Hobbyist VTuber

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Even if Ha-eun’s first leading movie “The Uncle Next Door” achieves an astonishing box office result of 7 million.

Even if she wins the Best New Actress award at the year-end awards, beating out many fierce competitors.

There hadn’t been a moment in the past few years where Min Da-yeon had seen Ha-eun’s proper acting since the screen test for the role of Kim Ji-ah.

Well, Min Da-yeon was still just 11 years old, a minor.

The uncle next door was age-restricted, so 11-year-old Min Da-yeon couldn’t see Ha-eun on screen, no matter how much she wanted to.

The only thing she could do was replay a short 2-minute trailer.

Of course, unlike a few years ago when she dismissed Ha-eun as a newbie, now she recognized Ha-eun as a proper actress.

She knew that Ha-eun, who already had outstanding acting skills, was working hard, even attending acting classes.

Still, she decided to compete with Ha-eun once again, because all this time, Min Da-yeon hadn’t just sat idly by.

Unlike Ha-eun, who had entered a break after filming only minor commercials since “The Uncle Next Door,” Min Da-yeon had been consistently gaining on-site experience by appearing in various dramas and movies, thinking she might have a chance.

To put it simply, that was a huge miscalculation.

“…How do I beat that?”

It was acting that made her resent the self who had made Ha-eun the first to audition just moments ago.

She almost questioned whether she needed to see the acting of other child actors because of the indisputable presence of Han Yoo-hwa.

The auditions for the following child actors continued one after another, and eventually, Min Da-yeon’s audition somehow wrapped up.

However, among the four performances present at the final audition, the answer to which acting suited Han Yoo-hwa was already determined.

Otherwise, the two lead actors from “You Who Came From the Stars,” Ha Yoon-seong and Yoo Seong-ah, wouldn’t show interest solely in Ha-eun.

“It feels like just yesterday when I saw you in ‘The Uncle Next Door.’ You’ve grown so much since then~.”

Finally, Ha Yoon-seong commented that Ha-eun’s hanbok was quite lovely.

At almost the same time, Yoo Seong-ah murmured that she was about to make several boys cry.

Technically, Min Da-yeon’s fame was several times higher than Ha-eun’s, but it seemed to be a rather meaningless metric in this context.

Thus ended the final audition for young Han Yoo-hwa in a format similar to the screen test from a few years ago.

With a bitter taste lingering in her mouth, as she stepped out of the audition room…

“Oh, Da-yeon! How did the audition go?”

The voice of Min Da-yeon’s manager, Kim Jin-soo, who seemed completely oblivious, tickled her ears.

At the same time, he handed her a strawberry latte.

Min Da-yeon knew that Kim Jin-soo had genuinely asked out of curiosity.

Understanding he meant no harm, she didn’t get mad or frustrated but simply hopped into the car in silence.

However, no matter how many strawberry lattes she drank, reflecting on the performance she gave in the final audition, she couldn’t shake off the thought:

‘…What on earth is different between me and that girl for there to be such a gap?’

Ha-eun’s acting—which had displayed an immersive quality that was leagues apart—stayed with her.

Separate from acknowledging Ha-eun’s talent, doubts about how she managed to possess such exceptional acting ability kept bubbling up.

What had happened for her to act with such naturalness and high quality?

What kind of time had she spent to be this much better than a few years ago?

During the past four years spent around Ha-eun, when the 7-year-old Min Da-yeon felt overshadowed by her acting, she had made a point to observe her.

She thought, if she could learn Ha-eun’s tricks and methods and figure them out, she too could showcase similar acting.

Yet, the more time she spent with Ha-eun, instead of discovering skills, she only concluded that Ha-eun was just an average girl with slightly better looks.

Eventually, Min Da-yeon started to think maybe she had overestimated the 7-year-old Ha-eun.

Having come to this audition for young Han Yoo-hwa, she had ridiculous thoughts that she might be able to beat Ha-eun.

Nevertheless, Min Da-yeon couldn’t reconcile the concept of it being merely a difference in talent with her pride.

After all, she had heard countless times of her own remarkable talent.

So, when she returned home…

Lying on the soft mattress, she thought.

‘…This really is the last time. I won’t obsess over that girl anymore. I won’t…’

She resolved to properly investigate who Lee Ha-eun was by sharing experiences she hadn’t shared before.

Just like she had previously analyzed and interpreted scripts from various dramas and films.

*

“Stay together for 24 hours… is what you’re saying? Why…?”

“I don’t need to know why, just tell me whether you’ll do my request or not.”

Very soon, Min Da-yeon, who was sitting across from Ha-eun, blushing slightly but trying hard to act nonchalant.

When you think about it, it wasn’t a particularly difficult request.

After all, they weren’t doing anything secretive or taboo that shouldn’t be seen by others.

Moreover, because of the implication that if she didn’t grant the request, she wouldn’t care about Ha-eun (or her acting) from then on.

Ha-eun misunderstood and thought it meant cutting ties with her, which made her expression suddenly serious.

However, while it was completely normal for her daily casual workouts, she wasn’t sure if showing acting classes or singing classes to Min Da-yeon, who belonged to a different agency, was allowed.

“…I’ll give you an answer tomorrow. I have to check something first.”

“Fine, do that.”

First, she nervously contacted the acting school and Doubly to ask if she could bring Min Da-yeon to class.

Unexpectedly, both the acting school and Doubly responded with:

[ Are you talking about the child actress Min Da-yeon? Of course, you can bring her! Actually, please do! ]

[ Oh, so Min Da-yeon was among Ha-eun’s friends? I’ve been curious to meet her sometime. This is great! ]

Instead of saying it would be difficult to accommodate Ha-eun’s request, they responded warmly, as if welcoming Min Da-yeon.

Through this, Min Da-yeon realized that her name was worth more than Ha-eun had anticipated.

However, when she finally asked Na-yeon, the one who needed to give the final permission, if she could bring Min Da-yeon home…

“Hmm, my daughter’s first friend is Min Da-yeon? Isn’t her standard for friends a bit too high?”

For some reason, she had spoken as if she had never had a single friend before.

Since the moment she started kindergarten a few years ago, up until this very moment, Ha-eun had been diligently following Na-yeon’s advice that having more friends is better.

“…I have many friends, though.”

For the first time in her 11 years of life, Ha-eun rebutted Na-yeon’s statement.

To be precise, she didn’t have any friends she could share trivial worries with like Min Da-yeon, but she still felt confident that she maintained decent social relationships.

Be it classmates from her elementary school or other children from different classes, she had friends everywhere.

Yet, it seemed ridiculous for someone like her to be told her standard for friends was too high.

“I really do have many friends.”

It was a statement that needed clarification.

Aside from child actors in acting academies, there was not a single child who couldn’t be Ha-eun’s friend.

“Not just friends I know their names. A real close friend that you can sleep over in your room.”

But in the end, there were no more counters possible.

The candidates for what Na-yeon called a ‘close friend’ just didn’t pop up aside from Min Da-yeon.

Well, whatever, either way.

In any case, she could grant Min Da-yeon’s strange request.

The very next day, as soon as they met, she relayed that she had received all the permissions she needed.

Min Da-yeon merely said “Got it” without a hint of surprise or joy.

So, from that day on, after school, she would be spending time with Min Da-yeon.

There was a minor incident of Ju Jung-yoon being startled to see Min Da-yeon climbing into the van so naturally alongside Ha-eun, but whatever.

And so, even as they headed to the acting academy and later to Doubly’s studio.

As she brought Min Da-yeon to a nearby open space that had turned into Ha-eun’s personal gym.

“Hey, Da-yeon~.”

“Oh, hello.”

There hadn’t been any issues until they reached home, where Na-yeon, with a warm tone, greeted Min Da-yeon.

The problems only cropped up right after that.

“Well then, I’m going to wash up. Da-yeon, you can read a book in my room or something—”

“I, I want to wash up with you! I sweated a lot following you around.”

At that moment, she finally realized that the request to stay together for 24 hours was meant literally.

Eventually, for some reason, Na-yeon, who had been eavesdropping on Ha-eun and Min Da-yeon’s conversations, ended up…

– Whoosh….

“…………………….”

Eventually, as a result, she found herself in the bathtub with Min Da-yeon.

To be precise, it wasn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility…

‘…What is that? Is that… abs?’

From Min Da-yeon’s perspective, the sight of an 11-pack she had only seen on adult models was faintly visible on Ha-eun’s stomach.

Unintentionally entranced, she reached out, and poked Ha-eun’s firm belly.

“…What are you doing…?”

In a fluster of embarrassment and surprise, her eyes blinked toward Min Da-yeon.