Side Story 73. The Story After (73)

“Hello. Hoyeon-ssi.”

“Ah, yes.”

Lee Hoyeon sat in the chair and blinked.

‘Why am I here?’

He had definitely followed Surin noona into a building, but somehow he found himself sitting in a makeup shop.

And not just any shop, but a high-end one that looked expensive just from the interior.

“It’s my first time seeing you in person, so I’m really nervous…! Is it possible to get an autograph after your makeup is done?”

“Of course. It’s possible.”

“Thank you…! Hmm, your girlfriend asked you to look as handsome as possible, but I think it would be best to just go with a light touch.”

The designer studied Lee Hoyeon’s face from side to side, her expression thoughtful. She had been in the makeup industry for over 10 years, but this was the first time she’d encountered such a perfect face shape. It felt like God had put way too much handsomeness into him when creating him.

“….”

And Lee Hoyeon could only sit there, stunned by the sudden situation.

‘If she means girlfriend, that’s Surin noona. Why the makeup?’

He always thought the same thing whenever this happened; he was weak when women pushed things on him.

The makeup didn’t even take 10 minutes.

He always thought the same thing; whenever they did this kind of thing, it finished quickly because there wasn’t much to do. This time was no different.

“Okay-. All done. No matter how I try, I think anything more would be too much. Ah, customer. Is it possible to get an autograph?”

“…I’ll do one.”

Ttak-

Lee Hoyeon flicked his finger while looking at the paper the designer held out. Instantly, an autograph made of magic materialized on the paper from thin air.

“Whoa. Wow. I’ll treasure it!”

“It’s nothing. Where is Surin noona?”

“Ah, Surin-ssi is also getting her makeup done. If you wait outside for a moment, she’ll be finished.”

“Understood.”

Lee Hoyeon politely bowed and went outside. Conveniently, there was a waiting area, so he sat there.

“…When is she coming? It feels like 30 minutes have passed.”

However, no matter how long he waited, Moon Surin didn’t come out. Lee Hoyeon had no choice but to kill time looking at his smartwatch.

[The magic of Mage Lee Hoyeon, who single-handedly stopped the terrorist attack that struck France….]

[The stock prices of the Iris Guild, solidifying its position as the world’s top guild, are rising daily….]

Lee Hoyeon could learn about the world today through ‘Everyday’. Although it was a space for Academy students, virtually all the news gathered there, so just looking at it was enough.

“Speaking of which, I heard they’re giving me a small share of the Iris Guild’s profits too.”

Lee Hoyeon was receiving a huge amount of money every month due to his partnership with the Iris Guild. He had refused too much money out of consideration for the sisters Alice and Irene, but even so, it was a lot.

‘Come to think of it, the Mage Association also proposed a partnership… I should consider that too.’ Uncle Arthur was a close acquaintance of Professor Im Sol, so he could provide that level of service. As long as they didn’t force him to become the head of the Mage Association.

Lee Hoyeon continued browsing Everyday. He clicked on articles with his name whenever he saw them, but honestly, there were too many ridiculous stories.

“Lee Hoyeon, what’s his relationship with the Iris Guild… relatives?”

Their facial structures were completely different, so how could they be related? It’s stories like these from people calling themselves reporters that are making the world go to hell.

‘Meanwhile, Surin noona is really taking her time.’

Lee Hoyeon looked around. He knew women took a long time to get ready, but it had already been 30 minutes.

“Hoyeon-ah, sorry. Did you wait long?”

Just then, Surin noona’s voice came from the other side.

“…Surin noona?”

Lee Hoyeon turned his head and unconsciously gasped. Sparkling eyes and delicate curves forming a beautiful face. It looked like light makeup, but with that level of harmony, he could understand why it took so long. Lee Hoyeon couldn’t take his eyes off Moon Surin for a moment.

“How is it? Does it suit me?”

Moon Surin, holding the hem of her pure white dress, spun around once. It was as if light and warmth were radiating from her body.

“Yes. You look incredibly beautiful.”

“Hehe, really?”

Moon Surin smiled at the compliment, and an elegant fragrance followed her with every step. Lee Hoyeon, inwardly surprised, replied to Moon Surin.

“But isn’t this a wedding dress?”

“It’s today’s photoshoot concept. Come on, the photographer is waiting. Let’s go.”

“Ah, really?”

But what kind of photoshoot had a wedding dress concept? Lee Hoyeon followed her towards the photo studio.

“Is this it?”

“Yep.”

Lee Hoyeon looked around the inside of the photo studio with curiosity. The bright studio felt like a clean, white-toned home. The photographer was waiting on one side.

“Okay, bride and groom. Please get ready for the shoot.”

“Yes, yes.”

Moon Surin naturally took her place in front of the camera, and Lee Hoyeon stood beside her. But the photographer’s words just now bothered him.

“Surin noona. Didn’t he just call us bride and groom?”

“Did he?”

“…Yes. He definitely did.”

“Don’t worry. It’s just the photoshoot concept.”

“This is PR department activity?”

“Yep. It’s for Victoria Academy’s promotional material.”

“…”

Lee Hoyeon blinked, looking at Moon Surin. What kind of person in the world would use wedding photos for student council promotional material?

“Okay, bride and groom. Stand still. We need to take hundreds of shots today.”

“Yes. We’re counting on you.”

“….”

Is this the trend these days? Lee Hoyeon stood next to Moon Surin for now. Since the photographer was waiting, he intended to go through with the shoot.

Click- click-

While Lee Hoyeon and Moon Surin changed poses for photos. The photographer raised his hand.

“Okay, now the groom will lift the bride for one shot!”

“…Me?”

“Hurry, hurry! The bride is getting shy!”

“Hoyeon-ah. Don’t keep the photographer waiting.”

“Ah… okay.”

Lee Hoyeon blinked and lifted Moon Surin into his arms. An expensive fragrance mixed into Lee Hoyeon’s breath.

“Don’t look down at me. It’ll make me look ugly.”

“There’s no way that’s true.”

Lee Hoyeon lowered his gaze. Moon Surin, who had been staring intently at him, closed her eyes the moment their eyes met.

“I told you not to look…!”

“You were looking too, noona.”

Lee Hoyeon chuckled and held Moon Surin.

Click- click-

After taking a few more shots, the photographer’s expression brightened instantly.

“Wow. This should be enough! It’s the first time a shoot finished this quickly. You two models are such a perfect match, it was over in a flash. Hahaha.”

“Hehe. Thank you.”

The happy photographer. And Moon Surin. Lee Hoyeon blinked from behind them. He still couldn’t understand what this photoshoot was for.

“Is it possible to get the photos right away?”

“Ah, yes. If you want the unedited versions, we can give them to you immediately. You’ll have to wait a bit for the edited ones.”

“Okay. Thank you for your hard work.”

The photographer, happy about leaving early, departed, and Moon Surin received the photos with a smile.

“Surin noona.”

Lee Hoyeon stood beside Moon Surin and peeked at the photos. He liked the pictures, which clearly turned out well, but he wondered if using them for promotion was the right idea.

“Yeah?”

“No matter how I look at it, this doesn’t seem like promotional material, does it?”

“What are you talking about? It’s definitely promotional. We’re going to distribute this.”

“…This?”

“Of course.”

Lee Hoyeon tilted his head, looking at the photos. Well… of course, since they were pictures of a perfect couple, the promotion might work well…

‘If those get out, I’m dead.’

No, it wouldn’t just be Lee Hoyeon in danger; Moon Surin would be too. Professor Im Sol and Baek Ahyoung back at the Academy would storm the student council room. Plus, his newly formed relationship with the Iris Guild could crumble.

‘Saying it like this makes me sound like some world-class villain.’

Lee Hoyeon stopped his pointless thoughts and looked at Moon Surin.

“Ahem, noona. I don’t think using this for promotional purposes is a good idea.”

“…Why?”

“No, well… um…”

Lee Hoyeon trailed off, unsure what to say. In fact, if Lee Hoyeon knew, Moon Surin probably knew too. That if these photos got out, nothing good would come of it for Victoria Academy.

“No.”

But she hugged the photos tightly with a sulky expression. She looked determined not to let them go.

“…Surin noona?”

“Hoyeon, you’re mine. We agreed on that. So what’s wrong with taking wedding photos?”

“….”

Lee Hoyeon couldn’t reply to Moon Surin’s words. He wondered why she was acting like this all of a sudden… Her gaze was clear; it didn’t seem like she was acting strangely due to overwork.

‘Is it dependency…?’

Moon Surin had always been quite obsessive about Lee Hoyeon. She used to collect his photos in her room, so it was natural for that obsession to intensify since she couldn’t see him as often recently.

“Surin noona. Um, come here for now.”

“Not the photos…!”

“…Okay. Okay, just come here.”

Lee Hoyeon sighed and led Moon Surin by the hand. He couldn’t forcibly take the photos from Surin noona. He needed to calm her down first.

‘The best way to calm down excitement is with other excitement.’

Lee Hoyeon recalled the empty room from earlier and walked towards it.