Hobbyist VTuber-Chapter 264

[ If it’s okay with you... would you come with me? ]

Ha-eun’s call had come on Christmas afternoon.

In her usual calm voice, she asked if he could go with her to the meeting with SL Group, and he had told her to give him a moment to think.

He hadn’t asked for time to come up with an excuse to refuse.

It was just that, in Yoo Seong-jae’s experience, Ha-eun wasn’t someone who asked for this kind of favor easily.

“...Would it be a burden?”

Sitting on the couch in his living room, he stared into space, thinking.

No matter how you looked at it, it wasn’t exactly a light favor.

She said she’d likely be meeting with SL Group regarding The Chairman’s Youngest Grandson.

That, as a close colleague and confirmed lead actor, she hoped he could join the meeting.

‘My schedule’s open, but still...’

On the surface, it was a fairly reasonable request.

He just didn’t believe the meeting would be about the drama alone.

If it had been just about the drama, there would’ve been no need to involve Seong-jae.

The only reason she called to ask was because she expected the meeting would involve more than that.

‘Still... it’s not surprising she’s already meeting with SL Group. She’s achieved so much.’

An actress hailed as a prodigy.

An entertainer with an already solid standing as a singer.

Every commercial Ha-eun starred in had broken records.

It wasn’t surprising at all that SL Group had reached out with interest.

Chances were, the real purpose of this meeting was business—plain and simple.

‘Well, she’s still young. Meeting with a major conglomerate like that might be intimidating.’

In Seong-jae’s opinion, doing business with SL Group was a good thing for Ha-eun.

After all, wasn’t this the top media group in the country offering to back her?

Still, given how young she was, it could understandably be a lot to take in.

That’s why she wanted him there—under the pretense of being co-leads on The Chairman’s Youngest Grandson.

Even though, on the phone, she had repeatedly told him it was okay to say no.

‘...Well, it should be fine. It’s not like anything will go wrong.’

He wasn’t unaware of the weight the name “SL Group” carried.

But if the favor was just to sit beside her at the meeting, he could manage that.

They weren’t close enough for him to coldly refuse such a polite request.

So, he called his manager.

Gave a quick rundown of the situation—though the manager didn’t quite follow right away—and expressed that he wanted to go.

And so, the meeting with SL Group was added to Yoo Seong-jae’s schedule.

Up until the morning of the meeting, when he stopped by the makeup shop, everything had gone smoothly.

He’d seen himself mainly as a buffer between Ha-eun and SL Group—nothing more.

– Step.

– Step.

“Ah, Seong-jae. You’re here early.”

“.............”

But after meeting Ha-eun at a café near the meeting venue... things changed.

His eyes froze on her, and he couldn’t look away—no matter how hard he tried.

Serene eyes.

A calm expression that somehow radiated grace.

An ivory-colored coat draped over her shoulders, and a black turtleneck sweater underneath.

‘...I’m the one who’s not supposed to get nervous.’

She was dressed with care, in more ways than one.

Enough to leave Seong-jae momentarily speechless.

Maybe that’s why.

Maybe that’s what stirred up those long-forgotten feelings.

Even the simple act of taking a step forward suddenly felt heavier than usual.

“Um... Ha-eun. What if they put something like sleeping pills in the coffee, like Ye-seo did?”

“Then I guess... I’d just bolt, right?”

“What if you get caught while running?”

He started throwing out silly jokes as they walked side by side.

He’d come to help her feel less nervous—yet here he was, nervous because of her.

“...Are you nervous, Seong-jae?”

“Yeah. I don’t think I can hold it together without joking around like this.”

He meant every word.

Even after that, his gaze never left her.

Her calm, blinking lashes.

That tranquil atmosphere, like the surface of a still lake.

The way her face went cold for just a moment when she faced SL Group’s Director Jeong Hee-seo.

It was all so unlike her.

Even as the meeting ended with her agreeing to review SL Group’s proposals positively, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“Um... Ha-eun? Are you okay? Your face doesn’t look too good.”

“I just heard something I never even imagined. My head kind of... hurts.”

Her expression was full of confusion, with just a hint of bitterness.

It was the first time he’d seen her look like that, so he suggested she try a sweet drink to calm her nerves.

Whether it was lucky or unlucky, she didn’t seem to notice that his gaze was still fixed on her.

He could barely even remember what they’d talked about at the meeting—aside from the offer to visit the North.

‘...What am I even supposed to do.’

He was confused—even with himself.

Worried they might be photographed alone together at the screen baseball place they ended up at.

Already thinking about how to respond if dating rumors came up.

[ ...Hello? ]

“Ha-eun’s upset. I think Dayeon should come talk her down.”

He called Dayeon, worried that the situation might lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.

Then he sent her a brief message summarizing what had happened during the meeting.

– Crack!

– Crack! Crack!

‘Hope she doesn’t pull something.’

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

He kept watching from a distance as Ha-eun silently swung the bat over and over.

Quietly, he approached and gently placed a baseball cap over her head to hide her face, just in case.

Maybe he was being influenced by her unfamiliar behavior—because he was acting unfamiliar himself.

Whatever this was, it didn’t feel like pure concern anymore.

He couldn’t say he had no ulterior motives.

And so, who knew how long this unfamiliar moment lasted?

“...Are you gonna keep going ‘til the bat breaks?”

“H-Huh...? When did you get here?”

“A while ago.”

Finally, Dayeon spoke up, unable to just leave Ha-eun alone any longer.

And then, for a brief moment, she glanced over at Seong-jae.

It was after that that she suggested they move somewhere quieter.

Even though Seong-jae’s text had explained the basics, she needed to hear it directly from Ha-eun.

“We’re gonna head out now.”

“Ah, sure... Both of you, get home safe.”

And just as Dayeon and Ha-eun were about to leave the screen baseball venue—

Tap—

Yoo Seong-jae gently touched Ha-eun’s shoulder.

“Uh, Ha-eun.”

“Yes?”

“If anything’s bothering you... talk to Senior Kang about it. Don’t keep it all to yourself.”

“...Yeah. I will.”

Thanks for everything today.

With a faint, fleeting smile, Ha-eun said that and started walking again.

And for some reason, that bittersweet little smile stuck in his mind like a splinter in his eye.

“...Haaah...”

It wasn’t until Ha-eun and Da-yeon’s footsteps had completely faded that the manager finally approached.

Having worked with Yoo Seong-jae for quite a while, she pulled him toward the pitching machine.

"Seong-jae, you take a swing too."

"I’m tired, noona..."

"You look like you could use a little brain detox. Go home like this and your thoughts’ll only get messier."

"...Why would my thoughts be messy?"

"You’d know better than I would."

And so, he ended up picking up a bat.

Surprisingly, the bat was heavier than expected—and in his mind, Ha-eun’s image flashed again and again, swinging the exact same bat with ease.

"How did she swing this one-handed...? ...She really must’ve been pissed."

"Yoo Seong-jae! Eyes on the ball!"

– Crack!

"I was watching it."

"Sure you were..."

***

A few days passed since the meeting with SL Group.

It was the day before Ha-eun’s birthday.

"The ad offers... they’re fine. I kind of expected them, to be honest."

"So everything else isn’t fine."

"...Yeah."

Right now, Ha-eun was talking to Kang Sun-woo about everything that happened with SL Group.

It was the advice Yoo Seong-jae had given her, and she’d followed it.

"What on earth is SL Group thinking, suddenly bringing up North Korea...? They’ve already started talking to the Blue House, without even asking me..."

"So, you’re not planning on going?"

"Mm, I guess you could say that... Actually, yeah. I don’t want to go. At least not right now."

To Ha-eun, Kang Sun-woo was the most reliable adult she had.

Technically, she had Seong-yoon and Na-yeon too, but she didn’t want to worry them. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

So she headed to Kang Sun-woo’s officetel and told him everything that had happened in the meeting with SL Group, °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° from start to finish.

Though she had agreed to “review everything positively,” that didn’t mean she wanted to accept all their offers.

Especially not anything that could negatively affect her image.

"How do I say no in a way that won’t get me trashed?"

"You’re worried about backlash right now?"

"Honestly, yeah. I know they won’t see it in a good light. It’s not like I’m someone they’d take personal offense over, but still..."

She laid out each of the concerns that had been clogging up her mind lately.

At the very least, she could be thankful that Kang Sun-woo truly listened.

"I’d like to keep it strictly professional, with no hard feelings. But it’s not easy."

"It’s just ‘cause it’s your first time dealing with people like that. Don’t take it too personally."

‘If only it were the first time.’

Just hearing that familiar voice had brought back memories she’d rather forget.

Already sharp recollections from her previous life had grown even more vivid—proof of how deep those scars went.

Sure, Ha-eun also had plans to use them in return. But still, she hadn’t expected them to use politics as leverage.

Were they trying to pressure her?

Or mold her into something more useful to them?

‘Like hell I’m going along with it.’

Ha-eun knew these people far too well—almost uncomfortably so. That made their intentions painfully easy to read.

If she didn’t have her past-life memories, she probably wouldn’t have had anything to do with them at all.

They were exactly the same as before, and whatever affection she might’ve had left was long gone.

Well, in any case, the important thing right now wasn’t them—it was her.

"It’d be better to have your agency handle the rejection officially rather than doing it through your personal line."

"Yeah, I think so too. I’ll have to talk to the CEO..."

Her conversation with Kang Sun-woo stuck to the matters directly related to her.

She had no interest in talking about anything else.

Their discussion wrapped up a little while later.

After that, they talked about filming God and the Goblin.

"Shooting’s almost done now, huh."

"Yeah... Time really flew."

It had been late summer when she first met with Kang Sun-woo about casting—and now it was already January.

Filming was nearing the end, and Ha-eun couldn’t help feeling a little wistful.

Not because she had regrets about the shoot.

Every moment she’d acted alongside Kang Sun-woo had been one where she’d done her absolute best.

She just couldn’t help wondering when she might get to act with him again.

"Took us ten years to reunite this time. Think it’ll be ten years again?"

"Hmm, how old would I even be ten years from now?"

"Age doesn’t matter in acting. Besides, you still look young."

Then, intertwining their pinkies, she made a promise with Kang Sun-woo—just like the Ha-eun from long ago once did—that they’d meet again someday in front of the camera.

Of course, she didn’t forget to record it.

"Verbal contracts still count, legally."

"Yeah, yeah~"

As Kang Sun-woo gently ruffled her hair, her ears turned slightly red.

Even now, Kang Sun-woo remained her role model, and that warmth still got to her.

And then he asked,

"So, that thing you said you really wanted to do... the non-acting one. Are you doing it?"

At the same time, a memory slipped back into her mind—

‘If you want to learn, then learn. If you want to do both, do both. It’s not like you’re hurting anybody by doing it, right?’

A late-night conversation in a fast-food joint, long ago.

"...Yeah. I’m doing it."

To the person who had made it possible for her to live with both names—celebrity and Diah—Ha-eun answered carefully.

She hadn’t given up on either of her two dreams.

She was doing both with joy.

And honestly, she felt like she’d succeeded at both.

"It’s starting to go global, too. Things are getting really busy."

"Haha. That’s amazing."

She wasn’t quite at the point where she could confidently say she’d fulfilled her dream.

But she wasn’t about to stop either, even if she did.

"This... feels like happiness."

She was living a good life.

One that didn’t need anything more.

***

「What kind of scene are you filming today?」

「It’s a flashback scene, I think. Been a while since I wore hanbok, so it feels a little awkward. Haha.」

"Haah... Subtitles... How do I add subtitles so people say they’re well done..."

「...She’s not a scary unni~☆. You can’t cry with such a pretty face~.」

「Ah, my niece’s crying. Give me a sec.」

"I don’t know... I just want to sleep..."

"Not until you finish the subtitles."

"This job is going to kill me, sunbae..."

"You think I’ve got it any easier?"

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