From Sewing Machines to Swimsuits: RealNeff's Debut Dawns

Even after my personal broadcast debut as RealNeff was officially locked in, I still had mountains of work piled up. Honestly, I might've been busier now than I ever was as Seol Ha-yoon.

Of course, most of it was magical girl duties, but I had more than one ad offer on the table too.

Magical Girl Raiser was on a whole other scale, though. Regular ads for magical girls aren't usually that flashy—especially not for a newbie like me.

Most are just quick, cost-effective shoots: slip into something cute in the studio, hold the product, strike a few poses, done.

So, since I was already shooting for Rexon, I figured I'd knock out a few low-effort ones while I was at it. Like this one right now.

🪡 Baz Sewing Machine 🪡

I was shooting a print ad for Baz Sewing Machine, tagging along with Seol Yuna.

The concept: hold the machine cutely, strike an adorable pose, and drop lines like drrr~ zip~. It hit me how famous I'd gotten. Not that it felt all that new or anything. Kinda weird direction, though.

"Neff-nim! Tilt your head a tiny bit to the left! Yes, perfect! Eyes like you're gazing at Mom beyond the lens!"

I tilted my head on cue and flashed a soft eye smile.

Maybe it was from getting dragged into Seol Yuna's fashion shows lately, but by now, posing and smiling felt second nature.

Mid-shoot, my eyes drifted to the sewing machine in my hands. ...Of all brands, Baz.

Back in my Seol Ha-yoon days, the corner of my workshop had one of these. This exact model, BZ-303, was a godsend for broke aspiring designers—cheap as dirt.

I remembered cursing it out because the tension control was trash. Guess it's still kicking around, not discontinued. Tough little bastard.

"Let's try pretending to run the machine this time? Careful not to prick your finger on the needle!"

The staff set it up on the table at the photographer's call. As if. What kind of weapon do they think I wield?

I sat in the chair, foot hovering over the pedal like I was about to press it—

Hm?

Something bugged me about the fabric wedged under the presser foot.

Thread all tangled. Stitch like that, and you'd snap the needle right off. Not like this thing costs hundreds of grand.

Couldn't let that slide.

"Hold on a sec."

Click. Tap.

Good to go.

"...Huh?"

The staff watching nearby went wide-eyed as I handled the machine like a pro.

"What'd you just do? We were gonna send it in for repairs thinking it was busted..."

Shooting pics of a sewing machine doesn't make you an expert. Separate photographer, separate props guy. Guess they thought it was broken. Snapped back to reality.

Oh crap! Can't have a kid pulling that off. But no sweat—I was used to it now.

"Just gave it a lil' tap and it fixed itself! Hehe!"

I beamed innocently and threw up a V-sign.

"Whoa... As expected of a magical girl! Fixing machines with magic!"

Pure 100% skill on my part, but folks bought the magic excuse easy. Kinda convenient.

"Great! Shoot on that vibe!"

Flash! Flash! Flash!

"Good work!" "Thanks for your hard work! Neff-nim's shots came out so good, gonna be tough picking."

"R-Really?"

The second we wrapped, Seol Yuna—who'd been waiting below—rushed up and hugged me tight.

"Our Ha-rin worked so hard! Hungry? Sis'll treat you! What ya want? Sweet-and-sour pork? Pizza?"

"Hm..."

I pondered for a sec.

"Tteokbokki."

"...Huh? Tteokbokki? But Ha-rin doesn't like that much."

Seol Yuna blinked, puzzled.

Right. She didn't. Seol Ha-yoon hated spicy stuff and the chewy texture. And Seol Yuna knew that better than anyone.

But Seol Ha-rin loves tteokbokki.

"Nah, I want tteokbokki."

＊＊＊

I swung by Rexon Games too. This time with Frost, ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not Seol Yuna.

Purpose: official print ads and promo video for Magical Girl Raiser.

"Neff-nim, Frost-nim! You're here! We've been waiting!"

Kim the team leader greeted us right as we entered the studio. Behind him: tons of staff, lights, and...

"...What's all that?"

Racks crammed full of clothes. Looked like they'd robbed a cosplay rental shop wholesale.

"Ah, the concept outfits we mentioned! All the new costumes dropping in the update."

Kim pointed proudly.

"From basics to kindergarten uniform, maid outfit, hanbok, and the grand finale... ahem. Anyway, tons of variety!"

Whoa. No way they were serious about making me wear these? Felt less like a shoot and more like doll dress-up. With me as the doll. Trap.

"Shall we get changed? Just touch up makeup and we're rolling!"

Led by staff, I tried makeup for the first time ever. Female staffer brushing stuff on my face—tickly and stuffy.

Done. Mirror check. No "Nose, nose, that's me??" moment. Guess my base was already pretty; barely any difference.

Shooting time.

"Good! Neff-nim! Naughtier this time! Like a kitty cat!"

"L-Like this?"

"Yes! Mouth like nyaa~!"

Nyaa? Really?

"Nyaa, nyaa..."

Here's a kitty. Pay up.

"Kyaaah! Insane! Too cute!"

"Team leader! This is gonna blow up!"

Monitoring staff screamed and collapsed. Explosive reaction. My embarrassment evaporated; lips curved up. Felt good, honestly. Getting attention? Addictive.

Next: yellow kindergarten uniform.

"Chick this time! Peep peep!"

"P-Peep..."

Wait, kindergarteners don't peep, do they?

Next: white maid dress with frills. Familiar, sorta. Thanks, Aurora.

"Welcoming master home! 'Welcome back~!'"

"W-Welcome back~..."

Nope, not familiar. Aurora-nim, what even...

"Next~!!"

By now, shame didn't matter—body was just exhausted.

Never changed outfits this much mid-monster fight.

These days I was strong enough: Prism Neff click, six-attribute magic blasts!

As my soul chipped away in real-time from fatigue, finally—the final boss appeared.

"Behold, the grand finale outfit!"

School swimsuit.

"...We really wearing this?"

"Yes! Core of the summer limited pack! Sales superstar!"

"...S-Sure it's fine?"

"Normally? Big problem."

"...There is one."

Kim was super confident.

"Obviously, parading a current elementary kid in this would've been impossible. Cultural norms, laws, etc. But you're a magical girl, Neff-nim. Makes it possible."

Right. Everyone figures I'm elementary-age from my transformed look. And I was.

But maybe not? Magic's wild. Could turn a 30+ auntie into a 9-year-old kiddo. That's magic for ya.

"Neff."

"Y-Yes?"

"You aren't thinking anything rude about Frost, right?"

How'd she know? Ah, whatever.

Till my red pill drops, no one's sure Neff's a real 8-year-old. Schrödinger's Ha-rin.

Early debut rumors had me as Prima's secret granddaughter. Seems faded now.

"Who knows? Maybe you detransform into a 25-year-old dude."

"Eyy~ Team leader, don't say creepy stuff. Now I can't unimagine it."

Flinch.

What the—? Scared me. Seol Yuna leak? Gotta spin some Juri on the way home.

Anyway, logic: 8-year-old kiddo (identity unknown) in school swimsuit? No legal issues. Same pass for streams, etc.

Into the changing room. Picked up the swimsuit.

And.

Sigh...

Put it on. Mirror.

Was my figure this ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠kid-like? Cuter than expected. More self-loathing.

"C-Coming out..."

Shuffled into the studio. Dead silence. Gulps audible maybe.

"Whoa..."

"Perfect."

"S-So cute! Wanna kidnap you!"

Exclamations everywhere. If they'd just hold their breath five minutes...

Sensing my exhaustion from constant changes, staff jumped straight into shooting.

"At the pool! Splashing pose!"

"Hugging a tube!"

"Ice cream drip on your chest!"

"Embarrassed face!"

Requests getting real specific? Imagination?

Click! Click! Click!

Sealed hundreds of black history shots into digital eternity. Finally... done!

"Good work! Prints wrapped! On to video!"

...Nope.

Green screen now. Felt like I owed an apology.

"Neff-nim. Imagine a monster here, unleash your signature move!"

"...Eh? My signature move is..."

"Ah, not literally. Neff Beam's fine."

Neff doesn't shoot beams.

"T-Take this! Neff Beam!"

"Cut! More power! Intense face! But keep the cute!"

So many notes.

Special effects shooting's brutal. Like shadowboxing air.

Staring at green wall—what am I doing? Reality crashed in.

"One more! Jump this time!"

"Hyaah!"

Hopped till my costume soaked in sweat. Four-hour marathon over.

"Good work!!" "Thanks for hanging in!"

Staff clapped; I collapsed. Burned out white.

"Neff-nim! You were amazing! Beyond expectations!"

"...Nee~."

"Edits coming soon! Oh, and the stream diamonds are in your account."

Fatigue gone. Gacha time at home.

＊＊＊

Anyway, grinding these minor gigs like that, summer break hit its midpoint before I knew it.

Ivy sent theme song samples too—way better than last time.

Finally, D-Day arrived.

Magical Girl Raiser official promo stream—the special guest finale. Morning of.

Before heading to the studio, I sat in my room center.

Studio was fully prepped for instant go-live. Ask if clueless. My fumbling newbie act was the natural appeal anyway. Super calculated.

Habit before the car: fired up Magal.

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From Sewing Machines to Swimsuits: RealNeff's Debut Dawns

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