Chapter 112: Chapter 111

“The mysterious singer who received love calls from all our members! Let’s find out who they are now─!”

With those smooth words, Sung Yu-seok, the host of the Infinite Challenge Song Festival, masterfully set the tone for the event. As soon as his announcement ended, the double doors slid open, and Ha-eun stepped forward, walking slowly and confidently.

Before long, the Infinite Challenge members, recognizing her face, began to rise from their seats one by one in surprise. At the same time, Sung Yu-seok’s voice introduced her—not as a mysterious figure but as her real self.

“She’s one of the hottest stars right now! Please welcome Lee Ha-eun~!”

The room erupted in applause. Ha-eun gave a polite bow in response to the warm reception, then introduced herself as a participant in this year’s Infinite Challenge Song Festival.

“Hello, I’m Lee Ha-eun. I’m grateful for the opportunity and honored to be working with such great people. Please take good care of me.”

Her calm and composed voice, as always, was met with another round of enthusiastic applause. Once the clapping subsided, Sung Yu-seok initiated a brief interview with her.

“You received love calls from every single one of the Infinite Challenge members, including me. How does that feel?”

“I’m just glad everyone liked my songs. Honestly, I was a little nervous about it.”

“Ha-eun, nervous about singing? There’s no one here who doesn’t know how amazing your voice is.”

The conversation then shifted to Ha-eun’s recent activities. She briefly shared what she had been up to since the filming of Moonlight Drawn by Clouds wrapped up.

“I was lucky enough to land a role in a new drama. I’m doing my best to make sure the character truly shines.”

“How’s school been treating you?”

“It got a little noisy because of the last drama I was in, but for the most part, things are pretty normal.”

“Hmm, normal? I doubt that! Not normal at all~!”

“?”

Before she could process his teasing, a giant screen behind her lit up, displaying an official performance video from her school’s YouTube channel. The scene on screen was all too familiar.

And then, the moment of truth.

"You’ve claimed me, so you must also take my wretched fate."

"My sins are now yours, Kyle. Until the day I die… regret it bitterly."@@novelbin@@

The voice echoing from the speakers was none other than Ha-eun’s. She recognized it as the performance from Should I Fall With You?. Realizing this, she awkwardly alternated her gaze between Sung Yu-seok and the screen.

“Our Ha-eun is a complete superstar at school, isn’t she? What do you think, Lee Jun?”

“Absolutely. No question about it.”

Lee Jun’s exaggerated account of the audience’s thunderous applause and cheers during her performance followed. While Ha-eun felt it was slightly embellished, it wasn’t entirely untrue.

“She sings well, acts well… Is there anything Ha-eun can’t do?”

Sung Yu-seok’s comment, tinged with playful admiration, made Ha-eun smile softly. She modestly replied that hard work had brought her good results. After that, the other members took turns speaking.

“Alright, since Ha-eun is gracing us with her presence, feel free to ask her anything you’ve been curious about.”

The first to speak was Yoon Si-hyuk, someone she had briefly worked with during the filming of Don’t Stop, People. However…

“I’ve been a huge fan of Ha-eun—uh, Ha-eun-ssi—since her Next-Door Uncle days. And during Byul Ondang, I was completely hooked─”

Overcome with excitement, Yoon Si-hyuk rattled on about his fandom as though he were part of a Ha-eun fan club.

“Now, now, Yoon Si-hyuk-ssi. This isn’t a Ha-eun fan meeting. Let’s calm down.”

Sung Yu-seok quickly stepped in, realizing Yoon Si-hyuk’s enthusiasm was getting out of hand. Afterward, the other members also chimed in, expressing their admiration or asking Ha-eun questions.

“Doesn’t it feel burdensome to share the stage with a bunch of old guys like us?”

“Not at all. You’re all so entertaining that I think it’ll be fun no matter who I team up with.”

Ha-eun deftly mixed a bit of wit into her response, and the Q&A session continued with her offering thoughtful answers. As her segment approached its conclusion, Sung Yu-seok wrapped things up with one final request.

“Lastly, could you share your resolution for this year’s Song Festival?”

Ha-eun took a moment to glance at each of the Infinite Challenge members seated before her. With a small smile, she confidently stated:

“I’ll deliver an unforgettable performance, one that will be talked about for years to come.”

Her statement, brimming with confidence as a singer, elicited applause from everyone, including Sung Yu-seok and the members. As the clapping filled the room once again, Sung Yu-seok gestured for Ha-eun to move to the seat prepared for her. She followed him to her spot, where she watched as other guest performers were introduced, each taking their turn for a brief self-promotion segment.

When the time came to decide the teams for the festival, Ha-eun, having received love calls from every member, was called up first.

“Ha-eun-ssi, please turn around for a moment. Members, if you’d like to team up with Ha-eun-ssi, please stand behind her.”

Footsteps sounded as the members made their choices. When Ha-eun turned around moments later, she wasn’t surprised to see everyone but Lee Jun standing behind her.

Faced with eager expressions and outstretched hands, Ha-eun carefully weighed her options. After much deliberation, the decisive moment arrived.

Swoosh.

“Please take care of me.”

“W-wait, really? You’re picking me?”

“Yes.”

“Woohoo! This is amazing!”

Among the members, it was Yoon Si-hyuk, the self-proclaimed number-one fan, whose hand she chose. He practically leaped for joy, his excitement visible to all.

The members who weren’t chosen returned to their seats, their disappointment evident. Nonetheless, the remaining performers eventually formed their own teams. By the end of the segment, each member had a partner, and the filming wrapped up. Producer Jeon Yoon-seop informed everyone that the next shoot would take place in their respective studios.

“Ha-eun-ssi! Oh, I mean, Ha-eun-ah!”

“Feel free to call me whatever’s comfortable.”

“Oh, really?”

As the newly energized Yoon Si-hyuk chatted with Ha-eun, his question turned to the upcoming session.

“Do you have your own studio?”

“No, but someone I know is lending me theirs. We’ll probably make the song together.”

“Who is it?”

“Hwang Ji-hyuk. He’s the winner of Sit On the Money. Do you know him?”

As soon as Ha-eun mentioned Hwang Ji-hyuk’s name, Yoon Si-hyuk nodded enthusiastically, adding that he had recently been listening to Hwang Ji-hyuk’s songs.

“Wow, you’re teaming up with some seriously talented people.”

His joy was palpable as he received the studio’s address and Ha-eun’s contact information. Bubbling with excitement, Yoon Si-hyuk expressed how much he was looking forward to next Monday’s shoot.

After they parted ways, Ha-eun watched him skip away, his steps full of cheer. Shortly after, her phone buzzed.

Ring-ring.

She called Hwang Ji-hyuk, letting him know that Yoon Si-hyuk would be their team member for the festival.

[“Oh, Yoon Si-hyuk-ssi? I’ve heard he’s a decent singer. Sounds like this will be fun!”]

“Alright, I’ll see you next Monday.”

[“Got it. See you then!”]

Everything seemed to be falling into place. Ha-eun was confident that the dynamic between her and Yoon Si-hyuk would bring plenty of energy to the next filming.

But that was for the future. For now, she had more pressing matters to attend to.

The day after the first Infinite Challenge Song Festival recording, Ha-eun headed straight to Ji Hye-min’s house after school. It was Tuesday, and with a school trip spanning Wednesday through Saturday, she needed to arrange for another hiatus from streaming.

Ji Hye-min, as Fantasy Horizon’s manager, bore the brunt of responsibility for all external and internal matters related to the group. Since there had already been a health notice about Diah a few days prior, Hye-min wanted to ensure that fans wouldn’t misinterpret Diah’s upcoming four-day hiatus.

“Alright, everyone, listen up for a moment!”

Sitting next to Ha-eun, Ji Hye-min started an important announcement stream, believing it best to personally deliver updates as the manager of Fantasy Horizon.

Chat:

Dotoridan, attention!

Why is Ramsay suddenly frying pancakes?

An important announcement?! With four exclamation marks?

What’s this about a special guest in the title? Is it her boyfriend?

Ramsay’s finally getting married? T_T

We’ll miss you! (Actually, not at all).

The plan was straightforward: Hye-min would make the key announcements, and Ha-eun would simply assure fans she’d rest well during her break. The stream was going smoothly.

But then, in the second half of the broadcast—dedicated to Battle Island—things took an unexpected turn.

“Wow, boss, you’re really bad at this. Are you even aiming before you shoot?”

Chat:

Gasp.

Diah, can you even handle the aftermath of this?

Calling out the boss like a pro, LOL.

The ultimate provocateur strikes again!

No one had anticipated Ha-eun, still using Diah’s voice, would unleash a wave of backseat gaming disguised as commentary. In hindsight, Hye-min realized she should’ve sent Ha-eun home as soon as the announcement ended.