Squirrel just wants to torment everyone LOL
– Straight up witch trials
– Veteran broadcaster Squirrel never disappoints
And so, in the end, every member of Illusionary Realm ended up as a criminal in Squirrel’s kangaroo court.
The sentences came afterward.
[Every last one of you is getting life in prison. No parole. You’ll stream until your hair turns white—!]
Framed like a judgment, Squirrel’s decree was really just another way of saying: keep streaming forever as Illusionary Realm.
Mouth clicking mimicking a gavel, Squirrel finalized the ruling as playful boos echoed from the others.
[Booo~]
[Down with tyrant Squirrel!]
[Slave contracts still exist in the 21st century?!]
[Wait... lifetime job security? That actually doesn’t sound bad...]
The audio was soon filled with each member’s varied reactions—
[Hey, isn’t Diah’s hair already white?]
“...Huh?”
It was Ocean who suddenly brought that up, peering at Diah’s Minecraft avatar.
Her confused voice made the chat explode.
– Gasp
– Diah -complete-
– Did Diah just get fired?
– Nooo!!!
– Thought it was a party but it’s a funeral??
– Farewell, Diah
– She can’t graduate! She’s a baby!
Somehow, Diah had been excluded from Squirrel’s “lifetime sentence” decree.
Squirrel had said “until your hair turns white”—but Diah’s hair was already snow-white.
Then came the flood of teasing voices.
[So, Diah’s free now?]
[Nooo! You can’t leave!]
[My dear friend~ whom I’ve known~ for so~ loooong~]
[Ahaha, Diah’s flustered!]
[Goodbye Diah~ it was fun while it lasted~!]
This surprise farewell stream for Diah only ended once Squirrel corrected herself.
No need to let a dumb misunderstanding get out of hand.
[Diah, you keep streaming until all your hair falls out. Got that?]
“Yaaay~!”
[Wait, Diah-senpai, why do you like that?]
[Get a grip, Diah-senpai! This is a slave contract! She’s saying she’ll work you till you’re bald!]
[Too late. Look at those eyes—she’s already brainwashed.]
“Stream. Good. Love. Stream. Good. Love.”
[Kyaaa! It’s a streaming ghost!]
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
And with that, Diah’s farewell stream wrapped up as just a silly little incident.
On Squirrel’s signal, Sori teleported all the collab members—including Diah—to a movie theater-style map.
– Shrrrrp
[LUX_Diah has been teleported by Sori]
“Ah. Where am I? Who am I?”
– Is this an isekai??? LOL
– Diah, check your inventory—there’s popcorn
– Whoa, theater looks amazing
– Since when did Minecraft look this good
– Got a feeling this is gonna get emotional...
As they chatted away, the members began settling into the theater seats one by one.
Once everyone was seated, Sori began playing the Illusionary Realm clip compilation.
The first clip? The debut stream of the second-gen members.
「Ahem, ahem. Hello, everyone~! I’m Nael from Illusionary Realm’s second generation~!」
“Oh...”
– So fresh and new
– Who knew back then ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) Nael was secretly Lee Ha-eun the demon
– No comparing her to that other debut with casual speech, okay??
– Listen to how clear her voice is
The video continued to showcase several special events.
The second-gen’s first group song, the first solo music videos from the first-gen members...
Highlights from collabs and solo streams, all beautifully edited, played across the screen.
Unlike last year’s footage, which only featured first-gen, this compilation was longer and more diverse.
Thanks to the second-gen members joining, the content was richer and more plentiful, filling Diah’s screen completely.
“This editing is amazing...”
– LUX! LUX! LUX! LUX! LUX!
– I’m crying, puuuuㅠㅠㅠ
– This hits so hard
– Diah’s in a public service broadcast LOL
As expected, the chat was as rowdy as ever.
The video looking back on Illusionary Realm’s year brought about a heartwarming atmosphere.
Though, given how deeply the Noeulis had been infected by Diah’s mischievous energy, their reactions were a little... different.
– Maybe it’s the second-gens, but everything looks flashier
– Saying juniors are more affectionate is a no-no
– Ocean’s ASMR is insane
– When is our baby gonna do an aegyo remix...
– Still, I love our baby (Is that good enough, Diah?)
“I’m watching you... be careful, please...”
– Gasp
– This comment has been marked as behind-the-scenes
– This is a secret reply
– Hidden comment
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– The Noeulis' group coordination is next level LOL
– ....................
– (Emoji with an X-mask) ×6
And so, somehow Diah’s stream was the only one that ended up completely detached from any emotional sentiment.
Only once the video finished did the other members start chiming in again.
Next up was the broadcast segment for the Illusionary Realm members to share their reflections and read their rolling papers.
From Mile, the eldest of the first-gens, to Hida, the youngest of the second-gens, each took turns reading their thoughts and messages.
[...I’ll be counting on you all next year, too.]
[Huh? That’s it?]
[Witch-senpai~ just a little longer~]
“Boo~. That had no heart in it, none at all~!”
[N-no heart?! That’s not true!]
Even the second part of the stream—the Mafia game—went smoothly after a short break.
Actually, the members even seemed closer than before.
[It's Mile-senpai. She’s definitely the Mafia. It has to be her!]
[Ocean! How could you accuse your senpai like that? There’s no one more innocent than me!]
[Try wiping the blood off your mouth before you say that! Murderer! I see everything!]
“Oh, Ocean’s the observer, huh? Let’s hang Mile-unnie first then?”
– Diah, are you really throwing Mile under the bus??
– You’re Mafia too, aren’t you Diah, LOL
– Every time she opens her mouth, it’s betrayal
– What if she’s bluffing, Diah Diah please
– Quickest abandonment ever, we love it
In the end, the group stream turned out to be a full and satisfying one in every way.
They even got plenty of new clips out of it.
By the time Ha-eun was about to end the stream, the chat exploded with pleas for her to keep going.
The warmth of the Christmas special had the Noeulis clinging to Diah.
“Alright, everyone, have a great Christmas. I’ll be off now~.”
– You have to stay till midnight
– You’re abandoning us?? Abandoning us?? Abandoning us?? Abandoning us?? Abandoning us??
– Wait until midnight to give us presents
– It’s okay if you end the stream, just come back later please
– My chicken hasn’t even arrived yettttt
– Diah, freeze!!
“...Bye-bye!”
[Diah's stream has ended.]
– Ah
– That’s rough
– Noeulis turning to darkness, Noeulis turning to darkness, Noeulis turning to darkness...
– Diva
– I was the only one who meant it. Again. I was the only one who meant it. Again. I was the only one who meant it...
– Package delivery! Please open the door~ Package delivery! Please open the door~ Package delivery! Please open the door~
– bb
– Merry Christmas
– Where are you goooingggg
While the Noeulis filled the chat with furious pounding at the door,
Ha-eun stepped out of her house with the gift shopping bag she had prepared earlier.
“I’m heading out.”
“Okay~ Have fun with your friends~”
Not long after, she climbed into Ju Jung-yoon’s van and headed to Dayeon’s house.
After picking up Dayeon, they made their way to Gong Hye-yeon’s mansion. It was now 9:20 PM.
“...Feels like we’re running late.”
“Nope. They said the catering just got set up. We’ll get there right on time.”
When they finally arrived at Gong Hye-yeon’s house, it was about ten minutes before the scheduled time.
Hye-yeon welcomed the last two guests, Ha-eun and Dayeon, with open arms.
“Alright, alright. The celebs have arrived~.”
Gong Hye-yeon, now behind them, gently pushed them forward as she spoke.
Within seconds, they were greeted by the others.
“Oh, it’s Ha-eun!”
“You said you’d be here at ten, but you’re early.”
“Hi, Dayeon~.”
After placing their gifts under the Christmas tree, Ha-eun and Dayeon followed Hye-yeon upstairs into a room.
What greeted them was a collection of massive wardrobes and state-of-the-art stylers.
‘Right... she’s a model, isn’t she...’
Ha-eun had heard that Gong Hye-yeon worked as a model.
Which explained why she used an entire room just to store clothes.
Even when Hye-yeon offered them a variety of pajamas to choose from, Ha-eun didn’t think too much of it.
It was, after all, a pajama party. A dress code of pajamas made perfect sense.
That is... until—
“Um, Hye-yeon. Do you have a bigger size?”
“Huh? Is it too small?”
While changing next to Dayeon, Ha-eun paused mid-way through putting on her top with a slightly awkward expression.
At the same moment, Hye-yeon glanced at Ha-eun’s chest, just a little startled.
– Slide.
“.............”
Almost involuntarily, Dayeon’s eyes also shifted toward Ha-eun’s chest.
Then, a second later, she looked down at her own.
‘...When did those get so big?’
Dayeon’s pajamas weren’t exactly snug—in fact, they were a bit roomy.
But Ha-eun’s pajamas looked like they could barely be buttoned.
Maybe that’s why...
She found herself quietly watching as Ha-eun changed into the larger size that Hye-yeon had brought out.
And then, almost without thinking, Dayeon’s thoughts slipped out in a whisper.
“...I haven’t grown yet.”
“...Huh?”
“I said... yet. I haven’t grown yet.”
“??”
“..........”
Ha-eun tilted her head, not understanding what Dayeon meant.
And for a brief moment, Dayeon felt something close to miserable—it wasn’t just her imagination.
‘...How the hell does someone who works out every day not lose any chest fat?’
She stared daggers at Ha-eun’s comparatively generous chest, her eyes narrowing.
Then, with a short, scoffing laugh, she turned on her heel and walked out of the room.
Either way, her own growth wasn’t over yet.
It couldn’t be over yet.
“Oh... Dayeon, that pajama set looks really good on you.”
“Of course it does. Hye-yeon has a great eye for clothes.”
Back downstairs, those were the kinds of comments Dayeon received.
And not long after, Ha-eun got similar remarks upon her return.
Maybe that whole “the face completes the outfit” saying applied to pajamas too.
“Alright, gather up, everyone. Let’s take a picture.”
Since Gong Hye-yeon and the rest of the group were already in their pajamas, everyone at the home party gathered together for a group photo.
A ticklish warmth bloomed in Dayeon’s chest.
When the photo was finally sent to Dayeon’s phone, she was at a loss for words.
It felt unfamiliar—in many ways.
Standing there awkwardly among her friends... it just wasn’t the version of herself she was used to seeing.
‘Maybe it’s because I’m always just hanging out with Lee Ha-eun...’
She couldn’t say for sure if she was excited or happy.
The only thing she could say for certain was—it wasn’t a bad feeling.
So when she sat next to Ha-eun, nibbling through the various catered dishes,
and when she fumbled her way through answering questions from friends she’d just met that night—
“So, you and Ha-eun have known each other since elementary school?”
“Y-yeah.”
“Wow, legit childhood friends.”
“They say birds of a feather flock together—guess it’s true.”
Just like Ha-eun, who didn’t seem the least bit awkward, Dayeon was gradually getting used to the vibe around her.
She hadn’t completely opened up—but she hadn’t shut herself off either.
And then—
“Oh, it’s past midnight! Merry Christmas~.”
By the time she came to, there was already red wine poured in both her and Ha-eun’s glasses.
Barely a few seconds after the cautious toast among friends ended, Dayeon snatched Ha-eun’s glass.
And just like that, she downed it in one shot on Ha-eun’s behalf.
“D-Dayeon...”
“...I told you I’d keep an eye on you.”
Dayeon’s watch never ended.
Even when the group moved on to whisper more secretive stories,
even when Gong Hye-yeon brought out a board game for a light drinking game.
“Oh no, it landed on Ha-eun!”
“...Black Knight.”
“Huh? Again? Dayeon, are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Dayeon was steadfast in her mission to block any and all alcohol from reaching Ha-eun.
She intercepted every drink, careful not to break the festive mood.
The only problem: this was Dayeon’s first time drinking anything alcoholic—like wine.
Which meant she had absolutely no idea what her tolerance was.
“...Phew...”
By the time her head started spinning just a little, she was already completely drunk.
The first person to notice Dayeon’s condition was Ha-eun.
“Dayeon, are you okay? Want some water?”
“...I’m fine...”
“...Huh?”
The moment Dayeon used formal speech with her, Ha-eun realized she was drunk.
After all, Dayeon never spoke to her that politely when sober.
‘So there are people who get all formal when they’re drunk...’
Honestly, it was kind of fascinating.
Her glassy eyes made her look even cuter than usual.
It was a side of Dayeon Ha-eun had never seen before—so she couldn’t help but keep watching.
But then, Dayeon’s unsteady body tilted and flopped right into Ha-eun’s side.
“G-Guys, I think Dayeon’s drunk. I’m gonna go lay her down.”
“...I’m not drunk...”
Despite insisting she wasn’t, Dayeon was soon lifted off the ground and carried toward one of the mansion’s bedrooms.
Not even sober Dayeon could win a strength contest against Ha-eun, so resisting now was pointless.
Even if she wanted to sit upright, the moment Ha-eun picked her up, she was going up.
And so, she was eventually tucked into bed with soft blankets and all.
“Good night.”
“...I’m not sleeping... I’m not even tired...”
“It’s okay. Just lying down will make you sleepy.”
Ha-eun turned to leave and head back to the living room.
But then—Dayeon’s outstretched hand gently grabbed her wrist.
“Lee Ha-eun... stay with me... Don’t go...”
“...Mmm.”
In the end, Ha-eun sat down on the edge of the bed, still held in place by Dayeon.
And then came Dayeon’s voice—unguarded, unfiltered.
“Lee Ha-eun...”
“Yes?”
“I... I really like being your friend. Even though we’re rivals as actors...”
“...Yeah.”
“I want you to lean on me, too. You’re my friend... and it’s always been me depending on you...”
A hazy, vulnerable wish.
Words she would never have said sober.
Even her forehead, resting lightly against Ha-eun’s back, couldn’t stay still—probably from the alcohol.
Her soft little murmurs were barely more than mumbles, so Ha-eun had to concentrate just to make them out.
But the only thing that mattered was: these were Dayeon’s true feelings—
the ones she’d been hiding from Ha-eun all along.
“Stop acting like the only adult in the room... Lean on me sometimes, too... I’m really okay, I promise... I just want Lee Ha-eun to depend on me a little... Huu...”
Ha-eun couldn’t bring herself to move.
She couldn’t ignore the voice behind her.
“I’ll do everything I can for you... anything for Lee Ha-eun...”
“...Thanks. Even just hearing that.”
“It’s not just talk. I mean it...”
“I know. I do.”
And so, in the end, Ha-eun laid down beside her.
Right now, she just... wanted to stay next to Dayeon.
“...Lee Ha-eun...”
“Yeah, I’m right here.”
“Don’t say weird stuff just ‘cause I’m drunk... just stay with me...”
“Okay. That’s the plan.”
“...Wait. Did I just beg again?”
“Nope. Not begging. I want to be here.”
***
Screeeech—
“Ha-eun, are you asleep...?”
“Hey, hey. She’s asleep. Don’t wake her. Come out.”
“Aww, she must’ve dozed off while putting Dayeon to bed.”
