Prettier Than Ever Before
Whoosh. Warm streams of water poured from a rabbit-shaped showerhead.
Inside the thick, rising steam, a pale, naked silhouette was faintly visible.
Her long, wet hair clung beautifully to her shoulders, and her tiny face, bathed in the warm water, looked damp and pure.
"Hmm~ hmm~ hmm~"
She hummed a sweet melody.
Click. The door swung open, and the other three members of Serazade raided the bathroom.
"What's this? What's this, Han Se-rin? Why are you humming all of a sudden?"
Ju Ja-yoon cast a suspicious glare at her.
Something about Han Se-rin had been off today, starting from their ending performance at the year-end music festival earlier.
"W-what? Why aren't you guys leaving? Get out!"
Han Se-rin scowled, but it was useless.
"Kyaah!"
"Hehe! Se-rin's skin is so soft and squishy. I love it~"
It was Seo Ra-hee.
The petite Ra-hee was hugging Se-rin tightly from behind.
"Yeon-doo-eonni?"
In desperation, Han Se-rin called out to the oldest member, Lim Yeon-doo.
But Yeon-doo was just as intrigued by Se-rin's humming.
"Se-rin, did something good happen? By any chance...?"
"Oh? Is that it, Han Se-rin?"
Ja-yoon chimed in, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Is it about that writer you like?"
Ra-hee asked, still clinging tightly to Se-rin.
She might have looked airheaded, but Ra-hee was surprisingly sharp when it came to these things.
"What is it? What is it? Is it really about that writer?"
Ja-yoon showed immediate interest.
The members of Serazade had watched closer than anyone as Se-rin spent the last two years completely obsessed with the works of a web novel writer named Park Geon.
And they already knew that earlier today, Se-rin had squeezed some time out of her busy schedule before the year-end music festival to meet Park Geon-woo.
"Se-rin, did you contact the writer again?"
Yeon-doo asked.
"Mmh. Yes, Yeon-doo-eonni. When I checked after the performance, I had a message from him."
A rosy blush spread across Se-rin's cheeks.
The moment she had checked her phone from the handbag she left in the van, she found a direct message from Park Geon-woo sent to her reader account.
Winter-nim, I'm glad you made it to the broadcasting station on time. I watched your performance with the cats. You looked really cool. I'm messaging you because there was something I couldn't say earlier. I've decided to appear on the variety show. It's an opportunity you gathered the courage to give me, so I want to give it a try. I just wanted to tell you that. And... thank you for giving me strength on stage once again.
"Hehe... He understood how I felt..."
Every time she re-read the message, a goofy smile slipped onto her face.
"There's that face! Han Se-rin!"
Ja-yoon burst into laughter.
Usually, when they returned from a schedule, Se-rin would lie on her bed and read Park Geon's web novels. And that goofy smile, which only appeared during those moments, had surfaced once again.
Five days had already passed since Christmas.
"Phew."
Ever since the day he met Han Se-rin, Park Geon-woo had gone to the shared office every single day without fail.
He had made up his mind to write a new work.
Chime. At 10:00 AM, Geon-woo opened the door to the office, just like any other day.
"Huh?"
Pop! Pop! Whoooo!
Firecrackers went off, followed by a chorus of cheers.
"Wait... what is it this time?"
Covered in colorful confetti, Geon-woo looked up.
A crowd of his fellow writers had gathered. Some held party poppers, while others had hung a banner across the office wall.
"Congratulations, Writer Park Geon! Hahaha!"
"Congratulations, Geon-woo!"
Led by the veteran writer December 32nd, congratulations poured in from all sides.
Looking around, he noticed that the tables were set with coffee and snacks.
"Aren't you guys just using me as an excuse to slack off and play? That's definitely what this looks like."
"..."
The writers flinched.
Most of the writers in their group chat were successful, established writers.
"Hyung-nim? I mean, sure, we wanted to hang out, but isn't today a historic day?!"
It was Yeong-jae.
"What's so historic about it?"
"Of course it is! Has a web novel writer ever appeared on public television before? And on a popular variety show, no less?"
"It's no exaggeration to say that the future of the web novel market rests on your shoulders, Writer Park Geon."
"Hyung-nim, that's way too much pressure."
Geon-woo gave a wry smile at December 32nd's remark.
"Writer December 32nd is right. There are still many people who don't know much about web novels. That's why you have to do well, Geon-woo."
Writer Ha-jeong, a famous romance fantasy writer, spoke with a serious expression.
It was understandable; even though one of her works had been greenlit for a morning drama adaptation, she had been facing subtle mistreatment. The drama industry looked down on her simply because she was a web novel writer.
"Alright. I don't know if I'll do well, but I'll do my best."
"You don't have to worry, Hyung-nim! You have Han Se-rin watching over you like a Constellation!"
Yeong-jae's web novel-style joke drew a burst of laughter from the office.
"A writer with Serazade's Han Se-rin as his Constellation... That really is amazing, Geon-woo-hyung."
"If we're talking Constellations, Han Se-rin is definitely SSS-grade."
Seong-do and Writer Do-do-do looked at Geon-woo with envy.
"Oh! And I saw your works made it to the Legend Page yesterday. Congratulations, Geon-woo!"
Starting with Writer Yu-yu, congratulations flooded in once again.
Thanks to Han Se-rin's promotion, readers had flooded in, and Geon-woo's two works, Regression Manager and Fantastic Boys, had proudly entered the platform's Legend Page.
"Wow! You've officially joined the ranks of S-class writers, Hyung-nim!"
Yeong-jae celebrated as if it were his own achievement.
Geon-woo, on the other hand, only felt embarrassed.
"I didn't achieve this on my own, Yeong-jae."
"No way! It's because your writing is good that you finally made it to the Legend Page! Right, everyone?"
The other writers nodded in agreement. They had always recognized Geon-woo's talent. They believed his time simply hadn't come yet.
"I knew from the start that Writer Park Geon would make it big."
"Thank you... Hyung-nim."
Writer December 32nd was one of the top five authors in the industry. In a market dominated by fast-paced, instant-gratification stories, he had always highly valued Geon-woo's ability to warmly depict the human experience.
"So you'll do great today too, Writer Park Geon."
"Yes, Hyung-nim."
Encouraged by his colleagues, Geon-woo nodded firmly.
"Alright! Now, sit down, Writer Park Geon."
The female writers guided Geon-woo to a chair.
"W-what is it now? I thought the event was over."
"You're appearing on TV today and meeting Han Se-rin. Are you really planning to go looking like this?"
"Ah..."
Having come straight to the office in the morning, Geon-woo exuded the classic vibe of a nerd. Of course, that was part of his charm, but still.
"Just stay still. We need to style your hair, apply some BB cream, and change your clothes. Yeong-jae, take off your coat. Seong-do, hand over your glasses."
"Huh?"
"Me too, noona?"
In an instant, Yeong-jae and the youngest, Seong-do, were stripped of their coat and glasses.
"I mean, I'm not a celebrity or anything, so I'm fine..."
"Well, we're not fine with it! Your first impression today will represent all web novel writers to the public!"
It wasn't a wrong point. The viewers would project their image of web novel writers onto Geon-woo.
"I suppose so, but wait, hold on!"
Geon-woo panicked as hands began busywork on his hair and clothes.
At the same time, in the waiting room for the MBS variety show I Live Alone. A nameplate reading "Serazade" was attached to the door.
"I heard Serazade is appearing as a full group this time?"
"Last time it was just Han Se-rin. What's going on?"
Even though I Live Alone was a highly popular MBS show, casting the top girl group Serazade twice in a row was no easy feat.
Yet today, every single member of Serazade had agreed to appear. The staff passing through the variety department hallway couldn't hide their surprise.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere inside Serazade's waiting room was even more hectic than it had been at the year-end music festival. Stylists swarmed around Han Se-rin.
"Yeon-doo-eonni, do I look pretty?"
Staring into the waiting room mirror, Se-rin looked anxious.
"Yes, you look beautiful, Se-rin."
"That's not enough. Today, I have to be the prettiest I've ever been in my entire life."
Se-rin's expression grew dead serious.
"Han Se-rin, that's physically impossible. If you get any prettier, you won't even be human."
Ja-yoon scoffed.
To begin with, it was impossible for Se-rin to become any prettier. Why? Because she was already stunning. While all the Serazade members were famous for their looks, Se-rin possessed a beauty that was on a completely different level. That was why she was the center of the group.
"It's so strange... I've never seen Se-rin this nervous before."
Ra-hee found this restless, fidgety version of Se-rin highly unfamiliar.
"I have to look good for the writer!"
Se-rin bit her nails, stamping her feet in anxiety.
Today would be their second meeting. Yet, for some reason, she felt far more nervous than she had on the day they met at the park.
Knock, knock. Someone tapped on the waiting room door.
"Who is it? No one should be visiting right now."
The manager, Kim Mi-seon, tilted her head as she walked toward the door.
The door opened.
"Hello. I'm Park Geon-woo. I was wondering if... Winter, I mean, Se-rin-ssi, was in here."
The person who had come to Serazade's waiting room was none other than Park Geon-woo.
It was at that moment.
"Writer-nim!"
Pitter-patter. Springing up instantly, Se-rin dashed over to Geon-woo.
"You're here, Writer-nim?"
Like a cat wagging its tail to charm its owner, Se-rin stood before Geon-woo with her eyes sparkling.
"..."
The room fell dead silent, starting with the staff and stylists.
The way Se-rin was acting was something they had never seen before—something they couldn't have even imagined.
Perhaps that was why the staff and stylists all shared the same question as they looked at Geon-woo.
Why on earth does the great Han Se-rin like this web novel writer, Park Geon, so much?