Chapter 215

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Once Again. (4)

I’d honestly thought the tears would stop here.
Just seeing the posters had already soaked my cheeks.
Isn’t thirty‑odd emotional gut‑punches a bit much?
Anyone could tell they were dead‑set on making me cry.
But for the Natsumin—and our other friends—twenty‑nine didn’t seem to be enough.

“…There’s sniff… still more?”
“I feel like Natsu might cry even harder if we keep going….”
“…Cry more?”

I wiped my nose, tilting my head at Toya, who dabbed my eyes with her sleeve.
There’s really more?
The path did slope downward; I’d half‑expected a basement, but still—really?

“Snf… heh… snf.”
“Kuuuu‑ng!!”
– She’s like a mom fussing over her kid www
– That congested little voice was adorable 草
– I wanna blow Nacchan’s nose for her…
– Weirdos popping up all over ww
– So what’s down there that we should be hyped for?
– I thought we’d seen everything, but there’s more?
– Just how hard are they trying to make Natsu cry www

By this point it was almost scary.
What on earth did they build that guarantees I’ll bawl?
I shot Toya a look; she avoided my eyes.

“So I should brace myself now, right?”
“Mm. If you brace yourself, maybe it’ll be okay?”
“Got it—deep breaths, starting now.”

Slow, steady breaths to calm my heart.
It can’t be that bad. I’ve already had twenty‑nine doses of feels; the finale can’t be that different,
I told myself—while totally forgetting that the Natsumin always outstrip my imagination.
​

“…What is this?”
“Eheh, this is what kept us up all night.”
…

– Wow… www
– Feels like they built something for an event that hasn’t even happened yet ww
– If the mansion was just an appetizer, this is the main course www
– With twenty‑nine veterans pooling ideas, of course it’s insane 草
– Now the all‑nighter makes sense ww
– Even so, how’d they finish in time? www

A stage unfolded before my eyes—not some dinky platform, but a full‑blown dome, like a real arena.

“A‑amazing….”

The seats were packed.
Not with real bodies—well, no, real people were right here, weren’t they?
I guided my avatar forward, staring at the sea of glow‑sticks.

“Truly… amazing.”

The stage I might once have stood on—the stage I would challenge again.
Green penlights filled my vision; despite my tear‑blurred eyes, that emerald glow was crystal clear.

“A sun that hangs so high….”

How long had they waited?
How panicked were they when I disappeared?
Forcing a voice through tears, I began to sing.

A Midsummer Dream.
My very first original song—the track I’d planned to open my someday live with.

[How many times are you planning to make our oshi cry, lol]
[(Natsumin.mp4) Natsu freaks out when told there’s more than posters]
We used to avoid making her sob ’cause hiccups, but now we’re just going for it lol.
She’s healthy, so I won’t worry ㅋㅋ

ㄴ[Watching Natsu cry is gourmet content lol]
ㄴ[She never cried as Han Yeoreum, but now that she’s a cute girl, the tears flow]
ㄴ[Usually so calm—when the feels hit, she really hits back. Chef’s kiss]
ㄴ[Make up for all the times she didn’t cry as Han Yeoreum]
ㄴ[We’re a deranged cult that loves oshi tears ㅋㅋ]
ㄴ[But the posters alone were sob‑worthy lol]
ㄴ[Seeing them took me back to prepping for that Han Yeoreum live… I teared up]
ㄴ[Do the live already, Summer!!!!!]
ㄴ[And apparently there’s still more lol]
ㄴ[What did they build that even Toya worries about, lol]
ㄴ[We are allowed to freak out, right?]
ㄴ[Yes yes, freak out all you want]

[Whoa… what is this?]
[(Basement recreated as live venue.JPG)]
Making this had to be tougher than the mansion!

ㄴ[Did they really finish in one night?]
ㄴ[For real, unless they worked till Natsu woke up;;]
ㄴ[Too bad no one streamed the build—no archive ㅋㅋ]
ㄴ[No Natsumin helped?]
ㄴ[Natsumin none, Summer‑gang yes~]
ㄴ(“Toya, confess or perish,” says Kon)
ㄴ(“Ina‑ri brandishing a gun” Kon)
ㄴ[Okay fine, that was a lie hehe]
ㄴ[We actually had a chance to see this IRL…]
ㄴ[Since we’re here, red pill Han Yeoreum live, please?]
ㄴ[Red pill? More like blue pill lol]
ㄴ[Red or blue, vtubers are vtubers lol]

[Oshi’s tearful live]
[(Natsu singing A Midsummer Dream through tears.MVI)]
Those who said she’d milked enough money and “graduated” can apologize now…
She wanted to perform this badly ㅋㅋ
Seeing the host like that makes me cry too.

ㄴ[I’m already bawling]
ㄴ[Didn’t think I’d cry at thirty, but here we are]
ㄴ[The way she launched straight into A Midsummer Dream the moment she hit the stage—unreal]
ㄴ[Host’s tearful live, fuuuㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
ㄴ[Toya suddenly went silent, just watching…]
ㄴ[VSPE, divert every resource into Ichinose Natsu First Live NOW!]
ㄴ[In a way, she’s finally doing the show she missed back then]
ㄴ[Why so many Summer‑gang emotes in chat lol]
ㄴ[Because Summer‑gang basically became Natsumin lol]
ㄴ[Summer‑gang lives! Summer‑gang lives!]
ㄴ[Salarim is Summer incarnate!]

“Natsu…”
“Hic… ugh… I’m s‑sorry… hic….”
“I’m sorry, Natsu. Come on, deep breaths, okay?”

I stroked Yeoreum’s back in a whisper.
I’d figured she might cry, but not like this—full‑on sobbing.
My heart pounded as if I’d committed some unforgivable sin.

– We made her cry…
– Problem is, I’m crying too.
– I’d hoped for a Yeoreum live…
– Still nice to hear it, even like this ww
– Nacchan, why so many tears? Too many feels? 草
– First time hearing the song; it’s actually good. Would’ve been better if she weren’t crying.
– Don’t cry, Nacchan. When you sob that hard, I wanna cry too (இ﹏இ`｡)

“Shall we wrap it up for today, Natsu?”
“…Hic, I’m sorry, I kept crying….”

Yeoreum would’ve done the sign‑off herself, but in this state… I closed the stream for her, then held her as her shoulders shook.

“It’s okay, it’s okay… shhh… I’m the one who’s sorry, Natsu….”

Nearly an hour passed before she finally quieted.
Her eyes were puffy and red—more pitiful than cute; I found myself gently pressing the swollen lids.
After wiping her tear‑streaked face and giving her a warm bath, she started nodding off.

“Tired? Want to sleep?”
“…Toya.”

A flicker of anxiety filled Yeoreum’s eyes—as if asking, What do I do now?

“I… I blurted out that I’m Han Yeoreum.”

Until now we’d dodged the topic, but singing Han Yeoreum’s original track left nowhere to hide.
She’d sung it because it was “a good song,” yet the way she cried said she was mourning something lost.

“Does it really matter?”
“…Maybe not.”
“Yeoreum, your ‘graduation’ happened suddenly, and now you’re back. The long‑time fans will cheer louder. Besides, we got full permission from your old agency, right?”
“…That’s true, but…”

During our Korea trip we’d ironed out every potential snag.
Truth be told, Straight’s rep had practically bent over backward to favor Yeoreum:

“We won’t contest any original songs or lore from the Han Yeoreum era.”

Because Han Yeoreum began as an indie, they said, it was all fair game.
Yeoreum herself still thought her time at the old company was “the real Han Yeoreum,” but—

“You want to show them something even greater than you couldn’t back then, right?”
“…Yeah.”

She nodded, new fire blazing in those bloodshot eyes.
To give the waiting fans the best stage ever—better than the one she’d once dreamed of.

“So for now, let’s sleep. Overthinking will keep you up.”
“…Thanks, Toya.”

With a faint thank‑you, Yeoreum closed her eyes.
Soon steady breaths filled my arms.
Her body felt hot—like the midsummer sun itself.

Fables