Behind Ha-eun, neatly wrapped gift boxes were stacked up.

In front of her, a beautiful birthday cake was placed on a white table.

A few steps away from Ha-eun, Ju Jung-yoon and several other staff members were setting up for Ha-eun''s birthday broadcast.

Once they finished adjusting the camera angles, Ju Jung-yoon’s voice finally rang out.

"Don’t be too nervous. Just think of it like a video call."

"Ah, okay..."

To be honest, Ha-eun wasn’t particularly nervous.

After all, she had been streaming as a VTuber for over half a year.

She didn’t think there would be much difference doing a broadcast as the actress Lee Ha-eun instead of Diah.

In fact, this wasn’t her first Instagram live broadcast either.

Of course, the unrealistically high viewership of 44,000 still didn’t quite sink in.

How many broadcasts would Diah have to do to reach 44,000 viewers?

‘...This feels strange.’

As she was caught in this ambiguous feeling, Ju Jung-yoon asked if she was ready to begin the broadcast.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

And just like that, the broadcast started.

As Ha-eun’s image appeared on the vertical screen, the chat speed surged dramatically.

‘...I can’t read this.’

The chat was scrolling so fast that Ha-eun’s eyes were spinning.

It wasn’t just in Korean; English, Chinese, and Japanese were mixed in, confirming that she wasn’t seeing things.

For a brief moment, she was flustered.

After all, her previous Instagram live broadcasts weren’t like this.

‘...What’s so different about a birthday stream?’

Looking back, her previous Instagram live streams had been spontaneous and unannounced.

But this birthday stream was an official broadcast with a prior announcement from the agency.

This was bound to be different from the casual streams she did on her own time.

In any case, she had to focus on the broadcast now.

"Hello, this is Lee Ha-eun."

She waved lightly at the camera and greeted the viewers beyond the screen.

Almost immediately, she was met with reactions that felt somewhat different from Diah’s broadcasts.

HelloWowwowLove you, unnie ????????OhhhhhhiAww, so cute???

As she had felt during her first Instagram live stream, the vibe in the Instagram live chat was certainly different from Diah’s broadcasts.

While Diah’s broadcasts felt more like a conversation with friends, the Instagram live stream had the atmosphere of a fan meeting.

"Oh, the cake? A fan ordered it custom-made for me. Look, my initials are even on it."

OhThe photo cake turned out really niceHappy Birthday, Ha-eun!!!Unnie, you’re beautifulBirthday??

The chat was mostly filled with exclamations of admiration, and the atmosphere remained unchanged.

Even when Ha-eun placed the number-shaped candles on the cake and lit them, the chat was filled with comments from fans.

However, when Ha-eun asked them to sing Happy Birthday with her, the chat became completely filled with the lyrics of the song.

Right after Ha-eun blew out the candles, the chat exploded with clapping emojis and "Clap clap clap clap."

"Now I’m really 19. Time flies so fast."

Then next year, you’ll be an adult, hahaWhat did you wish for when you blew out the candles?You look cute in that outfitUnnie, you look so beautiful today, what’s going on?How long will the live stream go on today??

Afterward, Ha-eun spent some time chatting with the viewers.

The chat speed was still incredibly fast, but Ju Jung-yoon and the other staff members pointed out questions that Ha-eun should answer.

"Someone’s asking who wished you a happy 19th birthday first among your friends."

"Hm, hold on a second."

She quickly pulled out her phone.

She scrolled through the messages from her friends and found the first birthday wish, then spoke again.

[Min Da-yeon] - Happy Birthday

[Min Da-yeon] - Min Da-yeon sent a gift and message.

[Min Da-yeon] - (image of an expensive gift coupon)@@@@

As expected, best friendWhat did you put on your lips?Is Da-yeon referring to Min Da-yeon?Oh, it’s Ha-eun’s birthday today!!!I want some cake too???Now you look like an eating YouTuber, hahaI''m a big fan of you ????????????????There’s whipped cream on your upper lip

The unexpected singing voice came from the writer of The Sunshine, who was in charge of Ha-eun’s character.

A round of rhythmic applause followed.

All the staff gathered around were celebrating Ha-eun’s birthday.

Even Ba Jin-hyeok, who had brought Ha-eun here, was celebrating her birthday.

"Now, blow out the candle before the wind blows, Ha-eun. Oh, don’t forget to make a wish."

As Ba Jin-hyeok said, Ha-eun blew out the candle again, and the area was filled with applause.

A quiet smile appeared on Ha-eun’s face, which had been there since the beginning.

"Everyone... thank you."

She didn’t mention the birthday party she’d already had earlier in the morning.

After all, there was no rule that she could only have one birthday party.

So, Ha-eun’s surprise birthday party, which would later be featured in The Sunshine’s making film, ended smoothly without any issues.

Not long after, the filming of The Sunshine began.

"Alright, let’s begin. ...Action!"

The scene to be filmed today was the reunion between Ha-eun’s character, Kim Jung-hyun, and her old friend, Hwang Tae-seong.

The reunion took place less than a week after Kim Jung-hyun had left to help the righteous army at the request of Park Joo-ho.

Upon hearing that he was recovering, I hurried over. Are you feeling better?

However, Hwang Tae-seong wasn’t just Kim Jung-hyun’s old friend; he was also her betrothed.

So, meeting him after several years, emotions were naturally mixed.

But ultimately, happy memories from childhood resurfaced.

Long time no see.

With a gentle smile, they exchanged a steady gaze.

Underneath the soft expression directed at Hwang Tae-seong, there was a sense of joy.

I was worried because I hadn’t heard from you, but I’m relieved to see you’re alright.

For a brief moment, Ba Jin-hyeok was at a loss for words after hearing Ha-eun’s calm voice.

It was a side of Ha-eun that he wasn’t used to seeing.

It’s still cold outside, so let’s talk inside, shall we?

As Ha-eun turned away from Ba Jin-hyeok and started walking, a deep, indescribable aura radiated from her.

Even though the scene they were filming was a simple everyday moment, the intensity of the emotions wasn’t light.

The friendship between Kim Jung-hyun and Hwang Tae-seong was palpable.

At the same time, there was a vague affection directed toward someone other than Hwang Tae-seong.

You’ve changed a lot in the time I’ve been away.

Hwang Tae-seong’s words were full of meaning.

He had cherished Kim Jung-hyun since childhood, and now, his feelings were stronger than he had anticipated.

It felt like the depth of his emotions had suddenly intensified.

Everything felt different.

At least, today, it certainly felt different.

Why are you standing still? Your feet haven’t frozen, have they?

At that moment, Kim Jung-hyun flashed a small smile toward Hwang Tae-seong.

Yet, the intense aura surrounding her made it hard to distinguish between acting and reality.

However, Ha-eun didn’t know that this unexpected change started with her surprise birthday party.

At this moment, Ha-eun was simply enjoying herself.

What Ha-eun herself didn’t know was that her acting had begun to reflect Diah’s emotional lines.