Chapter 88: Chapter 87

Diah’s first-ever Battle Island stream became legendary for multiple reasons: her unexpected FPS skills revealed within just 10 minutes, the jaw-dropping moment she weaponized her motorcycle to take out the final players, and the sheer chaos that followed.

All of this was more than enough to drive her viewers, the Noeuljers, into an even more “toxic” frenzy. Already eager to snipe her during the stream, they escalated their efforts during the second round, resulting in a spectacle that could no longer be called a battle royale but rather a full-fledged Diah Raid.

-Ratatatatatata!

-Whoosh! BOOM!

-Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Why... why are they all coming after me?!”

You’re really asking, Diah? LOL.

It’s the fate of every battle royale streamer. Accept it.

Look at all those snipers swarming her.

The Noeuljers had learned from the first round not to underestimate Diah’s shooting skills. Unlike before, when they charged recklessly, this time they came fully equipped—with Molotovs, grenades, and vehicles—determined to take her down.

No matter where Diah went, cars trailed her relentlessly. Even her impressive skills had limits. After countless firefights, her stash of medkits and health-restoring items began to run out.

Technically, she was playing solo mode, but with dozens of Noeuljers teaming up against her, she found herself increasingly cornered.

-Ratatatata!

[Diah>>>☠HeadedToMars]

[Diah>>>☠DontCSMyItems]

“I-I did it—!”

-Ratatatatata!

[IWantToLive500Won>>>☠Diah]

“AAAAAH!”

FINALLY got her, LOL.

The magic of “I think I got them” strikes again.

Her scream sounded like a pterodactyl, OMG.

That death wail… chef’s kiss.

This is it. This is what we came for.

Her avatar’s already flat on its back, LOL.

After the first round’s victory, Diah failed to win a single game. Frustrated by the Noeuljers’ relentless antics, her avatar’s expression darkened, causing an immediate reaction in the chat.

Uh-oh… she’s mad.

We messed up, guys.

Protect Diah at all costs!!!

Okay, five consecutive raids might’ve been too much.

It’s our fault! We’re sorry! We’re sorry! We’re sorry! We’re sorry! We’re sorry!

Just one more game! Pleeease! One more game! One more game!

Diah sat in the Battle Island lobby, refusing to press the start button. The Noeuljers, sensing the danger, quickly took action.

-Ding.

[LeeHaul donated 30,000 won!]

Message: Buy yourself a box of cotton candy, Diah!

[Agatram donated 30,000 won!]

Message: You’re amazing at Battle Island. You should go pro!

The chat flooded her with “financial therapy” and compliments to soothe her. About three minutes later, Diah’s avatar’s scowling brows softened. With her usual cheerful tone, she announced this would be her last round and pressed the start button.

However, unlike her previous rounds, this time she didn’t collect any weapons beyond a pistol.

Diah, there was a Beryl over there… why didn’t you pick it up?

Why is she only grabbing pistols?

A headshot with a pistol isn’t even a guaranteed kill, though?

Instead, she looted only explosive items like gas cans and sticky bombs before retreating into a warehouse. There, she began placing all her explosives strategically around the room.

-Thud.

-Clink, clink, clink.

Once she had emptied her entire inventory of explosives onto the warehouse floor, Diah turned toward the chat and made an announcement.

“Whoever comes into this warehouse first is going down with me☆! Come at me if you dare—!”

Wait, what…?

Our Diah has turned into a terrorist, guys.

This is pure chaos, LOL.

Pointing her pistol at the closest explosive item, she openly declared her plan to blow everything up. She even added a warning: she wasn’t going to let them bully her anymore without a fight.

Despite her threats, footsteps echoed outside the warehouse. For the Noeuljers, her declaration wasn’t a deterrent—it was a challenge.

-Creak!

-Thud, thud, thud.

As three or four Noeuljers entered the warehouse, Diah greeted them with dramatic flair.

“Art—”

-Bang! Bang! Bang!

“—is an explosion!!!”

-BOOOOOOOM!

The chain reaction of explosives filled the screen with flames, taking out everyone in the warehouse—including Diah.

[Diah>>>💥Diah]

[Diah>>>💥GojoSatoruIsOverrated]

[Diah>>>💥3MinuteJajangMasterChef]

[Diah>>>💥QQEqWQCombo]

Though the match ended in mutual destruction, Diah’s avatar beamed with satisfaction.

“Mission accomplished—☆!”

Mission accomplished (self-included).

She wasn’t bluffing at all, LOL.

Only Diah would actually go through with it.

This is pure streamer-viewer chaos, and I love it.

Imagine joining a battle royale, and nobody even tries to win.

As long as we had fun, it’s all good!

After checking the overwhelmingly positive reactions in the chat, Diah finally wrapped up the stream.

“Bye-bye—☆!”

Bye, Diah!

Are you streaming tomorrow?

Sleep well!

What a wild ride…

With a soft click, Diah ended the stream.

Only then did she remember the Fantasy Land group chat. Upon checking it, she was greeted with a flood of messages unrelated to her gameplay.

[Jung Maria (Cream)] – (10th episode preview screenshot #1)

[Jung Maria (Cream)] – (10th episode preview screenshot #2)

[Jung Maria (Cream)] – “Wait, is that Ha-eun?”

[Park Mi-so (Mile)] – (nosebleeding lion emoji)

[Park Mi-so (Mile)] – “That hanbok fit is stunning.”

[Park Mi-so (Mile)] – “You can tell she’s a real actress!”

[Lee Yena (Yuna)] – “But why is she suddenly dressed as a dancer?”

[Park Mi-so (Mile)] – “Didn’t the Queen Dowager plant an assassin? That’s why, right?”

[Kim Eun-hye (Ria)] – “Should we all get matching hanboks and take group photos? I bet it’d look amazing.”

Realizing the conversation about the kiss scene had completely vanished, Ha-eun decided not to bring it up. Without sending a single message, she quietly logged out of the chat.

***

The currently most buzzworthy drama, The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds, aired on Fridays and Saturdays. Online, the reactions to the drama came immediately and unfiltered, unhindered by time or place.

However, for offline reactions—such as those from Ha-eun’s classmates—it wasn’t until Monday that she could see the full extent of their impact.

“I'm off to school,” Ha-eun said.

“Have a good day!” her mother replied.

To be fair, Ha-eun had already anticipated that the kiss scene from last Friday night’s episode would cause a stir among her classmates. Just as the Fantasy Land group chat had been abuzz with questions about her first on-screen kiss, she expected her friends at school to bombard her with similar inquiries.

As usual, she arrived early and quietly sat in her seat while other students trickled into the classroom. Then, the floodgates opened.

“So, how does it feel to lip-lock with Yoo Sung-jae, Lee Ha-eun?!”

“We didn’t do that. Sorry to disappoint.”

“Don’t lie!”

“I’m not lying.”

Even as questions about her kiss scene were hurled at her right after the morning roll call, Ha-eun answered with calm composure. She maintained her poise because everything she said was 100% true.

However...@@novelbin@@

“Hey, Ha-eun,” her class president called out hesitantly.

“Hm?”

“So... it’s about the Fall Festival. Our class is doing a musical, and I was wondering if you could play the lead role?”

That was when things started to veer off course. The class president, a teenage fashion model, made an unexpected request regarding their school’s upcoming Fall Festival.

“Uh... why me?” Ha-eun asked.

“Well, because you sing well... and you nailed that kiss scene.”

“...Huh? Singing, fine, but why the kiss scene?”

“Our musical ends with a kiss scene.”

Learning that the musical’s lead role required both singing and a kiss scene was enough to throw Ha-eun off balance. For the first time that morning, she couldn’t maintain eye contact, let alone agree to the role outright.

“Um... Sorry, maybe you should ask someone else—”

“If we win first place at the festival, we get to go to Japan for the school trip! Please, just this once!”

The class president’s earnest plea stopped her mid-sentence. Beads of sweat formed on Ha-eun’s forehead as she faced his desperate expression.

While Ha-eun was struggling to fend off her class president’s persistence, a completely different conversation was happening in the entertainment division of MBS.

“Hey, Jun, do you think we could get Ha-eun for this year’s Infinity Challenge Music Festival? If she joins, the ratings would absolutely skyrocket!”

“Well... I guess I could ask, but I’m not sure if she’ll accept.”

Producer Jeon Yoon-seop and Lee Jun, discussing yet another stage for Pinocchio, were strategizing how to secure Ha-eun’s participation.