Sitting awkwardly inside a café, Ha-eun was sipping a strawberry smoothie in small sips, her face showing mild discomfort.
Beside her, Jung Maria, leaning on Ha-eun, was spaced out.
And in front of them, for some reason, Ji Hye-min was snapping her fingers, seemingly lost in thought.
‘What’s going on?’
To Lee Ye-na, who had just entered the café, this scene was rather perplexing.
After all, the talk about the squirrel's real-life appearance between Ha-eun and Yuna had been completely forgotten by Ye-na, as it had been a few days ago.
However, Ji Hye-min, who had been relentlessly hounded by the Acorn Squad, who were fans of the squirrel, had never forgotten that conversation about the squirrel’s real-life appearance, particularly the revealing talk between Diah and Yuna.
- Snap.
“Ye-na, come here.”
As soon as Ji Hye-min noticed Ye-na, who was hesitating in the middle of the café, she immediately ordered her to sit next to her.
And so, Ye-na reluctantly sat down next to Ji Hye-min.
Ji Hye-min’s last act of mercy toward Ye-na came right after that.
“If you confess now, I’ll let it slide.”
However, Ye-na’s response was...
“A confession? About what?”
Sadly, that kind of answer was exactly the kind that made Ji Hye-min’s temples throb.
- Aaahhh!!
“If only you had backed me up, huh? If you hadn’t said anything about ‘heavenly proportions’!!”
“...!...!!”
As a result, Ye-na had to endure the same rough treatment as Ha-eun and Jung Maria had earlier.
It wasn’t until she remembered the past conversation about the squirrel’s real-life appearance that she quickly apologized, but by then, it was already too late.
Meanwhile, the last members of the group, Mile and Ria, who had just arrived at the café, saw this dreadful scene.
“...Let’s go in a bit later.”
“...Yeah.”
This scene was enough to make them turn around and walk in the opposite direction.
Both Mile and Ria had also made mentions of the squirrel's real-life appearance a few times, after all.
Around ten minutes later, the entire Illusionary Realm group had gathered at the café.
Then, Ji Hye-min began explaining the overall plan for the day. Everyone’s attention turned toward her.
“First, we’ll go to the hotel and check in, then we’ll eat afterward.”
The conversation continued for quite a while.
However, unlike Ha-eun’s previous school trip, this time the Illusionary Realm members would be filming vlogs for their YouTube channels during the group trip.
“So, as much as possible, let’s use our nicknames instead of real names. The editors will be checking everything, but just in case.”
Ji Hye-min gave this guidance to all the Illusionary Realm members, including Ha-eun. She also added that Ha-eun’s appearance shouldn’t be captured in the vlogs.
“Ha-eun, your hair can’t be shown either. You understand what I mean, right?”
“What about the other members?”
“They don’t need to be as careful as you, but still, don’t film too much. It’ll make editing hard for the editors.”
Any shots that could potentially reveal any of the Illusionary Realm members’ real identities would be edited or blurred.
In other words, it meant no actions that could reveal their real identities while filming vlogs.
“So, does that mean Ha-eun will be in Diah mode for the whole trip?”
“Aigoo, Ha-eun’s voice is going to get hoarse.”
For Ha-eun, who had a vastly different voice for her regular self and her broadcast persona, it was as though her real voice would be sealed for the entire Japan trip.
Still, there was no option to not participate in the trip with the Illusionary Realm members, even if her voice completely gave out.
This group trip was definitely worth it.
Anyway, as the flight time approached, they all started walking toward the departure gate.
- Step.
“Excuse me.”
“?”
“Is that Ha-eun? Sorry, could I ask for a photo with you?”
A woman approached Ha-eun, seemingly recognizing her, and asked for a photo.
The problem was that the woman mistakenly thought Ji Hye-min was Ha-eun’s manager.
So, the request for permission to take a photo with Ha-eun was directed at Ji Hye-min.
As expected, the other members tried their best to suppress their laughter, pretending not to know Ha-eun and her group.
Ji Hye-min, with a quick pace, disappeared with a “You’ve got the wrong person.”
In the end, Ha-eun was left alone to take the photo with the woman, and after wishing her a “Good trip,” she returned to her original group.
When they arrived at the boarding gate, they overheard...
“Ah, So-ri should have seen that scene earlier.”
“If the manager had seen it, she would’ve definitely been rolling on the floor laughing.”
The members were laughing, imagining how the Illusionary Realm’s general manager, So-ri, would have reacted to the scene they had just witnessed.
Th𝓮 most uptodate nov𝑒ls are publish𝒆d on ƒreewebηoveℓ.com.
Of course, all of this was just to tease Ji Hye-min.
Then came a joke about how even the former “Internet President” of a few years ago, the squirrel, wouldn’t dare do what Ha-eun, a real celebrity, was doing.
The teasing finally ended when Ji Hye-min’s fingers started snapping again.
As Ha-eun caught up to Ji Hye-min, she swallowed down the manager-related joke she had been planning to make.
After boarding the plane, everything went smoothly until they finally arrived in Japan.
The first notable event was when they picked up their luggage from the baggage claim.
“Alright, we’ve finally arrived in Japan~.”
Ria, one of the members filming a vlog, pointed her selfie stick toward the airport’s outdoor view.
This meant that from this point forward, Ha-eun’s voice had to switch to Diah’s broadcast voice.
The other members, gathered around Ria, were already excitedly talking about their expectations for the Japan trip.
Ha-eun, clearing her throat, walked a few steps ahead and asked,
“I’ve been curious—are you guys into skiing or snowboarding?”
She brought up the topic of skiing, one of the activities planned for the trip.
Thanks to her memories from her past life, Ha-eun already knew what the Illusionary Realm members would choose, but she decided it would be fun to turn this knowledge into content.
“I’m going for skiing. Mile-unnie is—”
“Hmm, I think Mile-unnie is into snowboarding.”
“How did you know that?”
Ha-eun pretended to read their minds for a moment, startling the other members.
As expected, no member managed to stump her.
After spending some time chatting, they finally got into taxis to head to their hotel.
The group split into two taxis and headed to their pre-booked hotel to settle in.
Once at the hotel, Ria’s vlog resumed, though Mile’s vlog, just starting, was a bit behind.
“Here’s Ria filming Mile filming Ria~.”
“Hey! I was going to say that line!”
When they arrived at a nearby restaurant, a playful “tagging” style filming session began, with Ria and Mile taking turns filming each other’s vlogs.
The other members, including Ha-eun, watched with interest.
Eventually, their late lunch, or early dinner, was served: a plate of beef tongue. Ji Hye-min reminded them to savor the expensive meat.
Just as Ha-eun was about to pick up a piece of the crispy beef tongue,
“Diah.”
“?”
“Do you know what beef tongue is?”
Ria, who was filming Ha-eun’s chopsticks, asked the question.
Ha-eun, thinking it was just regular beef, replied.
“Beef tongue is the tongue of a cow.”
“Wait, really?”
“Yeah. So if you eat it, it’s like kissing a cow!”
With a hint of mischief in her voice, Ria made the comment, causing Ha-eun’s chopsticks to momentarily freeze.
After all, the kiss scene from The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds had made Ha-eun extra sensitive to the word “kiss.”
As Ha-eun pondered whether to eat it or not with a serious expression, Mile couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter, patting Ha-eun’s shoulder.
“Just because you’re eating pork belly doesn’t mean you’re kissing a pig’s belly. It’s fine, eat it.”
“Ah.”
At last, Ha-eun was able to savor the deep flavor of the beef tongue.
And as Ha-eun let out a sigh of relief without realizing it, Ria and Mile, who sensed the highlight of the Japan trip vlog was about to unfold, exchanged knowing glances.
When the vlogs were uploaded to YouTube, it would no doubt be a hit.
The fact that Diah’s role as the pure 1-year-old spirit would shine through during the Japan trip was sure to have a positive impact.
And perhaps that’s why, after finishing their meal and arriving at their first tourist destination, Asakusa’s Senso-ji Temple...
“Hey, what do you think?”
“You look amazing.”
“Anyone who didn’t know would think you’re a kimono model.”
When Ha-eun quickly changed into a kimono at a rental shop on the street and emerged, everyone praised how well it suited her.
But when Ji Hye-min insisted on taking a photo and asked Ha-eun to pose, the cheerful atmosphere vanished.
Ha-eun suddenly took on the same serious expression as during her photoshoot weeks ago.
- Click.
“Wow.”
“The vibe is insane, Diah!”
Seeing Ha-eun’s photo, the Illusionary Realm members marveled at her talent, knowing that she was a true actress.
Her aura was completely different from Diah’s usual high-pitched voice, leaving everyone in awe.