Hobbyist VTuber-Chapter 219

External Strength, Internal Tenderness.

This phrase refers to someone who appears tough on the outside but is fragile on the inside.

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This expression, "external strength, internal tenderness," could best describe the modern-day Snow White.

Orphaned and from a poor family,

These two circumstances shaped Snow White’s sharp exterior while simultaneously creating a bitter, hidden wound inside.

“A bright personality is probably hard for her.”

Although her insides are already severely damaged, the girl, who reluctantly holds onto venom just to survive, was the Snow White Ha-eun was playing at the moment.

Ha-eun had already completed her analysis of the character.

All that was left was to act as she had done before—performing in front of the camera.

However, the piercing gaze that Ha-eun had created for Snow White made an impression that felt harsher to others, particularly to the minor actors who met Ha-eun for the first time today.

“Aren’t you going to lower your gaze?”

“Ha, keep that up and I’ll slap you!”

It took a little longer than expected to finish these lines, mocking Snow White, without any NGs (No Good).

The good news was that during the scene where Ha-eun pours lunch onto her school uniform, no significant mistakes occurred.

Because of that, Ha-eun was able to continue without needing to change into another outfit, just waiting to deliver her next line.

“...If there’s nothing else to say, I’ll leave now.”

With that, Ha-eun began to walk out of the cafeteria, and the shot was cut.

The scene of Snow White being bullied in the cafeteria had finally come to an end.

However, Ha-eun had to keep wearing the school uniform stained with food.

The reason for that was because the next scene involved washing the uniform under running water.

Of course, she couldn’t wear the dirty uniform for too long, so the shooting at the sink (S#13) started right away.

As soon as Director Kwon Jae-hyeop’s signal to start was heard, the faucet was turned on.

“Ssshh—!”

Cold water poured out from the faucet Ha-eun had just turned on.

Now, Ha-eun’s job was to act as she washed away the stains on her school vest and blouse under the running water.

Swish, swish.

Thud, thud.

“...Haah...”

She let out a sigh as she performed the scene of struggling with the stubborn stains that wouldn’t come off.

The following performance was her silently staring down at her dirty uniform.

The only sound was the water splashing from the faucet.

There was no voice to comfort or pity Snow White.

Perhaps because of that,

The sorrow that welled up deep inside her turned into a tear and fell, dropping without warning.

Her eyes, which had subtly reddened,

“...Hah...”

Ha-eun wiped her eyes quickly, then began wiping the dirt from her uniform again.

After all, no one would help her if she cried alone.

Snow White had realized, since her childhood, that her life was something she had to live alone.

The red eyes, created by the pain in her heart, were nothing more than something others would mock.

The scene at the sink (S#13) had no significant dialogue, so the emotional line was crucial.

Ha-eun, well aware of this, paid careful attention to her facial expressions during the scene.

‘The details are good.’

‘She’s fully immersed in the role.’

The staff, watching from a little distance away, observed the footage in silence.

While the cafeteria scene with other students had been calm, without any emotional shift, when she was alone, she showed her vulnerability.

A lonely girl who had lived her entire life on her own.

It was this sense of suppressing her emotions that Ha-eun had intentionally captured on camera.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t act tough—it was simply that she had understood long ago, in the cold hospital room, that she couldn’t act weak.

She had learned how to push through alone, and it was easy to express that struggle in her performance.

The reason Ha-eun’s performance at the sink was seen as superior to the minor actors’ performances was precisely because of this.

With no dialogue, her facial expressions and gestures alone clearly conveyed what was happening.

You could instantly understand the emotions of Snow White, a girl who had lived in solitude and pain.

‘Her emotional conveyance is so natural.’

‘She’s definitely different, for sure.’

Then, something unexpected happened.

“Thud.”

With the sound of footsteps, a shadow appeared behind Ha-eun, who was alone, washing her uniform.

Then, a calm but deep voice spoke.

“Excuse me, is it alright for a moment?”

“...?”

Ha-eun automatically turned her head at the voice, recognizing it.

The man standing behind her was the same man who had disappeared like a mirage a few days ago at the café.

Her eyes, which had been trembling slightly,

Were filled with confusion and a hint of fear as she wondered how he had found her and how he had entered the school.

“D-Don’t come any closer! If you take one more step, I’ll scream!”

Ha-eun hesitated, stepping back.

For Snow White, Baek Jin was no more than a creepy stalker.

It was only natural to be on guard.

But then—

“Snap!”

“You’re going to be late for class. Go inside.”

With the flick of his finger, Baek Jin turned Snow White’s dirty uniform as if it were brand new.

Just like he had done a few days ago at the café, he disappeared again, like a mirage.

“...Was I under some kind of spell...?”

Ha-eun could only blink in confusion, feeling like she had just had a strange dream.

Yet, despite everything,

The uniform that had been cleaned by Baek Jin seemed to tell her that everything she had just faced was reality, not a dream.

“What is this, really...?”

Unable to make sense of Baek Jin, Ha-eun trailed off.

The only thing she knew for sure was that Baek Jin was no ordinary person.

Her face, mixed with confusion and wonder, appeared in the final shot of the S#13 sink scene.

“Cut! That’s perfect~!”

Director Kwon Jae-hyeop’s satisfied voice filled the set.

It was confirmation that the scene had turned out just as he had envisioned. Ha-eun, relieved, breathed a little easier.

After all, this was the first time she had attempted a scene like this, where Snow White was being bullied.

Instead of relying on experience, she had used her imagination to create the performance, and was glad it had been accepted.

But, because they were shooting at an actual high school, they had limited time to film there.

“We’re going to shoot all the school scenes today. Please do your best.”

Today, Ha-eun needed to shoot all of the school life scenes of Snow White.

That’s why she headed to the dressing room to change into her new school uniform.

***

“Good job~.”

As time passed, when all the high school filming was finished,

Ha-eun, now changed from her filming uniform into the school uniform of Narae High School, headed to the van with Ju Jung-yoon, just like any other day.

In Ha-eun’s hand was a smoothie that Ju Jung-yoon had already packed for her.

As always, Ha-eun was able to settle the aftermath of her acting by drinking something sweet and chatting casually with Ju Jung-yoon.

“This holiday, if you can’t get in touch with me, you’ll know I’ve died from stress, okay Ha-eun?”

“...Good luck.”

“Ugh... Should I just skip going to my hometown and stay with you, Ha-eun?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

The one who handed Ha-eun the smoothie was already overwhelmed by holiday stress.

The following conversation followed the usual routine of holiday questions: “When are you getting married?” and “At your age, you’d already have two kids if it were the old days.”

In reality, Ju Jung-yoon had been working as Ha-eun’s manager for more than ten years, in a stable job.

She had been financially independent for a long time as well, but still...

“I don’t know why the older folks have to be so nosy. I swear, I die a little every holiday...”

“Well, just get married then.”

“You mean I should do it by myself?”

She hadn’t married yet, and that was the only reason she had to endure these comments.

That’s why, she jokingly wished that a prince would suddenly appear out of nowhere to marry her.

Even after getting into the van, the conversation about the holiday interrogation continued, and finally, when they arrived at Ha-eun’s house, Ju Jung-yoon’s farewell came.

“Have a good holiday! If you need anything, don’t forget to call me!”

“Can I ask why?”

“To use you as an excuse to get away. I mean, if the famous Lee Ha-eun is calling, how could they possibly stop me?”

“Hahaha...”

Ju Jung-yoon, who said she’d ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) just wait by the phone while heading to her hometown, left Ha-eun with a smile.

After Ha-eun wished her a good holiday, the van’s engine finally started, and the black van, along with Ju Jung-yoon, began to disappear into the distance.

‘She’s been through a lot too.’

Even though there were still a few days left until the Chuseok holiday began, Ha-eun’s schedule as an entertainer had been completely wrapped up today.

She wouldn’t meet Ju Jung-yoon again until after the holiday ended.

From that day on, it was the continuation of her more relaxed daily life.

She woke up early, went for a walk with Baekseol, then went to Narae High School and spent her time studying.

After school, she continued studying until dinner.

However, after dinner, she would head to her soundproof booth and broadcast as Diah.

Time passed, and when the music video for Bright Day was finally aired during a live broadcast, it was already evening.

As usual, the chat room was buzzing with excitement, and the countdown was being displayed while waiting for the release of Bright Day’s music video.

444333333333312222Let’s go1Once all the countdowns finished, the full version of Bright Day appeared on Diah’s broadcast screen.

As expected, the comments poured in.

“On the road we walked together─♪ Following the footprints left behind─♬”

KyahhhhhhBoth the voice and the artwork are so prettyThis is so cool(Fluorescent glowing emoticons)X6Big DiahSo calmly grand ㄷㄷHa-eun nodded lightly as she enjoyed the music video for Bright Day.

When the music video ended, she shared the lingering feeling of her first solo track into the broadcast microphone with a cheerful voice.

“It really feels like all that hard work in the studio paid off~.”

Since this was the last broadcast before the Chuseok holiday, it ended on a sweet note.

She also wished the Noeulis, her fans, a happy Chuseok in the chat room.

Four days later, the long holiday began.

Ha-eun no longer needed to go to Narae High School early, and she slowly began to adjust to the more relaxed routine.

Of course, nothing much changed in terms of when she woke up.

She kept her morning routine of going for a walk with Baekseol, as usual.

However, the day before Chuseok, something unexpected happened.

[ I’m bored. ]

“The number you dialed is not in service, please check and call again—”

[ Let me sleep. I don’t want to sleep alone. ]

“...How old is our Da-yeon?”

While her parents were heading to the countryside, Da-yeon stayed at home alone.

On the surface, it was because she was a senior in high school and needed to study during the holiday.

But in reality, it was more about not wanting to deal with things.

To be honest, Da-yeon hadn’t completely avoided seeing relatives.

But since she was a famous actress, she was constantly asked questions and faced things she didn’t like, so eventually, she stopped going.

This was something Ha-eun could relate to as well.

However, while Da-yeon rested and relaxed, Ha-eun had spent her holiday actually studying.

“If you’re going to study next to me, come over.”

[ St-Study? ]

“Or not.”

In the end, Da-yeon came to Ha-eun’s house, but all she could do was watch Ha-eun study.

The only consolation was that she could play with Baekseol while Ha-eun studied.

“Seol-i, hand.”

Blink, blink.Blink, blink.“...Hand!”

Blink, blink.“Dummy.”

“Se-Seol-i, don’t curse!”

In any case, Ha-eun spent time as she did, while Da-yeon spent time with Baekseol.

Eventually, when the MBS Chuseok special, Star Athletics Competition, started airing, Ha-eun could finally sit on the couch with Da-yeon.

Anyway, Star Athletics Competition was a program Ha-eun had appeared on, so it was almost like a duty to watch it live.

However, after the commentators finished their opening remarks,

The camera focused on the audience and zoomed in on Da-yeon and Nael, holding a banner in support of Ha-eun.

“Hey! Isn’t that Min Da-yeon?”

“Lee Ha-eun is also participating in the Star Athletics Competition, right? Seems like the two of them are here to cheer her on today.”

“Wow, they even have a banner. So supportive of Lee Ha-eun.”

Ha-eun noticed that Da-yeon was holding the banner for her,

And, as expected, the corners of Ha-eun’s mouth twitched.

“Wow, I didn’t know our Da-yeon was such a big fan of mine. How about I take a picture or sign something for you?”

“Sh-Shut up! I’m just holding it for Ji-hye!”

“Pfft, what an excuse.”

“...!...!!”

No matter how much Da-yeon tried to explain herself, Ha-eun didn’t believe her even a little bit.

Eventually, she directly called Nael to ask about it.

[ Da-yeon was really cheering for Ha-eun, wasn’t she? ]

“Ah, no. When did I—!”

[ You were totally into it. Oh my, what would’ve happened if you hadn’t brought the banner~. ]

“Excuse me? Excuse me??”

It seemed that Nael, as expected, sided with Ha-eun, which made Da-yeon’s attempts at explanation look pitiful.

Ha-eun, chuckling at the situation, couldn’t help but smile.

[ Ah, it’s goldfish walk time. I’ll hang up now, Da-yeon~. ]

“?”

In the end, the ridiculous excuse led to a phone call ending with Nael.

Ha-eun couldn’t help but feel incredibly wronged,

But at the same time, the corners of her mouth were lifted, and her eyes even started tearing up from laughing so much.

And in the middle of it all, Da-yeon stared at the paper Ha-eun had randomly signed earlier.

[ To. Min Da-yeon ]

[ Always stay happy☆ ]

“If you sell this secondhand, it’s not allowed~. You can’t buy and sell autographs~.”

“Ah, ah... my temples hurt...”

Da-yeon could feel her blood pressure rising rapidly,

But Ha-eun, who kept presenting her autograph, seemed like a fish in water.

“Hey, Lee Ha-eun. Just admit it, did you take a class on how to piss me off?”

“I’m the professor.”

“...You crazy...”