At first, that was the only thought that crossed Ha-eun's mind.
For her—and honestly, for anyone—the chance to appear on a popular variety show like *Don’t Stop People* wasn’t an opportunity that came around often.
Of course, in a way, everything Ha-eun had experienced up until now hadn’t exactly been common. But those past experiences had all been within the realm of "acting."
This was the first time Ha-eun was stepping out of that familiar category. Instead of thick scripts from dramas or movies, there were thin cue cards, and two or three VJs assigned to follow her throughout the day. Nothing felt familiar.
More than anything, there wasn’t a set script or emotions the cameras on set wanted from her. She felt a different kind of pressure from when she had lines to recite or emotions to portray.
Still, it wasn’t as if she had to handle everything from start to finish on her own. The members, including Lee Gun-yeol, whom she already knew, were considerate and kind.
So, she was determined to give it her all. Just like she always had.
“Now, thank you all for waiting. Today’s special guest, here is Miss Lee Ha-eun!”
With that reassurance, she believed things would go smoothly.
Calming her slightly trembling heart, Ha-eun took her first steps onto the center of the set. Instantly, the members erupted in exaggerated excitement.
“Oh my, it’s really Han Yoo-hwa!”
“Wait, how is she alive? Didn’t she die from an arrow shot?”
“Gah, an arrow? Watch what you’re saying in front of a living person!”
“Punish this guy for his disrespect!”
The welcome she received was even more chaotic than what she’d heard from the waiting room.
Ha-eun was taken aback for a moment. But, knowing this was her first appearance on *Don’t Stop People*, she needed to make a strong first impression.
She approached Yoon Si-hyuk, who had made the comment about her character's death and was now playfully lying on the floor, pretending to be sprinkled with salt by the other members.
She leaned forward—not too fast, not too slow.
“I am very much alive, sir. Could it be that you had a bad dream last night?”
She adopted a mischievous smile, the same one she’d used as Han Yoo-hwa in her scenes with Park Do-jun in the marketplace. Yoon Si-hyuk looked stunned, momentarily lost for words.
Sung Yoo-seok, noticing Yoon Si-hyuk’s blank expression, stepped forward and, with an exaggerated tone, demanded that he immediately apologize.
“What are you doing, Scholar Yoon? Hurry and apologize to Lady Yoo-hwa!”
“Oh, uh, I’m terribly sorry. Please forgive me…”
Yoon Si-hyuk bowed, clasping his hands together in apology. When Ha-eun graciously accepted, the brief improvisational scene concluded. Judging by the relaxed expressions of the producer, Choi Soo-hyuk, and the crew, it seemed her ad-lib had gone over well.
Feeling proud of herself for her boldness, Ha-eun gave herself a mental pat on the back. Then, as Sung Yoo-seok smoothly resumed the recording, Ha-eun introduced herself.
“Hello. I’m Lee Ha-eun, and I played young Han Yoo-hwa in *My Love From the Stars*.”
The applause that erupted caught her off guard, but she managed to keep her composure.
However, as the crew played some clips of Ha-eun’s work, starting with her debut film, *The Neighbor Uncle*, and the music video for *Matches*, things began to feel awkward.
“Everyone stumbles sometimes, and the challenges ahead can feel overwhelming.”
“But I won’t give up, no matter what. Someday, I’ll reach my goal.”
But it was an old commercial for children’s vitamins that truly made her cheeks burn bright red. Her hands and feet practically curled from the embarrassment.
And to make matters worse, the next segment focused on Lee Gun-yeol talking about how he discovered her talent.
“Oh, it was right at that moment I saw that fiery determination in her eyes!”
The other cast members began to express their admiration, and although Ha-eun knew their intentions weren’t malicious, she wished they would move on from her past.
The memories weren’t overly embarrassing, yet she couldn’t help feeling shy about them. Especially as Lee Gun-yeol continued to share stories, even recalling trivial moments from her vocal lessons with *Double Lee*.
Yet, despite the wave of embarrassment, she couldn’t avoid the spotlight. Due to today’s *Don’t Stop People* concept, all the other cast members had to act as if they were Park Do-jun, while she alone portrayed Han Yoo-hwa.
“Among you is a fake Park Do-jun, aiming to harm Lady Yoo-hwa. Your goal is to find out who the imposter is to ensure her safety,” announced PD Choi Soo-hyuk.
The first mission to protect “Lady Yoo-hwa” was soon revealed.
“The first task…is to match Han Yoo-hwa’s taste preferences.”
It was a bit of a stretch, with the flimsy logic that the “real” Park Do-jun would surely know her taste preferences.
But this was variety TV. All Ha-eun had to do was sit back and judge whether the foods chosen by the members suited her taste.
Watching the members argue over who would get to present her with her favorite foods, Ha-eun couldn’t help but enjoy the show. When the ten-minute time limit ended, she began examining the seven dishes they’d prepared.
But the members weren’t exactly silent as they waited for her to take a bite.
“Why did you only bring desserts?”
“Hey, kids these days love sweets. Not that someone like you, still single, would understand!”
Some members, confident that she’d pick their plates loaded with chocolates and snacks, cheered the loudest.
But to their surprise, Ha-eun’s choice wasn’t any of the sugary plates. She chose the meticulously balanced meal prepared by Jeon Dong-guk, resembling a healthy school lunch.
“H-Huh? This one is your favorite?”
Having had his sweets snatched away by other members, Jeon Dong-guk had thrown together a healthy meal with no expectation of winning. Shocked, he remained dazed long after Ha-eun declared him the victor.
‘She… has a unique palate.’
With the first mission complete, they boarded a bus to the next filming location. Once everyone was on, it was time for a casual chat. Following some pre-arranged questions from Sung Yoo-seok, the conversation began.
“So, Ha-eun, what do you usually do in your free time?”
“Hmm... Lately, I’ve been watching a lot of online videos.”
“Oh, online videos! Could you tell us about the last one you watched?”
It was a simple question. Ha-eun could have easily said she’d watched highlights of *Don’t Stop People*.
But instead, she replied, “It was a video about making bread from home-grown wheat. Unfortunately, an accident happened, and all the bread was ruined. I felt so bad for them.”
The unique response piqued Sung Yoo-seok’s curiosity, and he asked for more details.
“What happened to the bread? Did someone steal it?”
“Oh, no, it wasn’t stolen. The storage where they kept the bread... exploded. The owner cried so much…”
‘...The storage exploded?’
For a moment, silence filled the bus. In that brief calm, Sung Yoo-seok concluded that it must have been a sad documentary.
“It sounds like a heartbreaking documentary. I can understand why you felt sorry for them, Ha-eun.”
It wasn’t surprising. In Sung Yoo-seok’s mind, a video with such events could only be a documentary.
“Watching videos like that reminds you of how precious food is, doesn’t it? By the way, I remember Ha-eun mentioning that she’s not picky about food?”
“Yes, there’s really nothing I dislike.”
“That’s probably because you already understand the value of food. Knowing that even a single piece of bread isn’t easily earned… That’s incredible.”
“...Huh? I’m… incredible?”
“Absolutely! When I was your age, I’d leave kimchi because it was too spicy, and anchovies because they were too salty…”
And so, the conversation veered in a direction Ha-eun hadn’t anticipated. Before she knew it, she was seen as a model child with an admirable sense of values.
Ha-eun, who had simply been recounting a scene from Squirrel’s livestream the night before, was left baffled as to why the word “documentary” had come into the discussion.