A blessing in disguise.

    There was no better way to describe Hwang Ji-hyuk’s current situation.

    “Wow... She’s incredible.”

    “Who do you think trained her?”

    Despite seeing the sheet music and lyrics for the first time today, she didn’t miss a beat.

    All it took was listening to the guide recording a few times, and Ha-eun flawlessly delivered her featuring part.

    “Ji-hyuk, do you need to give her any feedback?”

    “I’m too busy just enjoying it. Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything to correct.”

    At this point, it was almost puzzling.

    Why hadn’t Double Lee considered asking Ha-eun to feature earlier?

    If they’d introduced her to him a little sooner, all that stress and worry could’ve been avoided.

    Unaware of Ha-eun’s reluctance to pursue a singing career, Hwang Ji-hyuk couldn’t help but feel regret.

    But as night fell,

    even someone as determined as Hwang Ji-hyuk couldn’t keep Ha-eun in the studio any longer.

    “I’ll come back to finish the rest another time. Is that okay?”

    “Ah, of course. See you then!”

    With that, the studio’s metal door clicked shut behind her.

    Immediately afterward, Ji-hyuk began replaying the recording of the finals track featuring Ha-eun.

    He imagined her on stage, envisioning the performance of “Pinocchio the Singer” during the final round.

    Stage performance was a key part of the evaluation.

    While the twist of Pinocchio secretly being a famous actress would already make for an unforgettable performance,

    he didn’t want to rely solely on her popularity to win.

    “Using the featuring artist’s fame to win would be cheap.”

    As the star of this finale, Ji-hyuk wanted to give it his all.

    Otherwise, it might end up feeling like it was Pinocchio featuring Ji-hyuk instead of the other way around.

    Eventually, Ji-hyuk left Double Lee’s studio at around 4 a.m.

    Despite the late hour, he didn’t feel tired at all.

    “I’m so excited I can’t stand it.”

    He couldn’t stop imagining the finals performance he’d share with Ha-eun.

    The worries and anxieties that had consumed his mind just a day ago had completely vanished.

    With Ha-eun now set to feature in Hwang Ji-hyuk’s SIT ON THE MONEY finals track, her schedule became busier.

    There was much more to do than just recording her part.

    This would be her first time on stage as a singer.

    While she didn’t need to learn choreography, she still had to practice her movements for the stage.

    “A live broadcast for my debut stage...”

    Mistakes during live broadcasts could be catastrophic,

    especially during something as high-profile as the SIT ON THE MONEY finals.

    It was nothing like filming a drama.

    For example, if she made a mistake while shooting The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds, they could simply start over.

    But a mistake during a live broadcast? That was a disaster.

    Any slip-up would instantly be immortalized in screenshots and memes all over the internet.

    In other words, a mistake would ruin the image of “Lee Ha-eun.”

    Thus, practicing her stage movements with the dancers who’d be performing alongside her was essential.

    She couldn’t afford any missteps during the finals performance.

    However, as a side effect of preparing for this stage,

    the number of people who now knew Pinocchio’s real identity—Ha-eun—had grown to nearly a dozen.

    -Glances.

    -Side glances.

    ‘...This is overwhelming.’

    Concerned, Ji Hye-min asked:

    “Ha-eun, is something bothering you?”

    Ha-eun hesitated before explaining that her appearance in the finals could potentially affect “Diah.”

    She sincerely apologized for taking on something that might impact her VTuber activities.

    Though Ji Hye-min understood the risk of Diah’s identity being revealed,

    she didn’t think it was as serious as Ha-eun feared.

    “Ha-eun, I get why you’re worried, but I don’t think you need to feel this guilty.”

    She reassured Ha-eun and even suggested some ways to keep Pinocchio’s identity hidden.

    “If you’re really worried, why not wear a mask on stage?”

    “I thought about it, but... wouldn’t that draw even more attention during a live broadcast?”

    Since Pinocchio would be performing on stage during the finals,

    she decided it would be better to reveal her identity outright than risk unintended consequences.

    As a faceless artist, Pinocchio’s only identifiable trait was her voice.

    The more people speculated about her identity, the more attention her voice would draw.

    To prevent this, Ha-eun wanted to redirect the focus away from her voice and onto her as a person.

    “It’s better if people pay attention to me as a person rather than just my voice.”

    “...That makes sense.”

    Before Ha-eun left, Ji Hye-min reassured her once more, reminding her not to let the stress get to her.

    “Your featuring part was amazing. Don’t let such a great voice go to waste.”

    “...Thank you.”

    Ten minutes later, Ha-eun left, waving goodbye as she disappeared through the front door.

    Still surprised by the revelation that Ha-eun was Pinocchio, Ji Hye-min replayed the song Tunnel on her Bluetooth speaker.

    Knowing it was Ha-eun’s voice made it all the more captivating.

    With less than a week left until the SIT ON THE MONEY finals, Ha-eun balanced her preparations with her drama shoot for The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds.

    On one such day, she found herself in the makeup room, getting an unfamiliar style of makeup.

    Her role that day wasn’t as a guard but as a dancer.

    Gone was her black robe, replaced with a pink hanbok, her hair neatly tied back.

    For the first time since filming began,

    she was ready to reveal a softer, more feminine side of her character.

    Just as she finished getting ready, a knock came at the door.

    “Ha-eun, do you have a moment?”

    It was Da-yeon’s manager, Kim Jin-soo.

    Though they weren’t particularly close, Ha-eun agreed to talk, sensing something unusual.

    “Da-yeon hasn’t been herself lately. She won’t tell me what’s wrong.”

    Hearing this, Ha-eun decided.

    “Get her a cake for her birthday today. But don’t tell her—it’ll be a surprise.”

    Something told her she couldn’t leave Da-yeon alone any longer.