The first thing Ha-eun felt at the sight of Diahâs swimsuit fan art was confusion.
The second was embarrassment.
And the third, final feeling that bubbled up inside her wasâ¦
ââ¦Do people actually⦠like this?â
The chat responded instantly:
**- Yep.
Definitely.
Canât get enough.
A connoisseurâs delight.
Diahâs stunned lol.
(shock) (confusion)
Her pupils are literally shaking.
Is she too innocent to understand?**
Overcome with curiosity, Ha-eun scrolled down to the comments section of the post.
Comments (Sorted by Most Recent)
**- (Smirking emoji of a fan)
(Fan emoji aggressively licking)
Wow.
Saving this for later appreciation.
(Fan emoji laughing slyly)
(Thumbs-up SD Diah emoji)
So, when are we getting swimsuit dakimakuras?
Incredible.
Do you take commissions?**
Ha-eun blinked at the screen, unsure of how to process the flood of enthusiasm.
ââ¦Itâs⦠pretty, I guess?â
The chat erupted again.
**- Fifth request to see the fan art again.
So many talented fans out there.
Thereâs lots of other gorgeous ones too!
(Huge licking tongue emoji) x5
Please, Diah, release a swimsuit edition in 3D. Itâs a lifelong wish.**
Ha-eun recalled how, during her VTuber debut prep, she had researched what kinds of illustrations fans liked.
But no amount of research had prepared her for this level of enthusiasm.@@novelbin@@
All it took was a change of outfitâa swimsuit, no lessâand the fans were losing their minds.
Wasnât this a little too much?
âMaybe itâs because theyâre seeing a side of Diah they donât usually get to seeâ¦â
Ha-eun was aware that her primary audience leaned toward preferences for this sort of content, but she didnât fully understand why.
Clack-clack-clack.
She hastily typed out a reply to the post.
Diah: âItâs beautifully drawn. Please make more of Diah in other outfits next time~.â
Leaving a short comment and a like, she prepared to move on to another fan art post, recalling the counselorâs advice to relax more during streams.
- Ding.
[ekdus7 has donated $50,000!]
Message: Please do 10 seconds of eye contact.
Ha-eun froze mid-click. The donation amount was significant enough to catch her attentionâbut it was the username that really made her pause.
âEye contact? Seriously?â
Caught between clicking another post and avoiding the swimsuit fan art sheâd just seen, Ha-eun found herself in an awkward, no-win situation.
- Ding.
[ekdus7 has donated $50,000!]
Message: Ah.
- Ding.
[ekdus7 has donated $50,000!]
Message: Eye.
- Ding.
[ekdus7 has donated $50,000!]
Message: Con.
- Ding.
[ekdus7 has donated $50,000!]
Message: Tact!!!!!
A cascade of donations followed, making the chat and donation feed explode.
[Anon donated $1,000!]
Message: Diahâs being bullied LOL.
**- Absolute mad lad.
They really love that swimsuit fan art, huh?
Respect.
Canât even ban them; theyâre a big spender.
Letâs gooooo!**
Ha-eun had had enough.
Her face burned as the realization hit her: Da-yeon, who had now seen the fan art, was behind this.
âYou. Get out.â
With a few swift clicks, Ha-eun kicked ekdus7 from the stream, making it the first ban in Diahâs streaming history.
**- LOL they got kicked!
Diahâs angry!
RIP to the 250,000 KRW they spent.
Sheâs furious! LMAO.
Canât blame her though.**
After banning Da-yeon, Ha-eun moved on to explore other fan art posts.
Unfortunately, several posts featured illustrations as boldâor even more soâthan the swimsuit one.
Her plans for a relaxing, low-effort stream crumbled as her heart raced every time one of Diahâs "unexpected sides" appeared on screen, prompting ecstatic reactions from the fans.
âWhy, WHY are there so many of these?!â
**- ã ã ã .
Isnât this going to get the stream flagged? LOL.
Absolute chaos.
Poor Diah. Sheâs losing it.
This is bullying at this point.
Someone save her!
Diahâs about to quit streaming LOL.**
Unable to handle the barrage, Ha-eun began closing posts the moment she suspected they were risqué.
âMy heart is racing way too fast⦠If I keep looking at this stuff, I might have to move to the spirit realm for goodâ¦.â
The chat, for once, showed concern:
**- Donât leave us, Diah!
Is it a heart condition?
Honestly, some of these were over the top.
If you go to the spirit realm, take me with you!**
Ha-eun used the fansâ concern as an opportunity to steer the stream toward tamer territory, focusing on wholesome fan art.
As she browsed lighter, more comedic art, she began to genuinely relax.
Many of the posts recreated memorable moments from her streams.
âOh, this oneâs from my first Battle Island stream! They drew the exploding motorcycle so well.â
**- That stream was like watching Mad Max.
Did you train to go pro in Battle Island?
Even the railgun respected Diahâs skills!
Seeing live trash-talking in a game was gold.**
With every fan art she viewed, Ha-eunâs mood lifted. The calm enjoyment her counselor had recommended was finally kicking in.
The fan art exploration lasted another hour, feeling far less hectic than her usual gaming streams.
By the time she wrapped up, her throat felt noticeably less strainedâa small but meaningful improvement.
Ending with her signature goodbye, Ha-eun shut down the stream.
For once, she still had some energy left.
She briefly considered studying, reading her script for The Sunshine, preparing for the Song Festival, or even reviewing Yenaâs cover song feedback.
But Jung-yoonâs earlier words rang in her ears:
âRest at home!â
â...Okay.â
For the first time in years, Ha-eun lay down in bed with energy to spare.
âHmmâ¦â
It had been so long since sheâd simply rested that the feeling felt foreign.
For a fleeting moment, she stared at the ceiling, her mind blissfully blank, before sleep swept over her.
The dream she had that night eluded her memory.
But she woke up refreshed, feeling lighter than she had in months.