episode_0156

“Wow, holy crap…”

That was what the Director of Photography blurted out without realizing it.

Of course, the shock wasn’t just his. The models also gaped, mouths agape. It was all because of Sua’s appearance in a swimsuit, stealing everyone’s attention.

Sua appeared, her snow-white hair flowing behind her.

She wore a pure white bikini top, but the bottoms were replaced with very short hot pants.

…It was because the bikini bottoms weren’t quite working out. What could she do when they kept getting stuck between her butt cheeks every time she put them on?

She revealed a lot of skin, but even so, she was perceived like a wolf. There was an undeniable wildness about her.

“….”

Or rather, it was a wildness that stood out precisely *because* she revealed so much skin. It subtly triggered people’s primal desires.

Of course, Sua was, in her heart, not thinking much.

‘Is my fox-like charm activated? It’s still a bit lacking, isn’t it? Is it because the cameras aren’t rolling yet? Ugh, I’m embarrassed.’

If you had to pinpoint it, she was full of worry.

But it was just a needless concern. Because all the shooting staff and models had the same thought.

‘Today’s shoot is going to be incredible!’

Summer special. It was determined that there would be no problems.

Walking controversy? Who cares? It was a level where you could intuitively feel that the photoshoot would be a success just from her looks alone. Who cares about composition when the subject is overwhelmingly beautiful?

Soon, the Director of Photography shouted loudly.

“Let’s start shooting!”

It was a voice that held even an uncommon excitement.

◈◈◈◈◈

The full-fledged shoot began.

‘Hehe. It feels nice being submerged in the water. Hehe…’

That was Sua’s impression.

Right now, Sua was soaking in the pool. When the signal was given, she just had to step out and show off an elegant walk.

“Sua-ssi! Now’s the time!”

And finally, the signal was given.

Sssshhhh─!

Sua immediately activated her “fox-like charm.”

“….”

The shooting crew all swallowed hard, cameras in hand. In fact, they were just as nervous.

If Sua’s role was to become the subject, dressed in the appropriate attire, then it was their job to capture the moments that would be featured in the pictorial. From now on, their synchronization would be important.

The next moment.

Sua suddenly opened her eyes.

“….”

It was a strange thing.

It was as if the person herself had changed.

Sua, standing still in the pool submerged up to her belly button, slowly moved only her arms. While everyone watched with bated breath, she quietly tied her hair back with a tie.

Afterward, she stepped out of the pool and began to walk, still dripping with moisture. Her lower body still had water from the pool on it, and her upper body, perhaps because the weather was warm, was beaded with sweat.

The back of her neck, catching the sunlight, sparkled as if adorned with jewels. Even though it was just mere sweat droplets.

Splish─ splash─

Her wet soles stepped onto the ground.

One step that grabbed attention.

A second step that sparked desire.

Splish─

By the time she took her third step, everyone was already captivated. Because Sua’s pelvis swayed slightly from side to side as she crossed her legs, her balance was strangely maintained. Like a fox wagging its tail.

Just as Sua was silently advancing.

“Ah, hold on! Just a moment! Just a moment, please!”

The Director of Photography shouted.

“Huh?”

Sua stopped, inwardly startled. A montage flashed through her mind. What? Did I make a mistake?

…Or did something come off? Sua-ssaaaaang!

However.

“Sua-ssi! I’m really sorry!”

“Yes?”

Instead of answering, the Director of Photography turned to the staff and raised his voice.

“You guys! What are you doing, not shooting!”

“Ah….”

Only then did everyone’s eyes sharpen. Sua found their expressions funny. It wasn’t like they had just woken up, so what was with them?

The team leader scratched the back of his head.

“Sua-ssi is more amazing than we imagined, so everyone was too focused to shoot. Actually, I couldn’t shoot either. We’ll start over from the beginning. I apologize once again.”

“Ahhh.”

Only then could Sua relax.

Thank goodness. It wasn’t like I made a big mistake.

Um, okay, that’s good, but…

Sua shook her head and replied.

“Let’s take a break. I can’t do it right away.”

It was an utterance close to a sincere request. It was a statement that cut off the words, “Fox-like charm is not something I can activate often, so I need some rest.”

However, everyone at the studio thought at the same time.

‘Sua-ssi has become incredibly unhappy.’

‘…No more mistakes are allowed today.’

‘Absolutely no mistakes. Absolutely….’

The atmosphere turned icy at lightning speed. Perhaps it was helpful to the male models. The nether regions that had been throbbing shrank in an instant. It was Sua’s normalization.

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One hour later, shooting resumed.

Sua once again activated her “fox-like charm” and adorned the studio. She didn’t tense up in front of the other models. Because everyone around her was only perceived as a target of captivation.

The shooting team’s exclamations poured out without embellishment.

“Wow, Sua-ssi! This is so good right now!”

“Sua-ssi, hold that pose for just 3 seconds!”

It was only possible because this was a scene capturing photos and not videos. Since sound is not recorded in photos, the shooting team was able to freely express their real-time impressions.

“…Anyone would think she was given a specific role to play? There’s something about it that makes you think there’s a story behind it. What is it, really?”

A story? There is one, alright. A sorrowful story of being born as a fox and being beaten badly with a stick by a pojangmacha owner….

Click─!

Click─!

Click─!

The endless sound of the shutter.

Around this point, Sua was able to realize that entertainment shows, dramas, short film shoots, and commercial shoots were all different.

‘How long are they going to keep shooting? The duration is slowly….’

Click─!

Click─!

Click─!

The shoots Sua had experienced so far would end as soon as a series of flow was completed. The rest was up to the editing team. But this was different.

Since the concept was to take thousands of pictures and then pick the best ones, Sua had to keep creating various situations. Until they filled those thousands of pictures. Continuously.

“Sua-ssi! Let’s pull your chin in just a little bit!”

“Yes.”

“Sua-ssi! Should we put your arm around the shoulder of the model next to you? With the feeling of using a human armrest! Like a true queen!”

“Yesss.”

“Good! This time, let’s turn around and emphasize your butt once! And show the line of your back too!”

“Yesssir….”

Thanks to the tremendous effect of “fox-like charm,” it wasn’t difficult to take poses that would make her look pretty. However, it was very tedious. Physically exhausting, too.

‘When I think about it, Mystic said that Yeonju-unnie and Sunil ran a lot of ads to sign a contract with me. Have they been suffering like this every day? Ugh….’

Mystic…. I’m only realizing it now….

Just then.

“Huh? All the moisture’s gone already?”

After mumbling that, the team leader shouted.

“Sua-ssi! Let’s close our eyes for a moment!”

“Yes?”

Why suddenly? But the answer didn’t come in words.

Fssshhh─! Fssshhh─! Fssshhh─!

Instead, the staff ran up and sprayed water on Sua with spray bottles. Sua thought. Hmm, it’s going to be a long time before it’s over.

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The shooting wrapped up around the time the moon was hanging in the sky, and an after-party began at the mansion. It would be a waste to just rent such a nice place and only do the shooting, after all.

‘Ugh, I have a hard time with this kind of atmosphere.’

Sua thought timidly.

When the invited DJ played music, the models entered the pool and were playing freely. Some people were shooting water guns, and canned beer was being drunk everywhere.

But Sua didn’t know.

Everyone was glancing at Sua a lot while pretending to play so hard. It was only natural. They were all eager to become close with Sua, but Sua herself wasn’t approaching them….

Eventually, one of the female models plucked up her courage.

“Sua-ssi! Do you know about this canned beer?”

“Yes, I know.”

“….”

The female model soon stepped back awkwardly.

“Yes. I’m sorry for bothering you while you were resting….”

No, why are you giving up already? Don’t go. Ask me again. Tell me to play with you too!

─…Don’t you think your social skills are completely shattered? What do you mean by just answering that you know it?

In the end, Sua was left out.

A long time later, the ZOG Korea team leader approached.

“I would have regretted it if we hadn’t cast Sua-ssi. I saw a preview of what was shot today, and it’s no joke.”

“I acknowledge that.”

Sua’s acknowledgment after a long time.

Sua nodded. ‘Fox-like charm’ is a great technique, after all. You could say it was one of Sua’s signature moves.

The team leader burst into laughter.

“I hope that both ZOG Korea and Sua-ssi will be a huge success together when the pictorial is published. Let’s soar.”

“I acknowledge that.”

It was around that time that the models approached Sua in a group. It seemed like they didn’t have the courage to do it alone.

“Sua-ssi, let’s play together!”

“She said she wanted to see Sua-ssi up close for a while now. She said it was too hard to talk to you even though she wanted to play.”

“What about her? You said you felt the same way too!”

“Anyway, Sua-ssi! Please play with us a little!”

Sua ran over happily.

“…I acknowledge that!”

Afterward, she got hit with water guns all over and got sulky.

◈◈◈◈◈

The next day.

Men gathered in a large room located inside a fancy bar. Sitting at the head of the table was none other than Go Taemin.

It seemed like the drinking session had already progressed quite a bit, as there were quite a few empty bottles. There were also many flushed faces.

“It tastes so much better without that Kim Junki bastard.”

“Yeah. Isn’t this the first time we’ve all gathered since then?”

Those adding a word each were all directors. People with deep pride and quite a bit of skill, to the point where they wouldn’t back down when a story about direction came up.

That was why this was the “Right Path” meeting.

“Everyone looks happy. Let’s start focusing.”

Finally, the leader, Director Go Taemin, opened his mouth.

“I picked up a winning lottery ticket. Anyone want it?”