Emotions are, in essence, consumables.
No matter how heavy or shocking a feeling may be, its impact dulls with repeated exposure.
The sharper it is, the faster it wears down.
Whether it's actors displaying emotions on screen or the audience experiencing them, if someone is constantly exposed to overwhelming emotions, they naturally build up emotional fatigue.
That was precisely why, a few days ago, Director Kwon Jae-hyeop had urged Ha-eun to dial back the intensity of her emotions.
Having previously seen her performance in The Sunshine, he was already familiar with how deep her acting could go.
Even when compared to seasoned adult actors—
perhaps even more so—
her performance thrived on its raw intensity precisely because it wasn’t something the audience could get used to.
‘I didn’t think she’d adjust this quickly, though... She really is different.’
Actors who have reached a certain level naturally develop pride in their craft.
Considering how young Ha-eun was,
the fact that she chose to follow his direction instead of stubbornly resisting it was impressive in many ways.
Director Kwon’s evaluation of Lee Ha-eun as an actress rose significantly.
Meanwhile, Ha-eun was lost in deep contemplation over an entirely different matter.
It was because of Director Kwon’s satisfied tone when he praised her acting.
She had been portraying isolation in Scene #29 Café.
If her acting had been convincing—
it meant she had genuinely expressed the feeling of isolation.
The emotions she had drawn from while imagining Cream and Nael were isolation.
“I mean... sure, they haven’t been hanging out with me much lately, but...”
She knew exactly what memories she had used to fuel today’s performance.
But she had only recalled those moments to avoid sinking into deeper depression—
not because she consciously thought of them as isolation.
But if she had acted so naturally—
Had I actually been feeling abandoned this whole time? Just because they didn’t text me for a few days?
Her eyes wavered as the realization hit her.
A prickly sense of embarrassment crawled up her spine.
The foreign emotion that had been lurking in her mind for days—
the one she couldn’t name—
Lying blankly in the bathtub for hours.
Calling Ji Hye-min with a dark voice.
Had been because she thought she was being ignored.
Just thinking about how pathetic she had been these past few days made her break into a cold sweat.
Her face was already red—now it burned even more.
The realization that she had been moping over a few missed texts was devastating.
If Da-yeon ever found out, she’d never let her live it down.
...Actually, what if she already knew?
Cream’s sudden invitation for a full Illusionary Realm trip included all second-generation members—
Ha-eun suddenly recalled something else—
Her entire body stiffened.
[Jeong Maria (Cream)] - Ha-eun-ah.
[Jeong Maria (Cream)] - Studying must be tough.
[Jeong Maria (Cream)] - I’m always cheering for you.
[Jeong Maria (Cream)] - You got this.
[Jeong Maria (Cream)] - Let’s go, fighting!
[Jeong Maria (Cream)] - (Clapping ant emoji)
A string of random encouraging messages—
sent just minutes after her Saturday stream ended.
The dessert gift coupons she received from Nael the very next day.
[ U-uh, Ha-eun... do you want to go on a trip after exams? No, let’s go! All of us! ]
“Uh... Right after exams?”
[ Y-yeah! You worked really hard, so we should have fun! ]
Cream’s hesitant voice,
as if she was checking her reaction.
At the time, Ha-eun had thought, Why is she suddenly saying this?
“...I can’t believe this.”
Everyone had figured it out—except for her.
That was the real reason Ha-eun let out a silent scream while clutching her face.
Her ears burned red in humiliation.
But before she could fully process her embarrassment—
"Ha-eun, let’s get ready."
Kang Sun-woo’s voice snapped her back to reality.
She had less than 10 minutes before the next scene.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
She forced herself to calm down, wiping her palms against her thighs.
Her hands were shaking slightly.
This was the first true conversation between Baek Jin and Baeksulhwa.
A pivotal moment that also hinted at the curse of eternal life Baek Jin bore.
「Uh... Baek Jin-ssi? Baek Jin-nim?」
「Just call me whatever you were calling me before. No need for formalities. It feels distant.」
「Well... if you insist.」
Baeksulhwa had already noticed that Baek Jin wasn’t an ordinary person—
but she still didn’t know exactly what he was.
「Are you, like, a guardian spirit or something? Here to protect me?」
「For now, you could say that.」
「‘For now’? That sounds shady...」
The conversation naturally shifted toward what Baek Jin could offer her.
「Hey, could you do a ‘gold, appear!’ trick for me? Like, a hundred times?」
Baeksulhwa’s half-joking, half-hopeful tone—
and Baek Jin’s exasperated reaction.
「Money doesn’t bring lasting happiness.」
「Well, how would I know unless I experience it myself? So—」
「A warm room in winter and a cool one in summer. A quiet desk to study at. A fridge with enough food to eat. Even that is difficult.」
「Tch. Says the guy wearing an expensive coat... Don’t tell me you stole it?」
「I’ve never stolen in 900 years. Not even once.」
「Oh, wow. Good for you.」
Baek Jin’s firm, unwavering expression.
Baeksulhwa, her own face slightly sulky, asked:
「Before, you said... you have regrets. About me.」
「So... what exactly is it that you want me to do?」
「Well... The world works on ‘give and take,’ right? If you’re helping me, I should help you too. That way, you won’t leave.」
She had read somewhere that spirits only linger because of unfinished business.
If she helped him resolve his regrets—
then he could keep helping her.
Baek Jin’s answer was simple.
「I already told you what I want.」
「So if you just did the ‘gold, appear’ trick a few times—」
「I want you to be strong enough to say, ‘I’m happy,’ even without me. To build a life where you no longer need me. That kind of happiness.」
「...There’s no such thing as ‘real’ or ‘fake’ happiness.」
Baek Jin’s endless roundabout responses finally made Baeksulhwa throw up her hands in surrender.
In the end, she had already secured a room, a desk, and a fridge—
and at that moment, nothing was more desirable to her than those three things.
That was why she asked if he could move her out immediately.
Before Baek Jin could change his mind, she wanted to get her belongings into the new place first.
「You’ve never lived in a rooftop room, so you wouldn’t know, but— I greet bugs every day, the insulation is terrible, and now the rain is even starting to leak—」
Baeksulhwa’s complaints continued,
her expression growing more and more pitiful with each word.
The highlight of her rant?
That college entrance exams were just around the corner.
「Even the king doesn’t dare touch a senior in high school, but drunkards harass me every night. If they’re drunk, they should just go home—why are they yelling in the alley at 3 AM?」
Since Ha-eun herself was a student preparing for exams,
it wasn’t difficult for her to pour real frustration into Baeksulhwa’s voice.
If she were trying to study and got disrupted by drunks,
she would absolutely be furious too.
And perhaps because of that—
Or maybe it had been his plan all along—
「Two suitcases. And not even half full.」
Kang Sun-woo’s ad-libbed line came with the sound of a finger snap.
It was a deviation from the script,
and though it briefly startled Ha-eun, she had to keep acting.
「...This is my luggage?」
「Yes. Oh, the umbrella isn’t yours, so I took it out.」
Baeksulhwa stared at the imaginary suitcases in disbelief.
Soon after, they reached the final lines of Scene #30.
「Recycling day is on Wednesday. Don’t forget.」
「...That just killed the mood.」
「Even guardian spirits follow the law. It is the law of this country, after all.」
「Wow. Your sense of civic duty is truly inspiring....」
And with that, the scene wrapped up.
“Great job, both of you.”
Director Kwon Jae-hyeop looked pleased as he gave °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° his feedback.
The relationship dynamic between the two leads had been captured well—
their conversation had flowed naturally, without any awkwardness.
But for Ha-eun, there was something on her mind regarding the next scene.
“Director, can I ask something?”
She cautiously brought up the next shot,
which was a short scene of Baeksulhwa solving practice problems.
“Would it be okay if I used my own workbook for the scene?”
She thought it would make her performance more natural
if she used an actual workbook she was familiar with.
But her request was denied before she could even push for it.
“Ah, about that, Ha-eun— The workbook in the scene is PPL.”
The workbook Baeksulhwa would be solving on-screen was sponsored.
Ha-eun couldn’t understand why anyone would want to do PPL for a workbook—
but she could only tilt her head in confusion.
Still, there was no changing what had already been decided.
Since she had to use the brand’s workbook,
she requested an advance copy so she could familiarize herself with it.
And while she was flipping through it—
“Don’t freak out, Ha-eun.”
“...Huh? What’s going on?”
“You just got a commercial offer.”
“For the same brand as this workbook. TerraStudy. You know them, right?”
A huge online education platform.
Apparently, Ha-eun’s mock exam scores had been a hot topic online,
which had drawn the company’s attention.
“But... why now? The entrance exams are literally right around the corner.”
“Oh, the ad won’t air until January next year. They’re preparing ahead of time.”
For the most part, Ha-eun was open to commercials.
Of course, if she overloaded herself with endorsements,
her image would wear out too quickly.
But an education-related sponsorship like TerraStudy?
That could reinforce her studious, high-achiever image—
so she was leaning toward accepting it.
Except for one thing.
“If you mess up your exam, Ha-eun, they might cancel the contract.”
“It’s not impossible.”
If her actual test scores didn’t meet expectations—
the contract could be terminated,
and she might even have to return the ad payment.
Feeling uneasy, Ha-eun confided in Dayeon about her concerns.
“You’re gonna do fine. You already published your grades in an article.”
“...It’s different now. There’s money involved.”
“At this point, there’s no turning back. The entire country is watching your grades.”
“Not the entire country...”
That only made her more stressed.
And judging by the gleeful look on Dayeon’s face—
this was definitely intentional.
“Must be nice for some people,
getting into college through practical exams without studying....”
“W-what? Using the practical track isn’t wrong!”
“I never said it was wrong. I just said it must be nice.”
“Then why don’t you apply for the practical track?”
“I’d get canceled. Too controversial.”
“...Then what am I supposed to be?”