Chapter 11: The (Love) Counseling Club (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 11: The (Love) Counseling Club (2)
“Ta-da!”
Senior Min-ji stepped away from the mirror. Seated in front of her was their second client, Kim Sujin.
The reflection in the mirror revealed a complete transformation.
Her porcelain skin, the subtle hint of blush, and those long, dark lashes were enough to turn anyone's head.
“Woah, waaaah…”
Sujin was so shocked she couldn't even close her mouth.
Min-ji twirled a mascara wand between her fingers and gave a triumphant shrug.
“How is it? Totally different, right? You have great features to begin with, Sujin. A slight change in your makeup style completely shifts your aura.”
If she had been an "awkward beauty" before due to excessive makeup, she was now the exact opposite.
Was this what they called effortlessly chic?
They say a woman’s transformation is no crime, but I didn't realize such a feat was actually possible in real life.
“…That’s actually insane.”
Lee Sol was also stunned, frozen in a daze as she took in the sight.
“How on earth did you do that?”
“I’m an art student, aren't I?” Min-ji replied.
I guess being good at art naturally translates to being good at makeup.
“Thank you, Unnie!”
Kim Sujin grabbed Min-ji’s hands and hopped up and down.
“Have some confidence, Sujin. You can do it. Fighting!”
Min-ji gave Sujin one last boost of confidence as the girl headed out of the counseling office.
Her stride was strangely full of self-assurance now. She looked like she could seduce anyone.
Is this the power of (physical) counseling?
“……”
Well, now that the last client had been sent off...
“Phew…”
“Hup…”
I leaned back into the sofa. At the same time, Lee Sol flopped down across from me.
“…It’s finally over.”
Maybe it was because it had been a while since my last session, but I felt completely drained. How did we end up with a case like this on the very first day?
There’s never a quiet day.
“Are there usually this many consultations like this?” Lee Sol asked, her face buried in the sofa cushions as she turned her head toward me.
“It’s not like there are… none?”
I was going to say no, but I changed my mind. Thinking back, there definitely seemed to be more of these than general counseling cases. At this rate, I feel like we should just rename ourselves the (Love) Counseling Club.
“Sol, it was your first session. How was it?”
Min-ji, who was tidying up the documents in the room, slid over to Lee Sol.
“Hmm…”
At the question, Lee Sol fell into thought for a moment. Then, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
“It was way more fun than I expected.”
“Really? That’s a relief~” Min-ji let out a sigh of relief. “I was worried you might find it difficult… Some kids find it hard just sitting still and listening to people talk.”
“…In that case, don’t I have a talent for counseling?”
The moment she received a compliment, she immediately got cocky. Min-ji let out a small laugh at the sight.
“Maybe you really do.”
Are they close already? That was fast. I’m almost a little jealous of how quickly they bonded.
“So? What are you planning to do now?”
I tilted my head at Lee Sol’s question.
“…What do you mean, what am I planning to do?”
“I mean those guys. Is it okay to just let them go like that? Shouldn't we do something more for them?”
For someone who usually finds everything a chore, she was surprisingly motivated. Is it because it’s about romance? I guess Lee Sol is a girl after all; she seems to like that kind of stuff.
…However, it seems there’s a slight misunderstanding.
“We’re a counseling club, not a team of fixers. Our role is strictly to advise on a direction.”
“Eh? We don’t solve it for them?”
“…No, why would we do that? They have to do it themselves.”
That’s what counseling is. You provide a certain amount of help, but you have to let them handle the rest on their own. If you compare a client and a counselor to sports, it’s like a player and a coach. Just because a baseball player is terrible at pitching doesn't mean the coach goes out and throws the ball himself.
“…I guess that makes sense,” Lee Sol nodded, convinced. “So we’re really not doing anything else?”
“Yeah, we’ve done everything we can, haven't we?”
I listed the plans we had laid out so far. We had created three plans that took the clients' wishes into account.
“First, advising Kim Sujin on how to seduce Kang Han-sol. We just finished that.”
That was the plan for the second client, Kim Sujin. As long as she could win over Kang Han-sol, the love triangle problem would essentially be solved. We had Min-ji’s help for this part. She personally taught Sujin basic makeup techniques and tips on how to charm a guy.
The President was quite popular herself, after all. Senior Min-ji had reached her current position by defeating every romantic rival around her. The credibility of her techniques was beyond doubt.
“There are two directions for Kang Han-sol.”
This one was simple.
“Either Kang Han-sol convinces Ji Nuri to return to the club, or he gives up on Ji Nuri.”
“In this case, it really depends on what Nuri does, right?”
“Exactly.”
Since her choice will change the situation, advice doesn't mean much. So, we’ve truly done almost everything we could. We listened to the clients, empathized with them, comforted them, and then set up signposts so they could make the best choice.
“Now all that’s left is to watch.”
We’ll continue the counseling based on those results. There’s no such thing as a consultation that gets solved in one go. Therefore, there’s nothing more we can do for the time being. At most, the best thing to do is go home and sleep with our legs stretched out.
*
Ah. This is so damn annoying.
Shin A-young let out a heavy sigh inwardly.
“A-young. I think it would be better if this part was a bit more emotionally intense.”
Jung Jae-hoon, a senior in the Drama Club, was striking a pose while looking at the script. In the process, he subtly closed the distance between them, naturally checking her reaction.
Look at this guy. This isn't his first or second time doing this.
“……”
Shin A-young felt like a sigh was about to burst out at his behavior. But she couldn't let it show.
“Ah~ I see what you mean.”
…Keep smiling.
Shin A-young gave a light response and continued her passive reactions.
“Now, if we look at the next scene…”
This bastard. How long is he going to keep this up?
She wanted to spend time practicing alone, but Jung Jae-hoon wouldn't leave her be. Normally, the President would have appeared by now and told him to knock it off. But now, there was no one to step in.
It feels like it’s gotten worse since the President was hospitalized.
She suddenly missed the President. The senior who originally led the club had been in a major car accident and was currently hospitalized. Fortunately, there were no major issues, but she wouldn't be able to attend school for a while.
In her place, Jung Jae-hoon—who was also a third-year and had a loud voice within the Drama Club—had taken over as acting President. It had been like this ever since.
I just want to quit…
If she had known it would be like this, she would have joined a different club from the start. …No, would it have been any different in another club? Nowhere in the school was a comfortable place for Shin A-young.
……Of course, there was one guy she’d become a little comfortable with recently.
“…Senior. Is it okay if you don’t check on the other members?”
Go somewhere else.
At the question intended to mean exactly that, Jung Jae-hoon looked back briefly, then looked at her and laughed lightly.
“Of course it would be good to check on them too… but the chemistry between the leads is the most important thing, right?”
“That’s… yes, I suppose so.”
Sigh, I give up.
It didn't seem like he would listen no matter what she said. Maybe the best thing to do was to practice quickly and get out of there.
……
It was finally over. Shin A-young stood up as soon as the club session ended.
Ult, Auto, W, Q, E, Auto, Ult, Auto, Ult.
Her head was filled with League of Legends. She wanted to go quickly and warm up her hands on the Howling Abyss.
“……”
It was then. A shadow slid across her path, blocking her. Not completely blocking it, but just enough to subtly prevent her from passing. When she looked up, Jung Jae-hoon was standing there.
“A-young. We decided to go to karaoke with the others after this. Do you want to come along?”
“……”
This again. Following his words, the other male students chimed in.
“Yeah, A-young. Let’s hang out together.”
“It’s my first time going to karaoke with A-young.”
“You skipped out last time because of an assignment. You should have a day to rest like today.”
It was a difficult request for her to navigate.
“Ah, well… I have other plans today.”
Shin A-young forced a vague smile. It was true that she had plans.
“Other plans?”
At those words, Jung Jae-hoon’s brow furrowed slightly, then the corners of his mouth curled up as if he’d had a brilliant idea.
“Then just invite that friend here too.”
“Huh? No…”
“It’s fine. We’ll pay, so just tell them to come. If you don’t like karaoke, somewhere else is fine too.”
“…That’s.”
Shin A-young’s expression stiffened slightly. She needed to push back harder… but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. She was afraid her reputation would drop. She was afraid it would eventually get back to her parents.
“U-um…”
How should she refuse? Every time this happened, it felt like her heart was twisting. She could say everything perfectly fine in her head, but it was so hard to actually get the words out. They got stuck right in her throat.
“……”
I’m seriously going crazy.
Every time she saw herself like this, she couldn't help but feel a wave of self-loathing.
“…Then.”
Just as Jung Jae-hoon was about to utter one last word while looking at the struggling Shin A-young—
Vrrr—! Vrrr—!
The phone inside Shin A-young’s pants pocket vibrated.
Ah…!
The name appearing on the screen was Lee Seung-ho. Come to think of it, they had exchanged numbers a little while ago. She answered it with a sense of urgency.
—“Hello?”
His voice came through the phone. A voice that was neither high nor low, perfectly nonchalant.
—“Is your club over?”
“Hello? Yeah, it just finished. Are you not done yet? If you’re busy right now—”
“No, I’m finished too. I’ll head over right now.”
She quickly cut him off. Shin A-young couldn't miss this opportunity.
“Where are you now?”
—“The main entrance on the first floor.”
“I’ll be down right away.”
Shin A-young hung up and let her eyebrows droop, putting on a regretful expression for Jung Jae-hoon’s benefit.
“I’m sorry, Senior. I have something really important, so I’ll be going now.”
Shin A-young brushed past the bewildered man and headed for the club room door. She walked as fast as she possibly could.
“Huh? A-young’s not going?”
“She said she has plans.”
“Who is it? A guy she’s seeing?”
“Nah, no way…”
The guys buzzed as they watched her leave.
“I’m sorry. I’ll be going first!”
With those final words, Shin A-young closed the club room door. Then, she quickly sprinted down the hallway.
Oh my god! You beautiful lifesaver~ Just you wait!
The corners of Shin A-young’s mouth twitched with delight.