Two laptops.
Three tablets.
Five unused phones.
And finally, the additional specialized help (friends) to assist Nael.
The scene, reminiscent of a spy movie operation, was actually Nael's preparation for the 'Lee Ha-eun Fan Meeting Ticketing.'
“...A bonus of 30,000 won for those who succeed.”
“Okay.”
“Accepted.”
With a success fee added, this grand operation resulted in a total of 2 tickets.
Considering the intense competition for ticketing, this was a remarkable outcome.
“Jihee.”
“...No way?”
“...There are 2 tickets, right?”
“!!!”
After the praise showered on the friend who successfully grabbed the two tickets, Nael's promised 30,000-won bonus was transferred, and the accompanying person who would take the remaining ticket was promptly designated.
“Now, the next question. What is my favorite food—”
“Red velvet cake!!!!”
“...? Who just answered?”
“Here, here!!”
“Hm, seems like someone from section K...?!”
Eventually, Nael reached the final moment of locking eyes with Ha-eun.
Unlike Nael, who was excited to the point of being frantic, Ha-eun recognized Nael instantly, her eyes widening for a brief moment.
However, of course, she couldn’t act like she knew.
The reason she hastily grabbed the handheld mic she had set down was because of this.
“You’re, you’re really cute, I was surprised. Anyway, since you got the answer right, I think you can receive your prize later.”
After acknowledging Nael’s correct answer, Ha-eun swiftly moved on to the next quiz, looking at the cue card.
Nael nearly fainted from Ha-eun’s comment about how cute she was, but Ha-eun was none the wiser.
Strictly speaking, Nael had already met Ha-eun before.
She had even hand-fed cotton candy to Ha-eun while broadcasting from a distance where she could almost reach her.
“My favorite is more the merrier...”
“Huh? What’s that?”
“There’s such a thing...”
Even though Nael wasn’t a hardcore fan of Ha-eun, she couldn’t help but feel her heart race whenever she gazed at her.
Her friend, who had never quite understood Nael’s goofy smile, didn’t get why Nael was acting so flustered.
Still, Nael’s eyes were locked on Ha-eun.
Her gaze, full of admiration, never left Ha-eun as she performed on stage.
It was undeniable that Ha-eun couldn’t ignore the look in Nael’s eyes once she realized it.
Before she consciously noticed Nael’s presence, she didn’t mind, but once she did, her eyes couldn’t help but gravitate toward her.
‘Da-yeon can’t find out...’
The issue was, Da-yeon also knew about Nael.
Da-yeon was one of the few who knew about Nael's "red pill."
The problem was, Ha-eun couldn’t say anything to Da-yeon.
Mentioning Nael’s existence to Da-yeon would essentially mean admitting that she knew about Nael and, furthermore, about Da-yeon’s role as Hida in Illusionary Realm’s second season.
As a result, after the first part of the fan meeting ended and Ha-eun returned backstage, she didn’t mention anything about Nael to Da-yeon, even as she checked Da-yeon’s cue card while changing into her outfit for part two.
“Your dress looks great, Da-yeon.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. It looks like something expensive.”
“Yeah... it’s worth the price.”
“...How much was it?”
At that moment, Yoon Si-hyuk arrived.
He immediately asked about the guests, and Ha-eun shifted her attention from Da-yeon’s pricey dress—was it made of pure gold?—to focus on him.
Soon after, the countdown for the second part of the fan meeting began.
Ha-eun quietly recited the lyrics for the opening song in her mind as she headed to the designated entrance.
A little while later, at the exact start of the second part, Ha-eun faced the audience, her voice floating through the air with a soft melody.
"Lost for a moment♪ Like that day and night, slowly─♬"
As she locked eyes with the fans in the audience, her pure tone resonated, and then...
"Wherever it may be♪ As long as we walk together─♬"
The owner of the voice appeared next to Ha-eun, causing the crowd to erupt in cheers.
‘...I didn’t know they were singing.’
Was this a surprise Yoon Si-hyuk had prepared?
Gone was his usual light-hearted persona; now, he was serious, wearing traditional royal garb and singing passionately.
His appearance was a total surprise for the audience too.
They knew he was a guest, but they didn’t expect him to sing so well while harmonizing with Ha-eun.
“...Long time no see, Wol-ah.”
When Yoon Si-hyuk formally greeted the fans, the applause was thunderous.
None of Ha-eun’s fans had anything but admiration for him.
Soon after, a brief talk session began, where Yoon Si-hyuk casually mentioned his recent activities and discussed Veterans with Ha-eun.
However, one guest was still to be introduced.
“Well, I think Ha-eun and I are already enough, but still, three is better than two, right?”
After briefly introducing Veterans, Yoon Si-hyuk’s mic shifted to announce Da-yeon’s introduction.
When Da-yeon appeared on stage, the applause was just as overwhelming.
However, she had no idea about the surprise performance by Yoon Si-hyuk, which made the reaction a bit awkward.
“I didn’t know Yoon Si-hyuk could do such adorable things.”
Da-yeon forced a smile as she looked at Yoon Si-hyuk, but he didn’t seem to care.
“Well, Da-yeon, didn’t you prepare anything special?”
“...Huh?”
At that moment, Da-yeon and Yoon Si-hyuk’s gazes clashed directly in front of Ha-eun.
Realizing this, Ha-eun smoothly moved the event forward, prompting both Yoon Si-hyuk and Da-yeon to read their lines from their cue cards.
The next 30 minutes of guest talk were mostly the same as the rehearsal.
There were small clashes between Da-yeon and Yoon Si-hyuk, but the fans seemed to enjoy the playful banter.
When the guests left, another round of applause filled the venue.
No signs of ill-will were visible.
Soon after, the Q&A session with fans began.
“What’s your current hobby? Well... recently, I’ve been playing with dolls mostly.”
Nael, knowing the truth about the "dolls" being Noeulis’ SD virtual avatars, couldn’t help but find the situation amusing.
Though she couldn’t let on, she kept muttering to herself.
“King’s ears are donkey ears... King’s ears are donkey ears...”
“...Has she lost her mind?”
At this point, Nael’s friend gave her a puzzled look as Ha-eun finished the last cue card and asked for a photo time.
The fans, eager to cooperate, agreed.
After a few photo sessions, they finally reached the farewell moment.
“Hmm... one more time. How about we all do a V sign and take another picture?”
After several more photo ops, Ha-eun said her farewells.
Before her final words, the fans' voices erupted:
“Ha-eun, we love you!!”
“Lee Ha-eun is so pretty!!!”
“Let’s walk the flower path, Ha-eun!”
“...Thank you...”
Ha-eun bowed and responded to her fans with the same politeness, her eyes slightly red as she smiled brightly.
It was the brightest smile of her life.
For the first time, Ha-eun realized she could smile like this.
“...I didn’t think she would cry.”
“It’s her first fan meeting, she must be feeling a lot.”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“It’s not about understanding, it’s about empathizing. Unlike some people.”
“Da-yeon was teasing Ha-eun for crying.”
“?! I didn’t!!”
***
A few days after Ha-eun's first fan meeting.
The shooting of Veterans, now in its second half, had begun.
However, today marked the first time they were filming an action scene.
These scenes were crucial, as they would be used to create the trailer for Veterans.
“We might finish late today. I want to compare the takes right away,”
Director Kim Hong-seon explained to the crew and actors at the set.
After all, the scenes they were about to shoot were the highlights of Veterans.
In other words, these were the defining moments of the movie, scenes that would best showcase its identity, and they were being filmed with great care and precision.
“Ha-eun, please, don’t actually hit me. I barely managed to talk the manager out of using a stunt double.”
“...I’ll try.”
The first scene to be filmed was a fight between Kang Chan-seong and Lee Ye-seo.
For some reason, Yoon Si-hyuk kept glancing at Ha-eun’s gloved hands with a slightly nervous expression.
Though they had rehearsed action scenes together many times, there was something about imagining Ha-eun’s small fists actually landing a hit on Yoon Si-hyuk that made him uneasy.
Strictly speaking, the scene would end with a prop dagger, not a punch, but...
‘...Honestly, this is a bit scary.’
Even though Ha-eun, already portraying Lee Ye-seo, was making her face match the character’s cold expression, it still made Yoon Si-hyuk step back.
Considering how Ha-eun’s Lee Ye-seo would unsettle Yoon Si-hyuk’s Kang Chan-seong, it wasn’t exactly unexpected.
But something felt different from the Ha-eun Yoon Si-hyuk had seen before.
The Ha-eun he had known showed emotions deeper than expected, while this Ha-eun seemed to convey feelings he hadn’t anticipated.
‘Is she forcing this down? Or is she really devoid of emotion...?’
The face in front of him lacked empathy.
Her expression was that of a psychopath—thinking only of her desires, with no care for others’ feelings.
Perhaps that’s why it was so unsettling.
“Alright, let’s begin. S#130 Office, action!”
At Kim Hong-seon’s cue, the first scene of the day began.
To be more precise, it was the moment Yoon Si-hyuk’s Kang Chan-seong first started suspecting Lee Ye-seo.
“Only the scene going into the CCTV, but there’s nothing coming out. What’s going on here?”
“Who? ...Ah, Min-hwa?”
The calm voice confessing the truth showed no change in emotion.
At almost the same time, Yoon Si-hyuk felt a sharp blade graze his ear.
“...Injured?”
After all, Ha-eun had been smiling chillingly.
“By now, you can’t even lift a finger, can you? Seems like the police are different. How interesting.”
Another sharp jab came.
Yoon Si-hyuk kicked Ha-eun’s hand away, throwing the dagger as he steadied himself.
The sense of danger that had been creeping up on him now felt all too real.
This content is taken from fгeewebnovёl.com.
Click.
Then another click.
“The CCTV footage—who leaked it? How hard did Oppa try to delete it?”
The sound of shoes, neither fast nor slow, steadily approached Yoon Si-hyuk.
Then, the line that signaled the start of the action scene rang out.
“Just one question. Who showed the CCTV footage?”
“...It’s a public service tip. I can’t reveal the informant’s identity.”
“Ha... How ridiculous.”
After a slight bow, Ha-eun touched her forehead and chuckled.
A few seconds later, Ha-eun raised her hand and ran her fingers through her hair.
“I don’t know who they are, but neglecting your duties... is that not a crime?”
With those words, Ha-eun lunged at Yoon Si-hyuk, radiating nothing but deadly intent.
And yet, despite the murder in her eyes, her face still held that eerie smile, which sent a chill down Yoon Si-hyuk’s spine.