Chapter 48: The Event (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 48: The Event (1)
A garment lay inside the box—a sharp gray suit.
I didn't know exactly what was going on, but...
"No."
I rejected the idea flatly. I had zero desire to do something like cosplay.
"Aw, whyyy?"
Grab.
Lee Seung-ah lunged for my pant leg and collapsed onto the floor, clinging to me like a leech.
"Just this once, please? Pretty please?"
"I said no."
I held onto my waistband and took a step forward.
Lee Seung-ah was dragged along... scrape... scrape... scrape...
She absolutely refused to let go. There wasn't the slightest sign she intended to peel herself off. I wondered who she’d inherited this stubbornness from.
"It’s a character where you just have to wear a suit and hold a tablet! You don't even have to wear a wig!"
Seung-ah looked up, pleading once more that it would only be this one time.
"I told you, I'm not doing it."
"Mmm..."
Seung-ah let out a groan, lost in thought.
"Fine. If you do it, I'll give you a bonus."
She made the offer. I was about to use force to shake her off, but I paused.
Hmm.
A bonus... extra pay, huh...
"...How much?"
Seeing her confident attitude, I figured I might as well hear her out.
"...Wait."
Seung-ah pulled out her phone.
— “If the profits come out to this much...”
The Mini-Me’s arms were a blur as it tapped away furiously on a calculator.
"This much?"
She turned the screen toward me.
I took one look at the number written there.
"Deal."
It was more than enough for a part-time gig. The reason to refuse had vanished instantly. I accepted Seung-ah's proposal without a second thought. If all I had to do was change clothes for that kind of pay, it was well worth it.
"Then shall we do a practice run?"
Seung-ah dragged a box out from her room. It was filled with the merch she had made.
"Practice? Practice for what?"
"You’re going to be manning the counter, so you need to know how the booth operates."
Seung-ah clicked her tongue. Now that she mentioned it, she was right. I simply nodded in silence.
"Sit here. I'll show you how it's going to go tomorrow."
Seung-ah patted the sofa.
"..."
I sat down obediently. Seung-ah turned around and disappeared toward the entryway.
Soon.
"......"
She rounded the corner and marched toward the sofa with heavy, rhythmic steps. She had a bag slung over her shoulder and was walking at a brisk pace. Her movements were strangely realistic. Was this what they called "method acting"?
Stop—
She came to a halt a step away from me.
"...Excuse me?"
Seung-ah leaned forward slightly.
"Um... could I get one Kai'sa tapestry and one Arorong keychain, please?"
"..."
She said she was going to show me the ropes, and it turned out to be a demonstration of a typical customer. I wondered if we really had to go this far, but... when I thought about the amount that had just popped up on the screen, I figured I should play along for now.
"...Uh... just a moment."
I rummaged through the box. I searched and searched. I tried to recall the names she had mentioned. Kai'sa and... what was the other one?
No. Before that, what even were they?
"......"
Tick, tick.
Seung-ah's expression gradually soured. Unable to wait any longer, her foot began tapping impatiently against the floor.
"Stop, stop."
She cut me off, saying that was enough. She massaged the back of her neck as if there was no point in continuing. She just stood there, lost in thought.
— “...This is bad... I didn't realize he'd know absolutely nothing...”
The Mini-Me crossed its arms, its eyes turning sharp.
— “He should watch some anime once in a while. The guy has zero cultural life.”
It grumbled under its breath.
"..."
I kept my mouth shut. When put that way, I didn't really have a comeback.
"Now—look closely."
She crouched on the floor and picked up the items in the box one by one. With a faint smile on her face, looking proud of the merch she had created, she spoke softly.
"The one with cat ears and sharp features is Kai'sa. And this small, cute one is Arorong."
Seung-ah continued to introduce the characters one after another.
"You've got them all memorized, right? That's all of them."
There were a little over ten characters. It wasn't an overwhelming amount, but I didn't memorize them all instantly either. I needed some time. At least they all looked distinct, so telling them apart was easy enough.
"Here."
Seung-ah scribbled the characters' names and traits on a piece of paper and handed it to me. I took it and shoved it into my pocket. I just had to memorize it before the event.
"..."
Well, now that practice was over...
"Let's head out."
I stood up. I grabbed a small bag and signaled for Seung-ah to follow.
"? Where are we going?"
"The gym."
"?"
Seung-ah's head snapped up. She looked at me with trembling eyes. She pointed at herself, her gaze asking if she was included in this.
"Yeah."
I gave a small nod.
"Mom told me to make sure you exercise. She said you’ve been looking like skin and bones lately."
"...I am not!"
Seung-ah's voice went up an octave. Her eyes darted around as if she were plotting an escape. She really hated exercising.
But it was no use. I had already received a generous amount of pocket money from our mother for this.
"Let's go. I'll keep it light today."
I hauled the sputtering Seung-ah toward the door.
"Ah, wait a second...!"
*
— Crunch.
Ji Nuri propped her phone against a book and bit into a potato chip. The salty flavor was top-notch.
"So, what did you want to say?"
Ji Nuri asked Lee Sol, who was on the other side of the screen. It was a sudden video call; Sol had said she had something to ask. That was why Nuri was shooting the breeze with her on a Friday evening.
[“Well...”]
Lee Sol hesitated. Ji Nuri crunched on her chips while she waited. They were delicious. She could afford to wait a bit.
Finally, Sol opened her mouth.
[“Could you... teach me how to do makeup?”]
Nuri stopped chewing. She let out a small cough as a chip crumb almost got stuck in her throat. The request was surprising.
"......"
Ji Nuri brought her face closer to the screen, scanning Lee Sol up and down. Her expression, her condition—nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She didn't look sick, either.
If so, was there another problem? What had happened recently?
Ah, right.
"Is the studying getting to you lately?"
[...Suddenly?]
"Never mind."
Seeing Lee Sol's questioning look, Ji Nuri quickly shook her head. I guess that wasn't it. She had wondered if Sol was looking for a minor rebellion due to academic stress, but her expression suggested otherwise.
"Why the sudden interest in makeup?"
Ji Nuri decided to ask directly. That felt more comfortable, after all.
[“......”]
Lee Sol was silent for a moment.
[“......I just thought it’s a basic skill for a model, and I’ve been neglecting it.”]
That was her answer. Lee Sol's round eyes blinked.
"Oh."
Ji Nuri nodded. That made sense. It was certainly a possibility, and a great change at that. Nuri felt proud on her behalf.
"But I think Senior Min-ji would know more about makeup... If you were too shy to ask her, should I mention it to her for you?"
[“No, no!”]
A hurried denial came through the speaker.
"Huh? Why?"
[“She’s good, but... Senior Min-ji is just naturally gifted. I don't think I could ever copy her.”]
"True..."
Ji Nuri understood. Min-ji's makeup style was actually hard to replicate; it required a lot of technical skill.
‘I feel like she could make a living as a makeup artist.’
It was definitely difficult for a beginner to follow, especially for someone like Lee Sol. She was someone who didn't even touch cosmetics. Reaching that level of skill was a long way off. It might be better to ask the people around her.
Thinking about that...
"Then, what about A-young?"
Nuri brought up Shin A-young's name, thinking she might be an option... but Lee Sol shook her head.
[“...Don't you know more than A-young, Nuri? You’re so good at that 'no-makeup' makeup look.”]
"Is that so~?"
Ahem. Nuri cleared her throat. She tried to suppress the corners of her mouth, which were threatening to curl upward. It was a skill honed through years of cosplay. She wasn't a master, but she had a bit of confidence.
"Alright, I'll teach you."
Ji Nuri accepted coolly.
[“...!”]
Lee Sol's expression brightened across the screen. She looked relieved that they were finally on the same page.
‘Hmm...’
Of course, even though she said that...
‘The truth is, there’s no way around practicing a lot...’
If you want to be good at makeup, practice is everything. Becoming good overnight was an impossible dream. Still, she could teach her as many methods as she wanted. Wasn't wanting to be pretty the desire of every girl?
‘So Sol feels that way too.’
Nuri had thought Sol didn't care about her appearance because she was already a natural beauty, but apparently, that wasn't the case. A girl was a girl, after all.
*
"Hwaaaah..."
After finishing the call and giving the makeup lesson, Ji Nuri stretched her back. She flopped onto her mattress. The soft texture supported her, and she soon felt a drowsy, languid sensation as if she might fall asleep.
"Hmm..."
Ji Nuri stared blankly at the ceiling. Tomorrow was finally the event.
‘Everything’s ready...’
She had properly planned the flow for the merch and meticulously prepared her cosplay outfit. Including all of that, when she thought about what she would spend tomorrow...
‘It’ll cost a bit of money, but...’
It had been a while since the last event. That much was a price worth paying. More than the money she had spent, the excitement for tomorrow was greater. Perhaps because she had a performance scheduled as well, she felt a bit of a nervous flutter.
‘It’s going to be so fun...!’
She was looking forward to tomorrow.