The setting of Scene #145 was the same forest where Lee Hyun and Yeong-wol first met in Scene #1. Even their outfits closely mirrored those from that earlier scene.

    However, unlike Scene #1, which was devoid of any romance, Scene #145 was saturated with mutual affection between Lee Hyun and Yeong-wol from start to finish.

    The intense romantic atmosphere, driven by Yeong-wol’s unusually proactive behavior, stood in stark contrast to the light-hearted tone of Scene #1, further amplifying the emotional impact. The identical location and costumes from Scene #1 made the difference in their gazes and expressions all the more striking.

    What stood out most was Yeong-wol’s ever-changing demeanor.

    ‘I knew she could act, but I didn’t think she could go this far....’

    As Yeong-wol’s presence built to a crescendo with her alluring smile directed at Lee Hyun, Yoo Sung-jae found himself completely captivated, momentarily losing himself in the scene. It wasn’t until Jin Gyu-sung gave his “okay” sign that Sung-jae finally exhaled the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.

    But while Yoo Sung-jae remained immersed in the lingering emotions of Scene #145—

    “Are you not going to monitor the scene?”

    “You... go ahead, Ha-eun. I’ll check it later.”

    Ha-eun, who had effortlessly returned to her usual calm self, left Sung-jae at a loss for words. She seemed like a completely different person from the one who had exuded an irresistible, seductive aura just moments ago, captivating everything around her.

    It had been four months since filming for The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds began. By now, Yoo Sung-jae thought he would be used to Ha-eun’s remarkable acting, yet he still couldn’t fully adjust to how seamlessly she controlled her emotions on command.@@@@

    As he silently watched Ha-eun’s retreating figure, he felt the spell she had cast on him in the scene gradually wear off. Only then did he manage to rise to his feet.

    “Do you want to reshoot any parts?” Jin Gyu-sung asked.

    Sung-jae shook his head slightly and replied that the shoot had been flawless, leaving him with no regrets.

    However—

    “Sung-jae.”

    “Yes?”

    “There’s... something on your right shoulder. It looks like a grasshopper.”

    Jin Gyu-sung, who had been tilting his head curiously for a while, finally revealed what Sung-jae had unknowingly been carrying.

    And with that, for an entirely different reason than during Scene #145, Sung-jae’s heart began racing uncontrollably.

    ***

    The day after Yoo Sung-jae nearly fainted from the tiny, uninvited grasshopper perched on his shoulder—

    “Cut! Great job, everyone!”

    The final scene of The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds, set against a backdrop of a crimson sunset and a vast flower field, ended with Jin Gyu-sung’s satisfied “okay” sign. With that, filming for The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds was officially complete.

    As the set began to wrap up, Ha-eun headed to the dressing room to change back into her regular clothes. However, just as she was about to head straight home as usual—

    In the end, Ha-eun couldn’t bring herself to blacklist Da-yeon, even as she started her stream.

    Diah!Battle Island? Is this real?Let’s stream-snipe! Stream-snipe! Stream-snipe!Should we... abduct her?Diah, go to the new map! There’s even a polar bear there!

    [67889 has donated 10,000 won!]

    Message: Do you even know what a supply drop is?

    [ExclusiveJetRatul has donated 10,000 won!]

    Message: First win = 50,000 won bonus!

    Today’s stream title, and the game Diah would be playing, was Battle Island, an FPS battle royale game. Its reputation for being “easy to stream-snipe” had already turned the chat and donation alerts into a chaotic frenzy.

    Technically, this wasn’t Ha-eun’s first time playing Battle Island. But it was Diah’s first time, so—

    “How do I start the tutorial~?”

    In keeping with Diah’s roleplay as an innocent spirit newly arrived in the human world, she planned to begin with the mundane tutorial.

    It was then that her phone buzzed repeatedly.

    -Bzzt.

    -Bzzt.

    ‘...What’s this?’

    Turning off her mic, she unlocked her phone to check the source of the buzzing—a flurry of messages in the Fantasy Land group chat.

    [Lee Yena (Yuna)] - (Screenshot of Lee Hyun & Yeong-wol’s kiss scene)

    [Lee Yena (Yuna)] - This brat... doing what even I haven’t done yet...!!

    [Park Mi-so (Mile)] - Oh my... oh my... oh my... (embarrassed lion emoji)

    [Kim Eun-hye (Ria)] - Our youngest looks so pretty!!

    [Jung Maria (Cream)] - Ha-eun, were those tears real or artificial drops?

    The group chat was filled with reactions from the Fantasy Land members who were watching Episode 9 in real time. Just as Ha-eun’s embarrassment peaked, the emoji spam began.

    [Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] - (Otter emoji kneeling and begging)

    [Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] - (Otter emoji kneeling and begging)

    [Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] - Please don’t post those screenshots.

    [Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] - I’m begging you.

    [Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] - I’m streaming right now.

    [Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] - Ask me questions after the stream.

    Her ears were burning red, and her face paled by the second.

    Even so—

    -Bzzt.

    [Lee Yena (Yuna)] - (Another screenshot of the kiss)

    [Lee Yena (Yuna)] - (And another)

    [Lee Yena (Yuna)] - I can’t tell if your lips actually touched!!

    [Lee Yena (Yuna)] - Did you and Yoo Sung-jae go “smack smack” or not?!

    With the reactions escalating, Ha-eun finally gave in.

    [Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] - There was no tint on his lips.

    [Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] - We didn’t “smack smack” or whatever.

    [Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] - It was just an angle trick.

    [Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] - Satisfied now?

    [Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] - (Enlightened otter emoji)

    Reluctantly, she dredged up an embarrassing memory she’d rather have buried to explain the truth.

    Even so, her shattered composure remained far from recovered, even after resuming the stream.