Hobbyist VTuber-Chapter 196

First of all, Ha-eun preferred physical activities.

Not only did she have a level of stamina far above the average person, but her sense of movement and coordination was also exceptionally sharp.

That’s why she didn’t shy away from intense shoots like action scenes—she actually welcomed them.

Even back in school, she was more enthusiastic about PE than any of the other girls.

So just because she was filming Start Again.

Just because she was in the middle of a poolside shoot.

There was no reason for her to hold back.

She had never formally learned how to swim, but she simply enjoyed moving.

“Take this—!”

-Splash!

“Ahahaha! Ha-eun, you’re completely drenched!”

“Then... I guess it’s my turn now?”

“Huh? W-wait a sec—”

-BOOM!

“AAAHHHH!!!”

Strictly speaking, she wasn’t entirely used to wearing something as revealing as a swimsuit.

But after playing around with the other cast members for a while, she found herself getting caught up in the fun.

And once she got into it, her initial embarrassment over the swimsuit quickly faded away.

What remained was a slightly flushed face and the massive wave created by her small fist slamming into the water.

“W-wait, that was like... a tsunami... Leni just got—”

“...Let’s back away a little, Hyeon-min.”

Leo muttered nervously as he took a step back, clearly shaken by the sheer size of the wave that had just swallowed Leni whole.

Song Hyeon-min, standing right beside him, did the exact same.

At some point, Ha-eun had become way too hyped up for anyone to handle.

The best course of action was to have Leni, as a fellow woman, keep her entertained.

Which was why, by the time the pool shoot was finally over, Leni was completely wiped out.

Before the shoot, she had even been mindful of camera angles, making sure her bikini would be filmed in the most flattering way possible.

But now?

She could barely walk.

“Unnie, I... I’m scared of Ha-eun...”

“Ugh... yeah, let’s just get back to the room. Here, take my hand.”

Completely drained, Leni had no choice but to trudge back to her room, wrapped in a towel handed to her by her manager.

She looked exactly like a wrestler who had just lost a match and was limping back to the locker room.

Watching her disappear into the distance, Ha-eun tilted her head in confusion.

“What’s wrong?”

“I dunno, I was just wondering if she’s sick or something. Leni unnie shouldn’t catch a cold.”

Still looking puzzled, Ha-eun wiped the water from her face with the towel Ju Jung-yoon handed her.

After that, she headed back to her room.

Once inside, she took a shower and changed into a casual white outfit before stepping back out.

Her destination: the hotel lobby.

‘The seafood restaurant, right?’

The next shoot after the pool segment was dinner at a local restaurant, so Ha-eun busied herself with some research on her phone.

What came up the most in her search?

Foreign tipping culture.

Strictly speaking, this wasn’t her first time dining at a foreign restaurant.

But Japanese restaurants didn’t have a tipping system.

“How much is appropriate...?”

Excited by the idea of tipping a server for the first time, Ha-eun even counted out the cash in her wallet, one bill at a time.

Before long, the other cast members began arriving, and the main topic of conversation naturally turned to tipping.

“I heard if you tip too little, they can actually get mad at you.”

“That depends on the restaurant. And the person, too. Just go with what feels right.”

Maybe it was because they had already played together in the pool earlier.

But compared to a few hours ago, the atmosphere felt much more relaxed.

And that’s {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} probably why, even after arriving at the restaurant, Ha-eun kept chatting nonstop.

Every single moment of this trip was a new experience for her, making it impossible to stay quiet.

Even the production crew found this surprising.

Because, well—

‘Lee Ha-eun... is really talkative?’

‘She doesn’t even need an MC.’

Up until now, Ha-eun had always been more of a guest or a panelist when she appeared on variety shows.

Sure, her enthusiasm and great comedic timing had landed her plenty of highlight clips.

But she had never actively led a conversation before.

So maybe that’s why—

Leo, the unofficial leader of this Start Again shoot, suddenly turned to her with a suggestion.

“Wanna try placing the order?”

“...Me?”

“Yeah. It’s all part of the experience. Wanna give it a shot?”

“Oh, um... Sure. I’ll try.”

Shortly after, a waiter approached their table.

Ha-eun cleared her throat, then, in slightly slow and careful English, began placing their orders.

“Drink?”

“Ah, drink. Uh... Three Coke and one Sprite, please.”

“Ok, linda garota.”

After successfully ordering their drinks, Ha-eun let out an unconscious sigh of relief.

Interacting with a local like this?

Completely new territory for her.

But then, curiosity got the best of her.

The waiter had said something at the end there—

“Linda garota? What does that mean?”

She turned to Leo, who was sitting right beside her.

His reply was unexpected.

“Oh, it means ‘pretty girl.’ She was talking about you.”

“...Oh.”

“So Ha-eun’s beauty is international, huh? I’m jealous~.”

Leni chimed in, finally joining the conversation.

She still looked a little tired, but since she was naturally chatty, she couldn’t help but participate.

Then, noticing the flow of the conversation, Song Hyeon-min decided to spice things up with some information he had looked up before the shoot.

“Actually, when Ha-eun was younger, she was super popular in China, too.”

“Huh? Seriously?”

“Yeah. Wasn’t it around My Love from the Stars? I think there were even news articles about it. You didn’t know?”

Honestly?

She didn’t.

She knew that My Love from the Stars had been a massive hit in China.

But she had never considered the idea that she, as a child actress, had been noticed, too.

‘That was already eight years ago? Time really flies...’

The memories of filming My Love from the Stars came rushing back.

It had been an unforgettable experience in many ways, giving her plenty of stories to tell.

Unfortunately, before she could finish reminiscing—

Their food arrived.

And with that, their conversation naturally wrapped up.

Leni pulled out her phone.

“Hey, can I take a quick photo—”

But just as she was about to ask for permission—

Thunk.

A fork had already stabbed into a French fry on the table.

Ha-eun, who had absentmindedly reached for it, looked up, belatedly realizing what she had done.

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“...Oh.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Go ahead and eat.”

“Wow, Ha-eun must’ve been starving.”

“Well, after all that swimming, it makes sense.”

And so, the final picture was taken with one French fry missing.

Ha-eun’s ears burned slightly from the unintended misunderstanding—

But, well.

Food was food.

So after that, she sampled bites from everyone else’s plates, experiencing the local flavors of Portugal firsthand.

***

Time passed, and it was now the morning of the second day of their trip to Portugal.

Ha-eun, who had just boarded the bus with the other cast members, pulled out her phone as she took her seat.

There were still about two hours left until they arrived at their busking location.

Since there was no need for conversation during the ride, the other cast members took the opportunity to relax, some even closing their eyes for a nap.

Whatever they did on the bus was entirely up to them.

That was precisely why, after confirming that the internet connection was stable, Ha-eun pulled out her earphones and put them in.

「Alright, I made it to the village... But what do I do first?」

The screen of Ha-eun’s phone was now filled with a Korean livestream.

More specifically—Hida’s stream.

‘Animal Village? That looks fun...’

The time difference between Portugal and Korea was nine hours.

Since it was morning in Portugal, it was evening in Korea.

That was why Ha-eun could watch Hida’s stream in broad daylight.

Of course, she wasn’t using Diah’s official account.

She was watching on a secondary account she had secretly created without Da-yeon’s knowledge.

-Step.

-Step.

「I think I need to make money first... How do I start farming? Hmm...」

Ha-eun continued to watch Hida’s Animal Village playthrough with great interest.

And then—

-Ding!

[ thatkxkd09 has donated 50,000 won! ]

Smack the maple tree with your net!

A donation large enough to be impossible to ignore.

Hida immediately reacted to it.

「Oh! Thank you for the 50,000 won donation. Alright, let’s see... The maple tree... Oh, this one.」

-Whoosh!

-Smack! Smack!

「Oh, the leaves shake every time I hit it!」

Hida’s avatar kept smacking the maple tree, seemingly entertained—

Until, all of a sudden, tiny things came flying out and swarmed around her character.

-BZZZZZZZZZZ!!!

「B-bees!? AAHHHH!!!」

“Pfft...!”

Just imagining the look on Da-yeon’s face as she panicked over the sudden bee attack made Ha-eun instinctively hunch over in her seat.

With her head lowered, she shook slightly as she tried to suppress her laughter.

‘So this is what it feels like...’

In other words—

A complete role reversal.

The same way ekdus7 had once enjoyed watching Diah’s reactions, Ha-eun now fully understood the experience firsthand.

-Ding!

[ thatkxkd09 has donated 10,000 won! ]

Your face got wrecked LMAO

「T-this is all YOUR FAULT—!!」