A long red carpet. The cameras of entertainment reporters filled both sides. The photo wall visible beyond.

‘...How many years has it been?’

This entire scene was something Ha-eun had not encountered in a while. After attending the UBS Acting Awards as young Han Yoo-hwa in You Came From the Stars, she hadn’t really attended any other award ceremonies since then.

The faint memories of receiving a juvenile acting award at the vast stage of the UBS Acting Awards and being overwhelmed felt distant now. She couldn’t even recall what kind of acceptance speech she had given.

The only thing that was clear was that, for the first time since she was a child actor, Ha-eun was now walking the red carpet as a full-fledged lead actress. The realization that she wasn’t just a child actress but a respected leading lady slowly began to sink in.

-Swoosh.

After reaching the photo wall with Yoo Sung-jae, they stopped for a moment and waved their hands slightly towards the cameras. A calm smile, typical of an actress, graced Ha-eun’s face.

The unease caused by Da-yeon’s Diah keychain had long since disappeared.

Perhaps that was why...

"...Hmm."

Yoo Sung-jae, who had noticed the change in Ha-eun’s overall atmosphere, briefly turned his gaze toward her. The response he got was Ha-eun’s puzzled voice.

"Did something get on me?"

"No, just... you seem fine now."

It wasn’t that something had gotten on her. Only when Yoo Sung-jae’s soft voice reached her did Ha-eun’s suspicion clear.

Almost simultaneously, a familiar voice was heard again.

"You look beautiful today. The dress really suits you, Ha-eun."

"Ah... you too, Sung-jae."

To be precise, it wasn’t the first time Ha-eun had been called beautiful. Her makeup artist, and even her manager Ju Jung-yoon, had complimented her, saying that she looked especially beautiful today.

Hearing it from Yoo Sung-jae didn’t feel particularly burdensome either. Ha-eun couldn’t deny that her current look was more like a leading actress.

However, just after that, Yoo Sung-jae’s voice, murmuring softly, made things unusual.

"...■■■■."

-Click click click click─!

The camera shutter sounds filled the air, overlapping with his words, making it hard to hear.

Because of this, Ha-eun asked Yoo Sung-jae once more in the relatively quiet interior of the ceremony hall.

"Sung-jae, what did you say earlier, outside?"

There was a brief silence. But the words that came next weren’t what Ha-eun had been curious about.

"I said you look beautiful today."

"No, after that."

"The dress suits you well?"

"...A little further back."

"Ah, that was just a mumbled comment... No, maybe it wasn’t exactly a mumbled comment?"

Yoo Sung-jae pondered for about 10 seconds, but in the end, Ha-eun didn’t get the answer she was hoping for.

"I’ll tell you later. It’s a long story."

"Ah, okay."

Ha-eun and Yoo Sung-jae then walked toward the seats ahead. They arrived at their respective seats, labeled ‘Lee Ha-eun’ and ‘Yoo Sung-jae.’

It was then that a voice of someone already seated in the ceremony hall was heard.

"So, how is it?"

Da-yeon asked, wondering if it made a difference to get properly dressed. Ha-eun, briefly turning her gaze toward Da-yeon, replied with the same words that Yoo Sung-jae had just said to her.

"Beautiful."

Da-yeon was wearing a white-toned dress, with makeup that softly complemented her strong features. From head to toe, she looked just as stunning as Ha-eun.

Of course, Ha-eun had simply spoken the truth, without comparing herself to Da-yeon.

However, Da-yeon personally wished Ha-eun would have complimented her a little more.@@@@

"How beautiful?"

Without even glancing at Yoo Sung-jae, Da-yeon kept pressing Ha-eun for an answer. Ha-eun, unsure of how to respond, could only give an awkward expression.

Despite that, Da-yeon’s persistence didn’t end.

After much deliberation, Ha-eun finally replied.

"...You’re as beautiful as you."

It was a compliment that, if Da-yeon denied it, would make it awkward. It was Ha-eun’s way of escaping Da-yeon’s persistent questioning.

But Da-yeon’s reaction wasn’t what Ha-eun had expected.

Why?

As soon as Da-yeon heard the compliment, her shoulders raised, and Ha-eun had expected her to proudly show off her own beauty. However...

"What... what do you mean?"

Da-yeon’s face was slightly flushed, and her eyelids were trembling.

It wasn’t anything Ha-eun had expected. It felt unfamiliar in many ways.

"Just... that you’re as beautiful as you... why?"

"Oh, no... uh... thank you."

After that, there were no more questions about Da-yeon’s appearance. For some reason, Da-yeon had grown very quiet.

‘Why is she acting like this?’

Honestly, Ha-eun wasn’t completely indifferent to it. But a few minutes later, with the KBC Acting Awards about to begin, she missed the timing to ask.

Soon, two middle-aged actors appeared on the stage. The lights began to focus on the stage, accompanied by brief remarks.

"It’s an honor to be here with all of you in this festive occasion."

"Such amazing people are sitting in front of me right now~."

Soon, the discussion turned to the various KBC dramas, their influence, famous scenes, and actors who became famous through KBC.

"Now, let’s begin the KBC Acting Awards with the wonderful people who have graced this place!"

The huge applause and cheers echoed loudly. Hearing this after such a long time, Ha-eun’s past memories gradually began to resurface.

11 years since Neighbor Uncle’s Kim Ji-a. 7 years since young Han Yoo-hwa in You Came From the Stars.

The time it took to return to the grand scene full of actors wasn’t short, but not particularly long either.

However, Ha-eun was certain that there were more things to come than what had already happened. This moment was not going to be her last award ceremony.

Clap clap clap clap─!

However...

"Come on, Sung-jae, say something!"

"Well... I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t pay attention to the couple’s affection, Your Majesty~."

"?!"

Da-yeon’s eyes grew even narrower at Yoo Sung-jae’s playful voice, and Ha-eun, caught between the two, felt even more awkward.

It was like sitting on a thorny cushion.

Or a bed of needles.

"Be confident, madam. Why are you so embarrassed?"

"Madam? What do you mean by that?"

"It’s embarrassing, Your Majesty. If you’re jealous, just admit it."

At this point, even Yoo Sung-jae got pulled into a childish argument with Da-yeon, and Ha-eun couldn’t even lift her head.

She wanted to hide in a mouse hole.

The ceremony continued.

The applause continued.

The speeches continued.

In the final part of the awards, the candidates for Best Actress were announced.

Ha-eun’s name was included in the list of nominees.

But she didn’t expect much.

After all, she had already won the Best Couple Award, and the other nominees were all outstanding actresses.

Though The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds had been a big success, Ha-eun never imagined she would win over the other amazing actresses.

"KBC Acting Awards, the winner of Best Actress is... Congratulations, Lee Ha-eun from The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds!"

"...Huh?"

The grand scenes of Ha-eun’s performances filled the large screen.

Clink.

"...I’ll kill them all."

The assassin who entered the palace, cutting down enemies as she rushed toward her beloved.

"Die──!"

"...!! Your Highness!!"

In the end, the woman protecting her loved one, even throwing herself into danger, was none other than Ha-eun.

And so, once again, she had to rise from her seat and head toward the stage.

Clap clap clap clap clap clap─!

With thunderous applause and the golden trophy handed to her, Ha-eun felt a mixture of emotions.

Her acceptance speech started in a more composed tone than her previous speech.

"Hello, I’m Lee Ha-eun, who played Yeong-wol in The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds."

As always, she was calm.

The words she needed to say and the words she wanted to say were clearly spoken into the microphone.

But a memory that slowly resurfaced in Ha-eun’s mind asked her a question, and now she felt she could answer it.

‘I think I’ve become someone worthy of this award...’

"I’m grateful to have become someone worthy of this award."

Ha-eun, who had once bowed her head at her first award ceremony, now held her head high until she finished her acceptance speech.

Though it might have seemed slightly arrogant, she didn’t care.

"Then, I’ll continue to work hard... No, I’ll work even harder. Thank you."

And so, holding the golden trophy tightly, she returned to her seat, back to her place as "Actress Lee Ha-eun."

There was no doubt this was her place.

She had become the right person for it, so she had the right to sit there.

There was no way she would give up her seat to anyone else.

It was a seat just for her, Lee Ha-eun.

***

This year’s KBC Acting Awards was broadcast live from start to finish, so reactions to the ceremony were immediately visible in real-time.

And so, the community reactions started appearing as the ceremony was still going on.

Lee Ha-eun KBC Acting Awards Entrance gif

“Wow, what’s going on with that dress?”“The dress fit is insane, seriously ????”“Unnie, I’m going crazy, seriously” “Shouldn’t Ha-eun be the unnie?”“If you’re prettier than me, then you’re unnie.”

Live) Lee Ha-eun & Yoo Sung-jae Best Couple Emergence

“Did you see the footage from The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds?”"They only play the most epic moments, haha.""Maybe it''s because they''re 15, but they don''t censor it at all."

Ha-eun seems to be in a slump

Unexpected Kiss Scene Causes Lee Ha-eun to Freeze

“She’s so cute when she’s embarrassed, seriously.”“She’s not usually the type to stutter, but it’s no wonder she’s freaking out, haha.”

Ha-eun’s fan communities were actively live-streaming her reactions from the KBC Acting Awards, capturing every moment.

To be honest, nothing too strange happened, but there was another community, somewhat distant from Ha-eun’s fanbase, that started to react differently.

Live) Min Da-yeon Diah Shoutout

“That’s definitely a Diah keychain.”"Yeah, it’s Diah’s keychain.""That’s a pretty expensive handbag, but there’s Diah’s keychain hanging off of it, haha."

Who says VTubers are underground!!!

"Our Diah is world-class!!""Diah’s style is amazing; she even charms working actresses."

I didn’t expect to like Min Da-yeon so much, but suddenly she feels like a friend

“Hey, celebrities are people too~ They’re not gods~”“Why separate us Noeulis by rank, haha.”

The community was abuzz with talk about Ha-eun’s appearance, with some of it being due to Da-yeon’s actions, but overall, there was increased attention on Diah.

Perhaps that was why...

Click.

Illusionary Realm Year-End Party

“Hello~”

“Hello, hello─☆”

The most popular messages during the group stream at the end of December were mainly about Da-yeon and Diah.

“A celebrity gave a shoutout to a VTuber.”“Isn’t Min Da-yeon watching right now?”“Our baby is already world-class...!”“Isn’t this the stream for a high school student and a famous actress??”“Just shout it out—Diah GOAT.”

Fortunately, the attention didn’t extend to Da-yeon’s associates. Ha-eun, who had been concerned that people would focus on her because of her close relationship with Da-yeon, didn’t get that kind of scrutiny.

But then...

Ding.

[WithCoin sent 10,000 won in donation!]

"Is Diah’s real name something like Min, the middle part of it, and Yeon at the end?"

"What... What does that even mean...?"

Ha-eun had never imagined someone would confuse Diah with Da-yeon. That was why she was left speechless in shock.

?"Why is she stuttering?""Is it true????""This can’t be Diah, right? It can’t, right??""Wait, my head’s spinning...""Can you say it more clearly?"

“Ugh, I see some weird comments... Anyone spreading rumors will be banned. Be careful with your actions, okay?”

“That squirrel is a little off.”"The rumors aren’t rumors though.""Let’s hear Diah’s clarification first?""So, is she Min Da-yeon or not!!?""Hmm, looks like the blue pill situation ??."