Hobbyist VTuber-Chapter 245

The unexpected screening of The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds finally ended by the fourth period.

If Naerae Arts High School hadn’t shortened classes for senior students, the screening would have likely continued into the afternoon.

Of course, the fact that a screening happened at all was enough to make Ha-eun want to disappear.

She was bewildered at herself—how had she even filmed those scenes?

“If your first kiss scene was that good, you were born for this.”

“No one is born for kiss scenes....”

“Well, right here, right now, in front of me, stands Lee Ha-eun, the exception.”

“..........”

The only saving grace was that Ha-eun had her scheduled college admissions consultation in the middle of the screening.

Summoned by her homeroom teacher, she was able to escape before having to endure more of Yeong-wol and Crown Prince Lee Hyun’s scandalous romance.

“I’m here.”

“Oh, Ha-eun. Have a seat.”

Her college entrance exam scores appeared on the monitor.

The results were more than enough to secure admission to Yeoryeo University, her goal.

Her homeroom teacher let out a small murmur of admiration.

“You barely had time to study with all your filming. When did you manage to pull this off? Even regular students struggle to get scores like this.”

“I just... studied whenever I could.”

“And that got you into Y University? Impressive.”

To put it simply, Ha-eun’s consultation didn’t take long.

Her target university and major were clear, and her scores placed her well within «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» the safety range.

The only additional discussion involved recommending other prestigious universities she could apply to.

That was the extent of the conversation.

However, she didn’t return to her classroom immediately.

The reason—

“Ha-eun, did you hear? Da-yeon got accepted into Yeoryeo University.”

The conversation shifted to Da-yeon, who had secured a spot through the practical skills test.

Her homeroom teacher chuckled warmly, remarking how unexpected it was that the two of them would end up going to college together.

“You two will be sticking together next year, too.”

“I... I haven’t been accepted yet.”

“With scores like yours, it would be more shocking if you didn’t get in.”

Then, the conversation turned to Parasite Family, their next project.

Since the teacher already knew both Ha-eun and Da-yeon had leading roles, they casually expressed their anticipation.

“You two play best friends in the movie, right? Da-yeon mentioned it.”

“Oh, um... best friends....”

“What, they’re not best friends?”

“...It’s complicated. In many ways.”

Ha-eun forced an awkward smile.

She quickly shifted the conversation to thanking her teacher for the past year—talking too much about Parasite Family could lead to spoilers.

“I’ll visit on Teacher’s Day next year... with Da-yeon.”

“Sounds good. I’ll keep my schedule clear.”

After bowing politely to her teacher, Ha-eun headed back to the classroom.

Perhaps because her time as a high school student was truly coming to an end, the school hallways and windows seemed different.

She had walked these halls for years, but soon, they would no longer be part of her daily life.

‘What was it like when I graduated middle school...?’

Lost in thought about her impending graduation, she walked slowly, eventually reaching her classroom door.

For some reason, she hesitated before pushing it open.

Inside were the same friends she had spent an entire year with.

Familiar faces, soon to scatter in different directions.

She nearly got sentimental.

That was until—

["I will be yours, Your Highness. So please... take me."]

["If your true identity is revealed, everyone will scorn you."]

["There is nothing more important to me than you, Your Highness."]

The sight of Yeong-wol and Lee Hyun on the classroom monitor.

Bathed in moonlight, wrapped in each other’s arms.

Any sentimentality was instantly obliterated.

Unfortunately for Ha-eun, the scene being played was the most-watched highlight clip from The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds.

["I love you, Your Highness."]

For a moment, their silhouettes overlapped perfectly.

Gasps and cheers erupted from all corners of the classroom.

Everyone was completely immersed, staring at the monitor with rapt attention.

None of them even noticed that Ha-eun had returned.

She seriously considered skipping school for the remaining days before winter break.

***

“Our drama is still really popular. Some people are even planning to binge-watch it overnight....”

“Well, it was a great drama.”

The day after the The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds screening—

Or, to be more specific, while waiting for filming to begin alongside Yoo Sung-jae, who was making a cameo in God and the Goblin.

Recalling yesterday’s ordeal, Ha-eun muttered under her breath.

Did they really have to watch that?

Didn’t anyone care how humiliating it was for her to watch her own intimate scenes?

“I feel like friendship is overrated. Sure, I appreciate that they enjoy my acting, but....”

She grumbled about her mischievous classmates to Yoo Sung-jae.

He simply chuckled.

“They only did that because they’re close to you. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t have dared suggest it.”

“...You really think so?”

“Of course. It’s not like they did it to bully you.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Then, flipping through his script, Yoo Sung-jae suddenly pointed something out.

“There’s a line here where my character tells Baeksulhwa she looks familiar. This is hilarious.”

It was an inside joke—a reference to The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds, where they had played the lead couple.

While it technically fit the plot, since his character had actually seen Baeksulhwa before, the line was more of a deliberate Easter egg.

“You think fans will be reminded of The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds? Like your classmates were?”

“Yeah, well... probably.”

“Now that I think about it, I do miss it. We had a blast filming last year.”

The conversation drifted toward reminiscing about their time filming The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds.

Yoo Sung-jae admitted that when he first met Ha-eun, he had his doubts.

“To be honest, when I first saw you, all sorts of thoughts crossed my mind. I kept wondering if I could really pull off a romance with you.”

“For someone who was worried, you did pretty well.”

“Well, that’s only because you made it easy for me. Thanks to you, I even got to play your first love.”

Life really was unpredictable.

Smiling faintly, Yoo Sung-jae rose to his feet.

A moment later, he was striding toward the set.

“I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Oh, right... See you soon.”

Time passed quickly.

And now, just three minutes remained before filming began.

‘First love, huh....’

Going over her lines, Ha-eun found herself lost in thought.

After all, the concept of “first love” was a complicated one for her.

She had played characters who fell in love before, but this time, it was different.

The role required her to portray something unlike her past performances.

‘Baeksulhwa had a crush on an older guy from her church when she was younger. And she still feels the same now....’

Unlike The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds, where her character loved her superior, or The Sunshine, where guilt overshadowed the romance—

This time, it was just a normal 19-year-old girl experiencing a normal first love.

A feeling that everyone supposedly experiences at least once—except Ha-eun never had.

For days, she had been agonizing over how to portray it.

Ironically, because it was such an ordinary emotion, it was even harder to express.

“Alright, let’s begin. Three, two, one...”

Even by the time filming began, Ha-eun still didn’t fully understand what “first love” was supposed to feel like.

She had never experienced it firsthand.

Yet, she was an actress.

She had created emotions from a script countless times before.

What mattered wasn’t whether she understood first love, but whether the audience could feel it through Baeksulhwa.

She had to make Yoo Sung-jae seem like her first love—through her voice, expressions, and gestures.

["Uh... haven’t we met before? You look really familiar."]

["Oh... oh... Do-yoon oppa?"]

Deceiving people through acting was second nature to her.

And so, as the scene played out, her eyes began to tremble.

["I-It’s me. Baeksulhwa."]

["Huh? Seolhwa? Wow, it’s been so long."]

To Seo Do-yoon—Yoo Sung-jae’s character—Baeksulhwa was just a childhood friend he hadn’t seen in years.

He had no idea that Baeksulhwa had feelings for him.

But for Baeksulhwa, suddenly coming face to face with her first love again made her heart race.

["H-have you... been doing well?"]

She could barely look him in the eye.

Her gaze hovered slightly downward, not quite able to meet his directly.

A blend of excitement, nervousness, and nostalgia flickered in her expression.

At some point, her cheeks had turned slightly pink.

["Me? Yeah, I’ve been fine. What about you?"]

["Oh, I... I’ve been fine too."]

Her voice carried a nervous tremor, laced with anticipation.

Even her breathing had subtly quickened, signaling how different Baeksulhwa felt in this moment.

The most evident emotion was shyness.

She clearly wanted to say more—but just couldn’t bring herself to.

["When... when did you come back?"]

["About a month ago. I was in the military."]

["Oh...."]

She gave a small nod, stealing quick glances at him.

And after hesitating, hesitating, hesitating—

["I-I changed my phone, so... um... could you give me your number again?"]

With a trembling voice, she asked for his contact information.

At the same time, she cautiously extended her phone toward him.

Seo Do-yoon, with no ulterior motives, easily agreed.

And just as he took her phone—

More precisely, when their hands barely brushed against each other—

["...!"]

Her eyes widened, and she inhaled sharply.

For a brief moment, their gazes met—his slightly surprised, hers filled with unspoken emotion.

And then, just as quickly—

That fleeting, bashful smile appeared.

The ever-so-slight parting of her lips.

The delicate tremble in her eyes.

A gaze filled with longing, from someone familiar, yet unfamiliar in this moment.

["Here you go."]

["Oh... thank you, oppa."]

["It’s nothing."]

Yoo Sung-jae, being an actor himself, didn’t react visibly.

But he felt it.

The subtle tremor of her fingertips.

The deepening of her gaze.

The faint breath, as if swallowing back a surge of emotion.

Everything slowed down.

Even though it was all acting, it felt strangely real.

“Cut! That was great, both of you.”

Even after filming ended, the feeling lingered.

It was the first time in a year, since The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds, that he had felt this way.

Maybe that was why.

Or maybe it was because of a promise he had made with Da-yeon long ago.

Or maybe... it was something he had already begun to realize.

“...This is dangerous.”

Muttering to himself, Yoo Sung-jae glanced toward Ha-eun, who was deep in conversation with her manager.

For once, his usual relaxed demeanor was gone.

Right then, another lead actor of God and the Goblin approached him.

“You’re staring too hard. If you keep that up, you might burn a hole through her.”

The senior actor, Kang Sun-woo, clapped a hand on Yoo Sung-jae’s shoulder.

Then, with a calm but meaningful voice, he added—

“Her friend told me to keep an eye on you. Said you looked suspicious.”

With a gentle smile, Kang Sun-woo patted him twice on the shoulder.

The weight behind his words was impossible to miss.

“...Women’s intuition is scary, isn’t it?”

That deep, knowing voice.

Yoo Sung-jae scratched his head awkwardly, unable to muster a response.

It was still just a possibility.

But Ha-eun was surrounded by people who wouldn’t even allow that possibility to exist.

“...I don’t know. Not yet.”

“Ha-eun’s got sharp instincts. You’d better be careful.”

“I don’t think she’s even considered it.”

“She will. It’s just a matter of time.”

That was the last thing Kang Sun-woo said before walking away.

Soon, Yoo Sung-jae had to return to filming as Seo Do-yoon.

And when they filmed the next scene—

When Seo Do-yoon and Baek Jin finally stood face to face—

["...I’m watching you. No matter where you are."]

A warning.

Directed at Seo Do-yoon.

But somehow, it felt like it wasn’t just for him.

Even though Yoo Sung-jae had done nothing wrong, something in his chest tightened.

***

“You know, if you really think about it... Ha-eun seems to only date terrifying people.”

“I get along with everyone. You’re not supposed to be picky about friends.”

“Says who?”

“My mom. She always said, ‘The more friends, the better.’”

“...I can’t argue with your mom.”