Chapter 27: Chapter 26

Min Da-yeon had no ulterior motive—she swore to the heavens. She was simply amazed that Ha-eun, at just eleven years old, already had faintly visible abs. That alone was the reason she had poked the spot right next to Ha-eun’s navel with her index finger. There was no other reason, none at all.

"So, please stop being mad at me. I said I was sorry."

"...I'm not mad."

Ha-eun’s tone was calm, as usual, but her ears were bright red, almost the color of a tomato.

Having been by Ha-eun's side for nearly four years now, Da-yeon knew that her sudden action had rattled Ha-eun. Despite having finished their bath and dinner, Ha-eun still hadn’t fully recovered from the embarrassment. Honestly, Da-yeon couldn’t quite understand why Ha-eun was so flustered; they were the same age and both girls, so what was the big deal about a little poke?

But it was such a rare, unfamiliar expression on Ha-eun’s face that even the self-centered Min Da-yeon found herself paying attention.

‘How long has she been working out to already have abs…?’

Da-yeon’s ambitious plan to uncover Ha-eun's acting secrets had momentarily taken a backseat.

Soon enough, Na-yeon brought in a plate of fruit, reminding them not to stay up too late. Ha-eun, still speaking awkwardly, pulled a few books off her shelf for Da-yeon to read, casting quick, shy glances at her.

‘...This is awkward.’

Da-yeon felt an urge to set the books aside and do something—anything—to break the tension, but she found herself holding back when she saw Ha-eun sitting at her desk, writing something that looked like a diary.

But just then, Da-yeon noticed something.

“Alright, now it’s exactly 9 p.m., so if you haven’t already, please hit that like button~.”

Realizing that the video on Ha-eun’s monitor wasn’t just any YouTube video but a livestream, Da-yeon’s curiosity grew. Not only was Ha-eun watching a livestream, but she was also jotting down notes as she watched.

Da-yeon leaned in, curious. “Hey, Ha-eun, what… are you doing?”

Standing on her tiptoes, she peeked over at Ha-eun’s notebook, which was filled with densely written notes. Ha-eun hesitated, almost stammering as if unsure of what to say. Da-yeon’s mind raced with a theory.

‘Could this be… Ha-eun’s secret acting method?!’

After all, everything she had seen Ha-eun do so far was somewhat common among her peers in the entertainment industry. Sure, not everyone received vocal training from someone as prestigious as Double Lee or studied at a renowned acting academy. But there were other people with similar routines, like idols who also pursued acting.

However, she had never seen anyone else meticulously take notes on a livestream, capturing not only the streamer’s tone changes but also reactions in the chat.

The difference between Ha-eun and others, the element that made her acting stand out, seemed to be sitting right in front of Da-yeon.

As she looked around, Da-yeon noticed several notebooks on a shelf nearby, each bearing a similar appearance.

*Thump.*

*Thump.*

Her heartbeat quickened as the thought that she had finally uncovered the source of Ha-eun’s remarkable talent crossed her mind. Struggling to contain her excitement, Da-yeon asked in the calmest voice she could muster, “Hey, Ha-eun, can I… look at that?”

After a brief hesitation, Ha-eun nodded. She was a bit perplexed by Da-yeon’s sudden interest in her notebooks. But seeing Da-yeon’s serious, almost desperate expression, Ha-eun couldn’t bring herself to say no.

Da-yeon then lay down on Ha-eun's bed, eagerly flipping through the pages of the five or so notebooks. She couldn’t hide her delighted grin as she devoured each entry.

‘...I’ll definitely have to keep her quiet about this.’

Ha-eun realized that if she did debut as a virtual YouTuber, she’d need to ensure that Da-yeon didn’t accidentally spill her plans. Still, she figured Da-yeon wouldn’t do anything to harm her, not as long as they stayed close.

Besides, it felt more important to help her closest friend, Da-yeon, than to guard her secrets as an as-yet-unborn virtual YouTuber.

However, Da-yeon, unaware of Ha-eun's trust and lacking any knowledge of virtual YouTubers, was busy deciphering unfamiliar terms.

‘RP? What does that mean? And was there ever an idol group called *Fantasy Scent*? I’ve never heard of them…’

As she struggled to make sense of Ha-eun’s notes, Da-yeon convinced herself that Ha-eun had disguised her acting secrets in code, leaving her muttering grudgingly.

---

The next morning, Da-yeon, after spending the night at Ha-eun’s house, had concluded (albeit mistakenly) two things:

1. Ha-eun’s extraordinary acting skills were entirely a result of watching the internet broadcasts of the popular streamer *Squirrel.*

2. Thus, to achieve the same level of immersive acting, Da-yeon, too, would need to analyze Squirrel’s streams.

Of course, if Ha-eun heard this, she would find it utterly nonsensical. However, Da-yeon wasn’t naive enough to reveal her findings in front of Ha-eun. Confident that she was on the right path, Da-yeon left Ha-eun’s house, assured that she’d be able to act with the same intensity soon.

Not long after, Joo Jung-yoon arrived at Ha-eun’s home with news worth celebrating.

“Ha-eun, you’ve been officially cast as young Han Yoo-hwa! Filming begins in two weeks, so from now on, you’ll need to…”

Jung-yoon proceeded to discuss everything Ha-eun would need to know before starting the shoot for *My Love From the Stars*. But as a seasoned actress with experience in lead roles, Ha-eun felt confident about the new project. She had already familiarized herself with many key scenes from the script.

“Double Lee has been busy filming *Infinite Challenge* and *Don’t Stop the People*, so it might be better to take a break from vocal lessons for a while—”

“Oh, Jung-yoon unni. Can I still keep the vocal lessons? Even if we cut it down to once a week, or once every two weeks?”

Unlike the filming for *The Neighbor Uncle*, Ha-eun was determined to continue her vocal lessons with Double Lee, even if it meant reducing their frequency.

‘Ha-eun, can you lower the pitch just a bit this time? And don’t always rely on your chest voice; try mixing in some head voice occasionally.’

‘Joon, we don’t want to strain her voice. She’s too young to be pushing herself so hard.’

‘I can’t help it. She corrects herself with every single piece of feedback we give her.’

Ha-eun wanted to keep seeing the two members of Double Lee together in their studio. In her memories, an unfortunate incident would soon tear them apart, but that event hadn’t happened yet.@@novelbin@@

In other words, there was still a chance to prevent it.

She valued her relationship with Double Lee dearly and wanted to do whatever she could to help preserve it.

Of course, Ha-eun had no idea what ripple effects this decision might have in the future, but she figured it was better to act now than regret it later.

“Alright then, I’ll talk to them and see what we can arrange.”

“Thank you, Jung-yoon unni. Also, could I ask you one more favor?”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Um… could you possibly get me the contact information for Joon and Gun-yeol’s managers?”

As always, Ha-eun was determined to give it her best shot. She had no intention of doing any less.