Chapter 137: Be Me, Part 4

The virgin-killer sweater.

A classic, one-piece sweater that revealed the sides of the breasts, back, and the curve of the buttocks.

However, due to its length, resembling more of a long shirt than a dress, few would consider it an actual dress.

To the average person, it would likely appear even more risqué than a bikini.

And that was what Choi Arin would be wearing today.

“Okay, let’s go get changed.”

“Ah, hey, don’t, don’t push…”

Hayoon, having finished her shoot, eagerly ushered Choi Arin into the changing room.

“…”

As if to observe, she sat down on a chair in the corner of the changing room and stared blankly at Choi Arin.

And Choi Arin…

“Wh-what… why…”

“What?”

“N-no… nothing…”

She grumbled at Hayoon, but it didn’t change anything.

They had already seen each other in various states of undress, and Choi Arin couldn’t just refuse to change.

If she took too long, Yoon Suhee would give her a suspicious look, wondering about the delay.

She wasn’t sure what Yoon Suhee would suspect, but she would suspect something. And that wouldn’t do.

That primal thought spurred Choi Arin into action.

Hayoon, amused, watched with a smirk.

“Are you just going to stand there?”

“What do you mean…?”

“Unnie, you have to shoot now. Are you sure you want to just stand there?”

“Well, that’s…”

“That’s?”

Hayoon, with a teasing grin, kept pressing Choi Arin with questions she knew were difficult to answer.

She was fully aware of Choi Arin’s hesitation to change.

“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

“Hmm, I don’t know?”

Hayoon shrugged, evading the question.

She was being infuriating.

It was clear she wasn’t going to do anything until Choi Arin changed.

She seemed determined to make things awkward.

“You really take me for granted…”

Choi Arin grumbled as she started to undress.

She had to do her job… no work, no pay… She felt powerless against her boss’s power-play, but she started to undress anyway.

“Phew…”

“…”

Choi Arin, now only in her bra and panties, glanced at Hayoon.

Hayoon seemed content to just watch.

Choi Arin sighed and unhooked her bra. Then…

“You’re crazy…”

“I’m perfectly sane.”

“Shut up, shut up…”

“Are you being coy?”

“I don’t know, just shut up…”

Choi Arin, using unusually harsh language, threw her bra into the locker with her clothes. She was already embarrassed about taking off her bra in front of Hayoon, but that wasn’t the end of it.

Her head felt like it was burning with shame, about to explode.

She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them, lowering the hand that had been covering her breasts.

She now held circular silicone nipple covers. The virgin-killer sweater exposed her back, making a bra impossible. Nipple covers were the obvious solution.

“These feel so weird…”

“They look it.”

“They keep itching…”

“Aww, don’t be mad.”

“Acting cute isn’t going to make me feel better.”

As they bickered, Choi Arin applied the nipple covers.

The plant-based oil on the adhesive side made contact with her skin, securing the covers and concealing her nipples.

“Eek…”

The unexpected coldness made her yelp, but aside from the initial shock, it wasn’t too bad.

“Hmm, mm…”

She lifted and released the edges of the nipple covers to check the adhesion, nodding in satisfaction.

“Done…”

She put on the virgin-killer sweater.

The hemline was so short it barely covered her panties.

She turned around, pressing the fabric down with her hand.

“Why aren’t you saying anything…?”

She looked so adorable that Hayoon, who had been watching intently, was speechless.

“It’s just… you look beautiful in anything, so I wasn’t thinking much. Well, I did briefly think that someone as pretty as you doesn’t need to wear such revealing clothes.”

“What are you talking about…”

Flustered by Hayoon’s straightforward compliment, Choi Arin left the changing room. She would likely proceed with the shoot as she was.

“She’s so cute.”

Hayoon decided to change quickly so she could join Choi Arin.

It would be fun to tease her from the sidelines.

Choi Arin would probably fume, thinking Hayoon had been toying with her, but she wouldn’t actually mind.

It wouldn’t affect their relationship.

Hayoon’s ideal scenario was unfolding before her eyes.

Due to Yoon Suhee’s conservative nature, Hayoon couldn’t wear the more risqué outfits herself.

Having Choi Arin wear them elevated the overall suggestiveness of the cosplay photobook.

It was exactly what Hayoon had hoped for.

“Isn’t this the kind of outfit you wear for s*x appeal? Why are you so tense? You’re wearing it anyway, so lean forward, push your breasts together with your arms, you know?”

“I-I’ll try…”

Yoon Suhee, no longer dealing with her daughter, fully embraced her experienced photographer persona, coaching and pushing the somewhat stiff Choi Arin.

Frankly, Choi Arin wasn’t her concern.

If Choi Arin was going to wear an outfit designed for pure s*x appeal, she needed to act the part.

Yoon Suhee was passionate about photography, so her demanding approach with Choi Arin was inevitable.

It was this very quality that made Hayoon appreciate Yoon Suhee’s work and return to Studio Yoon repeatedly.

“You definitely lack appeal. Commit to the pose. If you’re going for a cat pose, be a cat. What’s the difference between this and that pose they make you do in Taekwondo dojangs when they’re about to use you as a human vaulting horse?”

“Th-that’s completely different! I-I’m trying my best…”

“No, it’s the same. Honestly, you lack sensuality. Push your hips back more, and extend your arms. Like this?”

“…”

Aside from the restrictions on Hayoon’s outfits, Yoon Suhee was the best photographer Hayoon could access.

Her stern glares accompanying each suggestive comment were intimidating, but finding another studio with comparable quality was nearly impossible.

“If you’re embarrassed to show your face, should I get you a pillow? Honestly, I think the pose where you’re half-burying your face in a pillow is… pretty. It could also lessen the embarrassment. What do you think?”

“J-just bring it…”

“Okay.”

And so, Hayoon flitted around, assisting Choi Arin’s shoot.

The cosplay photoshoot was progressing smoothly.

They still had a few days of shooting left, but the workload would be similar or less than the first day.

They were off to a good start, so there was nothing to worry about.

Everything was proceeding according to plan.

Hayoon and Choi Arin’s cosplay photobook shoot was down to its final day.

Due to scheduling constraints, post-production was entrusted entirely to Yoon Suhee.

One more day, and the photobook would be out of Hayoon’s hands.

Merchandise production was also well underway, with stock steadily accumulating.

It looked like they would reach their target quantity by the third week of November.

Everything was stable.

Hayoon silently apologized to Do Jin-ho, whose home had become a makeshift warehouse for the merchandise.

“He didn’t have to take them home. Why did he insist on keeping the merchandise at his house…?”

His room and even his home’s storage were overflowing with merchandise boxes.

Hayoon was grateful and apologetic, but also bewildered.

He had complained about getting into a fight with his parents over it. Honestly, it was his fault.

She had simply advised him to apologize to them.

–Yes, CEO. The song and guide vocals are ready. You can use them whenever you’re ready.

The group debut song for Lucy, Shiro Yuki, and Vivian, commissioned a while ago, was finally complete.

–I’ll send you all three solo songs by mid-October.

Along with their individual solo debut songs. Hayoon smiled, anticipating a spectacular debut concert in December.