Gotta Smile, Haeun
When Cheon Bom checked the CCTV footage, I realized with a start. Our company had CCTV too, recording everything. What if any of the stuff I'd done with the girls had been caught on camera? I'd only ever gotten intimate in spots without cameras, but what if something suspicious had slipped through anyway?
If our relationships got exposed, no matter who found out, they'd come down hard on me. Scandals like that are fatal in the entertainment biz—they wouldn't just let it slide. But since nothing's happened yet... it means either nothing weird was caught, or it hasn't been discovered.
So as long as I was careful from now on, it should be fine... right? Fat chance. They just hadn't figured out it was me yet. There might still be risky footage out there. I had to wipe it before anyone saw it.
So the second I got to work, I dug into the company's CCTV setup. Using the hypnosis app to max out my focus, I gathered every scrap of info I could.
Corridor CCTV is managed from the security office. Just one staffer there, and footage is kept for only a month before deletion. No cloud uploads or internet sharing—too risky if it leaked.
The state of our company's CCTV was pathetic. And for me, that was a huge relief. I could handle checking it myself.
Alright, time to move fast.
Best to confirm any risks ASAP. That's why I headed straight to the security office that evening.
The corridor was dead silent—no sign of anyone. Perfect timing: 6 p.m., when everyone's starving and out for dinner. I glanced around and knocked on the security office door.
Knock knock.
No response. I pulled out my prepared key and picked the lock, slipping inside.
"Pardon the intrusion..."
Empty, as expected. According to my research, the lone security guy would be away for the next thirty minutes or so—routine evening break.
I'm an employee here and all, but... isn't our security way too lax?
Was my self-hypnosis that good at digging up info, or was company security just a joke? It felt like someone had designed it this way on purpose.
Eh, probably because it's just the corridor CCTV room.
I shook off the stray thoughts and checked the computer. Magic password: 1q2w3e4r! Folder open.
No cloud... just a month's worth on the local hard drive... Got it.
The video files were neatly sorted by date, time, and location. User-friendly, even.
Starting with... that day in the training room with Minji...
No CCTV inside the training room, but the hallway cams might've caught something off. I pulled up that day and time—only to hit a shock.
"...It's gone?"
The footage from the day Minji and I kissed in the training room had already been deleted.
A bad feeling creeping in, I checked other dates: timings with Soye, Haeun, Minji—any potentially risky windows. And every single one was missing.
What the hell?
Most were corridor shots. Even if they existed, they wouldn't show what we were really up to. So it wasn't like someone knew what I was doing and swiped them preemptively. Not conclusively, anyway.
I was just double-checking on a hunch, but who...?
I shuddered. My head was spinning when my preset alarm buzzed—guard back in five. I stood to slip out quietly.
That's when I spotted it.
Guestbook!
Affiliation: Secretary's Office
Position / Name: Director / Yu Ga-hye
One entry. I double-checked for others, then eased out of the office.
Secretary's Office director... CEO's personal aide, probably.
Why would she delete footage of me and the girls?
Or did she? Maybe some other reason for that timeframe.
I needed answers, but I couldn't just confront her. Even with the hypnosis app, like with Haeun, consciousness lingers and it wears off quick—last resort only.
Or maybe someone snuck in like I did.
In that case, I was screwed.
This is maddening.
Back in my office, I stewed for ages. Even broke out the hypnosis app again, but no satisfying conclusions.
Too little info, but no immediate danger. Gotta take it slow, unravel the mysteries one by one.
Other footage showed nothing incriminating—no shots of our hookups. Risk of immediate trouble: minimal.
Just left me with this nagging mystery.
Not dangerous, but something unknown was out there. Pretty unsettling.
A few days later, in a small Seoul forest. Passersby started gawking at the photoshoot setup.
"Whoa, what's that?"
"That outfit's..."
"Bikini in this weather? Must be freezing."
"Bikini... but kinda weird? Armor? Skirt bottom, though."
"Some game character, probably."
"Super revealing."
"Who's she? She's gorgeous."
"An idol?"
All eyes on the cosplayer at the center: Im Haeun.
"Looks like Freyja cosplay?"
"Freyja who?"
"You don't know Freyja?! Lemme explain for your clueless ass: She's the top 5-star from this year's hit Japanese mobile game Grand Ragnarok—stunning looks, OP performance, most popular valkyrie. Face of the game, insanely strong..."
"Oh, that game your ass nags me to play every day?"
"Yeah, play with me!"
"Nah, not buying."
"Dude, it's gonna be a god-tier game! They're shooting promo here—probably launching in Korea. Total god game..."
"Shut up, you weeaboo freak!"
Amid the noisy crowd, the cosplayer herself—Im Haeun—glared around, thinking:
Fuck, why do I have to do this shit!
Bikini in the cold, doing weird poses. Sexy photoshoots were fine, but this outfit plus "strange actions"? She was trembling with embarrassment.
Plop.
A coat draped over her shaking shoulders.
"Pretty cold, huh?"
Me, tagging along for the shoot.
"Talk's dragging on. Looks like five-minute wait. Wear this for now."
"......"
"What's with the face? Problem?"
"P-Problem? What problem..."
"Right? No issues."
I grinned wide.
"Gotta smile. It's not like it's anyone else's idea—you begged for this, Haeun."
"......."
"Outfit suits you perfect, and a chance to show off your acting chops... Golden opportunity. I get why you wanted it so bad. Worth passing out for, haha."
Im Haeun trembled harder, speechless.
Paying for her past sins—what could she say? Just swallow the rage.
"Unnie's so lucky..."
Park Minji, who'd snuck up beside me, muttered.
"I wanna... try Freyja cosplay too..."
"You want this!? The outfit's insane—bikini with a heart cutout at the cleavage, all these tacky decorations..."
"Yeah! Unnie wouldn't get it, but... Freyja's so... popular..."
"Popular? I've never even—"
"Wanna... explain again? Freyja's from this year's Japanese mobile game..."
"Stop! You've yapped my ear off the whole ride!"
"Hee hee hee."
I enjoyed Haeun's reaction, then turned to Minji.
"Minji, I'll hook you up with something similar when you get the chance. After the second mini-album drops and you hit music shows and gigs, promo like this'll roll in."
"Hiiing... Can't I join now...?"
"Nah, single-character shoot."
"Hiiiing..."
She whined like a puppy who'd lost its snack, face falling.
"But I'll push hard for that snack ad proposal. Nail it, and unlimited chocolate for you."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Boss and other depts loved your eating shots. Clients are positive too."
"Ehehehe..."
She perked right up at my consolation.
"Resuming the shoot!"
"Finally wrapped talk? Director's strict."
"Unnie, just do exactly like I said... It'll be perfect... so..."
"Got it!"
I laughed at her outburst and took back the coat. As they parted, Haeun stood alone again.
"Haeun-ssi, let's nail this one! Put some emotion in!"
"Unnie, it's self-esteem! Pride! Freyja's noble..."
"Shh."
Minji hushed mid-ramble, and the set quieted. Haeun swallowed hard, facing the cameras.
"......"
She squeezed her eyes shut, deep breath, then stared straight ahead and opened her mouth.
"G-Gonna... go! Cold. Steel. Strike!"
"Cut! That's not it!"
"Pfft!"
I finally lost it and burst out laughing.