episode_0063

“Looks like Yeonhwa has caught the attention of the Maru manager~.”

The staff chuckled in response to Jegalyeonhwa’s words, thinking it was a joke among themselves.

However, looking at Jegalyeonhwa’s expression directed towards me right now, I could tell she was sincere.

‘Be careful. Jegalyeonhwa keeps mentioning you.’

Kim Noeul’s warning to me came to mind.

During the Rotary Nanta Festival, Jegalyeonhwa used me as a topic to provoke Kim Noeul. Until then, I thought she mentioned me just for provocation…

‘She did have this kind of personality in the original work.’

If she found someone attractive, she didn’t hesitate to approach them. It was because she was confident in her own charm.

‘Is she targeting me here…’

In many ways, I stood in contrast to Nayuna. That’s why Nayuna and Jegalyeonhwa might have become rivals.

“Oh, hello! I’m Yuna!”

I heard a familiar voice from behind. Yuna, wearing a white t-shirt and jeans, was greeting the staff.

“Oh, Yuna, long time no see.”

“Is today your first magazine shoot?”

“Come over to the scrim side for better color contrast.”

Upon arrival, she immediately began preparing for the shoot with the staff. Her timid demeanor from the beginning of the semester was almost unrecognizable.

“Yuna senior is here, so I’ll take my leave.”

Using Nayuna as an excuse, I interrupted the conversation. The staff nodded in agreement and returned to their positions.

Jegalyeonhwa smiled at me.

“Maru, your intentions are so obvious.”

“What intentions?”

“I think I know why you sent that girl to SC.”

She crossed her arms and looked at Nayuna, shaking her head.

“You still seem unfamiliar. I don’t know what you saw in that girl, but I want to say it’s pointless.”

“Well…”

I faced Jegalyeonhwa with a confident expression.

“It seems like the name of the top model will change soon, even after a little time passes.”

“Hmm~.”

She chuckled softly, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeonhwa! Let’s quickly get your profile done!”

“Then I’ll take off. Our conversation was short but fun.”

Responding to the staff’s call, Jegalyeonhwa waved goodbye and moved away from me. I immediately went to find Nayuna.

She was reading through the concept script handed to her by the staff.

“Oh, Maru, you’re here.”

Nayuna looked up at me. With her bangs swept to the side, her striking features were clearly visible.

“Do you think today will go well?”

At my question, she expressed uncertainty.

“Everything is new to me since it’s my first time… I’ve only done studio shoots before… Here, we also have to consider natural light…”

“Everyone starts somewhere. The staff will understand. Besides, you’re a talent recommended by Director Im Juhee.”

She seemed somewhat reassured by my words.

“Uh, Maru.”

“Yes?”

“You were with Jegalyeonhwa earlier…”

“…”

“What were you talking about?”

Nayuna seemed to have seen through the drama. To avoid any misunderstandings, I decided to clarify.

“Jegalyeonhwa provoked me. So I responded. It’s nothing special.”

“She said there’s something between you two.”

“Well, that’s…”

“When did you become so close… It seemed clear… I should’ve… initiated it first…”

“Senior?”

Before I could try to calm the flustered Nayuna, the shooting sign rang. Nayuna started the shoot with a somewhat deflated look on her face.

‘I hope it goes well…’

Seeing her walk with slumped shoulders, I felt worried.

But as soon as the camera turned, Nayuna looked at it with a serious expression, changing her posture and expression with each request from the staff.

“Yes, that’s enough. Please wait inside for a moment.”

“Thank you.”

Nayuna greeted and then moved behind the camera. I gave her a thumbs-up.

“You did well. The staff doesn’t look too unhappy either.”

“Thank goodness… Soyeon said that just not receiving criticism during the first shoot is already commendable…”

Indeed, Nayuna was already equipped with talent.

As someone who had experience in broadcasting, she had a knack for ‘being seen by others.’

Nayuna took a relieved sip of water.

As she placed the water bottle on the ground, more staff began to gather around, especially the number of cameramen from the filming team increased.

“Let’s start Yeonhwa’s shoot~.”

“Bring the camera this way.”

Clearly, more cameras were focused on Geol Yeonhwa compared to Nayuna.

Seated on the bench, she flawlessly fulfilled the demands of numerous cameras, mechanically progressing through the shoot.

“Nice~.”

“You’re catching the sunlight well.”

“Well, there’s hardly anything to edit.”

Throughout the shoot, there was continuous praise directed towards Geol Yeonhwa. Nayuna wasn’t receiving negative feedback, but it was evident that she was being overshadowed in evaluations compared to Geol Yeonhwa.

‘This isn’t good.’

No matter how much Nayuna had changed, she hadn’t completely overcome her trauma yet. This kind of comparison had a negative impact on her mental state.

I turned my head to look at Nayuna.

Nayuna seemed entranced, gazing at the set.

‘What is she looking at? The camera?’

She wasn’t looking at the numerous cameras or the staff. Her gaze was fixed on Geol Yeonhwa.

From Geol Yeonhwa’s precise posing angles to effortlessly showcasing the accessories emphasized by the magazine, even controlling how the sunlight fell on her body.

Nayuna was captivated by Geol Yeonhwa as a model herself.

“Senior.”

“How… can she be… like that…”

She didn’t show any feelings of inferiority or complaint while looking at Geol Yeonhwa.

This wasn’t a positive response. It would have been better if she had shown some feelings of inferiority or complained.

‘She sees herself as a completely different being.’

When people encounter something overwhelmingly impressive beyond their understanding, they tend to give up competition and begin idolizing it.

Nayuna was showing signs of such behavior.

“Senior, if you work hard, you’ll receive praise. That’s what Senior Soyeon said. If this is your first time and you’ve done this well, it’s commendable.”

“I-I was just trying to find things to learn. I need to absorb everything.”

Although she spoke like that, she couldn’t hide the deep sense of defeat in her eyes.

The shoot continued. Nayuna didn’t receive harsh criticism, but the shoot didn’t flow as smoothly as Geol Yeonhwa’s.

“Yuna, the picture concept is ‘Yuna’s two faces.’”

“Yes, got it.”

“But we keep seeing only one face. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“…Yes.”

“I’m not trying to say anything negative. You’re doing well enough, but I feel something is missing.”

“I’ll work harder.”

“Good job.”

After finishing the shoot, the staff began editing or packing up equipment.

As Nayuna was about to leave, Geol Yeonhwa approached her. Nayuna stared at Geol Yeonhwa nervously.

“Nayuna, right?”

“…Y-yes.”

“I heard Director Lim scouted you personally. So I had high expectations, but…”

Geol Yeonhwa trailed off, lifting the corner of her mouth as she looked down at Nayuna. Being shorter than Geol Yeonhwa, Nayuna shrunk under her gaze.

“What is Maru thinking? Resisting the Ojakgyo and cooperating with Kim Noeul and you… Frankly, I’m not that worried about either Kim Noeul or you.”

“Don’t… speak ill of Noeul.”

“Huh?”

“Noeul is different from me. After the break, everyone should be on edge.”

Seeing Nayuna, who had been making a timid expression, suddenly open her eyes wide and retort, Geol Yeonhwa wiped away her smile.

“I don’t really understand. How much can a woman who was difficult to deal with change?”

Jegal Yeonhwa turned around.

“If you’re thinking of challenging me as a model, stop it. It’s a waste of time.”

Having said that, Jegal Yeonhwa went to find the staff.

While Jegal Yeonhwa was quickly surrounded by several staff members, Nayuna approached me alone, looking lonely.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Yeah.”

Her voice lacked strength in response.

“When is the next shoot?”

“In a week… It’s going to be a similar concept.”

Nayuna muttered in a melancholic voice while packing her belongings. Upon hearing about the similar concept, I spoke up.

“If the concept is similar, we can practice together. Let’s brainstorm together for a while.”

“Together…? You mean brainstorm together?”

“It’s better to do it together than alone. Senior Doa also helped me with problem-solving together.”

Upon hearing my words, Nayuna made a contemplative expression, then widened her eyes as if she had realized something.

“Doa stayed outside the annex late at night listening to Doa’s problems?”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

‘She catches on quickly.’

Impressed by Nayuna’s intuition, I showed her a restaurant I had already chosen.

“Let’s solve dinner here. We can also brainstorm about the concept while we’re at it.”

“Eating together?”

Nayuna, who had been gloomy until just now, suddenly blushed.

“The Baekban here is delicious, but if it’s not to your taste, there’s nothing we can do.”

“No! I like Baekban!”

She hurriedly replied and slung her bag over one shoulder, leading the way.

“Let’s go quickly!”

“Do you know the way? I should lead the way.”

“Oh, right.”

We arrived at the Baekban restaurant, chatting away. Both of us ordered the spicy pork.

“Two orders of spicy pork coming right up!”

As the waiter brought the spicy pork, Nayuna, who had been staring at it absentmindedly, looked up at me.

“Surprising. Most guys wouldn’t usually come to a place like this.”

“Ah… I think I know what you mean. Usually, it’s tteokbokki or malatang…”

“Right. They wouldn’t purposely come to a Baekban restaurant.”

Nayuna led the conversation based on knowledge she had seen on the internet.

“It’s just my taste. I like spicy pork and rice.”

“Wow, we match well. We could keep eating together.”

“….”

“I’m sorry! I won’t bother you with pleasantries!”

“Stop with the pleasantries and let’s talk about the shoot while eating.”

I showed her the notes I had prepared about Nayuna and Yuna.

“What’s this?”

“It’s my observations and opinions about the senior. The subject of the camera is Senior Yuna, so it’s appropriate to study that subject to shoot well.”

She read through the notes I had organized. Watching her eyes move around, it seemed like she was reading diligently.

After finishing reading, she looked at me with an amazed expression.

“Amazing… After reading this, I feel like I’ve learned things I didn’t know about myself.”

‘Of course. I know everything about that character setting.’

Except for Nayuna’s family, I might be the person who knows her best.

“Since the concept has two faces, you need to show two different sides… In fact, the senior I saw today was closer to Yuna.”

“As a broadcaster?”

“Yes. Honestly, appearance greatly influences impressions. The senior now is completely different from when she used to cover her face with bangs at school.”

After finishing speaking, I scribbled down the key points in the notes.

“But it feels like Nayuna’s original self is disappearing? Maybe that’s what the director meant.”

“But it’s not as easy as it sounds.”

“Exactly. At times like this, getting help from an expert is the most reliable option…”

“Soyeon? I heard she doesn’t stay at the main house for long. She mentioned she might come to see me occasionally.”

“Then it’ll be fine to meet her. She would be more helpful than me.”

“I should contact her once. I need to change before the next shoot.”

Upon hearing about the change, Nayuna realized that a growth event was slowly approaching her as well.

The first was Handoa.

By acting with her at the main house, he advanced her mentality by one step. As a result, her swordsmanship changed completely from before.

Now it was Nayuna’s turn.

At the ‘Miss High Teen’ event to be held at the second semester school festival, in order to defeat Gae Gal-yeonhwa and become a complete model, she had to handle the event that had just arrived well.

“I should stick by Senior Doa like Handoa does.”

Handoa relied on his growth to an unusual extent. Nayuna, due to her personality, would not be more or less severe than Handoa.

Watching her finish her meal slowly, he made a suggestion.

“Senior.”

“Yeah?”

“Can I come to your place today?”

“Sigh!”

As she drank water, she seemed to choke and cough continuously. He waited until she calmed down.

“Cough… You mean, come to my place?”

“Yes. It’s like a strategy meeting.”

“What… Won’t your guardian say anything? If a guy is out late at night…”

“I’ll contact them now.”

I called the vice chairman on speakerphone so that she could hear. After a while, the vice chairman answered the call.

[Maru? Why are you calling?]

“I’m talking about going to help today. It might take a bit longer.”

[Will you be back today?]

“Yes.”

[It doesn’t matter much. Just no overnight stays. You’re still a high school student, so you need to be careful.]

“I’ll come back as soon as possible.”

[Okay.]

My conversation with the vice chairman ended. Nayuna blinked.

“If my lungs collapse, I’ll also go back to the orphanage. We can talk via text too.”

“…Come.”

Nayuna said firmly.

“Definitely come. Let’s have a serious meeting in my room.”

“…Your expression suddenly became serious. That’s a good attitude.”

Nayuna’s proactive determination for improvement felt satisfying.

*

*

*

Caught in Kim Maru’s piercing gaze, Nayuna couldn’t gather her thoughts.

Regardless of how she appeared to others, in Nayuna’s eyes, Kim Maru was currently looking at her with a very alluring expression.

Outside gradually darkened.

The school idol, Nam Hubae, wanted to come into her room with a fresh face.

Kim Maru was melting into a room full of her scent and traces.

Nayuna’s breath quickened.

“Oh gods, if I miss this opportunity, I am doomed!”