Chapter 6 - Contract
A knock echoed through the apartment.
Harin set her phone down on the bed and lifted her head.
She turned on the intercom screen.
A woman stood there.
Short bob haircut. Black suit jacket over a white shirt inside. One hand held a thin envelope, the other gripped her bag strap.
"…Who is it?"
"I'm Jung Sia, CEO of RASCA Entertainment."
RASCA Entertainment.
Ian's agency. The CEO.
"It's about Ian."
The woman on the screen said.
"No need to worry. Just open the door, and it'll be quick."
Her voice was soft.
What if I refuse?
Ian's agency CEO had come all the way to her door. She wouldn't just turn back if rejected. Ignoring her would only make things more complicated.
I'll open it.
Harin opened the front door.
"Your name?"
"I'm Yoo Harin."
She didn't seem to know the name. Of course not—only Ian and Harin herself knew it.
They sat across from each other at the living room table.
Harin fetched two bottles of mineral water from the fridge and handed one over. Jung Sia accepted with thanks but didn't open it, just placing it neatly on the table's edge.
"You must have been startled by my sudden visit."
"…Honestly, yeah, a lot."
"I figured. Let me apologize first. Coming without notice was my mistake."
The words were an apology, but her tone held no regret.
"Let me get straight to the point."
Jung Sia sat up straight, facing Harin directly.
"I know Ian has been meeting with you, Ms. Harin."
"……."
"You went to Everland, right? Last Saturday."
Harin didn't answer. There was no need. It was a question from someone who already knew the facts.
Jung Sia continued.
"I heard there was an incident. One where Ian had to show her face in person."
"…How do you know?"
"In the process of investigating who Ian was meeting, we identified you, Ms. Harin."
Investigating.
The word stuck in Harin's ears. Knowing Ian had gone to Everland could be explained by staff SNS or eyewitness reports, but pinpointing an individual from there…
"Honestly, I was worried at first."
Jung Sia toyed with the label on her water bottle with her fingertips.
"If Ian was meeting a man, it would be a huge scandal risk. Headlines about an 18-year-old actress dating a guy could damage her career."
"……"
"But when I checked, it turned out you were a woman."
Jung Sia's gaze lingered on Harin's face. Silver hair. Pale skin. Slender jawline.
"I thought it was no big deal. Meeting a female friend isn't an issue."
The tension drained from Harin's shoulders.
No big deal, she says. Then…
"So why did you come to see me?"
The question slipped out naturally. If it was no big deal, there'd be no reason to visit in person. No reason to contact at all.
Jung Sia smiled.
"Something else caught my interest."
"Something else?"
"You, Ms. Harin."
Jung Sia shifted her posture, leaning forward slightly from where she'd been reclining against the backrest.
"Are you mixed-race?"
"…Pardon?"
"Your hair. Silver. Skin so white. Bone structure looks Korean, but the coloring has a Western mix."
Harin was momentarily speechless.
Mixed-race? No. This is because of the TS… How do I even explain that?
"Did you dye it? Or is it natural?"
"Natural… like this."
It was the truth. This body post-TS had silver hair naturally.
"I see."
Jung Sia nodded, studying Harin's face.
The eyes of someone who'd seen thousands of faces in the industry, gauging if it was camera-ready.
"Striking looks. To be honest, I've been in this industry nearly ten years, and people with visuals like yours are rare—one of the few."
"…Thank you?"
The compliment felt out of place in this context.
"I have a proposal."
Jung Sia placed the envelope on the table.
"Ms. Harin, how would you like to work as a model at our agency?"
Harin looked at Jung Sia's face.
Still smiling, she was offering to change the course of Harin's life.
Model?
With this body?
Telling a guy who hated mirrors half a year ago to model?
Yoo Hajoon's soul screamed Are you insane? in her head. She wasn't even one for selfies. Putting her face in front of a camera was a whole different life genre.
"I have zero experience…"
"That's fine."
Jung Sia cut her off smoothly.
"Experience can be made."
Her tone was relaxed, as if she'd anticipated the refusal—but was confident she'd win acceptance anyway.
"Let me think about it for a bit…"
"Of course. But Ms. Harin."
Jung Sia pressed on.
"One more thing I'd like to ask."
"…What?"
"Do you have your ID on you right now?"
"…Why?"
"I know what happened at Everland. The tickets and card were all under a man's name—Yoo Hajoon."
Jung Sia met Harin's eyes.
"Yoo Hajoon. 24 years old. Male. You had his tickets and credit card."
Harin twisted open the cap on her water bottle beside her and took a sip. The swallow sounded loud in the quiet living room.
Jung Sia waited. No pressure.
"I won't pry into the details."
As Harin set the water down, Jung Sia spoke.
"You must have your reasons."
Harin caught the implication in "reasons." Jung Sia said she wouldn't ask, but the nuance was she'd already drawn her own conclusions.
"However."
Jung Sia tapped the table lightly with her fingertip.
"In your current state, everyday life must be tough, right? Banks, contracts, jobs. Anything needing ID verification will be a wall."
"…Yeah."
She couldn't deny it.
Everland had proven it. Tickets invalid, card flagged by staff. Small convenience store payments worked because terminals didn't check names, but counter service? Total failure. Hospitals, banks, phone plans—everything.
Yoo Harin didn't exist in society.
"If you work with me."
Jung Sia placed her hand on the envelope.
"I can solve that problem for you."
Harin's gaze fell to the envelope. Thin brown paper. No writing on the outside.
"So you can live normal social life under the name Yoo Harin."
"Is… that possible?"
"If I say it is, it is."
This woman had pinpointed this address through CCTV or transit card logs—things impossible legally.
Meaning she could create an identity through the same channels.
"In return."
Jung Sia's hand moved lightly over the envelope.
"You follow our agency's instructions faithfully."
"Instructions meaning?"
"We set the direction for your activities overall, and you follow."
Jung Sia removed her hand from the envelope and leaned back.
"As long as you follow our instructions faithfully, the rewards will be ample. Not just model earnings, but living support too. So you're never uncomfortable."
Harin stared at the envelope on the table.
Identity.
An identity as Yoo Harin.
Something this Harin lacked.
To live in this body, the name Yoo Harin had to exist in society. Nonexistent people could do nothing.
If I refuse?
She'd remain a mysterious woman.
If I accept?
She'd fall under this woman's management.
But.
Harin wrapped her hands around the water bottle, thinking.
It seems like I have options, but I don't.
No way back to Yoo Hajoon. She had to live in this body. To live, she needed an identity. And the person who could provide it sat before her.
The answer was already clear.
"…I understand."
"You're accepting?"
"Yes."
Jung Sia's smile deepened a shade.
"Welcome, Ms. Harin."
Jung Sia stood from the sofa, leaving the envelope on the table and picking up her bag.
"The contract draft is in the envelope. Read it and contact me. My number's inside too."
"Yes."
Jung Sia headed to the door. She paused while slipping on her shoes.
She turned back.
"Oh, and."
The toe of her shoe pivoted lightly on the floor.
"Ian will be thrilled."
"…Pardon?"
"About you joining the same industry."
Her tone was light. But something lurked within that lightness.
"She'll definitely be happy when she finds out."
As Jung Sia smiled and went to finish putting on her shoe.
"CEO."
Harin spoke up.
Jung Sia turned only her head.
"About this, I'll tell Ian myself."
Harin's voice was clear.
Ian was her friend. The person she'd talked to every night for three months, who had shown her face for Harin's sake at Everland. Joining her agency meant telling Ian directly. Notification from the agency versus explaining from her own mouth were worlds apart.
"The circumstances, why I accepted—it's right for me to tell Ian myself."
Jung Sia looked at Harin.
The narrow entryway. Jung Sia was half a step closer, half in her shoes, looking down at her.
Smiling. As always.
"Ms. Harin."
"Yes."
"I understand your feelings."
Jung Sia slowly turned to face her fully.
"But no."
"…Why?"
"It's your first instruction."
Harin's eyes flickered faintly.
"I told you earlier. You have to follow the agency's instructions."
"That's for work matters…"
"When, how, and what to tell Ian."
Jung Sia cut her off.
"That's my domain to judge."
"……."
"I know you're saying it with good intentions. Because you value your relationship with Ian."
Jung Sia's eyes held Harin's.
"That's exactly why we need to be careful. Even good news can cause misunderstandings if delivered wrong."
The logic held. And five minutes ago, Harin had agreed to follow instructions.
Harin's lips parted, then closed.
"If you have complaints, feel free to voice them. I'm always here to listen."
"…I understand."
"Thank you."
"Just trust me and follow along, Ms. Harin."
The door closed.
Harin stood in the entryway, staring at the shut door.
Footsteps faded.
Only after the sounds vanished did she exhale.
She leaned her back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling.
…What was that?
Jung Sia walked from Harin's apartment to her car in the building's underground parking lot.
The lot was quiet on a weekday afternoon. Just a few cars scattered, no sign of people.
Harin's face came to mind.
"About this, I'll tell Ian myself."
Rejecting it was a given from the start. Controlling the flow of information was basic. Whatever Harin said, the answer was the same.
But.
When Harin said it, her voice was clear. No tremble. Facing an agency CEO at her door, holding her identity hostage for a contract, she still voiced her will without backing down. Maximal resistance within her power.
Most people wouldn't.
Jung Sia had seen many people. In the industry, and outside. When she proposed something, most accepted or refused—one or the other. Few added conditions. Even fewer voiced themselves knowing their position precisely.
Harin knew she had no options. Yet she said, "I'll tell Ian myself."
Interesting person.
Her fingers fumbled the car key.
Lock disengaged with a beep.
Yoo Harin.
She said the name in her mind.
A woman without identity. Holding a man's card. Precious enough to Ian to expose her face.
And doesn't yield.
She pulled out her phone and messaged Chae-ah.
She tossed the phone on the passenger seat.
Started the engine.
Three-year contract.
Plenty.
The living room light was off in the studio apartment. Harin sat on the sofa with her legs tucked under, staring at her phone screen.
The phone vibrated.
One message. From Ian.
Harin's thumb hovered over the screen.
The chat was open. Past conversations stretched beside Ian's profile pic. Yesterday, subculture new releases. Day before, a photo of Ian's shoot lunchbox. Three months of chats. Built every night without fail.
What do I say?
'Your CEO came to my place today.' No.
'I'm joining your agency.' Even worse.
Jung Sia had said it. Telling Ian was her domain to judge.
'Nothing, just stayed home.'
Harin had never lied to Ian. Three months online, even after meeting offline. The "cousin oppa" thing wasn't to deceive Ian—it was to protect herself, or so Harin divided it.
She wanted to tell Ian. About today. Stranger woman at the door, that she was Ian's CEO, offering identity in exchange for time and face to the agency. And the order not to tell Ian.
What would Ian say?
'The CEO came to see you, Harin?'
She could almost hear the voice. Cold and sunken. Different chill from Everland's "Who's Yoo Hajoon?" Not aimed at her, but at whoever touched her.
Harin's thumb moved slowly.
She sent it and set the phone on the sofa.
Jung Sia was right. To have the name Yoo Harin, this contract was needed. To exist socially, someone's help was required. And that someone was Jung Sia.
But accepting her help meant things she couldn't tell Ian. For the first time. Where there'd been none before.
The phone vibrated again.
Harin picked up the phone. The cursor blinked.