Chapter 75: Chapter 74

It was around the time when the delicious food at the restaurant began to be served on the table.

“Let me take you home, but make sure to contact Jung-yoon unnie in advance.”

“…Okay.”@@novelbin@@

Ha-eun nodded without much resistance to Da-yeon’s offer to give her a ride home. Her mental stamina was completely drained after continuously watching clips of Diah’s streams.

Even when all the dishes they ordered were placed on the table, and even when they lit the candles on the new birthday cake Kim Jin-soo had brought for Da-yeon’s 18th birthday.

“Happy… birthday to… you, dear Da-yeon…”

…Does she have a sore throat?

Aside from Ha-eun’s voice cracking terribly during the birthday song, everything seemed fine.

However, after finishing their meal, as they climbed into Kim Jin-soo’s van that was waiting for them outside:

“Here.”

Da-yeon handed Ha-eun one side of her wired earphones without hesitation.

To be exact, the voice coming from the pristine white earphones—Diah’s voice—threw Ha-eun into a panic.

Does she… know it’s me?

Da-yeon even tilted her phone slightly towards Ha-eun, as if worried she might not see the screen properly—a small but thoughtful gesture.

Perhaps it was because the days of Da-yeon being lonely had come to an end, or maybe because she had shared all her innermost feelings with Ha-eun earlier.

"My favorite food is cotton candy—because it looks just like a cloud☆!"

“Isn’t she just adorable?”

“Y-yeah… super cute…”

Da-yeon’s actions had no brakes that day. She leaned close to Ha-eun, their shoulders touching, eager to share a fun video.

From Ha-eun’s perspective, however, it was overwhelming. She felt the urge to leap out of the van for an emergency escape.

But running away wasn’t an option, so she made an excuse.

“Um, hey, Da-yeon… I think I’m getting carsick.”

Feigning dizziness, Ha-eun removed the earbud from her left ear. Da-yeon, left to watch the video alone, seemed unbothered.

Even as they approached Ha-eun’s house, the videos on Da-yeon’s phone continued to play uninterrupted, punctuated by Da-yeon’s occasional bursts of laughter.

…Is it really that funny?

Ha-eun felt conflicted—grateful that Da-yeon enjoyed Diah’s streams, yet uneasy knowing the person on the screen and the one sitting next to her were the same.

If Da-yeon ever discovered the truth, Ha-eun feared something unimaginable would happen. Resolving to keep her secret safe, she vowed to prevent Da-yeon from uncovering Diah’s identity.

Finally, the van pulled up to Ha-eun’s house. However, their goodbye was postponed when Da-yeon asked her to wait and disappeared into a nearby convenience store.

After waiting a while:

“Here.”

Da-yeon returned and handed Ha-eun a black bag.

“What’s this?”

“It’s herbal tea, cold medicine, and warm citron tea. Drink it before it cools down.”

She added that a sore throat could become troublesome if left untreated. Ha-eun couldn’t help but feel flustered.

Health was her priority, and she’d neither caught a cold nor planned to.

Before Ha-eun could ask why Da-yeon thought she had a sore throat, Da-yeon waved goodbye and hopped back into the van. As a result, Ha-eun found herself receiving a gift from the birthday girl instead of giving one.

…She’s as willful as ever.

Carrying the bag, Ha-eun headed home. Despite the unnecessary gift, she acknowledged the importance of voice care.

“Hmm… When did my daughter start drinking such grown-up stuff?”

Ignoring her father Sung-yoon’s puzzled comment, she drank every last drop of the herbal teas.

When he teased her for developing a taste for “elderly beverages,” Ha-eun shot back immediately.

“You drink Pine Needle Eye all the time, don’t you, Dad?”

“Are you saying only old men drink that? That’s it, I’m reporting you.”

“Then I’ll report you for hiding beer behind the kimchi containers.”

“…What.”

Leaving her father speechless, Ha-eun retreated to her room and collapsed onto her plush mattress, where a giant teddy bear lay in her place.

…Voice care, huh? Never thought about it.

Realizing the importance of her voice, especially as a singer and with the live finals of SIT ON THE MONEY approaching, Ha-eun decided to take a full day off to rest her voice.

The problem was, she also had to skip her stream on the day of the finals.

I know it’s unavoidable, but it still feels disappointing.

The finals would end late, with after-parties likely dragging on until midnight, leaving no time for streaming.

Having to skip two consecutive streams was concerning—her fans, the “Sunsets,” might not take it well.

To make it up to them, Ha-eun rummaged through her old notebooks filled with stream ideas until she found one:

"Shirooni"

Horror game ★★

Not too scary for a horror game ★★★

Viewers can backseat ★

Popular ★★★

This is it.

The plan? Diah’s first horror game stream—a perfect way to surprise and delight her audience.

When the day arrived, she began her stream as usual:

[I'm here☆]

The chat was already buzzing with complaints about her two-day break.

Diah, what’s with two consecutive off days?

Are you abandoning us for a trip again?

Ugh, I was the only one who cared...

Smiling awkwardly, Ha-eun tried to calm them down, but the unrest continued.

Finally, she displayed her stream settings on-screen and typed loudly enough for her mic to catch:

[It’s cleaner than expected? (Shirooni horror game stream)]

The chat exploded in excitement.

?! Diah, are you confident?

Is this her first horror game?

OMG let’s gooo~

Can a spirit even get scared?

Even donation challenges rolled in.

[Donor: Won’t die even once? 50,000 KRW if you do.]

[Donor: Add 100,000 KRW to that.]

“Okay~☆”

Despite the challenges, Ha-eun knew the game inside out. Still, she decided to pretend to struggle a bit—reaction was key in horror game streams.

Launching Shirooni, she set her character name as “Diah” and began.

“It’s cleaner than expected~☆”

Barely five minutes in:

Something’s coming!

Diah, didn’t you hear the door creak?

“Huh? What creaked—”

[THUMP!]

[RAWR!!]

A white ghost appeared from an unexpected place, and Ha-eun’s mind froze.

Her startled scream even caused her mic to briefly glitch, and the chat erupted:

Is Diah alive?

Someone call 911!

She really fainted, look at her avatar!