episode_0072

“Oh… Even when you’re just sitting there, your face is so nice that it surpasses the average.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“Oh, yes. Just think of it as my personality… Um, I’m sorry. I’m like this with other people too. It might sound like an excuse… I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’ve encountered this type of personality before. It threw me off for a moment.”

You know how it is. People who are so honest that they end up rubbing you the wrong way.

“Well, lucky for you then. Since I advised you to be natural, I think you might not know much about being natural yourself.”

After finishing the coffee, the quiet clicking sound of the phone was soon followed by silence.

On the way back, he nibbled on a small piece of salted bread.

He should have had it with the coffee, but he forgot about it until after finishing the drink, unable to take his eyes off the car. It was something Hyojin had given him.

“Is it tasty?”

“Yes.”

“You look like a squirrel.”

The strange mix of savory and fluffy texture in the bread created a cafe-like atmosphere inside the car.

Honestly, it’s expensive, but it sure tastes good.

“We’ll arrive in 5 minutes. In the meantime… Oh. You’re eating.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Looking forward to the photos?”

“?”

Chewing absentmindedly, where did he find inspiration here?

I distinctly remember hearing grand plans about running a shopping mall last Friday, using popularity as a stepping stone.

Is he now trying his hand at selling salted bread instead?

“Here we are.”

“Even if you look closely, you won’t see anything special from the outside. It’s practically just another house from the outside. I don’t want to operate a photo studio…”

“…”

Quietly, they entered the building.

Wisdom within me was screaming wildly.

The unit of the house was bothering me.

Where does the house end and the building begin?

“Ta-da! This is my ‘home’!”

Oh. No, not really. Home.

“Haha… Not sure if it’s a home, but I feel comfortable here.”

“Oh. It’s a nice ‘home’.”

“It’s perfect for a photographer.”

A large empty space expanded.

It might be more appropriate to call it a studio.

While everything else was dark, the studio lights illuminated the white floor and walls in the center, giving it a bright overall appearance.

It felt like a sun emanating from the center.

Hyojin gestured to wait for a moment and casually sat on a nearby chair.

“Not exactly a home.”

I really wanted to say it.

Somehow, it doesn’t quite feel like a home.

“So, here’s my plan.”

She brought a piece of A4 paper and dragged the table closer.

I thought she would ask me to bring a chair, but Hyojin continued speaking.

“It’s just… something I’m doing out of boredom, so I completely ignored any advice.”

“Are you doing something strange? Is it related to the shopping mall?”

“Oh~ I told you over the phone. Just selling clothes. I tried selling other things, but I think it’s right to take pictures with models and sell clothes.”

She said she would bring some samples and hurried off somewhere. Amidst the sound of crumpling paper and cans bouncing around, she ran off.

“So… what do you think?”

“…It’s pretty, isn’t it?”

She brought a garment rack and held up a cardigan.

It was a cardigan made of soft material in a sky blue color with white buttons, giving off a warm and cozy vibe.

It’s pretty, but it doesn’t seem particularly unique.”

“Hmm… I won’t be selling this one, but since I only take photos, doesn’t it seem strange that I’m running a business?”

“Ah… That does seem a bit odd.”

Nevertheless, there must be a purpose behind why she’s doing this.

Feeling bored, if you only leave a deficit, that boredom will dissipate.

“What. Does it feel like selling with good material at a reasonable price? I may not have a brand, but my name is the brand.”

“You seem very confident.”

“Haha. Yes, that’s right. That’s why it’s just a pastime. I’m curious to see how far I can go based on recognition alone.”

Hyekin draws something on paper.

“Do you happen to know?”

“I have no idea.”

She was honest.

It seemed like some kind of brainstorming, but it seemed to proceed as if it wasn’t.

“If this succeeds… the pay coming to Hyeseo could double here, and if it goes well, it could even increase tenfold.”

“I don’t think… clothes suit me well.”

“Exactly. That’s it. The outfit that accentuates your chest and narrows your waist when viewed from the outside, right? That’s what we’re aiming for.”

“But…”

I’m a model. Is there a reason to listen to business talk?

“Oh, I see. Did I say it would only take a little?”

“Even if you hear such elaborate plans, you won’t understand.”

“To sum it up, we’ll set standards. Since everyone’s body shapes are different, we plan to create specific categories tailored to each user’s body and show only suitable clothes. If we add Hyeseo into the mix…”

“Ah. It will inform whether you look bloated or overly revealing.”

“That’s right!”

One curiosity arises here.

“So, if someone is trying to lose weight, what happens if they keep seeing oversized clothes?”

And she continues speaking.

It looks like there are many problems. Even someone as foolish as me can see that.

“And clothes come in different sizes, but are they shown differently only by models?”

“Ah… wait a moment.”

She writes down on paper with a pen.

“It’s okay. We’ll consider that. Since we’re focusing on fitting the body, people roughly know their height and weight, so they can write it down.”

“And aren’t there almost thousands of clothes from just one company? Or tens of thousands.”

“Ah… today, there are so many stumbling blocks.”

Since the other person was honest, I decided to be honest too.

“Is this… really going forward?”

“Well… what if we keep investing money to see what happens?”

“Then it wouldn’t just be a pastime anymore.”

Should I just take the money today?

I made contact out of courtesy, but now I regret that decision.

“I’ll give you the money now.”

“Yes…?”

“I must have looked a bit foolish, right? …Yes! I’ve transferred it.”

A day’s worth of payment was already in the account I provided.

“No… really?”

“The advice you’re receiving now is the value.”

If it goes like this… I should probably give as much advice as possible, right?

“…I understand. I’ll gratefully accept it for now, but there’s still a lot to discuss. You should consider all of that.”

“Ahaha… how much?”

“30 minutes? Let’s just talk for that long.”

“Ah…”

Hyekin seemed on the verge of tears.

She’s only trying to provide more value since she received more money.

*

“Cry.”

“Why are you crying?”

“Life seems so difficult…”

“Huh?”

“Ah… sniff. Well, it’s okay. I thought I just needed to take good photos, but now I have to fill out a business plan.”

Not sure what she meant, Hyekin immediately got up and walked somewhere.

“I’ll wash my face. Hyeseo, please come along.”

“Ah. Okay.”

Hyekin passed through a wall with a cement-like texture and opened a door.

“Oh.”

“This is where you can do makeup and change clothes. You probably won’t meet the models, but I’ll show you around for now.”

There’s nowhere to go but a place much wider than my room.

Why am I so fixated on shopping malls?

With this much money, can’t I just live as is?

Whether it’s a man or a woman, just meeting and gazing affectionately at each other saves a lot of money.

“My face is set, but let me change the vibe here.”

At the gesture to sit, I took a seat.

“Can you do makeup too?”

“Yes. Well… I can do that, right?”

“If you put it that way…”

“I used to be in makeup before becoming a photographer. I studied it in college and did it alongside.”

Ah. That makes sense then.

Hyekjin gathered my hair as if to show something and tied it up.

“For now… Ah. Let me wash my face.”

“Me?”

“You.”

She pointed at me with her finger, but Hyekjin was pointing at herself.

You said to wash your face, right?

“Alright… Let’s get started.”

After removing the damp hair and applying disinfectant to my hands, she dropped some more.

“When you apply a lot and remove it, it feels like all the germs fly away, you know?”

“…Is that possible?”

Someone with a medical background might hit their head, but it seems credible.

“Shall we start with something simple?”

“Yes, yes.”

“You did your makeup by yourself?”

“Yes.”

“How many years have you been doing it?”

“…Makeup?”

Since I just started learning… About 4 weeks? It doesn’t seem like a month yet.

“Honestly, I think around a year would be a fair estimate. Oh, I’m not teasing; I want to give you some useful tips.”

“It’s been less than a month.”

“Then before that…?”

“I didn’t do it.”

“…Rather than tips, it seems like you need to touch your own face first.”

Hyekjin took out the cosmetics.

“I’ll just slightly change the atmosphere. Even if you have a sloppy posture, your face will revive with crazy coverage.”

“…Just tell me about the poses.”

“I don’t know about poses either… I guess you could say the model figures it out on their own. It’s all new to regular people.”

It feels oddly fitting.

While others wear thick plate armor or agile leather armor that can deflect arrows, we wore a strange armor that focused solely on protecting weaknesses.

Despite being well-prepared, it looks unimpressive on the surface, giving off a feeling that victory is within reach.

In games, it’s usually about high defense.

But this isn’t a game.

“Okay, we’re done.”

“Oh… You really do look different.”

“You didn’t believe me earlier, did you?”

“No.”

“I see.”

It might sound like a conversation leading to a fight, but directness is the answer.

I may not have believed her, but I knew the atmosphere had changed, and I was aware that her delicate touch was above average.

“Now let’s start the photoshoot.”

“Yes~”

I miss my brother.

This might be separation anxiety.

Thinking of me as a cat, my brother might not be far off.

“Sigh…”

I changed clothes and stood in the center where the light shone.

Originally, I thought it should be the opposite, but thankfully, I changed without getting makeup on my clothes due to the buttons.

“Just stand in the center for the mark.”

Wearing cute shoes, I stood in the middle with a clacking sound.

“Are you a soldier?”

“Oh. Please teach me some poses. Just the basic ones.”

Otherwise, I’ll just throw up a peace sign.