NOVPUBDiah's announcement of her first solo song production and her intention to actively incorporate Noeulis' ideas into the lyrics caused the participation in the chat to skyrocket. The fact that Diah would sing a solo song with lyrics chosen by the fans had the chat going wild. Of course, some suggestions were less than serious, and others were totally inappropriate for song lyrics.
[qhtcl2rldjswp] - How about "Noeulbit" (Twilight Light)?
“Noeulbit? ...I like it!”
There were many ideas that caught Ha-eun’s attention, and before long, the list of suggested words in the notes app grew quite long.
By the time about 20 Noeulis had joined Diah's one-on-one chat room, Ha-eun decided that it was enough and closed the suggestion period.
“Alright, that’s all for the ideas~.”
: Will Noeulis' usernames be in the credits for writing/composing?
“Ah, will your usernames be in the writing and composing credits? Hm... well, it won’t be on the music streaming sites, but it’ll probably be in the music video credits.”
Ha-eun pondered for about 20 seconds. Realistically, she couldn’t share profits, and besides, the main focus was on the fact that her first solo song was coming out.
“The money from the song? I’ll use it to do something good for Noeulis─☆”
She boldly declared, in a more shameless tone, that there would be no profit sharing. As expected, the chat filled with playful jeers.
“Don’t you know that married couples are one in mind? If the wife says she’ll use it for something good, huh? The husband has to say ‘okay’ too!”
Diah’s virtual avatar smoothly disappeared from the screen, and just after, Ha-eun said, “Well, see you~!”
The broadcast screen shifted to a scene of a church. Specifically, it was a confessional booth.
Diah’s avatar soon appeared.
“Alright, everyone, please be quiet... from now on, it’s a sacred time for counseling...”
Ha-eun, wearing a makeshift nun’s habit over her original outfit, said as she logged into the official Illusionary Realm forum.
The sudden shift to Part 2 of the broadcast briefly paused the chat, but it quickly became chaotic once again.
“Ah, this was a real mess. They suddenly made a healthy person look like someone dying from an illness.”
Shortly after, Ha-eun clicked on a post with a high number of recommendations.
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Title > I feel like I’m going to die from worry...
lDiahS2HawaiiWanl | 00:13
(Close-up photo of Diah’s avatar)
(Screenshot of Diah’s YouTube channel banner)
I’m really worried about what this kid is doing right now...
Is she eating warm meals...
Is she covering herself with a blanket while sleeping...
I’m so worried that my tears won’t stop...
(Screenshot of Diah’s Twitter post about eating a delicious steak)
Well, she’s eating and living just fine, it seems.
Looks like Noeulis is the only one feeling cold and hungry.
(Crying SD Noeulis emoticon)
I’ve finished binge-watching all her YouTube videos!!!
Come back, it’s so cold.
───────────
ㄴ Hahahaha
ㄴ Heartbreaking modern literature, what a mix
ㄴ My hands and feet are cold, and I’m shaking in tearsㅠㅠㅠ
ㄴ It’s not even been a week, and you’re acting like this;
ㄴ Tlqkf, I can relate
ㄴ Wait... we still have 2 more weeks left?
ㄴ What? What? What’s going on?
“Hmm...”
Ha-eun pondered for a moment about how to respond to the not-so-serious post. As soon as a good idea crossed her mind, she quickly typed away.
Diah: "Steak was sooooo good!"With a playful comment that lightly teased Noeulis, Diah clicked the back button. Despite the notifications that new replies had been posted to her comment, Ha-eun purposely ignored them.
Shortly after, Ha-eun clicked on another highly recommended post. This time, contrary to her expectations, the content was not playful at all. Instead, it was a serious post that showed no hint of joking.
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Title: Request for a Song Broadcast!
dungheoga | 11:02
Hello, Diah!
I’m a seasoned Noeulis who’s been following Diah since her debut!
I’m writing because, before my surgery, I would love to hear Diah cover Leni - Between the Stars.
(Hospital bed photo)
(Small hand making a peace sign)
Hearing Diah sing my favorite song would mean so much to me before my surgery.
I’ve been enjoying Diah’s broadcasts for a while now, and I’m curious how your version would sound.
I hope you’ve been able to rest well during your break, and if you have time, I would be so grateful if you could sing Between the Stars.
(Bright smile SD Noeulis emoji)
+) Like Diah, I also wanted to see Leni live at a university festival, but the circumstances didn’t allow it. I hope I can see Leni next year!
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Ha-eun read through the post again, slowly, the weight of the words sinking in. The memory of her past life briefly caught in her throat.
“...I’ll practice and get it ready. As soon as I can.”
Ha-eun promised in front of more than 10,000 Noeulis that she would make sure to prepare the requested song. The next day, she personally reached out to Leni, with whom she had established a connection during the Start Again shoot.
“Unnie, can you spare just one day?”
[ “I’ve got plenty of time! Where should we meet?” ]
“I’ll come to your studio. It’s... something important.”
[ “Hmm, something important... Okay!” ]
Time passed, and the day arrived when Ha-eun met Leni.
“I... I want to hear the song... before my surgery... I feel bad for not knowing sooner...”
Ha-eun, with a slightly wet voice, shared the story of Noeulis with Leni, wrapping it up by mentioning that Noeulis wasn’t just a fan of Diah, but of Ha-eun herself.
“Unnie, could you help me practice Between the Stars? Please, I’d really appreciate it...”
“Alright, I got it.”
With Leni’s direct assistance, Ha-eun began practicing the song. Noeulis’ hospital bed photo had pushed Ha-eun to take action more actively than usual.
Time passed once again, and the day came when Ha-eun performed the requested song as sincerely as possible.
“...How was it? Was it okay?”
[Sunrise123] - Yes
[Sunrise123] - It fits even better than I imagined!
[Sunrise123] - Great job, Diah!
[Sunrise123] - I’ll have the surgery and be back soon~!
“Yeah. Have a good surgery... Take care. Fighting.”
Seeing Noeulis' satisfied messages in the chat, Ha-eun let out a sigh of relief. She sincerely hoped that after the surgery, she would be able to see Noeulis again.
***
On the day of Diah’s serious song broadcast, the story of Noeulis’ surgery began spreading widely across the community, along with Diah's new side, which had also gained attention.
The communities related to Illusionary Realm were flooded with discussions about Diah’s new side. Meanwhile, other communities were going wild over the newly released Start Again trailer.
Although Ha-eun's participation in Start Again had already been announced in the press, there hadn’t been any concrete updates until now.
In other words, it was a feast for those who liked Ha-eun. Start Again was quickly becoming a must-watch program for her fans.
However, the public opinion about Start Again shifted dramatically just 10 minutes after the show’s live broadcast started. Though Ha-eun’s appearance was still met with excitement, things took a surprising turn.
“Finally, we’ve arrived in Portugal~!”
After a brief chat in the business class of the airplane, the opening scene showed the cast gathering near the entrance of the Portugal airport.
As Ha-eun suddenly shifted her gaze and began running toward an unknown direction, the cast and viewers alike were caught off guard. No one had any idea why Ha-eun was running.
“Give me your wallet. Right now.”
Ha-eun, with an intense expression that felt like a scene from Veterans, captured the viewers' attention. The chat was confused, still unaware of why Ha-eun had such a fierce look.
“Ha-Ha-eun, what’s going on—”
As the VJ finally caught up with Ha-eun, she grabbed a young man’s arm. The viewers watched in confusion.
“Uh, huh?!”The young man, trying to escape, pulled his arm away from Ha-eun.
“Here’s the wallet.”
“...Huh? Why is my wallet with Ha-eun?”
“This kid stole it when he bumped into me earlier.”
“What?!”
It wasn’t until Ha-eun returned with the young man, the viewers finally understanding what had just happened.
“Wha-what are you going to do?”
“What do you mean?”
“This kid.”
While no formal punishment followed, Ha-eun’s action was enough to dominate the community for a while.
“Ugh, how did she... do that with just one hand...”
