Hobbyist VTuber-Chapter 203

“...Was this a dream?”

That was the first thing Park Yeon-woo muttered upon unexpectedly facing both Leni and Diah at the same time.

How much more surreal could a sight possibly get than what he was witnessing right now?

And yet, despite that—

“Would it be okay to shake hands?”

—Swish.

The voice he had only ever heard through his earphones, and the outstretched hand before him, were unmistakably real.

“Nice to meet you, Yeon-woo.”

“Ah, hello....”

In the end, he shook hands with the singer he had admired for so long.

And in the same moment, he greeted the VTuber he had been watching for years, his voice tinged with disbelief.

[Nice to meet you too!]

“Oh, uh, nice to meet you too, Diah...? Miss Diah?”

[Hmm.... Just call me Diah, no need to be so formal~.]

After exchanging greetings with the two unexpected visitors in his hospital room, Yeon-woo watched as Leni casually took a seat in the caretaker’s chair. Then, in a more cautious tone, she inquired about his condition.

It was all for the sake of wishing him a quick recovery.

Cancer was a battle that took its toll from the very beginning of treatment. If their visit could bring him even a little bit of strength, then that was enough reason to be here.

“So, if you undergo surgery... will you get better?”

“Yes. It’s still stage two, so they say the chances of it coming back after the surgery are low.”

The fortunate thing was that Yeon-woo himself was looking toward the future with optimism.

Because of that, both Leni and Diah were able to speak to him in an encouraging tone rather than a solemn one.

Before long, the initial shock Yeon-woo felt slowly began to fade away.

By the time he had fully settled into the realization that he was meeting Leni and Diah in person, he was no longer a patient awaiting surgery—he was a starstruck fan living his ultimate dream.

“Oh, right! I actually brought some gifts for you, Yeon-woo. Would you like to receive them?”

“Gifts?”

“Yes. I heard you’re a fan of mine.”

Leni reached into her bag and pulled out a personally signed album, handing it to Yeon-woo.

His eyes widened slightly in surprise, but a genuine smile soon spread across his face.

But that wasn’t all.

“Wait...? This is... could it be...?”

[That’s my autograph! Do you like it?]

Seeing Diah’s signature in front of him, Yeon-woo’s eyes grew round with shock.

He had never expected to receive an autograph from a VTuber, let alone Diah herself.

At that moment, a sudden question popped into his mind.

“Um, there’s something I wanted to ask....”

“Oh, sure! Feel free to ask anything.”

“Uh, how... exactly did you and Miss Diah meet?”

For Diah to have given Leni her signature, it meant that they had met in person.

But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t figure out how the two of them could have possibly crossed paths.

That curiosity led him to cautiously ask about their relationship.

The question was simple, born purely from intrigue.

However, to the two people who received it—especially Diah—it was a tricky one to answer.

After all, she had to keep her real-life connection with Leni a secret.

“Oh, uh, how we met, you ask...?”

[Ah! Remember when I was practicing ‘Through the Milky Way’? I reached out to see if she could help!]

“Oh, right—right! Diah contacted our company, and that’s how we ended up meeting.”

They managed to cover up the truth with a half-truth.

“I never thought you’d actually reach out to Leni directly for my sake... Thank you so much.”

[W-well, it’s nothing, really. I’d do anything for my Noeulis~!]

And just like that, Leni and Diah’s connection was framed in a way that was somewhat true—yet still far from the real story.

Then, as if remembering something, Leni turned her attention back to Yeon-woo.

“Oh, I still have one more gift for you.”

“Wait, there’s more?”

“Yes! Diah told me you really like ‘Through the Milky Way.’”

So, we prepared something special together.

Leni smiled, as if to say you’re going to love this, and adjusted the screen on her iPad.

Then, right beside Diah’s window, a new video slowly came into view.

A familiar recording studio appeared in the background.

And in the video—

♪ “I turned around at those words you said in passing—”

—“Holding onto the hands of memory, in the blurred raindrops—” ♪

Leni, wearing recording headphones, was singing a duet with Diah’s virtual avatar.

The voices intertwined seamlessly.

More polished, more refined than when he had last heard it on Diah’s live stream.

And, most surprisingly, there wasn’t a single noticeable difference in skill between the two.

“...Wow.”

Of course, he had always known that both of them could sing well.

But for a famous singer like Leni and a VTuber like Diah to harmonize so effortlessly—it was beyond what he had expected.

[We recorded this in the studio, so it sounds way better than the live version. What do you think?]

“I—I love it. ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ It’s incredible.”

Then, Leni’s voice came through.

There was a hint of pride in her tone as she reminded him to keep the video to himself.

“What was it again? My ‘unsealed’ voice?”

[Y-yeah, unnie. I actually put in real effort for this one, so don’t let it get leaked.]

“Well, you heard her. This is a special gift, made just for you, Yeon-woo. So, don’t show it to anyone else—keep it safe.”

That was when Leni and Diah finally noticed that visiting hours were almost over.

So, before leaving, Leni took out her phone and suggested they take a commemorative photo together.

She held it up high, angling for the best shot.

And then— click.

“Hm, the selfie turned out nice, but... I kind of wish someone could take one for us.”

Leni, looking as if she was contemplating something, briefly stepped out of the hospital room and asked a passing nurse to take their photo.

Another click sounded.

"Thank you~."

And with that, the final photo session came to an end.

Now, it was truly time to say goodbye to Park Yeon-woo. Leni stood up and, before leaving, lightly clenched her fist in his direction.

"Fighting! Let’s meet at my concert next year~!"

She added that she would set aside a concert ticket just for him.

Yeon-woo gave a small bow, expressing his gratitude for their visit.

[Bye-bye~.]

"Ah, take care, Miss Diah."

Not long after, they finally stepped out of Yeon-woo's hospital room.

Almost at the same time, Leni ended the video call with Diah’s avatar. Stepping into the elevator, she pulled out her phone and called Ha-eun.

"Hello? Ha-eun?"

But contrary to Leni’s expectation of hearing Diah’s usual bright voice, the sound that came through was different.

A faint sniffle.

"...Why are you crying? You said your goodbyes to Yeon-woo just fine."

[...I'm just worried....]

"He’s going to be fine. He said it himself, didn’t he?"

And just like that, Leni found herself comforting a teary-eyed Ha-eun.

She really was still just a kid, wasn’t she?

That thought crossed Leni’s mind as she listened to Ha-eun’s uncharacteristically delicate voice.

What Leni didn’t know—what even Ha-eun herself wasn’t fully aware of—was that she saw a reflection of her past self in Yeon-woo.

The memories of her own struggles with poor health were surfacing again, clearer than ever.

***

Time passed, and finally, the day of Start Again Episode 3’s broadcast arrived.

It was also the first script reading day for God and the Goblin.

"Hey, Ha-eun."

"Yes?"

"So, the people at Naikaon are asking if you'd be interested in filming another commercial. Apparently, their sales skyrocketed thanks to you...."

Ha-eun was in Ju Jung-yoon’s van, heading toward the OTV broadcasting station as usual when she received an unexpected offer.

The problem was that Naikaon was the company that had sponsored the swimsuits for Start Again.

Which was why Ha-eun immediately shook her head, making it clear that doing a bikini commercial was out of the question.

Wearing something that revealing for an advertisement was a definite no-go.

But Jung-yoon's next words were completely different from what she had expected.

"Actually, it's a brand commercial this time. The shoot involves wearing a rash guard and surfing at the beach. What do you think?"

“...Surfing?”

"Yeah. You like sports, don’t you?"

"Hmm...."

For now, she decided not to reject it outright and left it as a pending consideration.

After all, Naikaon was the world’s most famous sports brand.

Before long, they arrived at the familiar broadcasting station.

And as she stepped out, the reality of God and the Goblin finally started to sink in.

"...Hoo."

She was about to film a drama alongside Kang Sun-woo.

For Ha-eun, this was significant in more ways than one.

Acting alongside someone so special to her—it carried weight.

She took a deep breath, steadying herself.

Then, with each step feeling heavier than usual, she made her way toward the script reading room for God and the Goblin.

But despite her unusual nervousness—

"Come on, we all threw him into the pool together."

"Ha-eun, you're insanely strong, you know. The only reason Song Hyeon-min went flying was because of you."

"That doesn’t even make sense."

"Fine, let’s settle it with a bet?"

—Kang Sun-woo and Ha Yun-seong, the other two leads of God and the Goblin, were deep in a ridiculously pointless debate.

Which made Ha-eun let out a sigh and pinch the bridge of her nose.

So much for her nerves.

Faced with their absurd conversation, she decided to exercise her right to remain silent.

And just like that, God and the Goblin’s script reading began shortly after.

"Alright, let’s start with Scene #8, the café,"

Director Kwon Jae-hyeop, who had also directed The Sunshine, spoke as he glanced between Kang Sun-woo and Ha-eun.

A forgotten giant of the past.

And the rising star who had soared upon meeting that giant.

The reunion of these two actors after ten years was a narrative in itself.

The industry was already abuzz about them—this was a sellable story.

That was precisely why the director chose to start with Scene #8.

The scene where Baek Jin, now reincarnated in the modern world, reunites with Baek Seol-hwa.

It bore certain similarities to The Neighboring Uncle, another famous piece, making it all the more intriguing.

‘The emotional trajectory here is the most important.’

And so, Kang Sun-woo and Ha-eun stood up.

The moment their synergy, ten years in the making, came back into alignment—

"...Sir, do I know you?"

Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.

"You once did. You once held me close. And in the end... I could never forget, so here I stand."

"Oh, is that so? Well then, hold on a second. I think I need to call the cops."

The very scene Kwon Jae-hyeop had envisioned played out perfectly in the expansive meeting room.

Watching them transform entirely into their characters, he smiled quietly.

"Hello? Yeah, I have a middle-aged man here talking like he's the protagonist of a dark fantasy epic—"

"Wait—h-hold on a second!"