Child Model
"Seolhwa, would it be all right if we skipped the rink today?"
"Huh?"
I had been getting ready for Link the same as always after school when Mom asked me that.
There was no ballet class today, and no other training either. I looked up at her with a question mark floating over my head.
"Well… I'm sorry to spring this on you, but a friend of mine is looking for a child model. Could you help out just for today?"
"A model…?"
"Someone I know helped make your costumes last time."
So the person who had assisted with my competition dresses was suddenly short a child model. The new product line had to launch in a few days, and they were running out of time.
"Of course, if you don't want to, you don't have to."
She said it casually, but the hope in her eyes was obvious. As someone who lived and breathed fashion, she probably just wanted to watch her daughter model for once.
…It's completely out of nowhere.
Modeling. I had done more than enough of it in my previous life. I had a decent medal count, a good-looking face, and a solid physique, so the offers had kept coming. Of course, most of them had been pure marketing ploys from brands that wanted even a sliver of publicity because my mother ran a famous label.
"Then… can it just be for a little while?"
"Yes! Only an hour or two! And the clothes are simple, so you won't be uncomfortable."
Mom was already buzzing with excitement.
"…Really just a little while."
"Really just a little while! Though they might take quite a few photos?"
"…"
I got reeled in, didn't I.
Being dragged around like this still felt a little unfair, but experiencing life outside of figure skating once in a while couldn't hurt.
When I messaged Yerim, she replied that it was a relief I was finally taking a break.
And so, instead of the rink, I headed to a studio that day.
The moment I pushed open the door, several cameras came into view in front of a massive white backdrop. The person adjusting them—Mom's acquaintance—spotted us and brightened.
"Oh my, it's been forever. How long has it been?"
"It has been a while."
"You never even showed your face after Seolhwa was born."
"I've been busy with this and that. You'll understand once you get married."
"If I had a daughter as pretty as Seolhwa, I might."
She came over, knelt to my eye level, and smiled.
"Today we'll just put you in two or three outfits and take a few poses. That'll be it. Looking forward to working with you?"
"Yes."
"What a good girl."
She gave my cheek a light pinch and laughed. I had never met her in my previous life, but she didn't seem like a bad person. Mom would never have introduced me otherwise.
"The changing room is over there."
"Shall we change together with Mom?"
When I said I would change by myself, Mom's face fell a little.
I carefully pushed open the changing-room door. Neatly arranged clothes hung in a tidy row. The first outfit was a white shirt on top and a black tennis skirt on the bottom. They were clearly a set; the moment I put them on, they felt clean and put-together.
Perfect score.
I hadn't been thrilled about coming here, but wearing something this cute left me feeling rather satisfied. It wasn't flashy like a figure-skating costume, yet I liked this kind of look too.
The second I stepped out fully dressed, the door of the changing room right next to mine opened at the same time. My gaze moved automatically—and landed on brilliant blonde hair.
…Chloe?
Chloe, who had just come out of her own room, looked just as startled; her pupils darted around. We stood there awkwardly, neither of us saying a word, until Mom's friend waved from in front of the cameras.
"Both of you, if you're changed, let's get started."
We walked over half-dazed. I still had no idea what was going on.
"She's a figure-skating fan," Chloe whispered from beside me. "She probably watched the last competition too."
More importantly…
She's speaking Korean?
Chloe must have read the thought on my face, because she answered with a faintly displeased look.
"I'm mixed. You didn't actually think I only speak English, did you?"
That was the end of the conversation. Mom's friend turned out to be far more demanding than expected, putting us through pose after pose. The studio was quieter than I had imagined; only the sharp click of shutters cut through the air. Soft light fell across the matte white backdrop, and we stood beneath it like dolls on display.
From the very first shot, Chloe lifted her chin at the perfect angle and locked her gaze on the lens. Her movements were natural yet precise and deliberate—clearly not the work of a first-timer.
She's good.
A girl who calculated even her performances would naturally treat a photo shoot the same way.
I, on the other hand, kept my eyes distant and tilted my face just a fraction. I treated the camera like an audience and the lights like a spotlight, hoping the emotion would travel through the photograph the way it did in a real program. Even if the pose was fixed, the feeling inside it still had to be alive. That was my way.
"Great, both of you are really good. Chloe, can you give me a little more smile?"
"Okay."
Chloe nodded and smiled softly. The slight lift of her lips and the downward cast of her eyes held the viewer's heart. A smile like sunlight—anyone could see how lovable the atmosphere was.
"Seolhwa, let's try facing a little more front this time?"
I shifted my stance and turned my gaze to the camera. I didn't smile. I only softened my eyes a fraction. The moment my blank expression crossed with Chloe's smile—
Click. The shutter sounded especially loud.
"Perfect, that cut right there! Both of you are so pretty. All right, next outfits!"
As we headed back to the changing rooms, Mom and her friend squealed over the photos behind us.
Is it that good?
Mom kept saying how adorable I looked. Her friend kept saying she had never seen children wear her clothes so well.
I reached for the changing-room door when Chloe looked at me and said,
"I envy you."
"Out of nowhere?"
She jerked her chin toward where Mom was standing.
"Your parents support your skating. You have no idea how lucky that is."
"I know."
I had already lived an entire previous life of never being acknowledged. I knew exactly how painful that was. Chloe seemed surprised by how quickly I answered and hesitated for a second. I used the opening to ask the question that had been bothering me.
"Do you model often?"
"…Only when I need to."
She answered while gripping the doorknob.
"If I want to keep skating, I need the money."
"Money?"
That caught me off guard. Chloe's talent was world-class, and with figure skating's current popularity, money shouldn't have been an issue. On top of that, her coach—the blonde woman I had seen at the rink not long ago—
I'm certain…
She was an American silver medalist.
And she was Chloe's mother.
"Hmm-hmm~"
Cha Seolhwa's mother, Yoon Jiyeon, had always lived positively, but lately every day had become even more fun.
Already a hundred thousand!
The post she had uploaded just a few days ago about her daughter's figure-skating competition already had a hundred thousand likes.
What do I do… is Seolhwa going to become a star later?
At first, when the attention had been greater than expected, she had worried it might harm her daughter. Yoon Jiyeon herself had been an influencer who received a lot of attention, so she knew how hard the hate comments and other dark sides could be. Yet between the merciless lawsuits she had filed before Seolhwa was even born and the fact that the child was still so young, there simply weren't people who attacked Cha Seolhwa without reason. That was why, whenever anything happened, Yoon Jiyeon shared the latest updates on social media.
And so, without even realizing it, Cha Seolhwa was steadily becoming a star.