Chapter 120: Chapter 119

It had already been half a year since Ha-eun and Ji Hye-min started meeting regularly.

When considering Ha-eun’s time as D.A., the devoted listener of Daramji, it had been more than ten years that she had known Ji Hye-min.

Therefore, Ha-eun knew very well that Ji Hye-min was someone who clearly distinguished between personal and professional matters.

It was a long time, and she couldn’t help but know this.

Crucially, Ji Hye-min was the CEO of LUX and the head of Illusionary Land.

Someone in such a "responsible position" would never mix personal feelings into important business, like the creation of Illusionary Land's merchandise.

However, that meant—

“Ugh, sorry. ...Actually, I’m not sorry at all!”

The lines Ha-eun saw on the monitor in front of her were a direct result of Ji Hye-min’s strict separation of business and personal life.

This wasn’t some playful collection of lines made just to tease Ha-eun;

these were lines that Ji Hye-min had carefully chosen as suitable for Diah’s voice pack.

“W-wait, are you saying these actually suit me? These kinds of lines?”

“You’re the first one to question them, Ha-eun. Everyone else thinks these lines fit you perfectly.”

Ha-eun was stunned to learn that not only Ji Hye-min but also the other members of Illusionary Land believed these lines suited Diah.

She realized that she was the only one who found it strange.

Despite her growing realization, Ha-eun couldn’t bring herself to accept this truth right away.

She simply couldn’t accept the idea that Diah, a pure and innocent character, could pull off these mischievous lines.

Of course, Ha-eun didn’t deny that she had teased the other members, including the less skilled Noh-eul, during streams.

But that was always for the sake of entertainment, not because of any deeper intention.

However, from Ji Hye-min’s perspective, who had monitored Diah’s streams countless times, Ha-eun’s thoughts were—

“I don’t think it feels forced at all.”

“B-but... even so, this is too much!”

“Ha-eun, these are toned down versions. There are even more extreme ones out there.”

It wasn’t just denial of reality—it was more than that.

“Look up Diah’s most popular YouTube videos. You’ll see why these lines suit her.”

With cold, hard facts—based on actual statistics and data—Ji Hye-min shattered Ha-eun’s stubbornness and misconceptions.

In the end, Ha-eun had no choice but to reluctantly accept something she didn’t want to admit.

After the discussion about the voice pack, they moved on to other merchandise ideas.

“We’re thinking acrylic stands, keychains, character files, and pin buttons for now.”

Ha-eun was then asked what kind of design she thought would work best for the merchandise.

Soon, a variety of Diah’s illustrations appeared on Ji Hye-min’s monitor.

These included the concept art submitted when Diah’s virtual avatar was created, as well as Diah’s broadcast waiting screens, SD emojis, and various other illustrations.

After a lengthy deliberation, Ha-eun’s first pick was an illustration of Diah wearing a sweater.

“I think this kind of character file illustration would look nice.”

She continued to pick her favorite illustrations for Diah’s merchandise, carefully selecting which ones would best fit.

The most attention was given to the full-body illustration for the acrylic stand, as she wanted it to be of the highest quality.

Ha-eun even made additional notes, suggesting elements that weren’t included in the example illustrations.

“She’s really dedicated.”

From Ji Hye-min’s perspective, Ha-eun’s enthusiasm for her VTuber activities hadn’t changed at all, whether she was the Ha-eun of the past or the one sitting before her now.

Regardless, the more specific Ha-eun’s requests were, the better the final product would turn out.

As a result, without any significant setbacks, the first drafts for Diah’s merchandise were completed.

The drafts for the other members of Illusionary Land were also finished by this point.

The company that would handle the production of the goods was already chosen, and all that was left was to send the drafts via email.

The samples were scheduled to be delivered to Ha-eun’s home in a few days.

“I’ll need to be home when they arrive, so let me know the delivery date as soon as it’s set.”

“Got it!”

Next, they discussed Diah’s cover song.

Strictly speaking, the recording of Diah’s cover song had already been completed.

However, the music video was being produced by LUX, and it had only been finished two days prior.

“Hmm, where did I put it?”

Tap tap

“…Ah, found it.”

“Hey, what do you think? Does it look good?”

Confident in the quality of the final product, Ji Hye-min showed Ha-eun the music video for Diah’s cover song.

It didn’t take more than a few seconds for Ha-eun’s eyes to widen with awe.

“I guess she likes it.”

Despite her calm demeanor, it was clear from the subtle twitch of her mouth that Ha-eun was excited about the video.

However, there was no loud exclamation of praise, nor any frantic bouncing around in excitement.

“I’ll send you the thumbnail via text. Oh, and feel free to show it off on the stream if you want before it’s officially released.”

“…Okay.”

Ji Hye-min could immediately tell that Ha-eun liked the music video.

Her expression was always calm, but the slight smile betrayed the excitement she was feeling.

Unexpectedly, Ha-eun, who had already recorded a great cover song, expressed a desire to re-record it for reasons unknown.

“Um, Hye-min unnie…”

“Hmm?”

“Well, the thing is… I’d like to re-record the cover song just once more. Would that be okay?”

Ha-eun’s eyes were filled with a mix of earnestness, her voice noticeably more cautious.

It seemed like her change in attitude was due to finally seeing the music video herself.

In the end, Ji Hye-min allowed the re-recording.

She was well aware of Ha-eun’s musical abilities, so she knew that Ha-eun would finish the re-recording quickly.

“Can I ask how you want to re-record it?”

“Well, the last recording was a bit lively, so this time, I want to try it in a more subdued tone.”

Ji Hye-min assured her that Diah’s voice would be perfect for that, and while Ha-eun’s request seemed a little unusual,

Ji Hye-min trusted her.

“What a worrywart…”

For Ji Hye-min, if Ha-eun said she could do it, then she could do it.

Ha-eun might push herself a bit too hard at times, but she would never cling to the impossible.@@novelbin@@

Thus, the meeting about the voice pack and cover song concluded.

However—

“We’ll record the voice pack at the company studio.”

Given Ha-eun’s already packed schedule, finding extra time to record the voice pack would be difficult.

Though she could easily record the cover song at Double E’s studio, recording the voice pack there would be a bit too much.

“I think it’s better to keep the voice pack a secret from the Double E crew. They’re known for being pretty mischievous.”

“Ah, yes. We definitely have to keep it a secret.”

So, Ha-eun would have to record the voice pack in LUX’s internal studio.

Ji Hye-min stayed with her during the recording, providing feedback along the way.

The feedback was mostly related to Diah’s cuteness, innocence, and cheerful tone, which was a bit of a problem for Ha-eun.

“Happy~ birthday~~~!”

“Hm, just make it a bit cuter.”

“Happy~! Birthday, yay~~!”

“Good.”

Ha-eun understood that it was necessary, but it was hard not to feel embarrassed, especially with Ji Hye-min listening intently.

“Why are you laughing…?”

“Nothing, just... you’re so cute.”

“…Can I record this at home?”

In the end, Ha-eun seriously considered fleeing from the recording, embarrassed by the whole situation.

But unlike with the cover song, where Ha-eun had full autonomy, Ji Hye-min was the expert when it came to the voice pack and firmly refused.

“It’s better if I provide feedback while I’m here. Now, next, line 23.”

“…Ugh…”

Ha-eun had no choice but to continue recording, her face growing redder with each line.

And so, she faced the awkward task of recording the voice pack, with no escape in sight.

***

"Hey, Ha-eun. What’s on your mind?"

It was around lunchtime at Narae High School, to be specific, on the long bench in the hallway.

As usual, Ha-eun was trying to engage in casual conversation with Da-yeon. However, after a certain point, Ha-eun had fallen silent, lost in deep thought.

"Da-yeon..."

"?!"

"That... the thing you showed me earlier, the merch... Do I really have to buy it?"

Da-yeon, without a doubt, was a devoted fan of Diah.

This meant that the possibility of her buying Diah’s merchandise, including the voice pack, was pretty high.

When Da-yeon had shown the promotional post for Diah’s merchandise earlier, with a completely unashamed expression, Ha-eun had belatedly realized, "Ah, this could be an issue."

For some reason, Da-yeon had been gripping her fist tightly, though Ha-eun hadn’t paid much attention to it at the time.

Should she add Da-yeon’s account, ekdus7, to the blacklist on the merchandise site?

Or should she find the buyer who listed Da-yeon’s address and cancel their order under the excuse of "out of stock"?

"Is there a problem? It’s not even that expensive."

"Ah, no. It's not a problem, but..."

Ha-eun continued to struggle with how to convince Da-yeon, who seemed resolute in buying Diah’s merchandise.

Despite her efforts, she came to the conclusion that there was no way to change her mind.

Sigh...

"Doesn’t this seem ridiculous to you? Is there something going wrong on The Sunshine set?"

"...I guess this moment is an NG..."

"...??"

In the end, Ha-eun resigned herself to the situation.

She failed to notice that Da-yeon, sitting right beside her, was holding back a laugh with a determined expression.