Hobbyist VTuber

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After the filming of [Moonlight that Parts the Clouds] had completely wrapped up, I hadn’t really spent time doing anything in particular.

Even at school, where I could at least meet people, I couldn’t spare any time because of the preparations for [Will It Fall, Together].

Moreover, once the filming for [Infinite Challenge Music Festival] and [The Sunshine] started, it felt like I wouldn’t be able to meet anyone at all.

“Hey, Dayeon. Should I be holding the popcorn… maybe?”

“Go ahead.”

For the first time in a while, I sat next to Haeun in a crowded movie theater, both of us stuck in our seats watching the same film.

It wasn’t exactly pleasant to feel the sensation of being apart from Haeun for such a long time, and that was one reason.

On the surface, that was it.

However, that wasn’t the whole story.

As soon as the movie, filled with heartfelt tears and a shocking twist, ended, I rushed to follow Haeun, who had hurried to the restroom.

“Sigh…”

I silently waited until Haeun, who was exhaling softly in the farthest stall, came out.

What I heard next was the sound of her gulping down bottled water several times.

Then, she cleared her throat with a few hums.

And then—squeak.

Except for her eyes, which retained a slightly reddish hue, Haeun emerged from the restroom looking completely normal again.

“Sorry. Did you wait long?”

“Not really.”

I didn’t ask why she tried to hide her emotional state from Dayeon.

Just the fact that Haeun had forced herself to hold back tears made Dayeon’s hypotheses in her mind seem more convincing.

But for now, I was just spending time with Haeun as a friend.

There had been a way to verify whether Dayeon’s theories were true for several years now.

So—

“Hey, Lee Haeun. Weren’t you going to tell me after the movie?”

“What about? …Oh, right.”

Instead of prying into Haeun’s secrets, I asked her why her tension had risen a little before the movie started.

After all, I didn’t want to make Haeun uncomfortable.

There was also the fact that I didn’t want to make things awkward between us.

Soon, Haeun began to share a story about something that happened at the movie theater’s concession stand.

“Actually, when I ordered popcorn earlier, the girl at the counter called you my boyfriend—”

However, this topic wasn’t exactly comfortable either.

“Do you have a boyfriend? Oh, of course I do☆”

‘…This is driving me insane…’

I couldn’t stop remembering the line from Dia’s first broadcast about her boyfriend.

Even though the tone of voice was completely different, it was impossible not to be affected by it.

“I should have said I don’t have a boyfriend!”

“But they said they’d size it up for free.”

“How can that make me a guy?!”

“It’s okay, Dayeon. From a distance, you can’t tell whether I’m a guy or a girl.”

“What?!”

After that, I unleashed my frustration on Haeun, momentarily losing my common sense.

I grabbed her shoulder hard and shook it, mixing anger with a hint of jealousy.

“Hey, it’s just my outfit! If I dressed up, I’d get compliments on my figure too!!”

“But seriously, to say you couldn’t tell the difference from far away—”

“Must be nice to have such big breasts people can tell from far away! You lucky girl!!”

“…Sorry.”

Realizing my faux pas, Haeun corrected her earlier remark with an embarrassed expression.

From then on, we continued to walk in sync, each noticing the subtle changes in the other.

After about ten minutes, we arrived at a pasta specialty restaurant near the theater.

Haeun and I ordered our meals, and the atmosphere remained casual as we shared stories.

We didn’t bring up anything that could make us uncomfortable.

Most of the conversation on our table consisted of trivial matters we experienced while being apart.

However, there was one thing I definitely needed to clarify with Haeun.

“Lee Haeun.”

“What?”

I spoke to Haeun, who had just started twirling a long strand of pasta around her fork.

The question that escaped my lips was one I already knew the answer to.

“We’re friends, right?”

A childish question.

With a serious expression that contrasted it.

Haeun, looking puzzled for a moment, nodded and confirmed my inquiry.

If she had to choose between ‘yes’ or ‘no’, she would undoubtedly say ‘yes’ every time.

“But I can’t make any guarantees.”

“Who would even ask you for a guarantee?!”

“You usually say that when you’re asking for a guarantee.”

“…Then you should just stop talking about it…”

From that point on, we focused solely on our meal.

I knew it was better not to comment when Haeun showed some unusual sides, just like today.

When dinner finally finished, we said goodbye without much else to say.

After all, I had already accomplished my goal of spending time with Haeun.

“See you tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Then, I hopped into the van that Jinsoo always drove to pick me up, arriving at my house.

And then—

“Did you have fun with Haeun—”

Before my mother, Jeong Goeun, could finish her words, bang!

The door was slammed shut by Dayeon as she headed straight to her room without even saying a word of greeting.

Then, Dayeon began searching for her old, tattered notebook in the drawer.

Fragments from childhood, when she would go to any lengths to uncover Haeun’s acting secrets.

Admittedly, it had been a while since she had remembered its existence.

But the thought of confronting a memory that felt somewhat embarrassing had dissuaded her from searching for it.

However, having just received confirmation from Haeun about their friendship, it felt necessary to lay bare the uneasy parts regarding her.

To better understand Haeun would help Dayeon decide how to treat her moving forward.

– Flutter.

Carefully turning the pages of the old notebook she finally found, she began to seek the explanation behind the familiarity of the name ‘Dia’.

Just a few days prior, she had heard Dia’s new voice, and it clicked together.

And before long, she finally came face to face with it.

[DIA]
– Spirit
– Childlike personality & emotions
– Sunset? Dusk? Sunrise?
– Unbelievably good at games, practicing to reach ranking levels in popular games

Familiar characters and traits.

“…Sigh.”

I felt a wave of exhaustion wash over me, possibly because I had finally verified the truth in the notebook that seemed like Haeun’s journal.

What I had thought was Haeun’s unique acting method turned out to be her RP concept as a VTuber.

Then, memories flooded my mind like a panorama unfolding before me.

Dayeon, overwhelmed,—

– Steps.

Walked a few strides toward the bed in the corner of her room.

– Rustle.

Dove deeper into the thick blanket.

“Ah, AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!”

She screamed out her horror over the black history that seemed to have unexpectedly manifested.

Repeatedly scrubbing her face with harsh water, she messed up her hair again and again.

Even after that, she couldn’t help but push those rough stimuli on herself for a while.

But the dizzying sensations that refused to leave felt as if they would drive her utterly mad.

Yet—

– Ding.

[ Dia Diah’s broadcast has started. ]

“sigh, sigh…”

The alert for the broadcast I had set up months ago began once more.

My body moved instinctively, finally filling Dayeon’s monitor with Dia’s broadcast screen.

What appeared on the screen was the same sunny face as always.

And the bright voice I heard was as clear as ever.

“All those kids who’d call me sister are newborns! So just keep being my boyfriend!”

– Gasp.

– Go, DIA!

– Aww, I guess I have to be your boyfriend.

– Who am I? ‘Dia’s boyfriend.’

– This is the last time, okay~?

– So, Dia, when’s our date?

“Date? Hmm… Okay! We’ll have a Battle Island date for the first three who apply, so hurry and send in your requests!”

What emotion is this pulsing from deep within my chest?

Although I was already familiar with the concept of ‘red pills’, the feeling was entirely different from a regular one, which confused me further.

What kind of state is Haeun in right now?

Is she beaming with that pure, childlike face, just like her character?

Could that also just be part of that seamless, unusual acting?

“………………”

I couldn’t tell which was the real and which was the fake anymore.

Still, I couldn’t bring myself to stop facing it until the very end.

There was no way I could let go of both of them, who had become my friends for no reason at all.

The reason I stared intently at my friend on the monitor, my face feeling like it was about to burst from embarrassment, was solely that.

The secret, now no longer a secret, became a new secret to hide from Haeun.

If Haeun ever found out I knew of her secret, I would undoubtedly lose both Dia and Haeun.

No matter what, it was better than losing.

There was nothing more terrifying than losing.