* * *

The excited atmosphere was already circulating through the venue.

“Unni, unni. How do I look today? Do I look natural but also like a puppy right now?”

“Of course. You look so pretty.”

“I have to be a cat tomorrow, so today I really need to look unmistakably like a puppy. Do I seriously look like a puppy today?”

The rehearsal before the fan meeting was still in full swing. Han Yeoreum had grabbed Coordinator Hwang and was carefully manufacturing the “naturalness” of the behind-the-scenes camera footage.

A white T-shirt, a plaid shirt, and even sweatpants.

‘Trying to drop hints with the same vibe as <Youth Disqualified!>...’

After spending so much time around Han Yeoreum, Coordinator Hwang could practically see the answer key to the calculator. It looked comfortable and casual, but in reality it was styling that had been agonized over for days and wasn't comfortable at all.

At a glance, her hair looked like untouched straight hair, but it had actually been painstakingly flattened with a straightening iron.

“We'll do one more sound check.”

“Turn the camera on right here! I want lots and lots of footage of me looking professional!”

“Yup. Recording.”

Unable to contain her excitement, Han Yeoreum dashed across the stage.

JC ENM's in-house content team had come along. Team Leader Seong, who had planned everything from <ASMR> to <First Train Live> and the <Funny Bunny Harmony> live videos, smiled contentedly.

‘With her experience level, she doesn't even need to be here in person anymore.’

It was obvious she had come purely because she liked Han Yeoreum. The look in her eyes resembled someone watching a child she had raised herself.

Music started playing, and Han Yeoreum began to sing.

It was the voice that would announce the beginning of today's fan meeting.

Confidence radiated from the hand gripping the guitar.

Thanks to the grueling practice she had gone through during <Youth Disqualified!>, she had completely mastered the OST. There was even a sense of ease in her playing now.

“The microphone feedback is getting picked up. We'll lower it a bit.”

The production team's radio chatter echoed through the venue. Beside the control console, Choi Seonhye checked Han Yeoreum's stage movements while glancing toward the LED wall behind the stage.

It truly looked like an eternal summer day.

Under a blue sky, green leaves drifted gently in the wind. The screen perfectly recreated the scent of a blazing summer afternoon.

A field of sunflowers bloomed brightly behind Han Yeoreum's dazzling smile.

“No video distortion.”

“Checking the lift!”

Han Yeoreum moved busily around.

Even from the side, standing atop the lift platform, excitement seemed to spill endlessly from her.

Her cheeks were puffed up with happiness and showed no signs of settling down.

“Okay! That concludes rehearsal!”

Even after the lengthy rehearsal ended, Han Yeoreum was still buzzing with energy.

“Unni! Unni! Let's go look at the things that arrived earlier!”

The way she bounced around was enough to remind anyone of Galdaeguk.

Choi Seonhye laughed and flashed an okay sign.

Today truly was Han Yeoreum's day.

* * *

The lobby was filled with wreaths decorated with my photos.

“Wow...”

You could tell a lot of thought had gone into choosing the pictures.

I fiddled with the ribbon attached to one of the rice wreaths.

[Supporting the actress we love passionately,

Han Yeoreum]

What do I do?

I love this so much...

‘I want to run outside and scream right now.’

My heart rate was reaching dangerous levels.

Afraid I might wrinkle the pink ribbon, I couldn't even grip it tightly and instead gently stroked it with my thumb.

‘A day like this really did come...’

The fact that there was actually a day in the year I could call Han Yeoreum's solo fan meeting still didn't feel real.

“Yeoreum! What are you doing? We need to take pictures.”

Manager Choi patted me on the back.

I quickly shook my head.

“No! I'll come back after getting ready and take them then!”

What kind of day was today?

I couldn't afford to lose focus for even a moment.

I was going to give everyone a taste of Puppy Na Yuna from <Youth Disqualified!> through the behind-the-scenes footage, so I needed to change outfits properly before uploading any pictures.

I wished the clock hands would move faster.

‘If only I could close my eyes and open them again to find the fan meeting already started.’

Time felt unusually slow today.

* * *

IP 85.152 picked up their coat with slightly sunken eyes.

“Finally...”

Today was the day of Han Yeoreum's fan meeting.

For this day, the true cultural intellectual of this era, IP 85.152, had reviewed every single work in Han Yeoreum's filmography.

A fan meeting was, after all, like spending time with a docent who allowed one to appreciate a work more deeply.

It was an opportunity to hear directly from the artist about everything from how they felt before entering a role to filming stories and character interpretations. To make the experience meaningful, one had to thoroughly understand the work beforehand.

“It's not because I'm a fan.”

Unlike everyone else, they weren't going to see Han Yeoreum's face.

They were a cultural intellectual attending purely for the sake of the works themselves, so not a single project could be overlooked.

Han Yeoreum's filmography possessed historical value within media.

At this point, saying she was a favorite actress was acceptable.

But being called a fan?

Absolutely not.

IP 85.152 sprayed on a treasured perfume.

“Mmm...”

A sweet sense of leisure beneath the sunlight of Saint-Tropez in southern France.

The refreshing notes of melon and passion fruit were pleasantly fragrant.

For the record, it wasn't purchased because of Han Yeoreum. They had simply liked a sample received by chance at a department store one day.

The sweet melon scent definitely eased some of their fatigue.

“Let's go.”

With a racing heart, IP 85.152 headed toward the fan meeting venue.

They definitely weren't excited because of Han Yeoreum.

Their heart was pounding because they were looking forward to discussing her works.

Really.

* * *

Reporter Wi carefully tucked the invitation into his coat.

“Wow, there are a lot of people.”

A familiar face appeared in the distance.

Reporter Wi smiled and waved.

Han Yeoreum had sent tickets to several reporters she knew personally.

Unless it was a male actor doing overseas fan-meeting tours, reporters usually wouldn't bother attending. But for Han Yeoreum's fan meeting, they came willingly.

‘She's the most anticipated actor since the Holy Grail War!’

Simply putting Han Yeoreum's name in a headline was enough to increase click-through rates.

Not long ago, articles related to the MBS Acting Awards Best Couple Award had topped community-site rankings in views.

After exchanging greetings with a reporter from StarCutCut, Wi Jaehwi carefully controlled his expression to avoid revealing his personal enthusiasm.

“You came.”

“Yeah. There are more people than I expected. Especially for the size of the fan meeting.”

“It's probably because people are staying outside to take pictures.”

A large photo zone had been set up near the entrance beneath the giant banner hanging from the building's exterior.

The line waiting to take commemorative photos in front of Han Yeoreum's picture was unusually long.

The bright yellow lettering against the light green background suited the face of Han Yeoreum displayed in the center perfectly.

‘After <Dongdaemun Romance>, she really turned ordinary viewers into a core fanbase, Yeoreum...’

It didn't feel like the typical female-actor fandom that had broad popularity but weak loyalty.

It felt like the fandom of a top male star—popular and fiercely loyal at the same time.

Click.

Click.

Click-click-click-click-click.

The sound of shutters echoed everywhere as people photographed the banners and displays while holding slogans.

“Ah, sorry.”

Reporter Wi bumped shoulders with someone deeply focused on taking photos.

The person had been standing far away from the photo zone, photographing only the giant wall display of Han Yeoreum.

“It's okay.”

The person hurriedly picked up a dropped cap and put it back on.

They almost looked like a celebrity themselves.

Even though their face was hidden behind a mask, they quickly hurried away while talking on the phone.

“Yeah, yeah. I'm on my way now. Huh? Some celebrity? Fan meeting? They're doing something like that here. Not sure who it is, though...”

* * *

‘This should be enough, right?’

SweetWatermelon stopped pretending to be on the phone and pulled the cap lower.

It was a product from Company N, the very brand Han Yeoreum had modeled for during her first clothing endorsement.

Even the shoes were the Pi Chaewon sneakers.

Today's concept for SweetWatermelon was “Memories with First-Year Actress Han Yeoreum.”

After adjusting the mask once more, SweetWatermelon carefully looked around.

‘Just in case Unni recognizes me later.’

If they happened to meet someday, it absolutely couldn't turn into:

“Aren't you the person who sat in Row G, Seat 13 at my fan meeting?”

Unfortunately, they had no choice but to replace a proper photo-zone picture with a simple shot of the ticket.

‘Unni...’

Just thinking about seeing Han Yeoreum live on stage in a few hours made their heart pound violently.

A long line stretched nearby.

“Excuse me, what's this line for?”

Someone asked.

A grandmother wearing a floral long skirt answered.

“Hmm... what was it again?”

A stubborn-looking grandfather with slicked-back pomade hair shouted loudly.

“Transparent photo cards! Free giveaway line!”

“Ah! Thank you.”

The moment SweetWatermelon heard the words "transparent photo cards," they joined the line as if hypnotized.

* * *

After receiving a transparent photo card, Aetami entered the venue.

The moment she pulled out the light-green slogan reading Han Yeoreum Puffy Baby Melon Bread Version from her bag, her heart started pounding like crazy.

[Danger!]

[Heart rate is elevated!]

Her GLX Watch, purchased after watching <Dongdaemun Romance>, immediately issued a warning.

Aetami took out the slogan and transparent photo card, snapping pictures of the stage.

Nearby, she spotted the grandfather and grandmother who had received photo cards earlier.

‘Our Yeoreum really has fans of every age group!’

It made her secretly proud that Yeoreum's fanbase ranged all the way to grandparents.

‘If they came all the way to that <Youth Disqualified!> busking event before, they must be core fans.’

They were the same people she had seen by the Han River in spring.

Come to think of it, several faces already looked familiar.

This place was a gathering of veterans.

Many fans had joined through <Dongdaemun Romance>, but plenty had been supporting Han Yeoreum since the beginning.

There were people who had stood in line for the <The Great Garland> pop-up event.

People who had attended stage greetings during 〈Faster Than the Law〉.

People who had visited Han Yeoreum-themed cafés.

‘And people who did all of those...’

Someone she had even encountered at the Company N long-padding fan-sign event was seated diagonally ahead of her.

The face had become so familiar that she had nearly greeted them while handing out photo cards earlier.

Watching the opening video play on the screen, Aetami reflected on the past.

Han Yeoreum, whom she could only watch on a tiny phone screen through web dramas.

Han Yeoreum, who made it to television through one-act dramas.

Then Han Yeoreum, who suddenly grew large enough to dominate the big screen.

‘And now, finally...’

She wasn't sharing this space with anyone else.

Thinking that Han Yeoreum alone occupied this entire venue somehow made tears threaten to fall before the event had even started.

* * *

Beneath the lift, I checked my styling one final time.

My mouth was drying out.

My shoulders trembled slightly.

I could hear the murmur of voices above.

Summer Day was here.

Just imagining that the space that had been completely empty earlier was now filled with people made me feel like I was dying.

‘And they all came because they like me...’

Thinking that they had come all this way to meet me somehow made me feel like crying before it had even started.

My emotions felt strange.

“Sweetie, what are you doing right now?”

The person who interrupted my thoughts was Dok Gogyeol, making final adjustments to my makeup with a lip brush.

Her eyes widened as she spoke.

“If you're going to cry, do it after it's over! Are you planning to greet everyone for the first time looking like a mess?”

“Ugh, absolutely not.”

I'd imagined this moment countless times inside the Han Yeoreum Delusion Factory. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

I'd gone through endless mental rehearsals to create the best day possible.

“The lift is going up!”

At the staff member's shout, I straightened my posture.

The cold metal of the guitar in my hands seemed to cool my burning fingertips.

The musical intro began to play.

“Three, two, one...!”

The ceiling opened.

The lift carrying me slowly rose upward.

“Kyaaaaaaaah!!!”

Screams that sounded like explosions of joy crashed into me from all directions.

It felt as though a blazing summer day had finally arrived.