episode_0004

The next day.

“Ugh…!”

I soothe my stomach by gulping down the delivery cold noodle broth.

The crunchy dongchimi broth refreshes my body with its icy sensation.

The aftermath of overeating is no joke when it comes to a hangover.

My stomach felt sour, and my head felt like it was about to split open.

As expected.

I drank more than one bottle even though my usual limit is just one.

“Ugh… I might survive now….”

Having finished all the broth, revealing the bottom of the cold noodles.

Although half of the noodles remained, it wasn’t a situation where I could eat more, so I covered it back up.

Just soothing my stomach with the refreshing cold noodle broth didn’t completely alleviate the hangover.

“Ah… I want to kill myself.”

Even knowing today would turn out like this, I blamed yesterday’s self for overindulging.

I roughly tidied up the eating area and went to sit in front of the computer.

Turning on the computer, I absentmindedly stared at the ceiling.

Despite feeling like death due to the hangover, work still needed to be done.

Being a fashion photographer entails more than just taking pictures. It involves selecting and editing photos from yesterday’s shoot.

There’s no rush to do it immediately today.

However, being someone who likes to finish tasks ahead of time, despite the hangover, I decided to work slowly.

I connected the camera memory to the computer.

I transferred hundreds of photos taken yesterday to the computer and checked each one.

First, I select a few, then I’ll send them to the boss for final selection.

Although the boss said to leave everything to me, it’s the true duty of an employee to make sure the employer is pleased.

“Hmm….”

It’s always difficult to choose.

No matter how crumpled the clothes are, they look good on a pretty hanger.

Whatever outfit she wears, Heo Yujin pulls it off well.

One might think it’s just flattery, but it’s an objective fact.

She has both beauty and a great body ratio.

She stands out among the company’s models.

Sometimes other models express envy mixed with admiration, saying it’s too unfair.

There are times when photos taken casually with a phone turn out like a pictorial.

Just by quickly scrolling through her SNS photos, you can feel it.

Although her selfie skills are lacking, with blurry focus and messy composition, among ordinary people, no one criticizes it as messy.

Rather, they call it artistic.

“Ugh…!”

While flipping through photos, I paused at one.

Heo Yujin in a white knit sweater.

She’s posing looking back at the camera. That pose that girls in leggings strike after finishing their workout at the gym.

Yes, emphasizing those lifted buttocks.

It was taken to show the fit of the jeans.

“So… yesterday, I did that….”

Yesterday’s events vividly resurfaced.

I shamelessly groped those enticing buttocks in the restaurant restroom.

It still feels unbelievable.

A charismatic model nestled in my arms, moaning as I fondled her buttocks.

If I were to tell a fellow model about it, they’d dismiss it as nonsense.

“Calm down, calm down.”

I calmed the lower part of my body that rose up as I recalled yesterday.

Remembering the elastic and soft texture of the buttocks, just looking at Heo Yujin’s rear photo brought back memories.

This shouldn’t happen.

But I couldn’t easily calm down.

Every time I saw Heo Yujin’s photo, regardless of my will, yesterday’s incident flashed in my mind.

“…I can’t do this.”

Knowing it’s wrong to fantasize while looking at a colleague’s photo, unable to calm down, I relieved myself while imagining inserting my member between Heo Yujin’s plump buttocks and cleaning the semen that clung to the glans with tissue.

“Ugh….”

Squinting my eyes, I focus on selecting photos.

It’s really tough.

Choosing the prettiest photo among pretty photos.

From a consumer’s perspective, it might just be a quick glance at the photos, but it takes a lot of thought and effort to choose that photo.

“Ugh…!”

I lean back on the chair and splash my face with water.

Not being able to concentrate due to the hangover, I can’t shake off my worries.

“Sigh… I should go get some fresh air.”

Wearing glasses to cover my swollen eyes, I put on an oversized hoodie that I can easily slip into.

I cover my messy hair with the hood.

Plugging in earphones and grabbing my phone, I head outside.

It was the season transitioning from winter to spring, so even though the sun was high up, it was still chilly.

Perfect weather to clear my mind.

Listening to old pop music, I headed to the park near my house.

A walking path about 10 minutes away from home.

Water flows in the middle, and the paths are paved on both sides.

It’s a place where people often come for jogging.

Feeling heavy, wanting to run lightly, but if I run now, I’ll surely throw up everything I ate yesterday, so I walk slowly.

Facing the cold wind with my face, as I walk absentmindedly, it feels like my mind is getting a bit clearer.

After walking for about 30 minutes, I sat on a bench to rest for a while.

Tap, tap.

Someone touched my shoulder.

I unplugged my right earphone and turned around.

“Oh?”

“Hello.”

“Yujin?”

It’s Heo Yujin.

Even though more than half of her face is covered by a black mask, it’s definitely Heo Yujin.

She ties her long hair into a ponytail, wears black leggings, and a white windbreaker covering her hips, giving off a quite sporty vibe.

It’s a common workout outfit you can see anywhere, but Heo Yujin still has a special aura.

Similar to what you feel from celebrities.

Well, she’s just an ordinary person.

“Can I sit next to you?”

Heo Yujin, standing right behind me, asked while looking down at me.

“Of course. It’s not my bench anyway.”

I moved to the end of the bench.

Heo Yujin sat at the opposite end.

There’s space for one person to sit in the middle.

The distance between us shows the awkwardness.

Honestly, my feelings are farther apart than this right now.

Meeting Heo Yujin here is not that surprising.

Although it’s not where I live, Heo Yujin’s place is connected to this park.

I’ve heard she lives about a 30-minute walk from my place. Since I walked for about 30 minutes, it must be in the direction of Heo Yujin’s neighborhood.

And we have bumped into each other like this while exercising.

“Feeling okay after the hangover?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“You seem to hold your liquor well, Yujin. I’m a total lightweight when it comes to alcohol.”

I chuckled.

Conversation ends there.

We talk frequently in public settings, but we’ve rarely had personal conversations, so I don’t know what to talk about privately.

…especially considering what happened yesterday.

“Did you have your hangover soup?”

Thankfully, Heo Yujin initiated the conversation first.

“Yeah, I had naengmyeon for breakfast.”

“What a coincidence. I had naengmyeon for my hangover too.”

“Oh? Really?”

“I had mulnaengmyeon.”

“Me too! Yujin knows how to cure a hangover!”

“Our Yujin?”

Heo Yujin glanced at me sideways.

The word ‘our’ seemed to bother her.

It naturally popped out due to the strong collectivist culture in South Korea.

It felt like I suddenly got too friendly.

Even within the same MZ generation, there are clear differences in emotions based on age.

Or maybe…

I might have an old-fashioned mindset.

“Sorry, did I sound too familiar?”

“…”

Heo Yujin looked away and stared ahead.

Awkward.

“Are you coming out for exercise too, Director?”

“No, not for exercise, just a light walk. I couldn’t focus on work, so…”

“Work?”

“Yesterday, I need to choose the photos to use among the ones I took. There’s still time, but it’s better to do it quickly if possible.”

Heo Yujin nodded her head slowly.

“Is that task difficult?”

What’s gotten into her?

It’s almost the first time Heo Yujin has shown interest in my work.

She seemed uninterested in the job of taking pictures since all she had to do was be in them. If she had been interested, she wouldn’t have taken selfies like that.

“It’s the most challenging task.”

“Why? Because there aren’t many good photos?”

“No, quite the opposite.”

I shrugged.

“There are too many good photos, so I don’t know what to choose.”

“…Should I help you?”

“You?”

I looked at Heo Yujin.

Watching the water flow, Heo Yujin spoke.

“It’s easier to decide together than alone.”

That’s a valid point.

No matter how objectively you try to decide, doing it alone introduces a lot of subjectivity.

So deciding together might make it easier.

“No, I’ll do it myself.”

“I’ll help. I’m free today.”

Should I accept some help then?

“Alright. Can you send me your email address via text? I’ll send the photos as soon as I get home.”

Heo Yujin smirked slightly.

Her expression seemed to say, “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t we just go to the director’s house to check together?”

“My, my house?”

“Is there a problem with going there?”

“Well… it’s not that…”

“Then let’s go right away.”

Heo Yujin stood up from her seat.

Patting her bottom, she turned and headed back the way we came.

“What are you doing?”

With both hands tucked into the windbreaker pockets, Heo Yujin turned around.

Startled.

That pose was exactly the same as the one she used for the side dish photo at home earlier.

I barely forgot about it.

I closed my eyes tightly.

“Y-yeah… Let’s go.”

I followed behind Heo Yujin.

It’s my own house.