episode_0018

Ms. Kim Nayeon, I didn’t expect you to have such bold initiative.

Was it the alcohol, or was this her real personality all along, just suppressed by awkwardness?

Either way, she seemed like a refreshingly straightforward person.

Without hesitation, she pulled out various items from her pouch and sat to my left. Lee Sihyeon was on my right, and Kim Nayeon on my left.

Somehow, an odd sense of anticipation lingered on both their faces.

“Here, come this way for a second. Close your eyes.”

“Uh, no… Do we really have to do this now?”

“That’s why we’re doing it now.”

“Who does makeup at a pork belly restaurant?!”

“Tsk, what nonsense. Makeup is something you touch up anytime, anywhere.”

“Hey, guys. Cut me some slack here.”

I turned to my classmates for help, but they thoroughly crushed my hopes.

“Why not give it a try?”

“Seriously?”

“Come on, sunbaenim. You already expected today to be a mess anyway, right? So why not go all out?”

I couldn’t keep up with this level of social energy.

Where on earth did this charisma come from?

I guess my face really did suppress people’s reactions before. I never imagined Ms. Kim Nayeon would be this clingy.

“Fine, fine, just let go. Really… Why are you so insistent on doing my makeup?”

“Because I want to see? Your bare face is already this good—imagine how pretty you’d look with makeup.”

If it were my younger sister, I’d shut her down immediately, but I couldn’t just push away a junior who was trying to get closer.

…Alright. I’ll take one for the team.

As this untimely spectacle unfolded in the pork belly restaurant, gazes from all around gathered. Damn, I expected this, but the sheer number of hands reaching out to shake mine was overwhelming.

Then, even other female juniors joined in. Try this, try that—they were practically stylists at this point.

The expressions on my classmates’ faces were… complicated.

Hey, this is happening because none of you stopped them.

How much time had passed? The juniors were all giving each other high-fives.

“This is a masterpiece!”

“Perfect!”

“Wow, at this point, you could just become an actor, right?”

“You’re exaggerating too much.”

“Exaggerating? Sunbaenim, this is no exaggeration. You have to see the final result.”

When the mirror was shoved in my face… I could see why they were making such a fuss.

Uh, well… My face didn’t even look like mine anymore.

I knew makeup was basically fraud when it came to women, but this was on another level.

I was almost worried random guys would start confessing to me.

“Whoa… If I didn’t know you were a guy, I might’ve fallen for you.”

“Ugh. Don’t even imagine that, please.”

“I won’t, I won’t. You psycho.”

“I knew women’s makeup was deceptive, but… is it because the base was already good? This is insane.”

Han Taehoon was rambling, while Yoo Hankyul was scrutinizing my face intently. Creeps, the lot of them.

“Stop staring. It’s creepy.”

“Shouldn’t you be saying you’re embarrassed in this situation?”

“Why would I be embarrassed by you guys staring? It’s just creepy. Especially you, Hankyul. Stop looking at me like you’re judging an idol’s visuals.”

“Got it, got it. Man, you live long enough to see everything. How did that macho man turn into this?”

“Shut up.”

“Sunbaenim, you might actually get scouted on the street at this rate.”

Sihyeon stared at me for a moment before adding her own comment.

“Even so, street scouting is a bit… What era do you think this is?”

“Why not? I heard agencies still scout people who stand out.”

“No way anyone would be crazy enough to scout a mutant off the street.”

“You never know. There’s no such thing as ‘never’ in this world.”

“Right, right! Hey, who knows? We might see you in a movie, drama, or magazine later.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Why?”

“I’m already dying from the attention now—you want me to deal with that for life? Ugh… horrifying.”

“Hehe, too much stimulation for a shut-in like you?”

“Pretty much.”

“Still, it’s nice to see. Stop holing up in your room all the time.”

“That’s impossible for an introvert like me.”

“Dude, you’re seriously insulting introverts right now. Real introverts wouldn’t even show up to events like this.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yeah. You’re neither an introvert nor an extrovert—just somewhere in between. At the very least, you’re not an introvert.”

“Honestly, if it weren’t for you guys, I wouldn’t have come to this event either.”

“Exactly, so you’re not an introvert. What introvert shows up to events just because they know people?”

“Uh, well.”

I had no comeback. Was that it? Without realizing it, had I stolen the title of “introvert” from actual introverts and become an extrovert?

Wait, but no matter how I looked at it, I didn’t seem like an extrovert…

“And introverts wouldn’t promise to put on a fire show like this.”

“Right, the fire show!”

Just then, Kim Nayeon, who had been proudly showing off her makeup work to the juniors, perked up.

And it wasn’t just her. Lee Sihyeon, my classmates, even Nam Suyeon over there—everyone was expectant.

“…Damn, this pressure is insane.”

Suddenly, I really didn’t want to do it.

“C’mon, a man’s gotta do what he’s gotta do.”

“But you’re not a man anymore, are you?”

“Cut the crap. I lived 24 years as a man—that doesn’t just disappear.”

“Since when do men walk around in full makeup like this?”

“It’s the era of men wearing makeup now.”

“Ugh, you never let me win. Fine, fine. I’d rather die than argue. I’ll do it, the fire show.”

“Should’ve agreed sooner.”

“But first, let’s go outside. Doing this indoors would be a disaster. Everyone’s had enough to drink and eat anyway… That’s fine, right, president?”

“Yeah! Everyone’s full, right?”

““Yeah!””

“Then let’s go. I’ll put on a proper show in an open space.”

“Oh… See, I told you he’s fun when the mood’s right. Right, Hankyul?”

“Yeah.”

“I bet he’ll pass out as soon as he gets home.”

“What are you betting?”

“Dunno.”

“Just spouting nonsense, huh, Heo Jihun?”

“What? It’s fun.”

“These are my classmates…? Fine, let’s go. I’ll give you the fire show you wanted.”

“Hey, can you bring out your wings too?”

“Unless you’re paying for my clothes, shut up about the wings.”

“Boo.”

And so, the entire group from the opening ceremony moved from the bustling streets to a nearby park just to see my fire show.

Sihyeon, who’d had quite a bit to drink, was wobbling unsteadily, so I had to support her as we walked.

Why did she keep accepting drinks if she couldn’t handle them?

“Hehe, fire show, fire show.”

Seeing her giggle like that was kind of cute. Normally reserved, this side of her was even more endearing.

On the way to the park, I got a call from my sister.

“What?”

– Where are you?

“Heading to the park nearby.”

– Huh? Why the park?

“The kids wanted to see a fire show, so I’m gonna give them a proper one.”

– You really do the weirdest things…

“Wanna come? It’ll be more impressive than fireworks.”

– …Should I?

“See? You can’t resist fireworks either, can you?”

– Okay. I’ll be there soon.

“Coming alone?”

– Yeah. Not like I’m gonna announce to the neighborhood that you’re my sister.

“Fair enough.”

“Who was that?”

“My sister.”

“Ah…”

“Did I ever mention her to you, Sihyeon?”

“No.”

“She goes to Korea University too. Said she’d come when I told her about the fire show…”

“What’s her major?”

“Business. Anyway, we’ll start once she gets here.”

The juniors settled in the center of the park.

There was a wide open space, and to avoid sparks hitting the grass, we decided to do the show near the central fountain.

Felt like I was some circus performer. But it wasn’t a bad feeling.

Experiences like this were rare in my life, so it was fun in its own way.

Of course, that didn’t stop the mental exhaustion from piling up.

I’d probably collapse as soon as I got home. At least tomorrow’s Saturday.

Anyway, after sending my sister the location, she arrived quickly.

“Hi.”

“You’re here?”

“I’m here. So, when’s the fire show?”

“We were waiting for you.”

“What’s gotten into you? Doing stuff like this.”

“Dunno. Just happened.”

“You’re really something else.”

“Wow, Yoon Seohyun has a sister like this? Hi, I’m Han Taehoon, Seohyun’s classmate.”

“Hello. My sister owes you a lot, right? She’s told me about you—good friends who’ve helped her a lot in school.”

“Oh… Did Yoon Seohyun really say that? And no, we’re the ones who owe her.”

The classmates and juniors started showing interest in my sister.

Meanwhile, I gauged how much firepower to use. Sparks flying everywhere would be bad… Best to aim straight up.

Isn’t this usually called a breath attack?

“Alright, enough chit-chat… I’ll only do this once, so pay attention.”

The moment I thought about unleashing flames, a surge of energy welled up inside me.

A scorching heat filled my chest.

Without hesitation, I shot the flames skyward.

KWAHHHH—!

The ferocious pillar of fire made everyone’s eyes widen.

No, “flames” didn’t do it justice. This was a full-blown fire pillar.

Not just the juniors, but even bystanders stared in awe at the column of fire stretching from my mouth to the clouds.

Uh, well. I expected this, but maybe I overdid it a little.