Chapter 72: Chapter 71

A blessing in disguise.

There was no better way to describe Hwang Ji-hyuk’s current situation.

“Wow… She’s incredible.”

“Who do you think trained her?”

Despite seeing the sheet music and lyrics for the first time today, she didn’t miss a beat.

All it took was listening to the guide recording a few times, and Ha-eun flawlessly delivered her featuring part.

“Ji-hyuk, do you need to give her any feedback?”

“I’m too busy just enjoying it. Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything to correct.”

At this point, it was almost puzzling.

Why hadn’t Double Lee considered asking Ha-eun to feature earlier?

If they’d introduced her to him a little sooner, all that stress and worry could’ve been avoided.

Unaware of Ha-eun’s reluctance to pursue a singing career, Hwang Ji-hyuk couldn’t help but feel regret.

But as night fell,

even someone as determined as Hwang Ji-hyuk couldn’t keep Ha-eun in the studio any longer.

“I’ll come back to finish the rest another time. Is that okay?”

“Ah, of course. See you then!”

With that, the studio’s metal door clicked shut behind her.

Immediately afterward, Ji-hyuk began replaying the recording of the finals track featuring Ha-eun.

He imagined her on stage, envisioning the performance of “Pinocchio the Singer” during the final round.

Stage performance was a key part of the evaluation.

While the twist of Pinocchio secretly being a famous actress would already make for an unforgettable performance,

he didn’t want to rely solely on her popularity to win.

“Using the featuring artist’s fame to win would be cheap.”

As the star of this finale, Ji-hyuk wanted to give it his all.

Otherwise, it might end up feeling like it was Pinocchio featuring Ji-hyuk instead of the other way around.

Eventually, Ji-hyuk left Double Lee’s studio at around 4 a.m.

Despite the late hour, he didn’t feel tired at all.

“I’m so excited I can’t stand it.”

He couldn’t stop imagining the finals performance he’d share with Ha-eun.

The worries and anxieties that had consumed his mind just a day ago had completely vanished.

With Ha-eun now set to feature in Hwang Ji-hyuk’s SIT ON THE MONEY finals track, her schedule became busier.

There was much more to do than just recording her part.

This would be her first time on stage as a singer.

While she didn’t need to learn choreography, she still had to practice her movements for the stage.

“A live broadcast for my debut stage…”

Mistakes during live broadcasts could be catastrophic,

especially during something as high-profile as the SIT ON THE MONEY finals.

It was nothing like filming a drama.

For example, if she made a mistake while shooting The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds, they could simply start over.

But a mistake during a live broadcast? That was a disaster.

Any slip-up would instantly be immortalized in screenshots and memes all over the internet.

In other words, a mistake would ruin the image of “Lee Ha-eun.”

Thus, practicing her stage movements with the dancers who’d be performing alongside her was essential.

She couldn’t afford any missteps during the finals performance.

However, as a side effect of preparing for this stage,

the number of people who now knew Pinocchio’s real identity—Ha-eun—had grown to nearly a dozen.

-Glances.

-Side glances.

‘…This is overwhelming.’

She found herself facing a mix of surprise and amazement in their gazes.

Though no one had leaked Pinocchio’s secret, their curiosity and fascination with her were hard to ignore.

Still, for the most part, things were progressing smoothly.

Even the meeting with the SIT ON THE MONEY producer about the finals performance went off without a hitch.

But the thought of her voice becoming even more exposed during the finals continued to weigh on her mind.

“I should at least… let them know.”

She decided to inform the key members of Hwanseong,

particularly Ji Hye-min, about her upcoming appearance in the SIT ON THE MONEY finals.

Technically, it was Diah who was contracted with Hwanseong.

Legally, actress Lee Ha-eun had no connection to Ji Hye-min.

However, since her finals performance could affect Diah’s activities,

Ha-eun felt it was only right to inform Hwanseong’s director, Ji Hye-min, in advance.

Scheduling a meeting with Ji Hye-min was her way of doing so.

It wasn’t a formal meeting—just a casual two-to-three-hour chat at Ji Hye-min’s home.

When the day of the meeting arrived, Ha-eun showed up with a fruit gift set that looked like something exchanged during holidays.

“What’s this?”

“Ah, well… I thought it’d be rude to come empty-handed.”

While Ji Hye-min appreciated the gesture,

she couldn’t help but find it amusing that someone so young brought such a formal gift.

After welcoming Ha-eun in, Ji Hye-min decided to ask what this was all about.

“Is this something serious?”

“Hmm… It’s a bit hard to say.”

“?”

Ha-eun pulled out her phone and started searching for something.

Moments later, a familiar song began to play.

“Wait… isn’t this a Double Lee song?”

When Ji Hye-min recognized the track,

Ha-eun asked cautiously:

“Do you also know who featured on it?”

Caught off guard, Ji Hye-min admitted she recognized the voice but didn’t know whose it was.

A few seconds passed before Ha-eun, her expression serious, replied:

“It’s me.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I’m the one who featured on this song.”

“…What?”

Ha-eun revealed that she was the voice behind Pinocchio, the artist who’d featured on Double Lee’s 10th album title track Tunnel.

At first, Ji Hye-min thought it was a joke.

But there was no trace of humor in Ha-eun’s voice or expression.

“I’ll also be appearing in the SIT ON THE MONEY finals. As the featured artist for rapper Hwang Ji-hyuk.”

Realizing this news was genuine, Ji Hye-min still couldn’t quite grasp why Ha-eun was telling her.

“Oh… um, congratulations! SIT ON THE MONEY is a huge show.”

“…Thank you.”

Ha-eun’s calm voice carried a weight it didn’t usually have.

Concerned, Ji Hye-min asked:

“Ha-eun, is something bothering you?”@@novelbin@@

Ha-eun hesitated before explaining that her appearance in the finals could potentially affect “Diah.”

She sincerely apologized for taking on something that might impact her VTuber activities.

Though Ji Hye-min understood the risk of Diah’s identity being revealed,

she didn’t think it was as serious as Ha-eun feared.

“Ha-eun, I get why you’re worried, but I don’t think you need to feel this guilty.”

She reassured Ha-eun and even suggested some ways to keep Pinocchio’s identity hidden.

“If you’re really worried, why not wear a mask on stage?”

“I thought about it, but… wouldn’t that draw even more attention during a live broadcast?”

Since Pinocchio would be performing on stage during the finals,

she decided it would be better to reveal her identity outright than risk unintended consequences.

As a faceless artist, Pinocchio’s only identifiable trait was her voice.

The more people speculated about her identity, the more attention her voice would draw.

To prevent this, Ha-eun wanted to redirect the focus away from her voice and onto her as a person.

“It’s better if people pay attention to me as a person rather than just my voice.”

“…That makes sense.”

Before Ha-eun left, Ji Hye-min reassured her once more, reminding her not to let the stress get to her.

“Your featuring part was amazing. Don’t let such a great voice go to waste.”

“…Thank you.”

Ten minutes later, Ha-eun left, waving goodbye as she disappeared through the front door.

Still surprised by the revelation that Ha-eun was Pinocchio, Ji Hye-min replayed the song Tunnel on her Bluetooth speaker.

Knowing it was Ha-eun’s voice made it all the more captivating.

With less than a week left until the SIT ON THE MONEY finals, Ha-eun balanced her preparations with her drama shoot for The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds.

On one such day, she found herself in the makeup room, getting an unfamiliar style of makeup.

Her role that day wasn’t as a guard but as a dancer.

Gone was her black robe, replaced with a pink hanbok, her hair neatly tied back.

For the first time since filming began,

she was ready to reveal a softer, more feminine side of her character.

Just as she finished getting ready, a knock came at the door.

“Ha-eun, do you have a moment?”

It was Da-yeon’s manager, Kim Jin-soo.

Though they weren’t particularly close, Ha-eun agreed to talk, sensing something unusual.

“Da-yeon hasn’t been herself lately. She won’t tell me what’s wrong.”

Hearing this, Ha-eun decided.

“Get her a cake for her birthday today. But don’t tell her—it’ll be a surprise.”

Something told her she couldn’t leave Da-yeon alone any longer.