[ "Hida—well, I an, Da-yeon—insists it must be this day. She really hopes you’ll make ti for her, Diah." ]
Over the phone, the general manager chuckled apologetically, expressing regret for being unable to rein in Da-yeon’s stubbornness.
It wasn’t entirely unreasonable. Neither Da-yeon nor Ha-eun had much free ti, so from the perspective of soone managing their schedules, juggling commitnts like this was undoubtedly a headache.
In the end, Ha-eun relented, replying, "Okay."
She wanted to push it off again but realized she had already postponed their collaboration several tis. Another excuse might only anger Da-yeon further, especially when she'd find out Ha-eun had ti for Nael’s stream but not hers.
"What’s the collab content?"
[ "It’s a secret… or so she says. She’ll tell you during the stream." ]
"…What is she planning now?"
A bad feeling washed over her.
For Da-yeon to keep even the general manager in the dark wasn’t a good sign.
Ha-eun had ntally prepared herself for their collaboration, but the unpredictability of Da-yeon’s antics unnerved her. She feared what kind of embarrassing legacy Da-yeon might create for Diah. After all, while the stream might last only a day, the recording would remain forever.
‘Maybe she enjoys teasing because she likes .’
Ha-eun hoped for a calm and uneventful collaboration, like the one with Nael. But judging from Da-yeon’s past comnts and donation ssages on Diah’s streams, chaos seed inevitable.
Still, with only ten minutes left before the eting with Rev for their CF shoot, Ha-eun had to cut the conversation short.
"I have to hang up now; my CF eting is about to start."
[ "A… eting?" ]
"Yes, a eting."
[ "…Wait. Where are you taking this call from?" ]
The general manager sounded unusually concerned.
"I’m at Rev. It’s a costics company."
[ "Rev? Are you saying you’re in their building right now?" ]
"Yes."
[ "Don’t tell … you stepped out of the eting to take this call?!" ]
"No, the eting hasn’t started yet."
[ "Oh, thank goodness. I was worried I interrupted sothing important." ]
The manager let out a sigh of relief before reminding Ha-eun to always clarify if she was in a situation where taking calls wasn’t ideal.
They followed up with a random tidbit about using Rev’s costics themselves before hastily ending the call.
[ "Anyway, I shouldn’t keep you. Good luck with your eting!" ]
"Thank you. Talk later."
Click.
With the call over, Ha-eun sighed.
‘Well, at least Da-yeon probably won’t go too overboard… right?’
There wasn’t much else she could do but wait for the day of their collaboration. Calling Da-yeon to ask about the plans would only make things worse. Instead, Ha-eun decided to focus on her imdiate priorities—like the Rev CF eting, starting in five minutes.
"Ha-eun, it’s ti. Let’s go in."
"Alright."
Accompanied by her manager, Ju Jung-yoon, Ha-eun entered the sleek eting room within Rev’s headquarters. As an international brand, the atmosphere of the office felt more Western than Korean, though the ad proposals they presented aligned well with Korean sensibilities.
"If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. We’re here to get your thoughts, Miss Ha-eun."
For the duration of the eting, Ha-eun reviewed various proposals with her manager. While everything seed fine to her, the final decision ca down to Jung-yoon’s recomndation.
"I think Option B suits you best, Ha-eun."
"Then let’s go with Option B."
"Understood. Would it be alright to proceed with the original shoot dates we discussed?"
"Yes, that works."
With the eting wrapped up, the Rev representative sent them off with a polite, "We look forward to working with you during the CF shoot!"
Ha-eun still felt slightly uneasy about her upcoming role as Lee Ye-seo in Veterans, but she had already set the tone with her debut album. At least for now, her image aligned well with a costics campaign.
With all her pre-shoot preparations complete, Ha-eun decided to learn more about Rev and brainstorm ideas for the shoot’s vibe while heading ho.
In the van, she browsed through Rev’s brand history on her phone when Jung-yoon suddenly spoke up.
"Oh, by the way, Ha-eun."
"Hmm?"
"Starting next week, you’ll have action scene rehearsals for Veterans with Seo Jin-tae and Yoo Sung-jae."
The new schedule caught her attention, though it didn’t seem particularly unusual.
"Just a heads-up," Jung-yoon added, "don’t ss up."
"ss up? What do you an?"
"Don’t actually hit anyone. Yoo Sung-jae might be fine, but Seo Jin-tae is turning sixty soon."
Ha-eun squinted at her manager in disbelief.
"You’re acting like I’m a nace. Do you think I’d actually hit soone? Especially soone like Seo Jin-tae?"
"Yoo Sung-jae specifically asked to warn you. He said you might need a reminder."
"Why is he always like this?"
"He’s just looking out for you."
"Feels more like he’s teasing ."
"Well, maybe a little. But it’s better to be cautious. Control your strength, alright?"
Ha-eun rolled her eyes but didn’t argue further. She wasn’t exactly a powerhouse—her grip strength was average at best… or maybe a little above average.
Okay, fine. Maybe it was above average for a woman.
A week later, however, she had to eat her words.
[ "Screeech!!" ]
"Ahhh!!!"
Crack.
"…Huh?"
In a mont of panic while playing a VR horror ga, Ha-eun had accidentally cracked the plastic controller with her bare hands.
Sure, it was just a flimsy plastic device, and she’d been startled, but still…
"I take it back," she muttered to herself. "Maybe my strength isn’t as average as I thought."
Her self-assessnt shifted: she was probably at least semi-pro athlete level.
"Uh, Witch… the controller broke…"
[ "Blaming the ga because you’re scared? Keep that up, and I might just eat you for real." ]
"No, seriously! It’s actually broken!"
***
One Hour Before Ha-eun's VR Controller Incident
Ha-eun sat nervously, clearing her throat repeatedly in preparation for the long-anticipated collaboration stream between Hida and Diah. Unlike her collab with Nael, this ti she wouldn’t et Hida in person—sothing that would undoubtedly lead to catastrophic results. However, she would have to spend the entire stream talking to Hida, also known as Da-yeon, via Discord.
The stakes were high.
"If she recognizes my real voice… that’s it. A broadcast disaster."
Ha-eun knew that if Da-yeon discovered the truth behind Diah’s identity mid-stream, it could lead to an explosion of emotions—a scenario she had worked hard to avoid. The possibility of the infamous "red pill" mont lood large.
Determined to avoid any slip-ups, Ha-eun made extra effort to differentiate her voice as Diah from her real one. This was why, as soon as the stream began, she greeted Hida with an overly cheerful and high-pitched tone.
"H-hi…! So you’re Hida? I’ve heard so much about you from Nael—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Hida’s voice, calm and mature, cut her off.
[ "Hmm, you shouldn’t speak informally to your elder, should you?" ]
Hida’s tone demanded respect, pointing out that it was improper for a one-year-old maid (Diah) to address a 600-year-old witch (Hida) so casually. Left with no choice, Ha-eun complied.
"Ah, um… y-yes, hello, ma’am…"
[ "That’s better." ]
As dictated by Hida’s whims, Diah was now stuck speaking in formal language for the entirety of the stream. After all, it was Hida’s free pass stream, and her words were law.
‘Coming out swinging right from the start…’
Ha-eun had no room to refuse. As long as it wasn’t sothing completely unreasonable, and as long as the Noeulis (viewers) found it entertaining, she was at Hida’s rcy.
[ "First, go log into Steam." ]
"…Yes."
[ "Now install the VR version. You know which ga I’m talking about, don’t you?" ]
"U-um… the screenshot you sent on Discord? I’m… not really sure what it is…?"
[ "Tsk. Keep this up, and we’ll have a third or even fourth stream to finish everything." ]
Ha-eun’s dread grew as she realized she had no choice but to play a VR horror ga—a genre she didn’t particularly enjoy.
‘Of all the gas, why that one?’
The ga in question, as shown in the screenshot Hida had sent, was one Ha-eun had never played before. While it seed less gory and less grotesque than other horror gas she had tried, it was still a VR survival horror ga. Worse, it also involved escaping monsters that jumped out at unexpected monts.
[ "Are you installing it?" ]
"Y-yes, I’m installing Cat Playti now…"
[ "The VR version, right?" ]
"Yes… but it says it’ll take about 15 minutes to finish installing, so maybe we could—"
Hoping to delay the inevitable, Ha-eun suggested doing sothing else in the anti. However, her plea was imdiately dismissed.
[ "Then we’ll just do sothing else while it installs." ]
Hida began preparing another activity, much to the delight of the Noeulis, who filled the chat with praise for her resolve.
"The queen, the legend: Hida!"
"Her determination to make Diah play Cat Playti is admirable."
"I love you, Hida!"
"Can’t wait for this chaos."
"So, what are we doing while it installs?"
[ "Oh, as for that… let’s open up the viewer list for sothing special." ]
Ding. The broadcast setup changed, and the list of viewers appeared on-screen.
[ "Let’s start a temporary special service: Diah Maid’s 1-on-1 VIP Treatnt!" ]
"W-wait, what?!"
Hida’s mouse moved quickly, enlarging one lucky viewer’s nickna on the stream. A 1-on-1 chatroom with Diah opened, leaving Ha-eun no room to escape.
[ "Alright, Diah Maid. First, ask your master if they’ve had their al." ]
"M-master? What—"
[ "Ahem." ]
"M-master… have you eaten?"
[ "No, no. More formally." ]
"M-master… have you… had your al?"
[alswwkd83]: "I was just about to."
[ "Perfect timing. Wait just a mont. Our maid will cast a special spell to make it more delicious." ]
Ha-eun froze. She could already guess what she’d have to say but desperately hoped Hida wouldn’t go through with it.
[ "Alright, Diah Maid. Cast the spell. I’ve sent the script on Discord; just read it aloud." ]
Of course, Hida crushed her hopes rcilessly. The chat, predictably, exploded with excitent.
"Let’s gooooo!"
"Hurry, Diah, before the olet gets cold!"
"If you stall, Hida might actually eat you, lol."
"Clips are on, everyone!"
[ "Diah Maid, are you trying to let your master starve?" ]
Left with no other choice, Ha-eun muttered the infamous spell.
"O-ohisii… nare… moe moe… KYUN!!!"
Bang bang bang!
Her voice, strained with embarrassnt, filled the stream alongside the sound of her slamming the desk in sheer mortification.
"LMAO!"
"The existential crisis is hitting her hard!"
"Hida is officially the GOAT now."
"Can Hida handle the aftermath?"
"Never has there been a junior like this."
Even as tears of humiliation welled up in Ha-eun’s eyes, the stream continued. Hida’s chuckling, combined with her dual presence—using one account to act as Hida and another to chat—went completely unnoticed.
The timing of Hida’s silence and the arrival of the 1-on-1 ssages wasn’t sothing anyone caught on to.
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