Hobbyist VTuber-Chapter 216

After Ha-eun’s overwhelming victory in the women's 60-meter dash A group preliminaries, the stadium’s central screen immediately started replaying the footage of the recent race.

The celebrities in Ha-eun’s heat, especially the idol who came in second place, anxiously stared at the screen, wondering if Ha-eun had made a false start.

‘That can’t be right.’

The gap between Ha-eun and the second-place idol was about 2 seconds, which seemed to imply Ha-eun had started 2 seconds ahead. Of course, if Ha-eun had really started 2 seconds earlier, it would have been obvious, but the idol had no doubt that Ha-eun had made an early start, even if it was only by 0.2 seconds.

However, the commentary coming from the stadium’s speakers only praised Ha-eun.

[ Ah, her starting posture was perfect. The way her upper body stays straight while running is also very impressive. It’s common for runners to lean back as they run— ]

[ The other competitors are no match for her. Ha-eun is incredibly fast! ]

[ We already have an unprecedented time gap here~! ]

The celebrities other than Ha-eun felt slightly dazed. Was Ha-eun’s demeanor on the screen really that calm, or was it just a trick of the light?

Her hair, tied neatly, fluttering in the wind. Her composed expression. And for some reason, her feet looked light as she ran.

‘Wow, she didn’t even get out of breath once.’

‘Why is she so pretty??’

‘She must have been looking at her fans the whole time...’

It felt like they were on a completely different level. After the race, when Ha-eun approached them and offered a fist bump, they froze for a moment.

“Good job.” “Ah, yes...”

If the difference had been slight, they might have felt disappointed, but it was such a large gap that they didn’t feel any lingering regret. The idea that Star Athletics Competition was a stage for idols no longer held any meaning.

Right now, the idols were looking at Ha-eun as, to put it mildly, a bundle of talent. Or, to put it bluntly, “You take everything for yourself.”

‘I was just thinking about learning from her earlier...’

This is probably what the idols were thinking as they watched Ha-eun. In the wild world of Star Athletics Competition, Ha-eun was clearly a predator.

But no one knew that Ha-eun’s running posture came from years of training she had observed from national athlete Kim Min-joon, who Ha-eun had watched all day long when she was young. The routines of Kim Min-joon had naturally seeped into Ha-eun’s own training routine. Ha-eun herself had even forgotten about it at some point.

‘I’m glad it looked good.’

Right now, Ha-eun’s only concern was her image. She kept thinking about her appearance on the screen.

What Ha-eun feared the most was that her slightly better physical abilities would be exaggerated compared to others. That’s why, during the 60-meter dash, she had intentionally held back and not gone all {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} out, adjusting her speed to maintain control over her image.

‘As planned.’

Ha-eun’s inner self, as Diah, wore an expression just like that famous meme of a character sure that their plan had succeeded.

Time passed, and after all other preliminaries were finished, the final for the women’s 60-meter dash was about to begin. Even then, Ha-eun was still focused on maintaining her image and wasn’t planning on running full speed, but...

Whirring sound—!

[ Min Da-yeon ] – Hey

[ Min Da-yeon ] – Everyone can tell you’re holding back

[ Lee Ha-eun ] – (a giant confused otter emoji)

[ Min Da-yeon ] – If you don’t run seriously, I’ll interview you later ㅡㅡ

[ Min Da-yeon ] – “Ha-eun was just taking it easy in this Star Athletics Competition (laughs)”

[ Lee Ha-eun ] – (shocked otter emoji)

Da-yeon, sitting in the stands, had caught on that Ha-eun was managing her image. The messages that followed were enough to make Ha-eun think twice.

[ Min Da-yeon ] – Just run fairly

[ Min Da-yeon ] – Otherwise, you might end up with a “Lee Ha-eun/Controversy & Scandals/Star Athletics Participation Attitude Controversy”?

[ Lee Ha-eun ] – ...Is it that obvious?

[ Min Da-yeon ] – Yeah, yeah

“...Hmm.”

Ha-eun knew Da-yeon well enough to know that she wasn’t lying. While others were giving their all, Ha-eun taking it easy might become a controversy.

After much deliberation, Ha-eun finally made up her mind.

Tap, tap.

“Lee Ha-eun, please move to the staging area.”

“Ah, yes.”

At last, when the preparations for the women’s 60-meter dash final were finished, Ha-eun decided to run with everything she had, as Da-yeon had suggested. She couldn’t let the other athletes down by holding back.

Not long after, Ha-eun opened her phone and typed a message, then held the phone up high for Da-yeon to see.

[ I’ll become a cheetah ]

Ha-eun sent the message to let Da-yeon know that she would be running seriously. Seeing it, Da-yeon couldn’t help but chuckle.

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If anything, this was very much in character for Ha-eun.

“...Alright, idiot. Stop pretending to be modest.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Ah, nothing. Just talking to myself, Ji-hye.”

Then, she turned to Nael, saying that the final was about to start. As expected, Nael’s phone immediately began filming Ha-eun again.

Not long after, the final for the women’s 60-meter dash began.

[ The race has started—! ]

[ The athletes are running with all their might!! ]

The slightly excited voices of the announcers filled the air as they covered the race. But barely 2 seconds passed before...

[ Oh! ] [ Ha-eun is suddenly pulling ahead—!! ]

With Ha-eun accelerating at lightning speed, all eyes were drawn to her. The gap between her and the other competitors widened rapidly, and the crowd began to stir.

Then, with a sudden thud, Ha-eun crossed the finish line without any competitors in sight, grabbing the white tape marking the finish.

Just as she collided with the mat placed at the finish line.

Thud!!

[ Oh, wait... It looks like Ha-eun might have hit the mat pretty hard. Is she okay? ]

[ Ah, she’s giving a thumbs up, so she’s fine! Congratulations to Ha-eun for the gold medal! ]

The announcers let out a sigh of relief as the final rankings were announced, and almost immediately, Ha-eun’s victory interview began.

However, something seemed off about the record.

[ Okay, Ha-eun’s time just came up... Wait a minute, 6.97? ]

[ Wait? Not in the 7-second range, but in the 6-second range? ]

[ Ha, Ha-eun should be a national athlete for sure! ]

The crowd and the broadcast booth were in an uproar.

To be honest, most of the spectators didn’t believe the record and thought there had been some kind of error in the measurement, especially since 6.97 was an Olympic-level time.

Still, one thing was certain: Ha-eun was the winner. The screen showed her, smiling and waving after the interview, while cheers erupted from the fans.

However, Da-yeon, one of the few who believed Ha-eun’s time was legitimate, couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

“...I think I just unlocked a seal that shouldn’t have been opened.”

She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, especially since the mat Ha-eun had hit still had a noticeable dent in it.

Was she really possessed by a cheetah, like she said? The thought lingered.

***

“Good job, Ha-eun~!”

After the conclusion of the women’s 60-meter dash, Ha-eun returned to the contestant waiting room and received a bottle of water from Ju Jung-yoon.

It was shortly after that when she heard about another fan service event related to Star Athletics Competition.

“I have to go distribute afternoon lunch boxes to about 50 fans soon. You can rest if you want, but what do you think?” “Hmm...”

The lunch boxes were packed for around 50 fans and included Ha-eun's photo cards, making it a special gift for her fans. Ha-eun thought her fans would definitely enjoy the lunch boxes.

What’s more, two of Ha-eun’s acquaintances were already in the audience. So, with that in mind, Ha-eun decided to personally hand out the lunch boxes and share a late lunch or early dinner with her fans.

“Since everyone came to see me. Da-yeon’s here too.”

“Got it~.”

Ha-eun made her way to the audience section, and as expected, the fans welcomed her warmly when they saw her carrying the lunch boxes. The only one who remained calm when receiving the lunch box from Ha-eun was Da-yeon.

“Oh, steak? Everyone else got bibimbap or kimbap.”

“Ah, there’s Korean food too. Let me know if you want it.”

“...If someone didn’t know better, they’d think you’re handing out in-flight meals.”

And so, as the ‘delicious’ lunch boxes that Ju Jung-yoon had strongly recommended were handed out, Ha-eun took one of the remaining lunch boxes and sat next to Da-yeon—next to Nael’s seat, not hers.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

The conversation that followed was light and casual, the same kind of chit-chat Da-yeon and Ha-eun had shared when they ate lunch together at the Narae High School forecast.

However, despite sharing a meal with Da-yeon, Ha-eun couldn’t ignore the stares from everyone around her. Even people who weren’t Ha-eun’s fans were watching her and Da-yeon from afar.

“Hey, if I get food on my face, tell me, okay, Da-yeon?”

“Still good so far.”

No one had asked, but Ha-eun found herself being handed wet wipes in between bites to clean around her mouth. At least the hearty lunch had satisfied Ha-eun’s hunger.

“So, what’s left?”

“Archery and the relay. Oh, by the way, I’m the last runner for the relay, Da-yeon.”

“If you don’t win, it’s your fault.”

“...Does it work that way?”

After chatting with Da-yeon for a while, Ha-eun stood up when she received a message from the event staff. She politely said goodbye to the fans still eating.

“Please continue cheering for the rest of the events. Thank you for coming.”

The sound of applause and cheers followed her. Nael, one of Ha-eun’s other acquaintances, gave her a high-five.

Slap!

“Ha-eun, fighting!!!!”

“Ahaha. Alright, I’ll be back.”

Ha-eun then returned to the field. As she walked away, Nael murmured quietly.

“...Today, I won’t wash my hands.”

Da-yeon, shaking her head at Nael’s extreme enthusiasm, couldn’t help but feel perplexed.

“Does she really like Ha-eun that much? It feels a bit much to treat her like a goddess...”

‘Hmm, is this normal?’

Having never been a fan of any celebrity, Da-yeon found it hard to understand Nael’s behavior. What she didn’t know, though, was that back when she didn’t know Diah’s true identity, she was no different herself.

Around 30 minutes later, the Star Athletics Competition resumed. This time, the men’s archery competition took place first, followed by the women’s.

However, neither Da-yeon nor Nael was particularly interested in the other events that weren’t Ha-eun’s.

[ ■■ Winner! Congratulations~! ]

Clap clap clap...

They clapped, even though they didn’t know who the winner of the men’s competition was. They only started clapping properly when Ha-eun’s archery round began.

[ Lee Ha-eun’s posture is perfect. ]

[ The bowstring doesn’t shake at all. She’s so calm and composed. ]

[ Wow~~. 10 points!! As expected, Luna Entertainment’s ace!! ]

The stadium filled with applause as Ha-eun landed 3 out of 4 arrows on the 10-point target. Her fans in the stands were just as enthusiastic.

Before long, Ha-eun was ready to shoot her final arrow. The crowd held their breath as her focused face appeared on the giant screen.

“Wow... she’s like an elf, really.”

Click click click click.

Nael’s camera clicked again. At this point, Da-yeon had become used to it.

However, when Ha-eun shot her final arrow...

Thud!

[ Oh, oh? The camera lens broke! ]

[ Lee Ha-eun broke the lens! ]

[ That sounded like the lens breaking, didn’t it? ]

The camera lens on the target was shattered.

[ Ten-ten-ten, and the last shot ends with a broken lens! Lee Ha-eun, everyone~! ]

[ Wow, this is truly incredible. She’s just overwhelming. ]

[ Shouldn’t Lee Ha-eun be at the national team training camp instead of here? ]

The entire stadium was once again filled with discussion about Ha-eun.

Meanwhile, Da-yeon, who had been silently lost in thought, caught Nael’s attention. Nael, curious, asked what she was thinking.

Da-yeon’s response was about the aftermath of Star Athletics Competition.

“I was just wondering who would win if the Archery Association and the Athletics Federation had a fight.”

In Da-yeon’s opinion, Ha-eun was the person most likely to attract attention at Star Athletics Competition. There didn’t seem to be anyone else who could take the spotlight.

As the commentators had consistently pointed out, Ha-eun seemed to have the potential to become a national athlete. Da-yeon couldn’t help but think that Ha-eun might be offered a spot on the national team.

‘Well, she’ll probably turn it down anyway.’

Da-yeon knew Ha-eun well enough to know that, no matter the circumstances, she would never give up her broadcasting career.

Sure enough...

“Thank you for the kind offer, but... I really enjoy acting.”

"Ha, but, Ha-eun, you could elevate Korea’s prestige so much...!”

“Could you reconsider, just once?”

...No. I’m sorry.”

In the future, all of the national teams who offered Ha-eun a place in the athlete’s village were turned down.

On the surface, she claimed it was because she wanted to focus on her acting career, but in reality, it was because she had to continue broadcasting as Diah.

‘How could she do broadcasting in the athlete’s village?’

At least for now, Noeulis were more important than any gold medal pension. That’s why Ha-eun never wavered when the offers came in.