Meeting with God (1)
"B-big bro. That's my big bro."
"Ooh~ So you had a big bro, huh~"
Yang Che-ri alternated between staring at the photo and Nam Ha-neul, as if they looked nothing alike. It was only natural—figuring out that the guy in the picture had become the current Nam Ha-neul was no easy guess. Yang Che-ri set the photo down without much fuss and pulled Nam Ha-neul close. Her bangs, conveniently dry, fluttered in the air.
"Alright, now pay close attention 'cause I'm gonna teach you."
"Y-yes, okay."
She sat Nam Ha-neul down on the floor and plopped down in front of her. Suddenly so close, Nam Ha-neul's face flushed red. Her newly feminine skin was light and translucent, so the blush showed up instantly.
"You said you weren't feeling well earlier? Got a fever?"
"N-no, not at all."
Nam Ha-neul turned her head to dodge Yang Che-ri's hand reaching for her forehead. She fiddled with the makeup products, signaling she was fine and eager to learn.
"Fine, whatever. Gotta teach you quick and head out anyway."
With that, she laid out the makeup she'd bought and began transforming Nam Ha-neul's face, step by step. Her hands moved with the ease of someone who'd done this a hundred times. She even threw in explanations here and there, clearly passionate about it all.
"From what I saw earlier, you don't know anything about makeup. I'll explain it all."
And since she tailored the explanations to Nam Ha-neul's level, even a total newbie like her picked it up without trouble. Nam Ha-neul couldn't hide her amazement, watching her face change in the mirror with every glance. It wasn't heavy makeup—just a natural, sheer look, as Yang Che-ri had described—so the difference wasn't drastic. But to Nam Ha-neul, who used to be a guy, it felt like a total revolution.
How much time passed like that? By the time Nam Ha-neul's overheated cheeks from sitting so close had cooled down, the makeup lesson wrapped up. It would've been quicker if it'd just been application, but the explanations slowed things down a bit.
"W-wow—"
Makeup Applied!
While makeup is active: Charm +5
Her Charm stat, which had hit 70, jumped back to 75. Now she looked downright pretty—well above average for any regular person.
"See? Makeup makes you look so much prettier."
"A-amazing."
"Nah~ It's 'cause you had the looks to begin with, sis."
Yang Che-ri crossed her arms and nodded, clearly basking in the praise. Teaching someone something felt rewarding, and makeup? Even more so.
"Y-you really like m-makeup, huh."
"What girl doesn't? Though yeah, I'm especially into it."
It had been her dream for a while to become a makeup artist. But after some lost years wandering, she'd let that dream slip away.
"Anyway, that's it for today. Let's go shopping again next time!"
"N-next time too?"
"Yeah! You don't wanna?"
"N-no, it's fine."
Yang Che-ri stood up, casually locking in their next meetup. Nam Ha-neul tilted her head, wondering why she was being so nice. It almost felt scary.
"Just~ Turns out we live close by. And now you're a streamer too, so we do the same job. Friends are good, right!"
Watching Yang Che-ri, Nam Ha-neul felt a pang of awe.
Just like those popular kids from high school...
Thankfully, no waves of popular-kid phobia hit her this time—maybe because Yang Che-ri was genuinely kind, or because they'd hung out all day.
"Oh, and makeup? You gotta wash it off before bed! Bad for your skin otherwise."
"Y-yes, got it."
"Cool, I'm heading out first then. Gotta stream tonight. Was gonna chill longer, but didn't expect it'd take this much time."
She hurriedly packed up and stood. She'd planned to chat more, but time had flown—already past 7 PM.
"See ya next time! Text me?"
"Y-yeah."
With Yang Che-ri gone, Nam Ha-neul sat alone, staring into the mirror for a good while. She'd vaguely sensed it from the Charm boost, but...
"P-pretty..."
Her face was genuinely cute and pretty. Even the slight droop to her eyes added to the charm. An inexplicable satisfaction and pride welled up inside her. She'd never gotten a thrill from her looks improving before.
"N-not bad at all..."
Without realizing it, Nam Ha-neul was slipping deeper into this woman's life.
Skill Makeup acquired!
Makeup
Instantly completes makeup using owned products.
Skill Status Peek acquired!
Status Peek
View the status window of anyone in your line of sight.
Nam Ha-neul read the descriptions of her two new skills in her mind and clenched her fist tight. She'd seen the power of makeup today—it was great. And peeking at others' status windows? She felt like a webtoon protagonist now.
Dunno when I'll use it, but... looks awesome!
No specific ideas came to mind, but it just felt promising. She headed back to the bathroom to wash up, then sat in front of the mirror instead of crashing into bed right away. She wanted to test her new skill.
"M-makeup!"
Skills activated with just a thought, no need to shout. But as a fan of webtoons and comics, she called them out loud every time—purely for fun. Anyway, activating the new skill brought a sparkle of mist around her, and she felt products applying to her face. Once the base layer was done, a selection window popped up.
Please select makeup style!
Registered Styles
Yang Che-ri Natural Makeup
It seemed like the styles she'd learned were saved, letting her recreate them anytime. Nam Ha-neul naturally clicked the one from Yang Che-ri. In just about a minute, the sparkling mist faded, leaving her face remade.
Luck Stat Activated!
Makeup Great Success!
While makeup is active: Charm +8
With her Charm now at 78, her face seemed to radiate a subtle aura just by looking at it. Plus, her Natural Beauty trait made it feel even more effortless.
Trait stacking really pays off.
Amazed by the skill and trait synergy, she suddenly remembered her upcoming appointment. All this prep was for meeting Hong Su-yeon, after all. And with that thought, her stomach twisted in knots.
Gurgle—
Ah...
She'd always lived timidly, but in the safety of her room, she'd never noticed this quirk: stress made her stomach hurt.
Hope this doesn't cause big trouble later...
She brushed it off vaguely.
Thirteen days flew by in a rush. Nam Ha-neul finally accepted that tomorrow, she'd have to meet Hong Su-yeon.
Nam Ha-neul | Female | 25
Title: 'Iron-Tier Life' | Points: 620P
Traits: Persistence(A), Natural Beauty(C), Stutter(C), Simple-Minded(C)
Talents: Early Bloomer Genius, Game Prodigy
Skills: Presence Erasure, Focus, Makeup, Status Peek
She reviewed her status window, thrilled at the progress. Beyond the stats she'd raised herself, punishment mission rewards shone through. Plus, points from the princess project and more piled up nicely. And now, it was time to execute the plan she'd mulled over.
Time to craft a stat.
No matter how she thought about it, pulling a new talent or trait via gacha wouldn't guarantee help with Hong Su-yeon. Her sky-high Luck made it tempting, but she didn't want to gamble on a meeting with a god.
"S-so, what stat should I make..."
Over the nearly two weeks, a few ideas had bubbled up: Eloquence, Acting, Manners. Cover her Stutter trait with Eloquence, pump Acting to fake it well, or just nail Manners. Those three clashed in her mind.
"Hmm~"
Her heart leaned toward Eloquence. Speak well, and manners follow naturally. She wasn't rude anyway—just passive from years of shrinking back.
After agonizing, a sudden idea hit, and she started crafting.
Stat creation started!
First-time stat creation: Fixed 100P cost!
Creating stat Acting!
Stat Acting Skill acquired!
Acting Skill | 6
Nam Ha-neul eyed her pitiful Acting Skill stat. Steel yourself—she dumped everything into it.
520P consumed!
Acting Skill +52!
Acting Skill | 68
She nodded at the boosted Acting Skill.
Just act like someone who speaks well...!
With that, she figured she was ready for Hong Su-yeon. And so, the next day arrived.